Even though many educators are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), science often does not receive the attention in elementary school that it should. One way to ensure that elementary school children have the science experiences they need and deserve is to use it as a context to teach…

This article outlines a research study focused on the connections between natural science and art. In the instructional unit designed for the research study, multiple art forms were utilized, in order to reach multiple types of learners. Interdisciplinary, or integrated art instruction is a way to enhance understanding of and the connections…

Curriculum integration can increase the presence of science at the elementary level. The purpose of this article is to share how two second-grade teachers have integrated language arts content as a part of science-language arts instruction in a garden-based learning context. One application was a teacher-designed "Gardening for Homonyms"…

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM's) "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" (2000) outlines fi ve Process Standards that are essential for developing deep understanding of mathematics: (1) Problem Solving; (2) Reasoning and Proof; (3) Communication; (4) Connections; and (5) Representation. The Common Core…

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).…

Engineering is prominently included in the "Next Generation Science Standards" (Achieve Inc. 2013), as it was in "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC 2012). The National Research Council, authors of the "Framework," write, "Engineering and technology are featured alongside the natural sciences (physical…

Pairing an inquiry lesson with a traditional reading activity creates a jarring philosophical mismatch between the interaction, deep thinking, and scientific reasoning that drives meaningful inquiry instruction and the "scan the text, copy the answers" response often obtained from elementary nonfiction readers. Realizing that there must be a…

Presents 33 interdisciplinary activities for enhancing a classroom unit on the ocean. Selected learning resources are listed. (Editor/SJL)

Describes learning activities about cats for primary and intermediate grades. Primary grade activity subjects include cat behavior, needs, breeds, storybook cats, and celestial cats. Intermediate grade activity subjects include cat history, care, language, literary cats, and cats in art. (BC)

Suggests several activities with multidisciplinary opportunities that children can perform with the money that they collected for UNICEF. (LS)

Presents a diversity of concrete experiences that can be used with eggs for young elementary age students. Includes procedures and material list for several activities that are hands-on and interdisciplinary in nature. (ML)

Presents 26 composition activities that offer elementary students an opportunity to practice expository writing through the preparation of short written or oral reports on scientific topics. (SJL)

Discusses the use of literature webs in teaching marine concepts. Includes examples and strategies based on "Thy Friend, Obadiah," a picture storybook for children up to grade four. Examples relate to literacy awareness, art awareness, drama, personal response, writing, social studies, and science. Also includes a list of related…

This collection of teaching units is one of three volumes designed to assist teachers in bringing relevant, interdisciplinary, environmental learning experiences to elementary students. This first volume is aimed at the K-2 level and deals with the immediate environment of the student. Titles of the nine units presented are: Preparing for Seasonal…

This second of three volumes designed to bring relevant, interdisciplinary, environmental learning experiences to elementary students is written for grades 3 and 4 and is concerned with the student's local environment. Titles of the 10 units included in this volume are: The School Lawn; The Vacant Lot; Giants on the Land: Trees in Our Environment;…