ABSTRACT
This chapter covers Science in the early childhood curriculum and discusses the different sciences and standards, such as: Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or the National Science Teachers’ Association. Why children are natural scientists and how children learn science best are discussed. The ways educators can support young learners by using constructivist teaching, scaffolding, and activating prior knowledge are described. The Next Generation Science Standards practices and crosscutting concepts, which are methods scientists and engineers use, are explained as important aspects of the science learning experience for young children. Domains covered in this chapter are life sciences, physical sciences, and earth and space sciences. These three fields are broken down into germane topics relevant to the young scientist. For each section in this chapter, practices and crosscutting concepts are included. At the end of the chapter is an example of what asking meaningful questions looks like. At the end of all STEM chapters are two grids: one for the Arts and one for skill sets for each STEM domain.
