Summary
Contents
Subject index
Science for Primary and Early Years is a comprehensive guide to the subject knowledge requirements for the teaching of science in early years settings and elementary schools. This second edition consists of activities to help the reader extend their own understanding of science. Part One explores understanding the nature of science, processes of planning, carrying out and evaluating scientific investigations, collecting and using data, hypothesizing, predicting, fair testing, use of correct terminology and understanding health and safety as well as key ideas in science that underpin subject knowledge. Part Two builds on these ideas as it explores in more detail life and living processes, the environment, electricity and magnetism, light, sound and the earth in space. This is a set book for the UK's Open University Course, 'Ways of Knowing: language, mathematics and science in the early years'.
Ecosystems
Ecosystems
The aim of this chapter is to increase your scientific understanding of the ideas associated with the term ecosystem. You have probably come across words such as species, habitat and community, especially since they relate to environmental concerns that are so often the banner headline issues of the day. We start this chapter by defining terms and then exploring cycles and issues in the environment.
Activity 1: What Do the Words Mean?
Jot down briefly what you understand by the terms species, habitat and community. Now use these ideas to explain what an ecosystem is.
Ecological Terms
Species
Members of a species not only look similar (sexual differences apart) but they also freely interbreed. Sometimes members of two different species can interbreed, for example the ass (Equus hemionus) and ...
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