Many newsworthy events have brought with them scientific developments that have furthered the knowledge and understanding of the world and impacted life today. Events such as these can provide the perfect way to link history with science and provide children with the opportunity to make the connection between science and everyday life. As Primary…

Students in the intermediate grades love to talk--but not necessarily about making sense of what they are learning. How do teachers design classrooms that cultivate productive discourse? How do they get out of the way and teach children to learn? First, let's give them something to talk about. Second, teachers need to teach them how to engage in…

The current study aimed at identifying the effectiveness of cognitive conflict strategy in improving academic achievement and modifying sex education misconceptions in the Science course among intermediate second-grade students in Jeddah. Based on the cognitive conflict strategy, a teacher guide was prepared for teaching Family Planning and…

This column presents ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. In this issue the authors discuss a design project they have used with upper elementary students (grades 4-6). They note ways to engage students in thinking philosophically about technology to meet engineering design outcomes in the "Next Generation Science…

In this empirical study we examined the effect of a literacy-infused science intervention on fifth grade economically challenged students' science achievement in the curriculum-based and standardized assessments. A total of 27 treatment students and 20 comparison students from two intermediate schools in a rural district in South Texas in the…

Data-driven decision making is essential in K-12 education today, but teachers often do not know how to make use of extensive data sets. Research shows that teachers are not taught how to use extensive data (i.e., multiple data sets) to reflect on student progress or to differentiate instruction. This paper presents a process used in an National…

This article presents a meta-analysis of experimental and quasi-experimental studies in which intermediate and secondary students with learning disabilities were taught science content through the use of graphic organizers (GOs). Following an exhaustive search for studies meeting specified selection criteria, 23 standardized mean effect sizes were…

The concept of partnerships between schools and practicing scientists came to prominence in the United States in the mid 1980s. The call by government for greater private sector involvement in education to raise standards in science achievement saw a variety of programmes developed, ranging from short-term sponsorships through to longer-term,…

As students transition from primary to intermediate grades, the kind of materials that they are expected to read and write become more heavily dominated by expository texts. Expository texts contain grammatical patterns that are distinct from those used in primary-grade storybooks. These linguistic features pose new comprehension challenges for…

A curriculum unit on optical lenses is described for gifted students in grades two to five. Major content-related and method-related concepts are noted as are five instructional objectives. Eight sample instructional activities (using productive thinking, communication, and brainstorming skills) are described. Unit evaluation suggestions…

A teacher describes how, through the imaginative use of everyday objects, his fifth grade class learned the integrated functions of the body by constructing a model human. (JD)

Describes a project for fifth-grade students that integrates a computer-based project into the regular curriculum--in this case, using a hypermedia program called "Hyperstudio" with an integrated student research project on constellations. (SR)

The author proposes a design for science instruction in the middle school years, ages 9-13. (SJL)

Describes a classroom activity using slime, a colloid: it behaves like both a solid and liquid. Explains how slime can be produced from guar gum. An activity where students work in teams and become a slime factory is presented. (PR)

Describes a study in which fourth and fifth grade students drew pictures of what they believed a scientist looks like. Scientists then visited the classrooms and students were asked to draw another picture of what scientists look like. More stereotypic views of scientists were seen in the first drawings than in the second. (SAH)