This paper brings together the ideas of three writers from the 1880s who argued for an enhanced status for history in the school curriculum. Although there is superficial agreement between the writers in calling for history to develop children's citizenship and patriotism, each conceives these values differently. Focusing on the teaching of…

Developing tools to identify students' misconceptions about basic biology concepts is necessary. Therefore, a two-tier diagnostic test was developed to determine such misconceptions in primary school (3rd-4th Grade) students. The test content includes two-tiered multiple-choice questions addressing common misconceptions found in the literature on…

The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) (CCSSI 2010) outlines ambitious goals for fraction learning, starting in third grade, that include the use of the number line model. Understanding and constructing fractions on a number line are particularly complex tasks. The current work of the authors centers on ways to successfully…

By the third grade, students must make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. If they do not, they cannot do their coursework. Each year, as the grade level demands go up, students tend to fall further behind and become outsiders inside the classroom. K-3 Reading is a program that implements the mastery of reading for third…

Children understand the natural world in ways that make sense to them before they learn any science in school. This column provides ideas and techniques to enhance science teaching. This month's issue helps students connect scientifically correct ideas to what makes sense to them.

Place value is a key concept for numbers that is introduced in early mathematics. It is necessary to have a flexible understanding of place value for efficient arithmetic strategies and success in written algorithmic arithmetic. In our research we explore typical mistakes and misconceptions that occur with 3rd graders in German elementary school…

Not only is science perceived by some as a hard-to-teach subject, but there are certain topics that all teachers regard as notoriously hard to teach. While their natural inclination may be to eliminate some of the details, teachers have to be careful not to water down the curriculum. How do they share the complexity of the natural world without…

As children develop misconceptions about animals they believe are dangerous, they also adopt attitudes that are difficult to change. Changing these attitudes is challenging for teachers. One animal that is easy to find but difficult for children to understand is a spider. As with most wild animals, they are difficult to teach about because…

Playing games in the mathematics classroom has seemingly become unfashionable. Is it that games suddenly are regarded as "lacking in purpose"? Maybe games are seen as incompatible with the "lesson plan and objectives"? Or is it that games and learning are not two words that are expected to appear in the same sentence? Prepare for the mythology…

With the implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI) throughout the United States and the strong evidence that validates the use of RtI as a way of supporting struggling students, teachers need ways to understand and reach tier 2 students within their classrooms. One approach to gaining a better understanding of students' misconceptions is…

As beginning teachers start to recognize the complexity of teaching mathematics in elementary school classrooms and how their new vision for teaching mathematics creates new challenges, they experience discomfort--a healthy awareness that much is to be learned. Brousseau (1997) notes that changes in the roles that are implicitly assigned to the…

To support and improve effective science teaching, educators need methods to reveal student understandings and misconceptions of science concepts and to offer all students an opportunity to reflect on their own knowledge construction and organization. Students can benefit by engaging in scientific activities in which they build personal…

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which sustained teacher professional development in science education affects the classroom instruction of elementary school teachers in third through sixth grade over a 3-year period. The teachers in the study were all elementary endorsed and prepared to be generalists in the content areas.…

"Focus in Grade 2: Teaching with Curriculum Focal Points" describes and illustrates learning paths for the mathematical concepts and skills of each grade 2 Focal Point as presented in 'Curriculum Focal Points for Prekindergarten through Grade 8 Mathematics". It includes representational supports for teaching and learning that can facilitate…

Multiple-choice testing is an educational reality. Rather than complain about the negative impact these tests may have on teaching and learning, why not use them to better understand your students' true mathematical knowledge and comprehension? Maryann Wickett and Eunice Hendrix-Martin show teachers how to move beyond the student's answer--right…