JoinAll Resources
Journal Article
Connecting to Your Community Through Birds and Citizen Science
Use BirdSleuth to engage students in a variety of community-based birding activities....
Journal Article
Enhancing Geographic and Digital Literacy With a Student-Generated Course Portfolio in Google Earth
Google Earth can serve as a platform for students to construct a course ePortfolio. By having students construct their own placemarks in a customized Google Earth file, students document their learning in a geospatial context, learn an innovative use...
Journal Article
Speaking of Science: Invite Speakers From Your Community to Bring the Science Curriculum to Life
Reach out to science profressionals in your community to explore how science is used in a variety of careers....
Journal Article
Across the City and Across Grades: Investigating Energy Flow in the Boston Harbor Ecosystem
Discover how students can conduct an in-depth study of a local ecosystem....
Journal Article
Turtle Conservation and Citizen Science: A Winning Combination for Your Classroom
Connect students to the natural world by studying the impact of invasive species in your neck of the woods....
Journal Article
Augmented Reality Games: Using Technology on a Budget
Take a smart-phone-enhanced tour of your school to solve a recycling mystery....
Journal Article
From Data to Policy: An Undergraduate Program in Research and Communication
This article describes a student Science and Policy course for undergraduate science majors. During this program pairs of students undertake research projects while receiving instruction in both research methods and science translation....
Journal Article
This article describes two activities for life science or biology classes. Students noodle bivalves and gastropods from a covered container, determining organism density as number per square meter and catch per unit effort. Students analyze their res...
Journal Article
This article examines the students' mixed perceptions of the use of active learning techniques in undergraduate science lectures....
Journal Article
Case Study: My Favorite Case and What Makes It So
This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. In this month’s issue the authors discuss the results of a poll asking about favorite case study to...
Journal Article
The purpose of this study was to explore students' perspectives on an integrated inquiry-based biology program and their perceptions of science and scientific inquiry after completing the program....
Journal Article
Make Your Own Phylogenetic Tree
A simulation activity helps students better understand phylogeny and molecular similarity....
Journal Article
Point of View: College Science for Preservice Elementary Teachers: What Is the Best Approach?
This column shares reflections or thoughtful opinions on issues of broad interest to the community. This article talks about college-level science courses that future elementary teachers take as part of an elementary education major....
Journal Article
Editor's Corner: Evolving Standards
The Science Teacher’s editor shares thoughts on the current issue....
Journal Article
Research and Teaching: Silent Students' Participation in a Large Active Learning Science Classroom
This study aims to understand the impact of active learning on silent students in a large general chemistry course taught via Socratic questioning and discussion "clicker" questions....
Journal Article
The Green Room: Saving Our Soils
This column focuses on making your teaching more environmentally friendly. This month’s issue disscusses the importance of fertile and arable soil....
Book Chapter
This sample from, What Does an Animal Eat? offers insights into two special aspects of hungry animals: how their teeth and beaks offer clues about what they eat and how the food chain helps make sure there’s enough for all. ...
NSTA Kids
This book tells the amazing story behind seashells: how they are made by mollusks, used for protection and camouflage, and full of clues about all they’ve been through. Inspired by Next Time You See a Seashell, young readers will find these intrica...
NSTA Press Book
Inquiring Scientists, Inquiring Readers: Using Nonfiction to Promote Science Literacy, Grades 3–5
Winner of the Distinguished Achievement Award from PreK-12 Learning Group, Association of American Publishers!...
By Jessica Fries-Gaither, Terry Shiverdecker
Book Chapter
The Science-Literacy Connection
There has been much talk about integrating science and literacy instruction in recent years. Why this focus, particularly in the elementary classroom? One very practical reason is to make time in a crowded curriculum. Teachers are confronted with the...
Book Chapter
In this chapter, the class works to answer the question, What are the characteristics of trees? Each group of students in the class selects a type of tree to investigate, such as oak, ash, or maple, and then answers the subquestion, “What are the c...
