| A new round curriculum reform of elementary education has beenimplemented for12years in china. Meanwhile, the science curriculum in primaryschool has also entered into a critical stage. With the publication of ScienceCurriculum Standards (for1-6grades)(draft for comment), those science textbooksin primary schools must be modified by a big margin. At present, there are about tensets of science textbooks which are widespread used in primary schools in china.They are compiled basing on Science Curriculum Standards of Full-timeCompulsory Education (for3-6grades)(experimental version), of which the mostrepresentative one is Science published by Education and Science Press (Educationand Science Version, for short), which is with the distinguished and outstandingcharacteristics. Nevertheless, compared with the science textbooks in Americanprimary schools, those in china still have some obvious shortcomings and problems.California, as the economic and cultural centre of America, with large varieties oftextbooks and various features, has been at the forefront of curriculum reform inAmerica. Among the textbooks, the most typical one is Science (for1-5grades)which is published by Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Company aiming specifically atCalifornia (California version, for short). With a complete system of knowledgestructure, this set of textbook is based on children’s understanding of nature and themovement and change of substance, laying emphasis on scientific inquiry and thecultivation of scientific literacy. At the same time, this set of textbook is completewith pictures and texts, actively and vividly. It is indeed a good reflection of thebasic concept of American primary education and the features of science teaching inprimary schools. In this paper, two sets of the textbooks which are representative in China andAmerica knowledge system structure make a comparative study of the system bytext analysis, comparative analysis and statistical analysis. So as to provide usefulsuggestions of compiling a new round of textbook in our country, this paperincludes three parts.The first part, it is a general view about the elementary school scienceeducation courses and the overall characteristics of textbook. Elementary schoolscience education courses of the two countries emphasize the science inquiry tocultivate the students’ scientific literacy，they emphasize the importance of scienceand technology and social contact and the application of scientific knowledge. Butit is not essentially subject and science education course started late in our country,it caused the science education reform and development is very slow.The second part, two sets of textbook knowledge system structure concretescomparative study；The theme of the two sets of textbook knowledge contentspecific chapters knowledge content and knowledge system to present the way ofcomparative study. In terms of subject knowledge content, two sets of textbooks arebasically identical, only in the distribution of each grade have bigger difference. Inthe knowledge of chapter, and two sets of textbooks are pay attention to the basicknowledge, comprehensive and dynamic, California version of pay more attentionto the knowledge of logic, systemic and regional, difficulty is also bigger. On thepresentation of knowledge through the macro aspects (text, illustrations renderingand render type) and micro aspects (science inquiry learning mode), a comparativestudy of California version in the columns of the rendering and scientific inquirylearning mode is worth us learning and using for reference.The third part, it is some inspiration and thinking for the first two parts ofanalysis and comparison. Respectively are: Curriculum idea is the essence of thewriting textbooks, need to improve the subject status of science curriculum;Textbooks should have basic knowledge of content, practicability and modernity,systematic, logical, comprehensive and aboriginality; The textbook knowledgepresentation should be more rational, more prominent scientific inquiry. |
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