This textbook is second in a series of science readers adapted to Secondary Grades comprising pupils who are in their third and fourth years of school work. The lessons are progressive, each one of the series being built on the facts taught in the previous lesson. Moreover, the subject matter--the properties of bodies; the nature, growth, and…

This textbook is the third in a series of science readers adapted to Secondary Grades comprising pupils who are in their third and fourth years of school work. The lessons are progressive, each one of the series being built on the facts taught in the previous lesson. Moreover, the subject matter--the properties of bodies; the nature, growth, and…

This study compares the attitudes of primary children to school science between children from the Northern Ireland (UK) and Oman. Previous research has indicated that pupils in the more senior primary classes showed a marked decline in their enjoyment of school science, although most of this research was carried out in Europe, North America, and…

As science gets squeezed in the elementary curriculum, at least two Florida districts are trying a new approach to keeping hands-on lessons a part of pupils' experiences. This article reports how Broward and Palm Beach county districts have increased the number of science specialists working in their elementary schools--teachers who, like physical…

We focus on the concept of matter and explore how young children in urban schools bridge their spontaneous concepts and everyday experiences with scientific concepts introduced to them by children's literature information books and their teacher. The study shows how material artifacts used in a sorting activity became ideational tools--semiotic…

A cross-sectional study of Portuguese primary school pupils' conceptions on digestion and the digestive tract was carried out before and after teaching this topic. Pupils of the prior four school years (5/6 to 9/10 year old) drew what happens to a cookie inside their body. In some cases they also wrote a short text or were interviewed. To identify…

In this article, the author relates how a hands-on chemistry investigation provided her the inspiration to develop an effective safety lesson for her third grade chemistry class. She began the lesson by demonstrating the use of pH indicator paper to show that ordinary household (white) vinegar was an acid. With the students, she wondered aloud…

A lot of good elementary science involves studying solids, liquids, and gases, and some inquiry-based activities that are easy to set up and do. In this article, the author presents activities pertaining to simple phase change. Using water as the example, these activities introduce upper-grade students to the idea of the arrangement of molecules…

Why introduce genetics at primary level? Children are fascinated by themselves and where they come from. Many have heard of genes, mostly through the media coverage of genetics, and want to know more. Children should be engaged in science at an early age to foster an interest and encourage an appreciation of its relevance to life. Genetics sits…

This study investigated relationships between students' perceptions of their teachers' interpersonal behaviour and their subject-related attitude in primary science classes in Brunei. Teacher-student interpersonal behaviour was mapped with the "Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction" (QTI) and reported in terms of two independent…

The development of deeper understanding and transferable skills in science requires continuous interactive discussion and feedback and extended practice in various contexts for generalisation. In primary schools, these desiderata are difficult to supply through direct teacher instruction, but might be feasible through interactive peer tutoring.…

This experimental study explores how 60 primary-age children's (9-11 years old) understanding of rocks was effected by instruction that used the conceptual structure of the rock cycle together with the analogy of aluminium can recycling. Using a combination of probes into children's understanding, including concept maps and semi-structured…

Improving Science Education 5-14 (ISE 5-14) is a national programme in Scotland, which looks to both integrate and improve approaches to learning and teaching in science from early years to early secondary and beyond. The ISE programme is a response to some concern about Scottish science education, over the past decade, which led to a strategic…

In this article, the author discusses a transfer project that involves the use of "monsters" to provide year 6 with a series of post-SATs activities which could then be built on in year 7. The project evolves from a science-based activity into a cross-curricular one. "Monsters" was used as a fun revision tool for year 6 pupils covering the area of…

This article discusses how a brief project-based unit promoted the learning of children in a first-grade classroom. The children attended a public elementary school located in a southeastern university town in the United States. Approximately 94% of the students in the school were from economically disadvantaged families. No children in this…