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Book Chapter
Understanding Invasion Ecology: Introduction
How can a single species of insect pose a threat to millions of acres of forests, orchards, and street trees? What can we do about the Asian longhorned beetle and other plants and animals that invade our farms, cities, and forests? The study of ecolo...
Book Chapter
Understanding Invasion Ecology
This section emphasizes one of the three main branches of ecology—population, community, and ecosystem. Extensive, real-life examples of how ecological concepts and principles can be applied to problems with invasive species are included. It also i...
Book Chapter
In assessing student research, clearly defined "right" or "wrong" answers rarely exist. Instead, the goal of assessment is to evaluate the process used by students and the conceptual understandings they have achieved through research experiences. Thi...
Book Chapter
Why Ecology of Invasive Species?
Students may think of ecologists as people who pick up trash and protest for a cleaner environment. In this book, the term ecologist is used to refer to scientists who study ecology—the study of relationships among organisms and between organisms a...
Book Chapter
Invasion Ecology Protocols—Introducing Research
This section is designed for students to learn some of the basic principles of ecology and how they can be applied to studying and managing invasive species. It will also help students experience some of the ways in which scientists work together to ...
Book Chapter
Beyond Protocols—Conducting Interactive Research
This section provides instructions for two research projects that students have carried out in cooperation with Cornell scientists and these projects could be of interest to other students. It also suggests ideas for research projects to conduct usin...
Book Chapter
Setting the Scene: Basic Rules for a Safer Science Classroom
Six classes, six teachers—just navigating middle school is a voyage of discovery for early adolescents. Students are offered a confusing array of choices, many in science. Sometimes it seems teachers spend too much science class time teaching organ...
Book Chapter
The Kitchen Sink: A Potpourri of Safety Tips
Middle school teaching isn’t just about the curriculum. When students rotate from class to class, minutes are precious. Teachers must plan to structure a class period to everyone’s best advantage, anticipating a myriad of issues that will have to...
Book Chapter
Live Long and Prosper: And Remember You Are Responsible
The teachers are the professionals—responsibilities include more than the education of students. The chapters in this book are meant to sharpen teachers’ observational skills so they can recognize the issues and circumstances that require attenti...
Book Chapter
Communities of Learners: Promoting Safety for Every Student
One pervasive theme in the National Science Education Standards is that goals are meant for all students—regardless of learning style, background, or ability. Supporting all learners becomes more difficult in middle school. Students exhibit greater...
Book Chapter
Where Science Happens: Equipping Your Lab for Safety
Unless a middle school facility was built fewer than 20 years ago, chances are it was originally designed and built for another purpose—a solution to an enrollment or facility problem—not an educational concept. But for inquiry-based middle schoo...
Book Chapter
Finders Keepers: Essentials of Safer Storage
It takes a lot of “stuff” to conduct a middle school science program. Middle school science teachers look enviously at their peers in the English department who neatly carry everything they need for class in a single tote bag. The science teacher...
Book Chapter
Lively Science: Live Organisms Are Worth the Work
Middle school is the perfect setting for teaching life science. Observing and studying living organisms are critical to a good, strong program. Preserved specimens, computer simulations, photographs, and videos may be excellent supplements, but they ...
Book Chapter
Modern Alchemy: Safer Teaching with Chemistry
From making mud pies in a sandbox to messing with a magic set and sending secret messages with markers that produce invisible writing, chemistry engages students’ passions for mixing things together and producing surprising results. Middle schooler...
Book Chapter
Falling for Science: Physical Science May Be Simpler Than You Think
Many students get their first exposure to quantitative physical science in middle school. The National Science Education Standards recommend that students study motions, forces, and transfer of energy during these years. These are ideal topics for pr...