All Resources

Journal Article

Preparing Undergraduates for Professional Writing

The inability to write scientific papers effectively remains a problem for many college students. To identify pedagogical constructs that help undergraduates write well in scientific formats, the authors evaluated the effect of the number and type of...

Journal Article

Science Sampler: Lingo of learning crossword

Test your knowledge of basic science terms and educational terminology with this Lingo of Learning crossword puzzle. ...

Journal Article

Plants on Display

Plants play an essential role in daily life, making them a natural subject of study for a standards-based unit in the elementary science curriculum. One creative way to give students direct experience with living plants is by using theme-based live p...

Journal Article

Genetic Building Blocks

The “Central Dogma” of genetics states that one gene, located in a DNA molecule, is ultimately translated into one protein. As important as this idea is, many teachers shy away from teaching the actual mechanism of gene translation, and many stud...

Journal Article

Society for College Science Teachers: Do You Need an Introductory Science Specialist?

For your next general science hire, provide your introductory level students with an expert. This article discusses the practical reasons why you should consider hiring an Introductory Science Specialist—someone who has the background, expertise, a...

Journal Article

Editor’s Corner: Greetings, Fellow Science Teachers!

In this month’s column, Steve Metz introduces himself as the new field editor of The Science Teacher (TST). His primary goal for TST is a simple one—to make your journal as useful to you as possible. Since science teachers lead busy lives, ...

Journal Article

Idea Bank: Starting the Year off Right

As science teachers today are called upon to meet the goals set out by state and national standards and the No Child Left Behind Act, teachers cannot afford to waste classroom time. Efficient classroom management is now more important than ever and t...

Journal Article

Make a Splash Day

Project WET's Make a Splash Water Education Days provide plentiful learning opportunities for elementary students and preservice teachers. At these annual, all-day events held in nearly every state across the country each September, students partici...

Journal Article

Scope on Safety: Responsible use of live animals in the classroom

Keeping live animals in the classroom or laboratory makes science come alive for students. The use of animals in the classroom or laboratory is highly encouraged, providing appropriate care and safety are addressed. This article addresses appropriate...

Journal Article

Tried and True: Inquiring about water quality

This Tried and True activity asks students to purify a sample of water. After a short narrative describing a fish’s journey downstream past various sources of pollution, students are presented with the focus question, "Which is the best method to c...

Journal Article

Career of the Month: An Interview with Animal Nutritionist Mark Edwards

As an animal nutritionist with the Zoological Society of San Diego, Mark Edwards loves being part of a unique program that strives to provide world-class, science-based care for animals. The experience he brings to his job (he previously worked as an...

Journal Article

Teaching Photosynthesis

This activity is designed to get students engaged in learning the topic of photosynthesis. Students are given a sheet with various facts about photosynthesis on it. They cut the clues out, sort them into categories, and discuss their reasoning with t...

Journal Article

Research and Teaching: Promoting Student Learning in a Large General Chemistry Course

Based on recent reports in the science education literature, curricular modifications were made to one section of a freshman-level general chemistry course. Assessment results indicate that these modifications resulted in a more student-centered lear...

Journal Article

Summertime, and the Reading Is Easy

If your plans for preparing for the upcoming summer school year include relaxing with a good read, join the club! NSTA's Reading Club, that is. The arrival of summer means that many teachers finally have some free time to get caught up on their readi...

Journal Article

State Standards and Evolution

Most states’ science-education standards support the teaching of evolution, but many in the general public and some policymakers want science classrooms to include creationism. As a result of this influence, are educators teaching creationism even ...

Journal Article

A Handle on Hands-On

One of the major obstacles teachers face when trying to implement inquiry-based science teaching is how to handle hands-on materials. This article addresses where to get supplies and how to pay for them, how to organize and store the materials, and h...

Journal Article

Instructional Technology Jewels

The authors integrated four technology tools into a course to showcase their pedagogical usefulness. These were Course Compass, a web-based, course-management system; Moveable Type WebLog, an Open Source blog; recorded verbal critique, an evaluation ...

