NSTA Learning Center Professional Development Tools

Student Reactions to Just-in-Time Teaching's Reading Assignments

3/5/3009 12:00:00 AM

This article describes how the Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) warm-up exercises were successfully adopted into a college-level physics course as a teaching tool. Students were found to be more engaged in lectures after completing the warm-up assignments. The results from anonymous student surveys showed their overwhelming appreciation for the exercises. The survey results also demonstrated that male and female students differed significantly on whether they felt the assignments were helpful in their understanding of the course material. In addition, student exam scores have improved since the warm-up exercises were adopted.

Editor's Corner: Let Us Now Praise Science Teachers

9/22/3008 12:00:00 AM

The science teacher is called upon to be scientist, educator, equipment manager, safety inspector, lecturer, child-care provider, coach, writing editor, mathematician, historian, counselor, and stand-up comedian-all at once. Given all this, we should have the highest admiration for those who choose science teaching and become successful. So, next time you run into a science teacher, give him or her a pat on the back for choosing such a challenging, but rewarding, life's work. If you are a science teacher, give yourself a pat on the back as well.

I LOVE SCIENCE Kids T-Shirt (Size: X Large)

12/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

White, short sleeve, 100% cotton T-shirt imprinted with I LOVE SCIENCE on front, and NSTA logo on back.

Archive: Global Climate Change Impacts in the Eastern United States, November 17, 2009

11/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar took place on November 17, 2009, from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Presenting was Tim Owen, from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, Frank Niepold, UCAR Climate Education Coordinator at NOAA Climate Program Office; and Peg Steffen, Education Branch Chief at NOAA. In this Seminar, Mr. Owen focused the presentation on specific climate changes, current and expected in the Eastern United States. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall09/NOAA/webseminar2.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

Archive: Anti-matter Eyes on the Gamma-ray Skies November 12, 2009

11/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar took place on November 12, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Presenting was Dr. Lynn Cominsky, Chair of the Physics and Astronomy Department at Sonoma State University (SSU). Dr. Cominsky talked about the Fermi telescope and the vision of space that is pictured by gamma ray ‘eyes'. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall09/NASA/webseminar1.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

Archive: Knowing Nano: New Video, Web, and Print Resources from DragonflyTV, November 11, 2009

11/11/2009 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar, developed in collaboration with the National Science Digital Library, took place on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. Dr. Lisa Regalla, Science Editor for DragonflyTV provided participants with a greater understanding of nanoscale science by giving a brief history of how our understanding of nanotechnology has rapidly grown over time. Dr. Regalla cited several examples of nano-level phenomena found in nature that scientists have studied. These phenomena help us to understand the structure of matter on a very minute scale and gives scientists and engineers opportunities to design nanoscale materials as a result. Stronger tennis racquets made from nanotube fibers, nano cleaning agents for water, and odor-absorbing socks made with nanosilver are all examples of how nanotechnology is being used in our everyday consumer products. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NSDL4/webseminar2.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

Online Courses: AMNH Seminars on Science

11/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

Seminars on Science, six week online graduate courses in the life, Earth, and physical sciences, incorporate the American Museum of Natural History's resources plus interaction with scientists and educators. CEUs and graduate credits available. Each course costs $465. Graduate credit is available at an additional cost. For more information go to <a href="http://learn.amnh.org" target="_Blank">http://learn.amnh.org</a>.

Archive: Global Climate Change Impacts in the Western United States, November 5, 2009

11/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar took place on November 5, 2009, from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Presenting was Katharine Hayhoe, Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Texas Tech University, Frank Niepold, UCAR Climate Education Coordinator at NOAA Climate Program Office; and Peg Steffen, Education Branch Chief at NOAA. In this Seminar professor Hayhoe focused the presentation on specific climate changes, current and expected in the Western United States. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall09/NOAA/webseminar1.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

Teaching Through Trade Books: Discover Reading

11/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

We often gloss over the history of science-the women and men who have made advancements in the area of scientific discovery. These notable individuals are the backbone of our field. This month, we honor these scientists by encouraging children to read about their stories and make their own discoveries.

The Early Years: A Reason to Write

11/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

Children love seeing their work and photos of themselves at work. Make this an opportunity for an early literacy experience by creating a book about a classroom investigation. Document each step of the process with photographs and student drawings. With help, your children can add further explanation, describing their actions or thoughts in writing. Lessons on buoyancy work well as explorations to document and are part of the National Science Education Content Standards A: science as inquiry and B: physical science, properties of objects and materials.

Reinventing the Wheel

11/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

"The Wheel of Scientific Investigation and Reasoning" (Kramer 1987; Paul and Binker 1992) is a graphic representation of the scientific investigative process. The scientific process is depicted in a wheel rather than in a list because "the process of scientific inquiry can begin from any stage, and that stage may be revisited as often as the particular inquiry requires" (Robinson 2004, p. 791). For the life science unit discussed in this article, the authors used this platform to help students develop a systematic set of inquiry, analytical, and argumentation skills in science.

Natural Resources: Digging Soil

11/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

It's not hard to captivate children with the world of soil-many of them already love "dirt." Plus, exploring soil requires no special equipment or field trips. Soil is everywhere, with only a shovel or trowel required. You just might need some help deciphering what you are looking at. So, get your hands messy with these resources. Most include activities that will help you explore the mechanics of soils and the myriad of organisms living in it. Soon the "eeews" will be "oohs" and "aahs."

Methods and Strategies: Connecting Science and Literacy Through Talk

11/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

When students are motivated, engaged, and have opportunities to practice and develop discussion skills taught during literacy time, they can deepen their understanding of science concepts. Communication is an important tool for the development of scientific knowledge; group discussions such as the one portrayed in this article are critical to the development of student understanding of concepts and of the nature of scientific inquiry. They not only help students communicate, they help students become proficient in science.

Science 101: How can wind cause a bridge to collapse?

11/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

First, you might need evidence that wind can cause a bridge to collapse. To see the evidence, put "Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse" into any internet search engine. Using this example from 1940 and a series of hands-on activities that demonstrate flexibility, the author explains how the role of special frequencies known as resonances or normal modes of vibration can impact a suspension bridge.

Editor's Note: Arguing Versus Scientific Argumentation

11/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

Scientific argumentation is a valid and effective way to involve students in voicing their opinions based on evidence. It helps in the development of scientific thinking and provides opportunities for students to ask more questions. But, just turning students loose and allowing them to argue is not a valid path to deeper understanding. A scientific argument must persuade others that the information (data) and arguments are strong enough to support the theory, model, or proposed action. This month our authors show you how to create classroom environments for assuring valuable argumentation, beginning with very young children.

Every Day Science: November 2009

11/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Archive: Design Squad: Today's Students, Tomorrow's Engineers November 4, 2009

11/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this program, Natalie Hebshie, and Margot Sigur talked about Design Squad - a reality competition series on PBS where teenagers tackle engineering challenges from real word clients, and how to give kids a working understanding of physical science concepts while increasing their enthusiasm for engineering. The presenters highlighted a number of free educational resources, particularly, Design Squad's latest resource, the Design Squad Teacher's Guide that unleashes middle school kids' ingenuity and get them thinking like engineers. Ms. Hebshie and Ms. Sigur explained that the activities are linked to national science and technology standards and use low cost, readily available materials. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/WGBH/Webseminar1.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

Dare to Disagree, as Scientists

11/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

As argumentation is weaved into classroom lessons, students know what to ask, how to analyze the given information before forming a conclusion, and are able to support their reasoning with solid evidence. They will hold firm to their conclusions until proven wrong. Whether it's a discussion about whether air is matter or how speed and friction are related, students will dare to disagree, in a scientific way. In this article, the author highlights the effective methods she has used to guide her students in the process of questioning, researching, and inquiry.

The Art of Argumentation

11/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

Argumentation in science involves offering and responding to claims, providing and asking for evidence or justifications, and analyzing those claims to formulate a decision (Gross 1990). The authors' experience with students, including those who are English learners, suggests that many young science students benefit from language frames to scaffold the use of academic language and vocabulary to formulate arguments and counterclaims. Language frames are partially constructed cloze statements that highlight the academic language and syntax required to communicate in argumentation. This article describes how teachers can model the use of language frames in the science classroom.

More Than One "Right" Answer

11/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this article, the authors present a sequence of activities from a curriculum about light for third and fourth graders that supports students in learning to disagree like scientists. This sequence of activities helps students discuss reasons for the discrepancies in their data, use the language of argumentation in classroom discourse, and get a more accurate picture of science as a way of understanding the world, rather than just a collection of right answers (Driver, Newton, and Osborne 2000).

Science and Children-November 2009

11/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

To effectively discuss scientific issues, students must learn to back up what they say. This issue provides multiple methods for instilling students with an understanding of proper discourse in science and beyond.

Bringing Back Books

11/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

How can you connect, supplement, and extend students' firsthand investigations? Look toward your bookshelves for a clue. Books and other textual materials can serve the following roles in support of scientific inquiry: providing context, modeling, supporting firsthand inquiry, supporting secondhand inquiry, and delivering content. Each of these roles are described in this article, and examples that demonstrate how trade books can support students' (a) involvement in inquiry experienced, (b) grasp of science concepts, and (c) understanding of the nature of science.

Speed Kills! (Or Does It?)

11/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

Students can't ask for much more fun than skateboarding during class time. With some additional concept learning, that kind of fun can be incorporated into a debate that encourages students to practice scientific argumentation. With a debate comes the opportunity to include a social or moral dilemma and have students use argumentation techniques as well as science to justify a position. This engaging hands-on activity with a skateboard introduces the scientific knowledge that will be used for a later debate about speed limits.

Editor's Roundtable: Weaving a web of learning

11/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

Teachers of all content areas, the arts included, must collaboratively plan meaningful instructional units around themes, issues, or problems that can be investigated and assessed using a cohesive, interdisciplinary approach. Instruction should actively engage students in their learning, and present lessons that are woven around a central core but span the entire curriculum, so that students no longer see concepts as belonging in isolated, discipline-specific boxes.

Guest Editorial: Physics or stamp collecting? Pitfalls of the hierarchy of disciplines

11/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

In science and in academia, there is often a de facto hierarchy of disciplines with the so-called "hard" sciences (physics, chemistry) at the top, and the "soft" sciences (psychology, sociology) at the bottom (Tudge 2001; Feynman 1988). As science educators, we may find ourselves consciously or unconsciously communicating this to our students, sending messages that certain scientific disciplines are more difficult or more important than others. In doing so, we may unconsciously be erecting barriers to some of our students and interfering with our goal of scientific literacy for all.

Tech Trek: Podcasts and blogs

11/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

Millennials are the generation born from 1982-2002, and they are in your middle school classroom today. Some people have referred to them as the iGeneration and the Net Generation, due to their being weaned on technology. They have also been called Generation Y because they are born after Gen X (1961-1981). Whatever we call them, these students love using technology to learn and feel very much at home in a digital environment. Accordingly, the authors share with you in this column two technology applications that will have great appeal to your students-podcasting and blogs.

Scope on Safety: Signs of safer science

11/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

Can you imagine trying to put out a fire and finding the fire extinguisher? Experiencing a short circuit and having to search for the master electrical shutoff? Having a hazardous chemical splash and not being able to locate the eyewash station? These are examples of why regulatory agencies require specific signage in school laboratories. Signage alerts employees and students to the location of engineering controls, as well as dangers in the workplace.

Scope on the Skies: Living with a star

11/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

Currently, our Sun is a content, middle-aged main sequence star steadily fusing hydrogen atoms into helium atoms and releasing radiation in many of the wavelengths making up the electromagnetic spectrum. So what happens between now and when the Sun runs out of hydrogen? And what happens after that? Before we can answer these questions, we need to take a look at what goes on within a star's hot interior and how that energy reaches the surface of the Sun and then onward out into the surrounding space.

Web Seminar: Higher than a Sea-Bird's Eye View: Coral Reef Remote Sensing using Satellites, December 15, 2009

11/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

Coral reef ecosystems are already being impacted by climate change and this problem is expected to become more severe in future decades. While these remarkable systems are robust enough to create structures like the Great Barrier Reef, visible from space, they can be damaged and destroyed by even small changes in the Earth's climate. In the fourth installment of the climate change web seminars, the presenters will focus on how NOAA satellites monitor the temperature conditions that lead to coral bleaching. Major concepts include climate change, coral bleaching, cutting edge satellite technology, and ocean ecology in the context of coral ecosystems. The presenters (Dr. Mark Eakin, along with a number of NOAA colleagues) will share their science expertise, answer questions from the participants, and provide web sites and tools that students can use in the classroom. This Web Seminar is designed for educators of grades 5-12.

Everyday Engineering: Time's up, turkey-Pop-up thermometers

11/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

Meat thermometers can be awkward to use in terms of placement and avoidance of bones. Because of these problems, each year 30 million Thanksgiving turkeys have a built-in thermometer that pops up when the turkey is properly cooked. Turkey timers are an example of how engineering solved a common, everyday problem. The following 5E learning cycle activity, as with all of the activities in the Everyday Engineering series, integrates this engineering concept with science content, in this case, to investigate the development of the disposable pop-up cooking thermometer.

Science Sampler: Global Warming Project

11/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

To address the issue of global warming locally, the author developed an inquiry-based project to examine the impact of the school's traffic situation on climate change. In this project, students collected data in the parking lot/driveway, researched greenhouse gas emissions of vehicles, and developed solutions to the traffic problem. Their solutions, if implemented, will reduce their school's carbon footprint. Completing this project made other students in the school aware of the severity of the global climate change problem.

Science Scope-November 2009

11/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

Many students think of science as something that occurs only in the lab, as if it were a culture confined to a Petri dish. Take advantage of the activities in this issue to demonstrate how science is woven throughout the curriculum and students' lives.

Science Sampler: The great divide-How mathematics is perceived by students in math and science classrooms

11/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

Often the differences students see in science and mathematics classrooms are in perspective, approach, or application. Understanding those differences can help teachers to present a unified picture of mathematics and science to their students. In this article, the science teacher is given a glimpse of the treatment of topics shared by both disciplines as they are represented in mathematics texts, with suggestions for better transfer between disciplines.

