Early science learning has the potential to enhance children's social interaction development, but a lack of resources in schools requires well-structured activities and a supportive learning environment. In a project aimed at helping children develop an interest in science education from an early age, this describes a Project-Based,…

Students used a compass trail to show how they could perform service to their school. When students performed service learning, they completed a real task that was needed for a grateful audience conjoined with academic content in the lesson. Students worked on the school grounds and used content from their regular curriculum while looking for…

Interconnectedness changes lives. It can even save lives. Recently the author got to witness and be part of something in his role as a teacher of primary science that has changed lives: it may even have saved lives. It involved primary science teaching--and the climate. Robert Collins describes how it is all interconnected. The "Toilet…

Hopscotch, basketball, or hide-and-seek? Children have many choices at recess, and while making these choices they must consider and make trade-offs. The way they make these decisions is not that different from the thought processes engineers use when making design trade-offs. Engineers have to make trade-offs because a design that meets all…

A nanotechnology module was developed for ninth grade students in the context of teaching chemistry. Two basic concepts in nanotechnology were chosen: (1) size and scale and (2) surface-area-to-volume ratio (SA/V). A wide spectrum of instructional methods (e.g., game-based learning, learning with multimedia, learning with models, project based…

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an activity-based explicit nature of science (NOS) instruction undertaken in the context of a "Science, Technology and Society" course on the prospective science teachers' (PSTs') understandings of NOS. In this course, social science based inquiry activities were used to as a context…

Understanding homology is fundamental to learning about evolution. The present study shows an exercise that can be varied in complexity, for which students compile research illustrating the fate of homologous fish skull elements, and assemble a mural to serve as a learning aid. The skull of the most primitive living Actinopterygian (bony fish),…

The first section of this manual has been developed to help leaders and youth examine and gradually understand some of the more complex environmental factors. It helps to explain what things are where and why, why a certain project has been suggested, whether it is a practical one for a given place, and what must be known before it can be…

Presents activities that focus on waste reduction in the school and community. The ideas are divided into grade level categories. Sample activities include Techno-Trash, where children use tools to take apart broken appliances or car parts, then reassemble them or build new creations. Activities are suggested for areas including language arts and…

Five schools in northeastern Ohio were chosen to participate in this environmental education project. Students were assigned a natural area in their community to study in detail. This workbook is designed for recording data collected during the year long project. The topics to be studied are organized according to the month that they will be done,…

Presents suggestions for integrating children's literature with mathematics and science activities for early-childhood settings. Delineates project topics and curriculum ideas for coordination with six children's books. Includes list of 39 books appropriate for young children and related to mathematics and science. (KB)

This booklet is a compilation of field-tested outdoor activities introducing basic projects for small group or individualized study in monitoring certain aspects of the environment. Its purpose is to provide teachers with new ways to involve children directly in meaningful and developmental learning activities and to help students become more…

Suggests individual student projects for extra-credit work to enhance student individuality. Provides a sample information sheet for independent projects (with suggested activities), a listing of project requirements, and a project evaluation checklist. (DS)

This document presents a science project appropriate for lower elementary grades which is intended to introduce the ways of science, not to give established information or teach specific procedures. Each activity (corresponding to 10 days) contains three sections: teacher notes, teacher narrative, and research notes. Sample activities include: (1)…

Describes a school program in which two sixth-grade science classes researched, created, and put together an ocean museum targeted at kindergarten through eighth graders who are geographically distanced from the ocean. Details the process for investigating topical areas, organizing teams of students, researching, writing, creating displays, and…