I'm writing a series of blog posts with the intention of persuading people that the primary curriculum is overloaded with content and needs to be cut. In this post I'm looking at science - specifically a small part of grade 4 science.
The National Standards Curriculum is daunting. (Information taken directly from the curriculum is in
blue.) The curriculum emphasizes the importance of developing process skills. Those relevant to this blog post are observing, communicating, predicting, inferring, formulating hypotheses, experimenting.
The curriculum also states “content is easy to forget but process skills remain forever.” I would add that content is easy to access – if you want to know something, look it up. So why is so much content packed into the curriculum?
The curriculum also emphasizes the importance of attitudes: curiosity, objectivity, critical mindedness, open mindedness, inventiveness, intellectual honesty, humility and perseverance.
My suggestions for cutting the content of the curriculum are based on the importance of emphasizing skills and attitudes.
The science for grades 4, 5 and 6 is about 200 pages long.
I’ve taken a
small section which, as a biology teacher, I’m familiar with and concerned
about. It's the section of the grade 4 curriculum on sense organs.
Focus
question 2: How does the structure of sense organs relate to their functions?
(8 lessons).
(Focus question 1 was Why are sense organs important?)
(Focus question 1 was Why are sense organs important?)
The content is to be taught during 8 lessons, but the
curriculum leaves it up to the teacher to write the lesson plans. The lesson
numbers given here are mine and not included in the curriculum.
Lesson 1. The Eye
Labels include eyelid,
eyelashes, white of the eye, iris and pupil. They can suggest functions of the
parts. Looking at how the iris constricts in bright light provides a clue to
the function of the iris.
Research and label diagram of the
eye provided by the teacher (cornea, iris, pupil, lens, retina and optic
nerve ONLY). Using the diagram, show the route that light travels
through the eye, and the information then transmitted to the brain.
Sequence this on a flow diagram
(cornea à pupil àlens àretina
àoptic nerve àbrain). Suggest possible responses of the body after the
information is interpreted by the brain.
I would leave most of this out.
I think it’s sufficient to tell them at this stage that after light enters the
eye it is converted to signals that go to the brain. They will learn more
detail in high school. Looking at videos of how the eye works could be an
optional enrichment activity.
In groups, examine an eye from
another animal e.g. slaughtered cattle/goat/pig and compare the external
features with that of the human eye. Discuss and record their observations and
share with the class.
I’ve heard so much about
children having to get cow eyes, I was surprised they were given as an example
only. I think it would be better to get the children to look at the eyes of
pets or farm animals, observe how they differ from human eyes and record their
observations in drawings or writing.
Lesson 2 . The Ear
Using a variety of media (electronic or
non-electronic) provided by the teacher (e.g. charts, models, online
resources), examine the structure of the human ear then label a given diagram
of the major parts (pinna, ear canal, eardrum, middle ear, inner ear and
auditory nerves) and state their functions, excluding details of the
middle and inner ear. (Students are ONLY required to identify the middle
and inner ear; no further details are needed.)
What we normally refer to as an
ear is the ear pinna. I think that the children need to know at this point is
that the ear’s function of converting sound to signals that go to the brain
takes place in the inner ear, basically what is outlined here.
Make a simple flow chart showing
the route sound travels through the ear, and the information then transmitted
to the brain (pinna à ear canal à ear drum à middle
ear à the inner ear à auditory nerve à brain).
Take turns to be blindfolded while
another student makes a sound from different points, inside or outside the classroom.
Identify the type of sound, direction it is coming from, distance away,
loudness of sound etc. As a class, discuss outcomes of the activity and suggest
what they think the role of the brain was in identifying the different
information about the sounds.
Use graphic organisers found in a
word processor or presentation software to aid your construction of the
flowchart.
Lesson 3 The Nose
Observe and interact with
digital/non-digital resources on the human nose (chart, videotapes, model,
educational CDs/DVDs/websites, etc.), label a diagram of the major parts
(nostril, septum, hairs, nasal cavity).
Describe and record the scents
they smell when the teacher opens various containers. In groups, suggest how
they were able to smell and differentiate the various scents. Share their ideas
with the class. (Teacher should emphasise that the brain interprets the
information and makes us identify the odours.)
Observe multimedia content on how the nose
functions, (video clips, educational CDs/DVDs/websites, etc.), make a flow
chart showing how the nose helps us to smell (odours in the air à nostril à nasal
cavity à brain).
For homework, in preparation
for the lesson on the tongue, children can perform this experiment: Get a small
piece of onion. Close your eyes, hold your nose and taste the onion with the
tip of your tongue. What do you taste?
