The Case Study: The Way of Flesch

Journal Article | January 2002

The 50-year-old book, The Art of Readable Writing, by Linguist Rudolf Flesch, is chock-full of great advice about writing. Here the author shares some of its wisdom because it is useful for any kind of writing,…

Restoring Fossil Creek

Journal Article | June 2004

As part of an ongoing environmental project and partnership with a local university, high school students monitor changes to Fossil Creek in Arizona. Components of the project include fish behavior studies, responses to…

Science Shorts: Seeing What We Can’t See

Journal Article | October 2005

While observation is critical to science, sometimes we cannot observe things directly. Sometimes things happened long ago (in paleontology, for example) or are too small to observe (like atoms). Many students believe…

The Herpetology Project

Journal Article | October 2008

In this article, the authors describe their ongoing experience with the Herpetology Project. Through this field study, students catch and track amphibians and reptiles in the Assabet River area, record and analyze data…

Guest Editorial: Looking Ahead—Challenges and Rewards in Undergraduate Science Teaching—2000 and Beyond

Journal Article | April 2000

An opinion piece about the rapidly changing future that students in undergraduate classes face—one that is difficult to imagine. This issue reflects on the impact these changes may have on teaching undergraduate science.

Science Sampler: Potato candle

Journal Article | August 2003

Demonstrating a candle made of a potato and a nut is a good way for students to understand the difference between observations and inferences.

Taking Flight with NASA

Journal Article | August 1999

Our lives are integrally connected to airplanes. The products we buy, the mail we send and receive, and the vacations or business trips we take are all made more efficient by flight. We take for granted the airplanes…

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 (2004)

Journal Article | February 2005

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 2004.

Every Day Science Calendar: September 2007

Journal Article | August 2007

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

Physical Science Lab Essentials: Stuents bring their skills up to speed with a logical sequence of activities

Journal Article | September 2000

Beginning high school students may not have a firm foundation in the prerequisite skills to succeed in a laboratory-oriented science course, yet they are expected to develop these skills by the end of the course. This…

My Own Science

Journal Article | August 2004

With a little direction and a few resources, students can be scientists at home in a way that is rewarding to the teacher, students, and their families. Through “My Own Science,” a home science program, students are…

Shadow Play

Journal Article | December 2011

Students observe shadows through various activities and at the same time, learn about seasonal change.

Idea Bank: Look Before You Leap

Journal Article | October 2004

Induction and deduction are important to logical thinking in general and to science specifically, and should be important elements of the science curriculum. These two logical tools are the foundation of science and…

Test Tube Respiration: The alcoholic fermentation pathway in yeast demonstrates cellular respiration

Journal Article | November 2002

This article describes an experiment in test tubes that uses the alcoholic fermentation pathway in yeast to illustrate the biochemical process of cellular respiration. The lab effectively integrates two fields of study—…

Science Shorts: Here Comes the Sun

Journal Article | August 2008

Time is an abstract concept for many elementary students. Add to that the idea that the position of the objects in the sky—Sun, Moon, etc.—changes over the course of the day, and you have a mix ripe for confusion and…