Based upon the Teaching Integrated Mathematics and Science (TIMS) teacher enhancement materials,l complete K-6 and science materials will be developed. Students will spend about half their time doing hands-on quantitative experiments and activities, a fourth of their time involved in open ended problem solving, and a fourth of their time learning methods of arithmetic. The classroom materials produced by the project will include a total of 140 hands-on experiments which combine knowledge of significant science and mathematics (each of which takes about five class periods to complete), problem solving modules, a textbook, and an adventure book. Students will pursue problems in small groups, discover relationships through experiments, and discuss their results. They will gather, graph, and analyze data. They will, through sequences of questions about the experiments, make conjectures, find alternative methods, discuss connections, verify conclusions, and reinforce skills. Support for the curriculum will include extensive teacher materials in addition to a teacher preparation textbook, an inservice/staff development program,l an assessment package, and a program for parent involvement. The curriculum will make extensive use of appropriate technologies including calculators and computers. Teachers' pedagogical skill and knowledge should increase through use of these materials. Evaluation of the project encompasses both formative evaluation during the pilot test phase and summative evaluation during the field test phase. As part of the summative evaluation, the children's growth in conceptual development, the children's attitudes, and the teachers' attitudes and knowledge will all be studied and compared with other curricula.
