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Journal Article
In 1986, Lake Nyos, a volcanic lake in Cameroon, released a huge amount of carbon dioxide gas, killing over 1,700 people in the surrounding area. This case study, developed for use in a limnology or aquatic biology course, explores that event, introd...
Journal Article
Ask the Experts -- October 2005
The Experts tackle the question, "What is the underlying natural phenomenon that causes the natural log function to show up so frequently in scientific equations? and "Why do some hairs on the human body grow indefinitely while others grow to a certa...
Journal Article
Step-by-step instructions in the chemistry lab often eliminate opportunities for inquiry, higher levels of thinking, and the sense of accomplishment students find through independent discovery. However, removing procedures from chemistry labs creates...
Journal Article
Artificial Sanity: A Case Study for a Class in Introductory Psychology
Using the story of death row inmate Charles Singleton, who developed paranoid schizophrenia while in prison awaiting execution, this case study explores the relationship between a society’s concept of mental illness and its treatment of people who ...
Journal Article
Inquiry, Science Workshop Style
Few people are more curious about their worlds than young children. In many published programs, lessons revolve around set questions, with step-by-step directions provided for children to follow. This approach seems to say that young children are n...
Journal Article
Science Shorts: Nature of Science Is...
The phrase “nature of science” refers to the characteristics of scientific knowledge that necessarily result from the scientific investigations that scientists conduct to develop knowledge. Yet, these characteristics are assumed by many to be “...
Journal Article
Igniting Girl's Interest in Science Careers
Since leaving the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a passion of Sally Ride's has been to find ways to keep girls interested in science. Recently, Sally Ride Science and NASA teamed up to produce a poster based on the book titled,...
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Out of the Stone Age
A collection of rocks and minerals can bring out the little kid in middle school students. When they walk into the classroom and see all of the rocks, their curiosity is sparked. They hurry over to the table and pick up each rock with childlike glee....
Journal Article
Career of the Month: An Interview with Sport Biomechanist Bill Sands
This month's column features Bill Sands, a Sports Biomechanist at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (OTC). As Head of Sport Biomechanics and Engineering, he helps Olympic athletes defeat their opponents and achieve their dreams. Catapult your students...
Journal Article
A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed: A Case Study on Human Respiratory Physiology
The dynamics of oxygen transport by the blood can be a particularly difficult topic for students to grasp. A directed case study about carbon monoxide poisoning was designed to help deepen student understanding of the solution chemistry of the oxygen...
Journal Article
An inquiry-based curriculum requires teachers to design experiences that engage students in scientific phenomena through direct observation, data gathering, and analysis of evidence. Replacing familiar routines and conventional methods with inquiry m...
Journal Article
One fifth-grade class builds their science-process skills while exploring nanotechnology. Students researched the technology that makes this fabric stain-resistant to common staining agents. In the process, students practiced their skills in making...
Journal Article
Issues in-depth: Pesticides, people, and the environment: A Complex relationship
If you were to ask your students what they do when they find ants or other insects in their homes, their most common response would probably be, "Get the bug spray!" Because students are not only being exposed to pesticides but are also developing pa...
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Rocks in our pockets
Rocks contain so many stories within them that they're a natural for young scientists. To introduce students to rocks and their characteristics, begin your rocks unit with the following activities that develop their ability to make simple observation...
Journal Article
A first grade teacher in an urban school, eager to bring authentic science into the classroom, provides an opportunity for her students to experience science adventures and explorations, while also getting parents involved. She implemented a program...
Journal Article
The high school science laboratory provides a natural environment for students to learn through scientist-teacher partnerships. A dynamic learning community, authentic inquiry, a deeper understanding of the nature of science, and learning about scien...
Journal Article
Editor's Roundtable: Taking the time
Teachers can enrich students' lives by making outdoor experiences part of their curriculum. How many trips and how long each experience lasts is determined by individual sensibilities and influenced by administrative support and policy constraints. I...
Journal Article
Technology in the Lab: Part One
The development of probeware--electronic sensors connected to a desktop computer, calculator, or handheld computer, together with supporting software--has revolutionized the conduct of science laboratory instruction and permitted students to engage i...
Journal Article
Methods and Strategies: Understanding the True Meaning of Nature of Science
Along with the responsibility of teaching science content and inquiry comes the responsibility of nurturing an understanding of the nature of science. This article offers applicable suggestions to help in highlighting the nature of science....
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Map your way to the Grand Canyon
How do urban eighth graders from the flatlands of Indiana capture the poetry and grandeur of the Grand Canyon without ever leaving the classroom? By talking and touching and seeing and smelling and listening and...writing. Enhance your eighth-grade g...
Journal Article
Mask of Black God: The Pleiades in Navajo Cosmology
One Navajo legend attributes the creation of the primary stars and constellations to Black God. Today, a famous star cluster—the Pleiades—often appears on the traditional mask worn by chanters impersonating Black God during special ceremonies. In...
Journal Article
Webbing Through Science History
Virtual experiments, data logging the internet--these are just a few of the ways technology is changing the classroom environment today, ushering in a new learning opportunity for students and new ways for teachers to present knowledge. In this arti...
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Rockin' around the rock cycle
The following inquiry-based activities were designed as part of a unit intended to aid students in understanding the rock cycle, with the assumption that, after being taught the lessons in the unit, students would have gone beyond a rote memorization...
Journal Article
Making Sense of Topographic Maps
"I'm confused!" "What are all those squiggly lines? "I don't get it!" These are some common reactions the first time students see a full-sized United States Geological Survey (USGS) topographic map. The study and interpretation of maps is, of course,...
Journal Article
Science Sampler: The Sweet Earth
This activity compares different kinds of candy to the different types of rocks based on direct observation. A great number of geologic processes either take unimaginable lengths of time to complete, or happen in places that cannot be directly observ...
Journal Article
Science Sampler: Teaching science to middle school students with learning problems
The inclusion of students with special needs in the middle school science class that is not collaboratively taught with a special education teacher can be a challenge to both students and teacher. The purpose of this article is to outline the charact...
Journal Article
Teaching Through Trade Books: Survival Skills
Animals have many adaptations that help them survive in their environment and meet their special needs of food and shelter. This month’s column focuses on two such adaptations: camouflage and beaks. This articles comes with a corresponding activit...