PRS402D
EXAM NOTES
PREVIOUS PAPERS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
, lOMoARcPSD|8917381
PRS402D Exam Notes Past papers
Questions and Answers
Explain your understanding of science for young children
For young learners, the emphasis should be on doing science, and not necessarily on learning the content of science
only. Science for young children should therefore be viewed as a verb rather than a noun – not science, but
sciencing. Action at this age is as important as facts; the process that is, the way of thinking and acting are as
important as a body of knowledge.
Science for young learners may be more appropriately defined in terms of the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes
involved in the sciencing processes.
Discuss the facilitating task of the teacher in preparing the subject science in the Foundation Phase
1. Creating a milieu conducive to scientific discovery
An environment which is to promote scientific discovery among learners must provide them with
opportunities for concrete experience of environmental phenomena.
Teachers should plan for scientific discovery and their attitude should be one of encouragement.
Try to provide an area in the garden where the learners can observe life in a wall, hedge, tree or
plant brought into the classroom.
2. The teacher should provide a wide variety of opportunities for rediscovering a given concept.
Young learners learn though concrete experiences which they can repeat, manipulate and ponder.
Concept formation occurs only after frequent repetition.
The teacher should make provision for repetition, but not at the risk of boredom.
Repetition should always be an interesting form of rediscovery for all learners.
3. The teacher should provide for a variety of scientific discoveries.
The teacher should plan the discoveries in such a way that they range across the entire field of
science.
At the same time, he or she must make sure that these opportunities for discovery always remain
within Foundation Phase learners’ field of experience and interest.
4. The teacher should ensure adequate involvement on the part of the learners.
The teacher should make sure that the learner is personally involved in the discoveries.
Firstly the theme must relate to the child’s experiential world and knowledge and secondly, it must
require concrete actions.
Some learners are reserved and do not readily embark on scientific discovery without the teachers
encouragement.
Teachers should therefore give them the necessary support.
5. Teachers should know their learners
They should know what interests them.
Discoveries about their life world are more important than information about Inuit Igloos or
American Indian customs, which are far removed from their real life experiences.
Facts which fall outside individual children’s life world, or in which they are not interested are
forgotten or worse still simplified and distorted to suit their cognitive structure.
6. The teacher and the use of language when presenting science.
The teacher should supply accurate information, using vocabulary suited to the level of the learners.
The teacher needs to read up why and how something happens and convey it to the learners.
Parental involvement may also be utilised here by inviting learners to read up about something with
their parents and bring this knowledge to school.
Don’t hesitate to introduce a scientific vocabulary and define certain scientific terms, as this will
increase the learners’ vocabulary. When classifying leaves into piles of colours or shapes use the
term “classification” etc.
, lOMoARcPSD|8917381
PRS402D Exam Notes Past papers
Questions and Answers
7. The teacher should introduce the learner to the instruments the scientist uses.
Magnifying glasses, tape measures, scales and even a simple microscope should always – not
occasionally – be part of the environment.
8. The teacher should also introduce the learners to additional sources of knowledge (after they’ve had
concrete experiences).
Books, tapes, experts and museums are all resources which the teacher can use.
These should, however, be selected very carefully.
Very few experts can descend to the young learners’ level without assistance.
Museums and zoos should be visited for a particular purpose and not merely to go through the
whole place on one occasion.
The same criterion applies to visits to farms, visits to transport companies and other outings.
“The sun is awake now” Discuss this statement in relation to children’s non-scientific ideas and misconceptions of
science.
Children learn from their everyday interactions and explorations, and are constantly interpreting their
environment – gathering facts, developing explanations and making predictions.
They also learn from other sources, such as their parents, peers and teachers, from events observed through
the media, outings to museums, zoos, concerts and sporting events.
As children construct their own knowledge they inevitably come to school with their own understanding of
how the natural world works.
A misconception is a belief expressed by a child that is incorrect from the perspective of the scientific
community.
Although often incomplete or incorrect, children’s ideas, interpretations or knowledge constructions do
make sense to them. They bring their own meaning to the world and their interpretations are personally
adequate and real to them, since they are based on personal experience and available evidence.
Such ideas are the products of reasoning, albeit limited reasoning, and represent the child’s level of logical
thinking.
If just ignored, children will hold on to them, since these non-scientific explanations often seem more
rational to them than the scientifically accepted equivalents.
Misconceptions can occur at any stage of development, some can be corrected immediately while others
have to wait for the child’s cognitive level to mature.
Design a natural science activity for Foundation Phase learners using the following headings.
(THIS IS A VERY SIMPLE LESSON – I SUGGEST YOU LOOK AT YOUR STUDY GUIDE AND PRESENT YOUR OWN LESSON)
Content Area
LIFE AND LIVING
Science Concepts (what learners must know / learn)
There are many kinds of plants; each has its own form
Most plants make seeds for new plants; there are also other way to grow plants – from roots and stems
Seeds grow into plants with roots, stems, leaves and flowers
Most plants need water, light, warmth and air to grow
Many foods we eat are plants.
A Brief explanation of the activity
I will take the children on a walk through the school grounds and ask them to collect various plants and plant
materials, grass, flowers, bark, branches, seeds, pods etc.
