2. Most
Important
for
Elementary
Science
• Keep
excitement
alive.
• Encourage
and
empower
curiosity.
• Avoid
misconcep@ons.
3. What
to
teach
-‐-‐
Themes
• Inquiry
• PaEerns
• Systems
• Cycles
(constancy
and
change)
• Structure
and
Func@on
4. What
to
teach
–
Skills
• Inquiry
– observe,
ask
ques@ons
– classify
– use
tools,
choose
tools
– measure,
with
non
standard
and
standard
– conduct
experiments,
design
experiments
• Models
– use
– make
– evaluate
and
list
limita@ons
5. What
to
teach
-‐-‐
Content
– Living
versus
non-‐living
– Living
things
as
systems
– Growth
and
change
(life
cycles)
– Habitats
– Adapta@ons
– Inheritance
6. PaEerns
• Classifica@on
– Ar@cula@ng
the
rules
– Recognizing
that
humans,
not
nature,
classify
– Appreciate
the
usefulness
7. Cycles
(Constancy
and
Change)
• In
our
universe,
change
is
the
result
of
forces.
• In
our
universe,
change
is
inevitable.
• Constancy
is
seen
in
– the
paEerns
of
change,
–
the
concepts
underlying
change,
and
– laws
of
nature
8. Cycles
(Constancy
and
Change)
Drawing
from
hEp://www.nature-‐giVs.com/frog-‐life-‐cycle-‐instruc@ons.html
9. Systems
• Student
MUST
have
an
opera@onal
defini@on
of
systems.
That
means
they
should:
– Recognize
something
as
a
system
– Know
that
systems
have
parts,
and
that
each
part
has
a
specific
role
in
the
system
– That
the
parts
affect
each
other
(a
change
in
one
part
will
have
effects
on
other
parts
of
the
system)
– The
system
as
a
whole
is
more
than
just
the
sum
of
its
parts
– Systems
need
energy
– Systems
break
down
10. Systems
• Body
systems
–
plants
and
animals
• Food
webs
• Ecosystems
–
habitats,
biomes
• Hints
for
teaching
– Trace
the
energy
– Trace
the
maEer
– Specifically
point
out
the
rela@onships
among
the
parts
– Specifically
remind
the
students
that
this
is
system;
frequently
ask
them
to
iden@fy
the
characteris@cs
of
a
system
11. Systems
• Ask
ques@ons
like:
– What
is
it
about
this
…
that
makes
it
a
system?
– What
do
we
know
about
this
because
it
is
a
system?
– What
parts
make
up
this
system?
– What
part
does
this
…
play
in
the
system?
– What
would
happen
to
the
system
if
this
part
were
(removed;
not
working,
etc.)?
12. Systems
• Some
systems
are
physically
linked,
like
the
parts
of
a
plant
or
animal.
• Wrong:
Have
students
memorize
the
parts
of
a
plant
and
the
func@on
of
each
part.
• Right:
Write
the
needs
of
all
living
things
on
the
board
and
give
each
group
of
students
a
full
plant
(best)
or
plant
picture
(ok).
Have
them
look
at
the
structures
and
try
to
deduce
which
need
that
structure
would
meet
for
the
plant.
Discuss
it
as
a
class
to
clarify
any
misconcep@ons.
THEN
have
them
draw,
label,
write
func@ons,
etc.
13. Systems
• Some
systems
are
linked
through
interdependence,
rather
than
physical
connec@on.
Examples:
food
webs,
habitats,
biomes.
14. Just
for
Fun
1. Why
is
this
a
system
system?
2. What
do
we
know
about
this
because
it
is
a
system?
3. What
parts
make
up
this
system?
4. What
part
does
this
…
play
in
the
system?
5. What
would
happen
to
the
system
if
this
part
were
(removed;
not
working,
etc.)
15. Just
for
Fun
• In
groups
of
3
or
4,
select
one
of
the
following
and
discuss
it,
answering
the
following
ques@ons:
17. Structure
and
Func@on
• STRESS
this
constantly.
• Structure
and
func@on
are
forever-‐and-‐ever
@ed
together.
• Which
came
first,
the
chicken
or
the
egg?
Doesn’t
maEer.
They
are
linked.
20. Living
and
Non
• List
the
characteris@cs
of
living
things
• (Remember
our
“concept
aEainment
strategy”?
*
• What
children
think:
• hEp://ed-‐share.educ.msu.edu/PMsum02/
almostsmart/AlmostSmart/Research/livmov.htm
• Video:
Living
vs.
Non-‐living
• hEp://ed-‐share.educ.msu.edu/PMsum02/
almostsmart/AlmostSmart/Research/living.mov
21. Living
vs.
Non-‐living
• Anything
that
is
alive
or
has
been
alive
has
cells
(or
the
remnant
of
cells).
22. Living
vs.
Non-‐living:
Misconcep@ons
to
Avoid
• All
living
things
need
oxygen.
• Living
things
move;
non-‐living
things
do
not.
• Must
have
food.
• Living
things
grow;
non-‐living
things
do
not.
• Living
things
can
come
from
non-‐living
things.
23. Ecosystems
and
Habitats
Common
Misconcep@ons
• A
species
high
on
the
food
web
is
a
predator
to
everything
below
it.
• Energy
accumulates
in
an
ecosystem
so
that
a
top
predator
has
all
the
energy
from
the
organisms
below
it.
