Science in the Kindergarten Curriculum

Why Science is Important in the Kindergarten Curriculum

n  Children need to be learning about their world, expanding their knowledge base

Why Science is Important in the Kindergarten Curriculum

n  Children should become aware of and develop an appreciation and respect for

_______________

Children should be given an opportunity to experiment with and

 _____________________ science-related materials

         Wamsley & Camp

Science Curriculum

n  ____________________studies allow students to explore a concept in depth - such as sand

and water - using measuring containers, estimating, weighing,

 _______________________

Science Themes for Kindergarten

n  Animals and their ____________________

n  Plants

n  Seasons / _____________________

n  Taking Care of the __________________________

n  Physics / Chemistry

Math & Science can easily be integrated together

n  Use throughout the day

n  Signing In

n  Shared Reading

n  At _____________________  _____________________________

Math and Science during Center/Interest Area Times

n  Give many opportunities to explore manipulatives before asking them to work on specific tasks

Set up conditions of Natural Learning

n Approximation

n Self-Correction

n Sharing what they’ve __________________________________

At the Water Table

n  Sink and Float

n  Conservation of liquid

n  Bubbles

n  Properties of Water

n  Solid, _________________   _______________

n  When children are working in interest areas the teacher is free to work with them individually

and can meet them in their

 ______________________________________________

Math Standards for Kindergarten

Rationale – students need to have a broader scope

            To be able to interpret information

            Make decisions

            Solve Problems

            Become active participants, risk takers, _______________________

With good instruction, encouragement and high expectations _________ children can do math

Your role as Teacher

            Build students self-confidence

            Nurture their natural curiosity

Challenge them with rich problems

Provide them with a strong foundation

Optimize learning in these early years

Act as guide, coach, facilitator and ___________________

Students will remember your excitement & enthusiasm

Give students multiple strategies

Promote mathematical thinking and reasoning

Children need physical materials to represent & describe math concepts

Computers are essential

Ongoing assessment is __________________

Ongoing Assessment

            Observations

            Interviews        

            Projects

            Reports

            _____________________

            Diaries

            Tests

5 Major Areas in K Math

            Patterns

            Number Sense & __________________

            Making Sense of ____________________

            Geometry and Spatial Sense

            ________________________

Patterns

            Help children see relationships

            Find connections

            Make generalizations

            Make ________________________________

            Helps children become ___________________ ___________________

            Predictable books help

            Encourage children to talk about patterns

            Make “people patterns” and action patterns

            Make patterns with objects

            Calendar patterns

Number Sense and Operations

            An awareness of the relationships between numbers

            Ability to represent each number in several ways

            Knowledge of the effects of operations

            Ability to interpret and use numbers in the real world

            Call attention to the ways numbers are used all around us

            Counting on, Counting backward, __________ counting

Making sense of Data

            Collect, organize and display information

            Early application of _____________________

            Sorting – making comparisons

            Graphing – displaying comparisons and information

Geometry and Spatial Sense

            An intuitive feel for one’s surroundings and the objects in them – NCTM

            K should provide children opportunities to work _______   _____________

            Compare

            Classify and arrange according to ________________________

BACK