This article presents a lesson plan in which students learn about water in solid, liquid, and gaseous phases through trade books, demonstrations, and artwork. The author illustrates the stages of the lesson plan in the sequence they were conducted in the classroom with a group of students in grades one and two. Each stage targets specific learning…

In Hamlet, Shakespeare invites readers to ponder a famous philosophical question: To be or not to be? That is the question. In this issue, two trade books invite students to explore the question: To sink or not to sink? That is the experiment. Though both books are targeted for younger children, teachers can use these books with elementary…

This standard lesson on identifying salt and sugar crystals expands into an opportunity for students to develop their observation, questioning, and modeling skills. Although sugar and salt may look similar, students discovered that they looked very different under a magnifying glass and behaved differently when dissolved in water. In addition,…