This study sought to connect the science activity educational approach to the higher cognitive development of students using a relatively new learning model, the Cultural Historical theory, based upon the work of Vygotsky. The theory advances the concept that children's intellectual development occurs in interactions with an adult or more capable…

This book suggests an approach to science instruction that integrates literature as an alternative form of instruction or to enrich textbook instruction. It uses conceptually and factually correct works of fiction and outlines activities where students are allowed to do the majority of the work and the teachers act as facilitators. Though the…

The goal of this mini-curriculum is for students to discover what drinking water really is. Five units are designed to be presented as a lecture and to allow 30 to 40 students to perform every procedure, each testing their own tap water sample. Games are provided in each section to reinforce the concepts presented in each unit. Unit 1 introduces…

This activity guide, developed to provide hands-on environmental education activities geared to Hammocks Beach State Park in North Carolina, is targeted for grades 6, 7, and 8 and meets the curriculum objectives of the standard course of study established by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Three types of activities are…

Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom is a program of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and the Cooperative Extension Service that aims at providing educators with opportunities to help youth understand the importance of agriculture in everyday life. This book includes a collection of ready-to-use teacher guides and activity sheets that can be used to…

This book of life science activities introduces a new experimental animal--the WOWBug, "Melittobia digitata"--that is commonly found in nature but has never before been used in the precollege classroom. It includes 20 activities and experiments for grades 5-12, that cover topics from basic orientation to ecological interactions, from physical…

This activity booklet was designed to accompany a floating barge exhibition entitled "Always a River" that brought together the experiences of the past, the opportunities of the present, and the hopes of the future afforded by the Ohio River. The interdisciplinary activities in this booklet aim at enriching the lives of young people and…

The goal of this unit is to increase elementary students' understanding of water, water management, and water-related issues. Topics included in the guide are conceptual framework, the learning cycle, and tips about classroom management and cooperative learning. In Chapters 1-4, 63 student lessons are included that cover topics such as the…

This handbook offers crafts, games, activities, and ideas for teaching the novice naturalist. Equally usable by both children and adults, the handbook can be used as a simple field guide to help identify and understand the night sky, woodland plants and wildflowers, birds, and animals. The guide categorizes activities and information by the…

This document contains hands-on activities in science that make use of balloons and are fun and stimulating as well as challenging. By actively participating in these activities, students can develop science process and critical thinking skills as well as technical and measuring skills. Topics include Air as Matter, Pressure, Chemical Change,…

This booklet contains games and activities that can be photocopied for classroom use. Activities include Wetland Terminology, Putting on the Map, Erosional Forces, Water in...Water out, Who Lives Here?, Wetlands in Disguise, Dichotomous Plant Game, Algae Survey, Conducting an Algal Survey, Water Quality Indicators Guide, Farming Wetlands, Wetlands…

The project on Scope Sequence and Coordination of Secondary School Science (SS&C) was initiated by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and recommends that all students study science every year and advocates carefully sequenced, well-coordinated instruction in biology, chemistry, earth/space science, and physics. This document…

Across the nation grassroots efforts are springing up in which technical professionals are helping enhance science education. This guide has been prepared to help technical professionals become productively involved in enhancing K-12 science education. It has been prepared by scientists and engineers at Sandia National Laboratories who have been…

This book contains 49 science fair projects designed for 6th to 9th grade students. Projects are organized by the topics of soil, ecology (projects in habitat and life cycles), pests and controls (projects in weeds and insects), recycling (projects in resources and conservation), waste products (projects in decomposition), microscopic organisms,…

This book contains hands-on science laboratory activities for grades 4 through 9 that use discrepant events to challenge students. All of the "puzzlers" are based upon science principles and include directions for building gadgets that explain the "puzzlers." Topics covered include: volume conservation, magnetic phenomena,…