Great Books

 Solidly grounded in current recommendations of the National Science Education Standards, this text offers teaching guidance and strategies for physical, biological, and earth science courses for middle school, junior high, and high school. The authors' extensive curriculum development experience imbues the text with a practical focus. Their collective knowledge of the field balances coverage of the theory and research behind the strategies they present. Also, inherent in the text is a description of the role of constructivism in science teaching and the connection between science and society including how technological development is driven by societal needs.   A seven-part organization includes an introduction, historical perspectives and contemporary trends, goals and objectives, curriculum perspectives, planning for instruction and assessment, understanding and working with students, and induction and professional development. For middle through secondary school science teachers.    

SCIENCE STORIES helps teachers build their own instructional knowledge through the use of narratives about science in real-world classrooms that demonstrate important content, learning, and strategies in action. Stories are followed by Expanding Meanings sections that highlight the Teaching Ideas, Science Ideas, and Science Standards applicable to each one. Author Janice Koch's constructivist approach guides teachers in the discovery and exploration of their "scientific selves" so that they can learn from students' experiences and become effective scientific explorers in their own classrooms.

This science methods textbook is designed to provide middle and high school science teachers with the skills they need to help students become scientifically and technologically literate.  To be successful, beginning teachers must master the basic functions of teaching.  They are:  Understanding the purpose of science teaching Planning science lessons that are engaging and lead to meaningful learning Managing the science learning environment in ways that emphasize student responsibility Assessing students science learning throughout the instructional process Teaching in a way that is both active and personally rewarding.     Once these basic skills have been mastered, then pre-service teachers are ready to tackle the other important topics relevant to science teaching and learning.  In order to meet this goal, the authors immediately engage their readers with six introductory chapters on these basic skills.  The remaining chapters focus on the foundational areas of science education and strategies for science teaching.  Many vignettes and examples of classroom practices are included to reinforce the chapter content.  The appendices provide Puzzling Situations, science demonstrations, science laboratory activities, and a scoring key for the science inventory found in Chapter One.    New To This Edition:   NEW:  Opens each of the six introductory chapters with revised vignettes that serve as advanced organizers of the chapter–Focuses on the basic functions of science teaching-purpose: planning, assessing, teaching, and managing.   NEW!  Correlates the chapter content with the NSTA/NCATE 2003 Professional Standards for Science Teacher Preparation–Facilitates the preparation of the NCATE review process at many universities.   NEW!  Uses backwards design strategies (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005) to guide the discussion of instructional planning in Chapter Three–Emphasizes unit planning (rather than lesson planning) and the state science standards. Guided by backward design strategies, the book stresses the use of state and locally developed curriculum frameworks and science literacy (strand) maps presented online by the National Science Digital Library.  NEW! Introduces a Beginning Science Teacher’s Checklist for evaluating lesson assessment practices (Chapter 4)–These three sections focus on assessment practices that should be addressed before, during, and after a lesson.   NEW!  Addresses Differentiated Instruction in Chapter 8 Diverse Adolescent Learners and Differentiated Instruction–Suggests ways teachers can address the diverse learning needs of today’s students.   NEW!  Emphasizes the use of Technological Tools of Science Learning such as computer data collection probe-ware and graphing calculators in Chapter 15–Discusses their use in student investigations.  NEW!  Addresses learning through talk and argumentation in sections of Chapter 11–Shows uses of discussion, demonstration, and lecture in science teaching.

For Elementary Science Methods courses. Streamlined to be more manageable in limited class time, the new edition of Methods for Teaching Elementary School Science has been crafted to be the text that best prepares pre-service teachers for today's science classroom. It accomplishes this by clearly modeling inquiry teaching and addressing the realities of the contemporary science classroom.

Many middle school teachers across the United States use student science notebooks as part of their classroom instruction. Some middle school teachers have a systematic approach for their use and some do not. Many who are not using student science notebooks would like to but are not sure exactly how to start. This book is designed to assist middle school teachers who are currently using student science notebooks as a part of their classroom science instruction by providing them with a systematic research-based approach to extend and build upon what they are presently doing. This book is also designed to assist middle school teachers who may be just starting using student science notebooks in their classrooms. The purpose of this book is threefold: 1) to provide middle school science classroom teachers with a deeper understanding on the use of student science notebooks as an effective means for students to make meaning and to develop a deep understanding of science content from their classroom instruction; 2) to provide middle school teachers with research-based best practices on how to implement student science notebooks in their classrooms; and 3) to provide teachers with effective research-based strategies to use student science notebooks as an effective assessment tool.

A team of highly respected scholars and teachers collaborates to create a fully integrated coverage of social studies content and teaching methods. Teaching the Social Sciences and History in Secondary Schools seriously addresses the topic of content in the social studies curriculum. Content-specific chapters are written by discipline experts; numerous teaching and learning activities are adaptable for use with secondary students.

By C. Jill Swango and Sally Boles Steward. This straightforward how-to manual is packed with ideas, examples, and tips that even veteran teachers will find noteworthy. Includes suggestions for safe and effective lab lessons, classroom management, assessment, and more. Filled with forms, quizzes, recipes, references, and correlations to NSE Standards. 133 pages. Grades 6-8.

For courses in Secondary Science Methods. Science Instruction in the Middle and Secondary Schools: Developing Fundamental Knowledge and Skills for Teaching has been thoroughly revised to provide the initial scaffolding needed by beginning teachers to understand and enact the basics of science teaching and learning. This new edition includes six new introductory chapters focusing on the basic functions of science teaching-purpose, planning, teaching, managing, and assessing.

Just as middle schoolers are wired to learn in active, hands-on ways, this book is wired to help you spark a vital connection to these students to keep them tuned-in to science. Doing Good Science in Middle School combines practical insights about adolescent learners with what master teachers know about how to shift from passive, textbook-centered instruction to inquiry-based investigations. Chapters cover the psychology of the middle school learner; why inquiry and collaboration are the cornerstones of good science; integrating science, literacy, math, and technology; classroom management and safety; plus additional resources and sample forms. But at the book s core are 10 must-do activities. All are developmentally appropriate, inquiry- and Standards-based lessons of use to teachers at all experience levels (including preservice). Doing Good Science is a truly comprehensive practitioner s guide. It brings you ideas for presenting curriculum, strategies for reaching all students, and a research basis for justifying your practices in the classroom all through a combination of humor and true stories from experienced educators who make a solid case for inquiry in real-world middle school.

Provides solutions for using inquiry-based teaching while meeting standardsThis compelling new text practices what it preaches-it uses the inquiry approach to teach the inquiry approach. The book is developed around six key questions: 1. What is science? 2. Why teach science? 3. What is the nature of scientific knowledge? 4. How do scientists construct knowledge? 5. How do people develop effective reasoning patterns? 6. What teaching methods best facilitate scientific knowledge acquisition? Key FeaturesFocus on inquiry teaching methods: This text shows teachers how to use inquiry-based teaching in a standards-based environment. Practical examples: Several examples of inquiry lessons are provided, along with examples of classroom management techniques, lesson planning procedures, and effective evaluation procedures. Research-based content: Written by a leader in the field, the book includes current and important research to frame the examples and methods. Ancillaries A password-protected instructor resources site at http://www.sagepub.com/lawsoninstr/ includes PowerPoint slides for each chapter, a test bank, chapter outlines with notes, Internet resources, and sample assignments.