Some Advantages and Disadvantages on The Science Book for Grade Four in terms of Content and Activities
Elementary school students are naturally curious, which makes science an ideal subject for them to learn. Science allows students to explore their world and discover new things. It is also an active subject, containing activities such as hands-on labs and experiments. This makes science well-suited to active younger children. Science is an important part of the foundation for education for all children, so for that science teaches children necessary skills that they can use in other areas of their lives.
The importance of science is that your child will be familiar with concepts pertaining to health, personal habits and well-being and with the role they play in developing a healthy, active lifestyle. He or she will be aware of his or her own habits as well as factors that influence personal health and well-being. For example, he or she will discover the importance of good posture or a good night’s sleep and will be able to try different ways of improving his or her lifestyle.
Conceived for the elementary cycle, our science series is in line with the Lebanese curriculum. Our science deals with the 5 units of the curriculum, where each unit is color coded:
1- Man and His Health
2- Matter and Energy
3- The Earth
4- Plants and Their Habitats
5- Animals and Their Habitats
Goals and objectives
My chosen book was the science book for grade 4 students. It is from the new curriculum that was published on 2004 for the first time. This book was developed by the National Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD) so the goals and objectives of this book are setup clearly to help the student be active in building up his knowledge. The latter is mainly accompanied with enhancing the practical skills through effective activities, in which it’s important to understand that this book have a great role in planning out the educational and cultural aspects of the nations. For that this book is characterized by its content that it includes rich scientific information which is tightly related to the student’s environment and habitat, also it concentrates on building up the student’s personality which is characterized by shrewdness, quick mindedness, and faculties of creativity, comprehension, understanding, and correct expression. In addition to that, from the activities that they all match with the students thinking level and capabilities and that the illustration which they are clear, plain and done in a way that gives the true expression and impression about the concept so I notice that this book have clear goals.
Also, the objectives are clear in which the objectives of each lesson is stated at the beginning of each lesson in this way they help the student to focus on these ideas and concepts.
The important thing that found in this book is that each lesson is divided into many parts:
1) I observe, I discover questions which help the student get a general idea about the lesson that the student by himself he can reach the conclusion.
2) The activities that are written in a simple and clear scientific language.
3) The conclusion which summarize the main points of the lesson.
4) I answer questions as a final evaluation.
5) The exercises which concentrate the concepts and deal with them in various mental ways.
- Our sciences conform to national standards set by the center for educational research and development where it treats the five units and the contents of each unit of the fourth year of elementary education set by the curriculum are present in this book except for the contents of the third unit they are not related to the national standards while in the other units the contents meet with the objectives of the second cycle of the elementary education.
The Standards:
At the end of the second cycle students are expected to be able to:
- Identify the principal groups of living organisms and their nutrition modes and distinguish their reproduction patterns. Students in grade 4 must know the main groups of living organisms: Plants, Animals, Man and their nutrition modes to understand the importance of existence of each living organism with respect to the other. But they can not distinguish their reproduction patterns because they are numerous according to different species and in Man; the reproduction is not suitable for students at this age because this concept is related to genetics in which it is difficult and more complicated to understand them at this level.
- Recognize the various systems in the human body, name the organs, explain their activities and describe nutrients and state their importance. This standard is so beneficial for students because they will be able to recognize between what is healthy and what is not for their body that changes as they grow, also to distinguish if our diet is balanced or not and what is the importance of eating different kinds of food. In addition to that it’s an important to know the function of each system in the human body.
- Infer the role of cells in living organisms: this objective is not found in this book, however it is an important concept because all living organism because all living organisms are made up of cells and the cell is the fundamental unit for growth, reproduction, and regeneration.
- Describe and apply some ways of protection from diseases and precaution accidents:
It is necessary for students at grade 4 to know how to protect themselves from diseases because at this age students are threatened by many diseases since their immunity is still developing.
- Name the components of a natural habitat and state the characteristics of fresh water habitats, and describe man-environment interaction. This permits the students to interact in a responsible manner with their environment but it is difficult for students at this level to know the relation between man and his environment in which man is dangerously disrupting the balance of his natural environment. While in terms of fresh water it’s important to know the characteristics of them.
- Give a simple description of the water, oxygen, and carbon cycle and state the importance of each one; this is not suitable for grade 4 students because it is not easy for them to make a certain description so it is designed for a higher level.
- Name the various forms of energy, transformations, and uses of energy in everyday life; also describe propagation of sound and light and the flow of electricity and heat. It is important to know the uses of energy in daily life but it is not suitable for students at this grade but in terms of the second part it’s difficult for students to know the propagation of heat or electricity, since details are not adequate for this level.
