NSTA Learning Center Professional Development Tools

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.

Forestry Field Studies: A Manual for Science Teachers

8/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

Why forestry field studies? As experienced teachers of scientific ecology and forestry concepts, we believe that a forest or woodlot can provide teachers and their students with the perfect laboratory for understanding some of the basic principles of environmental science and community ecology. These studies were designed and used for many years as a unit in an advanced placement environmental science course. They also could be used as a lab in a biology, botany, forestry, or ecology class at the high school or beginning college level. They place students in a natural environment collecting real data to better understand a real place, something sorely lacking in most high school or beginning college curricula. This manual is organized to systematically take a teacher through a comprehensive set of field exercises, from preparation to written report. We begin by discussing some basic ecology and forestry principles in Chapters 1 and 2. These discussions are meant to be a "refresher course" and do not cover these subjects in a textbook, encyclopedic fashion-for that see the chapter bibliographies and readings listed in Appendix E. In Chapter 3 we cover some necessary pre-fieldwork preparation. Chapters 4 through 7 describe the actual fieldwork and are essentially units of an all-day session in the woods. If time, budget, or logistics do not permit an all-day field trip, however, one or more units can be chosen to fit a particular situation-we do not intend these exercises to be all or nothing! We conclude with a discussion of the post field trip data analysis, report writing, and wrap-up.

Answers to Science Questions From the Stop Faking It! Guy

8/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

This valuable and entertaining compendium of Bill Robertson's popular "Science 101" columns, from NSTA member journal Science and Children, proves you don't have to be a science geek to understand basic scientific concepts. The author of the best-selling Stop Faking It! series explains everything from quarks to photosynthesis, telescopes to the expanding universe, and atomic clocks to curveballs-all with his trademark wit and irreverence. The 33 short columns, plus a new introduction, provide an introductory science course of sorts, covering topics in life science, Earth and space science, physical science, technology, and more-perfect for K-8 teachers, homeschoolers, or parents who just want to boost their science know-how. Easily understood prose and lively illustrations by cartoonist Brian Diskin make this volume an engaging-and more important, readable-course you can pass with flying colors. Bill Robertson has written eight Stop Faking It! books to date, drawing on his many years of experience as a college physics instructor, cognitive science researcher, curriculum developer, science reviewer, and teacher workshop leader as inspiration for his informative but humorous approach to science. The family's two dogs, Misha and Pasha, sometimes help too. Brian Diskin illustrates all of Bill's books and columns … when he's not drawing a blank.

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.

Lecture-Free Teaching: A Learning Partnership Between Science Educators and Their Students

7/31/2009 12:00:00 AM

Lecture-Free Teaching: A Learning Partnership Between Science Educators and Their Students provides readers with an innovative alternative to routine lecturing. With the Lecture-Free Teaching method, teachers build "learning partnerships" with their students to create more flexible, cooperative learning environments. These partnerships lead to engaged students who participate and share ideas through discussions and in-class activities, such as inquiry-based exercises and case studies. Educators will benefit from author Bonnie Wood's thorough descriptions of her 13 steps to Lecture-Free Teaching and possible teaching strategies-including a detailed plan for the first day of class and proven assessments and grading criteria. Administrators within the entire K-16 spectrum will find research-based support for methods that engage a more diverse population of students than those who traditionally have thrived in science. Lecture-Free Teaching will not only prove valuable for science educators and their students but also inspire instructors to devise their own methods for involving students more effectively in the learning process.

Picture-Perfect Science Book Collection

4/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

Would you like to use the award-winning Picture-Perfect Science series but don't want the hassle of tracking down the trade books that accompany each lesson? At teachers' requests, NSTA is now offering a collection of 22 hardcover and softcover picture books used in the popular Picture-Perfect Science Lessons. All the books fit inside a zippered canvas tote bag with a screened image of the book cover on it. This bundled set is a great value over the retail cost of more than $300. Titles included in the set are - Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets - Seven Blind Mice - Seashells by the Seashore - A House for Hermit Crab - Rice - The Popcorn Book - Barn Owl - Butternut Hollow Pond - Weird Friends - Prince William - Oil Spill - Sheep in a Jeep - Sound - The Remarkable Farkle McBride - Pancake, Pancakes - The Moon Book - Papa Please Get Me the Moon - Somewhere in the World Right Now - Erosion - Imaginative Inventions - Girls Think of Everything - One Tiny Turtle

More Picture-Perfect Science Book Collection

4/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

Would you like to use the award-winning Picture-Perfect Science series but don't want the hassle of tracking down the trade books that accompany each lesson? At teachers' requests, NSTA is now offering a collection of 23 hardcover and softcover picture books used as part of the popular More Picture Perfect Science Lessons. All the books fit inside a zippered canvas tote bag with a screened image of the book cover on it. This bundled set is a great value over the retail cost of more than $350. Titles included in the set are - Pop! A Book About Bubbles - How Big Is a Foot? - How Tall How Short - Hear Your Heart - The Busy Body Book - Lucas and His Loco Beans - Diary of a Worm - Wiggling Worms at Work - Over in the Ocean - Coral Reef Animals - Our Tree Named Steve - Be a Friend to Trees - Magnetic and Nonmagnetic - Roller Coaster - I Fall Down - I See Myself - If You Find a Rock - Rocks: Hard, Soft, Smooth… - Sunshine on My Shoulders - When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer - Spots of Light - Imaginative Inventions - The Important Book

The Biology Teacher's Handbook, 4th Edition

3/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

Biology teachers, you're in luck-BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study) presents a wealth of current information in this new, updated edition of the classic The Biology Teacher's Handbook. No matter the depth of your experience, gain insight into what constitutes good teaching, how to guide students through inquiry at varying levels, and how to create a culture of inquiry in your classroom using science notebooks and other strategies. In addition, learn tactics for including controversial subjects in your courses, promoting scientific discussion, and choosing the right materials-information that would benefit the teacher of any subject. BSCS experts have packed this volume with the latest, most valuable teaching ideas and guidelines. Their suggestions include designing your courses around five questions-all answered in the book's five sections: What are the goals of the program for my students and me? How can I help students understand the nature of science? How do I teach controversial topics? How can I create a culture of scientific inquiry in my classroom? Where has biology teaching been, and where is it going?

Take-Home Physics: 65 High-Impact, Low-Cost Labs

3/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

Take-Home Physics is an excellent resource for high school physics teachers who want to devote more classroom time to complex concepts while challenging their students with hands-on homework assignments. This volume presents 65 take-home physics labs that use ordinary household items or other inexpensive materials to tackle motion and kinematics; forces and energy; waves, sound, and light; and electricity and magnetism. The result: Students learn background knowledge, reinforce basic process skills, practice discovery, and bridge classroom learning with real-world application-all while getting excited about homework. Teachers can also integrate science and literacy by requiring the use of lab notebooks with formal write-ups. Materials lists and safety notes, as well as both student activity pages and teacher notes are included.

