Teaching Science in the

Elementary Grades
(BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS, SPACE,
& EARTH SCIENCE)
CBE 3
JOMAR R. GONZALES, MAED
Instructor - Pangasinan State University -
Bayambang Campus (2016 - present)

EDUCATION:

BACHELOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION - MAJOR IN

PHYSICS (2014) - CUM LAUDE

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION - MAJOR IN SCIENCE

(2018)

DOCTOR OF EDUCATION - MAJOR IN SCIENCE

EDUCATION (ON-GOING)
 OUTLINE OF DISCUSSION
• Science as a subject matter
• Science Domains
• Contents of Elementary Science
Education
• Science Process Skills
• Instructional Planning
• Instructional Strategies for Science
• Assessment Strategies for Science
Introduction to Science
 WHAT IS SCIENCE?

The word “science” is derived

from the Latin word “scientia”
meaning knowledge.
 BIG QUESTION

Why study and teach science to

the students?
 IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE EDUCATION
•The nation is dependent on the technical and
scientific abilities of its citizens for its economic
growth and national activities.

•Science is a significant part of human culture and

represents one of the highlights of human capacity.
•It provides a laboratory of common experience for
development of language, logic, and problem-
solving skills.

•Finally, for some students, it will become a lifelong

vocation or career.
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
 THE SCIENCE FRAMEWORK IN K TO 12

The K to 12 science curriculum is designed to

provide learners with a repertoire of
competencies important in the world of work
and in a knowledge-based society.
 DOMAINS OF
LEARNING SCIENCE
 DOMAINS OF LEARNING

a. Understanding and applying scientific

knowledge in local setting as well as global
context,
b. Performing scientific processes and skills,
and
c. Developing and demonstrating scientific
attitudes and values.
-
 DOMAIN 1:
Understanding and applying scientific knowledge in
local setting as well as global context

Science literacy starts with acquisition of

knowledge (ideas, concepts, generalizations,
theories). However, such knowledge should be
understood and applied.
 DOMAIN 2:
Performing Scientific Processes and Skills

Other than understanding and applying science

knowledge, it is also the foundation of scientific
and technological literacy to perform inquiry
skills.
 DOMAIN 3:
Developing and demonstrating scientific attitudes and
values

The development and demonstration of scientific

attitudes and values is a very important
component of scientific literacy.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF A SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL
LITERATE PERSONS

1. Critical/creative problem solver

2. Responsible Steward of Nature
3. Innovative or inventive thinker
4. Informed Decision Maker
5. Effective communicator
 SCIENCE TEACHING APPROACHES

1. Multi-interdisciplinary approach
2.STS (Science, Technology, Society)
approach
3. Contextual learning
4. Problem/issue-based learning
5. Inquiry-based approach
CURRENT STATE AND CONTENTS OF ELEMENTARY SCIENCE
EDUCATION
 4 major Fields/Disciplines of Science:
Elementary Science Education

A. Chemistry (Matter: Diversity of

Materials, Properties and Structures,
Changes and Interactions
B. Biology (Living Things and Their
Environment)
C. Physics (Force, Motion and Energy);
and
D. Earth and Space (Surroundings and
Land, Water and Air, Weather, Climate and
Solar System)
4 major Fields/Disciplines of Science:
Elementary Science Education
TOPICS PER GRADE LEVEL ARE REFLECTED IN THE SCIENCE
CURRICULUM GUIDE
The Science Process Skills
 The Science Process Skills

The science processes were first introduced

by the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS).