- Name simple machines and explain their characteristics and everyday uses: Is important as the student can show his creativity by understanding the basics of technology for example using the scale and standard masses to measure the mass of an object.
- Identify the solar system and its members and define the movements of the earth: It is more linked to geography.
- Explain with simple examples the function of science to industry and agriculture, and summarizes the importance of sustainable development of resources in Lebanon
- Give examples of chemical reactions between familiar substances:
This is not suitable for grade 4 students, because it is difficult for them to understand this concept which is the chemical reaction.
- Identify some survey, measurement and information recording instruments: Are necessary to apply since they will be a preparatory stage towards further knowledge but it’s difficult for students at this grade level to know how to record information by using a certain instrument.
- Carry out observations by using devices and instruments, and do scientific classification on the basis of one or two criteria. This is important because it will introduce the different stages of scientific method to students.
- Carry out experiments and explain their results. Students of grade 4 are only responsible for simple experiments that mainly are based on observation and classification but it is difficult for them to explain the result that they obtained.
- Develop a sense of beauty by observing the nature. This is an important objective that students of grade 4 must fulfill because most of their lessons return to nature.
- Interact positively with the family and society by taking responsibility to keep oneself healthy and to protect the environment. This is an important part of moral education that contributes to the students' social awareness and good raise up.
- Develop objectivity, honesty, in science activity.
- Develop science interests and a desire for excellence. Both objectivities are important to engage all students and develop their imagination and creativity.
The Contents:
Unit 1(Man and His Health) contains 6 activities that students can benefit from; Skeleton, muscles, Food and my Health, and how we choose my food? The first 2 activities although are important and beneficial but are not related with the previous lessons and include specific details that students at this age are not responsible and difficult to understand them for example: shapes of the bone, also function of the muscles.
But in terms of the exercises it’s not suitable for grade 4 students to evaluate in a certain case for example: if you feel pain in your back, what should you do? Why? also to write about the troubles of the skeleton.
Unit 2(Matter And Energy) contains 6 activities; matter, mixtures and solutions, magnets, electric charge, hearing…… that represent basics of other subjects taught at higher levels such as chemistry and physics. However the activities concerned with hearing are not suitable at this grade because students are not responsible about the anatomy of each organ and how does it work. It is enough to have general idea about the body's organs. Exercises is not suitable for grade 4 to explain the reason (why) behind the different statement like: (Heavy vehicles carry metallic chains that touch the ground).
Unit 3(Earth) contains 5 activities; rocks, fossils, soil ......... that are not easy to understand although the first 2 activities; types of soil, clay and pottery confirm the concept of science and industry while the other activities are difficult. Exercise such as bring three samples of soil and then to study their properties and what is the reaction when mixed with vinegar, it’s difficult for them to understand this concept.
Also there’s another exercises which is difficult in the lesson of soil erosion.
Unit 4(Plants and the Environment) contains 7 activities that are closely related; different types of plant, flowering and non flowering, conifers, classification of plants, and fresh water habitats. But what’s related to the non flowering plant especially for the mushrooms it’s difficult for students to know the names of different kinds of mushroom
Unit 5( Animals and the environment) contains 7 activities that give a general idea about the diversity of animals and their habitats; Wild animals, Fresh water animals, vertebrates, Invertebrates, etc…that students at this level must know and differentiate between them. But the last 2 activities: “Honeybee and Ant" are too specific and hard to be understood by grade 4 students, since the hive contains 10,000 to 60,000 bees where everyone has a role; this illustrates the complexity of honey synthesis. Same with respect to the ant where it's colony is made up of different types of ants. In addition the names used are not common and not suitable for grade 4 students. But what’s related to the exercises that depend on the natural reserve is difficult for this grade level. Also it’s not important for this grade level to know the names of different kinds of snake as it appear in the exercise in the book and the classification of animals is difficult in this level.
But there’s some of the negative points that some of the activities aren’t suitable for grade four students because they are difficult like the one that found in the soil erosion, also the activity that found in lessons of soil are difficult and hard for them to determine it for example: activity 2 student should bring 3 samples of soil( calcareous, sandy, and clayey) then to study their properties in terms of color, size of particles, odor, reaction with vinegar, dough formation when mixed with water for each kind of soil.
Recommendations:
1) The book consists of 195 pages that are considered too much for grade 4 students who have this subject only once a week, so the teacher is forced to skip some activities so I recommend to decrease the number of pages especially that some activities are not suitable for students age.
2) Replace some activities in the third unit with others that fit more the standards and are not difficult ex: effect of science on agriculture, also to remove some of the exercises that are not suitable for this grade level.
3) Remove some of the exercises that are not suitable for this grade level, because of its complexity.
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