Professional Learning Communities for Science Teaching: Lessons From Research and Practice

3/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

What would it take to move your school or district closer toward a culture that supports and sustains professional learning communities (PLCs)? This thought-provoking collection of stories detailing seven successful approaches to developing PLCs will inspire you to find answers to this question and others. From one school taking the initiative to create its own collaborative environment to a network of 500 universities and schools, the accounts explain the advantages of PLCs for teachers and their students. The volume editors begin with the argument that in a PLC environment, teachers receive continuous professional development, therefore improving their teaching skills to the benefit of student learning. Later chapters recount the origins of schools as professional learning communities, define the characteristics of professional learning communities, and review research on the subject. Teachers and school administrators will particularly appreciate the reflection questions at the end of each chapter that encourage you to relate your learning to the chapter's specific story. An appendix provides even more resources about developing PLCs. Professional learning communities have value in more than just school contexts, as supported by a growing body of research. In sharing the experiences of educators who have embraced the principles of PLCs and integrated them into schools and district, regional, and state initiatives, the editors hope to inspire new contributions to the transformation of science education.

Activities Linking Science With Math, K-4

3/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

Science does not exist in a vacuum and, therefore, shouldn't be taught that way. In that spirit, Activities Linking Science With Math, K-4, is a hands-on guide for preservice and inservice elementary school teachers who want to connect science instruction with other areas of study-including visual arts, social sciences, language arts, and especially math. The 20 discovery-based and academically rigorous activities provided in this volume enrich students' awareness of the world around them, encourage their natural curiosity, and promote the development of their problem-solving skills. The lessons-such as Digging Into Soil, Exploring the Mysteries of Fingerprints, and What Makes a Boat Float?-are teacher friendly, too, requiring no advanced expertise in any subject area and using only inexpensive and easily accessible materials. Each includes a list of needed materials, a step-by-step procedure, discussion questions, and assessment techniques. Activities align with the latest national standards for both science and math and cover topics from all scientific disciplines.

Activities Linking Science With Math, 5-8

3/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

Science does not exist in a vacuum and, therefore, shouldn't be taught that way. In that spirit, Activities Linking Science With Math, 5-8, is a hands-on guide for preservice and inservice elementary and middle school teachers who want to connect science instruction with other areas of study-including visual arts, social sciences, language arts, and especially math. The 20 discovery-based and academically rigorous activities provided in this volume enrich students' awareness of the world around them, encourage their natural curiosity, and promote the development of their problem-solving skills. The lessons-such as Studies in Symmetry, The Tower Challenge, and Determining the Size and Shape of the Blind Spot-are teacher friendly, too, requiring no advanced expertise in any subject area and using only inexpensive and easily accessible materials. Each includes a list of needed materials, a step-by-step procedure, discussion questions, and assessment techniques. Activities align with the latest national standards for both science and math and cover topics from all scientific disciplines.

PISA Science 2006: Implications for Science Teachers and Teaching

3/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

What must we teach students to enable them to fully participate in a world community where science and technology play an increasingly significant role? That's a question that science educators continually face and that the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) helps answer. Beginning in 2000 and every three years since, PISA has assessed the reading, mathematical, and scientific literacy of 15-year-olds in some 65 countries. In 2006 the assessment concentrated on science, and researchers evaluated students' knowledge and skills by measuring the depth of scientific literacy attained rather than the elements of curricula mastered. PISA Science 2006 provides a thorough examination of the assessment-including chapters on creating a framework for scientific literacy, test design and development, and frequently answered criticisms-plus more than a dozen essays on important themes for science teachers and the study's implications for teaching science in the future. Comprehensive, thought-provoking, and indispensable, this book provides educators with a top-down view of where we stand today in science education and what this means for students and educators.

Whole-Class Inquiry: Creating Student-Centered Science Communities

3/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

The authors have successfully transformed typical high school science classrooms into student-led scientific communities in which learners take ownership of their projects and mimic real-world exploration. Now, in response to requests from science education professionals, they have created the perfect vehicle for implementing and assessing this concept of whole-class inquiry in your classroom. This volume provides first-hand descriptions of Joan Gallagher-Bolos's aims, observations, and impressions, as well as introspective analysis, as she moves her chemistry class toward the ultimate goal of whole-class inquiry. In addition, two included DVDs enable you to watch the subtle details and methods involved in the transformation as the class completes three different projects onscreen. This is a must-have package for preservice and inservice middle and high school science teachers who are interested in exploring, learning to use, and vicariously experiencing this rewarding and proven approach.

Hard-to-Teach Biology Concepts: A Framework to Deepen Student Understanding

2/27/2009 12:00:00 AM

This well-researched book provides a valuable instructional framework for high school biology teachers as they tackle five particularly challenging concepts in their classrooms-meiosis, photosynthesis, natural selection, proteins and genes, and environmental systems and human impact. The author counsels educators first to identify students' prior conceptions, especially misconceptions, related to the concept being taught, then to select teaching strategies that best dispel the misunderstandings and promote the greatest student learning. The book is not a prescribed set of lessons plans. Rather it presents a framework for lesson planning, shares appropriate approaches for developing student understanding, and provides opportunities to reflect and apply those approaches to the five hard-to-teach topics. More than 300 teacher resources are listed.

Extreme Science: From Nano to Galactic

2/26/2009 12:00:00 AM

Whether we are imagining microbes or mammoths, dinosaurs or diatoms, molecules or stars, people of all ages are fascinated with the very large and the very small. New technologies have enabled scientists to investigate extremes of science previously unknown. An understanding of scale and scaling effects is of central importance to a scientific understanding of the world. Help your middle and high school biology, Earth science, chemistry, physics, and mathematics students develop quantitative evaluation with Extreme Science. Authors Gail Jones, Amy Taylor, and Michael Falvo offer a detailed look at types of scale, measurement, powers of ten, estimation and models of scale, surface area to volume relationships, limits to size, and behaviors at different scales. Scaling conceptions are one of the four recommended unifying themes in the AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy. A knowledge of scaling will serve as a solid framework for students to anchor further learning and allow them to make cross-curricular connections between seemingly disparate topics. The investigations in this book are designed to help students develop a comprehensive and flexible sense of scale through experiences with the quantitative units and tools of science. Investigations build on our research that has documented how people learn scale. To aid in comprehension, Extreme Science uses the 5Es (engage, explore, explain, extend, and evaluate) to illustrate each topic. By using this learning method, the activities help students learn to invent scales, develop benchmarks, estimate, and apply body rulers (estimating using fingers, arms, or pacing off distances). In so doing, students will come to understand scale on an intrinsic level and will appreciate that no problem is too big or too little to be scaleable. Comprehending scale at the largest and smallest levels is where a quantitative understanding of the world begins.

Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 4: 25 New Formative Assessment Probes

2/26/2009 12:00:00 AM

Wouldn't it be helpful to know what your students' ideas are about a science concept before launching into a new lesson or unit? Newly released Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 4, offers 25 more formative assessment probes to help reveal students' preconceptions of fundamental concepts in science, bringing the total to 100 probes for the popular series by author Page Keeley. Teachers of grades K-12 will find short probes with grade-band specifics that provide easy-to-follow suggestions for addressing students' ideas by promoting learning through conceptual-change instruction. Volume 4 adds to the probes in physical, life, and Earth and space science with a new category called "unifying principles." Also covered is a discussion on balancing formative assessment with summative assessment.