Lesson 4 The Tongue
Discuss what children
discovered about the onion. Have a discussion about taste – children’s likes
and dislikes. What happens to your sense of taste when you have a cold? Is some
of what you taste really smell? Get children’s ideas about what tastes are
specific to the tongue.
In groups, search a variety of
sources (online/offline) for information on the human tongue. Construct a
simple model of the human tongue showing the taste centres (salt, sour, sweet
and bitter). Make a flow chart showing how the tongue helps us to taste
(substances in food à taste buds à information sent to the brain). Share models and flow
charts with the class. As a class, discuss how different tastes are identified
(the brain interprets the information from the different taste buds and makes
us identify the flavours).
 |
| The tongue |
There are some scientists who
question the existence of taste centres.
Children should design an experiment to find out if there really are taste centres and where
they are located on the tongue. Children may get different results for this
experiment because people differ in their abilities to discern flavours.
Instead of constructing a
model, children could cut out a tongue shape from a piece of pink paper, label
the taste centres on it, and paste it into their books.
Lesson 5: The Skin
In groups, use a magnifying glass
to examine their skin at different points of their body, example: the back and
palm of their hand; the upper and lower surfaces of the forearm etc. Then,
describe and record their observations (skin tone, hairs, sweat pores, creases
and folds etc.). Compare the appearance of the skin at the different points of
the body examined. Suggest reasons for the differences and their ideas with the
class.
In groups, use a variety
online/offline of sources (e.g. videotapes, model, computer software, charts,
books) to gather basic information on the external structure and
functions of the human skin.
Please note – the curriculum
does not require students to look at a diagram of a section through the skin, (which
is commonly found in 4th grade text books. Leave that for high school.)
I think it would be good to
have a discussion about skin colour. Black pigmentation protects the skin from
the sun. White skin gets badly burned in tropical sun. Skin makes vitamin D in
sunlight. In temperate climates, where there’s not as much sun in the winter,
white skin allows more sun to penetrate and make vitamin D. People with dark
skin are likely to be deficient in vitamin D. Bleaching damages the skin and
doesn’t help it to make vitamin D.
Lesson 6: Sense organs in
the skin
Identify and record the five stimuli to which
the skin responds (pain, pressure, heat, cold and touch). Make a flow chart
showing how the skin helps us to feel (stimuli à skin sensors à nerves
àbrain).
I would review all the sense
organs at this point and relate to Focus Question 1 – why they are important. Discuss
how the brain uses input from all the sense organs to make us aware of our
environment.
The following activities can be
given for homework.
Predict what will happen if they insert one
hand into a container of cold water, and at the same time the other hand in
warm water, then place both hands simultaneously into another container of
water at room temperature. Carry out the investigation and record their
observations. Compare their predictions and observations. Suggest simple
explanations for their observations. Share and discuss their findings and
ideas.
Taste samples of fruits, e.g.,
sweet orange, then sugar, then sour orange/grapefruit, rinsing their mouths
with water after each sampling. Record and suggest simple explanations for
their observations. Share and discuss their ideas.
Lesson 7: How sense organs
can deceive us
Carry out optical illusion
activities (e.g. roll a sheet of letter size paper to form a tube with diameter
of about 2 cm. Hold the tube with your left hand and look through the tube with
the left eye. Place the right hand against the tube with the palm facing the
right eye. Move the right hand slowly back and forth alongside the tube while
viewing simultaneously through both eyes). Discuss and give possible reasons
for their observations. That’s a good one!
Look at other optical illusions.
 |
| What do you see? |
Discuss and record ways in which
their hearing can deceive them, e.g. reflected sound (echoes) may mislead our
ears regarding the origin of a sound. Create a song/poem/drawing/dance etc. to
convey how people’s hearing can deceive them.
Review the ways in which their
senses can mislead them. Discuss the limitations of the senses. In groups,
compose a story on how someone’s senses deceived them. Use story making or
presentation software to design and produce the story which should include at
least pictures, narration/sound and text. Share stories with class.
Lesson 8: Instruments used
to extend the senses.
Do research using a variety of
sources (online/offline) or interview a resource person, on how instruments are
used to extend the senses, example: detect smoke and odours, view distant
objects, view objects at night, detect subtle temperature changes, hear faint
sounds, detect vibrations, etc. Make models of the instruments and use these in
reporting to class on how the instruments work.
I hope I have demonstrated here
that the content prescribed cannot be completed in the time frame given, and
that much of it can be deferred to high school.
In case you are concerned that
an important aspect of sense organs was omitted,
Focus question 3 is How can I care for and protect my sense organs?
