How are living things alike and different? First graders' knowledge of basic life science concepts

Abstract

Children's abilities to compare living things, and to articulate their fundamental properties (eating, breathing, etc.), were assessed. Forty first-grade children were asked to identify similarities and differences among pairs of different organisms (bears, trees, frogs, fish, and ants). Results indicated that: (a) children were consistently more able to generate differences than similarities; and (b) they used the same superficial properties (size, colour, etc.) as a basis for both types of judgment. While the fundamental properties of living things were used by some children as a basis for similarity judgements, these properties were inconsistently applied across different types of organisms. Implications for life sciences curricula in the early primary grades are discussed.