More Everyday Science Mysteries: Stories for Inquiry-Based Science Teaching

2/25/2009 12:00:00 AM

Where do rotten apples go after they fall off the tree? Does the temperature of the wood affect the heat of the fire? Can you make water boil faster? How large a mirror do you need to see your whole body? This second volume of 15 mystery stories examines more science concepts and reinforces the value of learning science through inquiry. Each mystery presents opportunities for students to create questions, form hypotheses, test their ideas, and come up with explanations. Focused on concepts such as weather and climate, thermodynamics, interdependency of living things, adaptation, life cycles, properties of matter, reflection and refraction, and chemical bonds, these mysteries draw students into the stories by grounding them in experiences students are familiar with, providing them with the foundation for classroom discussion and inquiry. "These stories are bound to reveal the wonderful ideas all students have, give them the confidence to explore their own thinking, and provide opportunities for them to ‘do' science rather than have science ‘done' to them." -Page Keeley, NSTA President 2008-09

Watershed Investigations: 12 Labs for High School Science

2/25/2009 12:00:00 AM

As urbanization and populations increase, it becomes increasingly more important that we understand the given relationships between the trends in our behavior and the ecological impacts they impart. Of particular importance is the fragile state of a great number of our watersheds, which provide not only drainage areas from our rivers and streams, but also drinking water for human and animal populations alike. Watershed Investigations: 12 Labs for High School Science provides high school educators with a series of broad-based, hands-on experiments designed to help students understand the relationships between human impact and local hydrology. Covering a range of disciplines-including geology, chemistry, Earth science, botany, and biology-this volume gives educators lesson plans that will interest the student and meet a wide array of state and national curricular standards. The book includes twelve customizable labs, each with extensive background and reference information designed to allow students to share the excitement of discovery along with the methods of scientific research and relevant examples of textbook subject material. Labs include: - Modeling Glacier Features with Sand - Glacial Features of a Watershed - Plant Identifications - Wetland Delineation - Measuring Plant Allelopathy - Stream Channel Morphology - Calculating Stream Discharge - Flood Frequency Analysis for a River - Comparison of Phosphorous Levels in Stream Sediments - Macroinvertebrate Identification - Factors that Affect Eutrophication - Groundwater Contamination The flexible formats of these labs can be customized to fit any teaching style and can be adapted to fit either inquiry-based or traditional methods based on the given class and situation. Additionally, the book contains helpful reference materials and appendices that include a history of the watershed, resources for additional information, and rubrics for writing classroom laboratory reports. An exceptional example of proactive ecological education, Watershed Investigations will give students real-world experiential learning opportunities to understand abstract environmental concepts with concrete scientific detail.

40 Inquiry Exercises for the College Biology Lab

2/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

Drawing from the author's own work as a lab developer, coordinator, and instructor, this one-of-a-kind text for college biology teachers uses the inquiry method in presenting 40 different lab exercises that make complicated biology subjects accessible to major and nonmajors alike. The volume offers a review of various aspects of inquiry, including teaching techniques, and covers 16 biology topics, including DNA isolation and analysis, properties of enzymes, and metabolism and oxygen consumption. Student and teacher pages are provided for each of the 16 topics.

NEW TEACHER WELCOME PACK: MIDDLE SCHOOL

2/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Assortment of "Best Selling" books for Middle School Science Teachers. Pack includes the following books. Help! I'm Teaching Middle School Science, Exemplary Science Grades 5-8, Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 2, Doing Good Science in Middle School, Stop Faking It: Force & Motion. Books are packed into a waterproof, nylon briefcase with handle and shoulder strap. Front flap of briefcase is printed with the NSTA logo. Includes a free sample of the journal, Science Scope.

NEW TEACHER WELCOME PACK: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

2/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Assortment of "Best-Selling" books for Elementary School Teachers. Pack includes the following books. Picture Perfect Science, Exemplary Science Grades K-4, Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 1, Using Science Notebooks, and Everyday Science Mysteries. Books are packed into a waterproof, nylon briefcase with handle and shoulder strap. Front flap of briefcase is printed with the NSTA logo.

NEW TEACHER WELCOME PACK: HIGH SCHOOL

2/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Assortment of "Best Selling" books for High School Science Teachers. Pack includes the following books. Investigating Safely, Science Educator's Guide to Laboratory Assessment, How to Write to Learn Science, Science as Inquiry in the Secondary Setting, and The Biologist's Handbook. Books are packed into a waterproof, nylon briefcase with handle and shoulder strap. Front flap of briefcase is printed with the NSTA logo. Includes free sample of the journal, The Science Teacher.

Inquiry: The Key to Exemplary Science

2/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

Science teachers aiming to foster inquiry in their classrooms will find the sixth title in the Exemplary Science monograph series, Inquiry: The Key to Exemplary Science full of helpful advice and new techniques. The 18 chapters in this monograph illustrate various forms of inquiry, offer detailed examples of planning and execution, and provide case studies highlighting successful implementation of inquiry. Student learning, development of positive attitudes, the ability to use concepts and skills in completely new situations are all demonstrated for use in your classroom. The National Science Education Standards call "for every student (every year) to experience the richness and excitement of knowing and understanding the natural world." Editor Robert Yager notes that "in one sense, inquiry can be used as a synonym for science. Both include starting with questions, collecting evidence concerning the explanations offered, and arguing with others about the validity of the explanations. Science is a continuing quest for better understanding of the natural universe. This quest is inquiry!

College Science Teachers Guide to Assessment

1/7/2009 12:00:00 AM

What is assessment? How do you assess your students' progress? How do they assess themselves and their peers? How do you assess the effectiveness of your own teaching? College Science Teachers Guide to Assessment provides busy professors with a quick reference for promoting student reflection after exams, encouraging student-led teaching models, and looking at exam corrections from both instructor and student perspectives. This guide is divided into four sections, comprising 28 peer-reviewed chapters, and covers general assessment topics (such as validation of survey instruments) and traditional and alternative assessment techniques in both science and science education classrooms. A series of how-to assessment practices that have been successfully utilized in the field and practical tips to enhance assessment in the college science classroom are also included. For college science professors, this handy reference will help you: - Use multiple choice questions to assess comprehension and expose faulty thinking - Gain an intrinsic understanding of assessment techniques in a variety of settings, including the laboratory, online classes, and large undergraduate science courses - Learn ways to teach assessment techniques to preservice teachers - Explore alternative assessment techniques such as electronic portfolios, scientific posters, and Wetscience - Realize the value of peer assessment, student reflection, exam corrections as a means of assessment, and student-led teaching models - Avoid the practices that jeopardize meaningful student assessment - Determine sensible and fair ways of assessing students

Reforming Secondary Science Instruction

1/6/2009 12:00:00 AM

Science education reform can seem a daunting task to high school science teachers. So, you might ask, why should I be bothered? The answer is that today's students simply do not have the skill sets necessary for life in our global economy. Reforming Secondary Science Instruction offers detailed advice for changing your methods of teaching so that students are prepared for life and work. Follow along as your fellow teachers learn about inquiry, implement change strategies, try out innovative instructional materials, build professional learning communities and partnerships, use data from student assessments, and address the needs of linguistically diverse learners. The underlying message, as one author puts it, is "science education reform will not occur by simply adding occasional new activities to your teaching repertoire. Reform requires thought, work, and persistence." Every chapter offers you the opportunity to assess your own teaching techniques and find room for improvement. Whether you are early in your career or a seasoned professional, Reforming Secondary Science Instruction will help you craft a workable plan for giving your students the tools they need to succeed beyond your classroom.

NSTA Tool Kit for Teaching Evolution

10/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

Teaching evolution is part of the core biology curriculum, and this new resource provides a teacher-ready summary of the scientific, legal, and ethical talking points for discussion of the topic. Compiled by NSTA with input from the National Center for Science Education, the NSTA Tool Kit for Teaching Evolution pulls together historical facts, scientific data, legal precedent, and other invaluable information for answering the all-too-common question of "Why teach evolution?" Biology and life science teachers will appreciate this resource, complete with classroom activities, for its ability to help you cover a relevant issue with depth and pedagogical support.

