Eight sessions cover key content and methodologies for teaching life science in the elementary school classroom.

Session 1: The Nature of Science
Learners explore the nature and process of science. Teaching and learning strategies focus on bringing the scientific process into the classroom.

Session 2: Living Things
Learners distinguish between living and nonliving things and identify the characteristics of life, including growth, reproduction, and dependence on air, water, and energy. Teaching and learning strategies focus on ways to uncover students' prior understanding.

Session 3: Plants as Producers
Learners consider plants as producers -- living things that transfer the energy of the sun to substance. Teaching and learning strategies focus on the use of concept maps.

Session 4: Animals as Consumers
Learners consider animals as consumers -- living things that must ingest food. Teaching and learning strategies focus on effective uses of live animals in the classroom.

Session 5: Cells and Organisms
Learners recognize that cells are the basic building blocks of all organisms and that some organisms are composed of a single cell. Teaching and learning strategies focus on teaching about phenomena that are difficult to observe directly.

Session 6: Heredity and Adaptation
Learners differentiate between characteristics that are inherited (e.g. shape of leaves, number of limbs) and those that are affected by the environment (e.g. withering of plants due to drought). Teaching and learning strategies focus on ways to prepare students for future study of natural selection.

Session 7: Interactions of Organisms
Learners recognize that ecosystems are made up of populations of animals and plants that live in the same area along with the physical factors in the environment. Teaching and learning strategies focus on effective questioning techniques.

Session 8: Humans and Their Environment
Building on Session 7, learners recognize that humans depend on natural and constructed environments. Teaching and learning strategies focus on group discussion. This session concludes with a final assessment assignment.

All sessions and their content correspond to the National Science Education Standards.

Print Overview