Science Material Advocacy Letter

Science Material Advocacy Letter

Educators should be familiar with the materials used within the classroom to provide students with scientific learning opportunities. Often, the teacher needs supplemental materials to provide rich, hands-on learning experiences.Write a 500-750 word letter to a principal requesting developmentally appropriate classroom resources for science instruction in a pre-K-3 classroom.

Include the following in your letter:

• A rationale for using grade appropriate classroom resources, particularly technology, in early childhood science instruction to meet the needs of students and strengthen the learning environment.
• A list of three developmentally appropriate classroom resources. At least one requested resource must be a technology that is interactive and can extend the possibilities for learning. For each resource include an explanation of the following:
  • How the resource facilitates scientific exploration and develops the curiosity of students in the intended age range
  • How the resource helps engage students with different learning styles or preferences or who come from diverse backgrounds
  • How to obtain the resource and its approximate cost

Visuals may be used within this list to clarify materials.

Support your Science Material Advocacy Letter with at least three scholarly resources.

While APA style format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented using documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

Science Material Advocacy Letter Example 

Your Name

Full Address

All contact information

Date

 

Recipient’s Name/Title

Full Address

Dear [Recipient’s name]:

Science Materials Advocacy Letter to the Principal 

In the wake of technology, it is fundamental to expose learners to it at a young age to make it easy for them to use when they grow up. When children are trained on how to use technology, they develop essential skills and knowledge needed in today’s world. International Society for Technology in Education (2017) finds that use of technology in the classroom and more so while teaching scientific topics helps in building the learners’ core competencies.  The learners should attain these basics by the age of five years. Further, National Institute for Literacy (2008) supports the use of technology in the classroom by arguing that young learners should experience opportunities to develop technological use skills that are associated with book-handling skills during their early literacy development. Therefore, starting the use of technology for young learners is vital and should be integrated into the classroom context.

According to the study conducted by Uça (2015), young children in developed countries experience technology in their homes. As such, it is important to provide a similar technology-characterized environment in school. The research has revealed that the use of well-designed technology in schools boost the learners’ understanding of scientific topics (Bell & Trundle, 2007). It has also been established that the use of technology while teaching science subjects offers young learners with an opportunity to exercise real-world problems. Besides, technology in the classroom for young learners helps them in developing both mathematic and scientific literacy (Uça, 2015). Therefore, using technology will have an added advantage to the students since it accelerates their development of mathematic literacy (Uça, 2015). Technology is a crucial tool that should be integrated into the classroom learning context. However, it will be essential in the classroom if it is implemented appropriately.

The teaching of science using technology can be supported by various resources, including whiteboards, tablets, and video cameras.

Whiteboard

While using a whiteboard, students will be interested to know how a teacher can extract and display different topics and images on the board. It will help them learn about the internet. The whiteboard can be used to deliver various topics and demonstrations that suit learners from different backgrounds. This is because it is technology-based, and as such, the content and mode of delivery can be modified to suit learners with varied needs. The board cost ranges from $250-$350.
Tablet

With the use of tablets,  students might be interested to know how they can operate them to explore different avenues. For example, in addition to the education content, they might be interested in using tablets to play games. Since it uses the internet, it can deliver different demonstration styles to suit learners from various cultures. The price of electronic tablets for young learners’ ranges from $50 to $200.

Video Camera

The students will be interested to learn on to use the camera and how it can capture images and videos and store them in the videotapes. With the help of the video, the camera can capture various demonstrations and models for teaching science subjects and store them to be used by different learners. The videotape can also be used to store culture-based work from different students in the classroom.  The price of the camera ranges from $400 to $200.

References

Bell, R. L., & Trundle, K. C. (2007). The use of a computer simulation to promote scientific conceptions of moon phases. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 43(3), 346–372.

Bers, M. U., & Portsmore, M. (2005). Teaching Partnerships: Early Childhood and Engineering Students, Teaching Math, and Science Through Robotics. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 14(1), 59–73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-005-2734-1

International Society for Technology in Education. (2017). Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education. Office of Educational Technology.

National Institute for Literacy. (2008). Developing early literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel. A scientific synthesis of early literacy development and implications for intervention. Louisville, KY: National Center for Family Literacy.

Uça, S. (2015). The Use of Technology in Teaching Science to Young Children. In: In T. K. Cabe, & M. Saçkes, Research in Early Childhood Science Education (pp. 167-184). Dordrecht: Springer.