CHAPTER 11
Life Science Experiences
AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENTS
1. Students should each pick a plant or animal, or category of plant or animal, and prepare a five-day lesson
plan on their choice. For example, whales, ocean animals, elephants, jungle animals, palm trees, or trees
might be possible choices.
2. Other than the suggestions given in the text, students should plan, write, and submit to the instructor three
well-defined and described activities on plants and three on animals.
3. Prepare a lesson plan, for at least five days, on one of the science concepts suggested in this chapter or one
which your instructor approves.
SUGGESTED TEST QUESTIONS
1. Children’s descriptions of taste or smell will not be influenced by their experiences.
2. As children are given sensory experiences, teachers should help them develop words to describe
smells, tastes, textures, sounds.
3. Because of the possibility of children having allergies, and also because animals pose a threat to
children’s safety, live animals should not be brought into the classroom.
Fill–in-the-Blank Questions
1. The ability to differentiate sounds and determine likenesses and differences in tone, volume, and
rhythm is called .
2. The sense we rely on too heavily is .
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. With regard to the five senses,
I. taste and smell are closely related.
II. children should be taught to never taste anything unless they know it is edible.
III. children should never smell cleaning aids.
IV help children build vocabulary words to describe textures, smells, tastes, and sounds.
V. all children respond to sounds in the same way.
a. All of the above b. I, II, III
c. II, III, IV d. I, II, IV
2. Sounds can be taught by
I. sharpening children’s awareness of sounds.
II. discussing what sounds they hear in a day.
III. having the children make up sound riddles.
IV. having the children complete sound similes.
V. clapping rhythm patterns and having the children clap the exact rhythm pattern back.
a. All of the above b. I, II, V
c. II, III, IV d. I, III, V
3. To build texture understandings, teachers should
I. expand the child’s texture vocabulary.
II. provide experiences with new textures.
III. connect the actual texture with a texture word.
IV. read poetry and stories that use texture words and experiences.
a. All of the above b. I, II, III
c. II, III, IV d. I, II, IV
4. When a child feels and describes a texture, the description will be based on
I. the child’s visual perception of the texture.
II. what else the texture feels like.
III. the child’s mood of the day.
IV. previous experience with the texture.
a. All of the above b. II, III, IV
c. I, II, IV d. I, III, IV
5. Which of the following would be appropriate units on animals for an early childhood class?
I. Animals and their homes.
II. Dinosaurs.
III. Jungle animals.
IV. Animals and their babies.
V. Animal reproduction
VI. Tadpoles and frogs.
VII. Honeybees and their habits.
a. All of the above b. I, II, IV, VII
c. I, II, III, IV, VI, VII d. I, IV, VI, VII
1. What are some of the values of units on animals?
2. Describe some activities you would include if you were planning a unit on fish for a preschool
class.
3. Do a web on birds.
4. If you were teaching a unit on plants, what are some uses of plants that you would teach young
children?
5. How would you teach the growth cycle of plants?
6. Do a web for a unit on trees.
7. List some of the concepts you would teach in a unit on texture.
8. What are some of the different categories of sounds?
9. From your text reading and your own experiences, describe three of your favorite, meaningful
sensory activities for use with young children.
Chapter 11
