Many preservice and practicing elementary teachers are familiar with the 5E learning cycle. This cycle provides a relatively simple, alliteratively memorable framework for teaching science in which lessons (or even entire units of instruction) consist of five distinct phases: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration/Extension (hereafter,…

Teachers often rely on student questions, their observations of students at work, and their own intuition to monitor how well students are learning. However, the authors found that teachers learn more about their students when they use the four-step Reflective Assessment Technique that draws on guided teacher reflections to inform classroom…

Presents an elementary science evaluation scheme as an alternative to letter grades. Provides criteria for four main areas of evaluation: tests, experiments, projects, and scientific interest of the child. (MLH)

Describes the National Assessment of Educational Progress program, its nationwide testing program, past results of the program, and desired results of the 1976-77 testing currently underway. (SL) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Results (Interpretation).

Discusses effective ways of using children's journals in science teaching and methods for assessing children's journals for science learning. Emphasizes the importance of children's own cognitive and verbal efforts to make sense of science phenomena. (JRH)

Performance assessment with young children evolves naturally from activity-oriented teaching. Presents several guidelines for putting performance assessment methods into practice. (PR)