A field trip to the local zoo is often a staple in many elementary school curricula. Many zoos offer free entry to local teachers and their students. Teachers take students on field trips to enrich the curriculum, make connections to what students are learning in school, and provide students with meaningful learning experiences (Kisiel 2007).…

Photosynthesis may be an unlikely topic to inspire an opera or ballet, but in a 2nd grade classroom in Pikesville, Maryland, the children were asked to use dance to help them learn about that process. Small groups of pupils in this class at Fort Garrison Elementary School brainstormed to come up with dance movements to convey elements of…

Introduces a lesson that can be used for teaching the scientific process with excitement and in a natural learning environment. Suggests activities for classifying, observing, measuring, inferring, collecting data, interpreting, discussing, concluding, and communicating. Supplies a list with pictures and descriptions of types of monuments. (RT)

Children learn best when given opportunities to connect facts and figures with real-world situations. The article describes two class projects that demonstrate authentic, holistic learning. One project involves planting a classroom garden, and the other explores the desert of the Southwest. (SM)

Studying pets fosters children's natural curiosity about the world around them and encourages them to use their five senses. This cross-curricular guide provides opportunities for children to build concepts by introducing them to a variety of household pets beginning with cats and dogs, and including mice, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs,…

Provides ideas on the use of toys to introduce scientific concepts. Describes lessons for laboratory activities using motion toys, synthesis activities for ending a unit, and other activities involving writing and speaking skills. (RT)

The use of two units from the Unified Science and Mathematics for Elementary Schools (USMES) project is described. Activities contained in the units and students' reactions to them are recounted. (JP)

Presents suggestions for teaching children the science of physical fitness along with cross-curricular activities that help them stay in shape. Activities include making a fitness log to keep track of newly learned daily exercises, teaching about the Appalachian Trail then calculating and walking the equivalent distance, and charting family…

Article discusses the four elements of good elementary science programs and offers ideas for creative hands-on science and across-the-curriculum activities (e.g., a please touch science center, curriculum planning chart, and getting to know you water activity). It notes science-related events and describes four science reference books. (SM)

The purpose of this community study unit is to introduce third grade students to the concept of the food web and to guide them in an investigation of the interrelationships among living things within a community. In the first section, students examine their own diets, and then extend this examination to the diets of some familiar animals.…

Designed for students in grades 2 through 4, this self-teaching, interdisciplinary reading and activity program comprises a complete supplemental reading, science, and social studies approach to the problems of environmental pollution. Jelly Jam, a caring little animal, helps children understand how air, water, and land pollution affects their own…

Designed for students in grades 2 through 4, this self-teaching, interdisciplinary reading and activity program approaches the environmental conditions, the state of natural resources, and the problems of pollution in Bermuda. A caring little animal named Jelly Jam is used to help children understand how air, water, and land pollution affect their…

This article describes a technique for fingerpainting that is similar to one used by law enforcement agencies. A list of easily obtained materials is included, along with related photographs. (MA)

Presents four stories on humane education that can be used with lessons. Provides directions, teacher notes, and story cards on copyable sheets for students. (RT)

The Learning Cycle Model presented is an attempt to build an articulated sequence of instructional activities that foster in-depth understanding of a complex natural phenomenon through many direct experiences that include student-generated inquiry, involve student-generated explanation and interpretation, and enrich the developed network of ideas…