Redleaf Press: Building Structures with Young Children - powered by www.3dissue.com <meta name="Keywords" content="Building Structures with Young Children Teachers Guide "> <meta name="Description" content="Building Structures with Young Children guides children's explorations to help deepen their understanding of the physical science present in building block structures, including concepts such as gravity, stability, and balance."> <style type="text/css">  </style> <Style> body {overflow-y:hidden;} </style> </head> <body bgcolor="#333333" onresize="window.location=window.location;"> <div id="flashcontent" class="flashcontent"> <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="100%" height="100%" id="Building-Structures" align="middle"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /> <param name="movie" value="3dissue.swf?myURL=8" /> <param name="quality" value="high" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#333333" /> <embed src="3dissue.swf?myURL=8" quality="high" bgcolor="#333333" width="100%" height="100%" name="Building-Structures" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /> </object></div> <div id="content" class="content">Connections between Science Outcomes and Other Domains As you provide opportunities for children to explore building materials, and guide them in their develop- ment of science inquiry skills, you will also see growth in language, literacy, mathematics, and social skills, as well as in children’s approaches to learning. The chart that appears in the appendix (pp. 97–103) shows the connections between science inquiry outcomes as we define them in the Young Scientist series and the out- comes of other subject areas taken from the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework. Mathematics is one of the languages scientists use to record and reflect on their observations and to communicate their ideas to others. Children who are exploring building materials will also become mean- ingfully involved with mathematics as they build with blocks and other materials. The blocks themselves are of many geometric shapes; as children build with them, they can experience these different shapes. They can also notice relationships between the unit blocks such as how many square blocks they will need to make a wall the length of one long block. They will experience the symmetry often needed to make towers balance and the patterns (such as in a brick wall) that help make structures stable. And, of course, as they build towers and enclosures, there are endless oppor- tunities for measurement. Some children will simply experience these mathematical concepts, others will talk about them, and still others may use them explic- itly as they build. Scientists also communicate with words. As children communicate their findings, participate in discussions, and represent their experiences they are certainly in- creasing their language and literacy skills. In fact, re- search suggests that engaging children in rich science experiences provides a context and a purpose for meaningful language and literacy learning. By engag- ing with science, children build their vocabulary while developing an ability to communicate their ideas. Such a capacity for oral language provides the founda- tion for all literacy learning. Children also learn about the importance of books as they use them to get ideas about building techniques, materials, and designs. They learn to record their observations, explanations, and ideas about stability by using multiple forms of representation, including drawings, simple graphs, and writing. Such representations provide a visible record that encourages children to reflect on and talk about their theories and what they have discovered. Science is a social activity. Whether in person or through other means of communication, scientists ex- change ideas, build on one another’s work, and often collaborate on science investigations. As children pur- sue their questions about what makes structures stable, they need to work together to compare findings. To- gether their individual ideas can suggest a bigger pic- ture and new ideas—placing a flat wooden roof board on top of four wobbly unit block walls will often steady the walls. Such collaborative work (that involves shar- ing materials and ideas) provides children with signifi- cant opportunities for developing their social skills. Making the Most of the Curriculum Teachers who implement the Young Scientist series will use a specific approach to teaching: a set of strate- gies that balance the children’s rich explorations with some more structured activities. This curriculum and the accompanying tools and resources are designed to support you as you learn to use this approach. As you prepare to implement Building Structures with Young Children, we encourage you to focus on four basic aspects of teaching in a way that may be new to you: the science, the physical environment of the class- room, time and scheduling, and the facilitation and guidance of children’s learning. Science You do not need to be a scientist to implement this curriculum. But in order to be responsive to children’s explorations, you need to recognize and experience the science phenomena children are experiencing. There is no better way to build this understanding than to engage with the science. When you observe a child working to solve her building problem, you will be much better at guiding her if you have had experi- ences solving your own. When children raise ques- tions about how to build tall towers, your observations and experiences will help you suggest what children might focus on and what you might show them in a book or tell them. You will appreciate the challenge of drawing a block structure if you have tried it yourself. Before introducing Building Structures with Young Children Introduction 7</div>  <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? 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