Science in the New Zealand Curriculum
Achievement objectives
Level 2: Making Sense of the Nature of Science and Its Relationship to Technology
Students can use a variety of methods to investigate different ideas about the same object or event.
Science in the New Zealand Curriculum, page 28
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/science/curriculum/p28_29_e.php
Levels 1 and 2: Developing Scientific Skills and Attitudes
Information gathering: Students can:
- make observations and simple measurements
- talk about their observations and measurements.
Science in the New Zealand Curriculum, page 45
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/science/curriculum/p44_51_e.php
Level 2: Making Sense of the Living World
Students can investigate and understand the general functions of the main parts of animals and plants.
Science in the New Zealand Curriculum, page 56
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/science/curriculum/p56_57_e.php
The teacher's intended outcomes were for the students to:
- observe closely and carefully and make accurate observations
- explain the functions of parts of a crab.
The intended outcomes were aligned to the following "big ideas":
- Scientists use observations to find out about our world, and they communicate about what they find to others.
- Living organisms have structures with specific functions that help them survive.
Before going on a trip to a rocky shore (the rock pools at Whale Bay, Raglan) the students drew sketches of what they thought a crab looks like. During the trip, the students carefully observed the animals in the rock pools.
Back in class, the teacher focused the students' study on the structures and functions of the main body parts of crabs. The students investigated crab body parts using carapaces found on the shore, and they used books, pictures, and video resources to further explore the functions of crabs' body parts. The teacher used drama and role play to extend their understanding. She encouraged them to use descriptive language to record their ideas in pieces of poetic writing entitled "What Am I?"
Finally, the students completed a second drawing of a crab, labelled and described the functions of the different parts, and suggested how the parts were adapted to their environment.
Teacher-student conversation
After William drew his second picture:
| Teacher: |
Tell me about what the different parts do and how they work. |
| William: |
[Points to the feelers.] They smell with these. [Points to the pincers.] The pincers are used to eat food and to protect themselves. [Points to the eyes.] It helps them when they're under the sand to see where their enemies are. They're out on sticks – they stick out. [Points to the legs.] They don't have any bones in them. It scuttles on rocks, and it uses its joints to bend its legs. [Points to the shell.] Its skin is hard, so it doesn't dry out. It's skinny, so it can fit into rocks. |
William's answer showed aspects of his thinking that did not appear in his drawing. The teacher noted William's answers on his work.
To move William towards the next learning step, the teacher could help him to focus on:
- comparing his picture to a photo of a crab, using prompts, such as:
- "William, can you compare your crab to a photo of a crab?"
- "What do you notice that is the same? What do you notice that is different?" (investigating in science)
- exploring the way crabs move, using role play, for example, by asking, "William, can you be a crab and show me how it scuttles?" (developing and communicating scientific understanding).
The teacher could:
- discuss "what we have learned about learning by observing" and return to William's ideas in an appropriate unit later in the year
- return to the "big idea" about structure and function in another context (for example, birds in Birds, Building Science Concepts, Book 3).
References
Ministry of Education (1993). Science in the New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education (2001). Birds: Structure, Function, and Adaptation. Building Science Concepts, Book 3. Wellington: Learning Media.
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