• BASIC PROCESSES
• INTEGRATED PROCESSES
 6 Basic Science Process Skills

• Observing
• Classifying
• Communicating
• Measuring
• Predicting
• Inferring
 6 INTEGRATED SCIENCE PROCESSES

• Formulating hypothesis
• Controlling variables
• Defining operationally
• Experimenting
• Interpreting data
• Formulating Models
INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING
INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING METHODOLGY
 6 INTEGRATED SCIENCE PROCESSES

Stage 1: Analysis
Stage 2: Design
Stage 3: Development
Stage 4: Implementation
Stage 5: Evaluation
FIVE E MODEL IN PLANNING SCIENCE LESSONS
5E MODEL STAGES
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING SCIENCE
 INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR SCIENCE

• The Power of Observation

• Experimentation
• Inductive Guided Inquiry
• Cooperative Learning
• Using Research
• Using Role-play
• Gamification
• Design Thinking
 STRATEGY 1: THE POWER OF OBSERVATION

o “People’s minds are changed through observation and

not through argument.” - Will Rogers

o “Reason, Observation, and Experience; the Holy

Trinity of Science.” – Robert Green Ingersoll
 STRATEGY 1: THE POWER OF OBSERVATION

DEFINITION:
• Observation involves the use of all senses
• Technically, observation is defined as an
act of recognizing and noting a fact or
occurrence often involving measurement
with instruments (Meriam – Webster).
 STRATEGY 1: THE POWER OF OBSERVATION

B. What is the importance of

Observation?

• The Development of Facts

From Observations
• The Development of Concepts
From Observational Facts
• Use of Indirect Observations
(Inferences)
 STRATEGY 2: EXPERIMENTATION

A.What is experimentation?

Experiments are the teachers’ another way

of introducing a new idea to the students to
stimulate their engagement in class.
 STRATEGY 2: EXPERIMENTATION
B. Why use experimentation?

• Experiments can be used to introduce new ideas

or to clarify puzzling aspects of topics with which
students typically struggle.

• If the result of an experiment is surprising yet

convincing, the students are in position to build
ownership of the new idea and use it to scaffold
learning.
 STRATEGY 2: EXPERIMENTATION
C. What are the benefits of experimentation?

• The students are active in generating

data or behavioral observations.
• The students are able to analyze data,
examples, or models.
• The students are able to answer leading
questions posed by the instructor and
compare their answers with those of
other students.
 STRATEGY 2: EXPERIMENTATION
C. How to use experimentation as a Teaching
Strategy?

Steps in Experimentation (Scientific Method)

a.Identify a problem
b.Formulate a hypothesis
c.Test the hypothesis
d.Control Variables
e.Record and interpret data
f.Draw a conclusion
 STRATEGY 3: INDUCTIVE GUIDED INQUIRY
A.What is inductive guided inquiry?

• Inductive inquiry is a teaching

method in which the teachers
ask the students to infer a
conclusion, generalization, or
pattern of relationships from a
set of data or facts.
 STRATEGY 3: INDUCTIVE GUIDED INQUIRY

Two approaches of Inductive Inquiry

• Guided Inductive Inquiry

• Unguided Inductive Inquiry

 STRATEGY 3: INDUCTIVE GUIDED INQUIRY
B. How to Use Guided Inquiry?

In guided inductive inquiry, the use of

pictures is usually the easiest way to apply
this teaching strategy.
STRATEGY 4: COOPERATIVE LEARNING
 STRATEGY 4: COOPERATIVE LEARNING
A. What is cooperative learning?

• Cooperative learning is an instructional

strategy in which the learners work
together in small groups to help one
another achieve a common goal.
 STRATEGY 4: COOPERATIVE LEARNING
B. Five basic elements of cooperative
learning to be effective (Johnson and
Johnson, 1994)

• There must interdependence.

• There must be an ongoing, direct
interaction in which the students help
one another to learn.
• There must be individual accountability.
• The learners must use appropriate
interpersonal skills.
• The students must be reflective learners.
 STRATEGY 4: COOPERATIVE LEARNING
C. Some advantages of Cooperative Learning

• Having the students work together results in

more learning than when students work alone,
competitively, or individually (Johnson and
Johnson, 1986)
• It teaches the students to be less reliant on
the teacher and more reliant on their own
ability.
• Cooperative learning helps the students learn
to respect one another’s strength and
limitations and to accept differences.
STRATEGY 5: USING RESEARCH AS A TEACHING STRATEGY
 STRATEGY 5: USING RESEARCH AS A TEACHING STRATEGY

A.What is research?

