Describes an integrated nature-immersion program in which K-5 students meet all curriculum outcomes through investigating, monitoring, and restoring schoolground habitats and local ecosystems. (CCM)

This article offers quick, inexpensive activities for teaching concepts in three basic areas of the elementary science curriculum (air, sound, and light) with instructions for assembling more sophisticated laboratory tools (e.g., an electroscope and a balance scale). Hands-on science activities that use household items are described. (SM)

Presents classroom activities designed to teach elementary students about soil, seeds, and sprouts and to guide them in gardening. The article also includes extension activities, home projects, and a student journal page. Curriculum materials are listed. (SM)

Presents activities on the science of garbage to help elementary students learn to save the earth. A rotting experiment teaches students what happens to apple slices sealed in plastic or buried in damp soil. Other activities include reading stories on the subject and conducting classroom composting or toxic materials projects. (SM)

Offers six suggestions to help elementary teachers create cross-curricular adventures in learning that begin with science. The article includes a chart on process skills across the curriculum, a list of resources, and suggested class activities. (SM)

Discusses how to teach children about electricity via home projects involving electricity games. The concepts of circuits, conductors, and insulators are illustrated by having students build their own game boards. Instructions for making a telegraph and learning the Morse code are provided. (SM)

Describes a school-wide science event which focused on the theme of earth in space. Reviews how the teach-in was organized and includes examples of student involvement. Provides a listing of activities and topics for grades K-6. (ML)

Describes creative methods of teaching elementary level science: eighth-grade hands-on experiments are made with rare rocks and gems via a "Mining by Mail" program; third-grade students use the "I Wonder" approach to examine questions of interest; process skills are adapted for different age levels. A staff development folder…

Uses shoeboxes to set up science kits to supplement specific areas of the science curriculum. Each kit contains a set of material and instructions for a single activity. The activity is intended as an individualized experience that is related to a current topic of study or that reinforces a recent topic. Details for making six sample shoeboxes are…

Complete with student worksheets, field trip ideas, illustrations, vocabulary lists, suggested materials, and step-by-step procedures, the document presents a compilation of ideas for teaching elementary school (K-6) students about marine and fresh water. In the first unit students build miniature monuments and observe the deterioration of…

Describes the development and rationale of a hands-on, process-oriented elementary science curriculum that emphasizes decision making, problem solving, current issues, and the human element in science and technology. (JHZ)

Indiana University college teacher discusses undergraduate science education and effective teaching in introductory courses. The method recommended by educator Arnold Arons trades passive lecture for hands-on learning and Socratic dialogue. Indiana University began a successful research program which brought Arons' method to large-enrollment…

Described are the organization, development, and piloting of this K-6 science curriculum program. Results of the pilot study are presented including the improvement in student and teacher attitudes. (CW)

Reports on a study conducted in the Richardson Independent School District (Texas) which was designed to assess the attitudes toward science of students and teachers who have been involved with the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) compared to non-SCIS students and teachers. (TW)

A significant alternative to the traditional text-based approach to elementary science has been represented by the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS). Although the literature documents the process of the investigative approach, greater utilization of available programs and support from teachers are not evidenced. This investigation was…