Customer Reviews

Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding: A Science Curriculum for K-2

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Building Foundations for Scientific Understanding is a newly released collection of 41 thorough, brilliantly organized, and fascinating lesson plans, covering scientific ideas appropriate for grades K-2. It is suitable for classrooms, learning co-ops, homeschooling, and more. I am using it as a tool in homeschooling my 7 year old twin daughters.

I think this book is best described to homeschoolers as a living book about how to teach science. Dr. Nebel (who has a long career in teaching college level environmental science) is clearly passionate about his subject - science is his life's work. It seems that the goal of this curriculum is not just to have the child read a book and pass a test, but to encourage people to become scientists - thinkers who actually use scientific knowledge in their own lives.

Dr. Nebel's approach is systematic, yet flexible.

He compares science to math - Just as you would generally introduce addition before calculus, BFSU introduces foundational ideas first. This allows the child (and the parent, at least in my case!) to develop a good appreciation for and understanding of the terminology involved, as well as encouraging them to relate to how the concept fits into the real world.

At the same time, there is flexibility built in to the lesson plans.

The 41 lessons are divided into 4 different threads:

* The Nature of Matter
* Life Science
* Physical Science
* Earth and Space Science.

Each thread is carefully developed in a logical manner, with every lesson building on the foundation laid by the ones that came before. Unlike many homeschool science curricula, however, with BFSU you do not concentrate on a single thread at a time, but rather you can interweave the threads as appropriate.

This way of organizing gives you flexibility within a framework. At any given time you can select a thread to work on based on student interests, weather or seasonal conditions, etc. At the same time, however, lesson notes alert you if there are any topics from other threads that should be completed before attempting the new lesson. This ensures that you have maximum flexibility to select your lessons, while also ensuring that you and your children will have the necessary background experience to fully understand and relate to each new lesson.

The book begins with two introductory chapters that explore in depth the educational approach that BFSU uses.

* Chapter 1: Teaching According to How Children Learn
* Chapter 2: Guiding Students to Think

These chapters highlight the deficiencies of the "teach, test, forget" approach. They also explore the limitations of the purely "hands on" approach that provides many activities to perform, yet does not adequately convey how or why the concepts actually work. Instead, BFSU argues that it is better for long term understanding and retention if we provide context for what is being learned, if we build on what was learned previously, if we encourage reflection on what we do or do not know, (encouraging asking questions to fill in the gaps), and if we connect the learning to real life.

These chapters also explore how to find joy in learning, and how to encourage self-motivated learning, as well as how to use guided questioning and discussion as tools to assist children in constructing a firm understanding of the concepts introduced.

After that, the 41 lessons are presented. Each lesson has details about:

* exactly what concepts the lesson addresses
* how much time the activities and discussions will likely entail
* if there is any required background from other threads
* materials needed
* "teachable moments"- suggestions for introducing the lesson in a natural way that sparks the child's interest
* methods and procedures for conducting the lesson
* questions/discussion/activities for reviewing, reinforcing, expanding, and assessing the learning
* notes to parents on integrating each lesson's concepts into everyday life.
* connections to other topics and notes on how the concepts can be used in higher levels
* lists of children's books on the topic of the lesson (usually non-fiction selections available from your library)

My children and I have thoroughly enjoyed the lessons we have undertaken thus far, and are looking forward to the lessons to come!

I purchased BFSU a couple of months ago with the intention of using it in the fall. After seeing the book, though, I ditched the $100 1st-grade science that I thought I loved, because BFSU was so much better. Dr. Nebel knows science and knows children, and that is a rare combination. And for a quarter of the price, I received three times the volume of lesson plans.

What is BFSU?
BFSU is neither a traditional nor a classical science curriculum. Rather, it is an entirely new approach to teaching science. There are two main ideas that drive this curriculum: (1) People learn more when it is relevant to their own lives, and (2) People retain more of what they learn if they are making mental connections. BFSU attempts to create and take advantage of "teaching moments," that is, those times when children are seeking to learn, asking questions and wanting to know. Although it is not marketed as using the Socratic method, I find the Socratic method used heavily to create these "teaching moments."

