This project is to do the research and development necessary to prepare trial instructional materials on microscopy and microscopes, how they work and how they used to answer questions in different fields of science K-12 schools. The intent of this proposal is to develop a preliminary teaching guide and kit (a test module)which provides an integrated constructivists approach to science learning by using the microscope to discover knowledge in life, earth and physical sciences. The materials will be developed in collaboration with the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, California. A unique opportunity is available to test the materials with the Excellence in Teaching Elementary Science (EXCITES) Program within is an NSF funded project to be held at the University of California at Davis during the summer of 1993. The project includes a follow-up fall workshop for revisions and additional development, with continued participation and testing by the EXCITES teachers in the summers of 1994 and 1995. This phase of the project will culminate with a curriculum guide which has been tested for three years and ready for national distribution.
