Science Stories Science Methods for Elementary and Middle School Teachers

by Koch, Janice

• ISBN13: 9780618376476
• ISBN10: 061837647X
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-04-19
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

Using narratives about science in the classroom as a tool for teaching and learning, this text helps prepare teachers to build their own knowledge--through a constructivist approach--and learn from students' experiences. Each science story presents actual classroom scenarios that demonstrate content, learning, and strategies in action. Stories are followed by "Expanding Meanings" sections, as well as coverage of the "Teaching Ideas," "Science Ideas," and "Science Standards" applicable to each one. Broadened coverage includes science stories from grades six through eight; the corresponding passages address concepts and issues relevant to middle school students. Coverage of standards includes National Science Education Standards and an emphasis on the National Education Technology Standards from ISTE. Marginal icons highlight these for easy reference. The chapter on assessment has been expanded to include information on technology-enhanced methods, using such tools as PowerPoint and concept maps.

Table of Contents

Preface	xix
Part One: The Scientist Within	1	(54)
An Invitation to Teaching Science	2	(31)
Focusing Questions	2	(1)
What Is Science, and Why Teach It?	3	(5)
Science as a Process, a Set of Ideas, and a Set of Attitudes	3	(3)
The Nature of Science	6	(1)
The Value of Teaching Science	7	(1)
How Do Students Learn Science?	8	(6)
Key Tenets of Constructivist Theory	8	(4)
Implications for Teaching	12	(2)
Science Story: Listening to Students' Ideas	14	(2)
Science Story: The Search for Understanding: A Toaster Story	16	(3)
Standards for Science Education	19	(2)
Issues of Diversity	21	(3)
Questions to Ask About Your Students	21	(1)
Connecting Science to All Students	22	(2)
The Role of Technology	24	(4)
Technology Education Standards	25	(1)
Ways of Using Technology	26	(1)
Issues of Technology Access	27	(1)
Structure of This Book	28	(2)
Part One: The Scientist Within	28	(1)
Part Two: Doing Science with Students: Inquiry in Practice	28	(1)
Part Three: Creating the Science Experience in Your Classroom	29	(1)
Becoming a Science Teacher	30	(3)
Key Terms	30	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	31	(2)
Locating Your Scientific Self	33	(22)
Focusing Questions	33	(2)
Science Story: Why the Balloon Doesn't Pop: An Experience for New Teachers	33	(2)
Teachers as Scientists	35	(1)
Beliefs About Science: We Teach What We Think	36	(2)
What Is a Scientist? Stereotype Versus Reality	38	(6)
Drawing a Scientist	38	(3)
Interviewing a Scientist	41	(3)
Reflective Practice I: Your Science Autobiography	44	(2)
Writing Your Science Autobiography	45	(1)
Reflecting on Your Science Autobiography	45	(1)
Reflective Practice II: Keeping a Science Journal	46	(6)
A Bird Story: Sample Entries from a Science Journal	47	(4)
Learning from Your Science Journal	51	(1)
Some Guidelines for Your Own Science Journal	52	(1)
The Inner Scientist	52	(3)
Key Terms	53	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	53	(2)
Part Two: Doing Science with Students: Inquiry in Practice	55	(198)
The Teacher as Mediator	56	(30)
Focusing Questions	56	(1)
Science Story: The Bottle and the Balloon	57	(3)
Expanding Meanings	58	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind This Story	58	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind This Story	59	(1)
The Science Standards Behind This Story	59	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	59	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	60	(1)
Helping Students Construct Meaning	60	(4)
Prior Knowledge	61	(1)
Valuing the Students' Thinking	61	(1)
Mediating the Students' Learning	62	(2)
Science Story: Jcicles	64	(9)
The Next Day: From Icicles to Ice Cubes	69	(1)
Expanding Meanings	69	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind This Story	69	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind This Story	70	(1)
The Science Standards Behind This Story	71	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	72	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	72	(1)
Mediation and Alternative Conceptions	73	(2)
Science Story: The ``Skin'' of Water	75	(9)
An Experiment to Explore Shondra's Question	75	(3)
Further Experiments and Discussion	78	(1)
More Challenges	79	(2)
Expanding Meanings	81	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind This Story	81	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind This Story	82	(1)
The Science Standards Behind This Story	83	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	83	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	83	(1)
