Modeling the States of Matter in a First-Grade Classroom

ABSTRACT

Scientific modeling along with hands-on inquiry can lead to a deeper understanding of scientific concepts among students in upper elementary grades. Even though scientific modeling involves abstract-thinking processes, can students in younger elementary grades successfully participate in scientific modeling? Scientific modeling, like all other aspects of scientific inquiry, has to be developed. This article clearly outlines how students in a first-grade classroom can develop and use scientific models to explain the properties and behaviors of solids, liquids, and gases in a unit on the states of matter.     

Science Classroom Inquiry (SCI) Simulations: A Novel Method to Scaffold Science Learning

Science education is progressively more focused on employing inquiry-based learning methods in the classroom and increasing scientific literacy among students. However, due to time and resource constraints, many classroom science activities and laboratory experiments focus on simple inquiry, with a step-by-step approach to reach predetermined outcomes. The science classroom inquiry (SCI) simulations were designed to give students real life, authentic science experiences within the confines of a typical classroom. The SCI simulations allow students to engage with a science problem in a meaningful, inquiry-based manner. Three discrete SCI simulations were created as website applications for use with middle school and high school students. For each simulation, students were tasked with solving a scientific problem through investigation and hypothesis testing. After completion of the simulation, 67% of students reported a change in how they perceived authentic science practices, specifically related to the complex and dynamic nature of scientific research and how scientists approach problems. Moreover, 80% of the students who did not report a change in how they viewed the practice of science indicated that the simulation confirmed or strengthened their prior understanding. Additionally, we found a statistically significant positive correlation between students’ self-reported changes in understanding of authentic science practices and the degree to which each simulation benefitted learning. Since SCI simulations were effective in promoting both student learning and student understanding of authentic science practices with both middle and high school students, we propose that SCI simulations are a valuable and versatile technology that can be used to educate and inspire a wide range of science students on the real-world complexities inherent in scientific study.     

Investigating Minerals: Promoting Integrated Inquiry

"Mineral Detectives!" is one of eighteen lessons in the Private Whys? integrated science unit, which uses a guided inquiry investigation to teach students in grades three through five about the role of minerals in our lives. The University of North Texas developed Private Whys? with funding from the Copper Development Association. This lesson can easily be implemented in the classroom, and the entire unit can naturally be integrated into existing elementary school curricula.     

On the half shell: An introduction to oysters and their unique structures and function

The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is an ecologically and economically important species in Chesapeake Bay. Oysters are ecologically unique in the Chesapeake Bay because they build a structure known as a bar or reef by attaching to one another over a 45 long period of time. They have been coined the “Ecological Engineers of the Bay”. The main purpose of this activity is to investigate 5 uniquely designed organs of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica). Emphasis is placed on two organs, the mantle and gills, and their ability to construct a pair of shells and to remove suspended materials from the water. Age-appropriate activities can be identified and performed in the elementary classroom that inspire inquiry and a better awareness of the relationship between structure and function and its importance for both the individual organism and the ecosystem in which it lives.     

Metacognitive inquiry activities for instructing the central dogma concept: ‘button code’ and ‘beaded bracelet making’

ABSTRACT

The central dogma of biology is difficult to learn because its microscopic processes cannot be visualized. This study aimed to devise two inquiry activities: ‘Button Code’ and ‘Beaded Bracelet Making,’ involving the concepts of DNA replication and protein synthesis based on the Metacognitive Learning Cycle (MLC) for students, and to explore the effectiveness of concept learning of the central dogma, how students’ metacognition may be expressed, and students’ perceptions of their inquiry performance. We developed a ‘Concept journal’ including metacognitive scaffolds, and employed the ‘Central Dogma Achievement Test’ as a tool for the above purpose. A total of 18 junior high school students participated in this inquiry course instructed by two of the authors. The results showed that students’ achievement performance was significantly improved on the whole, the students’ metacognition was expressed during the process of inquiry with scaffolding, and most students gave positive responses about their learning performance. According to the results, this inquiry course could develop students’ comprehension of the central dogma concept, and give students opportunities to practice metacognition that might lead to effective learning in inquiry activities. The implications and expandability of this course are discussed.     