Search for the Golden Moon Bear: Using Reader's Theater to Teach Science

11/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

Reader's theater is an activity in which students, while reading directly from scripts, are able to tell a story in its most entertaining form. Typically, teachers create or purchase premade scripts of stories, and students focus on reading those scripts in a fluent and expressive manner. However, in the lesson presented here, students turn the book, Search for the Golden Bear Moon: Science and Adventure in the Asian Tropics by Sy Montgomery into a reader's theater script themselves. This article describes how students act out this genetics-based story to strengthen their language skills and reinforce science concepts in the process.

Cell Towers and Songbirds

11/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

This article describes how our common addiction to cell phones was used to launch a discussion about their use, impacts on the environment, and connections to issues of civic concern. By encouraging middle school science students to adopt the perspectives of special-interest groups debating communication tower restrictions designed to protect migratory songbird populations in a role play, they were connected to language arts and social studies in a meaningful way while their attention was focused on the larger impacts of cell phone use.

Solving the Mystery of Mock Mummies: Using Scientific Inquiry Skills in an Integrated Lesson

11/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

When the nature of science (NOS) is reinforced, middle school students will be able to appreciate scientific inquiry processes and communication, as outlined in the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996). To this end, the authors developed a mummy-making and dissection activity to help sixth- and seventh-grade students learn more about anthropological research and reinforce NOS. Students become scientists who ask questions, collect data in a methodical and objective manner, make inferences, and form conclusions that are supported with evidence.

Amber: Using "Tree Tears Turned to Stone" to Teach Biology, Ecology, and More!

11/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

Amber is a fossil by itself, and can also contain plants and animals that lived millions of years ago. Some of these perfectly preserved specimens give scientists a convenient window to past environments, including the biology, ecology, geology, and chemistry of Earth's past. By using an interdisciplinary approach, we can demonstrate to students a more accurate representation of the scientific community, which does not work in isolation.

Science Shorts: Solar Pizza Friday

11/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

In an effort to bridge the gap between science and technology and its effects on everyday life, this lesson engages students in a study of solar energy and technological design. Students make real world connections and develop their skills in scientific inquiry in the process. Read on to find out how to set up a pizza box solar cooker, and get cooking with homegrown or purchased ingredients.

Web Seminar: A Century of Cosmic Surprises December 8, 2009

10/28/2009 12:00:00 AM

Join Dr. James Lochner of the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology for a historical overview with cosmic significance. Over the past century, the model we use to describe the universe has changed from static to expanding to accelerating. In this workshop we trace some of the questions scientists have asked about the universe, and describe the tools they used to answer those questions. We show how in many cases, these led to surprising, unforeseen answers which have shaped our current understanding of the nature of the universe.

Web Seminar: From Sound Waves to Microwaves: "Listening" to the Oldest Light of the Universe with the Planck Mission December 16, 2009

10/28/2009 12:00:00 AM

Join Jatila van der Veen, Ph.D. Education and Public Outreach Coordinator for the Planck Mission, JPL/NASA Visiting Project Scientist, Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara in exploring the Cosmic Microwave Background - the oldest light we can observe - and the Planck Mission, a joint mission between NASA and the European Space Agency to map this primeval light with unprecedented detail. Learn how we use the physics of music to derive information about the early universe from the signal strength of the Cosmic Microwave Background at different frequencies.

The Foundational Science Content

10/27/2009 12:00:00 AM

Four of the big ideas represent the basic science content: Size and Scale, Structure of Matter, Forces and Interactions, and Quantum Effects. And all four are interrelated. None of the science-content big ideas stands alone; each informs and is informed by the others. In this chapter, the authors identified connections among the big ideas, their associated content, illustrative phenomena, and learning goals. In addition, possible interdisciplinary connections are described as well as their relationship to the 7-12 curriculum. This free selection includes the Table of Contents, Introduction, and Index.

Web Seminar: Applications of Nanotechnology in Cosmetics and Foods, November 24, 2009

10/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Join us for this unique program, the second of four free Web Seminars featuring scientists and education specialists from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These seminars are related to the FDA Symposium that will take place at the NSTA Area Conference on Science Education in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The seminar will focus on food microbiology, food processing, food epidemiology, nutrition, and the public health impact of food safety. The presenters will share their science expertise, answer questions from the participants, and provide information regarding web sites that students can use in the classroom. This Web Seminar is designed for educators of grades 5-12. Topics could include disease, outbreaks, nutrition, personal hygiene, as well as cosmetic and food safety. An archive of this program and related PowerPoint presentation will be available at the end of the program.

Web Seminar: Introduction to FDA Food Recalls, December 9, 2009

10/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Join us for this unique program, the first of four free Web Seminars featuring scientists and education specialists from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These seminars are related to the FDA Symposium that will take place at the NSTA Area Conference on Science Education in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The seminar will focus on food microbiology, food processing, food epidemiology, nutrition, and the public health impact of food safety. The presenters will share their science expertise, answer questions from the participants, and provide information regarding web sites that students can use in the classroom. This Web Seminar is designed for educators of grades 5-12. Topics could include disease, outbreaks, nutrition, personal hygiene, as well as food safety. An archive of this program and related PowerPoint presentation will be available at the end of the program.

Web Seminar Tattoos and Permanent Makeup: Marketplace and Chemistry, December 17, 2009

10/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Join us for this unique program, the final of four free Web Seminars featuring scientists and education specialists from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These web seminars are related to the FDA Symposia that will take place at the NSTA Area Conference on Science Education in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This presentation will cover the regulatory status of tattoo inks and pigments in the U.S., the marketplace for tattoos and permanent makeup, and the chemistry of tattoo pigments. Some problems with tattoos and permanent makeup will be discussed. This Web Seminar is designed for educators of grades 5-12. An archive of this program and related PowerPoint presentation will be available at the end of the program.

Web Seminar: FDA/CFSAN International Affairs November 18, 2009

10/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Join us for this unique program, the first of four free Web Seminars featuring scientists and education specialists from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These seminars are related to the FDA Symposium that will take place at the NSTA Area Conference on Science Education in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The seminar will focus on the international role that FDA has with regard to food and cosmetic safety. The presenters will share their science expertise, answer questions from the participants, and provide information regarding web sites that students can use in the classroom. This Web Seminar is designed for educators of grades 5-12. Topics could include disease, outbreaks, nutrition, personal hygiene, as well as cosmetic and food safety. An archive of this program and related PowerPoint presentation will be available at the end of the program.

Safer Science: Sun Safety-The Stats

10/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

Science teachers can help protect themselves and their students by providing information on skin cancer, its causes, and prevention strategies. This is not just a summer issue, but one that affects us year-round! This month's column provides prevention strategies that should be periodically reviewed with students and supported by teachers.

Idea Bank: Extra! Extra! Read All About the Universe!

10/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

This year we are celebrating the International Year of Astronomy (IYA). The IYA commemorates the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first observations of the cosmos through a telescope. He never could have imagined how our view of the universe would continue to change over the years-up to the present day. To highlight this idea, the authors developed a set of curriculum support materials called Cosmic Times. These materials teach students about the process of science and help them to develop science literacy skills.

Editor's Corner: Where's the Evidence?

10/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

"What evidence do you have for that idea?" It is a simple question, but one asked far less than it should be. Too often, we hear justifications such as, "Everybody knows that ...," "It's what I've heard," or "It's just what I believe." But formulating explanations based on evidence is a distinguishing characteristic of scientific inquiry. If our students routinely make decisions without searching for and evaluating evidence, how can they reject the charlatans of pseudoscience and learn to critically evaluate the important questions that they encounter daily, from global warming to personal health issues? "It's just what I believe" is simply not good enough.

Commentary: Seven Steps to Teaching With Inquiry

10/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

Science is more than a collection of facts-it is a way of thinking and exploring our world that leads to understanding about what is happening around us. This month's Commentary presents seven steps that are designed to help science educators use inquiry in the classroom-and help students learn in the process.

Health Wise: November 2009

10/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

Many students have recently asked about the "swine flu." How is it different than the seasonal flu, what are the symptoms, and what can we do to avoid it?

The Prepared Practitioner: Data, Data Everywhere

10/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

We are awash in tables, charts, and graphs. Newspapers display data in every section-from economic information to sports statistics to weather reports. Even the entertainment section features data on television and movie viewing. Using empirical data to make conclusions separates science from other ways of understanding the world, and interpreting this data requires understanding its graphical display. As a result, scientific literacy is absolutely dependent on people being able to create and-more importantly-understand the meaning behind all of these data displays.

Leo Cockroach …Toy Tester

10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

Leo Cockroach, a dedicated but secret toy tester, knows that creating a good toy requires many hours of research, design, and testing. Unfortunately, the CEO of Waddatoy Toys doesn't appreciate his knack for recognizing the hottest toys-she's too busy trying to squash the "horrible little bug" with her high-heeled shoe! Students will undoubtedly giggle at Kevin O'Malley's playful depictions of the insect-size office worker's occupational hazards and his attempt to find more respect at the competitor's shop. They'll also recognize Leo's scientific approach to product testing and quickly identify the hallmarks of any well-defined invention.

The Science Teacher-November 2009

10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

This issue of The Science Teacher provides ideas and activities for interpreting evidence in the science classroom. From case studies to crickets to mystery boxes, the activities in this issue promote evidence-based reasoning for students and provide examples of how teachers can use evidence to improve their teaching and learning as well.

The Sound of Crickets

10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

With the range of conflicting ideas about issues such as climate change and global warming, it has never been more important to let our students outside-beyond the classroom door-to evaluate the validity of such claims by observing nature, collecting data, and providing evidence. The good news is that it has never been easier for students to gather and share data using the internet and programs such as Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE). This article presents one GLOBE scientist's investigation of cricket chirping and its relation to temperature-which demonstrates the importance of gathering data and interpreting evidence for ourselves.

A New Twist on "Mystery Boxes"

10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

In the activity described in this article, students learn about observation, interpretation, and argumentation. Students are led through several stages of observation and inference about an unknown object, during which they learn the value of representations and collaboration. They are then asked to construct an argument about the identity of the object and the process of its formation.

Argument-Driven Inquiry

10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) is an instructional model that enables science teachers to transform a traditional laboratory activity into a short integrated instructional unit. To illustrate how the ADI instructional model works, this article describes an ADI lesson developed for a 10th-grade chemistry class. This example lesson was designed to help students understand the nature of chemical reactions and develop the abilities needed to do scientific inquiry. The lesson also gives students an opportunity to improve their writing and verbal communication skills, their understanding of the writing process, and their ability to interpret evidence and reason in a scientific manner.

Elk Habitat: A Case Study of Scientific Inquiry

10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

A case study is an excellent way to help students think like scientists as they work to solve a dilemma. This article describes a case study of elk in Yellowstone National Park. Students read short narratives, based on scientific research data, about the puzzling question of why some elk live substantially longer than others in certain areas of Yellowstone. Each successive narrative provides more clues to solving this puzzle. Students are encouraged to model scientists' approach by asking questions, examining evidence, and designing possible research studies to find answers to the question of elk mortality.

Examining Student Work

10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

This article presents a model of collaborative inquiry for groups of science teachers who want to systematically improve their practice through analyses of student work. The five-phase APEXST (Advancing High-Leverage Practices by Examining Student Thinking) model is appropriate for students of all achievement levels. It focuses on high-leverage practices (e.g., pressing for evidence-based explanations) and longitudinal learning for both students and teachers over the course of a year.

Grand Canyon: A Trail Through Time

10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

The perfect complement for any lesson on weathering and erosion, Grand Canyon offers a day-in-the-life glimpse at one of the Natural Wonders of the World. Even as coyotes hunt for food along the chasm's rim, pack mules carry tourists along the harrowing ten-mile trail to the Colorado riverbed, and wildflowers grow, the slow forces of nature continue to reshape the layers of rock as they have for hundreds of millions of years. The book also includes a timeline and a graphic breakdown of the layers of rock by age.

Rice

10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

This slim nonfiction volume explains where rice comes from, how it is planted and grown, the differences between white and brown rice, rice's nutritional value, and more-all in straightforward language that kids can understand. Glossy color photos bring the narrative to life, and a glossary provides additional educational value.

Barn Owl

10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this artfully rendered nonfiction account of the barn owl's life cycle, children learn about the hunting, mating, and nesting habits of barn owls against the surprisingly soothing backdrop of Bert Kitchen's lifelike illustrations. Muted blues and warm golds offset the dignified birds as they hunt long-tailed field mice and protect their eggs. Barn owl facts, conservation information, and a short glossary enrich the story.

Rise the Moon

10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

The moon enchants even the youngest scientists, and this charming and lyrical story of moonlit antics-from a painter taking advantage of the unique glow to a pack of wolves howling at the bright orb to a mother rocking her sleeping baby-is sure to pique your students' interest in moon lessons. Eileen Spinelli's lilting verse is well complemented by Raúl Colón's gorgeous, moonlight-soaked illustrations. Watercolor paintings were scraped and scratched to give the book a dreamy quality.

Construct-a-Greenhouse (e-book)

10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

Shed some light on the physics supporting plant growth in a controlled environment. Greenhouses provide the differential energy needs of plants during their growth cycle. Students design structures that convert light to heat during germination and reconfigure those structures to promote photosynthesis. By comparing the effects of design characteristics on plant growth, students observe the connections between plant biology and thermodynamics and energy transfer.

Rice Is Life

10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

Rita Golden Gelman uses a poem-within-a-story technique to simultaneously highlight the natural beauty of rice growing ("In the hot and humid sawah/In the middle of the day/Dragonflies are fluttering,/Dancing as they play") and underscore the importance of rice in everyday Bali life. Artful frames separate the soft figures and rich earth tones of the poem's canvas-like paintings from the more detailed illustrations of eels, dragonflies, rice plants, kernels, and other aspects of Balinese nature that populate the margins of each spread and enhance the informational prose.

Construct-a-Greenhouse (Print and e-Book Set)

10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

Construct-a-Catapult (Print and e-Book Set)

10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

What Did They See?

10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

What better way to launch your classroom discussion on the reflective behavior of light than with John Schindel's energetic story about four animal friends who discover "the most amazing thingamajig whatchamacallit thingamabob any of them had ever seen?" Students will be on the edge of their seats trying to guess what the elusive find might be. The reveal on the last page-a mirror-is sure to tickle budding scientists, who will be eager to see how they can manipulate light using their own mirrors. Doug Cushman's vibrant watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations add to the fun.