Students as Knowers	84	(2)
Key Terms	85	(1)
The Science Circus: Using the Skills of Scientific Study	86	(18)
Focusing Questions	86	(1)
The Science Circus	87	(1)
Science Story: The Circus Comes to Mount Holly	88	(13)
An Old Log	88	(2)
The Soda Can	90	(1)
Crazy Rocks	91	(1)
The Leaky Faucet	91	(2)
The Penny in the Pie Pan	93	(1)
Three Types of Soil	94	(1)
The Weather Station	95	(1)
Expanding Meanings	96	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind This Story	96	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind This Story	97	(1)
The Science Standards Behind This Story	98	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	99	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	100	(1)
Science in the Classroom and in Everyday Life	101	(1)
Family Science Night	101	(3)
Key Terms	103	(1)
Making Connections: Science in the Students' Own Environment	104	(22)
Focusing Questions	104	(1)
Diversity Within and Without	105	(3)
Seeing the Larger Picture: Content Plus Context	105	(2)
From Alienation to Inclusion	107	(1)
Science Corners	108	(9)
Making the Science Corner an Interactive Experience	108	(3)
Connections to Literature and Other Subjects	111	(2)
Sample Science Corners from Around the Country	113	(2)
Field Trips	115	(2)
Science Story: Making Connections, Inside and Outside the Classroom	117	(8)
The Osage	117	(1)
A Snow Story	118	(1)
Two Seashores	118	(2)
Investigating a Natural Disaster	120	(1)
Coconuts Outside the Door	120	(1)
Expanding Meanings	121	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind These Stories	121	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind These Stories	122	(1)
The Science Standards Behind These Stories	123	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	123	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	124	(1)
The Daily Life of the Classroom	125	(1)
Key Terms	125	(1)
Science Is Not Neat: Explorations of Matter	126	(15)
Focusing Questions	126	(1)
Classifying	126	(1)
Science Story: Exploring Solids, Liquids, and Gases	127	(5)
Science Story: Mysterious Matter	132	(5)
Expanding Meanings	133	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind These Stories	133	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind These Stories	134	(1)
The Science Standards Behind These Stories	135	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	135	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	135	(2)
If It's So Messy, Can It Be Science?	137	(4)
Messiness in the Classroom	137	(1)
Messiness in the Categories	138	(2)
Key Terms	140	(1)
Sustained Inquiry: Explorations of Living Things	141	(31)
Focusing Questions	141	(1)
Science Story: What Does It Mean to Be Alive?	142	(4)
What Makes a Rabbit Real?	142	(1)
Are Plants Alive?	143	(1)
Expanding Meanings	144	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind These Stories	144	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind These Stories	144	(1)
The Science Standards Behind These Stories	145	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	145	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	145	(1)
Plants and Animals in Your Science Corner	146	(1)
Science Story: From Seed to Plant: A Failed Experiment	146	(2)
Science Story: What's Inside a Seed?	148	(9)
The Following Days: Germination Bags	150	(4)
Expanding Meanings	154	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind These Stories	154	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind These Stories	155	(1)
The Science Standards Behind These Stories	156	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	156	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	156	(1)
Science Story: Planting in a Vacant Lot	157	(1)
Science Story: When Is a Vegetable a Fruit?	157	(5)
Expanding Meanings	160	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind These Stories	160	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind These Stories	161	(1)
The Science Standards Behind These Stories	161	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	161	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	162	(1)
A Classroom Invertebrate	162	(1)
Science Story: A Book of Snails	163	(6)
Expanding Meanings	167	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind This Story	167	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind This Story	167	(1)
The Science Standards Behind These Stories	168	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	168	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	168	(1)
Working Together to Conduct Investigations Over Time	169	(3)
Key Terms	170	(2)
Spiraling Curriculum: Explorations of Density	172	(29)
Focusing Questions	172	(1)
Science Story: Looking at Liquids	173	(8)
