Chapter 9: S-c-i-e-n-c-e in Our Class Spells Fun!

When a class of third graders investigate how sleep impacts their ability to learn, they had no idea how relevant their study was to current cutting edge scientific research on learning and sleep. Click here to view.

"In my 4 years of teaching thus far, I have been exposed to various science curriculums that claimed to be research based, hands on, and full of fun laboratory activities for the students. To my surprise, this particular science model encompassed more than I had imagined."

What results when eight and nine year olds examine error bars to analyze data and make decisions about their hypothesis?

"By letting my student explain the meaning of the error bars to the class, the students were able to argue for their hypothesis based on the data they had collected."

"Their faces lit up with excitement as they realized that their RIP [Research Investigation Process] was successful and their hypothesis had been supported! For the first time, I saw my class really enjoy the combined learning of language arts skills, science processes, and math concepts all in one project."