JoinAll Resources
Journal Article
The Early Years: Young Questioners
Children are often described as natural scientists and their curiosity as a basic human trait. They amaze adults with perceptive questions and extended explorations of the environment. Asking questions is part of the National Science Education Teac...
Journal Article
The Case Study: Professional Development Cases
A professional development case in college science teaching bridges the gap between educational theory and practice. A good case poses an interesting dilemma involving instructors, students, and administrators. Case discussions can help instructors...
Journal Article
The study of zonation, the distribution of plants and animals into distinct spatial areas, is a great way to introduce students to basic ecological concepts. Students can conduct methodical, quantifying surveys of zones in areas as diverse as mudflat...
Journal Article
Science Shorts: Building Bridges
London Bridge is falling down, falling down...Can you finish the song? Although there are various stories that suggest the meaning of this famous nursery rhyme, the London Bridge, which spans the River Thames, did indeed "fall down" several times th...
Journal Article
Early on in the study of physical science, students must grasp concepts associated with the periodic table. A perfect way to introduce periodicity and periodic groups is by using paint chip color samples. The color progression (red-orange-yellow-gree...
Journal Article
After the Bell - The middle school connection: Fostering alliances with parents
What is the number one fear of most teachers? According to national polls, it's talking to parents! Because parental involvement is a key factor in a child's success, communication between teachers and parents is essential. By following the simple st...
Journal Article
Career of the Month: An Interview with Diabetes Educator Donna Rice
Diabetes can develop at any age and lead to a lot of health problems. But with the help of a Diabetes Educator--such as Donna Rice--individuals can learn the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to gain control of diabetes and have long, healthy lives...
Journal Article
Kids today are growing up with televisions, movies, videos, and DVDs, so it's logical to assume that this type of media could be motivating and used to great effect in the classroom. But at what point should film and other visual media be used? Are...
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Making movies in the classroom
When you overhear students talking excitedly about video games, the internet, television, or movies, do you ever wish that they could get that excited about what was happening in the science classroom? By using simple software, students can plan, sho...
Journal Article
Scope on the Skies: Summer planet watch
This summer, all but one of the bright planets will be easily visible as evening planets during the first part of our Northern Hemisphere summer season, and then shift to the predawn skies during the latter half of summer. Be sure to catch the array ...
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Teaching science using the movie Apollo 13
For over 40 years the space program has inspired students of science and engineering. The movie Apollo 13, about the third lunar mission, provides opportunities to teach students about several science concepts and the nature of scientific investigati...
Journal Article
The value of art education and its natural tie-in with science promted a principle of a middle school to encourage collaboration between his science teacher and art teacher. Although they were initially apprehensive, this formidable force realized th...
Journal Article
Outdoor Classrooms -- Planning Makes Perfect
Schoolyard wildlife habitats aren't just for beauty and fun--they are outdoor classrooms where real science learning takes place. Schoolyard habitat projects involve conservation and restoration of wildlife habitat; however the learning doesn't have...
Journal Article
The Case Study: E-Mail From Socrates
Humans are storytelling animals that learn best when things are put into an experience or story. Teachers seem to think they can just lecture about the principles that they believe govern the world and the students will remember them. This is in sp...
Journal Article
Models for Integrating Technology in Higher Education: The Physics of Sound
Institutions that place laptops in the hands of every student offer unique opportunities to integrate technology into instruction. The following is a description of how various technologies have been introduced into a new undergraduate physics cours...
Journal Article
Ask the Experts -- Summer 2006
The experts address the question, "Why do yellow and blue make green when we mix colors?" and "Why does infrared light make skin feel warm, when ultraviolet light in fact has higher energy?"...
Journal Article
Idea Bank: Periodic Table of Cereal Boxes
Do you find that helping students to understand the concept of periodicity to be a difficult task? If so, try implementing this introductory activity that was developed to increase students' understanding of periodicity by relating the organization o...
