"The Dirty Water Challenge" is a fun activity that teaches children about their environment in an engaging and practical way. Inquiry is embedded within the practical--students have to design, plan, and then build their own design of water filter. Students are exposed to important concepts from a variety of scientific disciplines, including how…

The purpose of this research project was to determine the effects of incorporating concept mapping on the achievement of fifth grade students in science class. The study was conducted with twenty-three students at Ata Elementary School, Trabzon, Turkey. The students were tested with teacher-constructed pre- and post tests containing 20…

This book is about the learning cycle that moves children through a scientific investigation by allowing them first to explore materials, then to construct a concept, and finally to apply this concept to new ideas. It includes integrated learning cycles and learning cycles across the disciplines, and the uses of various questioning strategies,…

The primary emphasis of this book is on new or revised earth science activities that promote concept development rather than mere verification of concepts learned by passive means. Chapter 2 describes philosophies, strategies, methods, and techniques to guide preservice and inservice teachers, school building administrators, and curriculum…

The Texas Poll of Elementary School Teachers was a statewide telephone survey designed to accurately describe the current science teaching practices in Texas public elementary schools, and the extent to which these elementary teachers feel prepared for the task. This paper focused on the survey sampling procedures and questionnaire design used in…

This paper takes a close look at a large county public school in northern Nevada and its implementation of a newly adopted standards-based elementary science program. The study investigates the opinions of elementary classroom teachers about the new hands-on activity-based science program for kindergarten through grade six. The results indicate…

Hands-on science is not a new idea. It has been implemented successfully in many schools. But it is far from being universally used in American elementary schools. Several problems must be overcome in order to implement a successful hands-on science program. This booklet contains guidelines to eliminate some of the difficulties involved in…

Based on five years of research about "Science Talks," this book provides a window into elementary children's thinking about the world and presents a view of how students build complex theories, identify important questions, and begin to enter the world of science, all within the naturalistic setting of the classroom. It is proposed that classroom…

This book is an energy, electricity, and science resource guide for teachers of grades K-3. The types of energy covered are: coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear energy, renewable energy sources, electricity and food. Thirty-one interdisciplinary energy lessons are the heart of the book. Each lesson is teacher tested and can be incorporated into the…

The study described in this article is part of a broader research undertaking developed by the Project ESSA--Sociological Studies of the Classroom--whose main aim is to find pedagogic practices appropriate for all children. This study is mainly based on Bernstein's theory concerning the relation between social class and code and uses his concept…

This booklet describes 14 student art projects to be used in science classes. Creative skills involved in the process of artistic expression seem to translate very well into the problem solving world of technology. Even in the elementary level it can help build confidence, as well as the development of abstract skills that so often lead to…

This booklet was designed to supplement existing classroom studies on the subject of the solar system at the primary level. Science and mathematics activities for studying moons, planets, and space craft are presented. (PR)

This paper describes the development of a partnership project in New Castle County, Delaware, which teams scientists and other technical specialists with elementary teachers to enrich science activities in the teachers' classrooms. Interest in the project has evolved from a small, structured pilot program with 12 volunteers to a wide ranging…

The Exploratorium is a hands-on science museum in San Francisco. Each "Snack" in this sourcebook tells teachers how to build a classroom version of a particular Exploratorium exhibit using readily available materials. The recipes include instructions, advice, and helpful hints, accompanied by photographs and line drawings. The Snacks can be use as…

This case study explores the ways in which a beginning elementary classroom teacher gains a foothold in teaching science. The analysis includes episodes from the teacher's first three years of teaching while participating in an educational research project that investigated an inquiry-based approach to teacher professional development. The…