Integration of cooperative learning and process science for lower elementary grades.

This core text for K-8 science methods courses helps novice teachers become confident and competent in inquiry-centered, standards-based classrooms. Science content and pedagogy are blended using a carefully crafted developmental approach in which teachers begin by learning basic ideas and practicing simple instructional strategies. Once these are mastered, teachers move on to learn and teach advanced concepts and complex experiments. Students learn how to deliver inquiry-based instruction, create standards-based lesson plans, link instruction and assessment, design performance assessments, use a variety of teaching strategies, and integrate science across the curriculum.

Grade level: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, k, p, e, i, s, t.

Kagan Structures are revolutionary teaching strategies. Why? Because they create an unparalleled level of student engagement. Kagan Structures create a cooperative and caring class tone by putting students on the same side as they interact in pairs, small teams, and with classmates. Structures ensure every student is individually accountable so no one can hide and take a free ride. Structures create equal participation which means all students are engaged a much greater percent of the time. In this must-have Kagan reference guide, you get 59 step-by-step Kagan Structures you'll use time and time again. More structures means more tools in you teaching toolbox to create more student engagement, more student learning, and more success! 240pp

Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every facet of modern life and hold the key to solving many of humanity's most pressing current and future challenges. The United States' position in the global economy is declining, in part because U.S. workers lack fundamental knowledge in these fields. To address the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce, A Framework for K-12 Science Education proposes a new approach to K-12 science education that will capture students' interest and provide them with the necessary foundational knowledge in the field. A Framework for K-12 Science Education outlines a broad set of expectations for students in science and engineering in grades K-12. These expectations will inform the development of new standards for K-12 science education and, subsequently, revisions to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development for educators. This book identifies three dimensions that convey the core ideas and practices around which science and engineering education in these grades should be built. These three dimensions are: crosscutting concepts that unify the study of science through their common application across science and engineering; scientific and engineering practices; and disciplinary core ideas in the physical sciences, life sciences, and earth and space sciences and for engineering, technology, and the applications of science. The overarching goal is for all high school graduates to have sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on science-related issues, be careful consumers of scientific and technical information, and enter the careers of their choice. A Framework for K-12 Science Education is the first step in a process that can inform state-level decisions and achieve a research-grounded basis for improving science instruction and learning across the country. The book will guide standards developers, teachers, curriculum designers, assessment developers, state and district science administrators, and educators who teach science in informal environments.