Model eliciting activities: another tool for the elementary teaching toolbox

Abstract

Maximizing classroom time to include meaningful content-based learning with fun engaging activities that simultaneously challenge and encourage students is a hallmark of a successful school day. This article shares one instructional approach that does a model eliciting activity (MEA). A MEA is a real-world, problem-based scenario framed around a fictitious client who writes a letter in which the client poses a problem for students to address. Students use the engineering design process to brainstorm, create, and test models, then compose written and oral responses to the client citing evidence to justify their solution. The content of the client letter is created by the classroom teacher and based on the Next Generation Science Standards, the teacher wishes to address. The depth of the content addressed is at the teacher’s discretion and may vary depending on sequence of lessons within the unit of study, developmental readiness of students, and standard(s) selected.     

Patterns of Change: Forces and Motion

Patterns of Change: Forces and Motion is an integrated science lesson that uses the 5E lesson cycle to tie together science with language arts, mathematics, literature, technology, engineering and social studies in an engaging format applicable for young learners. This lesson has been uniquely designed for the purpose of providing elementary teachers with ideas for using hands-on minds-on activities to foster inquiry and discussion, while engaging their students to use technology as a learning tool. This lesson has been used on the elementary level to teach students about the forces that have an effect on motion.     

The Earth's Magnetic Field: A Simple Measurement of its Strength

Although most teachers agree that a field trip is an important educational experience for their students, many struggle with finding a way to make it connect with their classroom curriculum. Creating an effective field trip involves creating an effective lesson plan and using the resources of the museum, zoo, or aquarium to foster inquiry and learning. By incorporating the learning cycle into their field trip, students are able to use their explorations with animal-based exhibits to develop basic life science concepts.     

Digital game design-based STEM activity: Biodiversity example

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to design a digital game design-based STEM activity for fifth-grade students learning about endangered organisms and significance of biodiversity for living. This activity was carried out with twenty students in a public school in Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey during academic year of 2018–2019 spring term. This study planned as eight-lesson time (8?×?40?minutes) and completed at this lesson time. The students were given the digital game design challenge in real-life problem context that has been created based on design-based science learning and for which they shall use their knowledge and skills in each of the STEM disciplines. During this design challenge, students worked like a scientist and an engineer. They carried out scientific research and inquiry process in the science discipline, understood the engineering design process in the engineering discipline, established mathematical relations in the mathematics discipline, learned how to make coding in the technology discipline, and used this knowledge and skills thus acquired in their suggested solutions for the design challenge. They designed a digital game by coding and presented science knowledge and skills that acquired from inquiry process.     

Using the Kalanchoe daigremontiana Plant to Show the Effects of Photoperiodism on Plantlet Formation

The brine shrimp activity fosters authentic scientific inquiry in addition to providing an engaging and exciting avenue for student exploration. Students in grades 5–12 can use a plethora of science process skills as they design their own investigations. The activity, designed around a 5-E Learning Cycle model, supports the recommendations of the National Science Education Standards, which emphasize that inquiry should be a critical component in the science classroom.     

Environmental Exchange Box

In this activity, teachers in one state create and share an “exchange box” of environmental and cultural items with students of another state. The Environmental Exchange Box activity enables teachers to improve students' skills in scientific inquiry and develop attitudes and values conducive to science learning such as wonder, curiosity, and respect for different social perceptions. Teachers will be able to work beyond the limits of the classroom and introduce outside resources to help increase students' global awareness and promote respect for the culture and environment of diverse populations. Specifically, this activity can help teachers fulfill national Teaching Standards B, D, and E.     

Constructing a Cotton-Ball Catapult: An Interdisciplinary STS Learning Experience

The need for all students to develop a stronger ability to express their science knowledge in writing is important. In this article, the authors take you on a journey in an elementary school classroom with tools to help foster deeper learning and stronger writing skills in science content. With many students in high school required to pass end-of-semester science exams to receive a diploma, teaching writing at an early age across various content areas is an even more critical component of today’s curriculum. Presenting curriculum material through multiple means (Universal Design for Learning-Representation) allows students to gain information through a learning approach that best fits the students’ learning needs. The authors examine multiple means of representing science curriculum to engage students in creating detailed and comprehensive concept maps and to provide supportive scientific evidence in written explanations as they gain more content knowledge in science.     

Teacher candidates in the garden

Recent science education reform has led to an increased emphasis on engaging students in inquiry and science practices rather than having them simply memorize scientific facts. However, many teachers of elementary science may themselves have had more traditional science learning experiences, and may therefore be unsure about inquiry-based teaching methods. One way to enhance preservice teachers' comfort with and desire to teach science using a hands-on approach might be to engage them in science learning experiences alongside children during their educator preparation program. The purpose of this article is to share how one faculty member and a cooperating teacher from a partner school involve teacher candidates in working with children in the school's garden, allowing them to personally experience inquiry while witnessing firsthand the potential benefits to children of authentic science learning through garden based activities.     

