How can educators provide children with a genuine experience of carrying out an extended scientific investigation? And can teachers change the perception of what it means to be a scientist? These were key questions that lay behind "The Human Condition" project, an initiative funded by the Primary Science Teaching Trust to explore a new…

The challenge of preparing students for the information age has prompted administrators to increase technology in the public schools. Yet despite the increased availability of technology in schools, few teachers are integrating technology for instructional purposes. Preservice teachers must be equipped with adequate content knowledge of technology…

Interest in school science and technology (S&T) remains an important issue as it is linked to achievement and the intention to pursue studies or careers in S&T. Around the world, a number of studies have shown that interest in S&T declines with school years. However, some divergences from the general trend have been demonstrated in…

Members of the Primary Science Editorial Board put their heads together and did some thinking about some of the activities they use to encourage children (and adults) to think. This article presents the outcome.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which six cognitive and attitudinal variables predicted pre-service elementary teachers' (N = 87) performance on line graphing. Predictors included reading comprehension and mathematics scores, logical thinking performance scores, as well as measures of attitudes toward science, mathematics…

Picture the scene--a child in a class has brought in a fabulous example of a snake skin, a snail, a seed, a fossil or rock and the whole class wants to see it. How does a teacher allow them all to observe it without destroying it or jostling each other? One way to get around this issue is to use a visualiser. A visualiser is essentially a small…

The author believes that "learning is doing," especially in science. The best way she can describe what she did, and the piece of advice she wants to pass on, is "make it active and mix it up". By describing how she went about teaching this lesson, she hopes she has conveyed how doing one's research (online for a start) and…

This inquiry-based investigation focused on shadow measurement and the apparent movement of the Sun throughout the school year. Students would collect data about their shadows weekly. Toward the end of the year, students would then organize and interpret their data. The authors hoped they would discover that the angle of the Sun changes throughout…

Young children love stories, and teachers love to read stories. Young children also love to explore the motion of objects--they watch tossed balls, observe objects rolling down ramps, and are mesmerized by spinning tops. Yet it can be challenging to integrate these two loves, stories and exploring motion, in one lesson. Furthermore, while children…

Establishing classroom routines that provide students with the opportunities to learn and successfully apply the language of science is a daunting task. With minor variations, research has shown that effective and comprehensive vocabulary programs share four common elements: they are rich and varied language experiences; they teach well-selected…

Structural engineering can be a rich and exciting context for exploring and learning about the properties of materials. Even a structure as commonplace as a house requires careful consideration of important properties such as strength, stability, and insulation. As a former engineer and current elementary science teacher educator, the author has…

In this article, the authors focus on an Engineering is Elementary unit that emphasizes students' understanding and application of properties of materials in the context of an engineering design challenge. Students build understanding through a series of hands-on activities, then apply their knowledge to solve a materials engineering problem:…

For some children maths and science are exciting subjects that work side by side, one providing the opportunity to practise and hone skills and knowledge gained from the other. For other children the subjects are disjointed and seem to bear no relationship to each other. Science can provide a wonderful opportunity to practise a variety of math…

To develop children's understanding and ability to enquire, teachers need to create the conditions that promote thinking and the expression of ideas. Opportunities to wonder aloud, speculate, and form hypotheses are essential. These can be offered through the use of visual stimuli--objects and demonstrations, pictures and dramatic scenarios,…

"Great Explorations in Math and Science[R] (GEMS[R]) Space Science" is an instructional sequence for grades 3-5 that covers fundamental concepts, including planetary sizes and distance, the Earth's shape and movement, gravity, and moon phases and eclipses. Part of the "GEMS"[R] core curriculum, "GEMS[R] Space Science"…