In the author's book titled "The Incredible Water Show," the characters from "Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster" used an ocean of information to stage an inventive performance about the water cycle. In this article, the author relates how she turned the story into hands-on science teaching for real-life fifth-grade students. The author also…

Linking hands-on science with literacy and the curriculum is growing in appeal, particularly among teachers educated as generalists who feel unprepared to deal with the depth of questions that inquiry and expanded reading can inspire in kids. In this article, four examples of teachers who have tried to link science and literacy are presented. One…

Inquiry-based learning is about more than moving desks out of those neat rows and avoiding lecture and recitation, says the author in his newest book, "Engaging Readers & Writers With Inquiry". It is about turning the way teachers teach upside down and inside out by asking students the big questions and letting them find their own way to the…

This intermediate-level science activity has students observe the effect of ice-cold water mingling with warm water. Water's behavior and movement alters with shifts in temperature. Students must try to determine how temperature affects the movement of water. Necessary materials include a pencil, cup, glass jar, masking tape, warm water, ice…

Presents a set of hands-on, outdoor science experiments designed to teach elementary school students about animal adaptation. The experiments focus on: how color camouflage affects an insect population; how spiderlings find a home; and how chameleons camouflage themselves by changing color. (SM)

Presents strategies for getting organized and creating a classroom environment that promotes science learning for primary students. Teachers must first decide what topics they are going to cover and what materials they need. Next, they should determine how to organize the materials. Finally, they should identify and set up areas in the classroom…

A brief lesson is presented on ways in which things become clean or are cleaned. Two hands-on experiments are described: one in which students learn to sequence, and the other in which students learn about the differences between fact and opinion. (CB)

Instructions for reproducing two exhibits from the Exploratorium, San Francisco's science museum, are given. One shows students how white light can be made from red, blue, and green lights. The other helps children discover how small time differences allow them to perceive the origin of a sound. (MT)

Three hands-on science activities teach students about plant processes that they normally cannot detect. A K-3 activity has students explore how the presence of water affects plant motion. Two grade 4-6 activities let students see the path water takes through leaves and has students investigate how and why water travels through plants. (SM)

Presents ideas from elementary school teachers who have made hands-on science an integral part of their classrooms. Includes suggestions for overcoming obstacles to hands-on science, innovative teaching techniques that encourage girls to excel in science and math, model activities to win parent/teacher support, and a list of eight "sensational"…

This science column includes background information, discussion questions, science activities, writing activities, and a bibliography on a different topic each month. The titles of the five installments included in this compilation are: (1) "Chameleons and Other Quick-Change Artists"; (2) "Niagara Falls and Other Super…

One creative way that elementary science educators can teach their students about animal communication is to give them glow sticks and a set of cards with descriptions of what different firefly flash signals mean. The paper describes such a project and presents related activities. (SM)

Elementary teachers can use weather folklore to help students explore and discover facts about weather. An experiment with woolly bear caterpillars examines whether their stripes can predict what kind of winter weather there will be. A investigation about moon halos and rain gives students experience setting up investigations based on questions…

Presents four elementary hands-on science activities that highlight animal adaptation (how birds' beaks are adapted to suit their habitats), the water cycle (how nature cleans rainwater that seeps into the ground), aquatic ecosystems (changes over time in an aquatic habitat), and animal habitats (all living beings' need for food, water, shelter,…

Describes how to use journal writing in elementary science classes. Writing lets children communicate observations and ideas while reinforcing understanding of key science concepts. Journal ideas include using notebooks to respond to teacher prompts or write about what students are studying; sharing a classroom science journal; and keeping a…