Nationally and internationally, educators now understand the critical importance of STEM subjects—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Today, the job of the classroom science teacher demands finding effective ways to meet current curricula standards and prepare students for a future in which a working knowledge of science and technology will dominate. But standards and goals don’t mean a thing unless we: • grab students’ attention; • capture and deepen children’s natural curiosity; • create an exciting learning environment that engages the learner; and • make science come alive inside and outside the classroom setting. A Guide to Teaching Elementary Science: Ten Easy Steps gives teachers, at all stages of classroom experience, exactly what the title implies. Written by lifelong educator Yvette Greenspan, this book is designed for busy classroom teachers who face tough conditions, from overcrowded classrooms to shrinking budgets, and too often end up anxious and overwhelmed by the challenges ahead and their desire for an excellent science program. This book: • helps teachers develop curricula compatible with the Next Generation Science Standards and the Common Core Standards; • provides easy-to-implement steps for setting up a science classroom, plus strategies for using all available resources to assemble needed teaching materials; • offers detailed sample lesson plans in each STEM subject, adaptable to age and ability and designed to embrace the needs of all learners; and • presents bonus information about organizing field trips and managing science fairs. Without question, effective science curricula can help students develop critical thinking skills and a lifelong passion for science. Yvette Greenspan received her doctorate degree in science education and has developed science curriculum at all levels. A career spent in teaching elementary students in an urban community, she now instructs college students, sharing her love for the teaching and learning of science. She considers it essential to encourage today’s students to be active learners and to concentrate on STEM topics that will help prepare them for the real world.

What activities might a teacher use to help children explore the life cycle of butterflies? What does a science teacher need to conduct a "leaf safari" for students? Where can children safely enjoy hands-on experience with life in an estuary? Selecting resources to teach elementary school science can be confusing and difficult, but few decisions have greater impact on the effectiveness of science teaching. Educators will find a wealth of information and expert guidance to meet this need in Resources for Teaching Elementary School Science. A completely revised edition of the best-selling resource guide Science for Children: Resources for Teachers, this new book is an annotated guide to hands-on, inquiry-centered curriculum materials and sources of help in teaching science from kindergarten through sixth grade. (Companion volumes for middle and high school are planned.) The guide annotates about 350 curriculum packages, describing the activities involved and what students learn. Each annotation lists recommended grade levels, accompanying materials and kits or suggested equipment, and ordering information. These 400 entries were reviewed by both educators and scientists to ensure that they are accurate and current and offer students the opportunity to: Ask questions and find their own answers. Experiment productively. Develop patience, persistence, and confidence in their own ability to solve real problems. The entries in the curriculum section are grouped by scientific areaâ€"Life Science, Earth Science, Physical Science, and Multidisciplinary and Applied Scienceâ€"and by typeâ€"core materials, supplementary materials, and science activity books. Additionally, a section of references for teachers provides annotated listings of books about science and teaching, directories and guides to science trade books, and magazines that will help teachers enhance their students' science education. Resources for Teaching Elementary School Science also lists by region and state about 600 science centers, museums, and zoos where teachers can take students for interactive science experiences. Annotations highlight almost 300 facilities that make significant efforts to help teachers. Another section describes more than 100 organizations from which teachers can obtain more resources. And a section on publishers and suppliers give names and addresses of sources for materials. The guide will be invaluable to teachers, principals, administrators, teacher trainers, science curriculum specialists, and advocates of hands-on science teaching, and it will be of interest to parent-teacher organizations and parents.

