Science and Children—Fall 2023

Eclipses of the Sun, where the Moon gets in front of the Sun and blocks its light, are among the most spectacular of natural events. The total eclipse visible in the United States in 2017 fascinated and involved millions of people all across the coun...

By Andrew Fraknoi and Dennis Schatz

Elementary Astronomy Earth & Space Science Phenomena

Journal Article

The Astronomical Event of the Decade

On Saturday, October 14, 2023, and then again on Monday, April 8, 2024, sky gazers all across North America will experience what is arguably the most breathtaking of astronomical phenomena: a solar eclipse. During the October eclipse, everyone in Nor...

By Anna Hurst, Julia Plummer, Suzanne Gurton, and Dennis Schatz

Early Childhood Elementary Astronomy Earth & Space Science Phenomena

Journal Article

How it All Happened

A circle of fourth-grade students sit around Mrs. Ray, who shows videos and images of two natural events: large rocks that have fallen from a cliffside and large rocks in the middle of a dry stream near a road. She asks, “What caused these events t...

By Lindsey Mohan, Emily Harris, and Candice Guy-Gaytán

Elementary Crosscutting Concepts Phenomena

Journal Article

Using Argument to Reason About Science Practice

We have been working for nearly two decades with teachers across all grade bands to promote productive argumentation. From this experience, and those of others interested in the same goals, we have extracted a simple strategy for promoting and suppor...

By William Sandoval, Jon Kovach, Leticia Perez, Lynn Kim-John, and Jarod Kawasaki

Elementary Pedagogy Teaching Strategies Three-Dimensional Learning

Journal Article

Growing Students' Meaning-Making

In this sensemaking lesson, K–2 students explore how different factors influence seed germination and explain the elements necessary to sprout. Notebook strategies are embedded throughout the explore-before-explain lesson to help students organize ...

By Patrick Brown, Jessica Fries-Gaither, and Kathy Renfrew

Elementary 5E Crosscutting Concepts Pedagogy Sensemaking Teaching Strategies Three-Dimensional Learning

Journal Article

Computational Modeling With Multilingual Learners

While the vision for science education through A Framework for K–12 Science Education (NRC 2012) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) continues to take hold in classrooms across the nation, computational modeling is becoming increasingl...

By Alison Haas, Scott E. Grapin, Lorena Llosa, and Okhee Lee

Elementary Computer Science Crosscutting Concepts English Language Learners Multilingual Learners NGSS Three-Dimensional Learning

Journal Article

How Does Sound Travel in a String?

In Chinese science curriculum, the sound unit generally starts with observing various sound making phenomena and finding out that they all involve vibration....

By Gang Shu, Xiaowei Tang, and Huimin Chen

Elementary NGSS Phenomena Physical Science

Journal Article

Cardboard City

Cardboard, a common maker space material, is inexpensive, readily available, and durable. It is also easy to manipulate. It can be folded, cut, painted, and taped or glued together. Caine’s Arcade, a video featuring Caine Monroy’s cardboard arcad...

By Julie Jackson, Julie Brenegan, Kristi Wagner, and Michelle Berry

Elementary Engineering Instructional Materials Makerspace Teaching Strategies Three-Dimensional Learning

Journal Article

Making the Most of Field Trips

Field trips can be a unique way to engage elementary students in science content. However, budget cuts and a focus on standardized testing are causing some schools to greatly reduce the funding for field trips (Meyer 2008). In the wake of the last re...

By Nicole Hesson

Elementary Preservice Science Education Professional Learning Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

Q: What Can My Students See During the Upcoming Solar Eclipses?

A: It depends on where you are located. But first let’s briefly review what happens during a solar eclipse and clear up a few popular misconceptions about solar eclipses. You probably know that a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between th...

By Matt Bobrowsky

Elementary Astronomy Earth & Space Science Phenomena

Journal Article

Family Science Clubs

Educators are increasingly recognizing that significant amounts of science learning take place over the course of one’s lifetime and that much of this learning takes place outside of school settings (NRC 2009). Americans spend on average “less th...

By M. Gail Jones and Megan Ennes

Elementary General Science Teaching Strategies