Elementary Science Education Articles for Teachers - Page 5

“Begin countdown to liftoff – 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 . . . We have main engine start - 2,1, 0 . . . ignition ---- We have LIFTOFF!” Amidst the cheering at Mission Control, the Delta Rocket blasts off, and begins its fantastic voyage to the Red Planet. As the stages separate, the capsule containing a ...

“My heart feels like it’s going to jump right out of my chest!” exclaimed one of my second graders as he completed his turn with the jump rope and handed it off to a classmate. “Why does it do that?” he then asked. Around this time of year, many schools are participating in Jump Rope for Heart, ...

As teachers, we all know that students are more likely to retain information they find interesting.  When I first started teaching, I always looked forward to my space unit the most, as it was easy to motivate kids to learn about the stars, planets, and spaceflight. After several years, I started...

“The quilted, quicker-picker-upper.”  “Dirt goes, color stays.”  “Better ingredients, better pizza.”  Don’t get mad, get Glad!”  These are all examples of the messages kids are bombarded with every time they sit down in front of the television.  Children make decisions every day based on effectiv...

Understanding current events in our world is an important part of being an educated, scientifically-literate citizen. For students to become life-long learners, they must also learn to use expository text to gain background knowledge, analyze issues, and make informed decisions. A one-page assign...

“We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented, in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.”  So states Karl Fisch, creator of the popular Did You Know slideshow in which some rather stark facts about technolog...

As the 40th anniversary of Earth Day approaches, it’s a great time to discuss the worldwide trend of “Going Green.”  People all over the world are making positive changes to improve global sustainability, and you can get your students in on the action with some great lesson ideas that promote res...

When someone decides to purchase a car, that person takes many factors into account. They may read about different brands of vehicles on the Internet, calculate monthly payments, research “eco-friendly” manufacturers and carbon emissions, and write an email to their brother asking for advice. Whi...

Here are some of the questions I hear from my four and five year old children on a regular basis -"Why?" "How?" and "What If?" If you have taught preschool children, or have children this age yourself, these are questions you probably hear constantly. Preschool children are inquisitive, and full ...

“Begin countdown to liftoff – 10,9,8,7,6,5. . . We have main engine start . . . 2,1,0 . . . SRB ignition ---- We have LIFTOFF!” Amidst the cheering throughout Mission Control, the space shuttle rises off the launch pad, completes its roll maneuver, and thus begins its fantastic voyage into low-E...

Do you have your father’s nose?  Your mother’s chin? Does your cousin look a lot like you? Our genes are what determine our physical characteristics. Genes decide the color of our hair, the size of our feet, the shape of our eyes, and many other things. Our parents pass on these genes to us. Man...

Whenever I ask my primary students what they’d like to learn more about, the answer inevitably involves animals.  Young children are intrigued by the creatures who share our environment, especially when it comes to the physical and behavioral adaptations that make them so different from us (and e...

“3….2….1….LAUNCH!”  A group of fifth graders whoop with delight as another bottle rocket soars into the air. The parachute deploys perfectly as its cargo, a raw egg, floats gently to the ground. The students rush toward the egg as it lands, anxious to check its status.  As the egg is pronounced i...

If there’s one thing kids love, it’s mixing different things together to “see what happens.”  You can put containers filled with different liquids and powders in front of a group of students, and various “experiments” will immediately commence! However, without a little direction, most children w...

When asked what the most valuable substance on Earth is, most people would respond with “gold” or “platinum.” Hardly anyone in a developed country would think to give the response, “water.”  When we turn on the faucet to brush our teeth, fill the coffee pot, or take a shower, most of us give very...