The Next Day: Building Science Toys to Illustrate Density	177	(1)
Expanding Meanings	178	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind This Story	178	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind This Story	178	(2)
The Science Standards Behind This Story	180	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	180	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	180	(1)
Science Story: Delving Deeper into Density	181	(3)
The Floating Egg	181	(1)
Expanding Meanings	182	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind This Story	182	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind This Story	183	(1)
The Science Standards Behind This Story	183	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	183	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	183	(1)
Extending Curriculum: Taking Advantage of Emerging Relevance	184	(1)
Science Story: Floating and Sinking Fruits	185	(4)
Expanding Meanings	188	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind This Story	188	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind This Story	188	(1)
The Science Standards Behind This Story	188	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	189	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	189	(1)
Looking Back to Look Ahead	189	(1)
Science Story: Apples, Potatoes, and Density	190	(10)
The Following Days: Further Tests and Measurements	195	(2)
Expanding Meanings	197	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind This Story	197	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind This Story	197	(1)
The Science Standards Behind This Story	198	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	199	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	199	(1)
``Replacement'' of Understandings	200	(1)
Key Terms	200	(1)
Making Models: Explorations of the Solar System	201	(22)
Focusing Questions	201	(1)
The Usefulness of Models	202	(1)
Science Story: An Edible Solar System	203	(8)
Expanding Meanings	208	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind This Story	208	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind This Story	208	(2)
The Science Standards Behind This Story	210	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	210	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	210	(1)
Models and Meaning	211	(1)
Science Story: A Model Orbit	212	(3)
Expanding Meanings	214	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind This Story	214	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind This Story	214	(1)
The Science Standards Behind This Story	214	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	215	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	215	(1)
Science Story: Shapes of the Moon	215	(6)
Modeling the Moon Phases	217	(1)
Expanding Meanings	218	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind This Story	218	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind This Story	218	(1)
The Science Standards Behind These Stories	219	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	219	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	220	(1)
Using Moon-Phase Journals	221	(2)
Key Terms	221	(2)
Expanding the Science ``Box'': Explorations of Electricity and Atoms	223	(30)
Focusing Questions	223	(1)
Science Story: Batteries, Bulbs, and Wires	224	(2)
Science Story: Batteries, Bulbs, and Wires Revisited	226	(10)
The Next Day: Lighting a Shoebox House	232	(2)
Expanding Meanings	234	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind These Stories	234	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind These Stories	234	(1)
The Science Standards Behind These Stories	235	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	236	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	236	(1)
Thinking About Teaching and Learning	236	(2)
Science Story: Making Models of Atoms	238	(12)
Exploring the History of Atomic Theory	239	(2)
Mystery Boxes	241	(1)
Discussing the Nucleus	241	(2)
The Periodic Table	243	(1)
The Atom Design Challenge	243	(4)
Expanding Meanings	247	(1)
The Teaching Ideas Behind This Story	247	(1)
The Science Ideas Behind This Story	248	(1)
The Science Standards Behind This Story	249	(1)
Questions for Further Exploration	249	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	249	(1)
Design Technology	250	(3)
Key Terms	251	(2)
Part Three: Creating the Science Experience in Your Classroom	253	(134)
Planning for Science: Lesson Plans and Instructional Strategies	254	(26)
Focusing Questions	254	(1)
An Activity Is Not a Lesson	254	(1)
Planning the Lesson	255	(6)
A Planning Guide	256	(3)
If I Know It, Do I Have to Write It?	259	(1)
Time Allotment	259	(1)
After the Planning, the Letting Go!	260	(1)
The Role of Questioning	261	(3)
Types of Questions	261	(2)