Climate Change From Pole to Pole: Biology Investigations

10/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

Climate Change From Pole to Pole: Biology Investigations offers timely, relevant, biology-based case studies and background information on how to teach the science of climate change. The six painstakingly researched and field-tested activities, which build on four content chapters, give students the opportunity to solve real-life scientific problems using guiding questions, graphs and data tables, short reading assignments, and independent research. This volume provides an authentic and rigorous way to engage students in science and environmental issues-scientific methods, evidence, climate, and biological effects of climate change-and is a unique and essential resource for your high school or college-level classroom.

Earth Science Success: 50 Lesson Plans for Grades 6-9

10/6/2008 12:00:00 AM

Designed as a ready-to-use survival guide for middle school Earth science teachers, this title is an invaluable resource that provides an entire year's worth of inquiry-based and discovery-oriented Earth science lessons, including 33 investigations or labs, and 17 detailed projects. This unique collection of astronomy, geology, meteorology, and physical oceanography lessons promotes deeper understanding of science concepts through a hands-on approach that identifies and dispels student misconceptions and expands student understanding and knowledge. In addition, this field-tested and standards-based volume is ideal for university-level methodology courses in science education.

Interpreting Assessment Data: Statistical Techniques You Can Use

10/6/2008 12:00:00 AM

Are you properly evaluating the results of the tests you give to students? Can you explain the difference between classroom assessment and standardized assessment? Are you on solid ground with your grading system? Demystify-and even use-statistics to answer these important questions and more in this clear, easy-to-use text for preservice and classroom science teachers and methods professors. The text's practical approach helps teachers understand how to interpret student assessments statistically and how to measure and explain the validity and reliability of those assessments. Included are a global history of testing to its present state and valuable instructions for using graphing calculators for easy computing. This nonthreatening framework for measuring and interpreting assessment results is a must-have for your professional development library.

All in a Day's Work: Careers Using Science, 2nd Edition

7/10/2008 12:00:00 AM

"Almost all careers in the 21st century require a working knowledge of science and mathematics," says Steve Metz, The Science Teacher field editor, in his introduction to All in a Day's Work, 2nd edition. "The pending retirement of 78 millions baby boomers can only add to the need for science and mathematics training, as companies begin recruiting replacement workers in science fields, sometimes-believe it or not-as early as middle school!" This expanded second edition will help you give students an exciting look at the vast array of jobs built on a foundation of science, including: - the expected-high school science teacher, microbiologist, and radiation therapist, - the unexpected-bomb investigator, space architect, and musical acoustics scientist, the adventurous-astronaut, deep-cave explorer, and dinosaur paleontologist, and - the offbeat- shark advocate, roller coaster designer, and oyster wrangler All in a Day's Work, 2nd edition is a compendium of 49 of the popular "Career of the Month" columns from the NSTA high school journal The Science Teacher. Each column profiles a person in a science-related job and can be reproduced and shared with your high school students as they make career and education plans. Each profile includes suggestions about how to find additional career information, including links to websites and relevant professional organizations and interest groups.

Questions, Claims, and Evidence: The Important Place of Argument in Children's Science Writing

3/14/2008 12:00:00 AM

Questions, Claims, and Evidence presents a new approach to science teaching that engages students fully by linking literacy and inquiry. Step by step, Questions, Claims, and Evidence immerses students in scientific inquiry and writing. It transforms experiments from following directions and making notes into chances to pose and answer questions that interest students. But Questions, Claims, and Evidence doesn't only support student learning. It improves your science teaching by: - broadening your professional knowledge with the latest research and theory - providing self-evaluation tools for monitoring your performance - answering frequently asked questions about the Questions, Claims, and Evidence approach. Try something new that will motivate your students and improve their writing abilities. Read Questions, Claims, and Evidence, and don't be surprised if your students agree with this fifth grader's sentiment: "I love the way that we do science now because I learn more and I get to do more. I actually feel like I am smart."

Science Formative Assessments: 75 Practical Strategies for Linking Assessment, Instruction, and Learning

3/10/2008 12:00:00 AM

Use assessment to inform instruction and learning in the science classroom! Science education expert Page Keeley shares 75 specific techniques that help K-12 science teachers determine students' understanding of key concepts and design learning opportunities that will deepen students' mastery of content and standards. This book describes how each technique promotes student learning; considerations for design and implementation, such as required materials, timing, modeling the technique, and grouping students; modifications for different types of students or purposes; and ways the techniques can be used in other content areas. These flexible assessments can be used with any science curriculum.

Readings in Science Methods, K-8

3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

If you're teaching an introductory science education course in a college or university, Readings in Science Methods, K-8, with its blend of theory, research, and examples of best practices, can serve as your only text, your primary text, or a supplemental text. If you're a preservice teacher, you'll want a copy for its insights into how you can effectively teach science. If you're a practicing teacher, this book will refresh what you already know-and could lead you into new and fruitful approaches. And if you're an administrator, this is the perfect professional development tool as a reference for your staff. The book is a generously sized compendium of articles drawn from NSTA's middle and elementary level journals, Science Scope and Science and Children. Editor Eric Brunsell teaches his methods courses using only the articles-the "voice of the classroom teacher," he says. Brunsell has chosen the best journal articles, tested each in the classroom, and organized them into seven sections-each supplemented with its own insightful introduction and "action steps." - The Nature of Science and Science Inquiry - Teaching Science - Science for All - Science-Teaching Toolbox - Teaching Life and Environmental Science - Teaching Physical Science - Teaching Earth and Space Science

Assessing Science Learning: Perspectives From Research and Practice

3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

The National Science Foundation-funded research projects described here show the strong link between assessment and improved student learning; the essays invite science teachers to reflect on their practices and priorities and to consider a variety of productive assessment strategies and frameworks. The central ideas around which the chapters are based-and which provide compelling data to fuel conversations about assessment purposes and opportunities-include the: - Roles of assessment in teaching and learning - Characteristics of meaningful assessment items - Need for research to validate assessment practices - Significance of assessing both student knowledge and their misconceptions - Value of assessing students' ability to apply their knowledge - Importance of assessment-focused professional development In addressing assessment as a central element of teaching practice, Assessing Science Learning explores the various forms assessment can take, including student journal entries, feedback on lab reports, observations of students engaged in activities, whole-class discussion, and large annual tests.

Animal Coloration: Activities on the Evolution of Concealment

3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

A classic resource for teachers is now back in an updated edition! Using an inductive and experimental approach, Animal Coloration aims to increase students' awareness of the ways wild organisms are adapted to their environments. Even though the activities suggest a specific teaching procedure, each activity is also intended to be an investigation by the students and an opportunity for them to make and test hypotheses based on their observations. Through these activities, students will begin to appreciate how scientific knowledge and understanding are attained. Each of the activities provides an opportunity to incorporate National Science Education Content Standards, including science and inquiry, life science, and history and nature of science. Also new to this revision is a table summarizing each activity with learning outcomes and relevant content standards. Originally published in 1966 by the Regents of the University of California (UC), Animal Coloration is the result of over five years of field-testing and experimentation by the Elementary School Science Project at UC Berkeley, funded by the National Science Foundation. This book was difficult to find for far too long (worn copies are a cherished part of many teachers' libraries), so NSTA Press is especially proud to bring the book to a new generation of teachers and to update the work for its long-time admirers.

Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms

3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

Elementary teachers know that learning science involves both the process of thinking and the ability to communicate those thoughts. One of the most effective ways of demonstrating this is through the use of student science notebooks. The earlier students learn to keep records, the better they will be prepared to make this a natural part of their science activities. Classroom teachers who want to begin using or who are currently including science notebooks as part of their instruction will find that Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms is a "must-have" resource for the development of scientific inquiry, literacy, and reasoning skills. This book makes the case for using science notebooks strategically-promoting hands-on observing, recording, and reflecting-and demonstrates how best to do so. Connecting language arts to science through expository writing, the book presents proven techniques such as scaffolds, sentence starters, discussion starters, and other writing prompts to encourage students to build on current knowledge. Every step of the process is examined: introducing notebook writing to the class, creating questions to explore, making predictions, recording observations, making and defending claims, and using the notebooks to provide targeted student feedback. Also included are chapters on the specialized needs of English language learners, offering specific strategies to increase proficiency and fluency in both science and language.

Girls in Science: A Framework for Action

3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

Behind the stereotype of girls' not doing well in science are some reasons, mostly based on one fact: They are often-and most often inadvertently-treated differently in the classroom. The authors of Girls in Science engaged in years of working under a grant funded by the National Science Foundation on this all-too-real problem of gender-equitable science teaching. What they found through working with students, teachers, and scientists- the three elements of the Triad community in which their research started-can change the way you teach and level the playing field of science education for girls. The Triad refers also to the Student Goals, the Teaching Goals, and the Science Goals - there are five in each area-that lie at the heart of the book. Each of the 15 goals is supported by an essay, strategies, and brief vignettes that will help teachers and students reach the goal. The vignettes, written by teachers and scientists involved in the project, illustrate the strategies. They illuminate problems and provoke the reader to find remedies through the use of reflection questions and links to similar vignettes. For the Student Goal of "Confidence to Explore," for instance, one of the three strategies is "Knowing that I learn when I make mistakes." The five vignettes supporting the strategies include "After the Initial Eewww," "No Longer the Same," and "No Step-by-Step Instructions." Girls in Science is valuable for more than issues of gender equity. As their work progressed, the authors realized what they were learning could be adapted to help with equitable teaching for other groups of students; special-needs students, English language learners, and ethnic and racial minorities, for example.

Everyday Science Mysteries: Stories for Inquiry-Based Science Teaching

3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

What causes condensation? Does temperature affect how well a balloon will fly? How do tiny bugs get into oatmeal? Through 15 mystery stories, this book memorably illustrates science concepts for students and reinforces the value of learning science through inquiry. Each mystery presents opportunities for students to create questions, form hypotheses, test their ideas, and come up with explanations. Focused on concepts such as periodic motion, thermodynamics, temperature and energy, and sound, these mysteries draw students into the stories by grounding them in experiences students are familiar with, providing them with a foundation for classroom discussion and inquiry. The story format is used because it is one of the most effective ways to engage students' attention right from the start. Each chapter includes a list of science concepts explored, targeted strategies for using the stories with children in grades K-4 and with older students in grades 5-8, and a key matching story concepts with corresponding standards in the NSES.

Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 3: Another 25 Formative Assessment Probes

3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

Because you demanded it! Since publication of Volume 1 of this series, thousands of teachers are using these innovative classroom tools to improve student learning in science. Following in the footsteps of earlier volumes in the Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series, this all-new book provides short, easy-to-administer probes that determine what misconceptions students bring to the classroom about the nature of science and about physical, life, Earth, and space sciences. This new volume in our bestselling series provides more topic areas for classroom use as well as guidance on how teachers can use the probes for their own learning. As outlined in previous volumes, teachers-like their students-can have misconceptions that come to the fore when administering the probes. Volume 3 provides 10 detailed suggestions for teachers on how to use the probes to uncover, accurately assess, and correct their own preconceptions as well as their students' (e.g., do the probes yourself, examine student responses with other teachers, embed the probes into existing professional development programs, select specific areas to focus on, examine student thinking across grade spans, categorize ideas, and crunch data to create classroom profiles). Volume 3 offers five life science probes, seven Earth and space science probes, ten physical science probes, and three nature of science probes. This volume is an invaluable resource for classroom teachers, preservice teachers, professional developers, and college science and preservice faculty.

Science Beyond the Classroom

3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

Taking science education beyond the classroom provides learning opportunities and experiences for students that just aren't available within school walls, and Science Beyond the Classroom has a wealth of ideas on how to do it successfully. These carefully selected articles from the NSTA journals Science Scope and Science and Children were gathered into a compendium because of the value of informal science education in providing access to those experiences and in tapping into student interests. Science Beyond the Classroom provides an overview of information and ideas-many of them include step-by-step, teacher-tested instructions and guidelines-that can be easily modified and adapted by teachers and others-scout leaders, club sponsors, parents, and home schoolers among them-who want to nurture enthusiasm for science. An introduc¬tion providing background and ideas for using the articles and a list of additional articles and web sites leads each of the five sections: - Extending Science Learning Beyond the Curriculum: Projects and Challenges - Extending Science Learning Beyond the School Building Walls: Using Local Sites - Extending Science Learning Beyond the School Day: Clubs, Camps and Science Expositions - Extending Science Learning to the Family: Take-Home Projects and Family Science Events - Extending Science Learning to Informal Institutions: Museums, Zoos, and Other Field Trips With its potential for engaging student interest, this book aims also at encouraging more students to enter academic fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Everyday Assessment in the Science Classroom

2/4/2008 12:00:00 AM

Make ongoing, classroom-based assessment second nature to your students and you. Everyday Assessment in the Science Classroom is a thought-provoking collection of 10 essays on the theories behind the latest assessment techniques. The authors offer in-depth "how to" suggestions on conducting assessments as a matter of routine-especially in light of high-stakes standards-based exams, using assessment to improve instruction, and involving students in the assessment process. The second in NSTA's Science Educator's Essay Collection, Everyday Assessment is designed to build confidence and enhance every teacher's ability to embed assessment into daily classwork. The book's insights will help make assessment a dynamic classroom process of fine-tuning how and what you teach… drawing students into discussions about learning, establishing criteria, doing self-assessment, and setting goals for what they will learn.

Picture-Perfect Science Lessons: Using Children's Books to Guide Inquiry

11/7/2007 12:00:00 AM

Wouldn't it be perfect if an expert combined the appeal of children's picture books with Standards-based science content-and then offered you the ready-to-teach results? Picture-Perfect Science Lessons makes that exciting idea a reality. This delightful book for new and experienced elementary teachers presents 15 ready-to-teach lessons-complete with student pages and assessments-that use picture books to guide science inquiry explicitly tied to the National Science Education Standards. The authors are experts. They're classroom veterans who have honed their approach to teaching science through their presentation of Toyota Tapestry-funded workshops to teachers nationwide. They know that elementary teachers are usually crunched for science instructional time and could often use refresher explanations of scientific concepts. So they show you exactly how to combine science and reading in a natural way, and they provide easy-to-grasp background in physical science, life science, and Earth and space science. The lessons are classroom-tested, clearly identify the appropriate Standards, and embed carefully selected reading strategies throughout. Picture-Perfect Science Lessons draws on such diverse-and tempting-books as Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets, Oil Spill, Sheep in a Jeep, and Weird Friends: Unlikely Allies in the Animal Kingdom. You'll love how effective this book is, and your students will love learning about science.