BFSU covers the following general areas of science, called "threads": Nature of Matter, Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth and Space Science. There is not a specific schedule or order in which you have to teach the lessons. The lessons, however, are intended to be taught approximately in a spiral such that you are teaching one or two lessons from one thread and then moving on to the next. Each lesson plan tells you what lessons from all threads that are considered prerequisite. The earlier lessons are designed for the younger K level students, and the later lessons for the older students. In this way, the child learns to integrate the different areas of science. (For example, before teaching the distinction between plants and animals from the Life Science thread, the child should first have covered concepts of energy and making things go from the Physical Science thread, since how we get our energy is an important distinction between plants and animals.) As you spiral through the different threads, you continue to revisit what you have previously covered but just go into it in greater depth each time.

BFSU is written for the classroom, but it is very easily adaptable to the home school setting (and even acknowledges this in the Introduction). It is not just "for" K-2 students, but there are easily enough lessons for three years of material, unless you have a child that is extraordinarily driven in the science category. To quote another forum post, "This is not a cutesy Kindergarten science program." BFSU tackles some very advanced concepts while managing to keep the activities and material on a young child's mental level. (For example, DH is a high school physics teacher, and he has remarked that most of his new students have never even heard of the difference between mass and weight, a concept that is dealt with in the Physical Science thread.)

Is it secular or religious?
BFSU is a secular text. But as a Christian, I have not found anything controversial. It does not address topics like the creation of the world or evolution.

What kind of preparation does BFSU take?
Each lesson is very thorough and lengthy, most covering 6-8 pages, single-spaced, with no pictures or diagrams. It is absolutely necessary to read the whole lesson carefully. Dr. Nebel is meticulous about giving you everything you might want to know, including what misconceptions children commonly have, and what answers you might expect to get out of them.

A materials list is given for each lesson. Almost every material needed is something that you would likely have in your home, but occasionally you might find something that you need to pick up. As I browse through the lessons, I see that I will have to be prepared to acquire balloons for one lesson and an empty glass jar for another. My recommendation is to go through the materials lists for all of the lessons and make a shopping list of things you don't normally have and then store those things in an easily accessible location.

Each lesson also comes with a list of reading books that you can use with the lesson. So if you are using these book lists to supplement your lessons, you will need to check those out from the library prior to the lesson, as well.

The most difficult part of preparing for a lesson is that most of us will need to change how we teach and think about science. You have to figure out how you are going to make the lesson relevant to your own child. There are many ideas and lots of guidance, but BFSU recognizes that different children will be reached in different ways. It might be as simple as planning to talk about solids, liquids and gases in the bathroom as your child brushes his teeth or takes a bath. Or you might be inspired to elaborate on a given activity or go on a field trip. I do not personally like a scripted program, yet I lack the creativity to come up with my own activities and discussions. BFSU gives me just enough script with a whole lot of ways to tailor it to my own child, family and circumstances.

But just let me warn that BFSU does take some preparation. I am spending at least 30-60 minutes reading the lesson and setting up the activities, with most of that time spent just wrapping my brain around the lesson plan. If I did not have a science background, I would want to write down the questions I was supposed to ask and the answers I wanted to elicit from the child.

What about students older than K?
Dr. Nebel has been saying on his Yahoo group that books for grades 3-5 and for 6-8 are due out by this summer. In my opinion, you could easily use this book for grade 3 unless you have a particularly savvy student. Even with an older student that is really into science, I think much could still be gleaned from these lessons. I would just go through it faster. If I had a third grader, I would get the K-2 book and start working on it now so that I would not have to worry about when the 3-5 book came out.

Learning science in kindergarten is a privilege that most public school students do not enjoy. Teachers have enough to do teaching them to read and do math and stand in line and answer to bells and wait their turn to speak and print their names properly and wait for paste and line up their crayons in a row. Ironically, the kids probably get more science education in preschool when they do themed unit weeks like weather week or ocean week than they do in the early elementary grades.

