This article describes common misconceptions held by elementary students about the history of the polar regions, fossils, and geologic time. The article provides ideas for formative assessment, teaching strategies, and the National Science Education Standards.

This article describes some common misconceptions that elementary students may have about oceans. It also includes suggestions for formative assessment and teaching for conceptual change.

This article describes some common misconceptions that elementary students may have about plants. It also includes suggestions for formative assessment and teaching for conceptual change.

This article lists common misconceptions about states and changes of matter and the water cycle. It provides formative assessment probes and information about teaching for conceptual change.

This article describes common misconceptions about the Arctic and Antarctica and how to test and teach for student understanding.

This article describes common misconceptions held by elementary students about the cause of day and night and seasons. The article provides ideas for formative assessment, teaching strategies, and the National Science Education Standards.

This article describes some common misconceptions that elementary students may have about energy, heat, and insulation. It also includes suggestions for formative assessment and teaching for conceptual change.

This article describes some common misconceptions that elementary students may have about icebergs and glaciers (including density and buoyancy). It also includes suggestions for formative assessment and teaching for conceptual change.

This article lists common misconceptions about light, heat, and the sun. It provides formative assessment probes and information about teaching for conceptual change.

This article lists common misconceptions about mammals. It provides formative assessment probes and information about teaching for conceptual change.

This article lists common misconceptions about weather, climate change, and the polar regions. It provides formative assessment probes and information about teaching for conceptual change.

This article lists common misconceptions about weathering, erosion, volcanoes, and earthquakes. It provides formative assessment probes and information about teaching for conceptual change.

This article describes six collaborative and real data projects that engage elementary students in collecting and sharing local data and communicating with students across the country and world.

This article highlights the five essential components of cooperative learning, provides a quick overview of the research behind the strategy, describes three of the most common types, and offers ideas on how to get started using cooperative learning at the elementary level.

In this lesson, students will explain CRaTER's purpose and how it works. They will also design (using paper and pencil) a cosmic ray detector to answer their own questions. CRaTER's purpose is to identify safe landing sites for future human missions to the moon; discover potential resources on the Moon; and characterize the radiation environment of the Moon. The lesson includes background information for the teacher, questions, and information about student preconceptions. This is lesson 4 of 4 from "The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation."

Students learn about the many types of expenses associated with building a bridge. Working like engineers, they estimate the cost for materials for a bridge member of varying sizes. After making calculations, they graph their results to compare how costs change depending on the use of different materials (steel vs. concrete). They conclude by creating a proposal for a city bridge design based on their findings.

This article discusses how creating Readers Theater scripts from informational text can improve fluency and build comprehension.

Students will build and launch Magnus Effect gliders and measure the distance they fly. They will analyze the data to judge which material gives the glider the most distance. Then they may do the same process for other variables.

Students construct a bridge that will get Cupid to his destination and withstand all of his Valentines. They will build a bridge with only candy hearts and toothpicks.

This article describes how curriculum compacting can be used to meet the needs of gifted students within the regular classroom.