The Artistic Oceanographer Program

Journal Article | March 2009

The Artistic Oceanographer Program (AOP) was designed to engage elementary school students in ocean sciences and to illustrate basic fifth-grade science and art standards with ocean-based examples. The program combines…

A Recipe for Inquiry: A traditional cookbook lab for determining the molar volume of a gas is modified to include inquiry

Journal Article | August 2003

Inquiry-based learning requires students to think about what they are doing before and during the experiment and provides opportunities to apply previously learned concepts to new situations. In this article, students…

Teaching Through Trade Books: What's the Matter?

Journal Article | January 2012

This column includes activities inspired by children’s literature. This month’s issue explores the different properties of matter.

Arthropod Genetics

Journal Article | January 2000

Think about invertebrates for a minute. Do arthropods come to mind? The phylum Arthropoda is the most diverse of the invertebrates, spanning from horseshoe crabs to lobsters to insects. These organisms have in common…

Reading Aloud

Journal Article | June 2008

Many resources are available to elementary teachers who wish to support science learning with literature. Unfortunately, somewhere between middle school and high school, the emphasis on using literature to teach science…

Having pHun With Soils

Journal Article | March 2013

Test the pH of soil to explore its impact on an ecosystem.

Guest Editorial: A Brief History of the National Middle Level Science Teachers Association

Journal Article | October 2011

An opinion piece about the highlights and membership benefits of NMLSTA.

Today’s Authors, Tomorrow’s Scientists

Journal Article | September 2009

Although not all teachers can invite scientists into classrooms on a regular basis, they can invite them into their students’ worlds through literature. Here the author shares how she used the nonfiction selection,…

The Democratic Science Classroom: Science Teaching that Can Improve Student Behavior and Enhance Inquiry

Journal Article | October 2001

“How can we prepare students to function in a democratic society if we don’t model democracy in our schools and classrooms?” The author works with his students to develop the class syllabus and vote on which Earth…

Editor's Corner: Wrapping Up One year While Anticipating the Next

Journal Article | April 2002

The Science Teacher’s editor shares thoughts on the past year and welcomes a new staff to The Science Teacher.

Skeletons in Your Classroom

Journal Article | September 2001

This hands-on, create-a-skeleton activity will reinforce skeletal and muscular system knowledge and foster creativity. Students work in cooperative groups to construct life-size skeleton models, write individual lab…

National School Science Safety Indexing Project: A Beginning

Journal Article | August 2005

There is extensive agreement within the science profession that the "hands-on, minds-on" approach to teaching and learning described within the National Science Education Standards creates a more effective learning…

Scope on Safety: Food for Thought, But Not for Eating

Journal Article | August 2011

This column shares safety information for your classroom. In this month’s issue the author suggests that teachers familiarize themselves with best practices before proceeding with any food-based lab.

Research and Teaching: Using Internet Class Notes and PowerPoint in the Physical Geology Lecture: Comparing the Success of Computer Technology With Traditional Teaching Techniques

Journal Article | February 2000

The Southwest Missouri State University (SMSU) study compared student performance in physical geology lecture classes using a traditional method of presentation with that of using Internet notes and PowerPoint lecture…

Current Research

Journal Article | June 2010

Take your summer reading to the next level! Check out these recent publications suggested by NSTA’s affiliate committees. The articles cover a variety of topics that are relevant to elementary science teachers, such as…