Research has revealed that a small percentage of weekly instructional time in the elementary grades is dedicated to teaching science. Additionally, elementary educators receive limited preparation to teach science concepts compared to math or literacy skills. Therefore, this study examined if utilizing poetry to teach science concepts had a…

"Improving Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1" reviews the best available evidence to offer five recommendations for developing the maths skills of 3-7-year olds. Recommendations include integrating maths into different activities throughout the day -- for example, at registration and snack time -- to familiarise children…

Poses solutions for our failure to show students how well mathematics interlocks with the physical structures of the Universe. Some examples are provided to illustrate the natural integration of mathematics and science. (ZWH)

During the 1960s and early 1970s two educational movements were the evolution of the middle school and the structures of disciplines approach to social studies. These movements involved school organization, curriculum development, and methodologies incorporating the inquiry or conceptual approach. Learners had trouble with the conceptual approach,…

Interview data exemplify students' attempts to integrate the concepts of electrochemistry with related knowledge that they had previously constructed or acquired in other classes. The implications for minimizing potential misconceptions center on the difficulties students experience when using more than one model for explaining scientific…

Studying pets fosters children's natural curiosity about the world around them and encourages them to use their five senses. This cross-curricular guide provides opportunities for children to build concepts by introducing them to a variety of household pets beginning with cats and dogs, and including mice, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs,…

The Foundational Approaches in Science Teaching (FAST) project, which began under the sponsorship of the Hawaii Science Curriculum Council, contains a series of interdisciplinary science courses that emphasize the foundational concepts and methods of the physical, biological, and earth sciences. By directly involving students in investigating…

Noting the growing interest in how writing activities might complement current teaching techniques and improve learning in mathematics, this paper presents a progress report on the use of writing assignments in freshman precalculus courses at a Minnesota university. The paper first presents a rationale for this teaching technique and the original…

The goal of the Architects-in-Schools program is to help students develop an awareness of the "built environment" and its relation with the natural environment. Students learn to make decisions and changes, which will affect the quality of their lives. The author relates how two schools in Virginia have used the program. (Author/RK)

Intended to serve as a resource for school systems interested in developing a comprehensive and effective environmental education program, this model includes 10 phases addressing: committee development; environmental education goals and objectives; literature reviews; program goals; curriculum development; inservice teacher education; a…

Working with students grouped by three conceptual levels offers one way of looking at students and recognizing what can be done to provide them with a stimulating environment for learning. (RL)

The goals of this elementary school level substance abuse curriculum guide are to decrease drug and alcohol abuse through promoting: (1) basic concepts regarding healthful living; (2) a positive self-image; (3) a family, school, and community support system; (4) decision-making skills based on individual values; and (5) effective relationship and…

This paper provides materials for a teacher workshop on the application of scientific processes across the curriculum. The approach is based on Taba's Inductive Model, and these materials contain sections on the purposes of Taba's model, teaching strategies used in Taba's model, the concept formation process, interpretation of data, application of…

Presents follow-up activities to learning scientific concepts that utilize concepts from books obtained from the school library. Suggests seven books and related science activities involving shadows, force, animals, nature, dinosaurs, machines, and mirror reflections. (Contains 10 references.) (MDH)

Some children hold the belief that insects and spiders are all mere nuisances because they have never had opportunities to observe, study, and learn to appreciate how these animals live and carry out their purposes in life. Studying insects and spiders fosters children's natural curiosity about the world around them and encourages them to use…