Approaches to Science
Scientific Inquiry
Children
are encouraged to observe, explore and ask questions about living things,
materials and phenomena. They begin to to collect evidence to help them
answer questions and to link this to simple scientific ideas. They evaluate
evidence and consider whether tests or comparisons are reasonable and use reference
materials to find out more about scientific ideas. These concepts/ideas may be
used with drawings, charts and tables.
Children are encouraged to learn the following life processes:
a. The differences between things that are living and things that have
never been alive
b. Animals, including humans, move, feed, grow, use their senses and
reproduce
c. Compare life processes to animals and plants found in the local
environment
Example of a Science Unit
This
unit introduces children to the idea of plants as living things which grow and
change. Children should become aware of similarities and differences in plants.
Experimental and investigative work focuses on:
* Turning ideas into a form that can be tested
* Making and recording observations
* Using results to communicate results and draw conclusions
*
Children also have opportunities to link their knowledge of how plants grow to
their understanding of science and to ways in which growing plants
should be treated with sensitivity