Many students get their first exposure to quantitative physical science in middle school. The National Science Education Standards recommend that students study motions, forces, and transfer of energy during these years. These are ideal topics for providing opportunities for observing familiar things in new ways, recording and analyzing data, and making authentic connections to the real world. Teaching physical science should be just that simple, but middle school students are naturals in movement, velocity, and acceleration. The challenge is to slow them down enough so they can see the world as Newton did, “on the shoulders of giants.” This chapter highlights how exploring the physical world requires only a few basic precautions to ensure safety.
Details
Type Book ChapterPub Date 1/1/2003Stock # PB166X2_8