• Research is defined as, “ Seeking through

methodical processes to add to one’s own
body of knowledge and, hopefully, to that of
others, by the discovery of non-trivial facts
and insights” (Howard and Sharp, 1983).
 STRATEGY 5: USING RESEARCH AS A TEACHING STRATEGY

B. Important steps in the conduct of research

a.First, there must be clear purpose.

b.Second, there must be a detailed plan.
c.Third, the data must be gathered and
analyzed appropriately.
d.Finally, conclusions must be reached.
 STRATEGY 5: USING RESEARCH AS A TEACHING STRATEGY
C. Benefits of Using Research as a Teaching
Strategy
• Research encourages the learners to ask
questions, to investigate, to discover, and to
create answers for themselves, rather than
waiting for someone else to the provide the
answers for them.
• Research can enable learners to develop a
deeper level of understanding of the specific
subject.
STRATEGY 6: USING ROLE-PLAY AS A TEACHING STRATEGY
 STRATEGY 6: USING ROLE-PLAY AS A TEACHING STRATEGY

A.What is Role-Playing?
• Role-playing is an unrehearsed
dramatization in which individuals
improvise behaviors that illustrate acts
expected from people involved in
defined situations.
 STRATEGY 6: USING ROLE-PLAY AS A TEACHING STRATEGY
B. How to Use Role-Play as a Teaching Strategy?

a.Decide what learning outcomes are to be achieved

by those students participating directly in the activity
(the role-players)
b.Decide what learning outcomes are to be achieved
by those students who are involved indirectly
(observers, note-takers, etc.)
c.Prepare the resource materials for the direct
participants and the other students
d.Select the students who will be directly involved
and brief them what to do during the performance.
 STRATEGY 6: USING ROLE-PLAY AS A TEACHING STRATEGY
B. How to Use Role-Play as a Teaching
Strategy?
e. Stage the performance.
f. Debrief the students (participants and others)
g. Check the desired learning outcomes if
achieved or not.
 STRATEGY 6: USING ROLE-PLAY AS A TEACHING STRATEGY
C. Some benefits of role-playing strategy.

• Helps create a learning environment in which

the students are highly motivated and involved.
• Provides a clear focus for learning by
emphasizing the application of knowledge in
real situations rather than just accumulation of
knowledge for assessment purposes.
• Provides the students with opportunities to
develop a range of communication and
interaction skills.
• Engages the students in active learning
STRATEGY 7: GAMIFICATION
 STRATEGY 7: GAMIFICATION
A.What is Gamification?
Gamification is described as the process of
applying game-related principles – particularly
those relating to user experience and
engagement- to nongame contexts such as
education (David, 2016).
 STRATEGY 7: GAMIFICATION
B. Elements of a Game in designing instruction
• Narrative
• Immediate feedback
• Fun
• Scaffolded learning with challenges that
increase
• Mastery
• Progress indicators
(points/badges/leaderboards)
• Social connection
• Player control
• Rules and levels
 STRATEGY 7: GAMIFICATION
C. Benefits of Gamification
• The students feel ownership over their
learning
• More fun in the classroom
• Learning becomes visible through process
indicators
• The students can explore different through
different avatars/characters
• The students often are more comfortable in
gaming environments
STRATEGY 8: DESIGN THINKING
 STRATEGY 8: DESIGN THINKING
A.What is Design Thinking?
Design thinking is a mind-set and an approach
to learning, collaboration, and problem-solving.
It is a structured framework for identifying
challenges, gathering information, generating
potential solutions, refining ideas, and testing
solutions.
 STRATEGY 8: DESIGN THINKING
B. Characteristics of Design Thinking
a.Human centered
b.Collaborative
c.Optimistic
d.Experimental
 STRATEGY 8: DESIGN THINKING
C. 5 Phases of the Design Process
1.Discovery
2.Interpretation
3.Ideation
4.Experimentation
5.Evolution
 Assessment
Strategies for Science
GRADING SYSTEM
 ASSESSM E NT STR ATEGI ES FO R SCI E NCE

• What is assessment?

