Field-tested across the country, this comprehensive curriculum expands and extends the role science has traditionally played in the early childhood classroom. The first in a new series, "Discovering Nature with Young Children "explores the wide-ranging elements that make up the natural world around us. The curriculum replaces simple fact-feeding practices with the development of long-term scientific reasoning, including literacy skills and numeracy skills, such as hypothesis, inference, prediction, and estimation. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Introduction	1
Worm City: Excerpts from a Teacher's Journal	10
Getting Ready	13
Open Exploration	23
Transition from Open Exploration to Focused Exploration	38
Focused Exploration: Plants	41
Focused Exploration: Animals	79
Extension Activities	107
Resources	115
Science Teaching	115
Young Children's Inquiry	115
The Teacher's Role	115
Observation and Assessment	119
Essential Information	121
Involving Families	130
Books and Videos	130
Appendices	137
Suggestions for Long-Term Representation Projects	137
Classroom Environment Checklist	139
Guidelines for Creating Documentation Panels	142
Observation Record	143
Document Annotation	144
Learning Record	145
Outcomes Charts	147
Index	154

Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.