John Muir: America's Naturalist

10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

Inspire budding conservationists with the real-life story of the Sierra Club founder. Kid-friendly prose describes how John Muir marveled at and respected the natural world, how he made careful notes about plant and animal life in his journal, and how he worked to preserve the wilderness through the creation of national parks. Original quotes pepper the biography, and handsomely painted landscapes evoke the wonder and beauty that Muir experienced.

That Magnetic Dog

10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

Bruce Whatley plays with the meaning of magnetic to hilarious effect in this endearing story of a dog who attracts … food! On the first page, the author acknowledges the more traditional definition of magnetic (though young scientists will spot an inaccuracy in his explanation), but students will quickly recognize that Skitty's relationship with food does in some ways mimic the behavior of magnets and iron materials. And they'll love the playful images of the large, boxer-like dog and the food that just seems to fly to him.

Construct-a-Catapult (e-book)

10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

Catapult into physics and technology with the heavy weaponry of the Middle Ages. Construct-a-Catapult integrates history, physics, mathematics, and technology in its challenge to high school students to design and build a working catapult system. They engage in a hands-on application of concepts such as torsion and elasticity as they learn the physics behind overcoming gravity and hurling objects through the air-SAFELY. In addition, students investigate elasticity, projectile launching, and learn about frequency distribution while working through the process of product design.

Construct-a-Glove (Print and e-Book Set)

10/15/2009 12:00:00 AM

Archive: Chemistry Comes Alive IV: Oxidation/Reduction, October 15, 2009

10/15/2009 12:00:00 AM

10/8/2009 12:00:00 AM

This hands-on activity stimulates students to consider the close relationship between structure and function. This inquiry-type lab can be done as a group or cooperative learning experience using simple kitchen tools. The activity provides a fun ice-breaker activity for the first day of class, helps introduce students to the concept of science as a process, and demonstrates one aspect of evolution: evolution by mutation and descent with modification.

Answers to Science Questions From the Stop Faking It! Guy (Print and e-Book Set)

10/8/2009 12:00:00 AM

Lecture-Free Teaching: A Learning Partnership Between Science Educators and Their Students (Print and e-Book Set)

10/8/2009 12:00:00 AM

Attitudes and Interests Among University Students in Introductory Nonmajor Science Courses: Does Gender Matter?

10/7/2009 12:00:00 AM

Attitudes toward science may develop as early as middle school and often differ between genders. Do these gender-based differences in attitude persist into the college years? In a survey of 376 university students, male students reported a stronger self-concept, more motivation, and more enjoyment of science than did female students, and female students reported more anxiety toward science than did male students.

Web-Based Learning Enhancements: Video Lectures Through Voice-Over PowerPoint in a Majors-Level Biology Course

10/7/2009 12:00:00 AM

This study is an experimental introduction of web-based lecture delivery into a majors-level introductory biology course. Web-based delivery, achieved through the use of prerecorded Voice-Over PowerPoint video lectures, was introduced on a limited basis to an experimental section while a control group, with the same instructor, received standard in-class lecture delivery. Select lectures were delivered to the experimental section via videos, replacing in-class attendance of live lectures. Through the course of the semester, a detailed analysis reveals that internet-delivered video lectures prepared students for exams as effectively as live in-class lectures. This indicates that students can learn complicated biology course material through prerecorded, web-delivered lectures much as they do through in-class attendance of those same lectures. Although further careful study is needed, these results warrant further experimentation in web-based teaching methods in the sciences.

Application of the K-W-L Teaching and Learning Method to an Introductory Physics Course

10/7/2009 12:00:00 AM

The K-W-L method of teaching is a simple method that actively engages students in their own learning. It has been used with kindergarten and elementary grades to teach other subjects. The authors have successfully used it to teach physics at the college level. In their introductory physics labs, the K-W-L method helped students think about what they know about a topic and started the students questioning their own ideas about physics. After gathering data in class, the students were ready to talk about what they learned from the laboratory information.

A Versatile Module to Improve Understanding of Scientific Literature Through Peer Instruction

10/7/2009 12:00:00 AM

Using primary literature in undergraduate science classes helps teach students both scientific information and process. However, students' lack of understanding of scientific techniques can hinder their understanding of the papers. This article describes a "technique module" that uses peer teaching and active learning to facilitate integration of primary scientific literature into undergraduate courses.

Bridging the Gap Between Real-World Polar Science and the Classroom

10/7/2009 12:00:00 AM

The International Polar Year-Research and Educational Opportunities in Antarctica for Minorities (IPY-ROAM) program was designed to increase minority participation in polar science by immersing participants in an academic program that included a trip to Antarctica. The IPY-ROAM program was focused on increasing public understanding of the polar regions and stimulating a new interest in polar science. This effort was coordinated by faculty from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and was implemented to positively contribute to the intense, internationally coordinated IPY scientific campaign. Through a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), a team of UTEP researchers developed a unique and life-changing opportunity for university students and high school teachers to travel to Antarctica. The goal of the program was for participating students and teachers to learn more about the polar regions and to acquire firsthand experience in field-based research and Antarctic system science.

Journal of College Science Teaching-November/December 2009

10/7/2009 12:00:00 AM

If your students struggle with primary literature because of weaknesses in their understanding of scientific techniques, see how they can benefit from peer instruction on page 24. Ever wondered if gender matters with regard to attitudes and interests among university students in introductory undergraduate science courses? Turn to page 16 for results of an interesting survey on this topic.

Archive: The NSTA Learning Center - PD Resources and Tools for Teachers, October 6, 2009

10/6/2009 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar took place on October 6, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Presenting was Flavio Mendez, Senior Director NSTA Learning Center. In this Seminar, Mr. Mendez described the many professional development opportunities offered in the NSTA Learning Center. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall09/NLC/webseminar.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

Building the Framework

10/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Content-Understanding-Environment (C-U-E) framework incorporates key findings from research and is easy to use and remember. Further, current professional development for science teachers usually focuses on only one aspect of teaching and learning, which makes it difficult for teachers to formulate a "big picture" of effective science teaching. The C-U-E framework presents the research in a coherent format that creates a vision of effective science instruction. This framework is a tool that can serve you well for years to come. This free selection includes the Table of Contents, Foreword, Introduction, and Index.

Vegetation Analysis

10/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

Mapping the structure of the vegetation in study plots is important for several reasons. First, with all the detailed data collected, students easily can lose perspective of the bigger picture; they can get lost in the trees and not see the forest, so to speak. By doing this analysis they will develop a three-dimensional perspective of their plots. Second, vegetative mapping provides students with a resource to better understand the data collected. The maps they produce might provide clues as to why aspects of the data collected may vary from point to point. Lastly, vegetative mapping provides the teacher with a road map of the plot against which other data, such as standing board feet or environmental information, can be cross-checked to validate student fieldwork. This free selection includes the Table of Contents, Preface, and Index.

Scope on Safety: Science storage requirements

9/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

Middle school science teachers need to address two issues concerning storage. First, if it is insufficient, they need to work with administrators to secure additional storage area(s). Second, whether sufficient or not, good housekeeping practices are in order for safety and liability reasons. This month's column outlines some safe storage and housekeeping hints for the science classroom.

Scope on the Skies: October Skies (2009)

9/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

Our Sun is an incredible fusion machine that has been churning out energy for approximately five billion years. In another five billion years, when the internal temperature of the star begins to change, the balance between the thermal pressure pushing outward and the force of gravity pushing inward will become imbalanced, and the Sun will move on to the next stage of its life. But that is a topic for a future column. Let's turn back the clock, instead, and look at the early life of our star. Also included in this month's column is an outline of celestial events during the month of October.

Editor's Roundtable: Chemistry beyond the chemicals

9/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

Middle level teachers need to show students that chemistry is not just about blowing things up or memorizing the periodic table of elements. We should help them see that chemistry involves living organisms as well as nonliving objects and is much more than a school subject or the industrial production of materials. We must lead students to realize that since all matter is made of elements, the components of the human body, the foods we eat, the things we touch, smell and see around us could all be classified as "chemicals" as easily as anything listed on a product label or created in a laboratory.

Science Sampler: Enhancing student understanding of physical and chemical changes

9/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

Students within the Findlay, Ohio, City School District, as well as students across the country, struggle with understanding physical and chemical changes. Therefore, in this article, the authors suggest some standards-based activities to clarify misconceptions and provide formative assessments to measure your students' progress as they determine the difference between chemical and physical changes.

Science Sampler: The Element Walk

9/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

"The Element Walk" lesson is effective at teaching students the elements that exist in common substances encountered every day. Students walk away from the lesson with a set of general rules that help them to easily identify the elements around them. They also end up with a greater appreciation of the elemental compositions of living, once-living, and nonliving objects, and the connections among the three categories.

Tried and True: Inquiry-based dissolving

9/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

This project highlights a dissolving unit that was part of an eighth-grade, semester-long investigation into matter. During the dissolving unit, students explored the concepts of mixture, solution, dissolving, saturation, and conservation of mass. Dissolving is an advanced concept that involves the atomic structure of matter and the nature of chemical bonds. However, dissolving is also a common experience in students' lives (e.g., when they mix sugar in lemonade). The unit allowed students to explore everyday materials in new ways, address common misconceptions, and pursue scientific discovery.

Everyday Engineering: What makes a squirt gun squirt?

9/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

You may not think of engineering and squirt guns in the same sentence. However, like many examples of engineering design, the squirt gun pump mechanism is uncomplicated, yet elegant, and very inexpensive to manufacture. The design is widely used because of its simplicity and low cost. With only a few moving parts, it is able to deliver a stream of water, a spray of cleanser, or a squirt of liquid soap. In this article, the authors will examine how these simple, everyday pumps operate. In addition, a lesson is included, which follows the 5E Learning Cycle Model.

Science Matters - Achieving Scientific Literacy, New Edition, Expanded and Updated

9/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

Knowledge of the basic ideas and principles of science is fundamental to cultural literacy. But most books on science are often too obscure or too specialized to do the general reader much good. Science Matters is a rare exception-a science book for the general reader that is informative enough to be a popular textbook for introductory courses in high school and college, and yet well-written enough to appeal to general readers uncomfortable with scientific jargon and complicated mathematics. And now, revised and expanded for the first time in nearly two decades, it is up-to-date, so that readers can enjoy Hazen and Trefil's refreshingly accessible explanations of the most recent developments in science, from particle physics to biotechnology.

That Is Not Where That Element Goes … Ah, the Nature of Science

9/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

Learning how the periodic table has developed over time can provide an important foundation for students' future science learning, as they begin to explore the explanatory power of other models in science. In this activity, students are given the opportunity to investigate the generation of the modern periodic table, through a process of creating their own plausible periodic tables. In addition, students learn about Mendeleev's contribution and the nature of science through inquiry-based instruction.

No More Leaks: A Process-Oriented Lesson Exploring the Invention and Chemistry of Disposable Diapers

9/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

High school chemistry can be intimidating to some students, so it is critical that we engage students in nonthreatening preparatory investigations during middle school. Based on the learning cycle model (Bybee and Landes 1990), this lesson invites students to investigate disposable diapers. As they explore the properties of sodium polyarcylate, a super-absorbent polymer exposed to water and simulated urine (colored salt water), students practice many inquiry skills: observation, measurement, graphing, and data analysis.

Korean Kimchi Chemistry

9/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

Connecting science with different cultures is one way to interest students in science, to relate science to their lives, and at the same time to broaden their horizons in a variety of ways. In the lesson described here, students make kimchi, a delicious and popular Korean dish that can be used to explore many important chemistry concepts, including fermentation, chemical reactions, and acidity and alkalinity. During this activity, students use scientific techniques and methods to explore the nature of kimchi, they learn to measure the pH of a food using a variety of techniques, and they come to understand the ways that food can be preserved.

Science Sampler: Chemistry in action-Triple delight

9/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

Melt away the winter blues with this series of chemistry investigations. Here the author describes how she capitalizes on students' love for snow days, bubble gum, and ice cream to reinforce what they have learned about percentage concentration of solutions and the effects of a solute on the solution. To do this, students perform three different 45-minute inquiry-based labs on these topics.

Watching the Pot to Improve Inquiry Skills

9/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

The International Boiling Point Project is an online, collaborative project for students in grades 6-12 in which they investigate the impact of four factors (room temperature, elevation, volume of water and heating device) on the boiling point of water. A detailed procedure is provided for students in order to limit the number of variables involved, so students can make valid comparisons of the data submitted by classes from around the world. An overview of the experiment is provided here with an emphasis on the data-collection and analysis aspects of the project.

Web Seminar: Relevance of Climate Change for the Arctic Marine Biological System, December 3, 2009

9/28/2009 12:00:00 AM

The environmental conditions in the Arctic have been changing over the last decades both on land and in the ocean. Temperatures are increasing and coverage by ice and snow has decreased, specifically in summer. This web seminar will outline some of the recent findings regarding the unique properties of the Arctic marine food web and the implications of Arctic warming on its structure. Scenarios will be discussed outlining the relevance of sea ice changes, temperature increases and altered precipitation patterns. A holistic approach will be used, covering a very broad range of taxa and processes including phytoplankton, zooplankton, life at the sea floor as well as marine mammals. We will also discuss the implications of increased ship traffic, resource exploration, as well as implications of Arctic warming for the connectivity between the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. Join Dr. Rolf Gradinger, polar ecologist at the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks for this presentation directed toward middle and high school teachers.

Editor's Note: Creating Problem Solvers

9/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

You'll see that even young children are able to raise questions about the world around them and are willing to seek answers while making careful observations. Although there is no prescription for how to problem solve, the author provides some suggestions that are adapted from Study Guides and Strategies (see Internet Resource).

Every Day Science: October 2009

9/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Science Scope-October 2009

9/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

Middle school students are just a hop, skip, and a jump from the advanced chemistry studies of high school, so now's the perfect time to introduce them to the concepts and lab techniques they'll need to make a successful leap to the next level. Build the right chemistry in your classroom with the activities found in this issue.

The Early Years: Safe Smelling

9/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

Using the sense of smell, animals find food or a mate and detect the presence of predators; their survival depends on this. In a discussion on using our sense of smell to keep use safe, some children may relate experiences of smelling something burning. Identifying the five senses and corresponding sense organs is part of national science content standards for science as inquiry and life science (NRC 1996). The objective of this month's lesson is to experience using our sense of smell and notice the variety in favorite smell choices.

Natural Resources: For the Birds

9/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

More than ticking off a checklist (though that is fun, too), birding fosters an appreciation for nature. The following citizen science opportunities connect children to the scientific community. The websites listed here include tips on feeding and observing birds and links to bird identification resources.

