An IBSE approach for teaching the concept of density in preschool and primary school

Abstract

This paper intends to suggest strategies for planning, development and implementation of simple activities, related to “density”, in the classroom, in an Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE) perspective, i.e. science education based on research/inquiry/experimentation. In this sense, we begin by contextualizing the curricular context on science teaching in preschool and primary school, and presenting the theoretical context related to the teaching of science based in IBSE. The choice of the suggested activities was based on a set of criteria including their inclusion in preschool and primary school national curriculums, as well as the possibility that it can be addressed with varying degrees of depth, depending on the grade and level of cognitive development of students. The activities are proposed to explore the issue of density that is a subject commonly address in classroom from pre-school to primary school, and was developed to be applied in class with students of those school levels.