Presents baseline data about the existing state of elementary school teachers knowledge of physical science. A teacher questionnaire and physical science test were administered to participants (N=333) of a physical science inservice training program in Arizona. Results revealed inadequacies in teachers' knowledge of physical science and the…

Reports results of an investigation of science content of 10 recently published elementary science textbook series. Results show that though textbooks cover a wide range of science content, they do not promote or encourage the development of scientific thinking or attitudes, nor do they engage students in applying cognitive processes that are…

Focuses on various aspects of mammal family life ranging from ways different species are born to how different mammals are raised. Learning activities include making butter from cream, creating birth announcements for mammals, and playing a password game on family life. (ML)

Provides: (1) background information on how insects affect human lives, both positively and negatively, and on integrated pest management strategies; (2) student activities; and (3) materials (ready-to-copy games, puzzles, coloring pages, worksheets, and/or mazes). Each activity includes an objective, recommended age level(s), subject area(s),…

Provides: (1) background information on how dinosaurs are named and classified, how they compared to other animals, and how they vary in size; (2) activities on these topics; and (3) ready-to-copy worksheets. Activities include objectives, lists of materials needed, recommended age level(s), subject area(s), and instructional strategies. (JN)

Provides (1) background information showing how the sun, earth, air, and water work together to create weather; (2) six activities on this topic; and (3) a ready-to-copy coloring page on the water cycle. Each activity includes an objective, list of materials needed, recommended age level(s), subject area(s), and instructional strategies. (JN)

Background information and six activities on predicting weather are provided. Each activity includes an objective, list of materials needed, recommended age level(s), subject area(s), and instructional strategies. Also included are several ready-to-copy worksheets. (JN)

Provides background information and student activities on bird nesting, singing, finding a mate, incubating eggs, and raising the young. Each activity includes an objective, recommended age level(s), subject area(s), list of materials needed, and procedures. A ready-to-copy student worksheet is included. (JN)

Outlines and discusses elements for designing elementary school science programs, considering: goals and objectives; scope; sequence (arrangement dependent on logic, topic, hierarchy, developmental psychology, or combinations); instructional strategies; evaluation; and inservice education. Also suggests that textbooks serve as points to begin the…

Provides: (1) background information on desert communities, their similarities, and differences; (2) student activities on this topic; and (3) ready-to-copy student pages with pictures of desert animals and plants. Each activity includes objective(s), recommended age level(s), subject area(s), list of materials needed, and procedures. (DH)

Reports how a school district's elementary science curricula and in-service programs were improved through a series of minicourses. Appraises the procedure, components, and requirements of this approach. Also describes the science loan kit program that was implemented to facilitate hands-on instruction. (ML)

Reviews the space classroom that would have been conducted by Christa McAuliffe during the space shuttle flight. Includes lab activities, word puzzles, vocabulary lists, and graph reading exercises for elementary science students. (ML)

Offers experiments and activities designed to help students understand the qualities of sound. Provides directives on how to construct simple musical instruments. Suggests ways to help students discriminate differences in pitch, dynamics, and rhythm. (ML)

Examined trends in teachers' recommendations for changing elementary and junior high school science programs between 1978 and 1982. Results discussed are based on responses of British Columbia teachers- 3,040 teachers in 1978 and 1,631 in 1982, with return rates ranging from 77.5 percent to 85 percent. (JN)

Developed and validated anecdotal and data-summary persuasive communications and tested their effect on preservice teachers' attitudes toward supplementing traditional, textbook-based science programs with either Science-A Process Approach or the Science Curriculum Improvement Study. Results show that anecdotal nature communications were more…