I have been researching ways to incorporate literature into the Science curriculum. I am going to have my liscensure in pre-K-6th grade, so I was curious as to which picture books would be good to use for early childhood classes. I found the answer to this question in The Early Childhood Education Journal in an article titled Using Children's Literature To Teach Standard-Based Science Concepts in Early Years by Mesut Sackes, Kathy Cabe Trundle and Lucia M. Flevares.
This article addresses the fact that while science instruction is very important for early childhood, it is often hard to teach it. As in my last blog, this article also recognizes that some books could have misleading information, but that does not mean the teacher should not use them. It means that the teacher should be prepared to discuss these misconceptions in order for the students to understand the truth. It may be somewhat challenging to choose books that are appropriate, but this article has done the work for us.
There are three different charts with books that were already reviewed. The charts are divided into the categories of physical science, Earth and space science, and life science. The title and author of several books are given in each category, as well as the appropriate age group (all ages 3-5 or 4-5). The science concept is also shown (i.e. shadows) along with ways to apply the book and also the limitations of the book.
The full list of books in this article can be viewed at
http://www.springerlink.com/content/u67367g701555868/fulltext.pdf
Jessie,
ReplyDeleteI too am getting my degree in early childhood and think it is hard to find books that help us teach science. Or find books that fit into science at such a young age. I think this article gives some great ideas on how to use the books. I think that if the material is to difficult for the young ones then we shouldn't teach that material to them. It will be hard to find the material that fits them and its up to us as teachers to find the right material.
I think you raise an interesting point. In the past 2 month of my science methods class, I’ve learned how important it is to start a lesson with an object or objects, which represent(s) an idea. This is also known as concrete. I think possibly looking at the pictures first, and then discussing them would be a good path leading up to reading the actual text of the book. Using cognitive dissonance also helps the student accommodate new information better.
ReplyDeleteGreat resource! My degree will qualify me to teach K - 6 general classroom education and K - 8 reading so I am always looking for ways to take the content cross-curriculur, specifically with literature. I like the idea of focusing as many areas of my classroom to a consistent topic so the students can be immersed in the content. I have heard many teachers say that when you see something that is effective, steal it. One of the great benefits of technology is the opportunity to steal great ideas from teachers all over the country. With the link in your post we do not have to try to compile a list of effective science based literature, it has already been done for us. This gives us the opportunities to use the material in the most effective way we can.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great resource and way to share what you have found with others. I believe that this is a struggling issue for many teachers, especially early childhood or Pre-K teachers. Stories and books need to play an important role in a child's life and this is a great way to incorporate language arts with Science!
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