Presented in this document are the results of the five focus groups involved in Project Synthesis, a research study designed to synthesize and interpret the information found in the three National Science Foundation-funded status studies (the literature review, the national survey, and the case studies "The Status of Pre-College Science,…

Assessed the effects of a six-week extracurricular hands-on science program using portfolio artifacts, inquiry-guided exploration, and socially assisted learning on interest and learning about biology in third, fourth, and fifth graders. Found significant increases in science interest and improvement in problem-solving skills. Girls had more…

The science achievement of 226 5th graders from districts that have a kit-based inquiry science curriculum supported by intensive professional development (PD) is compared with data from a group of 173 5th graders from other districts that use nonkit science materials and do not have systematic science PD for teachers. Within the kit-based…

This book addresses some of the methods by which science can be made accessible to children, both in school and non-school settings. It contains information on effective science education for elementary school age children, and includes a catalog of books and other materials. Topics discussed in the book include: (1) planning; (2) approaches to…

This article is about one school district's effort to reform its elementary science curriculum through a program of professional development called Science, Parents, Activities and Literature (Science PALs). The differential exposure of the district's K-6 teachers to Science PALs and differences in how well teachers implemented Science PALs-type…

A major goal of any teacher education program is to prepare prospective teachers to know what to do in a classroom of children and how to do it effectively. The purpose of this research study was to examine the level of first-year teachers' science content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge in order to evaluate the…

Describes interdisciplinary activities for teaching elementary science using eggs. Each activity is designed to introduce larger thematic units. Activities include making egg animals (study of animal survival), throwing raw eggs at taut vertical sheets and making cars for egg passengers (force and momentum), and making eggshell domes (dome…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an intensive three-week science institute for preservice and inservice elementary teachers that was funded by an Eisenhower Professional Development grant and a Regents' Initiative Research grant. The institute was held in combination with a summer science camp for elementary children. Pre- and…

The Search for Excellence in Science Education was inaugurated in 1982 to carry out the National Science Foundation's 1981 initiative, Project Synthesis. The Search establishes criteria for excellence and applies them to actual programs in one or several fields each year. In each area the Search identifies hallmarks of excellence in terms of…

Recognizing the need to promote hands-on learning opportunities and inquiry-based instructional programs in science at the elementary school level, a consortium made up of local school districts and Cook College of Rutgers University has proposed the development of a teacher retraining center. The program would be developed in three stages.…

An inquiry-based curriculum can become the vehicle for bringing students out into the community and bringing the larger world to the classroom. The article describes one Hawaiian teacher's elementary curriculum that encouraged talking, sharing, and collaboration and incorporated reading and writing for real purposes into the curriculum. (SM)

Although a major purpose of the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) is to measure science achievement, it is also designed to provide information that can be used to improve curriculum and instruction. Student, teacher, and principal surveys were used to gather information on instruction, training, resources and other variables…

Prospective teachers can examine documentary websites known as "snapshots of practice" in an on-line "Gallery of Teaching and Learning" http://gallery.carnegiefoundation.org). Developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the Gallery of Teaching and Learning includes a wide variety of web-based "snapshots" developed by…

The superordinate problem that the Threshold Project addressed is the nature of the language and learning difficulties that South African Standard 3 (Std 3) children experience when they change from their mother tongue to English as a medium for instruction. The primary focus of the Threshold Project work in 1987 was on a section of the South…