Young students need opportunities to develop their conceptual understanding of properties of matter. By providing students with inquiry activities, we lay the groundwork necessary for students to grasp the challenging concepts associated with learning about the periodic table in middle school. In this 5E activity (Bybee 2009), fifth-grade students…

Because honeybees are so crucial to the ecosystems in which they exist, educating younger children on the usefulness and relative harmlessness of honeybees may be key to ensuring their survival among future generations. Described here is a unit that addresses the critical role of the honeybee in pollinating flowers using the 5E learning cycle…

Units on static electricity and electrical charges are always a third-grade favorite, with students finding the inquiry and hands-on activities, well, electrifying. However, teachers planning a unit on static electricity may find it difficult to navigate around latex bans. While latex allergy is a serious issue, removing balloons from the…

Any assessment activity can help student learning if it provides information that both teachers and students can use as feedback in assessing themselves. However, such assessment only becomes "formative" assessment when teachers actually use the feedback to adapt their teaching to meet the learning needs of students. This column provides…

One author shares the unique opportunity to be immersed in the science of "sound at work" through participation in NOAA's (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Teacher at Sea Program. A third- through fifth-grade learning outcome within the Nature of Science section of the "Next Generation Science Standards"…

Crayfish, also known as "crawfish" or "crawdads," are easy to keep in the classroom, and with patience and luck, students will observe the complete life cycle of the crayfish. They will also learn about aquatic animals and habitats and get to conduct inquiry experiments about animal behavior. This article describes how a third-grade teacher used…

Indicates the inadequacies and limitations of traditionally written elementary science textbooks. Offers suggestions and provides examples for teaching more accurately and experientially the nature and process of science. Identifies several sources for enrichment of the textbook. (ML)

Introduces some activities to help children develop their processing and inquiry skills with a substitute teacher as well as regular teachers. Illustrates 25 kinds of skills. (YP)

Describes several tests for determining dominance of children's hands, eyes, feet, and thumbs. Discusses the relationship between hemispheric brain dominance and dominant sides of the body. Suggests that raising questions about generalizations can lead to new learning. (TW)

Illustrated and described is a convection box for classroom use to stimulate concept development in elementary school children. Other equipment and apparatus that may be used in open-ended science activites are listed. (CS)

Recommends a number of techniques and transitional activities to bridge the gap between traditional cookbook activities and the type of inquiry envisioned by the National Science Education Standards. Includes discussion on techniques related to safety and the habits of good scientists. (DDR)

Shares some strategies for encouraging students to notice their environment in the broadest sense through using the Socratic method. Focuses on specific examples with historical significance such as exploring the period of a pendulum. (DDR)

Describes an activity for introducing elementary school students to the surprising Mobius band. Incorporates elements of experimentation and exposes the deceptively simple Mobius band as a rich resource for discovery. Provides an opportunity for young learners to participate in the process of scientific inquiry within a mathematical framework.…

Describes the experiences of children in a program that highlights the process of inquiry by allowing and encouraging children to raise questions, develop investigation strategies, formulate theories, and report findings in a variety of ways. Discusses the teacher's role in observing, respecting, and supporting children's work. (JRH)

Describes an investigation involving flies. Students observe the growth of ordinary flies from the larval stage to adulthood and create poems, stories, and pictures. Concludes that not only did students learn the usual science content of an insect unit, they also began to view commonplace things in a new way. (NB)