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…

Describes one way that a school and community in South Carolina are meeting Goal Eight of Goals 2000 by involving parents and their children in two family science programs called the World of Wonders and Families Experiencing Science Together. (DDR)

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)

Elementary school science curricula being produced commercially are reviewed by NSTA Curriculum Review Center. Emphasis is given to the Modular Activities Program in Science (MAPS). (EB)

Believing that science could be used as a vehicle for increasing student achievement across the curriculum, seven science resource teachers in the South Carolina Lowcountry designed a professional development program funded through a Local Systemic Change grant from the National Science Foundation called Project Inquiry. Science notebooks, used in…

Describes a science learning program sponsored by the State University of New York College (SUNY) at Geneseo which brings together elementary students, parents, and university students and faculty for an evening of fun, meaningful science experiments, demonstrations, and activities. Includes sample activities. (KHR)

Describes the science program that has been developed in Sierra Leone elementary schools over the past eight years. (JR)

Describes the Health and Growth Program for grades K-8 published by Scott, Foresman and Company. (EB)

Reviews exemplary examples of science programs and curricula. Cites and describes programs identified as noteworthy in: "The Search for Excellence in Science Education"; "National Diffusion Network"; "National Science Resources Center"; and "National Science Foundation." (ML)

Outlines and discusses elements for designing elementary school science programs, considering: goals and objectives; scope; sequence (arrangement dependent on logic, topic, hierarchy, developmental psychology, or combinations); instructional strategies; evaluation; and inservice education. Also suggests that textbooks serve as points to begin the…

Four approaches may be used to convert an existing textbook science program into a district science program. These include correlated resource, chapter, lesson, and generalized approaches, each approach using an adopted textbook series as a base (determining subject scope/sequence) into which local aims and resources may be integrated. (Author/JN)

Traces and diagrammatically illustrates significant events and practices in elementary school science since 1942. Identifies notable achievements, indicates problem areas, and highlights developments which have contributed to the improvement of elementary school science. (ML)

Three sets of elementary science materials are reviewed (ESS activity cards, ESS readers, "We Discover the World") that represent what can be done to enhance and structure learning for a single concept or topic. "We Discover the World" is a set of materials designed to introduce children to their world and their environment.…

Discusses the development and implementation of the Standards of Learning (SOL)-Science, a publication which contains content concepts for K-12 science programs in Virginia. Examples of indicators for a criterion and suggestions for gathering evaluative data are given. (DH)

This article takes the form of a letter from a distressed elementary school teacher who has been assigned the responsibility of a science program. It is intended to sensitize science educators to what they are asking and what they are taking for granted in their expectations of elementary teachers. (JR)