Ø Assessment is the ongoing process of gathering, analyzing,

and interpreting evidence of student learning.

Ø Assessment can be formative or summative.

 ASSESSM E NT STR ATEGI ES FO R SCI E NCE

• Types of assessment

Ø Assessment for learning

Ø Assessment as learning
Ø Assessment of learning
 ASSESSM E NT STR ATEGI ES FO R SCI E NCE

v Assessment for learning

- A form of formative assessment that occurs when assessments

are integrated with instruction and help the teachers monitor the
students’ progress, identify their learning needs, and adjust their
instruction accordingly.
 ASSESSM E NT STR ATEGI ES FO R SCI E NCE

v Assessment as learning

- A form of formative assessment that occurs when the students

reflect on and monitor their progress in connection to their future
learning goals.
 ASSESSM E NT STR ATEGI ES FO R SCI E NCE

v Assessment of learning

- A form of summative assessment that occurs when the teachers

use evidence of student learning to make judgments on the
students’ achievement against goals and standards.
Using Performance
Task
 PE R FO R M A NCE- BAS E D AS S ES S M E NT

• What is Performance-based Assessment?

Ø Performance-based assessment is the assessment of

student’s ability to apply knowledge, skills, and understanding,
usually in authentic, real-life settings that are similar to those
encountered in the world outside of the classroom (Murchan &
Shiel, 2007)
 TO O L S I N AS S ES S I NG PE R FO R M ANCE- BAS E D
ASSESSM E NT

1. Anec dotal records

- T h e s e a re n o t e s b a s e d o n t h e t e a c h e r ’s o b s e r v a t i o n s
a b o u t t h e s t u d e n t s a s t h e y p e r fo r m a n a s s e s s m e n t t a s k .
 TO O L S I N AS S ES S I NG PE R FO R M ANCE- BAS E D
ASSESSM E NT

2. O bs er vatio nal Chec klist

- A c h e c k l i s t c o n s i s t s o f a l i s t o f b e h a v i o r s,
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s, o r a c t i v i t i e s a n d a p l a c e fo r m a r k i n g
w h e t h e r e a c h i s p re s e n t o r a b s e n t . I t c a n fo c u s o n a
p ro c e d u re, a b e h a v i o r, o r a p ro d u c t ( M u r c h a n & S h i e l ,
2017).
 TO O L S I N AS S ES S I NG PE R FO R M ANCE- BAS E D
ASSESSM E NT

3. R ating S cale

- A r a t i n g s c a l e a s s e s s e s t h e d e g re e t o w h i c h a s t u d e n t
h a s a t t a i n e d t h e l e a r n i n g o u t c o m e s l i n ke d t o a
p e r fo r m a n c e t a s k .
- T h e t h re e m o s t c o m m o n t y p e s a re n u m e r i c , g r a p h i c ,
and descriptive scales
 TO O L S I N AS S ES S I NG PE R FO R M ANCE- BAS E D
ASSESSM E NT

4. S co ring rubric

- A scoring rubric is a type of rating scale on whic h eac h

l e v e l h a s a c o m p l e t e d e s c r i p t i o n o f p e r fo r m a n c e a n d
q u a l i t y. I t l a y s o u t c r i t e r i a fo r d i f fe re n t l e v e l s o f
p e r fo r m a n c e, w h i c h a re u s u a l l y d e s c r i p t i v e r a t h e r t h a n
n u m e r i c a l ( Ru s s e l l & A i r a s i a , 2 0 1 0 ) .
 TO O L S I N AS S ES S I NG PE R FO R M ANCE- BAS E D
ASSESSM E NT

Advantages of Us ing a Scoring R ubric

• It helps the teac her s specify criteria to focus

instr uction on w hat is impor tant
• It limits arguments over g rading because c lear
criteria and scoring le vels reduce subjecti vity
• It provides descriptions of student perfor mance that
are infor mati ve to both the parents and the
students