Plants on the Move

Journal Article | January 2009

When it comes to directly interacting with and doing experiments with organisms, plants have some distinct advantages over animals. Their diversity and accessibility allows students to use them in experiments, thus…

Ask the Experts—October 2004

Journal Article | September 2004

The experts address the following question in this month’s column: My mom always warns me that I should never eat undercooked hamburgers, but we serve our grilled steaks medium rare. Isn’t that dangerous too? And what…

Thinking Like a Ssssscientist!

Journal Article | August 2010

A fear of snakes developed into an opportunity to teach students about the process of science: formulating questions, collecting and analyzing data, and communicating findings to the public. By using snakes to help…

Editor's Corner: Designing Inquiry Pathways

Journal Article | December 2003

The Science Teacher’s editor shares thoughts on the current issue.

Guided Literature Explorations

Journal Article | April 2001

The earlier and more often students are exposed to primary literature, the more comfortable they are going to be reading it. After a series of literature explorations that progressively introduced students to reading…

Science Sampler: Metamorphosing into readers

Journal Article | August 2007

One way to encourage students to read is to choose a subject that interests them. During middle school, students are metamorphosing into young adults. To take advantage of their natural interest in body changes, this…

Recruiting and the Economic Status of the Science Teacher

Journal Article | December 1999

Our schools are threatened by a drastic shortage of teachers. The facts about our teacher shortage are deeply disquieting and altogether convincing to thoughtful parents and discerning citizens. Many teachers are…

Research and Teaching: Online Homework and Student Achievement in a Large Enrollment Introductory Science Course

Journal Article | June 2011

This article discusses a six-year study that involved an evaluation of whether student-learning gains for an online homework system could be sustained when scaled up to multiple sections and multiple instructors over…

Science Sampler: More than just a day away from school—Planning a great science field trip

Journal Article | March 2007

With all the things that middle school science teachers have to juggle during the year, designing a science field trip can seem like a daunting task. Fortunately, there are many strategies that teachers can use to help…

The Structures and Properties of Carbon

Journal Article | November 2006

The four main forms of carbon—diamond, graphite, buckyballs, and CNTs—are an excellent vehicle for teaching fundamental principles of chemical bonding, material structure, and properties. Carbon atoms form a variety of…

Real Earthquakes, Real Learning

Journal Article | August 2003

One teacher took her class on a year long earthquake expedition. The goal was to monitor the occurrences of real earthquakes during the year and mark their locations with push pins on a wall-sized world map in the…

Every Day Science Calendar: March 2011

Journal Article | February 2011

Facts and challenges for the science explorer.

The Case Study: Senior Seminar

Journal Article | January 2003

Incorporating a case study format into a senior seminar course is a novel method of teaching the components of a successful seminar. Within this format, seminar presenters familiarize their audience with relevant…

Every Day Science Calendar (May 2009)

Journal Article | March 2009

This monthly feature contains facts and challenges for the science explorer.

Career of the Month: An Interview With Urologist Chad DeRosa

Journal Article | October 2009

The organs, tubes, muscles, and nerves that work together to create, store, and carry urine make up the urinary system. Urologists are surgeons that focus on diseases of this system—which includes the kidneys, ureters,…