All Resources

Journal Article

Sorting Out Seeds

This activity—Classifying Seeds—is designed to bring students and their surroundings together. By the conclusion of the activity, students have been exposed to a variety of situations requiring them to observe, categorize, compare, contrast, eva...

Journal Article

Pizza Box Mining

This month's insert teaches students how science and technology help make the most of our limited resources and limit the environmental impact of mining operations. This article provides information to help you integrate the activity into your scienc...

Journal Article

Completing the Study: High School Students' Views of Scientists and Science

In a study of K-8 students, teachers used an expanded version of Draw-A-Scientist Test (DAST) to gain insights to students' perceptions related to scientists, studying science, and using science outside the classroom. It provided an interesting profi...

Journal Article

How Do You Know That Science is Going On? Questioning the criteria that determine whether science is taking place

In this article, the author questions the criteria used to determine if science is taking place and also suggests some criteria and provides examples. But, the main purpose for this article is to initiate discussion among those interested in and resp...

Journal Article

Teaching Teachers: Lessons in Cooperative Learning

In this article, the author provides a list of suggestions, based on personal experience, to help preservice teachers start using cooperative learning....

Journal Article

Off the Beaten Path: A learning camping experience

"Off the Beaten Path" is a program that takes at-risk students out of the traditional classroom and into a camping atmosphere. The program's purpose is to help increase academic achievement, improve self-esteem, and promote better social skills. It a...

Journal Article

Libros de Ciencias en Español

This listing of recently published science books in Spanish are just right for Spanish-speaking scientists-to-be....

Journal Article

Brain Awareness Week Open House

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) has been established for people of all ages to learn about the brain, nervous system, and current research and to celebrate the brain's wondrous workings....

Journal Article

Is Teaching Instinctive? No, I'm Afraid Not: Adjusting Teaching Practices to Accommodate Student—Not Teacher—Learning Styles

While there may be a strong human instinct to try to teach, how to teach is not instinctive—it’s habitual—and this leads to very different implications for the classroom and teacher preparation. College classroom teachers must strive to attain ...

Journal Article

A Thematic Integration of Physical and Earth Science for Elementary Education Students: Unifying the Breadth of Science Topics Around Common Themes in a Class for Prospective Teachers

This article features an activity-based science course for elementary education students. The course uses a thematic approach that naturally integrates chemistry, physics, and Earth science with activities and themes relevant for elementary school sc...

Journal Article

The Magic of Science

Throughout the year students learn basic scientific principles that may become fodder for magic tricks later on. This article features hands-on year-end events where students perform magic tricks and explain the basic science concepts behind them. St...

Journal Article

Constructive Connections

An effective way to implement constructivism in the classroom is through the use of K'NEX building sets, an ideal exmple of toys that teach. In this activity, students construct knowledge by building bridges. K'NEX building sets allow students to vi...

Journal Article

Problem-Based Learning

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) requires students to attempt to solve problems rather than learn how to problem solve. The students using these activities of PBL scored better on assessments of science content, science processes, and high-level thinking...

Journal Article

The Case Study: A Few Steps Ahead on the Same Path: Using Peer Tutors in the Cooperative-Learning Classroom—A Multilayered Approach to Teaching

This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. This month’s issue explains how using upper-class undergraduates as group facilitators in classroom...

Journal Article

Science in the Cemetery

Cemeteries provide students with the opportunity to learn science in an unusual outdoor setting. In this activity, find out how Earth science, math, and history can be brought together in a field trip to your local cemetery....

Journal Article

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children for 1999: Books published in 1998

These books were selected as outstanding children's science trade books, and are intended primarily for K-8. The selection was made by a book review panel appointed by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) in cooperation with the Children'...

Journal Article

Editor's Roundtable: Non-Standard Science

Science Scope’s editors share thoughts regarding the current issue....

Journal Article

Teaching Circuits Is Child's Play

Although all the basics were covered in a traditional unit on electricity, it felt like something was missing—would the students be able to apply their knowledge of circuits to real-world situations. In this activity, the reengineered electricity u...

Journal Article

Slip, Sledding Away

This sledding activity is used to wrap up a unit on motion after students have been introduced to the concepts of speed, velocity, acceleration, and momentum....

Journal Article

A Growth Opportunity

This 7th grade life science class is about to embark on the Plant Project as they collect leaves and flowers as a homework assignment and learn that the class will be held outside. The project can serve as a foundation for many other class topics—c...

Journal Article

Student, Graduate, and Faculty Perspectives on Fledgling Content-Based Doctoral Programs in Science and Mathematics Education: Producing a Professoriate as Well Trained to Teach as to Research

For the Ph.D. degrees in biology, mathematics, and chemical education to be appropriate, there needs to be more emphasis on research related to teaching/learning in the content areas—not just an emphasis on teaching in the content areas. The progra...

Journal Article

The Gigantic Titanic Egg Disaster

This activity features an iceberg-disaster simulation called the "Gigantic Titanic Egg Disaster." Students enjoy using their own problem-solving skills and creativity to prevent a Titanic disaster....

Journal Article

Fearless Fliers

Under most circumstances, flying paper airplanes during class would not be allowed, but at the close of this 6th grade class students are encouraged to fly all sorts of paper airplanes. This mini-unit makes the last few days of school exciting and in...

Journal Article

Scooter Science

This interdisciplinary approach to studying the concept of acceleration uses scooters to visually demonstrate the change of velocity over time and distance....

Journal Article

Haiku and Science—Observing, Reflecting, and Writing about Nature: Using an Art Form that Demands Careful Observation of the Natural World

Haiku and science both focus on nature and require excellent observational abilities. This article describes the characteristics of haiku and a haiku assignment used in college biology courses. Students carefully observed the natural world, wrote hai...

Journal Article

Solar-Powered Racers

The science concepts introduced in this activity, such as the workings of simple machines, energy, work, friction, and air resistance provide a good segue to designing solar-powered cars. By building solar-powered cars, students get hands-on experien...

Journal Article

Meeting State Standards Through Integration

This article focuses on teaching science standards through doing, constructing, and connecting processes. Students engage in the "doing" through inquiry and hands-on activities. They ask questions, acquire knowledge, and "construct" explanations of n...

Journal Article

Global Warming: It's Not Cool! A model for creating Multisensory Instructional Packages

The author designed this Multisensory Instructional Package (MIP) to develop environmental awareness in a variety of interesting ways. All the resources in the MIP focus on the same objectives, but each resource allows students to work with the mater...

Journal Article

Editor's Note: The Bottom Line

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