Designing Everyday Things: Integrated Projects for the Elementary Classroom

School Science and Mathematics, Jan 1997 by Singer, Jonathan E

Authors

Helen Clayfield and Robyn Hyatt Heinemann Cambridge University Press A division of Reed Elsevier Inc. 361 Hanover, NH 03801-3912 1993; 97 pages Paperback; $14.50 Reviewer

Jonathan E. Singer

Southwestern Bell Science Education Center University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO 65211

This book provides a means for elementary teachers to introduce the topic of technology. Grade level is not specified beyond "elementary," but after reviewing the projects and the materials involved, I would have to recommend grades 4 through 6. The authors develop the topic of technology through the use of hands-on and integrated science projects. The book is formatted into four distinct sections, Teacher Information, Materials, Design, and Energy Source. The initial section, Teacher Information, clearly defines the concept of technology and develops the methodology for its introduction. This beginning portion also contains a teacher-friendly equipment list (which contains diagrams), safety guidelines, and organizational suggestions for the items needed for the described projects. The remaining three sections contain descriptions of various projects. The remaining three sections all contain descriptions of various projects. Section 2, Materials, contains projects that allow students to study the properties of various substances (soap bubbles to plastics). Section 3, Design, contains projects that demonstrate to students the relationship between structure and function. The last chapter, Energy Source, involves the use of projects concerned with various forms of energy. A strength of this book is the way the projects are tied to other subject matter, especially language arts.

The best utilization for this book would be to use it as a teacher resource for project ideas and methods for integrating science across the curriculum, as well as how to introduce and execute the concepts of technology and engineering. The strength of this book is in the initial chapter which does a superior job of introducing the concept of technology, and provides strong teacher support for project design and implementation.

Despite the strength of the first chapter, the book does have a couple of limitations. Although the project descriptions include several variables to manipulate, avenues for further investigation and assessment methods, they do not provide any supplemental information of scientific laws or concepts being manipulated. The lack of teacher support in this area could prevent teachers who have a limited science background from fully grasping how to develop and implement a basic technology unit. The other weakness of the book is that it ends prematurely. The first chapter describes how the technology "is a problem-solving process based on satisfying a need in a practical way." The logical conclusion to this book should then be a chapter on how to set up conditions in which the students can determine a need and then develop a solution.