Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K—12 (Books Published in 2007: Science and Children)

Journal Article | February 2008

Each of these outstanding selections defies the traditional image of a child “curling up with a good book.” Yes, they can be a source of great personal reading, encouraging students of all ages to stretch their skills…

How to Plan, Survive, and Even Enjoy an Overnight Field Trip with 200 Students

Journal Article | December 2002

Although taking an overnight trip with 200 middle schoolers might seem like an impossible task, this author does it regularly. Using the example of a three-day trip she took to Yellowstone National Park with her…

Reading the Ice: Using Remote Sensing to Analyze Radar Data

Journal Article | January 2013

This article describes two lessons, based on the 5E model, that help students practice scientific data collection and introduce them to remote sensing.

Getting Past "Just Because": Teaching Writing in Science Class

Journal Article | December 2011

Over the past two years this seventh-grade team of teachers has taught writing across the curriculum, used common terminology, and assessed writing using a shared rubric, providing students with a basic writing…

Science Sampler: The clone factory

Journal Article | June 2005

Have humans been cloned? Is it possible? Immediate interest is sparked when students are asked these questions. In this activity, students reenact the cloning process, in a very simplified simulation. After completing…

Research and Teaching: Are In-Class Peer Leaders Effective in the Peer-Led Team-Learning Approach?

Journal Article | February 2009

Peer-led team learning (PLTL) has been widely adopted for enhanced learning in a variety of disciplines, mostly in introductory chemistry, but also in organic chemistry, as in this study (Tien, Roth, and Kampmeier 2002…

Ask the Experts—December 2004

Journal Article | November 2004

The experts address the following questions in this month’s column: If the scientific exploration of chemistry is still evolving, are there new elements still left to be discovered? If a new element were discovered, how…

In-service Inquiry: A professional development workshop helps in-service teachers bring inquiry-based learning to their classrooms

Journal Article | January 2002

Developing science process skills and participating in inquiry-based activities help students gain the foundation for job skills outside of school. Overall, this workshop was highly successful, and in-service teachers…

An Electromagnetic Spectrum for Millennial Students: Teaching Light, Color, Energy, and Frequency Using the Electronic Devices of Our Time

Journal Article | June 2010

In this article, a comparison of student learning outcomes is made in sophomore-level physical science classes using a “traditional” pedagogical approach versus a “modern” approach. Specifically, when students were…

The Ice Hockey Injury

Journal Article | September 2004

A high school hockey team is playing the last of three games in one day. The game gets rough, and the star player is slammed against the boards. Injured, he is escorted off the ice. This case follows his health as it…

Laboratory Based Case Studies: Closer to the Real World

Journal Article | September 2005

Case-based laboratories offer students the chance to approximate real science. Based on interesting stories that pose problems requiring experimental solutions, they avoid the cookbook approach characteristic of…

Idea Bank: Illustrating a Neuron's Action Potential With the "Wave"

Journal Article | December 2012

The Idea Bank provides tips and techniques for creative teaching, in about 1,000 words. This month’s Idea Bank discusses using an activity during a unit on the nervous system to help students grasp the concept of an…

Science Sampler: Using the Pokemon alphabet to teach classification and phylogeny

Journal Article | December 2005

Did you ever think you'd see the day when Pokemon would make an appearance in the classroom, and actually be allowed to stay? The activity described here teaches classification, phylogeny, and dichotomy using a set of…

Learning Logs: Writing to Learn, Reading to Assess

Journal Article | October 2005

Good inquiry activities help students hone their inquiry abilities and teach them about the nature of science. Inquiry is also a way to teach science content, and teachers need to know if this instruction is helping…

The New Teacher’s Toolbox: When Silence Is Not Golden

Journal Article | October 2010

Silences can be quite uncomfortable, and in front of a classroom of students, 10 seconds can feel like an eternity. Class participation is tricky because it depends on several complicated dynamics. Ideally, many…