This hands-on guide to science education should appeal to college students studying to be preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary teachers, as well as to teachers and home-school instructors currently working with the three to eight age group.

Table of Contents

Preface, Acknowledgments, To the Student, Chapter 1: Constructing Goals for Early Childhood Science Education. Chapter 2: The Basic Scientific Processes: Observing. Chapter 3: The Basic Scientific Processes: Classifying. Chapter 4: The Basic Scientific Processes: Communicating. Chapter 5: The Basic Scientific Processes: Measuring. Chapter 6: The Basic Scientific Processes: Predicting. Chapter 7: The Basic Scientific processes: Inferring. Chapter 8: The Process-Oriented Objective. Chapter 9: The Integrated Scientific Processes: Identifying and Controlling Variables. Chapter 10: The Integrated Scientific Processes: Formulating and Testing Hypotheses. Chapter 11: The Integrated Scientific Processes: Defining Operationally. Chapter 12: The Integrated Scientific Processes: Interpreting Data. Chapter 13: The Integrated Scientific Processes: Experimenting. Chapter 14: The Integrated scientific Processes: Constructing Models. Chapter 15: Constructivism. Chapter 16: Process-Oriented Inquiry. Chapter 17: Learner Differences. Chapter 18: Assessment. Chapter 19: The Early Childhood Science Education Classroom. Chapter 20: Science Beyond the Classroom. Chapter 21: Technology in Early Childhood Science Education. Chapter 22: Reading, Writing, and Science. Chapter 23: Interdisciplinary Integration. Chapter 24: The Early Childhood Science Education Professional. Appendix 1: Selected Sources of Free and Inexpensive Materials. Appendix 2: Materials for a well-Equipped Early Childhood Science Classroom. Appendix 3: Activities Cross-Referenced to content standards of the National Science Education Standards. Appendix 4: Listing of Children's Literature Cited.