Preschool teachers should teach science through exploration, observation, and hands-on activities rather than lectures. Activities like singing songs about body parts, playing Simon Says to learn parts, and using senses to identify objects help engage preschoolers. Lesson plans should integrate music and involve tracing bodies, naming parts, and moving to develop understanding of science topics like life cycles and the human body in a developmentally appropriate way. Vygotsky's theory emphasizes that social interaction and scaffolding assistance from teachers are important for cognitive development in young children.
Teaching Science in Preschool through Play and Exploration
1. 1. How do we teach science in preschool learners?
As we all know that child is very inquisitive, what they see in their surroundings they will
ask about it, especially if it is new in their eyes, they were very curious, that the start of
their questions, “what’s this and what’s that? They are very observant, so as a teacher
in preschool I will teach science to my learners by letting them to explore, observe, and
describe. I will give activities that will enhance them to learn science in enjoyable way.
If my topic is all about the body parts I will let them sing songs that mentioning the body
parts.
Let them play a game like “Simon Says” example if the teacher will say Simon says
touch your ears, then they will touch their ears, but if the teacher will say touch your
ears without saying Simon says, they will not perform it, if they will perform they will be
punish by letting then to set down until their will be a winner.
Another activity that I will give to them for the topic of the 5 senses, they will be blind
fold, then I will let them touch something and let them guess, let them hear, let them
taste, let them smell, let them feel, and let them guess.
According to the recommendations based on the work of Rochel Gelman and other
psychologists that children must not be teach in form of lecture, they will not be force,
the attention span of a child is too short, so if the teacher will lecture they will be bored,
they become unruly, and will not listen anymore, if the teacher will say this the process
of this, their curiosity and initiative will be vanished. Preschoolers will be given
opportunities to investigate and explore new things. (Bonawitz et al 2011; Buchsbaum
et al 2011).
Preschool children best learn by doing, hands on experienced less in lecturing, like what
I did to my preschooler, my topic was all about the hands, my activity that I followed
from my guide was hand tracing, after tracing they colored it, cut it, I observe that they
enjoyed the most when they see their cute hands paste in the wall.
2. 2. Design Integrative teaching in science.
Lesson Plan in Science Kinder
I. Objective:
To be able to know the life cycle of a butterfly
To sequence the events of a story and;
to be able to count numbers up to quantities of 5 .
II. Subject Matter
Topic: The life cycle of a butterfly
Materials: Pictures of a butterfly
Pictures of caterpillar
Pictures of different kinds of fruits
Crayons
References: www.KGedu.com/kindergarten /butterfly.html
III. Procedure:
a. Preliminary activities
Daily routine (Checking attendance/ assignments)
Review the past lesson
b. Motivation
Let them sing “Fly fly the butterfly”.
Ask: do you know where the butterfly comes from?
c. Presentation
Reading the story “The very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle”
d. Comprehension check
1. Answering the motive question
Where the butterfly comes from?
e. Discussion
- Explain that there are four stages that a caterpillar goes through to become a
butterfly.
- Let them count the fruits that was eaten by the hungry caterpillar everyday
- Ask the color of every fruit that the hungry caterpillar eat every day
- Name the days of a week
f. Abstraction
What are the four stages that the caterpillar goes through?
g. Application
Activity 1
Let the children act the cycle of a caterpillar; they will use their bodies to show the
life cycle of a butterfly.
Tell them to act as an egg by sitting at the floor bend their bodies to form like an egg
they tuck in their head with their knees, and then tell them that they will act as a
caterpillar by stretching their bodies and wriggling their bodies. Then after that tell
them to stand still to act as a chrysalis, and for the finale let them stretch their both
arms gently like a butterfly and let the arms flap like wings of a butterfly, running
around the room flapping their arms, like a flying butterfly.
Activity 2
Divine them in four groups give each of the group pictures of the stages of a
butterfly then let them arrange the events of a story by putting numbers 1-4.
IV. Evaluation
Give each of them pictures of the life cycle of a butterfly and let them color it.
V. Assignments
3. Let them draw and color the cycle of a butterfly.
Activity Sheet
Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Direction: Sequence the life cycle of a butterfly by
putting numbers 1-4 in the box.