EXAM NOTES
PREVIOUS PAPERS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
, lOMoARcPSD|8917381
PRS402D Exam Notes Past papers
Questions and Answers
Explain your understanding of science for young children
For young learners, the emphasis should be on doing science, and not necessarily on learning the content of science
only. Science for young children should therefore be viewed as a verb rather than a noun – not science, but
sciencing. Action at this age is as important as facts; the process that is, the way of thinking and acting are as
important as a body of knowledge.
Science for young learners may be more appropriately defined in terms of the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes
involved in the sciencing processes.
Discuss the facilitating task of the teacher in preparing the subject science in the Foundation Phase
1. Creating a milieu conducive to scientific discovery
An environment which is to promote scientific discovery among learners must provide them with
opportunities for concrete experience of environmental phenomena.
Teachers should plan for scientific discovery and their attitude should be one of encouragement.
Try to provide an area in the garden where the learners can observe life in a wall, hedge, tree or
plant brought into the classroom.
2. The teacher should provide a wide variety of opportunities for rediscovering a given concept.
Young learners learn though concrete experiences which they can repeat, manipulate and ponder.
Concept formation occurs only after frequent repetition.
The teacher should make provision for repetition, but not at the risk of boredom.
Repetition should always be an interesting form of rediscovery for all learners.
3. The teacher should provide for a variety of scientific discoveries.
The teacher should plan the discoveries in such a way that they range across the entire field of
science.
At the same time, he or she must make sure that these opportunities for discovery always remain
within Foundation Phase learners’ field of experience and interest.
4. The teacher should ensure adequate involvement on the part of the learners.
The teacher should make sure that the learner is personally involved in the discoveries.
Firstly the theme must relate to the child’s experiential world and knowledge and secondly, it must
require concrete actions.
Some learners are reserved and do not readily embark on scientific discovery without the teachers
encouragement.
Teachers should therefore give them the necessary support.
5. Teachers should know their learners
They should know what interests them.
Discoveries about their life world are more important than information about Inuit Igloos or
American Indian customs, which are far removed from their real life experiences.
Facts which fall outside individual children’s life world, or in which they are not interested are
forgotten or worse still simplified and distorted to suit their cognitive structure.
6. The teacher and the use of language when presenting science.
The teacher should supply accurate information, using vocabulary suited to the level of the learners.
The teacher needs to read up why and how something happens and convey it to the learners.
Parental involvement may also be utilised here by inviting learners to read up about something with
their parents and bring this knowledge to school.
Don’t hesitate to introduce a scientific vocabulary and define certain scientific terms, as this will
increase the learners’ vocabulary. When classifying leaves into piles of colours or shapes use the
term “classification” etc.
, lOMoARcPSD|8917381
PRS402D Exam Notes Past papers
Questions and Answers
7. The teacher should introduce the learner to the instruments the scientist uses.
Magnifying glasses, tape measures, scales and even a simple microscope should always – not
occasionally – be part of the environment.
8. The teacher should also introduce the learners to additional sources of knowledge (after they’ve had
concrete experiences).
Books, tapes, experts and museums are all resources which the teacher can use.
These should, however, be selected very carefully.
Very few experts can descend to the young learners’ level without assistance.
Museums and zoos should be visited for a particular purpose and not merely to go through the
whole place on one occasion.
The same criterion applies to visits to farms, visits to transport companies and other outings.
“The sun is awake now” Discuss this statement in relation to children’s non-scientific ideas and misconceptions of
science.
Children learn from their everyday interactions and explorations, and are constantly interpreting their
environment – gathering facts, developing explanations and making predictions.
They also learn from other sources, such as their parents, peers and teachers, from events observed through
the media, outings to museums, zoos, concerts and sporting events.
As children construct their own knowledge they inevitably come to school with their own understanding of
how the natural world works.
A misconception is a belief expressed by a child that is incorrect from the perspective of the scientific
community.
Although often incomplete or incorrect, children’s ideas, interpretations or knowledge constructions do
make sense to them. They bring their own meaning to the world and their interpretations are personally
adequate and real to them, since they are based on personal experience and available evidence.
Such ideas are the products of reasoning, albeit limited reasoning, and represent the child’s level of logical
thinking.
If just ignored, children will hold on to them, since these non-scientific explanations often seem more
rational to them than the scientifically accepted equivalents.
Misconceptions can occur at any stage of development, some can be corrected immediately while others
have to wait for the child’s cognitive level to mature.
Design a natural science activity for Foundation Phase learners using the following headings.
(THIS IS A VERY SIMPLE LESSON – I SUGGEST YOU LOOK AT YOUR STUDY GUIDE AND PRESENT YOUR OWN LESSON)
Content Area
LIFE AND LIVING
Science Concepts (what learners must know / learn)
There are many kinds of plants; each has its own form
Most plants make seeds for new plants; there are also other way to grow plants – from roots and stems
Seeds grow into plants with roots, stems, leaves and flowers
Most plants need water, light, warmth and air to grow
Many foods we eat are plants.
A Brief explanation of the activity
I will take the children on a walk through the school grounds and ask them to collect various plants and plant
materials, grass, flowers, bark, branches, seeds, pods etc.
