1. YOUNG FLORIDA NATURALISTS: CONCEPT MAPPING AND SCIENCE LEARNING OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN
JANICE HUNTER,
HEATHER MONROE-OSSI, &
CHERYL FOUNTAIN

2. Goals
To impact background knowledge/conceptual development of young children.
Content focused on hands-on science learning about plants.
Nonfiction books provided exposure to vocabulary, language related to science content, and basic information (advance organizers) related to the topic.
Concept maps were used to capture children’s thinking.
Young Florida Naturalists project was funded through the Environmental Center and the Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.

3. Class Concept Maps Group concept maps were developed in each class
Revisions were made as children learned more about plants
Hands-on experiences included:
planting a butterfly garden
conducting experiments with live plants
raising butterflies to release

4. Teachers used two thinking strategies to emphasize important content and clarify children’s thinking
What makes you say that?
What do you see? think?... wonder?

5. Assessments
Assessments mirrored the assessments described by Figueiredo, M., Lopes, A. S., Firmino, R. & deSousa, S. (2004) “Things we know about the cow”: Concept mapping in a preschool setting. In A.J. Canas, J.D. Novak & F.M. Gonzalez (Eds.) Proceedings of the first international conference on concept mapping (Vol.2 pp ). Pamplona, Spain.

6. Assessment 1 Class concept map was developed.
Assessment 1: What do you know about plants and butterflies?
Children used picture cards to show their understanding of relationships about plants.
67% of 4 year olds and 35% of 3 year olds were able to make at least one second level concept proposition.

7. Assessment 1

8. Assessment 2 Assessment 2: What do you know about plants?
Children’s one-on-one interview responses were transcribed and concept maps developed by the researchers.
41% of 3 year olds and 64% of 4 year olds were able to make second and third level concept propositions from memory.

9. Assessment 2

10. Assessment 3
Assessment 3: What do these pictures represent? What do they tell us about plants?
Children used the final class concept map to guide their responses. Videotapes were made of each interview. Interviews were transcribed and concept maps developed by the researchers.

11. Assessment 3

12. Results
Overall, 93% of 4 year olds and 85% of 3 year olds were able to make second and third level concept propositions using the class concept map
Teachers were excited about the progress of the children and enjoyed the hands-on experiences that engaged the children (and them) in the content

14. “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”
Frank Lloyd Wright