Elementary Science Education: Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, Volume II, Grades 3-5, is a seamless continuation of the popular and successful Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding: A Science Curriculum for K-2 [Volume I].
Veteran scientist, teacher and author Bernard J. Nebel, Ph.D., has designed a curriculum that is unique in several ways. It minimizes technical terminology. It recognizes that learning entails an ongoing developmental progression that is reinforced and solidified by being put into practice. It acknowledges that children are capable of more sophisticated thinking than they’re generally given credit for.
Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding puts these principles into practice by:
Focusing on developing critical understanding of the basic ideas and principles underlying each of the major areas of science
Providing lessons that build in a logical, systematic and stepping stone manner, each providing a natural review of what went before and providing a platform for what comes next
Encouraging students to use their lessons in interpreting everyday experiences
Developing students’ cognitive skills by guiding them to derive conclusions through their own observations and rational thought
Understanding the constraints of budgets, Nebel has also designed these lessons so that they require a minimum amount of specialized materials and equipment.
Teachers and home-schoolers will also be happy to discover that a particular science background is not required and, in fact, as they conduct their lessons, they will learn along with their students and by doing so, will be excellent role models for them.
“Best elementary science curriculum I have found.”
April Duritza
“Far surpasses any other material I have run across.”
Deanna Schmidt
About Bernard J. Nebel, Ph.D.
B. J. Nebel, Ph.D. was an early initiator of environmental science education and authored the still widely used text Environmental Science (Prentice Hall, 1981 and subsequent editions). Challenged by the need for and potential of early science education, Nebel has now embarked on this K-8 series, Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, which is being acclaimed by users as the best elementary science curriculum found anywhere.