Book Chapter
In this chapter, students work to answer the question, How does the shape of a bird’s wing affect its flight? Students first investigate how factors such as wing length and shape affect the takeoff and flight of a paper airplane. They use this info...
Book Chapter
Drip Drop Detectives: Exposing The Water Cycle
Throughout the inquiry, in this chapter, students play the role of scientists who are investigating the question, How can a drop of water travel around the world? Students examine the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, infiltration, and transpir...
Book Chapter
This chapter invites students to assume the role of paleontologists in a simulated dig in order to answer the question, What can we learn from studying fossils? Correspondence with a mysterious (fictional) paleontologist and the reading of informatio...
Book Chapter
Inquiry And The Learning Cycle
Inquiry instruction combines the teaching of scientific content with the development of scientific practices. Inquiry-based instruction has five essential features that occur along an inquiry continuum. In this chapter, the authors review the five fe...
Book Chapter
Authentic And Relevant Literacy Experiences In Inquiry
In this chapter, the authors explain the layout of the units in the book. The authors integrated inquiry and literacy in learning cycle units in authentic and relevant ways. Through these units students have opportunities to develop scientific conten...
Book Chapter
The rewards of creating nonfiction text sets are great for both teachers and students. Teachers the authors have worked with say that this approach has increased their understanding of nonfiction text and enhanced their awareness of the great diversi...
Book Chapter
Getting Started With The Inquiry Units
It is always exciting to try something new in your classroom, but we know it can also be challenging. Step one is, of course, to read the unit beginning to end. In the chapter, the authors provide some things to think about as you prepare to teach th...
Book Chapter
In this chapter, students work to answer two testable questions: Who can become a scientist? and What do scientists do? Students learn about the lives and work of eight scientists: John James Audubon, Charles William Beebe (known as William Beebe), R...
Book Chapter
Through the inquiry in this chapter, students work to answer the question, How does measurement help us know about the world? The focus of the inquiry is what measurement can tell us. A scavenger hunt helps students learn to use measurement to descri...
Book Chapter
Minds-On Matter: Phase Changes And Physical Properties
In this inquiry, students work to answer the question, How do the physical properties of a material change during phase changes? Students observe and measure physical properties of solids, liquids, and gases. They also measure the changes in temperat...
Book Chapter
Classroom Curling: Exploring Forces and Motion
Through the inquiry, in this chapter, students work to answer the question, What happens to the motion of a slider when different forces are applied? Teams of students play a game of “classroom curling”—a loose adaptation of the sport of curlin...
eBook
Winner of the Distinguished Achievement Award from PreK-12 Learning Group, Association of American Publishers!...
NSTA Kids
How Tall Was Milton?: I Wonder Why
In this funny fairy tale, it takes a village to figure out the height of Milton the friendly giant. The townspeople’s attempts to gauge just how big he is will entertain young readers as they learn the importance of standard units of measurement. H...
NSTA Kids
How Does a Plant Grow?: I Wonder Why
Children don’t have to be botanists-in-training to discover the message of this book: “All plants are interesting. Even the weeds.” Young readers are sure to be intrigued by the wide variety of shapes, sizes, and functions in flowers, fruit tre...
NSTA Kids
What Can an Animal Do?: I Wonder Why
This lively book proves that an animal can do all kinds of things! It encourages children to notice the characteristics and behavior of a world of different creatures: from gnawing, swimming beavers to spinning, climbing spiders to hopping, baby-toti...
eBook
How Does a Plant Grow?: I Wonder Why (e-book)
Children don’t have to be botanists-in-training to discover the message of this book: “All plants are interesting. Even the weeds.” Young readers are sure to be intrigued by the wide variety of shapes, sizes, and functions in flowers, fruit tre...
eBook
How Tall Was Milton?: I Wonder Why (e-book)
In this funny fairy tale, it takes a village to figure out the height of Milton the friendly giant. The townspeople’s attempts to gauge just how big he is will entertain young readers as they learn the importance of standard units of measurement. H...