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Teaching Children Science Book Cover
Teaching Children Science: A Project-Based Approach, 2/e
Joe Krajcik, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Charlene Czerniak, University of Toledo
Carl Berger, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Why and How Should I Teach Science to Children?

Definitions

apply  To make use of something; in this case, make use of scientific understandings.
artifacts  Products that illustrate what one has learned.
collaborate  To work with another person or group on a science topic.
collaboration  The act of working with another person or group to accomplish something in a science classroom.
concepts  An idea or basic understanding.
construct meaning  Create understanding.
creativity  Use one's imagination to develop a new idea or product.
curiosity  Eagerness to learn or know something in science.
driving questions  Problems that serve to organize and guide instructional tasks and activities.
goals  A benchmark that one wants to achieve.
guide  A person who is leading students in the right direction.
hypotheses  Tentative explanations for scientific phenomenon.
inquiry  An investigation of a scientific nature.
integration  The combination of science with other subject areas.
interdisciplinary  Connected to other fields of study.
interest  A topic of curiosity or concern to learn more about.
investigations  Inquiry into a topic using scientific skills.
learning technologies  Technology tools that can support students in learning.
less content  Fewer topics to be studied, but studied more in-depth.
nature of science  The historical aspects of science and idea that science is an ongoing, changing process.
prior experiences  Experiences students learned in life before the current topic was introduced.
process  A series of actions or steps.
project-based science  A teaching approach that engages young learners in exploring important and meaningful questions through a process of investigation and collaboration. Throughout this dynamic process, students ask questions, make predictions, design investigations, collect and analyze data, make products, and share ideas. As a result, students learn fundamental science concepts and principles that they apply to their daily lives.
science  The study of the physical world.
scientific attitudes  Attitudes of openness, curiosity, skepticism, etc.
subquestions  Questions that come from another, more central question.
theories  A body of rules and principles that apply to science; a conjecture or belief about a topic in science.
think critically  Be able to judge and analyze a topic.