Journal Article

Editor's Note (Summer 2004)

This selection includes thoughts from the Field Editor of Science and Children related to better organization. Some of the suggestions in this issue are not intended for a single teacher but, a single teacher may lead the charge. ...

Journal Article

Is a Materials Resource Center Right for You?

Well run science materials centers can be a vital part of an exemplary science instruction program. The author introduces the “Five Ss” of successful materials support—Service, Space, Staff, Stuff, and Savings—and encourages administrators an...

Journal Article

Scrolls as Science Journals

Lab notebooks and field journals are essential tools for scientists. Quite often science journals contain so many drawings that they begin to resemble an artist’s sketchbook. Journals, notebooks, and sketchbooks are all systems that make meaning po...

Journal Article

Teaching Through Trade Books: Meet the Decomposers

This month's Teaching Through Trade Books column focuses on three books about decomposers: Compost Critters, A Pill Bug’s Life, and A Slug's Life. Activities for grades K-3 and 4-6 help children learn about animals’ basic needs and the process of...

Journal Article

Cool Books for Hot Days

Through summer reading, teachers can spend valuable hours updating content background methods, or simply refreshing their spirit. NSTA Recommends, the association’s premier review system for science education, highlights books that have the potenti...

Journal Article

Science Sampler: Science magic -- Making a difference

The author recalls with fondness her sixth grade science teacher, Mr. M, and how he transformed an otherwise turbulent year into “magic” by cultivating her love of science through the process of scientific inquiry, and by taking a personal inte...

Journal Article

Why Earth Science?

Nearly everything that we do each day is connected in some way to Earth--to its land, oceans, atmosphere, plants, and animals. To fully understand and appreciate our planet, students need to learn about its processes, its resources, and its environm...

Journal Article

Home Connections: 'Round and 'Round

Summer is coming. Hot weather means sandals, ice cream, pool parties, and occasionally really large thunderstorms. Sometimes really powerful thunderstorms produce tornadoes. Tornadoes are the most violent kind of storm and can be extremely dangero...

Journal Article

Editorial: A Time for Change

In this month’s column, Editor Lester G. Paldy says farewell to the Journal of College Science Teaching (JCST) with the same “panache” as the distinguished New York Times columnist, Anthony Lewis, whom he admired. He reflects on his early y...

Journal Article

After the bell: Drop by drop, liter by liter

How is water used in your home? Most people don't realize the number of times they use an appliance that relies on water. Since water is one of the most important substances for organisms on Earth, it is evident from our reliance on this natural reso...

Journal Article

Scope on the Skies: Summer astronomy

Re-visit the summer of 2004 by discovering its celestial events and learning about the Cassini/Huygens spacecraft activity that also occurred that year--which has implications today as it continues to orbit the Saturnian system until 2008, through th...

Journal Article

Trial by Science: A Forensic Extravaganza

This intriguing crime-solving activity for middle level students demonstrates some of the basics of forensic science; including the analysis of fingerprints, hair, fiber, and soil evidence. The realism of the scenario is enhanced by recruiting adult ...

Journal Article

Teaching Failure in the Laboratory

Many undergraduate science students are misled by “cookbook” laboratory experiments that make science appear to be easy and to always yield anticipated results. This is a direct consequence of the pedagogical approach normally used in science tea...

Journal Article

Cooperative Concept Mapping

The author used a repeated-measures design to compare students’ exam performance after their participation in a cooperative concept-mapping workshop in contrast to their exam performance after more traditional assignments. Cooperative concept-mappi...

Journal Article

Learning about Leadership

Peer leaders play a key role in the success of the peer learning teaching method. In this article, we discuss the effect team learning has had on peer leaders in chemistry and biology classes over the course of four years at the University of Portlan...

Journal Article

Biology of the Southeast

A learning community for science students gives participants an opportunity to design and implement a field biology research project. Integrated into the scientific emphasis on ecology, evolution, natural history, and data analysis is a humanities co...