All Resources

Journal Article

Editor's Note (April/May 2005)

No matter how the seasons come and go in your part of the country, there is science to be explored. In this section the editor discusses moving beyond the beauty of spring and presents a new way to think about plants--as tools for inquiry....

Journal Article

Tech Trek: How reliable is the temperature forecast?

The internet has become as commonplace as a daily newspaper, and is a primary source of news for middle school students. Access to up-to-the minute weather forecasts is something most students take for granted. However, like most of us, middle school...

Journal Article

Science 101: What causes tsunamis?

The word "tsunami" brings to mind one towering wave but actually refers to a series of waves, most often caused by an undersea earthquake. This article debunks some of the myths about tsunamis and gives a historic and scientific view of this natural...

Journal Article

Tried and true: It's all done with mirrors

Reflect the magic of science using the following activities to spur an interest in the study of light and its associated properties with the use of mirrors--these activities are designed to startle the senses! With a little time, students usually ca...

Journal Article

Ask the Experts -- April/May 2005

In this month's Ask the Experts column, the following questions are addressed: "Why does metal feel cold? And why are metals shiny?" and "Why does the United States use different electrical standards compared to Europe (120 V at 60 Hz versus 240 V at...

Journal Article

EPICS Exploration

Learn about the partnership formed between students from Purdue University’s, "Engineering Projects In Community Service" (EPICS) and students at Happy Hollow School in Indiana, and how the engineering projects that were undertaken captured studen...

Journal Article

Commentary: The Value of Science Research Projects

In this month's Commentary, the value of science research projects is emphasized. The authors of this article have found that conservatively such projects could potentially have a positive impact on curricular requirements, regardless of the percepti...

Journal Article

The Sidewalk Project: Students work with their community to invent a heated sidewalk powered by an alternative energy source

High school physics students from Littleton, New Hampshire, conducted experiments in an effort to use alternative energy to power a sidewalk heating system by participating in a program that provides grants to high schools to invent something that ad...

Journal Article

Reaching Out to Outreach

Resources like university science camps, 4-H, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America can help motivate curious students with experiences related to community concerns and interests, while also exposing students to potential career ideas. This articl...

Journal Article

Shell Creek Summers

What would motivate high school students to donate valuable summer vacation time to do science research?--the opportunity to make a difference! The Shell Creek Watershed Improvement Group (SCWIG) was formed to identify and promote needed conservatio...

Journal Article

Idea Bank: Microscopic Impressionism

Claude Monet meets the world of science through Histro-Art, a concept that was conceived from the impressions of an 11th and 12th-grade college preparatory human anatomy and physiology class who were studying histology using a micro-video system. As ...

Journal Article

Teaching Through Trade Books: What Happens to Seeds?

Wondering what will happen, waiting for a change, watching a young plant unfold--these are what make experimenting with seeds so enticing. Early experiences with planting seeds can lay a foundation for further learning as children progress from dire...

Journal Article

Crystal Clear Science

Subjects like Earth Science often rely on "ready made" hands-on materials such as kits and modules to support understanding and science inquiry. However, sometimes the materials need adaptations to make sure they suit students' and teachers' needs. ...

Journal Article

Cycling Through Plants

Through a sequence of three related learning cycles--exploring seeds, germinating seeds and monitoring plant experiments--third-grade students answer answer these and other questions about plant growth and discover that new seeds are made from the pl...

Journal Article

Service Learning: A Way to Connect Science to the Community

How often have we tried to connect middle school science to students' lives only to lack an idea or a vehicle for making the connection? Service learning can provide that kind of link for students. It is a teaching and learning method that combines m...

Journal Article

Discovery Central

One very nifty teacher decides to create four interactive, plant themed learning centers to help students develop science process skills, including observing, comparing, recording data, collecting data, sorting, and classifing. The centers address f...

Journal Article

After the Bell: Science and algebraic thinking part I: Rates and Change

One of the most important connections that must be made during the middle school years is the relationship between scientific inquiry and algebraic thinking. One way is by studying rate of change, a topic that shows the connection particularly well,...

Journal Article

Editor's Corner: Beyond Classroom Walls

In this month's Editor's Corner, the Field Editor discusses the importance of community-school-student partnerships. Science activities that take students outside the school walls can combine the best aspects of service to the community, problem-base...

Journal Article

Linking the Classroom to the Community

The Youth Network for Healthy Communities (YNHC) is a teacher-driven project in Washington State in which students research environmental health issues in their communities and present their findings to other students throughout the state via videoco...

Journal Article

Cougars, Curriculum, and Community

Cougars are fascinating creatures and most students are naturally interested in learning about them. This article describes the design and implementation of the Cougar Conservation Project (CCP), a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum that provide...

Journal Article

The Prairie Science Class

Students from a rural middle school in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, joined with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore a native tallgrass prairie. The students, known as the Prairie Science Class, discovered that using their local environment help...