Methods and Strategies: Literacy in the Learning Cycle

9/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

Trade books can be used in all phases of the learning cycle to support effective teaching and learning. Romance and Vitale (1992) found that texts and other nonfiction science books can be effective tools for teaching reading, as the science activities give learners a purpose for their reading. In this article, the authors share ways to effectively use trade books within the 5E learning cycle inquiry teaching/learning model. They also provide examples of trade books appropriate for each phase and identify ways to incorporate their use.

Science Shorts: Astronomies of Scale

9/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

Astronomical scale is a difficult concept for elementary students to grasp when they begin studying the solar system. A school yard solar system model gives students a tangible experience of astronomical distances. After determining the distances between planets and the Sun, students decode a mystery that requires them to travel from planet to planet. The physical component of this gives students a real appreciation for how "close" the inner planets are compared with the cold and distant outer ones.

Science 101: How do you ask effective questions in science class, and how do you analyze the responses?

9/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

To summarize the author's answer to this question, effective questions are those that lead, eventually, to answers that indicate the student understands what's going on beyond a terse answer that might just be memorized. In assessing the answers, it's simply a matter of ensuring that the terse answer isn't all the student knows. Often, that means you ask more questions, including how and why we know what we know. Last, avoid making assumptions about a student's understanding. Get explicit answers that indicate understanding.

Teaching through Trade Books: Secrets of Flight

9/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

The date was December 17, 1903. The place was a windswept beach near Kitty hawk, North Carolina. With Orville Wright at the controls and his brother Wilbur running alongside, the plane took off. This event lasted only 12 seconds, but it made history as the first successful sustained flight by a human-powered aircraft. The Wright brothers had uncovered the secrets of flight. In this month's column, students explore the history of flight and use problem-solving skills to improve the flight distances and flight times of paper gliders.

Making Sense of Data

9/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Providing opportunities for students to grapple with collecting and organizing data, struggle with how to represent and communicate ideas emerging from the data, and consider the alignment of these ideas with the science content being learned is reflective of authentic inquiry and supports the development of scientific understanding. The interdisciplinary examples described in this article illustrate how students can learn powerful ways of documenting inquiry while at the same time make use of this documentation to support the development of key scientific understandings.

Deer Tracks in the City?

9/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

"Why would a deer print be in the city?" wondered a student. She had noticed the track near a grocery store that morning with her mother. She was familiar with deer and had noticed their prints on a trip to a local museum; however, she had never seen a deer in the city before this experience. As she retold the story to her classmates, her question became the inspiration for a problem-based lesson during a unit on animal habitats, weather, and human involvement in the environment. Throughout the unit, students participated in hands-on-inquiry activities that focused on scientific process skills such as making observations, inferring, and collecting data.

Problem Solving by Design

9/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

In a unique school-university partnership, methods students collaborated with fifth graders to use the engineering design process to build their problem-solving skills. By placing the problem in the context of a client having particular needs, the problem took on a real-world appeal that students found intriguing and inviting.

Wind Solvers

9/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Measuring real weather provides a nice opportunity for data collection and problem-solving when students work to create a procedure before they gather data. It is also a powerful way to get students to notice the weather. In this lesson, the data collection process is changed from a "cookbook lab" where the teachers tell the students how to collect the data into a collaborative effort to choose how to best perform data collection. This was accomplished by building on students' own experiences through questioning, journaling, and problem-solving.

Today's Authors, Tomorrow's Scientists

9/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

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, Science to the Rescue (Markle 1994), as an opportunity for students to investigate socially significant problems and empower them to take an active role in their learning. The lesson that follows examines the oral and written responses of sixth graders when a constructivist approach to problem solving was supported through an engaging interactive read aloud.

CSI for Trees

9/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

The circles and patterns in a tree's stem tell a story, but that story can be a mystery. Interpreting the story of tree rings provides a way to heighten the natural curiosity of students and help them gain insight into the interaction of elements in the environment. It also represents a wonderful opportunity to incorporate the nature of science. In this activity, appropriate for grades 3-6, students make connections with the work of a scientist as they solve a mini-mystery using tree-ring evidence.

Science and Children-October 2009

9/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Solving problems is vital to our society, yet there is no one way to solve a problem. The skill must be learned. This issue provides examples that may serve as models as you design problem-solving experiences and help your students ask questions about the world around them.

Archive: Getting Your Class Started in ExploraVision, September 16, 2009

9/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar took place on September 16, 2009, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Presenting was Brian Short from NSTA and Michael Lampert from West Salem High School in Oregon. The presenters gave an overview of the ExploraVision program and shared personal experiences with working with their students throughout the process. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/ExploraVision/webseminar6.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

The Chronology of Course Design

9/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

Although the unpredictability of leading a lecture-free class may be unsettling at first, the author encourages you to embrace the energy that accompanies this pedagogy. Flexibility and responsiveness to what happens during each class meeting with each unique group of students are the keys to the success of her methods. This free selection describes the author's 13 steps for course design, which can be adapted to teaching in a wide range of disciplines and grades. Also included are the Table of Contents and Index.

Learning and Assessing Science Process Skills: 5th Edition

9/15/2009 12:00:00 AM

Teaching science is an awesome responsibility. The children you teach are depending on you to model good science and to teach them the skills needed to learn about our increasingly scientific and technological world. Learning and Assessing Science Process Skills is all you need to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to bring the science process skills to your students. FEATURES: - Big Science Ideas - in each chapter major science concepts, themes, and topics used for the process skills activities are identified. Big Science Ideas can be used to adapt the process skills activity for classroom use and to see how the activity connects to state and national science standards. - Alignment to State and National Standards - related science standards from states across the country are identified, along with National Science Education Standards and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards met in each chapter. - Technology Spotlight - These sections in each chapter reflect current technologies. - Web sites and Search Terms - appear in every chapter. These special boxes provide suggested words and phrases that can be used to search the Internet for additional information. - High-Stakes Testing - actual questions students were given to measure their knowledge of the related science process skill. This puts you a step ahead in planning classroom evaluation. Of course the Self-Assessment Questions and Answers, Classroom Scenarios, Ideas for Your Classroom and Models for Assessing Student Learning are still included in the fifth edition, along with the engaging and meaningful activities from which you and your students will learn so much! Learning and Assessing Science Process Skills is truly the only tool needed to competently and confidently provide exemplary science instruction.

Podcast: The Importance of Encouraging Science Interest Now

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: The Importance of Encouraging Science Interest Now is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/SRS/webseminarII.aspx">From Astrobiology to Zoology: Igniting Students' Interests in Science Careers</a>, May 20, 2008. The podcast is 4 minutes 57 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two developed as a follow-up to the Sally Ride Science Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenters talked about four science fields: space sciences, earth sciences, environmental sciences, and health sciences and shared strategies that teachers can use to engage their students in conversations about them. The seminar was designed for educators of grades 6-9. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSFAZ08_May20">From Astrobiology to Zoology: Igniting Students' Interests in Science Careers</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Thermal Energy

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Thermal Energy is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall06/energy/webseminarII.aspx">Energy: Stop Faking It! Energy, Heat, and Heat Transfer</a>, February 8, 2007. The podcast is 28 minutes 32 seconds in duration. In the source Web Seminar, Dr. Robertson talked about three important concepts in physical science: temperature, heat, and heat transfer. About temperature, he said that it is related to the average speed of the molecules in a substance. He also talked about gases and said that they do not necessarily expand when you heat them or contract when you cool them. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSE07_Feb8">Energy: Stop Faking It! Energy, Heat, and Heat Transfer</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Sources of Reliable Climate Change

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Sources of Reliable Climate Change is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/IPY-Boston/webseminarI.aspx">Polar Science, Global Discoveries: IPY Research Update for Teachers</a>, May 1, 2008. The podcast is 10 minutes 38 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two related to the IPY Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenter focused her presentation on the following four questions: (1) Why are the polar regions important for global climate? (2) What is one (of many) important climate discoveries from past ice coring science? (3) How can teachers and students become engaged in IPY ice coring programs? (4) Where can teachers get reliable information about climate change science? The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 5-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSPSG08_May01">Polar Science, Global Discoveries: IPY Research Update for Teachers</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Warming and Cooling of the Atlantic Ocean

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Warming and Cooling of the Atlantic Ocean is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall06/oceans/webseminarI.aspx">The Ocean's Role in Weather and Climate: The Effects of the Atlantic Ocean!</a>, December 12, 2006. The podcast is 6 minutes 26 seconds in duration. In the source Web Seminar presentation, educators had the opportunity to learn about the influence of the Atlantic Ocean on regional weather and climate. As water circulates through the Atlantic Ocean, from the tropics to higher latitudes, energy is transported in the form of heat. This transported energy is equal to the amount of energy required to support the electricity consumption of the United States population for 2000 years. Not only is the Atlantic Ocean the cradle for the formation of hurricanes, storms that move from east to west over the ocean, but data also shows that the sea surface temperature changes in the Atlantic Ocean are responsible for droughts taking place in the African continent. Dr. Delworth described how scientists are using computer models to forecast future weather patterns, like the possible number of hurricanes and drought conditions. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSORWC06_Dec12">The Ocean's Role in Weather and Climate: The Effects of the Atlantic Ocean!</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Career of the Month: An Interview With Science Writer Tina Saey

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

The term science writer describes a range of careers. Some science writers author books. Others work for colleges, universities, or businesses and communicate research underway at those institutions. Some help scientists compose grant applications for research money or write newsletters to keep doctors up-to-date about important discoveries and new procedures. Tina Saey is a science journalist at Science News, where she unearths news about groundbreaking findings in science and shares the information with the public.

Addressing Misconceptions

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

The law of conservation of mass can be counterintuitive for most students because they often think the mass of a substance is related to its physical state. As a result, students may hold a number of alternative conceptions related to this concept, including, for example, the believe that gas has no mass, that solids have greater mass than fluids, or that matter (like salt) is destroyed when it dissolves (Driver et al. 1994). Given these issues, the authors developed a lesson that can be used by teachers to help students understand the law of conservation of mass and use it to make sense of new observations.

Health Wise: October 2009

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

Labels such as "low-fat" and "trans-fat free" are seen on food products everywhere, and yet most of my students do not know what these terms really mean. Can you help me?

Commentary: Why Societal Issues Belong in Science Class

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

Young people face a future filled with important issues that should be informed by science-such as climate change, genetic manipulation, and the management of pandemics. To meet these challenges, students need an understanding of scientific concepts and the ability to analyze the many claims they encounter through popular media. They must be able to make decisions based on evidence, ethical considerations, and reasoned judgment. When students learn how to more clearly think about and articulate their positions on socioscientific issues, they are better prepared to make decisions about scientific developments that affect their own lives and their broader communities.

The Prepared Practitioner: Historical Perspectives

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

In the June 2009 issue of Phi Delta Kappan, author Noah Feinstein argues that a discrepancy exists between society's stated goal-that science education prepare all citizens for the future-and the reality, which is oriented toward creating a scientifically and technically skilled workforce. To Feinstein, everyday science is where science and society meet-much like this issue's theme-and is philosophically centered on a science, technology, and society (STS) viewpoint. This month's column provides a historical perspective on the extent to which social issues have been integrated into the typical science curricula.

Idea Bank: Earth Systems in Silence

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

The "Earth Systems in Silence" activity is designed to help high school students make personal connections to the people and the science involved in natural disasters. It is used as a culminating project in a semester-long required course, open to 10th through 12th graders. It pulls together science concepts and social issues, illustrating the "why" of what is learned in the classroom throughout the semester.

Editor's Corner: Science in Society

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

There are many important reasons for students to learn science. It prepares them, as the next generation of workers, for careers in the ever-expanding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. It also enables them to understand scientific articles in a newspaper, make informed decisions about public policy, evaluate claims made in the media, and talk to their doctors. The most compelling reason of all may be because science has important implications for human society and the future of our nation and planet.

"New Science" and Societal Issues

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

As a "new science," nanotechnology has brought many nanoscale-based applications to the forefront of society. This article describes one such application-a nanosensor that can precisely detect a variety of chemical stimuli in the environment-and presents the science behind it as an interdisciplinary science topic. This article also provides scenarios that can be used in the classroom to discuss the unique ethical concerns associated with nanosensors.

EcoTipping Points

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

Contrary to what we often hear and teach, there is good news to be found on the environmental front. Environmental success stories show us not only that sustainability is possible, but also how people have made it happen. We can make these stories and their lessons accessible to students with help from the EcoTipping Points Project, which has collected environmental success stories from around the world.

Safer Science: Chemical Storage

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

Using chemicals safely requires a number of things, including current inventory control, appropriate labeling and storage segregation, ongoing inspections, and more. How can a science teacher find the appropriate storage information? Read on. This month's Safer Science column has the answers you seek.

The Science Teacher-October 2009

9/8/2009 12:00:00 AM

There are many important reasons for students to learn science-perhaps most important are its implications for human society and the future of our planet. This issue of The Science Teacher provides ideas for bringing the intersections of science and society into the classroom. By emphasizing these connections, we help students learn important content while developing their ability to make informed decisions about issues that affect them on both a personal and global level.

Using Issues-Based Science in the Classroom

9/8/2009 12:00:00 AM

Every day we are confronted with issues of varying degrees of complexity and importance. Which bags are better for the environment-paper, plastic, or neither? What precautions should be taken to reduce the spread of the H1N1 virus? Are there risks involved in eating genetically modified fruits and vegetables? What impact will the use of alternative sources of energy have on global climate change? Questions such as these present unique opportunities to incorporate personal, societal, and global issues into the science curriculum. This article provides some helpful resources for planning and using this type of instruction in the classroom.

Hurricane Katrina: A Teachable Moment

9/8/2009 12:00:00 AM

This article presents suggestions for integrating the phenomenon of hurricanes into the teaching of high school fluid mechanics. Students come to understand core science concepts in the context of their impact upon both the environment and human populations. Suggestions for using information about hurricanes, particularly Hurricane Katrina, in a physics class are provided, as are examples of ways to modify standard physics problems.

Socratic Seminars in Science Class

9/8/2009 12:00:00 AM

Discussions are important classroom tools-and those that focus on science in society have the potential to interest and engage students. However, a conversation can quickly veer out of control if expectations are not clearly set by the teacher and if the discussion is not structured appropriately. This article describes the use of Socratic Seminars, which provide a constructive format for discussion and help facilitate a spirit of shared inquiry among students as they discover meaning in a given text.

