The staff of the Center for Multisensory Learning at the Lawrence Hall of Science proposes a three-year primary school general science project, the Full Option Science System, Kindergarten through Grade Two Project (FOSS K-2). The project will extend the existing FOSS 3-6 program down to the early childhood years. FOSS K-2 activity development will be guided by the same philosophy and theory of cognitive development that was used successfully in the FOSS 3-6 project. The result will be a collection of eight topical modules, featuring multi-sensory activities that are technically and developmentally appropriate for all youngsters in the grades for which they are suggested, and easy for typical teachers to use. The FOSS K-2 project will develop three major instructional products in conjunction with Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corporation, two school districts (Vallejo and Mt. Diablo), and a national network of test directors (10) and the schools with which they work. 1. Eight teacher guides for the eight modules, including background, objectives, preparation, lesson plans, discussion questions, language and math extensions, and take-homes. 2. Eight complete student equipment kits, attractively and efficiently packaged, including manipulatives, student sheets, and study posters. 3. Study posters and science stories to be read to students. Study-poster books and narrative stories will help students transfer the content of the activities to every-day situations.d Special attention will be directed to making the FOSS K-2 activities exciting for teachers to use with students. The end product will be a complete, developmentally sound K-6 program.
