Science Kits, Hands-on Activities Taking Place of Textbooks inElementary Grades SMITHFIELD-- Armed with the knowledge that science is an active, problem-solving subject that students understand better through hands-on activities, elementary science teachers in the Johnston County Schools are using kits this year to actually teach the subject. Johnston County Schools instructors studied possible texts and found that most did not cover more than 80% of the curriculum, so they overwhelmingly voted to opt for the hands-on approach to teaching science this year. Appropriate supplementary materials will be used to enhance the curriculum, but less time will be spent in the textbook, according to Cary Lane Cockrell, Director of Elementary Curriculum. "The only way to truly teach the content is through a hands-on approach," said Cockrell. "Traditionally, students who use only science books are not as likely to take upper level science classes in high school. They state that science is boring, hard, and uninteresting. With the kits, students will not only have fun but will learn a great deal also." The kits will be rotated each nine weeks between teachers in the same grade level.