That's the kind of science little kids get, when they do get it: topical stuff. Let's learn about fish. Let's learn about plants. We'll learn about fish this week and plants next week, but we're not going to learn about what connects fish to plants or how the sun is connected to both fish and plants, because little kids don't typically get trusted with that kind of information. They aren't asked to see the big picture, draw lines between their thematic units, understand science as a whole, as a system of interconnected disciplines. A privileged first-grader who's getting a bigger-than-average helping of science is going to know the names of the planets and how bees make honey and that their eyes allow them to see, but that's where it stops. I can't honestly say that I've ever seen a whole-world approach to teaching science to young children until I saw Dr. Nebel's books.

His first book was a how-to manual addressing all aspects of elementary education, not just science. As an elementary level homeschool curriculum, it doesn't provide a box of workbooks, but teaches a philosophy of teaching and learning. It's called "Nebel's Elementary Education: Creating a Tapestry of Learning." Here's a summary, from the web site:

***This single book (8 1/2 x 11, 450 pages) contains approaches and actual subject matter for delivering the entirety of a superior K-5 education. It describes not only WHAT to teach, but also HOW to teach it using hundreds of hands-on activities, and much more.

Most distinctive is the organization. Typical elementary curricula consist of an array of stand-alone units, which kids readily forget, confuse, and from which they never gain a full picture. In sharp contrast, Nebel lays out each subject (K-5) as a seamless continuum of lessons integrating different subjects along the way. Simultaneously, Nebel shows you how to guide your children along this pathway in a way that builds logically and systematically toward a broad, comprehensive, holistic understanding. The result is achievement of knowledge, skills, understanding, and problem-solving ability that will provide a solid foundation for all further learning.

The book is in total harmony with modern research concerning the most effective and efficient teaching techniques that bring children to become joyful, self-motivated learners. In short, this book may be considered a breakthrough in translating theory-what leads to the most effective and efficient learning-into a practical curriculum addressing all subjects.***

His new book focuses just on science, and is called Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding: A Science Curriculum for K-2. I can't think of a reason why five-year-olds cannot begin to learn and understand science in context, just like they can start learning history at this age, not that they get that in public school either. Homeschoolers have a special opportunity to start their children on the right path in science education, and Dr. Nebel can help.

Nebel's Elementary Education: Creating a Tapestry of Learning

Note that I created a link here to another of Dr. Nebel's educational books for you to check out, also.

This latest book is laid out in easy-to-follow specific lesson plans. It is a valuable tool for parents who are home-schooling or who just want to share the joy of learning with their child, and it's a valuable resource for teachers, as well.

Once a child experiences the excitement of learning something that interests them, there's no stopping their zest for learning more! Leading a child to think for themself and "get" that learning can be engaging and fun is a key component of Dr. Nebel's approach. Once that seed is planted and takes root, further growth is ensured!

This book is terrific for parents and educators alike.

Dr. Nebel also has an on-line email newsgroup so people who are using his books can network with him and each other to share experiences, ask questions and make suggestions.

This is a fabulous book! You go at your own pace and this is the only book you need to buy as you can get the other books at the library. It is a living book science curriculum in a sense too. There are different levels of reading and working with your child/ren completely depending on your environment and the reading level of your child. That being said, Dr. Nebel doesn't leave you high and dry by any means.

I had tried other science curricula that were go at your own pace only to have it either all dictated or left almost entirely up to the mom/teacher. I homeschool and really don't have the gumption to just open a book and do a science project. Besides, that doesn't really teach the child the fundamentals that this book really teaches.

It is a secular book. But I don't feel that we need to say every other sentence "That's the way God designed it" We can do that ourselves as parents. We know God created the world, Dr. Nebel helps us (our children)understand what the design looks like.

