Examining Language To Capture Scientific Understandings: The Case of the Water Cycle

by: Maria Varelas, Christine Pappas, Anne Barry, and Amy O'Neill

As teachers of science, we need to keep in mind that thought and language are intricately related. Linguistic approximations, errors, and misses may be useful windows into our children’s developing thoughts and conceptions. Fostering more differentiated language and helping our children appreciate this sophistication may lead them to increased conceptual understanding. Conversely, fostering conceptual understanding may lead students to increased language sophistication. Information books, even the ones critiqued in this article, can play an important role in this learning.

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Type Journal ArticlePub Date 4/1/2001Stock # sc01_038_07_26Volume 038Issue 07

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