ERIC Number: EJ1047534
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Dec
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-8148
EISSN: N/A
Shrieks and Shrills
Smith, Mandy McCormick; Trundle, Kathy Cabe
Science and Children, v52 n4 p38-43 Dec 2014
Children naturally delight in the sounds created with their bodies, including their own shrieks and shrills. On the playground and in the classroom, young children fill the air with stories, mimicked animal and car sounds, word games, and songs. Babies are aware of their basic cries of hunger and more developed babbling. Ears and brains constantly interpret noises all around. Meaningful scientific inquiry with young children starts with observing and listening during their daily activities to identify the things in the physical world that interest them. The skill of asking children productive questions is an important next step in moving from incidental to intentional learning, with focused and planned exploration. This article stems from the work of the authors with young children and their explorations with sound waves. Sound concepts are included in the "Next Generation Science Standards." The first-grade standards focus on student-planned "investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate" (1-PS4-1, NGSS Lead States 2013). A key feature of the newly implemented "NGSS" is the idea of the progression of science concepts and learning. To allow for more complete and crosscutting experiences, the sound study presented spans approximately one month. This sound study deliberately explores life, Earth, and physical sciences, while engaging young children with the properties of sound. The authors do not separate the disciplines of science (life, Earth, physical); all three areas are integrated each week. The study culminates with each student creating their own "sound-maker" from the principles learned over the previous weeks of investigation. Although this study is working with preschool students, the authors keep in mind the standards for first grade so the reader can envision the trajectory for the learning of sound concepts. For this purpose there is a dual focus--to increase children's knowledge of science disciplinary core ideas and their skill in practices and conducting scientific inquiry.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Preschool Children, Preschool Curriculum, Acoustics, Scientific Concepts, Elementary School Science, Academic Standards, Observation, Questioning Techniques
National Science Teachers Association. 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000. Tel: 800-722-6782; Fax: 703-243-3924; e-mail: membership@nsta.org; Web site: http://www.nsta.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Grade 1
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A