Did you know that the water you use today is the same water that was used millions of years ago? How is this possible? Water is continuously replenished through a naturally occurring process known as the water cycle. To help students learn about this important concept, an eight-day unit was created for fifth-grade students to explore the water cycle and its components, including evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. This unit uses the “Do-Talk-Do” instructional strategy (Kemper and Ramsey 1997), an easy to follow planning strategy for teachers that involves students in authentic hands-on experiences, social interaction, and concept development based on prior knowledge.
[hide full abstract]

The after-school science club at Galtier Math, Science, and Technology Elementary Magnet School in St. Paul, Minnesota, learned some valuable lessons when they took newfound knowledge about pollution into their homes. After learning about the effects of various contaminants on health and what informed citizens can do about it, students tested their tap water and soil. As a result, both students and their parents changed behaviors. The experience proved valuable for the educators too, reminding them of the power of integrating science with real-world issues and how effective they can be in guiding children to make more informed decisions about their world.
[hide full abstract]

“What starts out long but gets shorter then longer each day?” Shadows! This students clever riddles was an opportunity to investigate how the Sun’s daily position in the sky influences shadow length. Thus began a mini-lesson which was created to help third-grade students understand that a shadow occurs when an opaque object blocks light (Shapiro 1994). The study of light and shadows teaches students about properties of light and materials.
[hide full abstract]

Water is a major world currency and continues to be critical for all. We can figure out how to live without oil but it is quite a cumbersome task to consider living without water. In this month’s installment of the Editor’s Note section we receive an overview of the magic of water and the enormous implications for weather and the cycle that makes it tick.
[hide full abstract]

There is no one single place for grants—grants are everywhere, even places you might not think. The internet is one of the easiest ways to locate potential grants. Grants for specialized areas are also often sent through emails. You can find information on national grants through retailers and even from professional newspapers and magazines. With a just a little bit of extra time and perseverance grant opportunities can quickly come your way.
[hide full abstract]

When students come to science class, they bring a variety of perspectives formed in part from their cultural heritage, religious beliefs, and family background. This may create challenges for students whose experiences are different from typical “ways of knowing” promoted in school science. When student and teacher expectations differ, students may have a more difficult time learning science. The hands-on, minds-on nature of inquiry may help all students develop authentic science interactions and learn science in a context that is meaningful and relevant to their lives.
[hide full abstract]

Although weather, including its role in the water cycle, is included in most elementary science programs, any further examination of raindrops and snowflakes is rare. Together rain and snow make up most of the precipitation that replenishes Earth’s life-sustaining fresh water supply. When viewed individually, raindrops and snowflakes are quite varied either in size or shape and provide surprising hints about the atmospheric conditions in which they formed.
[hide full abstract]

Sinking and floating is a subject covered in many science classes, from kindergarten through college physics. Even the audiences of late-night talk shows get to predict whether an object will sink or float in water. And of course, we all know that witches will float if they weigh the same as a duck (Monty Python reference). Yet one of the most common examples of sinking and floating seems to go against common sense. How can something made of steel—a heavy metal—float in water?
[hide full abstract]

You may have frozen water in a bottle to take hiking or camping. Perhaps you’ve had the unfortunate experience of filling the bottle too full and discovering that the ice burst out of its container. This change in volume in going from a liquid to a solid is a unique and important property of water.
[hide full abstract]

Like generations before them, teachers often use the energy of the summer Sun to nurture seeds of growth (both real and virtual) for another year. Whether you believe the ancient legends or not, summer provides catch-up time. You can turn off your alarm and let the magic of your biorhythms take over. As they have in past years, the reviewers of NSTA Recommends have prepared some suggestions for summer reading. Some of their suggestions are scientific, some motivational, some practical… and some just plain fun. So where ever your comfort zone is, pull up a chair because it’s time to read.
[hide full abstract]

In developed countries such as the United States, it is easy to take water for granted. Americans use more water per capita than anywhere else in the world, up to 100 gallons a day. That’s 10 times the amount of the water that an average person living in Africa uses each day! Although the most dire water shortages are occurring in other parts of the world, scientists project that as the U.S. population grows, we may begin using water faster than it can be replenished. This month’s article focuses on the importance of conserving water and ways to conserve it.
[hide full abstract]

“The Dirty Water Challenge” is a fun activity that teaches children about their environment in an engaging and practical way. Inquiry is embedded within the practical—students have to design, plan, and then build their own design of water filter. Students are exposed to important concepts from a variety of scientific disciplines, including how the water cycle works (geology, meteorology) and the principles behind water filtering (physics, chemistry). This method has been successfully used during units on the water cycle and pollution to teach elementary and lower middle-school classes in an inquiry-based way.
[hide full abstract]

“You worked hard digging that hole,” “You really had to work to push that wagon,” and “Climbing on the monkey bars is hard work,” are phrases commonly heard on the playground. Children love to try difficult physical tasks that require the expenditure of energy. They know that even if they do not complete a task they will feel the satisfaction of working hard. Work is what they will be doing as they move water from one place to another, and the fact that the job has no apparent purpose doesn’t seem to bother them. As the teacher, however, you’ll know this “job” is giving students valuable practice in working with science tools.
[hide full abstract]

All schools are located in watersheds, land that drains into bodies of water. Some watersheds, like the one which encompasses the school discussed in this article, include bodies of water that are walking distance from the school. The watershed cited in this article has a brook and wetland within a several-block walk from the school. This watershed was used as a hands-on research cite during the school year. In the process, students and their teachers explored Earth, life, and physical science concepts, learned about the local environment, and became engaged in a truly interdisciplinary study that hasn’t stopped yet. A description of the ongoing adventure is included in this article.
[hide full abstract]