Tabizi Pythons & Clendro Hawks: Using Imaginary Animals to Achieve Real Knowledge about Ecosystems

Journal Article | December 2006

In the engaging unit described here, imaginary organisms are used to teach a variety of topics related to ecosystems—food chains and energy flow, food webs, limiting factors, carrying capacity, and the effects of…

Scope on the Skies: The school year in space

Journal Article | August 2002

This column focuses on astronomy throughout the year. This month’s issue features planet observations, eclipses, launches, and the International Space Station's (ISS) continued growth.

Breathing Easy About New Air Pollution Standards

Journal Article | August 2000

A town hall meeting is the backdrop for a role-playing case about ground-level ozone air pollution. The case consists of a flier and scripts drawn from public comment records on the current government mandate to reduce…

The Prepared Practitioner: An Assessment Primer

Journal Article | March 2009

Although the title of this month’s column may make your skin crawl—read on. Everyone should understand a few basics about the “A” word. Being able to distinguish formative from summative assessment and criterion-based…

Lessons Learned From a Summer Preparatory Program on Foundations in Physics and Calculus

Journal Article | February 2012

This article presents details about a summer instructional program created by physics graduate students who sought a chance to help students from the local community and to gain greater experience teaching science and…

Editor's Note: Nothing is as Constant as Change

Journal Article | April 2000

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

Firsthand Nature

Journal Article | March 2007

It’s no secret that many school programs don’t give children enough opportunity to explore the natural world—i.e., to “mess about” and to have firsthand experience with nature and animals. Not so at the Muscota New…

A Museum Learning Lab

Journal Article | March 2008

The “Learning Lab: The Cell” exhibit was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Museum and the MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS). Specially designed for middle and high school…

A Team Approach to Successful Learning: Peer Learning Coaches in Chemistry

Journal Article | December 2012

Through weekly Team Approach to Successful Learning workshops, students learn and apply problem-solving strategies, coached by specially trained peer learning coaches.

Creating a Schoolyard Mini-Garden

Journal Article | January 2009

The creation of schoolyard gardens is a growing movement in the United States and around the world (Ballard, Tong, and Usher 1998; Pope 1998; Lewis 2004). It brings together all of the features of authentic hands-on…

The New Teacher’s Toolbox: Making the Most of “Lost Days”

Journal Article | January 2011

In a given school year, one or two weeks of class time are inevitably eaten up by the calendar. There are the days before Thanksgiving, winter break, and spring break—when some students have left for early vacations,…

Methods and Strategies: Using Models Effectively

Journal Article | March 2005

Models are crucial to science teaching and learning, yet they can create unforeseen and overlooked challenges for students and teachers. This article guides students through age-appropriate, critical analyses of…

The Sounds of Summer

Journal Article | June 2011

Reading suggestions from NSTA Recommends reviewers.

Salty Microbiology

Journal Article | August 2004

Using microbiology activities in the classroom is an effective way for teachers to address National Standards in the life sciences. However, they could be too risky to implement due to the likelihood of cultivating…

Editor's Corner: Engineering Excellence

Journal Article | January 2012

The Science Teacher’s editor shares thoughts on the current issue.