Integrating Math Standards Into Science Family Packs

• In Event: Supporting Family Talk and Practice Around Science for Young Children

Abstract

The teaching of mathematics and science concepts should not be treated as an isolation of the content areas; rather it should serve as an opportunity to merge the content areas in order to create meaningful learning opportunities for students (Furner & Kumar, 2007). In addition to developing language and literacy skills, science learning can serve as an “interesting context” for children to develop mathematical skills. Gerde, Schachter & Wasik (2013) offer that early science inquiry experiences such as those that encourage the comparing, sorting, and categorizing of objects by their properties are an example of young students’ ability to “represent, analyze, and interpret mathematical data” (p. 317). By integrating math ideas into science activities, students are able to learn concepts from each content area while making connections among the content topics.

The incorporation of mathematical concepts in children’s everyday activities does not require formal lessons. Tudge & Doucet (2004) observed that mathematics learning naturally took place in situations when “information about mathematics was either given to children or requested by children – information or questions about the number of objects, about size or shape, or about time” (p. 36). Thus, the incorporation of math ideas into informal science activities such as the family packs presents students with an opportunity to develop mathematical and science skills in a natural way.

In this session, there will be a discussion regarding the need to incorporate mathematical and science learning experiences with children at an early age. The discussion will include information on how such experiences can support the development of critical skills for children as well as the development of these skills should be merged rather than separated. In addition to giving background information on the importance of integrating mathematical and science concepts, an approach to revising the science family packs to include more early childhood math standards will be shared. Ultimately, participants should be able to understand that the integration of concepts from various content areas supports students learning needs by “limiting the compartmentalization of learning” and in turn “providing a more coherent learning” experience (Marshall, Horton & Austin-Wade, 2007, p. 36). Using the redesign of the family packs for concrete examples, this paper provides examples of how to identify critical math and science concepts for students to know for their grade level, look for commonalities across the content areas, and create meaningful mathematical and science learning experiences for children and their families to do at home.

Authors

• Meredith Lynne Reinhart, University of Toledo

• Debra Bloomquist, University of Toledo

• Winnifred Namatovu, University of Toledo