A practical exercise for developing a simple cost-effective solar ultraviolet radiation dosimeter is presented for use by middle school science students. Specifically, this exercise investigates a series of experiments utilising the historical blue print reaction, combining ammonium iron citrate and potassium hexacyanoferrate to develop an…

Following on from taking part in the successful "Getting Practical: improving practical work in science across the primary-secondary transition" CPD project, Uplands Community College with Wadhurst and Ticehurst Primary Schools in East Sussex worked together on developing the CPD--focusing on effective practical work across the…

Create a light and sound show to entertain friends. Design an improved safety device for a car. Develop a 2-3 minute voice-over for a sports clip explaining the physics involved in the sport. Modify the design of a roller coaster to meet the needs of a specific group of riders. Design an appliance package for a family limited by the power and…

Over the past several years, the authors have been developing an instructional technology, called Teachable Agents (TA), which draws on the social metaphor of teaching to help students learn. Students teach a computer character, their "agent," by creating a concept map of nodes connected by qualitative causal links. The authors hypothesize that…

This teacher's guide suggests activities that provide opportunities for upper elementary students to explore, by direct experiment, many of the properties of light. Equipment is listed and construction of a light source is detailed. Instructions are given for setting up a classroom with electrical equipment. Activities are described in units…

This teacher's guide suggests a number of ways to use a spinning table to explore circular motion. Activities are described which are appropriate for children in kindergarten through third grade. Suggestions are made for exploratory activities using the equipment rather than supplying detailed instructions for formal activities. Equipment and…

Presented are building activities, for elementary school children, using a variety of different materials. Weak materials, such as clay, straws and pins, paper tubes and index cards, are used as examples; structures built with these materials are displayed in photographs and discussed. Problems are suggested from which additional activities can be…

This picture book was designed to be used with an Elementary Science Study unit that provides opportunities for students in grades 4-6 to study animal tracks. Shown within this book are numerous examples of tracks, including those of tires, human beings, animal tracks, and others in various media, such as snow, sand, mud, dust, and cement. (CS)

This teacher's guide suggests activities that provide a wide range of opportunities for children in grades 1-7 to plan, direct, and carry out experiments with seeds and the growth of plants. Photographs are provided and methods discussed for guiding students in exploring the growth of seeds, the effect of dark on growth, factors causing plants to…

This teacher's guide suggests activities that provide opportunities for students in grades 4-6 to study animal tracks. Methods are explained for using sets of 52 Track Cards which show life-size drawings of tracks made by 14 animals; sets of 10 large Mystery Track Cards with life-size drawings of the prints of large mammals; and a Track Picture…

Presented is book four in a series of six books in the University of Illinois Astronomy Program which introduces astronomy to upper elementary and junior high school students. This document terms the analysis of light as an essential clue to understanding astronomical phenomena. Topics discussed include: thm behavior of light; the wave model and…

An approach to mapping work in the elementary classroom is presented. Described is a sixth-grade class working with mapping activities for the first time over a three-week span. Activities described include mapping of a classroom, the importance of a key, and important map characteristics. (DS)

Presented is a teacher's guide from the Elementary Science Study offering suggested mapping activities. This guide is organized into four general sections: (1) Finding a Place; (2) Finding Your Way; (3) Looking at Scale; and (4) Outdoor Mapping. Each section suggests activities for several lessons; materials and questions are listed for each…

THIS MANUAL IS DESIGNED FOR STUDENTS IN UPPER ELEMENTARY GRADES STUDYING THE SCIENCE CURRICULUM IMPROVEMENT STUDY (SCIS) UNIT "POSITION AND MOTION". THE OVERALL STRUCTURE OF THE UNIT FOLLOWS A CYCLE OF PRELIMINARY EXPLORATION, INVENTION OF SPECIFIC CONCEPTS RELATED TO REFERENCE FRAMES, AND DISCOVERY OF THE USEFULNESS OF THE CONCEPT.…

Provided are the printed instructional materials for the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) Unit Position and Motion. This unit is a continuation of the part of the teaching program centering on space-time relations. The principle new idea introduced in this unit is that of the reference frame, a systematic selection of reference objects…