All Resources

Journal Article

The Early Years: Preparing for Spring Gardening

This column discusses resources and science topics related to students in grades preK to 2. This month’s issue helps students build an understanding of the effects of the Sun’s radiation on the surface of the Earth through hands-on gardening....

Earth & Space Science Life Science NGSS

Journal Article

Teaching Through Trade Books: The Sounds of Science

This column includes activities inspired by children’s literature. This month’s issue features activities that engage students in qualitative investigations as they make observations about sound and how it travels....

Elementary Preschool 5E Instructional Materials

Journal Article

The Poetry of Science: Light and Sound

Building literacy in playful, meaningful ways. This month's issue discusses sound....

Elementary General Science Lesson Plans Teaching Strategies Literacy

Journal Article

Science 101: What’s Really Going on in Electric Circuits?

This column provides background science information for elementary teachers. This month’s issue discusses how electric circuits work....

Elementary Middle School General Science Physical Science Professional Learning old

Journal Article

Methods and Strategies: Claims and Evidence

This column provides ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. Learn how to create opportunities for students to practice speaking and writing about science....

Elementary General Science Assessment NGSS Pedagogy Science and Engineering Practices Teaching Strategies Interdisciplinary New Science Teachers Preservice Science Education

Journal Article

Engineering Encounters: Robots, Bookmarks, and Guitars, Oh My!

This column presents ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. This month's issue discusses fusing art and design into an upper-elementary electricity unit....

Elementary Physical Science STEM Interdisciplinary

Journal Article

Designing and Building a Rube Goldberg Machine to Contextualize a Unit on Energy

Explore the conservation and transfer of energy by building a device that completes a simple task....

Journal Article

I Get It! Moving Students From Misconceptions to Conceptual Change

Move students toward deep, accurate scientific understanding using the conceptual change model....

Journal Article

Design an Energy-Efficient House: Applying Multidisciplinary Knowledge to Solve a Design Challenge

Can you keep a house warm while avoiding high energy bills?...

Middle School Engineering Physical Science STEM

Journal Article

Food and Energy for All: Turning a Demonstration Into an Inquiry Activity

Explore the reactants of photosynthesis to explain that they are raw materials and not food....

Middle School Biology Life Science Inquiry

Journal Article

From the Editor's Desk: Tapping Into Energy

Science Scope’s editor shares thoughts regarding the current issue....

Journal Article

Classic Lessons 2.0: The Come Back Can

This column shares updated perennial classroom favorites.This article describes a science activity that can be used to demonstrate the law of conservation of energy. The activity involves inquiry and problem solving using a Come Back Can....

Journal Article

Citizen Science: Power Up Science Learning With NOVA’s Energy Lab

This column highlights formal and informal science research projects that students can join and contribute to by gathering and sharing data. This month's column will help teachers transform science learning from passive to active and spark student in...

Journal Article

Disequilibrium: A Human Circuit

This column shows how to use discrepant events to confront misconceptions. This month’s discrepant event involves creating a human circuit using gadgets....

Middle School Physical Science 5E Inquiry Phenomena

Journal Article

Listserv Roundup: Getting Smart With Energy

This column shares recent conversations taken from the NSTA listserv community about current science education topics. NSTA's Physical Science listserv members recently discussed information about energy and its different forms, with conversations ab...

Journal Article

Science for All: Empowering Students Through Collaboration

This column shares strategies for increasing student engagement. This month's column provides strategies for grouping students to increase their productivity, accountability, engagement, and performance levels, while still providing them with the lev...

Journal Article

Teacher to Teacher: Predicting, Explaining, and Observing Thermal Energy Transfer

This column provides practical advice from your peers. This month's columnn discusses using the Mixing Water formative assessment probe from Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Vol. 2 to determine student thinking regarding thermal energy transfer a...

Journal Article

Scope on the Skies: Studying Rings Around the Sun

This column focuses on astronomy throughout the year. This month’s issue discusses asteroids and moons....

Journal Article

Core Values

Students study sediment cores to learn about climate in the past....

Journal Article

Measuring CO2

Students learn firsthand how thawing permafrost adds to global warming....

Journal Article

Turning Into Ice

Teaching biological ice nucleation and the global water cycle....

Journal Article

Modeling Chromosomes

Building paper chromosomes to help understand five key terms in genetics....

Journal Article

Editor's Corner: Authentic Science Practices

The Science Teacher’s editor shares thoughts on the current issue....

Journal Article

Commentary: Proactive Leadership

An opinion piece about how reform in science education is appearing on multiple fronts....

Journal Article

Science 2.0: Developing the Knowledge Constructor

This column shares web tools that support learning. This month’s issue discusses the ISTE’s Knowledge Constructor standard....

High School Technology Instructional Materials Pedagogy Teaching Strategies Research

Journal Article

Focus on Physics: How E = mc2 Helps Us Understand Nuclear Fission and Fusion

This column helps teachers build an understanding of physical principles. Nuclear physics has an undeserved reputation for being tough for students. This article may reduce this “toughness” by showing how Einstein’s familiar equation E = mc2 re...

Journal Article

Health Wise: Keeping Track of Sugar

Students study sediment cores to learn about climate in the past. Students learn how to read Nutrition Facts labels to learn how much sugar is in a food item....

Journal Article

Career of the Month: Interdisciplinary Technologist

This column shares interviews with professionals using science in the workplace. This month’s issue describes George Church's career path to becoming an interdisciplinary technologist....

Journal Article

Right to the Source: Aerial Photos Change the Face of War

Exploring science and history with the Library of Congress. This month's issue discusses the effects of photography on war strategy....

Journal Article

First Issue of Connected Science Learning a Great Success

CSL editor Dennis Schatz discusses the response to our first issue, the journal’s new serialized publication format, and this issue’s theme, professional development.   All of us associated with producing Connected Science Learning a...

By Dennis Schatz

Informal Education

Journal Article

Noticing by NYSCI

Noticing by NYSCI is a project based at the New York Hall of Science that fosters deeper student learning and engagement through the use of five specialized, iPad-based mobile apps. Throughout the process of developing these Noticing Tools, a cohor...

By Amanda Solarsh, Gina Tesoriero, Michaela Labriole, and Tara Chudoba

Middle School Informal Education

Book Chapter

Go and See

This chapter addresses experimental and field observations, which include aspects of Asking Questions and Defining Problems; Planning and Carrying Out Investigations; Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions; and Engaging in Argument From Ev...

Book Chapter

The Controlled Experiment

This chapter addresses experimental and field observations, which include aspects of Asking Questions and Defining Problems; Planning and Carrying Out Investigations; Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions; and Engaging in Argument From Ev...

Book Chapter

Field Observations

This chapter addresses experimental and field observations, which include aspects of Asking Questions and Defining Problems; Planning and Carrying Out Investigations; Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions; and Engaging in Argument From Ev...

Book Chapter

Analyzing and Interpreting Data, Part 1: Graphing

This chapter addresses the interpretation of data through graphs, maps, and cross-sections, which includes aspects of Developing and Using Models; Analyzing and Interpreting Data; Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking; Engaging in Argument Fro...