All Resources

Journal Article

Editor's Note (February 2006)

Even though chemistry is a cornerstone of scientific literacy--standng smack in the intersection of physics and biology--we haven't done a good job communicating either its importance or how interesting it is. This section gives a synopsis of chemis...

Journal Article

Idea Bank: Word Wall

Science is a vocabulary-rich subject and students' knowledge of vocabulary relates directly to their comprehension. That is why it is important to provide a variety of opportunities for students to practice vocabulary. In this inquiry-based activity,...

Journal Article

Scope on the Skies: Follow the Drinking Gourd

As you gaze into the stars during the month of February, remember the plight of African Americans and their ancestors. During the years leading up to and during the Civil War, slaves relied on their knowledge of stars to help determine compass direct...

Journal Article

Investigating an Aerial Image First

Conventional instructional routines used to introduce optics concepts can be ineffective at developing an in-depth conceptual understanding that allows students to apply optics concepts to simple, but real, optical systems. To correct this proble...

Journal Article

Science Sampler: Torricelli, Pascal, and PVC pipe

Two giants of science who led the way to our understanding of atmospheric pressure and fluids were Evangelista Torricelli and Blaise Pascal. By conducting experiments inspired by those of Torricelli and Pascal using today's rugged and affordable plum...

Journal Article

Science Sampler: Inquiry with earthworms

Earthworms wiggle their way into your science curriculum in this fun and hands-on activity. Students experiment with earthworms to gain a better understanding of the process of scientific inquiry and hone their research skills using books and the Int...

Journal Article

Weather to Make a Decision

Try DECIDE, a web-based, teacher-friendly, integrated approach designed to stimulate learning by allowing students to make decisions using scientific weather principles (DECIDE is available free of charge, see Resources). This learning unit integrate...