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  • Editor's Corner: Food for Thought

    Journal Article |

    Food issues often appear in the news and other media. For example, the media regularly address food safety concerns—from Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or “Mad Cow Disease” to Salmonella and Escherichia coli…

  • Use of Genomic Databases for Inquiry-Based Learning About Influenza

    Journal Article |

    The genome projects of the past decades have created extensive databases of biological information with applications in both research and education. We describe an inquiry-based exercise that uses one such database,…

  • Earth View, Art View

    Journal Article |

    This fascinating interdisciplinary project combines satellite imagery with the technique of silk painting in batik. Students choose a Landsat image, enlarge the area of interest, and paint it onto silk. To assess the…

  • Ecosystem Journalism

    Journal Article |

    Third-grade students display their understanding of life science concepts by creating an imaginative newspaper. This creative writing project engages students in researching, writing, and editing a newspaper based on a…

  • Beyond Grading

    Journal Article |

    Rubrics are learning tools for students and teachers. They can be used to clarify learning goals, provide feedback, and improve critical thinking. Simply using a rubric to score student work, however, is not enough to…

  • Enabling Science: NSF's Program for Persons with Disabilities

    Journal Article |

    To promote greater inclusion of disabled students in science classrooms and to address the underrepresentation of persons with disabilities in science and engineering careers, the National Science Foundation (NSF)…

  • Hydrogel Beads: The New Slime Lab?

    Journal Article |

    Students experience an inexpensive inquiry activity on chemical bonding, properties, and replacement reactions. In this activity, students synthesize a cross-linked polymer: hydrogel.

  • Spatial Thinking Strategies: Promoting cognitive processes in the elementary classroom

    Journal Article |

    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…

  • Water Pressure in Depth

    Journal Article |

    An obvious lesson means far-from-enthusiastic students. By adding a second variable, this water pressure and depth investigation provides students with a problem to solve and identify. With two variables, students had…

  • Opening the Gateway

    Journal Article |

    The Gateway Science Workshop is a peer-facilitated, problem-focused program designed to improve student retention in the sciences. This article discusses its development, implementation, and efficacy, which is…

  • Everyday Engineering: An In-Depth Look at 3-D

    Journal Article |

    This column provides an inside look at the marvels of engineering in everyday life. This article describes the engineering challenge for creating 3-D images.

  • Scope on Safety: Fire safety fundamentals

    Journal Article |

    Planning and prevention is the best defense against fires in school. This is particularly true in the science laboratory due to the presence of flammable gases, liquids, combustibles, and other potential sources of fire…

  • Core Ideas of Engineering and Technology

    Journal Article |

    This article addresses Chapter 8 of A Framework for K–12 Science Education, which presents core ideas in technology and engineering at the same level as core ideas in the traditional science fields.

  • The Human Side of Butterflies

    Journal Article |

    There is one important aspect of science that sometimes proves a bit more difficult to teach than other areas: introducing students to the the idea of nature of science. Nature of science speaks to how scientific…

  • Scope on Safety: Essential First Aid for Science Teachers

    Journal Article |

    From a practical standpoint, science teachers should be trained to respond to incidents involving burns, bleeding, chemical exposure, swallowed poisons, penetrating objects, lacerations, and shock. Basic training is…

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