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Journal Article

Understanding Human Impact

Second graders explore watershed dynamics....

Journal Article

Crabby Interactions

Fifth graders explore human impact on the blue crab population....

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Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12

Books published in 2015 that were selected by the NSTA/Children’s Book Council Joint Book Review Panel....

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Editor's Note: Understanding Human Impact

Science and Children’s editor shares thoughts regarding the current issue....

Instructional Materials Lesson Plans Phenomena Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

Teaching Through Trade Books: Humans and the Earth

This column includes activities inspired by children’s literature. Elementary students are beginning to understand the Earth’s natural processes and humans’ impact on the Earth. Humans need the natural resources that the Earth produces, use the...

Elementary Preschool 5E Instructional Materials

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The Early Years: Composting With Children

This column discusses resources and science topics related to students in grades preK to 2. This month’s issue introduces students to the concept of decomposition and the process of composting....

Early Childhood Elementary Pre-service Teachers Preschool Environmental Science Life Science Disciplinary Core Ideas Inquiry Science and Engineering Practices Teaching Strategies Citizen Science

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Formative Assessment Probes: Is It Erosion or Weathering?

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. The formative assessment probe in this month’s issue can be used as an initial elicitation before students are introduced to the formal concepts of weathering and erosion....

Elementary Earth & Space Science Assessment Disciplinary Core Ideas

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What We Call Misconceptions May Be Necessary Stepping-Stones Toward Making Sense of the World

Have a sense-making conversation with your students to confront and correct their misconceptions....

Journal Article

Science 101: Does the Earth Have Any Natural Ways to Adjust the CO₂ in the Atmosphere?

This column contains exercises to challenge content knowledge. This month's issue discusses ways to remove CO2 from the atmosphere....

Elementary Middle School Earth & Space Science Environmental Science Professional Learning old

Journal Article

Science 102: This Month's Task: Disappearing Halves

Exercises to challenge content knowledge. This month's issue presents a new challenge and answers the Pen to Paper challenge from last month....

Elementary High School Middle School General Science Inquiry Phenomena

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Methods and Strategies: Beyond the Textbook—But Not Just "Hands-On"

This column provides ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. This month’s issue discusses how to use high-quality informational texts to meet the Next Generation Science Standards....

Elementary NGSS Pedagogy Teaching Strategies Literacy New Science Teachers Preservice Science Education

Journal Article

Engineering Encounters: The Cat in the Hat Builds Satellites

This column presents ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. This month's issue shares information about a unit promoting scientific literacy and the engineering design process....

Early Childhood

Journal Article

What We Call Misconceptions May Be Necessary Stepping-Stones Toward Making Sense of the World

Have a sense-making conversation with your students to confront and correct their misconceptions....

Journal Article

Exposing Hidden Energy Transfer With Inexpensive Thermal Imaging Cameras

Explore the conservation of energy and related topics with this now-affordable technology....

Journal Article

Chemical Connections: A Problem-Based Learning, STEM Experience

Use the engineering design process to address the problem of clothing dye finding its way into watersheds....

Journal Article

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12

Books published in 2015 and selected by the NSTA/Children’s Book Council Joint Book Review Panel....

Journal Article

Pinball Wizards

Assess students’ understanding of the engineering design process by having them build their own pinball machines....

Journal Article

Build Your Own Sunglasses

Design and build your own solar eye protection to explore the properties of light and learn how sunlight can damage eyes....

Journal Article

Editor's Roundtable: Spreading the News—With Care!

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

Journal Article

Everyday Engineering: Sitting Around Designing Chairs

This column provides an inside look at the marvels of engineering in everyday life. In this 5E–learning-cycle lesson, students use newspaper and tape to design and build a chair that is capable of supporting their weight....

Journal Article

Tried and True: Measuring Static Electricity: A Classroom Investigation to Understand the Triboelectric Series

This column provides classic demonstrations and experiments with a new twist. The lesson described in this article is a structured inquiry during which students quantitatively measure the amount of charge transferred between two different materials....

Journal Article

Teacher's Toolkit: A Framework for Cross-Disciplinary Engineering Projects

This column provides how-to strategies and practical advice for the science teacher. In this month’s issue the authors introduce the framework they use for engineering projects in the middle grades, describe the cross-disciplinary benefits of two h...

Journal Article

Scope on Safety: Making the Grade on Safety

This column shares safety information for your classroom. This month’s issue discusses using a beginning-of-the-year safety assessment....

Journal Article

Scope on the Skies: GRACE, GRAIL, and Gravity

This column focuses on astronomy throughout the year. This month’s issue discusses two NASA missions that were launched to get a better understanding of what lies beneath the surface of the Moon and the Earth. The missions, which each consist of a ...

Journal Article

Powered by the Sun

Teaching the science of energy, force, and motion through an engineering design challenge....

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Science's Super Star

The starlet sea anemone is an ideal tool for student inquiry....

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Does It Mix?

Introducing students to partition coefficients....

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Building a Greener Future

Using engineering design to connect classroom with community....

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The Language of Science

Addressing the linguistic challenges of science texts....

Journal Article

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12

Books published in 2015 selected by the National Science Teachers Association/Children’s Book Council Review Panel....

Journal Article

What We Call Misconceptions May Be Necessary Stepping-Stones Toward Making Sense of the World

Have a sense-making conversation with your students to confront and correct their misconceptions....

Journal Article

Editor's Corner: Write for the Science Teacher (part 2)

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

Journal Article

Science 2.0: Mastering Scientific Practices With Technology, Part 2

This column shares web tools that support learning. This month’s issue shows how technology can help students engage in three of the scientific practices described in the Next Generation Science Standards....

Journal Article

The Green Room: The Top Five Environmental Stories of 2015

This column focuses on making your teaching more environmentally friendly. This month’s issue discusses top environmental stories and where students can find sources for environmental news. Students can then be assigned reading from any of these si...

Journal Article

Health Wise: Emotional Intelligence Is Important, Too

This Q&A style column provides up-to-date information on current health topics—helping students (and teachers) make healthy choices. This month’s issue discusses the relationship between emotional intelligence skills and success in school, career...

Journal Article

Idea Bank: Using Earthquakes as "Teachable Moments"

The Idea Bank provides tips and techniques for creative teaching, in about 1,000 words. This month’s Idea Bank highlights the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Education and Public Outreach program (EPO) and its development ...

Journal Article

Career of the Month: Systems Engineer

This column shares interviews with professionals using science in the workplace. This month’s issue describes Anne O'Neil's career path to becoming a systems engineer....

Journal Article

Safer Science: Safer Use of Toxic Chemicals

This column provides best safety practices for the science classroom and laboratory. This month’s issue discusses the use of moderately or highly toxic chemicals....

High School Chemistry Labs Safety

Journal Article

A Hands-On Activity to Build Mastery of Intermolecular Forces and Its Impacts on Student Learning

The intermolecular forces activity presented in this article is designed to foster concept-building through students’ use of concrete, manipulative objects, and it was developed to be pedagogically sound. Data analysis via pre- and posttesting and ...

Journal Article

To Flip or Not to Flip? Analysis of a Flipped Classroom Pedagogy in a General Biology Course

In an attempt to better understand the flipped technique and evaluate its purported superiority in terms of student learning gains, the authors conducted an experiment comparing a flipped classroom to a traditional lecture classroom. Although the ou...