JoinAll Resources
Journal Article
The Case of the Druid Dracula: A Directed "Clicker" Case Study on DNA Fingerprinting
This article describes how case studies have been successfully implemented in an introductory biology course of 300+ students using available technologies ranging from WebCT, used to assign students to permanent small groups (as well as assign groups...
Journal Article
In 1986, Lake Nyos, a volcanic lake in Cameroon, released a huge amount of carbon dioxide gas, killing over 1,700 people in the surrounding area. This case study, developed for use in a limnology or aquatic biology course, explores that event, introd...
Journal Article
Ask the Experts -- October 2005
The Experts tackle the question, "What is the underlying natural phenomenon that causes the natural log function to show up so frequently in scientific equations? and "Why do some hairs on the human body grow indefinitely while others grow to a certa...
Journal Article
Step-by-step instructions in the chemistry lab often eliminate opportunities for inquiry, higher levels of thinking, and the sense of accomplishment students find through independent discovery. However, removing procedures from chemistry labs creates...
Journal Article
Artificial Sanity: A Case Study for a Class in Introductory Psychology
Using the story of death row inmate Charles Singleton, who developed paranoid schizophrenia while in prison awaiting execution, this case study explores the relationship between a society’s concept of mental illness and its treatment of people who ...
Journal Article
Inquiry, Science Workshop Style
Few people are more curious about their worlds than young children. In many published programs, lessons revolve around set questions, with step-by-step directions provided for children to follow. This approach seems to say that young children are n...
Journal Article
Science Shorts: Nature of Science Is...
The phrase “nature of science” refers to the characteristics of scientific knowledge that necessarily result from the scientific investigations that scientists conduct to develop knowledge. Yet, these characteristics are assumed by many to be “...
Journal Article
Igniting Girl's Interest in Science Careers
Since leaving the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a passion of Sally Ride's has been to find ways to keep girls interested in science. Recently, Sally Ride Science and NASA teamed up to produce a poster based on the book titled,...
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Out of the Stone Age
A collection of rocks and minerals can bring out the little kid in middle school students. When they walk into the classroom and see all of the rocks, their curiosity is sparked. They hurry over to the table and pick up each rock with childlike glee....
Journal Article
Career of the Month: An Interview with Sport Biomechanist Bill Sands
This month's column features Bill Sands, a Sports Biomechanist at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (OTC). As Head of Sport Biomechanics and Engineering, he helps Olympic athletes defeat their opponents and achieve their dreams. Catapult your students...
Journal Article
A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed: A Case Study on Human Respiratory Physiology
The dynamics of oxygen transport by the blood can be a particularly difficult topic for students to grasp. A directed case study about carbon monoxide poisoning was designed to help deepen student understanding of the solution chemistry of the oxygen...
Journal Article
An inquiry-based curriculum requires teachers to design experiences that engage students in scientific phenomena through direct observation, data gathering, and analysis of evidence. Replacing familiar routines and conventional methods with inquiry m...
Journal Article
One fifth-grade class builds their science-process skills while exploring nanotechnology. Students researched the technology that makes this fabric stain-resistant to common staining agents. In the process, students practiced their skills in making...