LSK3701
ASSIGNMENT 2
DUE DATE: MAY 2026
, LSK3701 ASSIGNMENT 2 2026
DUE MAY 2026
1.1 Foundation Phase learners are still developing basic scientific understanding and
sometimes confuse living and non-living things. As the teacher, you want the learners to
recognise that some things grow and change over time, while others stay the same.
Define what a scientific concept is and explain how you would help the learners to
understand the difference between things that grow for example, plants, animals and
people and things that do not grow (for example, toys, rocks and furniture.
QUESTION 1
1.1 Scientific Concepts and Living vs. Non-Living Things
A scientific concept is defined as "representations in the brain" that serve as "the basic
units of knowledge" allowing people to "organise and categorise information"
(Hannaway, 2020:22). According to Lieto's framework, concepts consist of three
components: prototypical (a typical example), exemplar (various examples), and
theoretical (the understanding or theory built from these examples) components
(Hannaway, 2020:23).
To help learners understand the difference between things that grow and
things that do not grow, I would:
Begin with exploration of prior knowledge: I would ask learners what they think
"growing" means and draw a concept map on a large poster showing their initial
understanding. As noted in the study guide, "it is important that teachers know what
ASSIGNMENT 2
DUE DATE: MAY 2026
, LSK3701 ASSIGNMENT 2 2026
DUE MAY 2026
1.1 Foundation Phase learners are still developing basic scientific understanding and
sometimes confuse living and non-living things. As the teacher, you want the learners to
recognise that some things grow and change over time, while others stay the same.
Define what a scientific concept is and explain how you would help the learners to
understand the difference between things that grow for example, plants, animals and
people and things that do not grow (for example, toys, rocks and furniture.
QUESTION 1
1.1 Scientific Concepts and Living vs. Non-Living Things
A scientific concept is defined as "representations in the brain" that serve as "the basic
units of knowledge" allowing people to "organise and categorise information"
(Hannaway, 2020:22). According to Lieto's framework, concepts consist of three
components: prototypical (a typical example), exemplar (various examples), and
theoretical (the understanding or theory built from these examples) components
(Hannaway, 2020:23).
To help learners understand the difference between things that grow and
things that do not grow, I would:
Begin with exploration of prior knowledge: I would ask learners what they think
"growing" means and draw a concept map on a large poster showing their initial
understanding. As noted in the study guide, "it is important that teachers know what
