The paper considers the main results and some educational implications of the TIMSS 2003 assessment conducted in Serbia in the fields of the science achievement of Serbian eighth grade students and the science curriculum context of their achievement. There were 4264 students in the sample. It was confirmed that Serbian eighth graders had made…

In October 1981, an article appeared in "The American Biology Teacher" with the catchy title, "Bio-Bull." In it, author, Dale Carlson, described a powerful form of communication that he employed successfully in his community college classes. Each week students received what he called a "Bio-Bull" that included current biological topics,…

This article explores trainee teachers' conceptions and ideas about endangered bird species and their protection. The study involved 191 students majoring in kindergarten education, primary school natural science or secondary school biology education at the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Education, Slovenia. Data analyses showed that the…

In this paper, I describe the action research I conducted in my third-grade science classrooms over the course of two years. In order to gain an understanding of my third-grade students' ideas about animal adaptations and how the teaching of a unit on crayfish influenced these ideas, I used clinical interviews, observations, and written…

Although there is a considerable emphasis on inquiry-based, active learning in standards documents, curriculum documents, and textbooks, there exists a great deal of debate regarding the effectiveness of specific curricular and instructional approaches, including kit-based instruction. This study examines the efficacy of science kits in improving…

The integration of mathematics and science is a recommended pedagogical strategy made by major reform-based documents. The goal is to enhance learner understandings by recognizing the relationships between the two disciplines. Documented attempts to systematically enact this initiative in teacher preparation remain uncommon. As a result, an…

This article explores the potential of using students' science notebooks to help elementary teachers monitor conceptual understanding. Data came from 25 teachers and their 4th- and 5th-grade students working on a unit on electricity. At the time data were collected, 8 of the teachers had received professional development on science content…

Studying pets fosters children's natural curiosity about the world around them and encourages them to use their five senses. This cross-curricular guide provides opportunities for children to build concepts by introducing them to a variety of household pets beginning with cats and dogs, and including mice, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs,…

This paper describes the development of a diagnostic test to assess teachers' understanding of the learning cycle and highlights common misconceptions identified through the administration of the diagnostic instrument. The Learning Cycle Test was administered to 28 undergraduate students enrolled in elementary science methods who had received…

The research question used for this study was Can elementary classroom teachers identify "familiar" science manipulatives as well as the availability of manipulatives and percentage of time they are used in their classroom? Questions were also asked to determine factors that influence manipulative use, science units that are appropriate…

This comprehensive annotated resource list is designed to assist in the selection of science resources for elementary classrooms. This guide is organized by grade level, and within that heading by series and topic. Following the lists for individual grades is a list of elementary science resources, which are not topic specific, authorized for…

The National Research Council is coordinating the effort to develop national standards for science education. The goal is to develop, and publish by fall, 1994, science education standards that represent the consensus of teachers and other science educators, scientists, and the general public about what is important for all students to attain in…

Activities which can be done with items purchased in supermarkets form the basis of this book. The activities are arranged into sections by type of item; breakfast foods; dried foods; soups; baking ingredients; gelatin; condiments; coffee; salad dressing; dairy products; meats; cleaning supplies; cookware; juices; picnic supplies; paper towels;…

Describes an inquiry procedure to determine whether soft drinks are pressure or vacuum packed and then utilizes the "pop" theme for several other science activities. (LS)

Demonstrates how students can build a plankton net using common materials for environmental education. (LS)