Why Science?

10/31/2007 12:00:00 AM

Prize-winning scientist and bestselling author James Trefil contends that in order to participate fully in the democratic process, people must understand fundamental scientific concepts. In Why Science? Trefil details the concepts needed in order to be "scientifically literate." The concepts he explores range from understanding natural selection to grasping Maxwell's Equations governing electricity and magnetism; from recognizing that the surface of the earth is constantly in flux to grasping the basic concepts of physics and chemistry. In addition, Trefil describes the state of science knowledge today; explains why he believes today's science education is insufficient for tomorrow's needs; confronts headline issues, including stem cell research, global warming, cloning, and "intelligent design;" and suggests a middle way between the two prevailing approaches to science education: "deep and narrow" vs. "broad but shallow."

Teaching Science to English Language Learners: Building on Students' Strengths

10/9/2007 12:00:00 AM

Can a student's cultural background support learning in science? Or is concentrating on the specialized vocabulary of science the best way to help English language learners learn science? This book addresses these and other pressing questions you face when working with students whose linguistic and cultural backgrounds, as well as their languages, are different from your own. Teaching Science to English Language Learners combines research findings with classroom vignettes and the perspectives of teachers. The chapter authors strive to support your efforts to see diversity as a resource-rather than as an obstacle-in the science classroom. Among their topics: - Building on what students know and recognizing students' strengths - Teaching vocabulary for learning - Supporting the development of academic language - Challenges associated with learning a second language - Types of programs for teaching English language learners - Using students' cultural resources Mastering the principles outlined in the book will give any teacher a broad base of knowledge from which to draw. But the book also urges you to think deeply about the roles of diversity. It offers valuable information for reflecting on, experimenting with, and adapting your instructional practices. As the authors note, "the vision of science teaching and learning put forward in this volume is one in which English language learners have as much to teach their fellow students as they have to learn from them."

Science as Inquiry in the Secondary Setting

9/18/2007 12:00:00 AM

It can be a tough thing to admit: Despite hearing so much about the importance of inquiry-based science education, you may not be exactly sure what it is-not to mention how to do it. But now this engaging new book takes the intimidation out of inquiry. Science as Inquiry in the Secondary Setting gives you an overview of what inquiry can be like in middle and high school and explores how to incorporate more inquiry-centered practices into your own teaching. In 11 concise chapters, leading researchers raise and resolve such key questions as: - What is inquiry? - What does inquiry look like in specific classes, such as the Earth science lab or the chemistry lab? - What are the basic features of inquiry instruction? - How do you assess science as inquiry? Science as Inquiry was created to fill a vacuum. No other book serves as such a compact, easy-to-understand orientation to inquiry. It's ideal for guiding discussion, fostering reflection, and helping you enhance your own classroom practices. As chapter author Mark Windschitl writes, "The aim of doing more authentic science in schools is not to mimic scientists, but to develop the depth of content knowledge, the habits of mind, and the critical reasoning skills that are so crucial to basic science literacy." This volume guides you to find new ways of helping students further along the path to science literacy.

Exemplary Science in Informal Education Settings: Standards-Based Success Stories

9/18/2007 12:00:00 AM

Just as science education doesn't stop at the schoolhouse door, neither should effective application of the National Science Education Standards. Exemplary Science in Informal Education Settings shows real-world examples of how science education reform has taken hold in museums, science centers, zoos, and aquariums as well as on television, radio, and the internet. This essay collection-the fifth volume in the Exemplary Science Monograph Series-features 17 informal education programs that were judged to be most successful at increasing participants' learning. The programs demonstrate how the Standards can be used to inform and improve science education in a wide range of settings and with learners ranging from pre-schoolers to older adults.

The NSTA Ready-Reference Guide to Safer Science

9/18/2007 12:00:00 AM

As a science educator, you know the importance of using best safety practices to protect your students physically during hands-on science instruction. But do you also know how to protect yourself legally even in aging facilities and crowded labs? Learn the regulations and how to apply them with this clear, easy-to-use guide to both safety practices and legal standards. The NSTA Ready-Reference Guide to Safer Science is a compendium of 39 "Scope on Safety" columns from Science Scope, NSTA's member journal for middle schools. Major sections cover safety practices and legal standards-on subjects as diverse as asbestos, ergonomics, and bloodborne pathogens-and instructional safety-including the challenges of occupancy loads, field trips, and safer science for special-needs students. Each section is divided into four parts: general science, chemistry, physical science, and biology. An appendix includes the NSTA position statements related to safer practices and resources and references from all the columns. But especially intriguing is the section devoted to questions teachers ask. Is it safe to allow backpacks, open-toe shoes, and long synthetic nails in the lab? Are microwave ovens safe to use for heating liquids for experiments? Can ether be safely used to anesthetize fruit flies in a lab? With this book on your shelf, you can quickly find out.

Technology in the Secondary Science Classroom

9/18/2007 12:00:00 AM

If you're waiting to be convinced that computers offer more than pricey bells and whistles in the classroom, this is the book that will open your mind to technology's potential. But even if you're an early (and avid) adopter, you'll discover intriguing new concepts for technology-based teaching strategies that help students really learn science concepts. The featured technologies range from the easy to master (such as digital cameras) to the more complex (such as Probeware and geographic information systems). Among the chapter topics: - Digital images and video for teaching science - Using computer simulations - Probeware tools for science investigations - Extending inquiry with geo-technologies - Acquiring online data for scientific analysis - Web-based inquiry projects - Online assessments and hearing students think about science The book's emphasis is never on technology for technology's sake. Each chapter includes a summary of current research on the technology's effectiveness in the classroom; best-practice guidelines drawn from the research and practitioner literature; and innovative ideas for teaching with the particular technology. The goal is to stimulate your thinking about using these tools-and deepen your students' engagement in science content.

The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New Dimension

8/7/2007 12:00:00 AM

Now, it's time for your students to look over Albert Einstein's shoulder as he develops a new kind of physics that points the way to more recent theories of particle physics and quantum mechanics. Joy Hakim will demonstrate how scientific thoughts today are often written in the language of mathematics, such as E=mc2, and explains clearly what this means. Students will learn why relativity and quantum theory are perhaps the most important ideas in modern science, maybe of all time. This is the third book in the Story of Science series. The book is full-color throughout.

Global Climate Change: Resources for Environmental Literacy

5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Most scientists believe that Earth's climate is changing and in fact heating up. However, they don't all agree about the rate of change, the extent of the impact on our environment, or what can or should be done about it. This module is based on the premise that understanding what influences Earth's energy balance is necessary (though not sufficient) to make sound decisions about climate change. Among the key concepts: how weather and climate relate to transfer of energy in and out of Earth's atmosphere, and how human activities have changed Earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere.

Genetically Modified Crops: Resources for Environmental Literacy

5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Supporters of genetic engineering point to the potential of genetically modified (GM) crops to improve human health and increase environmental protection. But some concerned groups argue that the risks of GM crops may outweigh their benefits. These groups urge avoiding GM crops, or at least subjecting them to more rigorous government scrutiny. Without taking sides, this module shows how to use the issues surrounding GM crops as a powerful learning context for teaching ideas about the nature of science and genetics and how science and technology interact and influence each other in our society.

