7/23/15 STEM in the Early Childhood Environment Cheryl Evere* CCIU STEMathon 2015 Visual metaphor?? STEM in the preschool environment Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Boston Children s Museum- STEM Sprouts 1
7/23/15 It all begins with... Shellyterrell.com Key principles 1- Children have the capacity to engage in scienific pracices and develop understanding at a conceptual level. 2- Adults play a central and important role in helping young children learn science. 3- Young children need muliple and varied opportuniies to engage in STEM exploraion and discovery. 4- Young children develop STEM skills and knowledge in both formal and informal seqngs 5- Young children develop STEM skills and knowledge over Ime. 6- Young child develop STEM skills and learning by engaging in experienial learning. Adapted from NSTA Posi<on Statement: Early Childhood Science Educa<on 2
7/23/15 EffecIve Teaching PracIces IntenIonal teaching Teaching for understanding Encouraging inquiry Providing real world contexts IntenIonal Teaching ThoughVul planning to integrate science and math. Remembering that technology is tools. InserIng engineering, if it applies. Considering developmental learning trajectories. Being prepared for teachable moments. Teaching for Understanding Conceptual in nature Builds on previous knowledge Solves problems independently Vocabulary in context 3
7/23/15 Encouraging Inquiry Allowing students to generate quesions AnIcipaIng student quesions SupporIng experimentaion Components of ScienIfic Inquiry PredicIng Observing ExperimenIng Comparing Measuring Inferring CommunicaIng Providing Real World Contexts Children learn best when engaged in everyday experiences that are relevant to their lives. DisInguishing fact from ficion 4
7/23/15 Visual metaphor?? STEM in the preschool environment Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Resources Boston Children s Museum STEM Sprouts- hap://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/stem- sprouts Center for Early EducaIon in STEM- hap://www.uni.edu/ceestem/ NCTM s IlluminaIons- hap://illuminaions.nctm.org/ NSTA Early Years Community/Blog- hap://nstacommuniies.org/blog/category/earlyyears/ Prekinders- hap://www.prekinders.com/ Start Young! Early Childhood Science AcIviIes- NSTA, 2006 Resources STEM Resources from PBS PreK- 5 Curious George hap://pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/ Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman hap://pbskids.org/fetch/ It s a Big Big World hap://pbskids.org/bigbigworld/home.html Sid the Science Kid hap://pbskids.org/sid/ Dragonfly TV hap://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/ EekoWorld hap://pbskids.org/eekoworld/ Kraas Creatures hap://pbskids.org/kraascreatures/ Cyberchase hap://pbskids.org/cyberchase/ ZOOM hap://pbskids.org/zoom PBS Parents Guide to Early Math (PreK- 2) hap://pbs.org/parents/earlymath 5
7/23/15 Thank you.. Cheryl EvereA Curriculum, Instruc<on and Professional Learning Coordinator Science Consultant Chester County Intermediate Unit 455 Boot Rd Downingtown, PA 19335 cheryle@cciu.org 484-237- 5336 6
Activity #1: What is Work? An introduction to work, and forces.
