With the release of the "Next Generation Science Standards," many schools are reexamining the science materials they are using. Textbook companies and kit developers are eager to meet the demand for "NGSS"-aligned teaching materials. Teacher may have been asked to serve on a science curriculum committee, or to evaluate current…

In July 2015, the Bush Blitz TeachLive expedition took place on the Olkola people's traditional lands on Cape York Peninsula in Queensland. Five teachers joined more than a dozen scientists and the Olkola Indigenous rangers to act as research assistants, as part of the eight-day Bush Blitz TeachLive experience. As a team, they discovered new…

The enthusiasm for science displayed by students in early elementary grades is unparalleled. If not nurtured in elementary school, the spark for learning science diminishes. Unfortunately, the amount of time spent on science in Grades 1-4 has steadily declined since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In 2012, the National…

Habits of inquiry should be nurtured as early as possible. Elementary students must be challenged to ask good questions and develop inquiring attitudes. As a science teacher, educator, professional developer, and science program reviewer, the author has often observed that the default is to use "good" science investigations from…

Students at Copiah-Lincoln Community College (Co-Lin) have been hesitant to take courses in the physical sciences, mostly because of a lack of exposure to them in K-12 or a bad experience in this area. The college is addressing this need by exposing students to the physical sciences early on in their education. The science division at Co-Lin has…

Last year, the Centennial Ave. Elementary School in Roosevelt, New York received a new shipment of the New York State Science 21 kits. The new science program from the previous year was out, and the new science program for this year was in. As consulting university professors, the authors' task was to help the third grade teachers bring Science 21…

Describes the Super Science Sleep-Over, a slumber party held at an elementary school centered around a "Kaleidoscope of Science" theme. Discusses 10 steps to organize a science sleep-over including surveying interest, recruiting instructors, developing a schedule, registering students, assigning jobs, details, the program, designing an evaluation,…

Andy S. W. Sae shows how to stimulate interest in science by using a chemical magic show for teaching at the pre-high school level. Richard D. Barnes describes Kinderchem, a visiting science program for the elementary classroom. (JN)

A model elementary science program was established through cooperation of Washington, DC, schools and the National Science Teachers Association. The program is expected to be a model for techniques and strategies adaptable to other schools. Program content, instructional purposes, and the fully equipped laboratory used are discussed. (DH)

Discusses criteria used in selecting the 1982 Search for Excellence in Science Education (SESE) exemplary elementary science, inquiry, science/technology/science programs. Includes lists of winners in these three areas. (JN)

While the sight of a spider may cause a shriek of alarm from an adult, the very same sight might evoke a squeal of delight and fascination from a child. Even "icky" and "gross" creatures can become part of great science lessons. That's the goal of "Spiderrific," a unit of the New Jersey 4-H Science Discovery Series.…

A workshop was designed to introduce experiences with chemistry at a level appropriate to elementary school teachers with little/no background in chemistry and presented so teachers learned to do hands-on experiments appropriate for their students. A list of 16 activities (with brief descriptions) used in the workshop is included. (Author/JN)

Describes a guinea pig (cavy) breeding and management program developed as part of an elementary school science curriculum. Includes comments on show competitions (sponsored by the American Rabbit Breeders Association) to measure the success of the breeding program and to enable children to experience the business world. (Author/JN)

Elementary science instruction in the Tenafly Public Schools became virtually nonexistent in the early 1980's and based on this realization, members of that school system embarked upon a 3-year curriculum renewal cycle. The process followed in the curriculum development plan is somewhat unique and may serve as a model for other school districts to…

Summarizes changes in student achievement and behavior (cross-racial selections) due to the adoption of an activity-based elementary education program (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Classroom Laboratories and Elementary Science Study units) in Springfield, Massachusetts. Emphasis of hands-on experience in mixed-race groups was effective in student…