Post on 21-Dec-2015
Fostering Language and Literacy through ScienceFaith Polk, PhD.October 4, 2014
Stan and Carol Little ECE Conference
Outcomes• Describe science content and
processes for young children• Review key concepts in language and
literacy development• Demonstrate the ways science is an
effective vehicle for language and literacy learning
Almost all young children in almost all
environments ‘do science’ most of the
time; they experience the world around them and develop theories about how that world
works (Conezio & French, 2003, p.
5).
What is Science For Young Children?
• Exploring and discovering the everyday world that surrounds them
• Developing enduring mental representations of their experiences
• Using language to translate and share their understandings
Ask and Reflect
• Open the bag on your table• List what you know about the contents• Develop questions about the contents• Prepare to share with the large group
Plan and Predict• Create a list of what you want to know about
the bag’s contents• Develop a plan for obtaining that information• Develop a hypothesis or prediction about the
bag’s contents
Emergent Literacy
• Begins prior to learning to read• Includes a set of experiences and
skills that are developmental precursors
• Develops through interactions involving language and print
Phonological Awareness
• Sensitivity to and ability to manipulate sounds in words independent of meaning
• Developmental Progression: Word, Syllable, Onset-Rime, Phoneme
• Related closely to decoding ability
Content areas offer specific ways to investigate the world and
communicate their discoveries to others
(California Department of Education, 2000, p. 127).
Eager to Learn
• Teaching and learning will be most effective if they engage and build on children’s existing understandings
• Key concepts in each domain must be linked with information and skill acquisition
• Metacognitive skill development allows children to solve problems more effectively
(National Research Council, 2001, p. 308)
From the Field
• Non-fiction books provide a foundation for conversation
• Prior knowledge/experience and new observations and activities support vocabulary growth
• Read-alouds and discussion foster receptive language
• Engaging in scaffolded scientific reasoning builds expressive language
(Conezio & French, 2003, p. 7)