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Title: Elementary daily schedules: Comprehensiveness, frequency, and consistency of science
Science in the elementary grades is often deprioritized in comparison to ELA and mathematics. We wondered, how comprehensively, frequently, and consistently is science in elementary schools’ schedules? In this study, we reviewed daily schedules for 14 schools in 9 districts across the U.S. to qualitatively examine how science is represented on the daily instructional schedule. These schools were selected as “best case scenarios” recommended by district or state science leaders as places where science is taken seriously. We complement these schedule data with data from 21 interviews with teachers, science specialists, and school leaders to better understand how science actually appears in children’s daily instructional experiences. Our findings suggest that, in these schools, science is taught comprehensively (though not as comprehensively as ELA or mathematics), has the potential for being taught frequently (even in the lower elementary grades), and is taught somewhat consistently (albeit usually in some kind of rotation with social studies). The paper closes with implications for how school schedules could be crafted to make science comprehensive, frequent, and consistent, as well as some pitfalls that could be avoided as schedules are developed.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1761057
PAR ID:
10419452
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
NARST 96th Annual International Conference
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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