Developing scientific literacy about water systems is critical for K-12 students. However, even with opportunities to build knowledge about the hydrosphere in elementary classrooms, early learners may struggle to understand the water cycle (Forbes et al., [Forbes, C. T., 2015]; Gunckel et al., [Gunckel, K. L., 2012]; Zangori et al., [Forbes, C.…

One of the most powerful strategies to support next generation science instruction is the use of instructional models. The Biological Sciences Curriculum Study 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate) instructional model is arguably the most widely used version of a learning cycle in today's classrooms. The use of the 5Es as an…

This article describes an instructional model for integrating children's literature and language arts into the elementary school science curriculum. This science-literacy instructional model is an adaptation from the original 5E model of scientific inquiry. The model demonstrates how reading, writing, listening, and speaking can be incorporated…

Scientific modelling is a key practice in which K-12 students should engage to begin developing robust conceptual understanding of natural systems, including water. However, little past research has explored primary students' learning about groundwater, engagement in scientific modelling, and/or the ways in which teachers conceptualise and…

In the past decade, reform efforts in science education have increasingly attended to engaging students in scientific practices such as scientific modeling. Engaging students in scientific modeling can help them develop their epistemologies by allowing them to attend to the roles of mechanism and empirical evidence when constructing and revising…

Teacher efficacy has become an important field of research especially in subjects teachers may find challenging, such as science. This study investigates the sources of teachers' efficacy for teaching science in primary schools in the context of authentic teaching situations with a view to better understanding sources of teachers' efficacy…

This study examines elementary science content standards curriculum coherence between the People's Republic of China and the United States of America. Three aspects of curriculum coherence are examined in this study: topic inclusion, topic duration, and curriculum structure. Specifically this study centers on the following research questions: (1)…

This study documents the use of the Draw-a-Science-Teacher-Test as diagnostic tool for both preservice teacher beliefs about science teaching and science methods course effectiveness. Direct comparison of pre-course to post-course images from 50 preservice elementary teachers was undertaken using McNemar's test. Results indicated statistically…

Background: Current classroom practices have largely been shaped by changing student demographics, including English language learners (ELLs), and evolving accountability policies. The teacher professional development intervention in this study takes place against this backdrop. Research Questions: This study examined change in teachers' knowledge…

"Approaches and Strategies in Next Generation Science Learning" examines the challenges involved in the development of modern curriculum models, teaching strategies, and assessments in science education in order to prepare future students in the 21st century economies. This comprehensive collection of research brings together science educators,…

Presents a student centered science curriculum model utilizing inquiry strategy and language rich experiences to develop student skills of questioning, thinking, speaking, listening, and reading. (SL)

Suggests a revised Montessori elementary biology sequence based on the new five-kingdom model. In keeping with Montessori principles that move the learner from the whole to the parts and from the simple to the complex, offers a proposed outline of instruction for the lower elementary (6-9) level and for the upper elementary (9-12) level. (TJQ)

Investigates the effect of modeling analogy on learning of the concepts of electricity in grade 6, 8, and 10. Describes 2 analogies (train analogy and thermal analogy) with diagrams and examples. Discusses the accessibility, transferability, and difficulty of each analogy. Reports treatment effect and some further implications. (YP)

A project to develop science curricula for high-ability learners in grades K-8 reviewed curriculum materials and developed criteria for assessing curriculum materials, science concept papers, a scope and sequence model, and exemplary curriculum units. The curriculum centered on the role of students as investigators. Implications of the project are…

This paper describes a specific case study of the development of a continued evaluation program in science education. Introduced is the Audio-Tutorial Elementary Science Project (A-TESP) developed by Joseph D. Novak, which provides a model of program development, implementation, and evaluation. Three phases, characterized as the pre-developmental,…