Many school staff and their client communities are concerned about pupil achievement, skills, and attitudes related to science. To respond to these concerns, staff need to determine how they can improve their science programs by modifying the content and skills emphasized in the curriculum, changing and supplementing instructional materials,…

Intended to help elementary school children learn about the resources of the Everglades and Biscayne National Parks, this activity book includes information, puzzles, games, and quizzes. The booklet deals with concepts related to: (1) the seasons; (2) fire ecology; (3) water; (4) fish; (5) mammals; (6) mosquitos; (7) birds; (8) venomous snakes;…

Based on the assumption that teaching behavior is influenced or determined by teachers' theories and beliefs of teaching, this study sought to examine how middle school science teachers perceive their instructional roles and how they go about improving their instructional effectiveness. Eleven teachers from two middle schools of the Midwest…

This paper focuses specifically on the reasoning skill called proportional reasoning. Areas addressed include: (1) a definition (providing examples of direct and indirect proportional reasoning); (2) the development of proportional reasoning (discussing survey results of students logical reasoning abilities); (3) planning for the future (proposing…

Designed to present interesting facts about science and to heighten the curiosity of primary age students, this book contains activities about the natural world and numerous black and white illustrations. The first section focuses on trees and investigates types common to all states and climates. A tiny seed mascot, known as Ollie Acorn,…

Designed to present interesting facts about science and to heighten the curiosity of primary age students, this book contains activities about the natural world and numerous black and white illustrations. The activities focus on animals that can be cared for as pets, both at home and in the classroom. An introductory section contains a song, pet…

Topics and activities related to oceanographic research (innerspace exploration) are the focus of this multidisciplinary, marine education teaching guide for students in kindergarten through grade 6. The guide is divided into six sections (labeled A through F). The first five sections consist of various kinds of activities, with the appropriate…

Recent research in cognitive science and science education suggests that science-naive individuals have an understanding of the natural world based on their interpretation of everyday experience. This can make the process of conceptual change difficult. This paper presents ideas related to the acquisition of knowledge in astronomy. A theoretical…

This packet is designed to supplement the teaching about insects at the elementary school level. It includes: (1) a set of 15 full-color insect photo cards; (2) a collection of ready-to-copy stories from the magazine "Ranger Rick"; and (3) a variety of activities that relate to the stories and photo cards and emphasize science, language…

State legislatures and others are recommending and, in some cases, mandating reforms in education including evaluating students' ability to meet stated objectives. This "ideal" situation poses a major problem concerning instruments needed to assess process skills. In the real world, educators do not yet have nationally recognized, valid,…

This document advances the premise that the scientific method to identify cause-effect relationships is undoubtedly the single most important factor in the geometric expansion of scientific advances evidenced thus far during the 20th century. To understand these advances and to make educated decisions concerning them, the citizenry must be…

This paper addresses the problem of an inadequate science teaching approach at a time when students need to be familiar with, and be able to understand, global problems and personal problems delving into complex, interrelated issues based on the science of a living universe. This report focuses on research about the problems in science education,…

This curriculum guide was written to supplement fifth and sixth grade science units on matter and energy. It was designed to provide more in-depth material on the atom. The first part, "Teacher Guide," contains background information, biographical sketches of persons in the history of nuclear energy, vocabulary, answer sheets, management sheets…

Children are naturally curious about their environment. Young children observe and openly seek to understand what they see. Many teachers find that science is the near perfect vehicle to help children develop their thinking skills. The task of the elementary school science teacher is to help children acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to…

The Science Council of Canada conducted a 4-year study on science education to investigate the past and present place of science education in Canadian schools and to develop recommendations for its future direction. This report, which summarizes the comprehensive study, is organized into 6 chapters. Chapter 1 summarizes and highlights the report.…