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Journal Article
Science Sampler: Using science journals to encourage all students to write
It seems that everyone is using science journals or notebooks lately. As middle school science teachers, the authors use science journals as a tool to enhance students' knowledge and understanding of content and reinforce students' writing skills. He...
Journal Article
Project-Based Science Instruction: A Primer
Project-based science (PBS) instruction can simply be defined as a student-centered science teaching approach, in which students produce tangible learning outcomes by posing and answering research questions that are relevant to their own lives and co...
Journal Article
In this integrated unit, third grade students become spider scientists as they observe spiders in their classroom to debunk some common misconceptions about these intimidating creatures. Charlotte’s Web is used to capture students’ interest. In a...
Journal Article
Learning to Write and Writing to Learn in Science: Refutational Texts and Analytical Rubrics
Most middle school science teachers are familiar with the idea of reading and writing across the curriculum. We, as science teachers, understand that our students need time, practice, and lots of encouragement in order to learn how to read and write ...
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Science SLAMS—A reading strategy for answering open-ended questions
The SLAMS (Sentence, Lines, Answer, Mechanics, Support) (Crowell and Kolba 2006) strategy is a basic and relatively simple technique used to guide students to answer open-ended questions when reading nonfiction. This strategy gives students the oppor...
Journal Article
Scientific Journals: A Creative Assessment Tool
The typical use of science notebooks is for students to record information as they complete an investigation, writing down their procedure, observations, data, results, graphs, and any other factual information pertaining to their experiment. The aut...
Journal Article
Safer Science: Building Safety with Engineering Controls
Before conducting any laboratory activities, science teachers need to be in the know about the OSHA-required hierarchy of defense in the laboratory. At the top of OSHA's list are engineering controls, which are designed to reduce exposure to a chemic...
Journal Article
Science 101: How do atomic clocks work?
You might be wondering why in the world we need such precise measures of time. Well, many systems we use everyday, such as Global Positioning Systems, require precise synchronization of time. This comes into play in telecommunications and wireless co...
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Science and literacy—Making connections through writing
In order to help students to make connections in science and literacy through writing, the authors present them with an open-ended question (OEQ), which is a divergent assessment in the form of a writing prompt (a situation), and directions for writi...
Journal Article
Read! Read! Read! In first grade, language arts are such a driving force; and yet, we know the students love science and art! How can we integrate the subjects, maintain the integrity of each subject area, and authentically assess the students? The k...
Journal Article
Perspectives: Children’s Literature and the Science Classroom
Children’s literature, or trade books, address many scientific topics, both in narrative and expository forms. They provide a context for developing process skills (Monhardt and Monhardt 2006) and help create a sense of place (Wells and Zeece 2007)...
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Field Journals—Bringing the past to life
In this activity, students travel back in time as explorers to collect scientific information on plant and animal life during various geological eras. The author uses the book, The Deep Time Diaries as way to bring literature into the science classro...
Journal Article
Media and Science: Developing Skepticism and Critical Thinking
Science lessons can encourage students to view data with a scientists' skeptical eye—especially now that so much unrefereed information is online, in advertising, and in other media sources. In developing the skills of media literacy as part of sci...
Journal Article
The Thinking Machine: A Physical Science Project
Science projects can be a wonderful opportunity for learning and creativity, or a gigantic headache for teachers. After several years of implementation, experience, and revision, the author has put together a fun and engaging project centered on mach...
Journal Article
The Early Years: The Story of Corn
Corn is an interesting subject for young children to explore because it grows ears in many forms, the seeds are easy to see and handle, and it is familiar to most children in one food product or another. Therefore, science activities about corn are e...
Journal Article
The Prepared Practitioner: What Is an Experiment?
When asked what scientists do, people generally respond with “experiments.” We often base critical decisions, such as those related to our personal health, on the results of scientists’ experiments. But what really is involved in how scientists...
Journal Article
Connections Charts and Book Talk Groups
Making connections is always an important task for teachers. Science teachers are encouraged to connect new learning with students’ prior knowledge, learning with student interests, learning with cultural experiences, and classroom activities acros...
Journal Article
Inquiry, a prominent feature of the National Science Education Standards, is the instructional keystone that connects doing and learning science (NRC 2000). Because it is integral to the Standards, inquiry is also emphasized in science curriculum sta...