Evidence-Based Science Activities in Grades 3–5

Dr. Patrick L. Brown, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of STEM and Career Education for the Fort Zumwalt School District in O’Fallon, Missouri.Dr. James P. Concannon, Ph.D., is the Director of the School of Education at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri.

"This book by Patrick Brown and Jim Concannon is a significant contribution to helping teachers achieve the vision of current science education reforms. It provides teachers with what they need. Both authors are experienced teachers and the activities provided in the book are all research based and classroom tested." —from the Foreword by Dr. Norman Lederman, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics and Science Education, Illinois Institute of Technology"Evidence-Based Science Activities in Grades 3-5 is for teachers who are struggling to implement the NGSS. To assist elementary teachers, each inquiry activity has extensive background, illustrations, related research and safety concerns that will assist students in learning science. The authors are veteran science educators with extensive interactions with elementary teachers."—Dr. Lloyd H. Barrow, Professor Emeritus, Science Education, University of Missouri

• 1. What are the Features of Evidence-Driven Science Activities? 2. Sequencing Science Instruction as a Pathway to Evidence-Driven Science Activities 3. Using Classroom Inquiry as a Pathway to Evidence-Driven Science Activities 4. Using Phenomenon-Based Teaching as Pathway to Evidence-Driven Science Activities 5. Connecting to Contemporary National Science Standards 6. Engage Students in Designing Experiments so Hands-on Science Does not Spiral out of Control 7. Students Use of the PSOE Model to Understand Weather and Climate 8. Two-Liter Bottles and Botanical Gardens: Using Inquiry to Learn Ecology 9. Enhancing Elementary Students' Experiences Learning About Circuits Using an Exploration-Explanation Instructional Sequence 10. Elementary Students’ Investigations in Natural Selection 11. Lessons Learned