The "Habitat" learning system was designed by TVOntario's Children's Programming department for junior-level students. It consists of 20 programs (each 15 minutes long), a teacher's guide, and a magazine for students. Three major objectives of the series were to (1) instruct children in scientific principles relating to habitats; (2)…

This publication aims to assist elementary and secondary school students and teachers in planning, preparing and executing projects in the space sciences. Sources in other areas of science and on science fairs themselves are listed in "Science Fair Projects" (LC Science Tracer Bullet 88-4). This compilation is not intended to be a comprehensive…

The United States Department of Education's National Diffusion Network (NDN) has selected a number of science education programs to make available to schools across the country. The Life Lab Science Program (LLSP) is one such program. LLSP is a garden-based science and nutrition curriculum designed to raise students' level of science knowledge,…

A topic which is often not sufficiently dealt with in elementary school textbooks is acid rain. This student text is designed to supplement classroom materials on the topic. Discussed are: (1) "Rain"; (2) "Water Cycle"; (3) "Fossil Fuels"; (4) "Air Pollution"; (5) "Superstacks"; (6) "Acid/Neutral/Bases"; (7) "pH Scale"; (8) "Acid Rain"; (9)…

For many years, researchers and teachers have highlighted the many striking differences between content area knowledge of teachers and teaching practices of elementary and secondary teachers. In addition, numerous studies have compared the instructional repertories and effectiveness of teachers at the elementary and secondary levels. Researchers…

During the last 10 years, cognitive science researchers have produced research findings that have great potential for increasing students' understanding of science. However, commercial publishers continue to produce textbooks and teacher's guides in traditional ways. This project developed a prototype unit which used an alternative approach to…

Observation in schools by college supervisors indicates a gap between what a teacher knows on a theoretical level and what is actually done in classrooms on a practical level. This study was to determine where teachers perceived encountering encouragement or discouragement for lessons involving hands-on activities in science. A questionnaire was…

Inservice education in many schools has shifted from the use of outside experts to the education of master teachers who serve as inside educators. The effectiveness of the use of master teachers has been demonstrated. To make this process more effective, there is a need to understand the dynamics that the master teachers confront when they take…

The purpose of this community study unit is to introduce third grade students to the concept of the food web and to guide them in an investigation of the interrelationships among living things within a community. In the first section, students examine their own diets, and then extend this examination to the diets of some familiar animals.…

History is not merely events that occurred in the past. The past has influenced the present, as the present will influence the future. The purpose of this community study unit is to provide fourth grade students with an opportunity to investigate some of the history of Lee County, Florida. The unit's focus is on Thomas Edison, who built a home in…

This unit has been created to provide experiences with the concept of adaptation. Adaptation can be defined as changes resulting from interactions of the needs of a species or cultural object and the opportunities presented by the environment. Most behaviors and physiological characteristics of plants are related to adaptation. An understanding of…

This guide contains information about spider and insect books published since 1900 for young people and the general public. Information on 736 titles of non-fiction books on insects and their arthopod relatives (crustaceans, harvestmen, spiders, and scorpions) is included. Each entry lists author, name of publisher, date of publication, number of…

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to understand the conceptual frameworks that sixth-grade students use to explain the nature and structure of matter and molecules; and (2) to assess the effectiveness of two alternate instructional units in helping students change those conceptions. The study involved 15 sixth-grade classes taught by 12…

This paper presents the results of an experiment which investigated elementary school children's concept of the earth's shape and the related concept of gravity. First, third, and fifth grade children were asked a series of factual, explanatory, and generative questions in an attempt to understand as clearly as possible the way they conceptualized…

Science and technology affect every facet of human life. By the 21st century, society will demand that all of its citizens possess basic competencies in the fundamentals of science and the use of technology. As science increasingly becomes the dominant subject of the work place, it is important to begin developing within children an understanding…