Starting with Science: Strategies for Introducing Young Children to Inquiry

Starting with Science: Strategies for Introducing Young Children to Inquiry

• Used Book in Good Condition

<DIV><p>Young children arrive at school with unrestrained curiosity and wonder about the world. A fact-based, hands-on activity approach to teaching science, however, is not enough to help them deepen their scientific thinking or discoveries. In <I>Starting with Science: Strategies for Introducing Young Children to Inquiry</I>, Marcia Talhelm Edson explores the big ideas surrounding inquiry-based science; she helps teachers thoughtfully plan for and implement a conceptual approach to teaching and learning science so students can engage in observation, questioning, predictions, collaboration, data collection, and a deeper understanding of topics important to their lives.</p><p>Through numerous examples from classroom discussions, teacher commentary, and children's work samples, <I>Starting with Science</I> provides practical suggestions and models for beginning teachers as well as those who are fine-tuning their practice. Four key questions underlie the book:</p><ul> <li>What is inquiry-based science?</li> <li>How can pre-K, kindergarten, and primary-grade teachers incorporate inquiry-based science when faced with limited science background, insufficient time, and lack of resources?</li> <li>What roles do the children, the teacher, and the environment play in an inquiry-based science program?</li> <li>What instructional strategies are effective in implementing inquiry-based science?</li></ul><p>In answering these questions, Edson provides a framework from which teachers can devise their own in-depth inquiry investigations based on district requirements and students' own interests. She also integrates literacy opportunities as well as explicit suggestions for effective assessment of inquiry-based science.</p><p><I>Starting with Science</I> shows us what inquiry looks like in an early childhood classroom and introduces strategies teachers can employ to confidently and competently teach science to students in grades pre-K–2. Children will gain skills for problem solving and an attitude about learning that they will carry with them not just to the next grade but throughout their lives.</p></div>