Module 8: Article 1

Saçkes, M., Trundle, K. C., & Flevares, L. M. (2009). Using children's books to teach inquiry skills. YC Young Children, 64(6), 24-26,31. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/197637640?accountid=11824

Using Children’s Books to Teach Inquiry Skills

How can teachers integrate literature and science while allowing our students to be in charge of their own learning? The article, Using Children’s Books to Teach Inquiry, does a great job of providing early childhood educators with the books and ideas they need in order to provide for inquiry skills within their own classroom. The goals teachers should keep in mind while using literature to promote inquiry skills are: reading, discussing, and building upon the content knowledge. This article provides a chart with 11 books for teachers to use in order to maximize student learning. These books have been compared with typical science text books in order to make sure they are not teaching misconceptions. It is often hard to find effective children’s literature with few misconceptions of the science content.

 One book that really stood out to me was, What Makes a Shadow? It is through this book in which we can see various inquiry skills being utilized and tested. After reading the book, students can explore how light interacts with various objects, determine which object create darker shadows, describe the relationship between shadows and the light sources, and identify the factors that create the size of the shadow. Targeted inquiry skills include: asking questions, making predictions, exploring cause and effect, discussing and drawing conclusions, describing events and observations, and lastly, making comparisons.

As a first grade teacher, I found this resource to be very beneficial. It integrates reading with inquiry, and that fascinates me. I find that my students love reading, and using the appropriate children’s literature is a great way to promote student excitement and engagement prior to letting them explore on their own. Students will be engaged in higher order thinking skills and will be provided with many opportunities to create their own connections.  The chart provided in the article is a great timesaver for any science teacher. It provides for authentic instruction and provides students with the skills they need in order to be effective scientists.