Editor's Note (February 2003)

Journal Article | January 2003

Aren’t patchwork quilts beautiful? What would you answer if you were asked, “Why is the patchwork quilt usually the favorite of quilt fanciers as well as the average person?” Most of us prefer the patchwork quilt…

Commentary: What is Science?

Journal Article | February 2002

An opinion piece about how our ability to use the scientific process in and out of school affects our ability to recognize wrong answers and question poor reasoning.

Science Shorts: Making Models

Journal Article | January 2007

Science and art are both creative ways of understanding the world and representing what we have come to know about it. The concrete, tangible aspects of art often provide a venue for students to convey their grasp of…

News Media Databases for Content Selection and Relevance in Introductory Geoscience Courses

Journal Article | August 2009

A systematic assessment of media-based coverage of geoscience topics relative to those found in textbooks is presented here. The specific question addressed is to what extent fully indexed media and print news sources…

After the Bell: Improving internships

Journal Article | August 2000

The Informal Science Education Centers (ISECs) serve an important role in complementing, supplementing, deepening, and augmenting classroom science. Colleges and ISECs are encouraged to create avenues for sharing…

How Much Carbon Is in the Forest?

Journal Article | December 2010

At the start of an integrated Algebra I and Environmental Science class, students were presented with the following challenge: “How much carbon is stored in the Normanskill Preserve?” They were told they had one month…

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 (Books Published in 2005)

Journal Article | February 2006

The annual list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 is selected by a committee of NSTA members. The selected titles on this list were all published in 2005.

Flying Into Inquiry

Journal Article | November 2012

This article describes several different citizen science investigations in which students learn about adaptation, interactions among species and their environments and change over time—fundamental principles in biology.

Customizing Curriculum With Digital Resources

Journal Article | September 2011

To effectively use digital resources in the classroom, teachers must customize the information, merge it with pre-existing curriculum, differentiate it for diverse student populations, and still meet standards-based…

Video-Based Labs for Introductory Physics Courses: Analyzing and Graphing Motion on Video

Journal Article | October 1999

Video-based labs are a powerful tool for improving student understanding of one of the most difficult and important topics in physics: graphs. This article describes common student graphing difficulties, the history of…

Scope on the Skies: September Skies (2009)

Journal Article | August 2009

There are many astronomy and space science resources that may be used to supplement or reinforce your teaching, or even as a stand-alone teaching tool. This month’s column brings together a collection of the author’s…

Assessing Performance Tasks: Guidelines for developing objective scoring rubrics

Journal Article | March 2003

As educators incorporate additional performance tasks into instruction, they are faced with the challenge of evaluating student achievement related to those tasks. The key to evaluation is developing student- and…

Integrating the Arts: Teaching About Color Mixing With Light

Journal Article | February 2012

This guided inquiry lesson is designed to help students develop conceptual understanding of the primary colors of light and differentiate between additive and subtractive color mixing.

Bird's the Word: By raising chicks, students study animals in the laboratory

Journal Article | April 2002

Raising chicks is effective and efficient because the experiment is applied science in action, and the animals are ethically disposed of when the experiment is finished. This experiment provides ample opportunity for…

Safer Science: Lifesaver Resources for Chemical Selection

Journal Article | February 2009

High school science teachers, supervisors, and chemical hygiene officers (CHO) can turn to a number of internet resources for help when making decisions about hazardous chemical use. Before considering these resources,…