• Carnivores
can
exist
in
a
plant
free
world
if
their
prey
reproduce
enough.
25. True
or
False
• Roots
provide
food
for
the
plant.
• Plants
make
food
for
us
to
eat.
• Plants
and
animals
both
take
in
oxygen
during
respira@on.
• Many
plants
and
animals
produce
eggs
during
the
process
of
reproduc@on.
• A
seed
in
a
plant
is
like
an
egg
in
an
animal.
• Plants
do
not
have
sexual
reproduc@on.
• To
sprout,
seeds
need
water,
oxygen,
soil,
and
sunlight.
26. Plants
–
Common
Misconcep@ons
• Plants
obtain
their
energy
directly
from
the
sun.
• Plants
have
mul@ple
sources
of
food
(heterotrophic
as
well
as
autotrophic).
• Carbon
dioxide,
water,
and
minerals
are
food.
• Plants
feed
by
absorbing
food
through
their
roots.
• Plants
use
heat
from
the
sun
as
a
source
of
energy
for
photosynthesis.
Berthelsen,
B.
(1999).
Students
Naïve
Concep;ons
in
Life
Science.
MSTA
Journal,
44
(1)
(Spring’99),
pp.
13-‐19.
h;p://www.msta-‐mich.org
27. Plants
–
Common
Misconcep@ons
• Sunlight
is
a
food.
• Sunlight
is
composed
of
molecules
• .Sunlight
is
“consumed”
in
photosynthesis.
• Plants
absorb
water
through
their
leaves
• Plants
produce
oxygen
for
our
benefit.
Berthelsen,
B.
(1999).
Students
Naïve
Concep;ons
in
Life
Science.
MSTA
Journal,
44
(1)
(Spring’99),
pp.
13-‐19.
h;p://www.msta-‐mich.org
28. Plants
–
Science
Teachers
Need
to
Know
About…
Photosynthesis
• Plants
respire
(take
in
oxygen
and
release
carbon
dioxide)
as
well
as
conduct
photosynthesis.
• Plants
store
the
energy
from
sunlight
as
starch
or
sugar
for
their
own
use.
29. Plants
–
Science
Teachers
Need
to
Know
About…
Seeds
• Do
not
need
sunlight
to
germinate.
• Do
not
need
“warmth.”
• The
embryo
can
grow
un@l
it
runs
out
of
stored
food.
30. Plants
–
Science
Teachers
Need
to
Know
About…
Plant
reproduc@on
• Plants
have
male
and
female,
eggs
and
sperms.
• Males
may
go
“in
search”
of
females.
• Volvox
reproduc@on
• hEp://
www.youtube.com/
watch?
v=fqEHbJbuMYA&feature
=related
31. Animals
• Only
large
land
mammals
are
animals.
• Penguins
and
turtles
are
amphibians
because
they
are
both
in
and
out
of
water.
• Whales,
jellyfish,
and
starfish
are
all
fish.
• Respira@on
is
synonymous
with
breathing.
32. Animals
• Key
to
teaching
about
animals
is
to
help
students
understand
scien@fic
classifica@on…
This
is
a
because
34. Adapta@on
• The
most
seriously
misunderstood
concept
in
elementary
life
science.
• Adapta@on
had
nothing
to
do
with
the
common
meaning
of
“to
adapt.”
• Adapta@on
is
not:
– an
ability
to
adapt
to
one’s
environment.
– a
change
an
organism
made
it
fit
into
its
environment.
35. Adapta@on
• Organisms
do
not
acquire
traits
because
the
trait
is
needed
for
survival;
they
survive
because
they
happen
to
have
that
trait.
36. Adapta@on
• Behaviors
may
be
acquired
(you
may
teach
your
dog
a
trick),
but…
• Behavioral
adapta3ons
are
ins@nc@ve,
not
learned
(it
is
in
the
genes
of
the
organism).
37. Adapta@on
• Structural
changes
can
occur
as
the
result
of
the
lifestyle
of
the
organism
(your
dog
may
have
a
shiny
coat
because
you
brush
it
a
lot)
but
these
are
not
passed
on
to
the
offspring.
• Structural
adapta3ons
may
develop
over
the
life
of
the
organism,
but
they
may
not
be
acquired.
They
are
in
the
genes
and
are
passed
on
to
the
offspring
38. Adapta@ons
Answer
these
ques@ons.
In
answering
them,
state
whether
this
is
an
adapta@on
or
not.
1. Why
do
I
have
canine
teeth
(incisors)?
2. Why
does
my
cat
like
to
play
with
wiggly
toys?
3. Why
do
my
children
eat
pie
for
dessert
frequently?
4.
Why
can
I
speak
English
without
an
accent,
but
speak
French
with
an
accent?
39. Adapta@on
Give
explana@ons
for
the
following:
1. An
oEer
has
a
special
niche
in
the
pond
environment.
2. Changing
habitats
(for
example,
due
to
human
building
and
development)
may
lead
to
the
disappearance
of
species.
3. Disappearance
of
species
and
the
appearance
of
new
species
is
inevitable.
40. Remember!
• Keep
excitement
alive.
• Encourage
and
empower
curiosity.
• Avoid
misconcep@ons.
Image
from
hEp://www.gymboree-‐
ph.com/images/science1.gif