Podcast: Gravity

9/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Gravity is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall06/forces/webseminarI.aspx">Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! Gravity!</a>, December 5, 2006. The podcast is 7 minutes 59 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two on the topic of Force and Motion. The presenter was Dr. Bill Robertson, author of the popular NSTA Press series of books: Stop Faking It! The presentation focused on the topic of gravity, a topic discussed on Dr. Robertson's book: Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSFM06_Dec5">Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! Gravity!</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Weight

9/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Weight is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall06/forces/webseminarI.aspx">Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! Gravity!</a>, December 5, 2006. The podcast is 8 minutes 30 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two on the topic of Force and Motion. The presenter was Dr. Bill Robertson, author of the popular NSTA Press series of books: Stop Faking It! The presentation focused on the topic of gravity, a topic discussed on Dr. Robertson's book: Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSFM06_Dec5">Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! Gravity!</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Newton's Second Law

9/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Newton's Second Law is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall08/ForceandMotion/webseminar.aspx">Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! I</a>, December 11, 2008. The podcast is 7 minutes 56 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first, of two, scheduled as a follow-up to the Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! Symposium that took place at the NSTA Area Conference on Science Education in Portland, OR. In this program Dr. Robertson talked about speed, velocity, inertia, acceleration, Newton's Second law, mass, and weight. He used several science simulations available in the NSTA Force and Motion SciGuide to help illustrate the concepts. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSFAM08_Dec11">Force and Motion: Stop Faking It!</a> I to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Scientific Method

9/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Scientific Method is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/JPL2/webseminar3.aspx">How Science REALLY Gets Done</a>, October 16, 2007. The podcast is 7 minutes 10 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was developed in collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Arizona State University's (ASU) Mars Education Program. The presenter was Dr. Phil Christensen, Principal Investigator for the 2001 Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) instrument, and the Thermal Emission System (TES) instrument on Mars Global Surveyor. Dr. Christensen talked about how scientists approach complex problems, and how the scientific method is used within this context. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSHSR07_oct16">How Science REALLY Gets Done</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Polar Science and World Peace

9/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Polar Science and World Peace is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/IPY-Boston/webseminarII.aspx">Polar Science, Global Discoveries: IPY Research Update for Teachers</a>, May 22, 2008. The podcast is 21 minutes 45 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two related to the IPY Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenter focused her presentation on the following four questions: (1) Is polar science relevant to world peace? (2) How is the atmosphere involved in current climate change? (3) How do we know about ancient atmospheres? (4) What are some discoveries from the International Polar Year so far? (5) How can teachers become involved in IPY? The seminar was designed for educators of grades 5-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSPSG08_May22">Polar Science, Global Discoveries: IPY Research Update for Teachers</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center library.

Podcast: Reading Strategies

9/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Reading Strategies is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall05/PPS/webseminarI.aspx">Picture-Perfect Science: From Idea to Invention!</a>, December 14, 2005. The podcast is 4 minutes 28 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminars was the first of two on the topic of Picture-Perfect Science Lessons. The session was presented by Karen Ansberry and Emily Morgan, co-authors of the popular NSTA Press publication Picture-Perfect Science Lessons: Using Children's Books to Guide Inquiry.

Podcast: Investigating Outbreaks

9/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Investigating Outbreaks is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/stlouis07/nutrition/webseminarI.aspx">Outbreak Investigations!</a>, April 26, 2007. The podcast is 8 minutes 48 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two on the topic of Food Safety and Nutrition. The presenter was Dr. Patrick McCarthy, Epidemiologist from the Office of Food Defense, Communication, and Emergency Response, at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. In the seminar, Dr. McCarthy talked about outbreak investigations. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSFSN07_Apr26">Outbreak Investigations!</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center library.

Podcast: Phoenix mission

9/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Phoenix mission is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/JPL2/webseminar13.aspx">Mars Exploration Rovers: Where Are They Now?</a>, June 5, 2008. The podcast is 7 minutes 43 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was developed in collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Arizona State University's (ASU) Mars Education Program. The presenter was Dr. Steve Ruff, Faculty Research Associate in the School of Earth and Space Exploration's Mars Space Flight Facility at ASU. Dr. Ruff gave an update on the Mars Exploration Rovers and the Phoenix Lander missions. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSERW08_Jun05">Mars Exploration Rovers: Where Are They Now?</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center library.

Is It Possible to Turn Coal Into Diamonds?

9/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

How cool would it be to be Lois Lane? Anytime she wants a diamond, she just has Superman use his super strength to squeeze a lump of coal. But is this really possible? Using a high enough temperature and enough pressure, can you turn coal into diamonds? To answer this, we have to address the nature and formation of coal and the nature and formation of diamonds. First, though, we have to talk about the carbon atom and what makes it so special. This free selection includes the Table of Contents, Introduction, and Index.

Podcast: Careers in Earth Sciences

9/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Careers in Earth Sciences is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/SRS/webseminarII.aspx">From Astrobiology to Zoology: Igniting Students' Interests in Science Careers</a>, May 20, 2008. The podcast is 9 minutes 52 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two developed as a follow-up to the Sally Ride Science Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenters talked about four science fields: space sciences, earth sciences, environmental sciences, and health sciences and shared strategies that teachers can use to engage their students in conversations about them. The seminar was designed for educators of grades 6-9. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSFAZ08_May20">From Astrobiology to Zoology: Igniting Students' Interests in Science Careers</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Careers in Heath Sciences

Scope on the Skies: September Skies (2009)

8/25/2009 12:00:00 AM

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 favorite, free online resources to put into your teaching toolbox.

Editor's Roundtable: Nurturing Scientific Habits of Mind

8/25/2009 12:00:00 AM

Science process skills and content knowledge are not enough to produce the scientists and scientifically literate citizens we need in the 21st century. Shared values and dispositions within the science community such as curiosity, honesty, openness, and skepticism must also be nurtured, modeled, and practiced continuously in science classrooms at all levels until they become deeply entrenched and respected "habits of mind." This issue of Science Scope has a collection of articles to help you develop some of the scientific habits of mind specifically recommended in Benchmarks for Science Literacy. These articles are highlighted in this month's column.

Scope on Safety: Rethinking the Use of Hand Sanitizers

8/25/2009 12:00:00 AM

Recent concerns about Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and swine flu have prompted many parents to demand that hand sanitizers be made available in schools to protect their kids. In response, schools began installing alcohol-based hand-sanitizing stations in school cafeterias, classrooms, and even biology labs. But is this approach the best way to prevent the transfer of microbes from one person to another? Should we believe the commercials promising that hand sanitizers kill up to 99.9% on contact? Let's see what the experts have to say.

Tried and True: Looking for Questions

8/25/2009 12:00:00 AM

During the first day of school, eighth-grade students often receive hour after hour of specific rules and classroom procedures. However, the author takes a different approach in science class. Here she describes an activity that is designed to engage students in generating questions. The objective of this lesson is for students to learn that a scientific investigation begins with a question and that questions can come from many places.

Science Sampler: How do we know what we know? A look at schemas

8/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

A schema is like a file folder in the mind, a knowledge structure that holds all of a learner's experiences with a given topic. Schemas are thought to be organized, hierarchical representations of information that can help an individual to adapt to new experiences and to learn new information (Anderson and Pearson 1984). Teaching students to use schemas as they reflect upon how they acquire and connect knowledge will help them to become better thinkers and learners. This article describes how to utilize schemas as a powerful tool for students to understand their own thinking and take charge of their own learning.

Science Sampler: Helping students write scientific explanations

8/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

Constructing explanations is an important scientific practice that brings meaning to all that scientists do. But just because it's important to scientists doesn't mean it's going to be important to students. However, getting students to engage in meaningful conversations to make sense of data by applying science ideas is an essential goal for middle school science (AAAS 2008; NRC 1996). This article describes an instructional framework to assist students in developing scientific explanations. It consists of three components: claim, evidence, and reasoning.

Science Sampler: Ecosystem Jenga!

8/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

To give students a tangible model of an ecosystem and have them experience what could happen if a component of that ecosystem were removed; the authors developed a hands-on, inquiry-based activity that visually demonstrates the concept of a delicately balanced ecosystem through a modification of the popular game Jenga. This activity can be modified to fit classrooms in other regions by focusing on a locally endangered plant or animal, which can be determined by contacting local governmental agencies.

Green Science: Building for the Future

8/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

This first Green Science column will focus on the environmental features of NSTA's new headquarters, the John Glenn Center for Science Education. The new building, which is currently being designed, will be constructed next door to NSTA's current location in Arlington, Virginia, and will be approximately 66,000 square feet, with six stories. The design of the new building will incorporate environmental features throughout, and construction will minimize waste and use recycled or renewable materials whenever possible. This article will outline some of the planned features of the new building.

Teacher's Toolkit: Promoting and supporting scientific argumentation in the classroom-The evaluate-alternatives instructional model

8/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

This article describes an instructional model that science teachers can use to promote and support student engagement in scientific argumentation. This model is called the evaluate-alternatives instructional model and it is grounded in current research on argumentation in science education (e.g., Berland and Reiser 2009; McNeill and Krajcik 2006; Osborne, Erduran, and Simon 2004; Sampson and Clark 2009; Sandoval and Reiser 2004). To illustrate how this model works inside the classroom, a lesson that was developed for an eighth-grade integrated science course is described. This lesson was designed to help students understand the transfer of energy and develop the abilities to do scientific inquiry.

Embracing Learner's Ideas About Diffusion and Osmosis: A Coupled-Inquiry Approach

8/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

Learning about osmosis and diffusion is often a challenging task for middle school students. Here the authors present a lesson that was converted from a "cookbook" lab (McLaughlin and Thompson 2007) into a more inquiry-oriented lab that uses inquiry teaching strategies and hands-on investigations to teach middle-grade students about osmosis and diffusion.

Science Sampler: Getting into the habit of persistence

8/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

Habits of mind are the behaviors commonly exhibited by successful people when the solution to a problem is not immediately evident (Costa and Kallick 1992). In a science classroom, persistent students stop and think about a problem they encounter before running up to ask the teacher or raising their hand. Instead of asking the teacher what to do, they might describe the steps they've tried and then request guidance. In this article, the author shares some methods and activities to help her students to persist over the course of the school year.

Teaching Students to Create Undiscovered Ideas

8/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

Science curricula often guide us to teach students just the facts, but our students need to be prepared for life in the 21st century. Since technology is developing rapidly, we do not know what new technologies, resources, and information our students will be working with when they complete school. If we want our students to be truly prepared for life in the 21st century, we need to prepare them to approach the world with creative scientific skills. This article discusses the importance of creative thinking in science and includes activities that can be structured to support the development of your students' creative scientific skills both in and out of the classroom.

Going Bananas Over Fruit: Using Habits of Mind to Foster Nutritional Literacy

8/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

Science literacy for all students is an education goal in the United States, as well as in many other parts of the world. Habits of mind are the skills and attitudes that students need to develop in order to understand science as a way of thinking. In this standards-based era, habits of mind can be readily incorporated to teach multiple content areas, in the natural sciences as well as in integrated settings. The authors' purpose in designing this unit was to develop habits of mind in middle school learners. Throughout this unit, habits of mind standards are stressed as a way to increase science literacy, specifically, nutritional literacy, in middle school learners.

Using Web Logs in the Science Classroom

8/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

As educators we must ask ourselves if we are meeting the needs of today's students. The science world is adapting to our ever-changing society; are the methodology and philosophy of our educational system keeping up? In this article, you'll learn why web logs (also called blogs) are an important Web 2.0 tool in your science classroom and how they can be created and used to increase science literacy by engaging students in writing, problem solving, and collaboration. These tools will effectively prepare students to work in today's social, interactive, online world.

The Early Years: Planting Before Winter

8/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

Planting flower bulbs is a wonderful activity for many reasons: learning about the life cycle of a plant bulb teaches children about seasonal changes and the environmental needs of plants, and children can observe and measure plant growth over time and see the results of their work in the spring. Conversation about where to plant can build awareness of how the outdoor space is used by other people and animals, where the Sun shines on the ground, where the rain falls, and draws attention to soil as a resource. It is also an inexpensive way to have a beautiful garden the children will be proud of and relates to National Science Education Standard C, Life Science.

Natural Resources: If You Build It…

8/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

They will come! Wildlife, that is, when you create the right conditions. A wildlife habitat can provide you with an outdoor classroom for studying the needs of organisms. It also provides a place to learn about soil, weather, and plants. If you want to get your students outside in nature, a designated habitat is a great place to start, with endless possibilities.

Editor's Note: Classroom Windows

8/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

Little did Linda Froschauer know that she would one day find herself in the position of editor of the very journal that helped in the formation of her teaching… the journal that inspired her teaching and affected her students. She viewed Science and Children as her window into the classroom of her peers throughout the teaching community. Here she encourages you to open your classroom window and share your lessons that bring the "ah-ha" moments, the lessons you tell others about when you talk about science teaching, and the lessons all of us could benefit from learning about. You'll never know how many people you touch, but you'll know the joy of sharing.

Science Scope-September 2009

8/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

Being able to think critically is an essential habit of mind for a scientist. In this issue, we present some strategies for helping students develop a mindset for thinking like scientists when viewing the world around them.

Science 101: How do plants move?

8/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

Just as with any organism, simple growth causes plants to move, but we're going to focus on movements that are unique to plants and, in some cases, pretty creepy. Sorry for the pun. Here the author describes a bunch of plant movements and then explains the mechanism for a few of them.

Every Day Science: September 2009

8/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Methods and Strategies: Role-Play in the Science Classroom

8/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

The activity shared here is an animal role-playing lesson developed, field-tested, and refined for Nature's Neighborhood, a newly designed children's education facility at the Toledo Zoo. The activity is targeted at students in kindergarten through second grade, but it can be adapted for use in grades three and four as well. Through students' interactions with others during the role-play and discussions afterward, the understanding that animals need, among other things, food, water, and shelter to survive is reinforced.

Science Shorts: Gourd-ous Decomposition

8/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

While pumpkins are an iconic symbol in the classroom that represent fall, harvest time, and Halloween, they are also an ideal subject for teaching elementary students the fundamentals of scientific inquiry and plant decomposition. In a second-grade classroom in New York, the mold, mush, and blackening flesh of a decomposing pumpkin creatively demonstrated decomposition for the Halloween hungry, jack-o-lantern obsessed children. Here the authors describe lessons that were developed as part of a unit on the life cycle of plants.

