T491 – Science in Early Childhood
This course examines the content and methods of teaching science to young children in pre-kindergarten through grade three from diverse family, linguistic, cultural, and economic backgrounds. The course explores the relationship of scientific knowledge to other subject areas and to life applications. Students will examine foundational ideas in early science learning; inquiry processes involved in scientific reasoning; methods for guiding children’s natural curiosity and need to make sense of the world they inhabit; and the role of the adults and peers in fostering children’s understanding of the natural and man-made world around them.