The activities presented in this paper, which are addressed to elementary school, are focused on the pioneering work of the Portuguese King Carlos I in oceanography and involve the exploration of the exhibits belonging to two different science museums, the Aquarium Vasco da Gama and the Maritime Museum. Students were asked to study fish…

The recently published National Research Council (NRC) report "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas" (NRC 2011) offers a thoughtful research-based agenda that helps guide teachers in making the shift to a doing-led agenda in K-12 science education. In the December 2011 editions of the NSTA…

Excursions to museums and science centres generally are great fun for students and teachers. The potential educational benefits beyond enjoyment, however, are rarely realised or analysed for their efficacy. The purpose of this paper is to describe four educational enrichment programs delivered at the Gravity Discovery Centre (GDC), near Gingin,…

Within the school library community, there have been persuasive calls for school librarians to contribute to science learning. We present a conceptual framework that links national standards of science education ("Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas," referred to as…

A pedagogical experiment is described to examine the physical absorption of gases, in this case carbon dioxide, in a hollow fiber membrane contactor (HFMC) where the absorption concentration profile can be followed by a color change. The HFMC is used to teach important concepts and can be used in interesting applications for students, such as…

This article features the BLOODHOUND Project which aims to break the world land speed record by achieving 1,000mph. It is an iconic adventure that will push technology to its limit. BLOODHOUND SSC provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. It is an important educational project that is…

Explores the use of free sort methodology to compare BSCS student and teacher understanding of the BSCS conceptual framework. Results support the idea that teachers who have better understanding of the BSCS conceptual framework, as shown by their sort patterns, may impart this understanding more effectively to students. (CS)

This teacher's handbook provides information about the philosophy, rationale, and teaching strategies of the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) program, as well as information about the SCIS physical and life science sequences to provide teachers with an understanding of the program's overall content and structure. Much of the material in…

This is an instructional activity from a Crustal Evolution Project (CEEP) module which involves the student with evidence supporting continental drift and the past existance of Pangea. (MDR)

Discusses the ELEMENTARY SCIENCE program for grades K-6, describing concepts that the program emphasizes and materials used for each grade level. (CS)

Reported is a study to evaluate the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) program at the fourth-grade level, in particular the unit, "Relativity." To avoid the problems of a written test, an alternative test involving examples of relative position and motion was developed. This 30-item planetarium test was used as a pretest and…

Reports results supporting the theoretical rationale that there are certain cognitive skills, including data interpretation, identification of assumptions and hypotheses, and controlling of variables, that appear to be necessary for successful understanding of the heterotroph hypothesis, as presented in the BSCS Blue Version. Implications for…

The interrelation of science content and process is discussed in terms of analytic and systemic concepts. Analytic concepts identify the type or form of systemic concepts found in particular disciplines. In terms of analytic concepts, science processes such as observation, deduction, and prediction can be identified and defined as operations…

This looseleaf teacher's manual is designed to facilitate using Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) for energy education in elementary schools. It is intended to be used with the SCIS Teacher's Guide as a supplement. The format of this manual matches a main SCIS concept with a closely related energy concept. Matrices show matched concepts…

This is the final report of the Physical Science for Nonscience Students (PSNS) development project. The report includes five major topics and five appendices. The first section, the History of Organizational Activities, discusses the conferences in 1963-64 that initiated the planning of the course. The remaining sections include Administration,…