The Really Useful Elementary Science Book

Amongst the challenges that elementary teachers may often face as they introduce their students to science is the need to maintain a solid understanding of the many scientific concepts and details themselves. This indispensible resource, intended for pre- and in-service elementary school teachers, provides concise and comprehensible explanation of key concepts across science disciplines. Organized around the National Science Education Standards, the book tackles the full range of the elementary curriculum including life sciences, ecological sciences, physical sciences, and earth sciences. Although not a methods text, the clear and accessible definitions offered by veteran teacher educator Jeffrey Bloom will nonetheless help teachers understand science concepts to the degree to which they can develop rich and exciting inquiry approaches to exploring these concepts with children. Perfect as a companion to any elementary science methods textbook or as a stand alone reference for practitioners, The Really Useful Elementary Science Book is a resource teachers will want to reach for again and again.

The Really Useful Book of Science Experiments contains 100 simple-to-do science experiments that can be confidently carried out by any teacher in a primary school classroom with minimal (or no!) specialist equipment needed. The experiments in this book are broken down into easily manageable sections including: It’s alive: experiments that explore our living world, including the human body, plants, ecology and disease A material world: experiments that explore the materials that make up our world and their properties, including metals, acids and alkalis, water and elements Let’s get physical: experiments that explore physics concepts and their applications in our world, including electricity, space, engineering and construction Something a bit different: experiments that explore interesting and unusual science areas, including forensic science, marine biology and volcanology. Each experiment is accompanied by a ‘subject knowledge guide’, filling you in on the key science concepts behind the experiment. There are also suggestions for how to adapt each experiment to increase or decrease the challenge. The text does not assume a scientific background, making it incredibly accessible, and links to the new National Curriculum programme of study allow easy connections to be made to relevant learning goals. This book is an essential text for any primary school teacher, training teacher or classroom assistant looking to bring the exciting world of science alive in the classroom.

The Really Useful Primary Design and Technology Book brings together essential subject knowledge and pedagogy to support and inspire those planning to teach D&T in the primary school. Offering comprehensive coverage of the 2014 National Curriculum, as well as exciting ideas to extend beyond it, the book is packed full of everything the busy teacher needs to be able to develop children’s key skills and techniques, and a range of big and small projects to put them into practice. With crucial subject knowledge explained in detail, useful ‘How To’ guides at the end of each chapter reinforce the skills and technology covered with instructions for making a variety of models. Sets of lesson plans include information on the resources needed to support both more and less able children, and assessment guidance, ‘Top Tips’ and ‘Things to Consider’ provide extra help and inspiration. Key topics covered include: cooking and nutrition textiles and the design cycle IT control and monitoring mechanisms structures electronic systems the roles and responsibilities of the DT leader assessment of D&T. The Really Useful Primary Design and Technology Book provides all the information a new teacher needs to be able to teach D&T confidently, and with valuable cross-curricular links and photocopiable templates, even experienced teachers and subject leaders will find fresh inspiration for their lessons.

In an increasingly complex world the natural human inclination is to oversimplify issues and problems to make them seem more comprehensible and less threatening. This tendency usually generates forms of dogmatism that diminish our ability to think creatively and to develop worthy talents. Fortunately, complexity theory is giving us ways to make sense of intricate, evolving phenomena. This book represents a broad, interdisciplinary application of complexity theory to a wide variety of phenomena in general education, STEM education, learner diversity and special education, social-emotional development, organizational leadership, urban planning, and the history of philosophy. The contributors provide nuanced analyses of the structures and dynamics of complex adaptive systems in these academic and professional fields.

How can a potato be a battery? How quickly will a shark find you? What food should you take with you when climbing a mountain? The Really Useful Book of Secondary Science Experiments presents 101 exciting, ‘real-world’ science experiments that can be confidently carried out by any KS3 science teacher in a secondary school classroom. It offers a mix of classic experiments together with fresh ideas for investigations designed to engage students, help them see the relevance of science in their own lives and develop a passion for carrying out practical investigations. Covering biology, chemistry and physics topics, each investigation is structured as a problem-solving activity, asking engaging questions such as, ‘How can fingerprints help solve a crime?’, or ‘Can we build our own volcano?’ Background science knowledge is given for each experiment, together with learning objectives, a list of materials needed, safety and technical considerations, detailed method, ideas for data collection, advice on how to adapt the investigations for different groups of students, useful questions to ask the students and suggestions for homework. Additionally, there are ten ideas for science based projects that can be carried out over a longer period of time, utilising skills and knowledge that students will develop as they carrying out the different science investigations in the book. The Really Useful Book of Secondary Science Experiments will be an essential source of support and inspiration for all those teaching in the secondary school classroom, running science clubs and for parents looking to challenge and excite their children at home.

The difference between heat and temperature -- Heat transfer -- Light -- Concepts to support Lower Key Stage 2 -- Sources of light -- Light and seeing -- Light and dark -- Concepts to support Key Stage 2 -- The behaviour of waves -- Light waves -- Straight-line travel -- The reflection and absorption of light -- Shadows -- Transmission -- Refraction -- Thought experiment answer -- Sound -- Concepts to support Key Stage 2 -- Sound waves -- The speed of sound -- Further concepts to support Key Stage 2 -- The reflection of sound -- The absorption of sound -- The transmission of sound -- Pitch -- Loudness -- Key idea 4.1 summary -- Key Idea 4.2: Forces -- Introduction -- Concepts to support Key Stages 1 and 2 -- Some definitions -- The effects of forces: The laws of motion -- The first law of motion -- Momentum -- The second law of motion -- Gravity -- The difference between mass and weight -- Falling objects -- The third law of motion -- The effects of forces: Change of shape -- Further concepts to support Key Stage 2 -- Pressure -- Forces in action -- Friction -- Upthrust -- Displacement -- Floating and sinking -- Objects weighed in air and water -- Mechanisms -- Key idea 4.2 summary -- Key Idea 4.3: The Earth and Beyond -- Introduction -- Concepts to support Key Stages 1 and 2 -- The solar system -- Day and night -- The seasons -- The Earth and the Moon -- The orbit and rotation of the Moon -- The phases of the Moon -- The solar system and beyond -- Galaxies -- Intergalactic space -- A cosmic address -- Key idea 4.3 summary -- Physics: Schools National Curriculum Coverage and Progression -- Appendix: Symbols Used in Drawing Circuit Diagrams -- Index