Science Education and ESL Students

Journal Article | October 2011

The authors examine the challenges ESL students experience in learning science and provide a lesson plan and assessment to overcome the obstacles ESL students face in the science classroom. The authors then summarize…

Science Sampler: Sinking and floating—Bringing math to the surface

Journal Article | November 2007

The concept of density underlies the explanation for a variety of natural phenomena such as weather patterns and plate tectonics. However, we often find that although students can identify the formula d = m/v, they are…

Excavating Cratering: Bringing a NASA mission into Earth science classrooms

Journal Article | September 2002

The author brings NASA research on excavating a crater into the science classroom in the form of an inquiry investigation. Students begin to see that science, even NASA mission-size science, is something they can do.…

Science 101: How do the new fluorescent lightbulbs work?

Journal Article | November 2009

This is a timely question; given that in 2012 incandescent bulbs (the regular lightbulbs you’ve used for many years) won’t meet energy efficiency standards and will be phased out. To address the question, the author…

Methods and Strategies: Being Deliberate About Concept Development

Journal Article | January 2009

In order to move students’ thinking from the exploration experiences to concept understanding (and thus the ability to then apply that understanding), teachers must deliberately consider students’ misconceptions, the…

Current Research: Summer Reading Suggestions

Journal Article | June 2009

To supplement your summer reading, NSTA’s affiliates would like to suggest some recent articles on education research. These articles cover a variety of topics that include diversity, technology, and science teacher…

Science 101: How do insects help the environment?

Journal Article | January 2005

Although insects sometimes have a bad reputation, most are beneficial to humans and the environment, not detrimental. Without insects, the environment could not function as it does, yet few of us have considered how…

Scrolls as Science Journals

Journal Article | June 2004

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…

Building a Community of Scientists

Journal Article | June 2012

This article provides ideas for starting off the school year with a focus on science and continuing all year long.

The Early Years: Young Questioners

Journal Article | August 2006

Children are often described as natural scientists and their curiosity as a basic human trait. They amaze adults with perceptive questions and extended explorations of the environment. Asking questions is part of the…

After the Bell: Water harvesting II: Working toward being green

Journal Article | February 2008

As you have read in the previous After the Bell column, water harvesting is a process of diverting and collecting rainwater. One of the main reasons to harvest rainwater is to reduce the demand on local sources of…

The Early Years: Color Investigations

Journal Article | September 2008

The topic of color can be a springboard to diverse topics including colors in nature, how vision works, the function of color vision in animals, and the properties of light. Learning about color addresses part of the…

Rocketing into Adaptive Inquiry

Journal Article | December 2001

To ensure that each student achieves success, teachers can tailor activities with students’ strengths and weaknesses in mind using the process of adaptive inquiry. Adaptive inquiry is the product of the synergistic…

Art in Motion: A Sailboat Regatta

Journal Article | September 2011

This activity uses the creative natures of visual art and music to enhance students' potential for creativity while increasing their understanding of the science associated with force and motion. Students design, test,…

Formative Assessment Probes: Where Are the Stars?

Journal Article | August 2011

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. In this month’s issue the author explores children's knowledge of where the stars are in relation to the Earth and Moon.