This article describes a force and motion unit that spanned four weeks (50 minutes a day) in a fifth-grade classroom. The inquiry-based learning progression mirrors Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development (1952) because it allowed students to manipulate materials and ideas as they actively constructed and reconstructed their knowledge of motion…

Engineering is increasingly expected in elementary classrooms now that the "Next Generation Science Standards" have explicitly identified engineering disciplinary core ideas as well as engineering practices. To incorporate engineering into their elementary classrooms, the authors used building blocks (i.e., LEGOS) to help students begin…

Crossroads Elementary School in Saint Paul, Minnesota, was designed and built physically and pedagogically with an "Inquiry Zone" located in the heart of the school. This collection of 80 learning centers provides a pathway for all students to pursue their own scientific interests. In this article, the authors describe the background and…

In this article, the authors focus on students constructing observations of patterns to understand how surfaces affect the motion of an object. Students will use the patterns they observe to predict future motion of marbles (NGSS Lead States 2013). Students then apply their learning by engaging in an engineering task. By giving students a task to…

In an ever-increasing technological society, teachers have now, more than ever, a vast offering of educational technologies made available for classroom use. However, the time necessary for vetting and developing rigorous lessons with the usage of such technologies can be overwhelming for a classroom teacher. Still, teachers need the opportunity…

Engaging students in designing, testing, and revising engineering models using mathematical representation of data from scientific investigations helps them embody the science and engineering practices highlighted in the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States, 2013). The practices of modeling, conducting failure analysis,…

To further students' understanding about gravity, forces, and motion, multiple types of text were integrated into instruction. As part of a 5E lesson (Bybee et al. 2006), the authors used a selection from Capstone Press's Graphic Science series, "A Crash Course in Forces and Motion with Max Axiom" (Sohn and Barnett 2007) to support…

In this article the authors describe what they call their "Snapshots of Science" program. These mini-lessons of science are taught once a week to all students in the school library. Over the last two years, they have been working to extend the experiences students have in their science classroom into the library. Each week, students…

During an eight-week series of investigations, a class of third-grade students learned how interactions between forces are used to advance technology in their world. This five-part forces and interaction unit was led by a guiding question: How does engineering and design work in the world, and how does it affect our lives? As they explored this…

The author's first reaction to learning that the new science standards adopted in Minnesota included engineering was fear and apprehension. She couldn't picture what an engineering project would look like at the elementary level. As a K-5 elementary science specialist, it was now her job to figure out how to incorporate engineering in their…

After many years of elementary science fairs, the time had come to redesign their family science event model. The displays were always well thought-out, the investigations interesting, and the science fair was always well attended. However, as the author listened to the conversations of the students as they put together their displays and the…

What should all students know about the physical sciences? Why should all students have a basic understanding of these ideas? An amazing number of new scientific breakthroughs have occurred in the last 20 years that impact daily lives. This article focuses on the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS) disciplinary core ideas in…

Building a structure that stands hundreds or thousands of feet in the air incorporates all aspects of the design process. There are clear goals, constraints, and trade-offs. Here the author does his best to describe these three with respect to skyscrapers and then talks about how engineers, in all their wisdom, have dealt with them. (Contains 5…

Lists annotations of books based on accuracy of contents, readability, format, and illustrations. Includes number of pages in each entry, price, and availability. Topics cover animals, biographies, space science, astronomy, archaeology, anthropology, earth and life sciences, medical and health sciences, physics, technology, and engineering. (RT)

Presents an annotated bibliography listed under the following categories: (1) Animals; (2) Archaeology, Anthropology, and Paleontology; (3) Biography; (4) Environment and Conservation; (5) Nature and Life; (6) Physics, Technology, and Engineering; and (7) Underwater and Outer Space. Selection criteria are given. (MDH)