Journal Article
Issues In-depth: Roll tape? Recommendations regarding video viewing in public school classrooms
Did you know that showing a video not related to your instruction as a reward or for recreational purposes, for example, violates federal law and is a felony that may carry a penalty of up to five years and/or $150,00 fine for willful infringement? A...
Journal Article
Twisters, Tall Tales, & Science Teaching
Legends and tall tales have been part of the American culture for ages. Your students are probably already familiar with the tales of how Pecos Bill fearlessly tamed a ferocious tornado, or Paul Bunyan effortlessly restrained a great river. Such tale...
Journal Article
Favorite Demonstration: One Hot Demonstration -- The Urban Heat Island Effect
Demonstrations are most successful as a teaching tool when they can link a scientific principle to a real-life application of the knowledge. When posed as an inquiry activity, classroom demonstrations reinforce factual retention and facilitate the u...
Journal Article
Say Cheese! Digital Collections in the Classroom
Children love gadgets. And what better "gadget" to work with in the classroom than a digital camera? Digital cameras are easy to find, easy to use, and offer great potential for incorporating technology into your lessons. One fourth-grade class em...
Journal Article
Knowledge Retention of Exercise Physiology Content Between Athletes and Nonathletes
Based on the idea that learning is linked to personal relevance, this study examined knowledge retention of exercise physiology content between college athletes and nonathletes. No differences were observed between the groups. These findings have i...
Journal Article
Reading Questions: Encouraging Students to Read the Text Before Coming to Class
College science teachers know that students get the most out of class if they have completed the assigned reading. To reinforce this expectation, we ask our introductory physics students to submit a question they had about reading. In this paper we...
Journal Article
Science 101: What Causes Lightning and Thunder?
The mechanism that leads to lightning is complicated and not well understood. That it's not well understood isn't surprising, as this is often the case when going from scientific models to the real world. Even so, we can paint a reasonable picture ...
Journal Article
JELL-O and Detergents: A Successful Inquiry Recipe
The beginning of a new school year is an exciting time. Capture that excitement by engaging your 10th-grade biology students in an inquiry project that demonstrates the nature of science and scientific inquiry. The Next Step Inquiry Project was devel...
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Fossil detectives
Middle school students are transformed into Fossil detectives as they examine the fossil record and use evidence about paleo-environments to develop an understanding of structure and function in living systems and changes over time in Earths history....
Journal Article
Does the question, “Why do I even bother?” ever occur to you at the end of the school year? If so, you’re in good company—the Field Editor asks himself this perennial question every June. He shares his reflections of summer renewal in this mo...
Journal Article
Methods and Strategies: Getting Creative With Assessments
There are many creative ways to assess student science learning beyond traditional paper and pencil tests. Interviews, focus groups, surveys, card sorts, and more--the options are plentiful and exciting. Creative assessment can reveal different inf...
Journal Article
Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer Reading
There are a mere 99 "lazy, hazy, crazy" days of summer--from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Therefore, it is vital that you prioritize your personal plan to make the most of your summer--to fit in rest, exercise, perhaps travel, and certainly some good b...
Journal Article
The Distant Exploration of Wolves: Using Technology to Explore Student Questions About Wolves
Radio telemetry data available via the internet are used to facilitate long-term inquiry projects. Through these projects, students gain a deeper understanding of specific inquiry and the nature of science, while developing their own questions and p...
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Six rules for integrating the arts
How can teachers help their students to imagine and construct knowledge in the way that science sees it and simultaneously weave the arts into science lessons? By using the following six simple rules for integrating the arts into science learning, st...
Journal Article
Preservice elementary teachers in a conceptual physics course were given multiple resources to use during several inquiry activities in order to investigate how materials were chosen, used, and valued. These students performed significantly better o...
Journal Article
Society for College Science Teachers: What They Don't Know
When you read the title, your first thought it was probably about the undergraduates you are teaching and perhaps some "common scientific knowledge" that they should have acquired in high school. Perhaps you started lamenting about the reading, writ...