The start of the school year or semester offers an opportunity to engage students in activities that help to make the nature and process of science explicit. This is also a good time to consider the general approaches and practices you will use to reinforce these key concepts throughout the year. To avoid encouraging the development of misconceptions, you will want to review common student misconceptions about the nature and process of science, as well as common misconceptions about teaching these topics. Get started by reviewing the tips below and continue to the next pages to access sample starting activities.

• Familiarize yourself with the Science Flowchart. This is useful background information for you, the teacher and facilitator. Identify the key components of the flowchart that are most appropriate for your students. At the K-2 level, you will most likely focus on components within the areas of Exploration and Discovery and Community Analysis and Feedback — though at second grade, you may begin to engage elements of Testing Ideas, as you help students see how their observations can be used to build explanations and answer questions At the K-2 level, you have the opportunity to lay important foundations for your students’ understanding of the nature and process of science: engage their curiosity and build their skills in making observations, asking questions, and communicating what they have observed to others.

• In the Science Flowchart for K-2 below, the language and emphasis have been modified for your grade level. The flowchart can provide a guide for you to identify the skills you wish to make explicit with your students. Remember that not all science lessons that you teach need to include all of these components, but where there is a good fit, it is important to make them explicit to your students.

• Throughout the year, re-emphasize the same ideas in multiple contexts so that students can see the general applicability of these ideas to all of science.

• Review and use the Additional tips and strategies as you plan your lessons for the school year.

• Set the tone at the start of the year that science is creative, dynamic, and fun!

• Talk to other science teachers in your department, school, or district. How do they approach teaching about the nature and process of science? Try to coordinate efforts so that students receive a consistent and reinforced message.

Implications for understanding the nature of science

Sample starting activities

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