Practice

Take-Away Entry # 03
THE LENS: Looking Into the Elementary Science Curriculum
Name: Gandionco, Alexa R. Course/Yr/Sec: BEED 3C
Date: 22/05/17 Score: _____

ACTIVATE

How well do you know and understand science education in

the Philippines? Let us check your knowledge and
understanding by performing the following activities.

Activity 1

Read carefully the introduction and conceptual framework of the basic education science
curriculum guide (see copy attached in the Google classroom) and answer the questions below:

1. What is the overall goal of basic education science?

The overall goal of basic education science is to develop scientific literacy among learners that
will prepare them to be informed and participative citizens who are able to make judgments and
decisions regarding applications of scientific knowledge that may have social, health, or
environmental impacts.

2. What is the content of the science curriculum?

The content of Science curriculum is made up of the four major fields or disciplines namely
Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Earth and Space.

3. How is the content of the science curriculum organized?

The content of the Science curriculum is organized in a spiral curriculum design in which key
concepts are presented repeatedly throughout the curriculum but with deepening layers of
complexity. The learner tries to spiral upwards learning as the new knowledge is introduced as
well as the new process skills are developed. This will increase the breadth and the depth of
knowledge achieved. The integration across science topics and other disciplines will lead to a
meaningful understanding of concepts and its application to real-life situations.

ABSTRACT Activity. 2
Below is the final version of the proposed framework for basic education (Grades 1 to 10) was
submitted to the Science Education Institute, Department of Science and Technology last September 2010.
The curriculum framework is the overall structure for organizing learning and teaching of science. It is a set of
standards or learning outcomes that define the content to be learned in terms of clear, definable standards of
what the students should know and be able to do.

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 Another figure below is the conceptual framework of science education in the Philippines. A
conceptual framework is used to understand the place of and inform the direction of a research project.

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Compare the two frameworks. What patterns, common concepts, themes, target outcomes
do you see?

The first framework is organized around three interlocking components namely: inquiry skills,
scientific attitudes, and content and connections. Being interrelated, these components are
woven together in order to support the holistic development of a scientifically literate individual.
The Framework sets out what all students should know, understand, value, and be able to do
from Grade 1 to Grade 10. There are three overarching themes: maintaining good health and
living safely; utilizing energy and coping with changes; and conserving and protecting the
environment. These themes are used in various real life contexts across grade levels. The second
framework is involved in three important components: Understanding and Applying Scientific
Knowledge, Developing and Demonstrating Scientific Attitude and Values, and Performing
Scientific Inquiry Skills. Based on the framework, the foundations of scientific and technological
literacy are characterized by the following models, approaches and practices which are fully
anchored on several learning theories. Students in each grade level learn about the three content
areas in one school year. Such an organization emphasizes understanding the connections and
interrelationship of various science concepts. This is in contrast to the traditional presentation of
science content as separate subjects where knowledge is taught to build mastery of a collection
of isolated facts, principles, and procedures.

What do these themes and patterns mean to you?

This means that to teach science for learners to learn, a future teacher like me, will use the theories,
principle, and models in teaching. It will guide me on the selection of quality instructional materials and
equipment for science teaching and learning. It will provide a structure around which an aspiring teacher
like me, can develop instructional materials incorporating coherent learning activities and experiences
that prepare students to become scientifically literate in a dynamic, rapidly changing, and increasingly
technological society.

APPLY

How does a 21st century science classroom look like? List down below the features of the science
curriculum you wish to see and explore in the classroom. What do you think the teacher and students
are like inside the classroom to manifest such features? Write in the corresponding column below.