What is work? What is force? What force is required to move an object from one place to another? How can work be done with the least amount of effort or force? Essential Questions
Work Force Energy Tool Vocabulary
Give children two containers- one half filled with Cheerios and the other empty. Use a variety of different shapes and sizes of containers. Also provide them with a spoon. Ask them to move the Cheerios from one container to the other. (Do not give them any direction as to how to do this.) After allowing children to try this for 5 minutes or so, ask them about the experience- Was it easy to do? What made it easy or hard? Can they think of an easier way to do this task? Procedure
After the discussion, provide the children with a variety of different utensils to repeat the same procedure- scoop, gravy ladle, larger spoon, small cup After about 5 minutes, ask.. Was it easier to move the Cheerios with a different tool? Procedure continued
Ask children: What tool is best for moving the Cheerios? Why? Does the size and shape of the container make any difference to your answer? After this discussion, explain that when they moved the Cheerios from one container to another they were doing work. What part of their body was doing the work? Did a tool make the work easier? Did they use energy to do the work? Now to the science-
If it was easy to do they did not use much energy or force to move the Cheerios. If it was hard to do, they did use a lot of energy or force to move the Cheerios. Can they think of other tools that make work easier? REMEMBER: If they make work easier, they did not use as much force to get the word done. (Adapted from: Using Tools to Move Water.NSTA blog, 2009) More science
Early Years Blog." Home - NSTA Blogs. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. <http:// blogs.nsta.org/earlyyearsblog/archive/ 2009/03.aspx>. References:
The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter The Tale of Peter Rabbit Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. They lived with their Mother in a sandbank, underneath the root of a very big firtree. Now, my dears, said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don t go into Mr. McGregor s garden: your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor. Now run along, and don t get into mischief. I am going out. Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella, and went through the wood to the baker s. She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns. Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail, who were good little bunnies, went down the lane to gather blackberries; But Peter, who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr. McGregor s garden, and squeezed under the gate! First he ate some lettuces and some French beans; and then he ate some radishes; And then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley. But round the end of a cucumber frame, whom should he meet but Mr. McGregor! Mr. McGregor was on his hands and knees planting out young cabbages, but he jumped up and ran after Peter, waving a rake and calling out, Stop thief. Peter was most dreadfully frightened; he rushed all over the garden, for he had forgotten the way back to the gate. He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe amongst the potatoes. After losing them, he ran on four legs and went faster, so that I think he might have got away altogether if he had not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net, and got caught by the large buttons on his jacket. It was a blue jacket with brass buttons, quite new. Peter gave himself up for lost, and shed big tears; but his sobs were overheard by some Created for Lit2Go on the web at fcit.usf.edu
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great excitement, and implored him to exert himself. Mr. McGregor came up with a sieve, which he intended to pop upon the top of Peter; but Peter wriggled out just in time, leaving his jacket behind him. And rushed into the toolshed, and jumped into a can. It would have been a beautiful thing to hide in, if it had not had so much water in it. Mr. McGregor was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the toolshed, perhaps hidden underneath a flower- pot. He began to turn them over carefully, looking under each. Presently Peter sneezed Kertyschoo! Mr. McGregor was after him in no time, And tried to put his foot upon Peter, who jumped out of a window, upsetting three plants. The window was too small for Mr. Mc- Gregor, and he was tired of running after Peter. He went back to his work. Peter sat down to rest; he was out of breath and trembling with fright, and he had not the least idea which way to go. Also he was very damp with sitting in that can. After a time he began to wander about, going lippity lippity not very fast, and looking all around. He found a door in a wall; but it was locked, and there was no room for a fat little rabbit to squeeze underneath. An old mouse was running in and out over the stone doorstep, carrying peas and beans to her family in the wood. Peter asked her the way to the gate, but she had such a large pea in her mouth that she could not answer. She only shook her head at him. Peter began to cry. Then he tried to find his way straight across the garden, but he became more and more puzzled. Presently, he came to a pond where Mr. McGregor filled his water-cans. A white cat was staring at some goldfish; she sat very, very still, but now and then the tip of her tail twitched as if it were alive. Peter thought it best to go away without speaking to her; he has heard about cats from his cousin, little Benjamin Bunny. He went back towards the toolshed, but suddenly, quite close to him, he heard the noise of a hoe scr-r-ritch, scratch, scratch, scritch. Peter scuttered underneath the bushes. But presently, as nothing happened, he came out, and climbed upon a wheelbarrow, and peeped over. The first thing he saw was Mr. McGregor hoeing onions. His back was turned towards Peter, and beyond him was the gate! Peter got down very quietly off the wheelbarrow, and started running as fast as he could go, along a straight walk behind some blackcurrant bushes. Mr. McGregor caught sight of him at the corner, but Peter did not care. He slipped underneath the gate, and was safe at last in the wood outside the garden. Mr. McGregor hung up the little jacket and the shoes for a scare-crow to frighten the blackbirds. Created for Lit2Go on the web at fcit.usf.edu
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter Peter never stopped running or looked behind him till he got home to the big fir-tree. He was so tired that he flopped down upon the nice soft sand on the floor of the rabbit-hole, and shut his eyes. His mother was busy cooking; she wondered what he had done with his clothes. It was the second little jacket and pair of shoes that Peter had lost in a fortnight! I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening. His mother put him to bed, and made some camomile tea; and she gave a dose of it to Peter! One table-spoonful to be taken at bedtime. But Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper. Created for Lit2Go on the web at fcit.usf.edu