What Is Science in the Classroom?

Necessary Components:

1. Science is Based on Observable Data

2. Science Involves Information Processing

3. Science is a Search for Regularity

4. Science is a Naturally Occurring Process, Which Can Be Made More Effective With Experience

 

If a classroom lesson involves these essential components, it is defined as science teaching.

Leaving out any single component creates learning based on rote memory rather than understanding through meaningful learning.

 

Science in the classroom is a

Verb not a Noun

______________________________________________What is Science

in the Elementary and Middle School?

______________________________________________Elementary and Middle School Science:

begins with observations which

gather information about objects and events, or

utilize information reported by other sources.

involves processing of observations and information in a variety of ways including:

classification,

prediction,

inferring, and

other process skills.

continues by developing patterns and regularities, as a result of the processing which occurred earlier.

results in the students’ construction of new meaning involving content knowledge and the associated thinking skill knowledge used in development of the new meaning.

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