Young Florida Naturalist Project The University of North

Young Florida Naturalist Project The University of North Florida and The Don Brewer Early Learning and Professional Development Center

Overall Project Goals 1. Increase young children’s knowledge of plants & their role in the environment 2. Introduce scientific learning through hands-on instructional experiences 3. Examine the utility of concept mapping as a tool to track concept development in young children

Literacy Development • Vocabulary growth and language expansion occur through reading aloud to children

Scientific Thinking • Young children tend to ignore evidence that conflicts with prior beliefs • Advance organizers are essential for effective science teaching with young children

Concept Mapping • A strategy for examining children’s understanding of relationships among concepts • Children are able to make visible their thinking about the relationships among the concepts being studied

Project Objectives Provide opportunities for young children to develop concept maps using word/picture cards • Provide environmental experiences with plants, so that young children will be able to correctly identify concepts and their hierarchical relationships

Cmapping in Action!

Concept Mapping

The procedure is actually quite simple. First you arrange things into different groups. Of course one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities that is the next step, otherwise you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is better to do a few things at once than too many. In the short run this may not seem important but complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. At first the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon however, it will become just another facet of life. It is difficult to see any end to the necessity for this task in the immediate future, but then one can never tell. After the procedure is completed, one arranges the materials into groups again. Then they can be put into their appropriate places. Eventually they will be used once more and the whole cycle will have to be repeated. However, that is part of life. (Bransford, 1984)

THE PROCEDURE FOR WASHING CLOTHES The procedure is actually quite simple. First you arrange things into different groups. Of course one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities that is the next step, otherwise you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is better to do a few things at once than too many. In the short run this may not seem important cut complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. At first the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon however, it will become just another facet of life. It is difficult to see any end to the necessity for this task in the immediate future, but then one can never tell. After the procedure is completed, one arranges the materials into groups again. Then they can be put into their appropriate places. Eventually they will be used once more and the whole cycle will have to be repeated. However, that is part of life.