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Book Chapter
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students' ideas about biological evolution. The probe is designed to find out if students distinguish the theory of biological evolution from ideas about the origin of life and the mechanism for biolo...
Book Chapter
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students' ideas about the effect of solar radiation on Earth's temperature. The probe is designed to find out whether students realize the Earth continues to cool after sundown and up to sunrise until...
Book Chapter
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students' ideas about conservation of matter during combustion. The probe is designed to find out if students think the mass changes as paper burns inside a closed system....
Book Chapter
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students' ideas about temperature in the context of phases of matter. The probe is designed to find out if students recognize that the temperature of a substance does not change when two phases are pr...
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Happy science Mother’s Day
It’s almost May and review for final exams will soon be in full swing. Mother’s Day is celebrated every second Sunday in May. Have students combine their use of science vocabulary and their love for Mom by creating scientific Mother’s Day greet...
Journal Article
The State High Biodiesel Project
Through a collaborative project in Pennsylvania, high school students developed a method for converting batches of their cafeteria’s waste fryer oil into biodiesel using a 190 L (50 gal) reactor. While the biodiesel is used to supplement the school...
Journal Article
Explaining Glaciers, Accurately
What happens when a geology graduate student and two fourth-grade teachers collaborate on lessons for the classroom? They discover interesting and practical ways to explore geology and other scientific concepts, that's what! Here they share the glaci...
Journal Article
Career of the Month: An Interview With Ice Scientist Julienne Stroeve
While most of us may never see or feel Arctic sea ice ourselves, it directly influences the climate, wildlife, and people who live in the Arctic—and because of the link to global warming, the fate of sea ice affects the rest of us, too. As an ice s...
Journal Article
For many years, publications such as the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996) and The Science Teacher (TST) have encouraged teachers to focus science classes more heavily on inquiry-based instructional practice. One way to improve our teac...
Journal Article
Shake, Rattle, and Hopefully Not Fall
Earthquakes occur across the globe, and their efforts can be felt by people regardless of location. However, a moderate earthquake in Pakistan or Turkey may cause much greater damage than a stronger earthquake in Tokyo. It is imperative to help stude...
Journal Article
Editor’s Corner: Outside the School Walls
This issue of The Science Teacher (TST) continues our tradition of devoting one issue each year to partnerships that connect students, teachers, and their communities. Science activities that take students outside school walls can combine the best as...
Journal Article
Like breathing, the ability to hear sound is often taken for granted unless it becomes impaired. Children may not wonder about how sound is generated or detected until introduced to an inquiry activity about sound. Therefore, to heighten students’ ...
Journal Article
Guest Editorial: The universe: It’s yours to discover—and to share
In 1609, Galileo turned his telescope to the sky and began a series of observations that would forever change our view of our place in the universe. This year, each and every one of us has an opportunity to follow in Galileo’s footsteps by taking a...
Journal Article
Idea Bank: Vector, Vector—That’s Our Cry!
There are all kinds of computer-based software programs and websites available to help students understand and manipulate vector quantities. But if you have the time and want to do something different, this Idea Bank describes an easy, low-tech, and ...
Journal Article
Safer Science: Biosafety—Getting the Bugs Out
Basic knowledge and adoption of biosafety guidelines, including disinfection and sterilization techniques, are a necessary component in high school biology laboratories. This is especially important if students or instructors are working with growing...
Journal Article
Integration With Big Ideas in Mind
Integrating science lessons with lessons in other content areas can be an efficient use of limited time, but not every activity can be integrated productively. Teachers must consider several factors when making decisions about which lessons to integr...
Journal Article
Teaching Through Trade Books: Sunrise, Sunset
The next time you watch the Sun rise; take a minute to think about what’s really going on. You are standing on a giant ball of rock that is hurtling through space, and the spot where you are standing is rotating in the direction of a star 93 millio...