JoinAll Resources
Journal Article
Scope on the Skies: Planets a go-go
The school year kicks off with a great parade of planets in the evening skies, as four of the six visible planets will make an appearance during the evening hours following sunset. For the first half of September, students will have an opportunity fo...
Journal Article
The National Science Education Standards (NSES) state that students in grades K—4 are expected to understand that astronomical objects in the sky, including the Sun, Moon, and stars—have properties, locations, and patterns of movement that can b...
Journal Article
Creativity in the Science Classroom
Though many teachers would like to incorporate creative activities into their teaching, there are few practical suggestions to help them accomplish this goal (Yager 2000). In this article, the authors introduce four strategies to help integrate creat...
Journal Article
Case Study: To Boldly Go… Or Not
This public-hearing case study is centered upon the recent decision by President George W. Bush to set NASA’s primary goal as a return to the Moon, followed by a mission to Mars. The members on the expert panel are fictitious and the transcript con...
Journal Article
Earth Science Week (ESW) 2008 encourages people around the globe to open doors and investigate new opportunities. This year’s theme, “No Child Left Inside,” is a call to explore our natural environments. The celebration urges everyone—especia...
Journal Article
Methods and Strategies: The Science Representation Continuum
Research indicates that people more easily understand abstractions when they are preceded by concrete representations (Lawson 2002). This article describes how educators can use science representations to help students form lasting understandings of ...
Journal Article
The Prepared Practitioner: Supporting New Teachers
New school years bring new challenges, students, lessons, and colleagues. Some teachers at your school may be just starting out with their first teaching job. Looking ahead to a new school year is a great time for all of us to think about understandi...
Journal Article
What can glaciers tell us about volcanoes and atmospheric conditions? How does this information relate to our understanding of climate change? Ice Core Investigations is an original and innovative activity that explores these types of questions. It b...
Journal Article
Teaching Through Trade Books: Moon Phases and Models
From the time they are very young, children are naturally curious about the Moon. They may wonder about the different shapes of the Moon when they look up at the night sky. In this month’s primary lesson, students discover through direct observatio...
Journal Article
Idea Bank: Presidential “Periodic Table”
The Presidential “Periodic Table” is an engaging activity that encourages high school chemistry students to match the names of the elements with their chemical symbols in order to spell out the names of the 43 U.S. presidents. By completing the p...
Journal Article
As educators, we know that math must be integrated into our subject to best communicate the essence of scientific investigation. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done when students learn subjects in isolated classrooms on a daily basis. As you...