What Grows There?

8/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

Even though students see plants all around them, they tend to ignore them. Animal studies usually get all the "press." As a naturalist, children's book author, and coordinator for an educational science website for teachers, the author knows from personal experience that observing and charting plant growth can be as intriguing as observing animals. Here she shares a simple but thought-provoking activity that teachers can use with fifth- and sixth-grades students: plant research plots. As students monitor the plant growth in one-meter plots over a period of six weeks, they practice science-process skills while learning about plant life cycles and how plants compete with each other.

Growing Seeds and Scientists

8/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

How do young children develop their ideas about science and scientists' work in their first year of school? How do we teach them to believe they are real scientists? In this article, the authors-a university science educator, a kindergarten teacher, and a Penn State University teaching intern-share their inquiry into these questions in a kindergarten classroom during an exciting, six-week unit on seeds.

Teaching through Trade Books: A Habitat Is a Home

8/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

We all have our own habitats, and this month students spend time thinking about what other organisms need to survive, what types of habitats they live in, and how to set up a habitat for a classroom animal.

Becoming Wildlife Investigators

8/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

Students love learning outdoors, but how do you ensure they are absorbing the science and gaining skills as they do so? The authors found a way-a fourth-grade classroom teacher, a gifted/science resource teacher, and a group of fourth graders-embarked on a yearlong study of birds and the plants they depend on. They used their school yard as the backdrop and incorporated community resources into numerous hands-on experiences that transformed students into eager wildlife investigators and stewards of their local environment. Here they share their inspiring story.

Forest or Field?

8/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

An open field-with its wildflowers, grasses, and vole tunnels-became an instant classroom. Students' senses were awakened there, and upon entering a nearby forest, they immediately detected a difference: less light and cooler air. "Why are there no grasses in the forest? Why aren't there ferns in the field?" These and other questions emerged as fifth-grade students collected and compared data from both a field and forest at a local Audubon Society wildlife refuge.

Thirsty Plants in Arid Places

8/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

In order to demonstrate how plants remove water from the soil and release it to the atmosphere, students compared open- and closed-growing systems using drought-tolerant and higher water requirement plants. Then, students designed a drought-tolerant garden demonstrating what they had learned. Through this experience, students not only learned about evaporation and transpiration in a concrete way, but they also learned about their own local ecosystem and factors affecting it.

The Gift of the Tree

8/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

A piece of children's literature can be a powerful tool for teaching and learning science; however, it takes more than reading about a topic to qualify as "doing science." Inspired by the book, The Gift of the Tree, the author developed an in-depth interdisciplinary lesson for her sixth-grade students without diluting the science. Through this lesson, students read and experience the concepts in the story in two ways-through a macro lens to see how these plants and animals are interconnected, and through a micro lens to learn specific hands-on science skills, such as making inexpensive nonglass slides, looking through the microscope, and observing and recording parts of the tree and other plants.

Science and Children-September 2009

8/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

Inside or outside, investigations of nature get students excited about science. From a decomposing tree to the desert, this issue explores habitats small and large and the many interactions that make a habitat a home.

Health Wise: September 2009

8/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

What causes diabetes, and how does it affect a person's health?

Web Seminar: Timely Teachings: Seasons and the Cycles of Night and Day, December 10, 2009

8/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

Join Jessica Fries-Gaither, science resource specialist at Ohio State University, as we discuss two challenging topics in the elementary and middle school curriculum-Day and Night and Seasons-from both science and literacy perspectives. We'll review scientific principles, examine common misconceptions and formative assessment strategies, and discuss how to approach these topics by integrating science and literacy. We'll share resources from /Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears/, the National Science Digital Libraries' Middle School Portal, and other high-quality content providers.

Web Seminar: Thinking Like a Scientist: Teaching and Learning with Current Science Issues, January 12, 2010

8/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

Can issue-based activities make science come alive? Can the process of science work in concert with the context of science through issues? In the first part of the webinar, you will explore how to use ActionBioscience.org to incorporate issues into your teaching and extend its resources to activities that illustrate 'thinking like a scientist.' In part two, our discussion will examine how to use historical cases to illustrate their application to lessons on current issues. In the final hands-on component, participants will learn how to teach students to evaluate web resources using the 5Ws strategy and discuss ways to use this and other strategies for thinking critically about online resources. Join Oksana Hlodan, Editor-in-chief of ActionBioscience.org, a free access, bilingual (English/Spanish) education resource of the American Institute of Biological Sciences, who along with a guest classroom teacher, will guide this reflection on teaching and learning with issues and facilitate the interactive components. Worksheets and resource lists will be provided. This webinar is designed for high school and undergraduate educators of introductory science courses.

Editor's Corner: The Central Science

8/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

Of all the subjects, chemistry should arguably be the most enjoyable; it is filled with things that bubble, change color, burst into flame, and otherwise provide visual and intellectual intrigue. As the paradigmatic laboratory science, it may also be the discipline best suited for student inquiry, offering countless opportunities for students to design their own experiments. Why is chemistry such an important and engaging science? In this month's column, the author will count the ways.

The Prepared Practitioner: Alternative Conceptions in Chemistry

8/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

Despite its importance, chemistry can be difficult for some students to learn. Many concepts are abstract, and students cannot always relate the ideas in this subject to their own experiences. Researchers examining learning in chemistry often reference student understanding of chemical concepts at three levels: macroscopic, microscopic, and symbolic. This month's Prepared Practitioner column describes these levels of understanding and identifies how they can overlap to contribute to students' misconceptions in chemistry.

Safer Science: EMS(s)-Pulling the Plug!

8/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

Over the past decade, many headlines have noted the potential dangers of extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic field (EMFs) exposures-especially for children and young adults. Unfortunately, the jury is still out on EMF(s) and their long-term effects. However, while research continues, follow the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendations outlined in this month's Safer Science column to ensure the safety of your students.

Idea Bank: Wiffle Ball Physics

8/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

Projectile motion, a cornerstone topic of introductory physics, is usually a student's first exposure to the problem-solving techniques used in this subject. Often, this is an inactive learning experience-students work with pencil and paper to read and solve projectile motion problems (e.g., diagrams and descriptions of balls being hit, kicked, and launched). In the activity described in this Idea Bank, however, students create their own problems by applying their abstract knowledge of projectile motion to something familiar: a Wiffle ball. This activity-which can be done in one 45-minute class period-aligns with National Science Education Standards for force and motion (NRC 1996).

Career of the Month: An Interview with Industrial Hygienist Mark Nicas

8/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

As Mark Nicas was inspecting an aluminum recycling plant, he observed loads of oily scrap aluminum being dumped into furnaces to melt. Sparks shot out and clouds of black smoke billowed into the room as the scrap collided with molten metal. Chlorine leaks in the piping spewed green gas onto the floor. The scene unfolding looked more like the Hades of Greek mythology than a recycling plant. Not to mention, the plant's employees were at serious risk of exposure to cancer-causing substances. As an industrial hygienist, Nicas was able to reduce the release of these toxic chemicals into the air. He and others in his field are committed to protecting the health and safety of people in the workplace and the community.

Teaching With Crystal Structures

8/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

Classifying a particle requires an understanding of the type of bonding that exists within and among the particles, which requires an understanding of atomic structure and electron configurations, which requires an understanding of the elements of periodic properties, and so on. Rather than getting tangled up in all of these concepts at the start of the year, the author has found it quicker and simpler to use three-dimensional (3-D), computerized visualizations of crystal structures to teach the classification of particles. This article describes how to use these visualizations in a chemistry lesson and how other teachers can incorporate them into their practice as well.

Investigating Membranes

8/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

While not organic in nature, quick-"growing" artificial membranes can be a profound visual aid when teaching students about cellular processes and the chemical nature of membranes. Students are often intrigued when they see biological and chemical concepts come to life before their eyes. In this article, the authors share their approach to growing artificial membranes in the classroom, discuss their similarities to and differences from cellular membranes, and explain the related processes and principles they demonstrate for students.

The Science Behind Nanosunscreens

8/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this article, the authors provide a brief overview of the emerging field of nanoscience and why it is an important area of education. They next explain the science behind the new nanoparticulate sunscreens, describe the different elements of the unit, and reflect on some of the opportunities and challenges of teaching nanoscience at the high school level.

The Science Teacher-September 2009

8/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

In a changing world, chemistry has never been more important. From understanding ecological footprints to new nanoproducts to the impacts of acid rain, chemistry helps students grasp what is going on in the world around them. This issue of The Science Teacher provides activities and ideas to incorporate in your chemistry classroom.

Shrinking Our Footprints

8/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this unit, each student calculates his or her own ecological footprint as the basis for becoming more environmentally friendly. Over two weeks, students analyze their own lifestyles and use their understanding of environmental chemistry to synthesize, implement, and disseminate plans to reduce their footprints. Ultimately, by writing newspaper articles that are shared with the community, students apply what they have learned to raise public awareness about sustainability. This article describes the environmental chemistry unit and provides suggestions for implementation based on the authors' experience in the high school chemistry classroom.

What Happens to Cemetery Headstones?

8/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

A group of high school students and chaperones boarded a bus for historic Oakland Cemetery located in downtown Atlanta. Students explored the site and made observations of the gravestones, many of which were old and run-down. Upon leaving the cemetery, students-based on their interests-developed various chemistry investigations aimed at answering the same driving question: "What is causing the deterioration of Oakland Cemetery headstones?" To engage students in the concept of acids and bases, the project-based chemistry lesson described in this article incorporates the 5E learning cycle and "funds of knowledge."

Teacher Research: Challenging Our Assumptions

8/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

Teacher research-often called "action research"-is an intentional and systematic inquiry into one's own classroom practice with the goal of improved student learning (Cochran-Smith and Lytle 1993). In this article, the authors present a teacher research project undertaken to improve student understanding of the gas laws in a high school chemistry class. It addresses both the product of this teacher research project-insights into the teaching of gas laws-and the process and potential power of this approach.

Podcast: Solar Wind

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Solar Wind is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall06/lunar/webseminarIII.aspx">NASA: Lunar Exploration</a>, November 21, 2006. The podcast is 10 minutes 32 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the third of four on the topic of Lunar Exploration. The presenter was Dr. Anuradha Koratkar, Associate Research Scientist at the University of Maryland Baltimore County's Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology (GEST) Center. The presentation focused on radiation in space and how it may affect equipment and humans involved in lunar exploration in the next decade. One of the goals of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, which was scheduled for launch in 2008, is to measure the solar radiation at the surface of the Moon. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSLE06_Nov21">NASA: Lunar Exploration</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: The Electromagnetic Spectrum

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: The Electromagnetic Spectrum is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall06/lunar/webseminarIII.aspx">NASA: Lunar Exploration</a>, November 21, 2006. The podcast is 11 minutes 32 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the third of four on the topic of Lunar Exploration. The presenter was Dr. Anuradha Koratkar, Associate Research Scientist at the University of Maryland Baltimore County's Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology (GEST) Center. The presentation focused on radiation in space and how it may affect equipment and humans involved in lunar exploration in the next decade. One of the goals of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, which was scheduled for launch in 2008, is to measure the solar radiation at the surface of the Moon. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSLE06_Nov21">NASA: Lunar Exploration</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Satellite Mapping of the Moon Surface

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Satellite Mapping of the Moon Surface is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/NASA-Mapping/webseminarII.aspx">NASA: Mapping the Moon: Simulating LOLA in the Classroom II</a>, May 13, 2008. The podcast is 6 minutes 20 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two related to the NASA Symposium: Mapping the Moon: Simulating LOLA in the Classroom that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. In this program the presenters led the participants in a simulation activity to program a robot to move from its "landing site" to another predetermined location on "LunarLand." Participants worked in teams, using breakout rooms, to design the instructions for the robot and then provided those instructions to the presenters to program the robot and test. A web cam was used to see the robot moving through "LunarLand" to determine success. The mission was accomplished after two trials. The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 4-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSMMS08_May13">NASA: Mapping the Moon: Simulating LOLA in the Classroom II</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Maximize your NSTA Conference Experience: Exhibit Hall

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Maximize your NSTA Conference Experience: Exhibit Hall is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/How_to_maximize/webseminar.aspx">How to Maximize your NSTA Conference Experience</a>, March 3, 2009. The podcast is 8 minutes 17 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was presented by Ken Rosenbaum, NSTA Chapter Relations Consultant and Howard Wahlberg Assistant Executive Director of Membership. Mr. Rosenbaum and Mr. Wahlberg talked about the offerings at the NSTA National Conference, what to expect, and how to prepare to make the most out of this opportunity. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSHTM09_Mar3">How to Maximize your NSTA Conference Experience</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Microbes and Climate

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Microbes and Climate is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/stlouis07/IPYlife/webseminarII.aspx">Impact of Polar Climate Change on Living Systems</a>, June 14, 2007. The podcast is 8 minutes 59 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of on the topic of "Impact of Polar Climate Change on Living Systems". The presenter was Dr. David Kirchman, Maxwell P. & Mildred H. Harrington Professor of Marine Studies at the University of Delaware's College of Marine and Earth Studies. Dr. Kirchman talked about how climate change is affecting the Arctic, the importance of microbes as producers and consumers of greenhouse gases, and genomes. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSPCCLS07_June14">Impact of Polar Climate Change on Living Systems</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: The NSTA Learning Center: SciGuides

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: The NSTA Learning Center: SciGuides is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall08/NLC/webseminar.aspx">The NSTA Learning Center: Free Classroom Resources and PD Tools - All in One Place</a>, September 16, 2008. The podcast is 4 minutes 31 seconds in duration. In the source Web Seminar, the presenter, Al Byers, gave an overview of the NSTA Learning Center, focusing on how to navigate through the web site and best practices on finding resources. The site has over 2,900 resources available. Byers described some of the featured products, including Science Objects, SciPacks, SciGuides, Journal Articles, and e-Book chapters. He also spent some time talking about how to use the professional development tools available, such as "My Library" and "My PD Plan & Portfolio" and how these can benefit science educators. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSNLC08_Sep16">The NSTA Learning Center: Free Classroom Resources and PD Tools - All in One Place</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Point of View: The Nuclear Road Ahead-A Science, Technology, and Society Issue

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

Many undergraduates can often be motivated by the opportunity to explore issues requiring them to develop at least a modest understanding of the underlying science. For many students, "just in time" science makes good sense. There are many issues that we can use for this purpose involving almost all scientific disciplines. Environment, health and medicine, energy, and climate change are just a few areas generating issues that require an understanding of the science involved and that have been described by JCST authors. Recent developments in national security and international relations coupled with positions advanced by the new U.S. administration and endorsed by the United Nations make nuclear weapon policy a prime issue that can be used for this purpose.

