This research explored dream science classrooms of primary school third and fourth-grade students. Research is designed as a case study. The students were first asked to illustrate their dream science classroom and produce a short description of their drawings. Second, they were asked to write their expectations of their teachers, their…

Many preschool classrooms explore plant growth. However, because many plants take a long time to grow, it is often hard to facilitate engagement in some practices (i.e., since change is typically not observable from one day to another, children often forget their prior predictions or cannot recall what plants looked like days or weeks earlier).…

This study examines first graders' epistemic reasoning, in tacit "practical epistemologies" reflected in thinking about an investigation of their own design. I analyzed children's epistemic reasoning, following a design experiment scaffolding increasing regulation of scientific inquiry in a domain they studied in depth. Participants…

Research-like experiences range from relatively "canned" labs that are highly controlled by the instructor (such as those described in Lord and Orkwiszewski 2006) to more individually designed projects (e.g., Switzer and Shriner 2000; Wyatt 2005). This article describes a laboratory approach that allows for many of the benefits of independent or…

This article describes a science learning experience in which intermediate grade students launched balloons with attached postcards to study wind currents. More than 200 (of over 900 balloons) were returned, and their analysis supported the students' hypothesis about the direction of wind currents. (DB)

Presents samples of publicly available materials related to the role of iron in the diet. Summarizes what nutritionists feel about iron in the human diet and suggests some experiments related to iron for the classroom. (AIM)

Gives four science lessons for third graders concerning combustion, density, static electricity, and air pressure and surface tension. (RH)

Describes several well documented cases of Extra Sensory Perception (ESP), and discusses ways in which ESP experiments can be conducted in the science classroom to investigate telepathy, pyschokinesis, and clairvoyance. (JR)

The activities that introduce topics of chemical health and safety are offered, using student-centered cooperative method. Teaching methods and exercises used in various activities were considered valuable enough to be modified and published in a book of activities for safety.

"The Dirty Water Challenge" is a fun activity that teaches children about their environment in an engaging and practical way. Inquiry is embedded within the practical--students have to design, plan, and then build their own design of water filter. Students are exposed to important concepts from a variety of scientific disciplines, including how…

Presents a laboratory exercise to reinforce the concepts of conductivity and resistance. Students measure resistance over rolled out Play-Doh of differing lengths and widths using the four-point resistance measurement method. (MDH)

This article reports the adoption of new policies to restrict experiments on animals in the elementary or secondary school classroom. The controversy involving animal welfare groups is discussed as it relates to animal abuse by students. (SA)

This guide contains lesson plans and outlines of science activities which present concepts of solar energy in the context of the junior high science curriculum. Each unit presents an introduction; objectives; skills and knowledge needed; materials; methods; questions; recommendations for further work; and a teacher information sheet. The teacher…

Presents a class activity in which students use trigonometry to calculate the height attained by a water rocket. Provides a lesson plan that includes a list of materials needed, procedures to carry out the experiment, suggestions to extend the activity, and a reproducible worksheet for the students to register their calculations. (MDH)