An emergent curriculum starts with the interests of the children, which are then extended by the planning of their teacher. Here a table top projector has been introduced to the children as a provocation, building on their interest in Light and Shadows.
S.B. initially investigates what happens when she places a paper dinosaur she has constructed, onto the projector bed. She notices that its image is reversed, and has additional parts to it. Her audience has begun to make their own discoveries behind the light screen!
She decides to create a shadow puppet play, having understood that she can not only create images by placing objects on the projector bed, but also by adding additional shadow puppets in front of the light the projector emits. Her joyful discoveries and storytelling inspire the others to experiment. Their focus is on the shadows they create on the screen, rather than those created from the projector bed. They discover not all shadows are black. The boys at the front of the screen are told by an audience member behind about the effect created by the pink dinosaur shadow puppet. Its making a pink shadow. Look…It’s pink!
Then follows a set of experiments. They excitedly create a game, “Guess the colour”, and keep a record of how many correct predictions each of them makes. The introduction of the projector has led them all to wonder, experiment, predict, observe, collaborate, collect data and draw conclusions through an authentic and real life experience. These are the same steps a scientist takes when he uses the Scientific Method.
We hope you took as much delight in reading about The Scientific Method Through the Joy of Discovery, as the children did in experiencing it, and look forward to your feedback.
