Commentary: Matchmaker, Matchmaker

Journal Article | March 2001

An opinion piece about matching and how the pleasure of matching can be found in science class.

Teaching Through Trade Books: Pondering Popcorn

Journal Article | February 2009

When most people hear the word, popcorn, they think of a tasty treat enjoyed at the movies. In this month’s column, popcorn takes center stage as students engage in investigations relating to observations and…

Favorite Demonstration: Brown Bagging It

Journal Article | April 2004

This simple and inexpensive technique was designed to catch the attention of introductory zoology students and complements any object-based demonstration, wakes students up, and draws their attention to what comes next…

Issues in-depth:
Pesticides, people, and the environment: A Complex relationship

Journal Article | September 2005

If you were to ask your students what they do when they find ants or other insects in their homes, their most common response would probably be, "Get the bug spray!" Because students are not only being exposed to…

Reading Questions in Large-Lecture Courses: Limitations and Unexpected Outcomes

Journal Article | February 2008

As an alternative to reading quizzes, a team of biochemistry instructors implemented student reading questions (Henderson and Rosenthal 2006) as a new instructional strategy within their large-enrollment biochemistry…

There's Life in Those Dead Logs!

Journal Article | March 2006

If asked to describe the natural features of forests, students might start out by mentioning familiar plants and animals such as trees, mammals, birds, and flowers. Dead trees are not likely to make the list. Although…

Methods and Strategies: Talk Strategies

Journal Article | October 2011

This column provides ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. This month’s issue discusses how to promote oral language development through science.

Exploring Seafloor Volcanoes in Cyberspace: NOAA's <i>Ocean Explorer</i> Inspires Inquiry

Journal Article | June 2011

Seafloor exploration being done by scientists is an ideal way to introduce students to technology as a tool for inquiry. The same technology that allows scientists to share data in near real time can also provide…

Urban Bird-Watching II

Journal Article | August 1999

In “Urban Bird-Watching,” previously published in Science Scope, the author described an activity designed to get students out of the classroom and into the outdoors (Rodenberg, 1993). In that activity, suggestions were…

A Message from the NSTA President: Quality Science Teachers -- Essential to America's Future

Journal Article | August 2006

Our nation has begun to take science and the accomplishments of scientists in the United States for granted. The telephone, airplane, automobile, electric power, atomic fuel, vaccine, transplants, medicines--all of the…

Projecting the Scientific Method: Introducing students to the scientific method and the gas laws

Journal Article | November 2000

Teaching and training students to use the scientific method as a series of steps and as a way of understanding chemical and physical changes is best done in context. This article features an activity using gas laws as…

Scientific and Engineering Practices in K–12 Classrooms

Journal Article | November 2011

The author presents the science and engineering practices from the recently released A Framework for K–12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas.

Science Enrichment for African-American Students

Journal Article | January 2004

The author administered a survey to African-American students enrolled in elective science classes in four public high schools in a Middle Atlantic state during the 1998-1999 school year. These students were surveyed…

Tried and True: Traffic control tips for hands-on labs

Journal Article | August 2004

The following are some tried and true methods of avoiding materials management and traffic problems associated with hands-on activities. While each class has its own personality and each teacher has his or her own style…

Safer Science: Computer Safety in the Lab

Journal Article | October 2010

Today, it is common to find desktops, laptops, netbooks, and specialized handheld devices in the science lab, and the internet is often used for research and collaboration between learners. The pervasive use of computer…