4. How Important music in teaching Science?
Music is very important in teaching Science for them to learn more
Enjoyable and meaningful, through music child will learn easily not only
in science but also to other subject, the retention is there, like in my
class, to teach the body parts I let them sing “My Toes my Knees,
Sampung mga Daliri, I Have two hand” through these songs they will
learn easily, and as I observe my class, they were very enjoyed
singing a song. So it is very important to integrate music in teaching
science.
According to music researcher that music is very effective when it is
integrated in teaching science to preschool because there is
correlation between music and human brain, because music helps
develop children language skills, encourages them to listens, and
help them to remember easily.
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=431
5. Brain Based Approach
Lesson Plan
in
Science Kinder
I. Objective : to be able to name and identify the body parts and its function
II. Subject Matter:
Topic: My Body
Reference: Learning Guide in Preschool pp 35,42, 43 Pagpahanas sa Pagpangandam , pp 45
Materials: Crayons, CD (music), CD player manila paper, permanent marker, pictures of each
body parts, Play dough, coupon band.
III. Procedure
A. Preparatory activities
Daily Routine ( Checking Attendance/ assignments)
B. Review
C. Motivation
Let them sing “ My Toes my Knees my Shoulder”. “Sampung mga Daliri”,
D. Presentation
Let them recite the Poem “ The two parts of Me”
The Two Parts of Me
I have two hands to clap (clap) when I am happy
I have two lungs to breath (take a deep breath) for me to live
I have two eyes to see (point to the eyes) the beauty that surrounds me,
I have two legs to run and jump (jog in place) with playmates
I have two ears to hear (cup hands to ears) what teacher will tell me
E. Discussion
Let them name each body parts and its function
Ask them how many eyes nose, ears, legs, hands, let them count and ask what the
function of each body part.
F. Abstraction:
Ask what is the name and function of each body parts.
Activity 1
Body tracing
Divide the class, each group will select who will to lie down to be traced. Let them put
eyes, nose, ears, and let them put dress, ribbon at the head if it is a girl.
Then let the children name each body part, and tell each function.
Activity 2
Move that body
1. Children and teacher do deep breathing and other simple stretching exercises to
loosen tight muscle, concentrating on certain body parts. Example: hand, feet, head.
2. The teacher starts the music and tells the children: “Move your
hand…feet..Head..etc” in any way you want.
3. Children move their body parts with music.
4. End the activity with deep- breathing exercise.
IV. Evaluation
Direction:
Listen as the teacher reads the word. Box the picture that tells about the body parts.
Ear
7. Activity Sheet
My body
Direction: Circle the name of the body that shown in the picture below.
Nose
Ears
eyes
Ears
nose
Tongue
Thigh
Head
hands
Knee
Arm
Thigh
feet
head
ear
Head
Feet
hands
Tongue
Feet
Knee
knee
fingers
thigh
8. Theorist of Human Development
LEV VYGOTSKY
The theory of Lev Vygotsky is the Social Interaction; according to him that social
interaction plays a very important role in cognitive development of a child. He
believed that individual development could not be understood without looking the
social and cultural within which development happens. His theory tells that
scaffolding it is the appropriate assistance that the parent teacher will be given
the child.
H e believed that social interaction is very effective in learning. The parent,
teacher, peer and other adult that surround them give influential learning of a
child, by modeling the child learn best, that’s why teacher must be a good model
to them, especially children look forward the adults that surrounds them. What
they see they think it is right for them that why they imitate.
When a child performs in his/her own s/he may not be immediately skillful in
doing so, s/he needs assistance. However with the guidance of teacher and
other adults they can accomplish. This theory of Vygotsky I’m trying to apply it in
my classroom setting. During our art period I let them see the process guiding
them, during writing at first I hold their hands then start with the dots they connect
it, then after that they were the one to write alone, it is very hard in preschool to
teach because they are beginners, but it is very fulfilling and satisfying when you
see the hard work that prosper when they know how to write, I fell very proud to
myself when I know they learn from me, that’s why even it is very hard still I
enjoyed it being a preschool teacher, because it is very challenging work.