Scientific Inquiry Embodied In The United States Elementary School Science Textbooks, A Comparative Study

Since 20 century 80s, science inquiry has become the core of curriculum reform of the whole world. This curriculum idea is reflected through curriculum standard's. The research objective is current primary school scientific textbook in china and the United States of America and the main index is science inquiry. Trying to provide some advice to the establishment of scientific materials through comparative analysis. At the same time, we expect that new material play a certain role in changing the traditional idea.Firstly, the author discusses the theoretical research on science inquiry from the concept, basic property, theoretical foundation and historical development of science inquiry. Secondly, the author analyzes and compares the current scientific textbook of primary school in china and the United States of America from curriculum essence of supporting compilation textbooks and the concrete reflection of curriculum essence in textbooks, and we find that there are obvious differences in the appearance of knowledge and ability in Chinese and American scientific textbooks. The organization of Chinese scientific textbooks adopts the formation of small teaching unit, however, American textbooks adopts the formation of large teaching unit. Chinese textbook emphasize the training in the skill of process, however, American STC emphasize the whole of science inquiry. Finally, in accordance to the comparison, the author tries to give several advices to the compilation of Chinese primary school textbooks, and thinks about two questions: the relation of knowledge and skill and the effect which textbooks have on teaching idea.