Science and engineering practices (SEPs) and crosscutting concepts (CCs) constitute a significant part of "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC 2012). As teachers, the role of the authors is to highlight the pivotal role that both scientific knowledge and the practices used to generate knowledge play in learning. This article…

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether physicality (actual and active touch of concrete material), as such, is a necessity for science experimentation learning at the kindergarten level. We compared the effects of student experimentation with Physical Manipulatives (PM) and Virtual Manipulatives (VM) on kindergarten students'…

This study examines the development of mental models of air by kindergarten students after completing a series of hands-on, inquiry-based science lessons. The lessons focused on two properties of air: (1) that air takes up space and (2) that it is made of particles ("balls of air"). The students were interviewed about their ideas of air and about…