1. To archive a selected set of federally-funded science materials developed in the 1960s and 1970s that have high potential for improving science and social studies education in the 1990s and beyond.

2. To broaden science teachers' awareness of the wealth of opportunities for subject matter connections between these disciplines.

3. To encourage science teachers and curriculum developers to identify and use the many opportunities for interdisciplinary approaches to teaching their subjects.

4. To enable teachers, curriculum developers, publishers, software designers, and others to develop new educational materials that reflect a culture and technology orientation.

When the project staff reviewed materials, they were considerably excited about the richness of ideas and teaching strategies employed. Some of the younger members of the staff, who had had little or no contact with the materials prior to this project, were among the most enthusiastic. They expressed many comments of the nature, "Why aren't we doing these things now?" Decision points during the project included the following:

• Some lessons appeared ideal for today's curriculum, but parts of the materials, such as the pictures, were dated. At first, the thought was that we should eliminate those parts of the materials. After consideration, the staff decided that, if the ideas were still good, relevant pictures could be found in many of the current magazines, and that it might be a nice addition to the activities if the students themselves were encouraged to find appropriate examples in the magazines.
• Some science materials provided their own unique problems, because our knowledge of science is never complete. For example, some lessons contained instances of materials use, such as asbestos, that now would be considered unsafe. If the lesson was otherwise considered valuable, it was included with a caution note and suggestions for using other materials or procedures.

The project staff included materials when at least one of the following criteria was met:

• The lessons were valuable in promoting the goals of science and/or social studies instruction.
• The lessons provided good opportunities for connecting science and social studies in the classroom.

The Enhanced Science Helper Project was one of Dr. Mary Budd's Rowe's last projects. Dr. Rowe wrote a preliminary proposal before her untimely passing. The Science Helper Team was committed to finish the project, which would give these science projects new life by capturing them in text form. The materials can now be taken into a word processor and edited, so that specific science content can be updated and used with a new generation of students. In addition, each lesson was linked to appropriate National Science Standards, making curriculum integration with the standards possible. With the completion of this CD, the team fulfills their commitment to complete the work of a truly great educator, Dr. Mary Budd Rowe.