Favorite Demonstration: Demonstrating Emergent Properties in Dynamic Systems

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

This demonstration was developed for an introduction to a soil science class to show how emergent properties are an essential behavior endemic to dynamic systems; explanations for their existence are not dependent on external forces. Emergent properties are new structures or behaviors exhibited by a system in response to external changes in its environment (Corning 2002). This demonstration would be suitable for other Earth-system sciences, biology, and general systems and chaos theory.

Research and Teaching: Assessment of the Impact of Case Studies on Student Learning Gains in an Introductory Biology Course

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

Student performance in lecture-based versus case study-based instruction was compared in this study. Case-based teaching that emphasized problem solving and discussion significantly improved student performance on exams throughout the semester and enhanced students' abilities to correctly answer application- and analysis-type questions.

Point of View: Saving Energy in the Chemistry-Teaching Process and Improving Student Learning

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

Somewhere between high school chemistry and first-year college chemistry courses, there is a disconnect. Whatever the reason, most students are not prepared for college chemistry. As a beginning chemistry educator, the author found this to be frustrating. Feeling exhausted and discouraged, he began to think about what he could do to increase student performance while at the same time keeping his sanity. Here he shares how he found a renewed desire to teach by actively engaging students in the learning process.

Society for College Science Teachers: Farewell to a Colleague

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

Earlier this month, the author attended the memorial service for her good friend and colleague, Dr. Jerry Waldvogel. The service was held in the lovely Carillon Garden on Clemson's campus where Jerry was-as it became obvious during the service and on posts to the memorial website-a well-respected and beloved professor of biological sciences. Here she shares some fond memories of her dear friend and presents an inspiring tribute to his legacy.

Editorial: Deficit Thinking

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

We always have a choice when we consider another person. We can see their strengths, or we can focus on their deficits. What we choose to view in our assessment-and assessments are inevitable-will color how we perceive that person for the rest of our relationship. We are choosing to view one another-present and future-by a distinct deficit model. Do we wish to be known to one another as the "professor who just can't (fill in the blank) very well"? Is this in the best interests of our schools and our students? The answers to these questions are addressed in this month's column.

Podcast: Three Tiered Ecosystem Problems

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Three Tiered Ecosystem Problems is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/stlouis07/habitat/webseminarI.aspx">NASA: Living and Working in Space: Habitat</a>, May 10, 2007. The podcast is 11 minutes 7 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two on the topic of Living and Working in Space: Habitat. The presenters were Sheri Klug, Director of the Mars Education Program at Arizona State University and Don Boonstra, Coordinator of the Student Observation Network at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. In this seminar the presenters talked about ecosystems, habitats, Mars and Mars exploration, and teaching about living and working in space in the classroom. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSLWSH07_May10">NASA: Living and Working in Space: Habitat</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: The NSTA Learning Center: Tools

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: The NSTA Learning Center: Tools is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall08/NLC/webseminar.aspx">The NSTA Learning Center: Free Classroom Resources and PD Tools - All in One Place</a>, September 16, 2008. The podcast is 9 minutes 14 seconds in duration. In the source Web Seminar, the presenter, Al Byers, gave an overview of the NSTA Learning Center, focusing on how to navigate through the web site and best practices on finding resources. The site has over 2,900 resources available. Byers described some of the featured products, including Science Objects, SciPacks, SciGuides, Journal Articles, and e-Book chapters. He also spent some time talking about how to use the professional development tools available, such as "My Library" and "My PD Plan & Portfolio" and how these can benefit science educators. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSNLC08_Sep16">The NSTA Learning Center: Free Classroom Resources and PD Tools - All in One Place</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: The Role of Microbes in the Artic Ocean

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: The Role of Microbes in the Artic Ocean is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/stlouis07/IPYlife/webseminarII.aspx">Impact of Polarl Climate Change on Living Systems</a>, June 14, 2007. The podcast is 11 minutes 54 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of on the topic of "Impact of Polar Climate Change on Living Systems". The presenter was Dr. David Kirchman, Maxwell P. & Mildred H. Harrington Professor of Marine Studies at the University of Delaware's College of Marine and Earth Studies. Dr. Kirchman talked about how climate change is affecting the Arctic, the importance of microbes as producers and consumers of greenhouse gases, and genomes. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSPCCLS07_June14">Impact of Polarl Climate Change on Living Systems</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Why are Polar Regions Important for Global Climate?

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Why are Polar Regions Important for Global Climate? is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/IPY-Boston/webseminarI.aspx">Polar Science Global Discoveries IPY Research Update for Teachers I</a>, May 1, 2008. The podcast is 11 minutes 24 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two related to the IPY Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenter focused her presentation on the following four questions: (1) Why are the polar regions important for global climate? (2) What is one (of many) important climate discoveries from past ice coring science? (3) How can teachers and students become engaged in IPY ice coring programs? (4) Where can teachers get reliable information about climate change science? The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 5-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSPSG08_May01">Polar Science Global Discoveries IPY Research Update for Teachers I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: The NSTA Learning Center: SciPacks

8/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: The NSTA Learning Center: SciPacks is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall08/NLC/webseminar.aspx">The NSTA Learning Center: Free Classroom Resources and PD Tools - All in One Place</a>, September 16, 2008. The podcast is 11 minutes 10 seconds in duration. In the source Web Seminar, the presenter, Al Byers, gave an overview of the NSTA Learning Center, focusing on how to navigate through the web site and best practices on finding resources. The site has over 2,900 resources available. Byers described some of the featured products, including Science Objects, SciPacks, SciGuides, Journal Articles, and e-Book chapters. He also spent some time talking about how to use the professional development tools available, such as "My Library" and "My PD Plan & Portfolio" and how these can benefit science educators. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSNLC08_Sep16">The NSTA Learning Center: Free Classroom Resources and PD Tools - All in One Place</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Coral Reef Teaching Resources

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Coral Reef Teaching Resources is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/Corals/webseminarII.aspx">NOAA: Coral Reef Ecosystems II</a>, May 8, 2008. The podcast is 11 minutes 34 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two related to the NOAA Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Chaston talked about coral biology, the value of coral reefs, land-based pollution impacts, and management actions. She also shared information about teaching resources available on the Internet. The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 5-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSCES08_May08">NOAA: Coral Reef Ecosystems II</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Cosmetic Safety History in U.S.

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Cosmetic Safety History in U.S. is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/FDA/webseminarII.aspx">Food and Cosmetics</a>, May 6, 2008. The podcast is 11 minutes 24 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two related to the FDA Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenter focused on three questions: (1) How has the safety of cosmetics been viewed historically in the United States? (2) How is cosmetic safety regulated now? (3) What are some of the cosmetic safety issues FDA has tackled? The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 5-8. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC08_May06">Food and Cosmetics</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Cosmetic Safety Issues for FDA

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Cosmetic Safety Issues for FDA is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/FDA/webseminarII.aspx">Food and Cosmetics</a>, May 6, 2008. The podcast is 11 minutes 43 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two related to the FDA Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenter focused on three questions: (1) How has the safety of cosmetics been viewed historically in the United States? (2) How is cosmetic safety regulated now? (3) What are some of the cosmetic safety issues FDA has tackled? The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 5-8. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC08_May06">Food and Cosmetics</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Habitats Needed for the Moon and Mars

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Habitats Needed for the Moon and Mars is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/stlouis07/habitat/webseminarI.aspx">NASA: Living and Working in Space: Habitat</a>, May 10, 2007. The podcast is 5 minutes 56 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two on the topic of Living and Working in Space: Habitat. The presenters were Sheri Klug, Director of the Mars Education Program at Arizona State University and Don Boonstra, Coordinator of the Student Observation Network at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. In this seminar the presenters talked about ecosystems, habitats, Mars and Mars exploration, and teaching about living and working in space in the classroom. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSLWSH07_May10">NASA: Living and Working in Space: Habitat</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Determining a Lunar Landing Area

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Determining a Lunar Landing Area is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/NASA-Mapping/webseminarII.aspx">NASA: Mapping the Moon: Simulating LOLA in the Classroom I</a>, May 13, 2008. The podcast is 6 minutes 16 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two related to the NASA Symposium: Mapping the Moon: Simulating LOLA in the Classroom that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. In this program the presenters led the participants in a simulation activity to program a robot to move from its "landing site" to another predetermined location on "LunarLand." Participants worked in teams, using breakout rooms, to design the instructions for the robot and then provided those instructions to the presenters to program the robot and test. A web cam was used to see the robot moving through "LunarLand" to determine success. The mission was accomplished after two trials. The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 4-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSMMS08_May13">NASA: Mapping the Moon: Simulating LOLA in the Classroom I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Current Cosmetic Regulation

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Current Cosmetic Regulation is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/FDA/webseminarII.aspx">Food and Cosmetics</a>, May 6, 2008. The podcast is 11 minutes 19 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two related to the FDA Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenter focused on three questions: (1) How has the safety of cosmetics been viewed historically in the United States? (2) How is cosmetic safety regulated now? (3) What are some of the cosmetic safety issues FDA has tackled? The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 5-8. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC08_May06">Food and Cosmetics</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Management of Coral Reefs

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Management of Coral Reefs is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/Corals/webseminarII.aspx">NOAA: Coral Reef Ecosystems II</a>, May 8, 2008. The podcast is 4 minutes 53 seconds in duration. This source Web Seminar was the second of two related to the NOAA Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Chaston talked about coral biology, the value of coral reefs, land-based pollution impacts, and management actions. She also shared information about teaching resources available on the Internet. The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 5-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSCES08_May08">NOAA: Coral Reef Ecosystems II</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Impacts to Coral Reefs: Land Based Pollution

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Impacts to Coral Reefs: Land Based Pollution is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/Corals/webseminarI.aspx">NOAA: Coral Reef Ecosystems I</a>, April 10, 2008. The podcast is 10 minutes 43 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two related to the NOAA Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenter talked about how watersheds, animals, industry, environmental stress, and human recreation (diving, sailing, and boating) are impacting the health of coral reefs. Drinnen also shared ideas of specific things we can do to help improve the health of coral reefs. The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 5-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSCES08_Apr10">NOAA: Coral Reef Ecosystems I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Discoveries from Ice Coring Science

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Discoveries from Ice Coring Science is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/IPY-Boston/webseminar.aspx">Polar Science Global Discoveries IPY Research Update for Teachers I</a>, May 1, 2008. The podcast is 14 minutes 1 second in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two related to the IPY Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenter focused her presentation on the following four questions: (1) Why are the polar regions important for global climate? (2) What is one (of many) important climate discoveries from past ice coring science? (3) How can teachers and students become engaged in IPY ice coring programs? (4) Where can teachers get reliable information about climate change science? The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 5-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSPSG08_May01">Polar Science Global Discoveries IPY Research Update for Teachers I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Exploring Bioethics Introduction

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Exploring Bioethics Introduction is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NIH/webseminarI.aspx">NIH: Exploring Bioethics I</a>, March 26, 2009. The podcast is 7 minutes 38 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar is the first of two scheduled as a follow-up to the NIH: Exploring Bioethics - A New Model for Classroom Instruction Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In the program, Liz Crane presented specific examples of the NIH and EDC developed curriculum for teaching bioethics in the high school classroom. Participants responded to a variety of prompts used with students and discussed the pedagogy for using the curriculum with their students. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSEBA09_Mar26">NIH: Exploring Bioethics I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Global Mean Temperature Increasing

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Global Mean Temperature Increasing is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/stlouis07/IPYair/webseminarI.aspx">Polar Climates: How are They Changing?</a>, May 15, 2007. The podcast is 11 minutes 13 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two on the topic of Polar Climates, How Are They Changing? The presenter was Dr. Doug Williams, Carolina Trustee Professor of Marine and Geological Sciences at the University of South Carolina and Scientist-in-Residence at the Edventure Children's Museum. Dr. Doug talked about the climate changes taking place in the Arctic and Antarctic and how these changes are affecting the polar regions. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSPCH07_May15">Polar Climates: How are They Changing?</a>, May 15, 2007 to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: IPY Ice Coring Programs for Teacher and Students

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: IPY Ice Coring Programs for Teacher and Students is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/IPY-Boston/webseminarI.aspx">Polar Science Global Discoveries IPY Research Update for Teachers I</a>, May 1, 2008. The podcast is 10 minutes 6 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two related to the IPY Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenter focused her presentation on the following four questions: (1) Why are the polar regions important for global climate? (2) What is one (of many) important climate discoveries from past ice coring science? (3) How can teachers and students become engaged in IPY ice coring programs? (4) Where can teachers get reliable information about climate change science? The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 5-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSPSG08_May01">Polar Science Global Discoveries IPY Research Update for Teachers I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Incorporating Authentic Scientific Research in an Introductory General-Education Course for Nonmajors

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

Nonscience majors enrolling in introductory science courses may not have a chance to conduct authentic scientific research and therefore may develop a distorted view of science. This article describes how authentic research activities were incorporated in an introductory geoscience course. Pairs of students investigated research questions related to volcanoes using online earthquake data and ArcMap 9.x software, and then presented their results in a public session. Such activities can be effectively used in a variety of science courses.

Case Study: The Mystery of the Blue Death-A Case Study in Epidemiology and the History of Science

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

This case study introduces students to John Snow, considered to be one of the founders of both epidemiology and anesthesiology, and a remarkable figure in the history of science. Although historical case studies are often less popular with students than contemporary issues (Herreid 1998), a number of aspects of this case make it attractive to students. First, students find the "detective stories" about important medical discoveries to be inherently appealing. Second, the questions and methods that Snow used to demonstrate the causes of cholera outbreaks are the basis for those used in contemporary epidemiological investigations. Third, although the case study is built around a historical event, there are contemporary cholera outbreaks with some parallels to those studied by Snow (e.g., WHO 2008).