Science Curriculum Features Samples from Actual Practice/Observations

1. Research-driven Teacher promotes a school culture that encourages
scientific inquiry by giving the students the time
and flexibility to come up with interesting research.
2. Contextualize learning content Teacher designs the learning content that fits the
learner’s present social and cultural contexts, so
that it it’s easier for them to understand the lesson
and apply them to real world situations.
3. Strong technology integration Teacher encourages use of innovative technologies
like tablets and computers; students demonstrate
independent, self-directed use of such technologies
with little to no supervision.
4. Community Science Workshops Students are free to explore and experiment with a

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 wide range of materials – discovering not just
science facts, but science joy. Science educators
have the opportunity to transform the spaces
where science happens and redefine the school-
based science experience. Classroom discussions,
hands-on experimentation and collaborative
explorations can become the norm for all children.

LESSON SYNTHESIS
How does the learning of science foster cultural development?
Learning science fosters cultural development by breaking barriers to communication and embracing the
diversity of cultures. It is through Science that we are able to appreciate and understand the rest of the
world beyond where we live. Science ushered forth Globalization which allowed cultural exchange
between several countries, and to discuss and resolve conflicts around the world. In our current situation,
for example, Science becomes a common language by which nations combat the spread of COVID19.
Vaccination ensures our survival and the continuation of the species, as well as the preservation of
various cultures and ways of life.

Activity. 3

Read carefully the curriculum guide. Copy some examples of standards on the table below.

Content Standard The learners demonstrate understanding of…

ways of sorting materials and describing them as solid, liquid
or gas based on observable properties
Performance Standard The learners should be able to…
group common objects found at home and in school according
to solids, liquids and gas
Learning Area Standard The learners demonstrate understanding of basic science
concepts and application of science-inquiry skills. They exhibit
scientific attitudes and values to solve problems critically,
innovate beneficial products, protect the environment and
conserve resources, enhance the integrity and wellness of
people, make informed decisions, and engage in discussions of
relevant issues that involve science, technology, and
environment
Key Stage Standard At the end of Grade 3, the learners should have acquired
healthful habits and have developed curiosity about self and
their environment using basic process skills of observing,
communicating, comparing, classifying, measuring, inferring
and predicting. This curiosity will help learners value science as
an important tool in helping them continue to explore their
natural and physical environment. This should also include
developing scientific knowledge or concepts.
Grade Level Standard At the end of Grade 3, learners can describe the functions of
the different parts of the body and things that make up their
surroundings --- rocks and soil, plants and animals, the Sun,
Moon and stars. They can also classify these things as solid,
liquid or gas. They can describe how objects move and what
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 makes them move. They can also identify sources and describe
uses of light, heat, sound, and electricity. Learners can
describe changes in the conditions of their surroundings. These
would lead learners to become more curious about their
surroundings, appreciate nature, and practice health and
safety measures.

The K-12 science curriculum is characterized as learner-centered and inquiry-based. It puts

premium on the use of evidence in constructing explanations. Concepts and skills in life sciences, physics,
chemistry, and earth science are presented with increasing levels of complexity from one grade level to
another in spiral progression. This facilitates deeper understanding of concepts along with the
integration across science topics and other disciplines.

Activity. 4
Examine the example of spiral progression of topics below.

1. What are the recurring topics or themes?

 The recurring topics or themes are the following: Matter, Living Things and their
Environment, Force, Motion and Energy, and Earth and Space.
2. How do teachers facilitate a deeper understanding of these topics or themes?
 The teachers have to draw on their own understanding of the content to both anticipate
student solutions and then make sense of the solution they hadn’t anticipated. They must
be able to consider the perspectives on teaching, learning and science each text presents,
and the possible implications for student learning those might have, as well as try to unpack
what impact the different sequence of topics across the books would have. Recognizing that
there is no one best approach for all topics or contexts, they explore student-focused
instruction within larger conceptual frameworks and build their capacity to critically evaluate
options and make choices appropriate for their own teaching contexts.
3. What kind of activities are designed inside the classroom?
 A digital approach activities can improve content learning. A 21st-century classroom
maintains a strong focus on core curriculum. Exploring content while authoring authentic,
media-rich activities helps students develop knowledge that is deeper and connects what is
learned in the classroom to the world beyond it.

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