All Resources

Journal Article

The Art of Geology

After participating in a professional development class entitled “Energy and the Environment,” sponsored by the American Electric Power Company, the author studied coal as an energy source and its effect on the environment. The final assignment w...

Journal Article

The Cormorant Controversy

Today, federal and state laws in the United States prohibit the killing of birds for their feathers, and similar legislation regulates the hunting of game birds. But despite these efforts, the relationship between birds and humans is strained, partic...

Journal Article

Commentary: The Case for Integrated Science

An opinion piece about the increasing interest in high school integrated science courses throughout the United States....

Journal Article

Spatial Thinking Strategies: Promoting cognitive processes in the elementary classroom

While some people consider spatial thinking a “gift” that only some individuals have, many others view spatial thinking as a cognitive process that can be developed. Much research supports the developmental view of spatial thinking as a cognitive...

Journal Article

Nature in the City: Outdoor projects for urban schools

This article provides three, inquiry-based activities that help urban students learn about nature—observing coloration patterns of pigeons, measuring local rainfall and comparing it to other areas, and conducting a biodiversity study by observing ...

Journal Article

Learning from Problems

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a powerful vehicle for inquiry-based learning in which students use an authentic problem as the context for an in-depth investigation of what they need and want to know (Checkly, 1997). This article presents ten steps ...

Journal Article

Editor's Note: Stand Up and Be Counted

Science and Children’s editor shares thoughts regarding the current issue....

Journal Article

Life Cycle of a Pencil

Before you throw an object into the air, it is wise to remember that “What goes up must come down.” Similarly, before you throw an object away, you should recall that “mass cannot be created or destroyed during a chemical or physical reaction.�...

Journal Article

Sound Ecology

Problem-based learning is a powerful tool that motivates students to learn problem solving through investigation and research. The problems should be applicable to real life, messy or undefined, and require students to create products. To introduce t...

Journal Article

Curriculum with a Common Thread: Teachers create a project-based interdisciplinary curriculum with science as the foundation

Imagine studying the history and technology of the Civil War through photographs taken at that time and learning about the chemistry and mathematics of photography by building cameras. That’s what elementary students do as part of Project WRITE (Wo...

Journal Article

Hands-On Thunderstorms: Activities to help students and teachers understand thunderstorms and severe weather

Have you ever wondered how thunderstorms actually form? Offering an age-appropriate explanation can be quite challenging because thunderstorms are very complicated atmospheric phenomena. However, by using a little creativity and a few household items...

Journal Article

Get Connected to Science: The possibilities abound with today's high-tech classroom resources

Too often classroom computers are used for word processing or drill and practice software. However, these uses don’t begin to tap into the rewards of computer technology. This article describes how elementary students used technology in three areas...

Journal Article

Springtime Flights of Fancy

Students of all ages are fascinated by space because it represents a mysterious frontier, and rockets excite students because they represent the means by which scientists learn about this frontier, through satellites or probes to other planets. Use t...

Journal Article

Communication Problems in a Distance-Education Setting: Diminishing the Impersonal Nature of a Distance-Education Classroom

At Central Washington University, groups of on-campus and distance education students in an elementary science methods class interacted with each other via email to complete five cooperative reaction papers. In surveys about their views on writing pa...

Journal Article

The Case Study: Death in a Viennese Maternity Ward—Childbed Fever—A Nineteenth-Century Mystery

This case provides a brief, factual account of the pioneering work of Ignaz Semmelweis and his efforts to remedy the problem of childbed fever. The case is featured in four parts, each followed by study questions. Teaching Notes are provided....

Journal Article

Engaging Science

One of your greatest challenges as a new teacher is learning how to engage your students. If students aren’t actively involved in the learning process, they cannot excel in the science classroom. This article presents some strategies for capturing ...

Journal Article

Some Practical Tips for Instituting Investigative Biology Laboratories: The Nuts and Bolts of Successful Laboratory Instruction

This paper describes some of the nuts and bolts problems associated with making the transition from traditionally taught laboratories to investigative student-centered ones. The three main areas the authors consider are: 1) What are the institutional...

Journal Article

The Study of Ethics in the Applied Science Curriculum: Training Future Science Educators in the Ethics of Nutrition

Science classes are an appropriate place for students to examine relevant ethical problems. Nutrition science classes, in particular, discuss current scientific information as well as ethical issues, such as cultural differences, meanings attached to...