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Book Chapter
Consider the changes. Yesterday’s one-room schoolhouse had one teacher responsible for every subject, every grade, and maintenance of the classroom and schoolhouse. Today’s self-contained classroom has one teacher responsible for a diverse group ...
Book Chapter
When students with limited reading, mathematical, or communication skills engage in laboratory activities, new challenges pose additional safety risks to everyone in the classroom. It’s certainly possible—and good practice—to include students o...
Book Chapter
Government studies have indicated that more than 40 percent of school buildings are in such poor condition that they are unsafe for children. Even new facilities can be too crowded or architecturally unsuited for exploration. It’s important to reco...
Book Chapter
It takes a lot of “stuff” to conduct an activity-based science program. Teachers often use personal funds to purchase materials to use in their classes. They also save a lot from year to year and collect items for possible future use. But saving ...
Book Chapter
Maintaining living things in a classroom requires knowledge and preparation. It also requires the proper equipment and space. There are two primary goals in the study of living things: first, we want our students to respect life, and second, we want ...
Book Chapter
Today’s students have contact with many more complex chemicals in their homes than ever before but they may have little awareness of physical and chemical properties of those materials. This is a situation that can be extremely hazardous. Children�...
Book Chapter
Many safety books focus on chemistry, the “wet” physical science. Yet most elementary curricula appropriately concentrate on physical science that is easier to see—and more developmentally appropriate. The physical sciences provide great opport...
Book Chapter
Your own classroom is rich with resources and activities, but there are some things that simply can’t be done there. Therefore, well-planned field trips are a vital part of the total educational program. They play an important role in helping stude...
Book Chapter
Science is Part of the Big Picture
By becoming active learners themselves, teachers recognize that science is part of the “big picture,” and they are able to link newly constructed ideas about active learning to other pedagogical initiatives. It is important not to neglect theory ...
Book Chapter
How Do College Students Best Learn Science?
This paper is based on William Leonard’s “How Do College Students Learn Science? Chapter 1: Effective Teaching and Course Management for University and College Science Teachers,” edited by E. Siebert, M. Caprio, and C. Lyda. Dubuque, IA: Kendal...
Journal Article
An Award-Winning Approach to Lead Safety
A group of teachers use their Toyota Tapestry grant money to address the issue of lead poisoning in the community. Students learn about lead safety and how to test for lead on the school grounds and in their homes....
Journal Article
What Poisoned the Apple Juice? A Gram staining and selective media lab
Although it is difficult to develop short inquiry lab exercises when introducing techniques such as the Gram stain, this scenario gives students authentic problems and helps them pose their own questions. Background material, preparation information,...
NSTA Press Book
Teaching Teachers: Bringing First-Rate Science to the Elementary Classroom
Preservice and novice teachers feeling jittery will find this book full of workable strategies for helping students experience the wonders of science. Classroom veterans will discover new ideas, and science educators will learn how colleagues pass o...
NSTA Press Book
Innovative Techniques for Large-Group Instruction
Size does matter. When you're faced with a class of 50, 150, or even 250 college students, it's tough to head off boredom - much less promote higher-order thinking and inquiry skills. But it's not impossible, thanks to the professor-tested techniques...
NSTA Press Book
Safety in the Elementary Science Classroom (flipchart)
It’s a safety resource your classroom should not be without! As attractive as a poster and as convenient to use as a calendar, the completely updated Safety in the Elementary Classroom flipchart is a quick-read resource on how to prevent or solve s...
NSTA Press Book
Learning Science and the Science of Learning: Science Educators' Essay Collection
Sure, you teach science. But do your students really learn it? Students of all ages will absorb more if you adapt the way you teach to the way they learn. That's the message of this thoughtful collection of 12 essays by noted science teachers. Based ...