Taking Science Online: Evaluating Presence and Immersion Through a Laboratory Experience in a Virtual Learning Environment for Entomology Students

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

A 3-D virtual field trip was integrated into an online college entomology course and developed as a trial for the possible incorporation of future virtual environments to supplement online higher education laboratories. This article provides an explanation of the rationale behind creating the virtual experience, the Bug Farm; the method and rationale for assessing virtual presence within this virtual environment; the results from those measures; and discussion on how similar technologies may be applied to enhance additional online and traditional science courses.

Developing Patterns for Learning in Science Through Reflection

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

The process of the development of critical thinking and knowledge application requires more than rote memorization and the ability to get correct answers on lab reports or on a multiple-choice test. Purposeful, guided reflection may be an opportunity for you to gain insight into what your students are thinking and learning about science content. This article describes some effective strategies that are aligned with the National Science Education Standards (NSES) to develop patterns for learning in science through reflection.

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

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

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 can provide a useful model for course development. Whereas the improvement of students' scientific literacy cannot be achieved through this approach alone, the authors believe that it is a useful initial step toward this goal.

Podcast: Impacts to Coral Reefs: Animal Influences

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Impacts to Coral Reefs: Animal Influences is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/Corals/webseminarI.aspx">NOAA: Coral Reef Ecosystems I</a>, April 10, 2008. The podcast is 12 minutes 32 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two related to the NOAA Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenter talked about how watersheds, animals, industry, environmental stress, and human recreation (diving, sailing, and boating) are impacting the health of coral reefs. Drinnen also shared ideas of specific things we can do to help improve the health of coral reefs. The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 5-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSCES08_Apr10">NOAA: Coral Reef Ecosystems I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Journal of College Science Teaching-September/October 2009

8/11/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this issue, you'll find a number of teaching strategies to help start the school year off right, including suggestions for incorporating authentic research and using reflection for developing patterns of learning. And, if your students aren't quite ready to return to the classroom, we'll explain how you can take them on a virtual bug-collecting field trip.

Fostering Preservice Teachers' "Nature of Science" Understandings in a Physics Course

8/11/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this paper, the authors examine an algebra-based physics course designed for preservice teachers and explore how the course integrated two pedagogical strategies to bridge the gap between inquiry-learning experiences and the teachers' nature of science (NOS) understandings. The results of this research show that the explicit, reflective process allowed participants to examine their NOS understandings, which thereby fostered changes in their understanding.

Interdependence: Environmental Systems and Human Impact

8/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

This chapter covers the entire Instructional Planning Framework process, including both the predictive and responsive phases. Each aspect of the framework you learned about in a stepwise manner in Chapters 3-6 is reviewed again and seen as an entire process. The content focus is on a local ecosystem. It explores the interactions of system components, fluctuations in populations, inputs and outputs, and so forth. Connections are drawn to broader systems, pointing to global impact.

Molecular Genetics: Proteins and Genes

8/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this chapter, the authors focus conceptually on the connection between genotype and phenotype, specifically the role of genes and proteins in that connection. They also consider the importance of proteins to the work of cells and the impact of proteins on the structures and functions of organisms. In terms of the Instructional Planning Framework, their focus is on sense making and demonstrating understanding.

Evolution: Natural Selection

8/7/2009 12:00:00 AM

Evolutionary biology reconstructs how life on Earth has changed and proposes mechanisms that account for how those changes might occur (Passmore and Steward 2000). The authors' focus in this chapter is on the latter area, and they look specifically at natural selection as an explanatory model of evolution. In addition, the responsive phase of the Instructional Planning Framework, particularly "eliciting and confronting preconceptions" and "sense making." But first, beginning on page 146, they briefly review the predictive phase and its application to this lesson on natural selection.

Reproduction: Meiosis and Variation

8/7/2009 12:00:00 AM

This lesson does not address all aspects of meiosis. Rather, it builds on middle grade instruction by clarifying the relationship between reproduction and meiosis, as well as the distinctions between mitosis and meiosis. The authors use a case study approach to focus on the predictive phase of the Instructional Planning Framework. They also briefly look at the responsive phase of the framework, waiting for later chapters to flesh out in detail how that phase can be applied to specific content.

Instructional Approaches to Promote Student Understanding

8/6/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this chapter, the authors build on the Instructional Framework explained in Chapter 1 and provide Instructional Tools and strategies to put the framework into practice. This chapter is grounded in research about constructivist practices in general and science teaching and learning in particular. The focus here is on the responsive phase of the framework because it is during initial planning for and implementation of instruction that research-based strategies come into play.

The Instructional Planning Framework: Addressing Conceptual Change

8/6/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this chapter, the authors outline the Instructional Planning Framework and provide an overview of its five components. Figure 1.1 provides a diagrammatic representation of the framework. Based on the framework and the research cited throughout the book, biology teachers can select strategies to support the development of student conceptual understanding.

Flood Frequency Analysis for a River

8/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

In many watersheds, the frequency of flooding has greatly increased in the past 20 years, mainly due to changes in the hydrology as a result of farming and urbanization. Human habitation of floodplains causes floods to be perceived as destructive, but the actual destructiveness of a flood depends on what human interference there has been in the watershed and what humans have put in the floodplain area. The objective of this investigation is to predict the recurrence intervals and percent chance of various flows for a river.

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Identification

8/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

Everyone is familiar with terrestrial insects such as dragonflies, houseflies, mosquitoes, and beetles, but many of us are unaware that several insects live in the water during their larval stages. These insects are part of a larger group of organisms called aquatic macroinvertebrates, which also includes crustaceans, worms, and mollusks. They are called macroinvertebrates because they can be seen with the naked eye and lack vertebrae. The objective of this investigation is to identify common macroinvertebrates that live in streams and wetlands.

Comparison of Phosphate Levels in Stream Sediments

8/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

Phosphorus is an important nutrient to all life. Unfortunately, when phosphate reaches the soil it is not all used up by the plants. If excess phosphate enters the waterways in the watershed, it can cause increased plant growth in lakes and streams and lead to the eutrophication of lakes. The objective of this investigation is to analyze phosphate levels in stream sediments by land use area.

Groundwater Contamination

8/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

This investigation consists of two parts, in which students first model the effects of groundwater contamination and then track the flow of the contamination. However, Part I does not have to be done in order to do Part II. This Teacher Information section presents general information relevant to both parts of the investigation, followed by information specific to each part. There is a separate Student Handout for each part plus a question sheet (at the end of the chapter) covering both parts.

Factors That Affect Eutrophication

8/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this investigation, the effects of excess nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) on algae will be examined. An excess of these nutrients can lead to eutrophication in ponds and lakes. Eutrophic lakes typically are shallow, have mucky bottoms, and have warmer temperatures. These types of conditions lower the amount of oxygen available to aquatic organisms and sometimes can lead to fish kills. Usually eutrophic lakes are most noted for their algal blooms, which decrease the commercial and aesthetic value of the lake.

The Big Ideas of Nanoscale Science and Engineering: A Guidebook for Secondary Teachers

8/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

Given the ability of nanoscience and nanotechnology to exploit the unique properties that matter exhibits at the nanoscale, the research resulting from these emerging fields is poised to dramatically affect everyday life. In fact, many widely used electronic, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and textile products already employ nanotechnology. With the support of the National Science Foundation, scientists, educators, researchers, and curriculum developers have achieved a rough consensus on what the key concepts-or "big ideas"-of nanoscience might be for middle and high school science students: - Size and Scale - Structure of Matter - Forces and Interactions - Quantum Effects - Size-Dependent Properties - Self-Assembly - Tools and Instrumentation - Models and Simulations - Science, Technology, and Society This volume provides in-depth discussions of each big idea. Nine additional chapters examine learning goals and how to reach them, students' likely misconceptions, and ideas for integrating nanoscale science and engineering with traditional science content. An appreciation of nanoscience will help students understand fundamental science concepts across disciplines. Also, learning the enormous implications of the extremely tiny nanoscale phenomena will pique students' interest in the study of 21st-century science and at the same time motivate them to learn traditional science.

Measuring Plant Allelopathy

8/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this investigation, students will select, identify, and test a common plant for allelopathy by extracting the plant's natural chemicals and measuring the effect on the germination of lettuce seeds. They will analyze the data statistically to determine if the germination of seeds exposed to plant extract differs significantly from the germination of seeds in the control condition. The objective is to compare the allelopathic effects of native and non-native plants on the germination of seeds.

Stream Channel Morphology

8/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

When humans change the natural topography, certain effects are likely to be seen in a watershed. The transportation of water and sediment increases when streams are straightened and, with the increased flow rate of water, erosion also increases. All of these factors increase turbidity and can have a negative effect on the waterways and most lakes. A degraded visual appearance will be the most noticeable effect, but animal and plant life will also begin to change as streams are changed. In this investigation, the objective is to compare how channel morphology affects the flow of water and the transportation of sediment.

Calculating Stream Discharge

8/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

Streamflow, or discharge, is defined by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as the volume of water flowing past a fixed point in a fixed unit of time. The discharge of a stream can be affected by many things, including topography and channel morphology. However, rainfall and land use have the greatest effect on stream discharge. Being able to calculate stream discharge is important because this information is needed to make flood frequency predictions. The objective of this investigation is to measure the discharge of a stream.

Designing Effective Science Instruction: What Works in Science Classrooms

8/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

Science teachers, like all teachers, start each school year with high hopes and expectations for students to succeed. They plan their lessons, scramble to get the necessary equipment, and work hard to engage their students. However, despite good intentions and best-laid plans, not all students do well in science classes, and even fewer achieve mastery. Student performance on national and international assessments is poor, and ,ore and more adults are unable to understand the scientific issues that affect their lives and society. Something must be done now to help science teachers put power behind their hopes and expectations for student achievement. Designing Effective Science Instruction helps you reflect on what is working well with your current approach to designing lessons and provides recommendations for improving existing lessons or creating effective new ones, all while exploring the characteristics of high-quality science lessons. Whether you are a novice or veteran teacher, the self assessments and suggestions in this book offer guidance that encourages you to refine what you do to become a more effective science teacher. Author Anne Tweed recommends a C-U-E framework-Content, Understanding, and Environment-demonstrating to teachers that all three elements must be part of lesson design and implementation to successfully achieve high-quality science instruction. Providing a review of the research related to each element, strategies to be incorporated into the lesson, and tools that assess teachers' practices, this book is also of value to principals and department heads, curriculum specialists, science mentors, professional development providers, and science education professors-anyone concerned with improving science education and nurturing effective teaching.

Wetland Delineation

8/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

Learning how to delineate a wetland using official criteria can be an enlightening experience for students and teachers. The objective of this investigation is for students to delineate the boundaries of an area in a watershed and categorize it as a wetland or not a wetland by examining the vegetation, soil, and hydrology (the same parameters that government agencies use to delineate wetlands).

Glacial Features of a Watershed

8/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

The objective of this investigation is for students to learn how glaciers shaped a watershed.

Modeling Glacial Features With Sand

8/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this investigation, students make a model of the different erosional features of valley and continental glaciers out of sand and determine their impact on topography and hydrology.

Forestry Field Studies: A Manual for Science Teachers

8/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

Answers to Science Questions From the Stop Faking It! Guy

8/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

Reflection: Next Steps, New Questions

7/31/2009 12:00:00 AM

Written reflection is essential to promote student's explorations of their own thinking and learning processes, but is often omitted if science notebooks are used primarily as logs for procedures and observations of their learning activities. Reflection not only brings closure, but also allows for interpretation and critical review of the evidence, as is done by scientists.

7/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: 21st Century Explorer Project Overview is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/NASA-Explorers/webseminarI.aspx">21st Century Explorer - Today's Knowledge for Tomorrow's Explorer</a>, April 24, 2008. The podcast is 5 minutes 28 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two related to the NASA Symposium: 21st Century Explorer - Today's Knowledge for Tomorrow's Explorer that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenters talked about food for spaceflight, past and present. They also did an overview of the 21st Century Explorer Educational Package of the same title. The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 3-5. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSCET08_Apr24">21st Century Explorer - Today's Knowledge for Tomorrow's Explorer</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: 21st Century Explorer Project Overview

7/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

Podcast: Climate Models and What They Tell Us

7/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Climate Models and What They Tell Us is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/SRS/webseminarI.aspx">SRS, NOAA, USFS: Earth Then, Earth Now: Our Changing Climate I</a>, March 31, 2009. The podcast is 10 minutes 50 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two scheduled as a follow-up to the Earth Then, Earth Now: Our Changing Climate Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In the program, Dr. Winton talked about greenhouse gases, the Earth's carbon cycle, and global climate models. He showed a variety of graphs generated from current research to illustrate the human influence on Earth's current climate pattern. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSETE09_Mar31">SRS, NOAA, USFS: Earth Then, Earth Now: Our Changing Climate I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Landing Site Selection

7/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Landing Site Selection is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/NASA-Mapping/webseminarI.aspx">Mapping the Moon: Simulating LOLA in the Classroom</a>, April 22, 2008. The podcast is 11 minutes 5 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two related to the NASA Symposium: Mapping the Moon: Simulating LOLA in the Classroom that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenters reviewed the concept of spatial resolution as it relates to topographic maps. With the help of the participants, a landing site was selected for a simulated mission to "Lunar Land." The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 4-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSMMS08_Apr22">Mapping the Moon: Simulating LOLA in the Classroom</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Lunar Mapping Activity for the Classroom

7/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Lunar Mapping Activity for the Classroom is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/NASA-Mapping/webseminarI.aspx">Mapping the Moon: Simulating LOLA in the Classroom</a>, April 22, 2008. The podcast is 11 minutes 20 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two related to the NASA Symposium: Mapping the Moon: Simulating LOLA in the Classroom that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston, Massachusetts. The presenters reviewed the concept of spatial resolution as it relates to topographic maps. With the help of the participants, a landing site was selected for a simulated mission to "Lunar Land." The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 4-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSMMS08_Apr22">Mapping the Moon: Simulating LOLA in the Classroom</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

What Do We Know About Writing and Science?

7/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

Science is the perfect content area to integrate language arts, particularly expository writing in the form of student science notebooks. Student science notebooks have also proven to be the best record of what science content is actually taught by teachers in classrooms and learned by students and provide an excellent ongoing assessment and feedback tool for teachers (Ruiz-Primo et al. 2002).

Question, Problem, Purpose

7/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

Questions and question-formulating strategies are central to science. In many ways the formulation of a question forms the basis for high-quality instruction in science. Effective questioning has a strong connection to cognitive theory. The sentence starters and writing prompts in this chapter have proven to be an effective strategy for teachers in getting students writing investigable questions.