This study focused on Robert Gagne's method for curricular development, which consists of structuring a knowledge domain into a learning hierarchy. Two methods of generating learning hierarchies and two different sequencings of these hierarchies were compared and their effects were measured. Four programmed texts were developed from two different…

Reported is a study to determine the feasibility of teaching selected concepts related to the particle nature of matter to students in grades 2-6. The lessons developed for this study did not require a high student reading ability, did not require more than one-half hour of time, included the use of analogous mechanical models whenever possible,…

In this study, the two modes were operationally distinguished by the degree of teacher control over the conduct of pupil investigations. In the unstructured mode the teacher identified the area of investigation and supplied appropriate apparatus. The structured mode was identifiable with the teaching strategy typical of a curriculum such as…

Reported is the development of an instrument for evaluation of science process skills, used with 80 boys, 40 from grade one and 40 from grade three. The test, used to determine if there was a relationship between the skills of observation and classification, was designed after reviewing several different elementary school science programs. The…

As a continuation of the series published by the National Science Teachers Association, two respective bibliographies of courses of study and of science textbooks are presented in this volume together with a list of publications of curriculum projects. State departments of education, school systems, directors of environmental education projects,…

Post studies have indicated the existence of a fast questioning pace with teachers allowing very little "think-space" as they ask questions, present materials, and respond to students. Descriptive studies indicate that the average wait-time in classrooms is between one and two seconds. The problem of this study was to determine the…

This paper discusses an instrument developed to evaluate the characteristics of the major innovative elementary school science curriculum projects. The purpose of this self-assessment instrument is to determine which project is best for a particular school or classroom. The instrument does not attempt to compare one project with another and allows…

Based on the work of Bruner, Piaget and others that indicates that the child's attention to misleading visual clues is an important factor in his lack of ability to conserve, this study is an attempt to demonstrate the effects of instruction in drawing two-dimensional figures on the ability of children (22 kindergarten children from middle class…

Reported is a study of the effectiveness of the use of television for a series of ten science lessons on the Community of Living Things, presented to students in grades six, seven and eight, of fifteen different teachers. The behaviors (verbal and non-verbal) were analyzed into six levels of cognitive content and five categories of…

The paper describes teaching the phenomena of sound in the outdoor classroom to enhance learning experiences. Methods for demonstrating sound travel and speed are explained. Activities cover listening to natural sounds, determining tone and volume, and constructing instruments from natural sources. The suggested lesson plan for exploring sounds…

The study attempted to show that the first grade child's learning in a new area must involve overt concrete experiences from which new ideas will be derived. Forty-nine students, assigned to six groups, were instructed on three scientific concepts. The verbal instruction technique was similar to that suggested in SCIS. The application segment…

This is the first part of a national study on science instruction in elementary schools in the United States. Questionnaires (copies appended) sent to the principal and a randomly selected science teacher in 3342 public elementary schools, selected by multi-stage random samples of Great Lakes and Far West Regions schools, provided information…

The unit presented in this teacher's guide is one of two developed for the sixth and final year in the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) curriculum. The concept of a scientific model is introduced in this unit with activities directed toward increasing student understanding of electric and magnetic phenomena through concrete experience…

The purpose of this study was to assess the potential use of A Schema for Testing the Level of Concept Mastery in measuring attainment of classificatory concepts in science. Classificatory concepts from the biological, earth, and physical sciences were included. For each of the 30 concepts included in the study a 12-item test was constructed to…

Science lessons of fifteen teachers were tape recorded before their participation in a Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) summer workshop and again, later, while they were using SCIS materials. Later SCIS lessons of the 18 workshop participants were also recorded. All participants responded to instruments used to measure attitude…