The research brief, "Integrating Literacy And Science: A Powerful Partnership for Student Success," describes four key components of effective integration ofliteracy and science instruction at the elementary level. In this practitioner's guide, the authors describe sample lessons to demonstrate each of these components inaction in an…

Conceptual change views of teaching and learning processes in science, and also in various other content domains, have played a significant role in research on teaching and learning as well as in instructional design since the late 1970s. An important issue is whether conceptual change can provide a powerful framework for improving instructional…

In this article, the authors explore the question, "Does the Moon spin?", and show how the question is investigated. They emphasise the importance of the process by which people work out what they know, by "learning from the inside out." They stress that those involved in science education have to challenge current conceptions and ideas, making…

Presents a teaching strategy to successfully teach the periodic table using nuts and bolts as elemental analogs. Describes activities that enable the student to develop a deeper understanding of the periodic table and how it is organized. (JRH)

Prize-winning scientist and bestselling author James Trefil explains why every U.S. citizen needs to be "scientifically literate" and, therefore, why schools must teach the fundamental principles of scientific literacy to every student. He lays out those principles straightforwardly, so that educators--and everyone who is interested in…

Describes the use of analogies to explain scientific concepts. Presents the teaching-with-analogies model. (JRH)

Bacterial transformation is a commonly used technique in genetic engineering that involves transferring a gene of interest into a bacterial host so that the bacteria can be used to produce large quantities of the gene product. Although several kits are available for performing bacterial transformation in the classroom, students do not always…

You can't see, smell or taste air - but here's an easy method for experimenting with it. (Editor)

Presents an informal evaluation of the Science as a Way of Knowing Project started in 1983. (PR)

A professor explains how he uses cartoons in teaching science. (PR)

Discusses research into problem-solving skills that have caused the theoretical methods of teaching and learning problem solving to evolve rapidly. Presents issues and questions that still need to be explored. (PR)

Describes a kite day at an elementary school which incorporated principles of flight, the history, art and craftsmanship of kite making and flying and provided a fun multidisciplinary approach to a student-oriented activity. (BR)

Develops the concept of energy without using the terms heat and work. Topic areas considered include mechanical energy, internal energy, total energy, energy conservation, applications of energy conservation, kinds of internal energy, and restrictions on energy changes. Implications for teaching the energy concept are also considered. (JN)

This article gives examples of science teaching for gifted students from the Young Persons' Institute for the Promotion of Art and Science in Tel Aviv (Israel). Emphasis is on fostering curiosity and experimentation. Examples are offered in teaching about the weather, water, and light and color. A model experiment to teach electricity principles…