Schenectady, NY.Yates Arts-in-Education Magnet School (urban elementary school) .Grade 4 .Cooperative, discovery learning about electricity for grade 4 science unit. Boy (9, African-American) experiments with various ways to place wires on batteries to make small bulb light up. .Increasingly, hands-on activities are incorporated into the elementary school science curriculum to motivate students and to improve learning..This classroom uses an inquiry-based science program that includes materials needed to do experiments. An important component of the program involves doing experiments and writing the results in journals. Experiments parallel material covered in the Elementary-Level State Assessment for Grade 4 Science, an exam required of all fourth grade students in New York State which is used to evaluate performance of students as well as of schools and school districts..©Ellen B. Senisi