A Head Start on Science: Encouraging a Sense of Wonder

5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

For the littlest scientists, the whole wide world can be a laboratory for learning. Nurture their natural curiosity with A Head Start on Science, a treasury of 89 hands-on science activities specifically for children ages 3 to 6. The activities are grouped into seven stimulating topic areas: the five senses, weather, physical science, critters, water and water mixture, seeds, and nature walks. Because the activities have been field-tested by more than a thousand Head Start teachers over 10 years, you'll find this collection unusually easy to use in a variety of settings, including elementary schools, pre-K programs, and day care. In addition to clear background and a helpful materials list, you get step-by-step procedures and help preparing for comments and questions children may pose. Each activity ends with a reproducible Family Science Connection-in both English and Spanish-to send home so the whole family can share a learning experience that's both simple and pleasant. Thanks to a focus on the fun of exploration and discovery, children probably won't be the only ones who find these activities irresistible. As Editor Bill Ritz writes in the Introduction, "We hope your own sense of wonder will be heightened as you observe children and as their curiosity leads them to answer their own questions about everything they see, hear, smell, and touch."

Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunamis: Resources for Environmental Literacy

5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Thinking of powerful natural events like volcanic eruptions and tsunamis only as hazards undervalues their importance in our lives. This module suggests taking a case study approach-featuring Vesuvius of 75 AD, the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, and the South Asian tsunami of 2004-to learn about earthquakes and volcanic eruptions as players in the dynamic system that has shaped the environment of Earth's surface throughout history. Key concepts include the components of Earth's systems, the hazards that volcanoes and earthquakes present, and how to reduce the risks associated with them.

Teacher Research: Stories of Learning and Growing

5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Think you don't have time to do research? How about professional growth-think that's out of reach? Let your peers take you on their journeys and inspire you through their stories in Teacher Research. You will gain insight into teacher research-the kind that can take place when you reflect on how one question is leading to another, or on a colleague's observation that offers a different lens through which to view the classroom, or on a conversation with a student that sheds light on classroom performance issues. The editors don't define research rigidly, and the book reads more like a journal than a research report. The chapter authors range from first-year elementary teachers to doctoral candidates. But, even when the authors have not set out to do formal research, they come to see that they're engaging in exploration that can bring the same insights into better teaching that more formal research provides. They ask questions about practice, collect evidence, make sense of the evidence, and share conclusions. The book is organized into three sections: - Part I includes four examples of research in progress by teachers who write to inform their thinking about aspects of integrating science and literacy learning. - Part II presents inquiries about science learning and teaching at a variety of grade levels. - Part III features authors who reflect on the process of researching while teaching. If you're a science teacher, this collection will show you the paths that others like you have found to deepen their understanding of the philosophy and practice of teacher research. If you're a science-teacher educator, it will give you examples to share about the many ways in-service teachers can conduct inquiry into their own work. Either way, Teacher Research provides a memorable passage into what its subtitle promises: learning and growth.

Biodiversity: Resources for Environmental Literacy

5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Scientists have discovered that a large number of species are becoming extinct. What are the consequences of this decreasing biodiversity for us humans and for our planet? This module examines biodiversity through key concepts such as how relationships among species influence an overall system, what affects the extinction has had on Earth through its history, and how to use fossil records to study species that are now extinct.

Radioactive Waste: Resources for Environmental Literacy

5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Since World War II, hundreds of thousands of tons of radioactive materials have been produced in the United States. How we will dispose of nuclear waste is a controversial issue with a large technical component. This book provides a useful resource for enhancing student understanding of the physics of radioactivity as well as the storage and disposal of radioactive waste. It encourages students to discuss these complex environmental issues using arguments based on the science behind issues related to radioactivity, technology, risk assessment, and tradeoffs.

Using Forensics: Wildlife Crime Scene!

5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

With Forensics: Wildlife Crime Scene!, your students investigate an actual crime, learn the science behind animal-species identification, and find out about efforts to fight real-world threats against wild animals. The book is designed to be engaging for both you and your student-detectives. It's also easy to use. The material is divided into four clear sections: 1. Background about crimes that threaten wild animal species around the world. 2. Eight forensic training lessons about antlers and horns, blood typing, DNA fingerprinting, fingerprints, hair identification, pH and pH indicators, mammal skulls, and tracks and trace fossils. 3. An investigation simulation based on a real wildlife crime: the illegal shooting and dismemberment of a bear. Students work in teams to review crime scene reports, conduct interviews of suspects and witnesses, analyze evidence, and bring charges before a "prosecuting attorney." 4. Teacher strategies for evaluating individual students and student teams. Using Forensics: Wildlife Crime Scene! is an ideal complement to middle and high school courses in biology, environmental science, general science, and criminology. It provides a high-interest, real-life format for learning a variety of scientific concepts and skills that correlate with the Standards. It also gives students reason to genuinely care about preserving the wildlife and ecosystems they're studying.

Making Science Mentors: A 10-Session Guide for Middle Grades

5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Many peer-mentoring guides claim to be unique. This one is. It trains middle school science teachers to be effective mentors for other middle school teachers-and does so using a long-term, inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning how to be a more effective science educator. Developed under a grant from the National Science Foundation, the principles of this guide's procedures and materials were field-tested with 50 mentors and new teachers in a variety of middle schools. Making Science Mentors comes with everything you need to set up and run a comprehensive program: - 10 session-by-session lesson plans - A planning and observation protocol to guide mentor-mentee interaction, both in conferences and during classroom observation - Handouts and citations (on paper and on CD) for use in preparing mentors - Video clips on DVD that show middle grades science classrooms and teacher mentoring Making Science Mentors is ideal if you have state, district, or school-based teacher preparation programs and don't want to start from scratch when setting up a research-based mentoring system. As the authors promise, "Using this guide, you will master inquiry-based mentoring and share it with mentors, who, in turn, will share it with their mentees, all in the name of improving the classroom experiences-and achievement-of students."

Resources for the Road CD-ROM

5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Resources for Environmental Literacy: Five Teaching Modules for Middle and High School Teachers

5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Resources for Environmental Literacy offers a fresh way to enhance your classroom productivity. The environmental context it provides can improve your students' science learning even as learning the science improves their ability to deal with five real-world topics: - Biodiversity - Genetically modified crops - Earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis - Global climate change - Radioactive waste But this resource doesn't encourage students to take a particular stand on these subjects. Instead, it builds skills in critical thinking and analytical reasoning about complex issues. For ease of teaching, each of the book's modules includes such useful features as: - Student learning goals based on Benchmarks for Science Literacy and the Standards - Background content for teachers, organized into sets of "essential questions"-such as "What is a species?" and "What is the science involved in the genetic engineering of crops?"-with answers you can draw on when guiding students. - A suggested teaching approach, including misconceptions to watch out for and assessments to use. - Student activities and materials you can adapt to your classroom needs. Resources for Environmental Literacy is designed especially for teachers of middle school life science and physical science as well as high school Earth science, biology, and physics. The modules offer appropriate teaching strategies plus high-quality resources to deepen your students' understanding of key environmental topics.