There is a yahoo support group and there are wonderful exchanges of ideas. Dr. Nebel is right there too listening to comments and helping when needed. He has been gracious in receiving suggestions made about his book too.

I am not a creative person, but this book, while not scripted is a great guide for the young scientist. I tell people even with a little older children to get it (K-2 is the recommended age range). Just make sure the books obtained are age appropriate. There are some definite K books and some definite 2 books.

I had the privilege of field-testing Dr. Nebel's manuscript with my two children. What a rewarding and eye-opening experience!

As a home-school parent, I always thought that science would be a challenge to teach but it wasn't until I began working through Dr. Nebel's lessons that I realized my own basic scientific understanding was seriously flawed and had significant gaps. Even with a college degree, I had a great deal to learn in the field of science before teaching it to someone else.

Fortunately, Dr. Nebel's lessons are like a start-from-scratch formula that lays down a solid scientific foundation and then builds on that through associations and interconnections. There wasn't a page in this information-packed compilation where I didn't learn something new, brilliant, and utterly amazing. From the very first chapter the pieces of the scientific puzzle began fitting together for me and the gaps starting filling in. By utilizing this comprehensive groundwork I gained a newfound confidence enabling me to pass the information on to my children. Plus, I discovered that I really love science!

But for all of Dr Nebel's brilliance, wisdom, and originality, his most amazing gift is that he hasn't lost touch with the inquisitive nature of a small child. His examples and experiments captivate the young mind, seamlessly planting knowledge in the pupil's brain without struggle. And his lessons really work. People are more than impressed by my children's grasp of science... they're blown away by it!

This is a great foundational science book. I do think it is age appropriate in its scope and introduces proper and challenging (IMO for a 6 yr old) vocabulary. The author references which science standards each lesson covers. It is a teacher's manual though, not a text book. It's written to the teacher and is not illustrated. You have to read each lesson thoroughly (5-10 pgs) to be able to teach it and gather visuals/others books. The materials are very basic and affordable. I bought it to use for homeschooling and I think it will work great. I wanted a science curriculum that wasn't just experiments or just textbook memorization and I think this is perfect. It incorporates science into daily life experiences for better retention. As another reviewer said, it does not come with tests or even worksheets. To me, that's more of a strength because that means less busy work and less teaching to a test--I think you'll be able to tell if your kids are interested and "getting it" and you can always ask them questions orally or make up your own test :O)For religious and/or conservative home schoolers, I will warn that the author comes across overtly pro-global warming and anti-"belief in the supernatural", but that seems to only be in the foreword. I really like the book.

I heard about this book through the Well Trained Mind forums, which is a group of highly intelligent and intellectually curious, mostly classically homeshooling mothers. I heard such high praise that I decided to check it out for myself, and a few weeks later, bought the book. For only $24, what could I lose? Turns out nothing, because this is an excellent, solid, thorough introduction to scientific concepts. Building Foundations is apt, as children are not merely presented facts, but encouraged to explore, to think, to discover, to manipulate and to question. I have learned to appreciate science even more and to think about the world around me in a different way. The reading lists of recommended books is great. There is some pre-planning involved, but I love the fluidity of the lessons and the way you don't need to follow one rigid direction, but go with your children's interests. Herein lies the problem for some educators who would like a more "here is what you need to do when" type of program, but I believe this is also one of the curriculum's key strengths. The flexibility, the explanations, the simple experiments (using what most people have around the house), the inquiry and the books all round out to a wonderful elementary science program that really gets kids thinking instead of being spoon-fed. My five-year-old son loves to ask questions and enjoys the experiments, and he talks about what he's learned afterwards. He's also making strides in putting his thoughts and ideas down on paper, whether it be drawing what he's gotten out of the lesson or writing a few words or dictating to me. Making little books about the subject is a great idea. The online support via the Yahoo! group is fantastic. I can't wait for Dr. Nebel to publish his next volume, 3-5. We will be looking forward to it.

We will have two "spines," the fancy homeschooling word for "main text".

1. Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, by Bernard Nebel
2. a. Handbook of Nature Study, by Anna Comstock (first published in 1911!)
b. Keeping a Nature Journal, by Claire Walker Leslie

1. BFSU is a teacher's manual that gives very detailed outlines for 41 science lessons, arranged in 4 threads- the nature of matter, life science, physical science, and earth and space science. (See the table of contents). This book is truly about the foundations of scientific understanding, as titled. The reasons I chose this curriculum are as follows-
The curriculum is presented naturally to the child. Each lesson lists "teachable moments"- things to look for in everyday life that will naturally lead to a discussion about the topic. Most topics require 15-20 minutes of discussion time, where the teacher lays out the lesson and does some type of demonstration or has the child to some kind of experiment to reinforce the lesson. That's it. The trick is for the teacher to then go back to the lesson every time a "teachable moment" comes up, pointing out that this is another example of abc or xyz, thus reinforcing the concept. The author also lists several supplementary children's books for each subject, many from the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out series, which are very well done.
The material is real science. It is not fluffy, disconnected, and random, the way I remember being taught science in grade school. The book is not pollitical. It is not a thinly veiled attempt to get us all to recycle, reduce, and reuse. Not that conservation is ignored, it just seems that many elementary science programs carry a certain political agenda. This one does not.

2. BFSU would be perfectly fine as a stand-alone curriculum, but I think students will benefit from an additional nature study, as per the Charlotte Mason method. Nature study requires time spent outdoors, and includes keeping a nature journal- a book containing the child's sketchwork and observation of his or her natural environment. The second set of books are for nature study.

I think this combination is ideal. BFSU does not go into much detail about things a child might observe in nature and ask questions about, but it lays the groundwork for a child to reason out his own answers to his question. I'll give the following example:

During nature study, a child watches a V shaped formation of birds flying overhead. He draws the V in his notebook, he may or may not be able to identify the birds with a field guide. He then wonders to his teacher, "I wonder why they were flying in that shape?"

BFSU does not talk about why birds fly in a V formation when migrating in a group. (as far as I know, I have not read it cover-to-cover) But, after learning lesson A-3 (air is a substance), B-6 (How animals move), and C-6 (Friction), they will be able, with guidance from their teacher, perhaps using a fan and some light-weight objects for experimentation, to determine that birds "draft" behind each other, the first bird taking the brunt of the force of the air, and the others coasting more easily and conserving their energy.

The younger student might then add a sentence to his drawing, "Birds fly in a V so that not every bird is exposed directly to the wind. This saves energy during their long trip."

The teacher might follow up with a library trip, looking for a kid's book on migration, or a search through a field guide to find the species and their migratory pattern, which could then be connected to geography. Additional notes or a section of a map might be added to the nature journal.

The first book's lessons teach students to be scientists, the second books teach them to be naturalists.

I have read through quite a bit of Dr. Nebel's material; this book as well as his other book, "Nebel's Elementary Education, Creating a Tapestry of Learning", and have been thoroughly impressed with both. I have taught in the public school system for over five
years, and the past couple of years have been teaching lower elementary level. This material far surpasses any other material I have come across (and I frequently do a lot of digging and research for my lesson plans). It has been very helpful for several different reasons. The main one is that is just makes so much sense, the way he explains things. I
wish this material had been used to teach me as a child growing up, because it would have made everything so much more clear to me. Instead I'm gaining a clearer understanding now going through his material, as an educated adult.

His approach to learning is very thorough yet practical. You can use basic materials you would find in one's home on an ordinary basis, which makes the lessons far more real. While his explanations are very thorough, it is done in a way so it is clear how it connects to the overall bigger picture, so it is easily remembered.

I really can't say enough about how appreciative I am for having his material. His other book (mentioned in the first sentence above) has been my Lesson Plan Bible for my classroom while teaching in elementary school. If I were to ever do home schooling, I would use it there too.

Thanks Dr. Nebel for all your work. I have recommended it to others and shared the material with others as well.
D. Schmidt