Integrating Math and Science in Early Childhood Classrooms Through Big Ideas

Book excerpt: Integrating Math and Science in Early Childhood Classrooms Through Big Ideas offers teachers a way to think about the future classroom and to meet the needs of children who come to into it with diverse experience, knowledge, and abilities. "Change how we think about math and science for young children," the authors say in their Preface. "Instead of separating the disciplines, planning lessons and topics and projects aimed at math OR science content, let's look at the world the way the child does. Children think in terms of big ideas." In this unique book, the authors focus on big ideas-like patterns, transformation, movement, balance, and relationships-as a way to think about content, and they integrate science and mathematics through these big ideas, rather than linking them topically. The book looks at why it is important to think about thinking, introduces assessment early to help the teacher plan for assessment before teaching even begins, and sets up an environment that will support the construction of the big ideas that integrate math and science. Real-life scenarios provide invaluable insights into the teacher's thinking and planning, and each chapter includes two modules to be used for in-depth exploration of different aspects of the big ideas. It's a unique exploration of thinking and learning. The First Edition of Integrating Math and Science in Early Childhood Classrooms Through Big Ideas includes: Show future teachers why it is important to think about thinking. The first part of the book looks at this new way of teaching--the underlying framework of big ideas as a way to integrate math and science. Help students plan for assessment before teaching begins. Chapter 2 provides the knowledge needed in this critical area of teaching. Help students construct meaningful understandings of how math and science can be integrated through the big ideas that form the structure for any curriculum. Engage students in classroom experiences through real-life scenarios, illustrations, and photos. Introduce students to the ideas that form the foundation of a well-integrated curriculum. In an engaging style, the book is laid out to support real-life planning in a classroom.