A Word About Wait Time	263	(1)
Science Learning Groups: Creating an Environment for Cooperative Learning	264	(6)
Cooperative Learning Groups	264	(1)
Constructivism and Small-Group Learning	265	(2)
Scientific Investigation and Group Learning	267	(1)
Structuring Cooperative Learning Groups in Your Classroom	267	(3)
Inclusive Science Education	270	(6)
Science and the Inclusion Model	271	(1)
Classroom Strategies for Doing Science with Students with Disabilities	272	(4)
Questions for Your Own Reflection	276	(4)
Key Terms	277	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	277	(3)
Science and Technology: A Seamless Connection	280	(22)
Focusing Questions	280	(1)
The Meanings and Uses of Technology	281	(4)
The National Educational Technology Standards	282	(1)
Integrating Technology with Instruction and Learning	283	(1)
The Need to Know	284	(1)
Making Observations and Gathering Data	285	(5)
Obtaining Information from the Web	285	(3)
Instruments with Computer Interfaces	288	(1)
Video Cameras: Extending Our Senses	289	(1)
Internet Projects and Collaboration	290	(1)
Web-Based Projects	290	(1)
Science Story: A WebQuest on Marine Organisms	291	(4)
Underwater Adventure	291	(1)
Mission	291	(2)
Resources	293	(1)
Conclusion	294	(1)
Extending Student Collaboration Through Email	294	(1)
Using Commercial Software for Science Instruction	295	(1)
Evaluating Software	295	(1)
Internet Resources for Teachers	296	(3)
Gateway Sites	296	(1)
Lesson Plans on the Web	297	(2)
Technology and Learning: Some Concluding Thoughts	299	(3)
Key Terms	300	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	300	(2)
Science Content and Curriculum: The Big Ideas and Your Scientific Self	302	(48)
Focusing Questions	302	(1)
Making Big Ideas Your Own Ideas	303	(1)
Ways of Thinking About Science Topics	304	(2)
Systems	306	(16)
The Solar System	306	(3)
Thinking About Systems: The Interconnection of Parts	309	(1)
Human Body Systems	310	(6)
Thinking About Systems: Noticing Similarities and Differences	316	(1)
Simple Machines	316	(4)
Thinking About Systems: Simple Machines as Systems	320	(2)
Thinking About Systems: The Benchmarks for Science Literacy	322	(1)
Interactions and Patterns of Change	322	(17)
Heat Energy and Matter	323	(2)
Thinking About Interactions: Chemical and Physical Changes	325	(3)
Thinking About Interactions: Links Between Interactions and Systems	328	(1)
Electricity	329	(2)
Light	331	(2)
Thinking About Interactions: Making Connections: From Electricity to Heat and Light	333	(2)
Sound	335	(2)
Thinking About Interactions: Sound Energy and Musical Instruments	337	(1)
Magnetism	337	(2)
From Content to Curriculum	339	(5)
Who Creates the Curriculum? National Influence and Local Control	340	(1)
MST (Mathematics, Science, and Technology) Curriculum	341	(2)
Other Interdisciplinary Trends	343	(1)
Developing Curriculum Units	344	(6)
Aligning a Unit of Study with the Standard	345	(1)
Selecting Activities	345	(1)
What Is Missing?	346	(1)
A Checklist for the Science Curriculum	346	(1)
Key Terms	347	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	347	(3)
What's the Big Idea? Assessing What Students Know and Are Able to Do	350	(26)
Focusing Questions	350	(1)
Assessment and Testing	351	(1)
Assessment and the Instructional Context	352	(1)
Using Science Journals for Assessment	353	(5)
A Sample Structure for a Science Journal	353	(3)
Integrating Technology with Science Journals	356	(1)
Drawing Pictures and Telling Stories	357	(1)
Evaluating Student Journals	357	(1)
Using Science Portfolios for Assessment	358	(2)
Evaluating Student Portfolios	359	(1)
Using Science Conversations for Assessment	360	(1)
Using Technology to Assess Understanding	361	(5)
Concept Maps	362	(1)
Concept Cartoons	363	(1)
Electronic Presentations	364	(2)
Multiple Types of Performances	366	(1)
Science Story: Third Graders Enact the Water Cycle	367	(1)
Science Story: Second Graders Do a Station Assessment for a Unit on Matter	368	(2)
Assessment and National Standards	370	(3)
Teaching, Learning, and Assessing	373	(3)
Key Terms	374	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	374	(2)
Pulling It All Together: Reflection and Self-Assessment	376	(11)
Focusing Questions	376	(1)
Your Scientific Self	376	(3)
Becoming a Reflective Teacher	379	(1)
Developing a Personal Philosophy	379	(1)
Professional Development	380	(3)
Networking in the Profession	380	(1)
Promotion and Certification Requirements	380	(2)
Further Means of Professional Development	382	(1)
How Am I Doing? A Guide to Self-Evaluation	383	(1)
Looking Back to Look Ahead: A New Chapter in Your Science Autobiography	383	(4)
Key Terms	386	(1)
Resources for Further Exploration	386	(1)
More Resources for Teachers	387	(10)
Glossary	397	(14)
References	411	(8)
Index	419