All Resources

Journal Article

Encouraging Creativity in the Science Lab

Although science is a creative endeavor (NRC 1996, p. 46), many students think they are not encouraged—or even allowed—to be creative in the laboratory. When students think there is only one correct way to do a lab, their creativity is inhibited....

Journal Article

Editor’s Corner: Create and Innovate!

Just as changes in music delivery have radically altered the music business, dramatic changes in the workplace have required rethinking the way our schools work. To develop 21st-century skills, we must create classrooms that foster creativity and enc...

Journal Article

Scope on the Skies: The law of location

This article explains how the sky would look from different locations, specifically from other locations within our solar system. Answers to the following questions are addressed: Do the constellation patterns we see from Earth look different from an...

Journal Article

The New Teacher’s Toolbox: Conquering the “So What Now?” Moment

The first years of teaching can be tough: Getting to know a new school, new students, and what really works in the classroom can be a lot to handle! In this new column, Michael Romano shares some insight from his first years of teaching—and some ti...

Journal Article

Editorial: On Sale

What savvy shopper does not love a sale? A big sign announcing “25% off” will catch your eye and make you think about buying it, even if the item is something you don’t need. How much more compelling, then, if this announcement appears on one o...

Journal Article

Experiences, Patterns, and Explanations

In an activity sequence that took place over several days, the class learned about sound and how people hear sounds. Following each activity, students engaged in whole-group sharing sessions and individual journal-writing sessions that were designed ...

Journal Article

Reading As Scientists

Using an adapted version of a recently published scientific article, a group of sixth graders worked together identifying conclusions, deciding on appropriate evidence, suggesting improvements for the study, and recommending further investigations fo...

Journal Article

Science Sampler: Motivating middle school students to monitor and assess their learning

Our job as teachers is not only to teach science, but also to instill motivation for learning in our students. After many trials and failures, the author came upon a process to motivate most middle school students. The process consists of an initial ...

Journal Article

Uncovering Student Thinking in Science Through CTS Action Research

Curriculum top study (CTS) action research is a specific type of inquiry that combines curriculum topic study (Keeley 2005) with an examination of students’ thinking using formative assessment probes (Keeley, Eberle, and Farrin 2005; Keeley, Eberle...

Journal Article

Teaching through Trade Books: Mysteries of the Past

Paleontologists, scientists who study the history of life on Earth, work in a dynamic area of science. Think of putting together a jigsaw puzzle with most of the pieces missing—that’s what creating the fossil record is like. Each time a new piece...