The American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Science have emphasized the need to design curriculum such that students do not simply learn about science, but also do science. Although obviously the knowledge-building practices among scientists and children in elementary school science classrooms will always be…

Using the example of a ten-year-old boy working on a science project, the author discusses the question of when and how much the teacher should intervene and direct a child's independent learning activity. (SJL)

Through the use of science-reading kits, one teacher develops practical application of children's reading skills. Each child designs and builds appropriate materials for science learning kit on the subject of his/her choice. (SA)

Children with special learning needs participate fully in the authors' science classes every day; their job as teachers is to bring about meaningful science connections for all students, including those who do not communicate their knowledge most effectively through the ways most typically associated with classroom learning (i.e., reading,…

This study was designed to simulate some aspects of classroom verbal interaction and to investigate their cognitive effects on students, using cognitive theory as the theoretical rationale. Subject-determined verbalization of correct cues was crossed with external sources of verbalized correct cues in a multivariable design in which sex was…

Presents basic guidelines for classroom control and discipline for teachers using new science programs that encourage independent study and hands-on activities. (MA)

Results of 11 studies of classroom practices used with activity-based elementary science programs were combined quantitatively using a composite category system. One finding reported is that teachers trained in program use spent less time talking and more on activities than untrained teachers using the programs. (Author/JM)

This Unified Sciences and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) unit challenges students to find ways of developing and maintaining a well-run classroom. The challenge is general enough to apply to many problem-solving situations in mathematics, science, social science, and language arts at any elementary school level (grades 1-8). The…