What activities might a teacher use to help children explore the life cycle of butterflies? What does a science teacher need to conduct a "leaf safari" for students? Where can children safely enjoy hands-on experience with life in an estuary? Selecting resources to teach elementary school science can be confusing and difficult, but few decisions have greater impact on the effectiveness of science teaching. Educators will find a wealth of information and expert guidance to meet this need in Resources for Teaching Elementary School Science. A completely revised edition of the best-selling resource guide Science for Children: Resources for Teachers, this new book is an annotated guide to hands-on, inquiry-centered curriculum materials and sources of help in teaching science from kindergarten through sixth grade. (Companion volumes for middle and high school are planned.) The guide annotates about 350 curriculum packages, describing the activities involved and what students learn. Each annotation lists recommended grade levels, accompanying materials and kits or suggested equipment, and ordering information. These 400 entries were reviewed by both educators and scientists to ensure that they are accurate and current and offer students the opportunity to: Ask questions and find their own answers. Experiment productively. Develop patience, persistence, and confidence in their own ability to solve real problems. The entries in the curriculum section are grouped by scientific area--Life Science, Earth Science, Physical Science, and Multidisciplinary and Applied Science--and by type--core materials, supplementary materials, and science activity books. Additionally, a section of references for teachers provides annotated listings of books about science and teaching, directories and guides to science trade books, and magazines that will help teachers enhance their students' science education. Resources for Teaching Elementary School Science also lists by region and state about 600 science centers, museums, and zoos where teachers can take students for interactive science experiences. Annotations highlight almost 300 facilities that make significant efforts to help teachers. Another section describes more than 100 organizations from which teachers can obtain more resources. And a section on publishers and suppliers give names and addresses of sources for materials. The guide will be invaluable to teachers, principals, administrators, teacher trainers, science curriculum specialists, and advocates of hands-on science teaching, and it will be of interest to parent-teacher organizations and parents.

"This book comes at just the right time, as teachers are being encouraged to re-examine current approaches to science instruction." -Lynn Rankin, Director, Institute for Inquiry, Exploratorium "Easy to read and comprehend with very explicit examples, it will be foundational for classroom teachers as they journey from novice teacher of science to expert." -Jo Anne Vasquez, Ph.D., Past President of the National Science Teachers Association "Teaching Science for Understanding is a comprehensive, exquisitely written guide and well-illustrated resource for high quality teaching and learning of inquiry-based science." -Hubert M. Dyasi, Ph.D., Professor of Science, City College and City University of New York Even though there is an unending supply of science textbooks, kits, and other resources, the practice of teaching science is more challenging than simply setting up an experiment. In Teaching Science for Understanding in Elementary and Middle Schools, Wynne Harlen focuses on why developing understanding is essential in science education and how best to engage students in activities that deepen their curiosity about the world and promote enjoyment of science. Teaching Science for Understanding in Elementary and Middle Schools centers on how to build on the ideas your students already have to cultivate the thinking and skills necessary for developing an understanding of the scientific aspects of the world, including: helping students develop and use the skills of investigation drawing conclusions from data through analyzing, interpreting, and explaining creating classrooms that encourage students to explain and justify their thinking asking productive questions to support students' understanding. Through classroom vignettes, examples, and practical suggestions at the end of each chapter, Wynne provides a compelling vision of what can be achieved through science education...and strategies that you can implement in your classroom right now.

A practical methods text that prepares teachers to engage their students in rich science learning experiences Featuring an increased emphasis on the way today′s changing science and technology is shaping our culture, this Second Edition of Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School provides pre- and in-service teachers with an introduction to basic science concepts and methods of science instruction, as well as practical strategies for the classroom. Throughout the book, the authors help readers learn to think like scientists and better understand the role of science in our day-to-day lives and in the history of Western culture. Part II features 100 key experiments that demonstrate the connection between content knowledge and effective inquiry-based pedagogy. The Second Edition is updated throughout and includes new coverage of applying multiple intelligences to the teaching and learning of science, creating safe spaces for scientific experimentation, using today′s rapidly changing online technologies, and more. Valuable Instructor and Student resources: The password-protected Instructor Teaching Site includes video clips that illustrate selected experiments, PowerPoint® lecture slides, Electronic Test Bank, Teaching guides, and Web resources. The open-access Student Study Site includes tools to help students prepare for exams and succeed in the course: video clips that illustrate selected experiments, chapter summaries, flash cards, quizzes, helpful student guides links to state standards, licensure exams and PRAXIS resources, and Learning from SAGE Journal Articles.