Exploring Safely A Guide To Elementary Teachers

Take the fear out of science lessons. This easy-to-digest book relieves many of the safety worries that come with teaching science in elementary school. The emphasis is on positive options for heading off potential hazzards, from handling special equipment to conducting field studies. Chapters cover: making safe work habits second nature to students; equipping your classroom for safety and convenience, including organizational systems for preparation, setup, and cleanup; choosing and culturing live plants and animals for classroom study; and working safely with electricitiy, chemicals, and volunteers. A special added ingredient: model forms that can be adapted for your needs, including permission slips and student contracts. Best of all, a wealth of anecdotes about what works, and what doesn't, in real-life classrooms makes Exploring Safely enjoyable to read as well as to reference.

ItOCOs a safety resource your classroom should not be without! As attractive as a poster and as convenient to use as a calendar, the completely updated Safety in the Elementary Classroom flipchart is a quick-read resource on how to prevent or solve safety problems as they arise. It offers step-by-step instructions on such essential topics as: .: .; In case of accident.; Fire protection.; Plants in the classroom.; First aid.; Animals in the classroom.; Field trips.; Fire prevention and control.; Storage and labeling.; Safe use of equipment and materials."

What do aspiring and practicing elementary science teacher education faculty need to know as they plan and carry out instruction for future elementary science teachers? This scholarly and practical guide for science teacher educators outlines the theory, principles, and strategies needed, and provides classroom examples anchored to those principles. The theoretical and empirical foundations are supported by scholarship in the field, and the practical examples are derived from activities, lessons, and units field-tested in the authors’ elementary science methods courses. Designing and Teaching the Elementary Science Methods Course is grounded in the theoretical framework of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), which describes how teachers transform subject matter knowledge into viable instruction in their discipline. Chapters on science methods students as learners, the science methods course curriculum, instructional strategies, methods course assessment, and the field experience help readers develop their PCK for teaching prospective elementary science teachers. "Activities that Work" and "Tools for Teaching the Methods Course" provide useful examples for putting this knowledge into action in the elementary science methods course.

Inquiry is the fundamental first step in the learning process, and oftentimes the least understood. This finely edited volume enables educators to visualize inquiry as the unifying knowledge base to guide students through all major subject areas. It's a must-have guide for exploring ways to integrate concepts across different content areas.

Authors Susan Koba and Carol Mitchell introduce teachers of grades 3- 5 to their conceptual framework for successful instruction of hard-to-teach science concepts. Their methodology comprises four steps: (1) engage students about their preconceptions and address their thinking; (2) target lessons to be learned; (3) determine appropriate strategies; and (4) use Standards-based teaching that builds on student understandings. The authors not only explain how to use their framework but also provide a variety of tools and examples of its application on four hard-to-teach foundational concepts: the flow of energy and matter in ecosystems, force and motion, matter and its transformation, and Earth's shape. Both preservice and inservice elementary school teachers will find this approach appealing, and the authors' engaging writing style and user-friendly tables help educators adapt the method with ease.

This edited volume showcases current science education research in Canada, from pre-Kindergarten to Grade 7, conducted in Canada by a diverse group of researchers from across the country. We draw on the themes that emerged from our previous book, Science Education in Canada: Consistencies, Commonalities, and Distinctions, to guide the structure of this book on elementary science education research. In particular, chapters on science teacher preparation; Indigenous perspectives; environmental education; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); and science, technology, society, and the environment (STSE) reflect a Canadian perspective. However, these themes are of global interest and authors include ideas for how science education research in Canada might be used by academics and researchers in other countries. This book builds a cohesive picture of current elementary science education research in Canada, highlighting themes that will resonate with international readers.