Teaching Science for Understanding in Elementary and Middle Schools

Even though there is an unending supply of science textbooks, kits, and other resources, the practice of teaching science is more challenging than simply setting up an experiment. In Teaching Science for Understanding in Elementary and Middle Schools, Wynne Harlen focuses on why developing understanding is essential in science education and how best to engage students in activities that deepen their curiosity about the world and promote enjoyment of science.

Teaching Science for Understanding in Elementary and Middle Schools centers on how to build on the ideas your students already have to cultivate the thinking and skills necessary for developing an understanding of the scientific aspects of the world, including:

• helping students develop and use the skills of investigation
• drawing conclusions from data through analyzing, interpreting, and explaining
• creating classrooms that encourage students to explain and justify their thinking
• asking productive questions to support students’ understanding.

Through classroom vignettes, examples, and practical suggestions at the end of each chapter, Wynne provides a compelling vision of what can be achieved through science education…and strategies that you can implement in your classroom right now.