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Journal Article
Many people think of earthworms as small, slimy creatures that belong in the garden. To teachers, however, earthworms are delicate animals that can help young students develop important science-process skills such as observation and data collection. ...
Journal Article
The Benefits of Scientific Modeling
When students are engaged in scientific modeling, they are able to notice patterns and develop and revise representations that become useful models to predict and explain—making their own scientific knowledge stronger, helping them to think critica...
Journal Article
“On your mark, get set, go!” Elementary students love to hear these words as they participate in the annual Third Grade Better Boat Challenge. This highly motivational project started a few years ago as the author was developing the third-grade s...
Journal Article
When Things Go Wrong—The results Can Turn Out Right
For several years, the author’s fifth-grade students raised and observed plants, kept journals, and analyzed the functions of the parts of a plant. But this year, a near disaster taught her a lesson and increased the value of the activity for her s...
Journal Article
Science Shorts: Experimental Error
One of the most challenging components of science inquiry is getting students to understand the fundamentally important concept of experimental error. While this concept can be tricky for children, there are straightforward lessons that can go a long...
Journal Article
Investigating With Charles Darwin
Naturalist Charles Darwin made observations, conducted experiments, and kept detailed notebooks of his findings throughout his life. He was regularly transfixed by his observations of the natural world, whether in his early collecting days, during hi...
Journal Article
Teaching Through Trade Books: Pumpkins!
Walk through any elementary school in the fall and you are bound to see students learning about pumpkins. Kids of all ages are fascinated by these versatile, edible members of the gourd family. Pumpkins are interesting and inexpensive and can be foun...
Journal Article
Perspectives: The Art (and Science) of Asking Questions
Questions serve as formative assessments that provide information to teachers about student learning in relation to curricular goals. In addition to helping students build science concepts, teacher questions can help develop scientific habits of mind...