How Animals Play Hide and Seek: A Game of Survival

Many topics in the secondary science classroom can be difficult to introduce to students in a manner that fully engages them, especially when presented using traditional teaching methods. However, with a little innovation and an emphasis on inquiry, even dry subjects can be presented in an appealing way. The authors developed an inquiry-based exercise that teaches students about flower anatomy and dissection. During this exercise, students investigate the morphology of simple and composite flowers using digital microscopes. Dissection of a simple flower results in a count of floral parts that is used to construct a floral formula. Students use appearance of structures to suggest function of sepals, petals, anthers, pistils, and components. Investigation of composite and bilabiate flowers introduces concepts of inflorescence and symmetry and asymmetry. Following self-guided inquiry by the students, the teacher uses a digital microscope, computer, and LCD projector to lead discussion of what was observed and to help assimilate important concepts.     

Not Looking a Gift Horse in the Mouth: Exploring the Merits of a Student–Teacher–Scientist Partnership

One major emphasis of reform initiatives in science education is the importance of extended inquiry experiences for students through authentic collaborations with scientists. As such, unique partnerships have started to emerge between science and education in an ongoing effort to capture the interest and imaginations of students as they make sense of the world around them. One such partnership is called the student–teacher–scientist partnership, in which teachers and their students participate in and contribute to the research of scientists. This article explores a partnership between a 10th-grade biology teacher, her students, and practicing scientists who collaborated in the design, implementation and evaluation of a horse evolution unit. The primary goal of the collaborative activity was to involve teachers and students in a process of conceptual change as a means of eliminating common misconceptions implicit in horse evolution displays in museums in various parts of the country. The evidence-based lessons developed enhanced students’ understanding of concepts in macroevolution but also connected the science classroom with a community of scientists whose personalization of the horse evolution unit situated biological concepts and the learning experience within the context of real-world issues.     

Infrared Photography

Although literacy plays a large role in elementary science classrooms, one thing that offers a challenge for educators is meeting the linguistic needs of English language learners (ELLs) while also meeting their content needs. An additional challenge is ensuring that academic literacy extends beyond the classroom. This article presents ways of extending classroom literacy into the home. The suggestions and activities emphasize literacy strategies appropriate for ELLs as well as English-speaking students.     

Addressing STEM Concepts through a Food Safety Activity

The activity described in this article engages students in learning about proper meat storage procedures by using the Internet. They apply their knowledge practically through creation of a pamphlet to be displayed in their kitchen at home and a follow-up report on their parents’ kitchen procedures; they may also participate in a classic food storage experiment. This activity is well suited for elementary school children in the second through fourth grades and promotes all basic STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) concepts. Kitchen activities require all these concepts for successful and safe outcomes. The examination of food storage devices references engineering, and technology is used for the research and pamphlet creation. The section on bacteria introduces life sciences, and physical sciences come into play through the discussion of heat inducing change in the meats. Math skills are integral to the reference table containing temperatures and times.     

Classroom Race/Ethnic Composition,Family-School Connections,and the Transition to School

Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort (N = 13,970), we examined whether two aspects of school-family connections, parental involvement and communication quality, accounted for the association between classroom composition and children's academic and socioemotional functioning following the transition to elementary school. For students with more same-race/ethnic representation in their classrooms, greater classroom race/ethnic diversity promoted more parental involvement, which in turn promoted children's interpersonal skills and reading achievement. Classroom diversity made little difference to parental involvement when students had fewer same-race/ethnic peers in the classroom. Teacher–parent communication quality did not emerge as an explanatory mechanism, and findings did not vary by the race/ethnic match between students and their teachers.     

Do You Really Want to Know? Elementary Music Personnel and Potential in Utah

This is the second of two articles reporting the results of a study by the author regarding the status of elementary music education in the state of Utah. This article focuses on the qualifications of Utah's elementary music teachers (music certified, elementary classroom certified, artists-in-residence, volunteers, and paraprofessionals) and the conditions under which they teach. Interactions among teacher qualifications and teaching status are explored. Paraprofessionals play a significant role in Utah's elementary music programs. While over 90 percent of elementary schools in the United States provide regular music instruction taught by certified music specialists, less than 10 percent of Utah's elementary population receives such instruction. Nearly half of the elementary students in the state receive no designated music instruction beyond that provided by their regular elementary classroom teacher. The influence of school funding, No Child Left Behind and other accountability measures, high-stakes testing, urban/rural populations, and leadership are highlighted. Policy considerations are discussed.