Last November, more than 700 school leaders, educators, and reporters gathered in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the promise of innovative teaching and project learning to change global future. The event was the Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Forum, and its purpose was for educators worldwide to connect, learn, and collaborate on some of…

Inquiry-based learning is about more than moving desks out of those neat rows and avoiding lecture and recitation, says the author in his newest book, "Engaging Readers & Writers With Inquiry". It is about turning the way teachers teach upside down and inside out by asking students the big questions and letting them find their own way to the…

Incidental science experience might be termed an unanticipated happening related to science instruction in the classroom. The incidental approach can provide some of the most significant learning experiences for children. (Author)

The author describes the inquiry approach as applied in teaching science to sixth-graders. The children were able through experimentation to answer their own inquiries. (AS)

Suggestions are made for activities that combine the teaching of math and science. Math concepts include: graphing, estimating, measurement, statistics, geometry, and logic. Science topics include: plant reproduction, solar system, forces, longitude and latitude, Earth's magnetic field, nutrition, and heat. (IAH)

Research is discussed which suggests that teachers concentrate on science content (facts, figures, concepts, principles), and neglect contexts for understanding and valuing that content. Learning activities are suggested that address development of positive attitudes toward science, the societal impact, and historical development of science. (IAH)

The inventor's secret is a simple one--he sees applications for known materials that have occurred to no one else. Here are some suggestions for applying this secret to the elementary science program and thereby boosting motivation and creativeness in your students. (Author/RK)

Children learn science concepts when they are provided with real-life experiments and problems to solve. Three top elementary school science programs that allow students to hypothesize, discover, and evaluate are discussed. (DF)

Describes a miniscience unit on frogs for elementary grades that teaches students about how frogs develop from tadpoles and how frogs need water during their entire life cycle. Students learn such skills as observation, collecting, and recording data. Provides addresses for ordering resources for teachers and students. (SM)

Television science programs cover a wide range of science topics, offer a variety of teaching methods, and motivate students. These programs tend to match educational trends, with new programs blending technological advances with speculation to interest students. (DF)

Science programs should be such that a child develops a set of skills to explore content, rather than learning the content by rote or by memorizing. (GB)

A number of hands-on science activities are suggested to acquaint children with the variety and properties of polymers. Common polymers are listed; individual and group activities are described; and a reproducible worksheet is included. (IAH)

Presents class activities to help elementary students learn about changes in the state of matter by making ice cream. In addition to making observations on the changes of state, students can practice measuring and identifying the properties (e.g., color, size, and shape). (SM)

Presents suggestions for using children's literature to explore elementary science topics and create literature-based science activities. The article describes books that alphabetically tour the world's fruits and vegetables, describe the world through a blind grandfather's eyes, illustrate more than 600 animals and their sounds, and teach animal…