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You can probably expect students to enter the classroom with very little knowledge of what science is, how it works, and why it's so successful. Students also enter with a number of misconceptions, which should be addressed as they are discovered.
An excellent strategy that is effective for all types and levels of students is Phenomenon-Based Learning (PBL, not to be confused with the other PBLs). PBL builds knowledge of, and interest in, science as a result of observations of real-world phenomena, in this case, some interesting toys (“gadgets and gizmos”). The idea is to teach broader concepts and useful thinking and performance skills rather than asking students to simply memorize facts. (Memorizing facts is not science.) What happens is, students, working in groups, will investigate an interesting toy and, motivated by their own curiosity, explore and discover how it works and what sorts of science are involved. So the approach to learning is based on reasoning, curiosity, creativity, and fun!
Students can start from whatever level they’re at and advance from there along with fellow group members.
If you’d like to try this, NSTA has three PBL books at three different levels (for elementary, middle, and high school). Here is a link to the elementary version:
http://www.nsta.org/store/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9781936959389
The activities can be presented at a very simple level, but, if the teacher desires, can involve more advanced concepts as students drill down for a deeper explanation.
The Introduction to the book is quite informative in describing how teachers can present the activities in ways that will be most pedagogically effective. I regularly conduct professional development for teachers using these materials to help them become more effective in the classroom.
There are also two kits of materials designed to go with the book.
http://www.arborsci.com/nsta-kits
The kits are expensive, but they provide materials for all the fun activities in the book. These would be a great investment for your school, as other teachers could use the materials at various grade levels, and they will last for years to come.
I hope this is helpful.
Matt
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