Atlas of Science Literacy, Volume 2

5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Completing the work begun in the first volume of the popular Atlas of Science Literacy, the new Atlas 2 maps out what all students should learn as they move from kindergarten through 12th grade. Atlas 2 features all new maps for more than 40 essential topics such as: - Science and Society - Global Interdependence - The Nature of Mathematics - Health Technology - Technology and Science - Reasoning - Weather and Climate - Explaining Evolution - Diversity of Life - Patterns of Change - Human Development - Critical Response Skills

Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 2: 25 More Formative Assessment Probes

4/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

If Hollywood filmed this sequel, the studio would call it "Probes II: More Battles Against Misunderstandings." Like the blockbuster before it, Volume 2 will reveal the surprising misconceptions students bring to the classroom-so you can adjust your teaching to foster a sound understanding of science. The popular features from Volume 1 are all here. The field-tested probes are short, easy to administer, and ready to reproduce. Teacher materials explain science content and suggest grade-appropriate ways to present information. But Volume 2 covers more life science and Earth and space science probes. New topics include forms of matter, changes in matter, living things and life processes, rocks and landforms, the day/night cycle, and objects in the night sky. Volume 2 also suggests ways to embed the probes throughout your instruction, not just when starting a unit or topic. This new classroom tool will help you not only uncover students' existing ideas, but also use that knowledge to improve your teaching and advance student understanding of science concepts.

Explore the World Using Protozoa

2/27/2007 12:00:00 AM

Use protozoa to model macroscopic ecological and biological processes-such as symbiosis, succession, and feeding strategies-with these 28 hands-on investigations. This innovative resource will facilitate understanding and learning through inquiry, assessment, and real-life applications of lab science. Includes reproducible materials and the text is linked to the Standards.

Global Environmental Change: Introduced Species

2/26/2007 12:00:00 AM

Human activity has introduced species to ecosystems around the globe. Some species are benign or even beneficial; others, like zebra mussels, fire ants, and water hyacinths, are causing native species extinctions and damage to human systems. Can we balance human systems with natural processes? Seven activities-using pillbugs, the school grounds, species dispersal maps, and introductory genetics-provide students with the skills they need to address this important global question. Introduced Species is one of four books in NSTA Press's Global Environmental Change series, a joint project of NSTA Press and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The other books in the series are Deforestation, Biodiversity, and Carrying Capacity.

NSTA Guide to Planning School Science Facilities, Second Edition

1/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Science-learning spaces are different from general-purpose classrooms. So if your school is planning to build or renovate, you need the fully updated NSTA Guide to Planning School Science Facilities. It's the definitive resource for every K-12 school that seeks safe, effective science space without costly, time-consuming mistakes. New to this edition is a chapter on "green" schools, including how to think outside the traditional walls and use the entire grounds to encourage environmental responsibility in students. The revised guide also provides essential up-to-date coverage such as: - Practical information on laboratory and general room design, budget priorities, space considerations, and furnishings. - Stages of the planning process for new and renovated science facilities. - Current trends and future directions in science education and safety, accessibility, and legal guidelines. - Detailed appendices about equipment-needs planning, classroom dimensions, and new safety research, plus an updated science facilities audit. NSTA Guide to Planning School Science Facilities will help science teachers, district coordinators, school administrators, boards of education, and schoolhouse architects understand those differences and develop science facilities that will serve students for years to come.

Chemistry Basics: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach it

1/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Do the words "periodic table" send chills down your spine? Are you anxious about atomic structure? Confounded by chemical equations? Relax! The cure for chemistry confusion is within reach, courtesy of this newly available book in the Stop Faking It! series. Best-selling author Bill Robertson takes a fresh approach to chemistry fundamentals by helping you understand them from the ground up. Instead of hounding you to memorize the characteristics of atoms and the periodic table, Chemistry Basics will help you see those characteristics as a natural consequence of our understanding of atomic structure. You will learn not just that atoms behave in certain ways, but why they behave in that way. You will learn not just how to balance chemical equations, but why in the world you would want to! You will also learn not just that carbon is a building block of thousands of organic compounds, but why carbon is suited for this purpose.

More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons: Using Children's Books to Guide Inquiry, K-4

1/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Teachers raved when NSTA Press published Picture-Perfect Science Lessons in 2005.* They loved its lively mix of kid-magnet books, Standards-based science content and ready-to-teach lessons. So what could be more perfect? More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons! This volume offers 15 new lessons that combine picture books and inquiry to develop students' interest in science and reading. The sequel follows the winning formula that made the first book an NSTA best seller. The lessons, following the 5E instructional model developed by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) cover a variety of science content-physical science, life science, and Earth and Space Science. They include reproducible student pages and assessments. They feature embedded reading-comprehension strategies. And they make students yearn to learn from such engaging fiction and nonfiction books as Diary of a Worm, Sunshine On My Shoulders, How Big is a Foot? and Leo Cockroach, Toy Tester. The authors know how important it is for time-starved teachers to integrate science and reading in a natural way and how students with reading troubles can use an extra nudge to get engaged in science texts. More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons is the perfect supplement to your science program-and the perfect way to help students develop a love of reading and learning about science. *Teachers weren't the only ones raving! Picture-Perfect won the 2005 Distinguished Achievement Award for Teacher Resource Books from the Association of Educational Publishers.

Start With A Story: The Case Study Method of Teaching College Science

1/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Introduce your students to the magic of stories-delivered through educational case studies that will help you put science into vivid context. Start With A Story offers an abundance of strategies, tips, examples, ideas, and resources to free your students (and you) from dry lecture formats. Start With A Story is a collection of more than 40 essays published primarily as columns in NSTA's member publication, Journal of College Science Teaching. The collection examines every aspect of the case study method.

Nanoscale Science: Activities for Grades 6-12

1/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Futurists predict that nanotechnology will be the next major scientific revolution-one with an even greater impact than the Industrial Revolution. Nanoscale Science will help your middle and high school students understand the big implications of tiny technology. Using guided inquiry with open-ended exploration where possible, the book's 20 investigations teach students about the unique properties and behavior of materials at the nanoscale-one-billionth of the size of a meter. The activities are organized around five themes: scale, tools and techniques, unique properties and behaviors, nanotechnology applications, and societal implications. All activities use readily available materials and provide clear background, instructions, and formative assessments. They also explore questions sure to engage both students and you, such as: - Just how small is one in a billion? - How might manipulating matter at the nanoscale lead to everything from stain-resistant fabrics to improved means to clean water to tumor-targeting nanoshells? - And how will society change when we use nanolabels to track where people, animals, and materials move around the world? For the first time in human history, we have the ability to manipulate and build materials from the atom up. NanoScale Science-written by experts at developing effective ways to teach about nanotechnology-is a pioneering instructional guide to this important subject. Use it as a fascinating supplement to studies of biology, physics, chemistry, math, and the environment.

Assessment in Science: Practical Experiences and Education Research

10/18/2006 12:00:00 AM

If you want the latest research about assessment techniques that really work, you want Assessment in Science. This collection of informative, up-to-date reports is by authors who are practicing K-12 classroom teachers and university-based educators and researchers. Working in teams, they tried out and evaluated different assessment approaches in actual classrooms. The research is sound, but that doesn't mean it's hard to grasp. The book stays true to its title by capturing practical lessons in accessible language. As the introduction notes, the reports feature "classroom testing stories, standards-based assessment techniques, teaching-testing dilemmas, portfolio struggles and triumphs, and knowledge of the research on assessment." The 18 chapters are structured for ease of comprehension, moving from a detailed description of how the research was carried out, to research findings, to concrete implications for the classroom. There is also a "Links to the Standards" box and resources list in each chapter. Included throughout are 28 tables and 25 figures, some of which are classroom rubrics teachers can actually use. Though it's enlightening for classroom teachers at all levels, Assessment in Science is also ideal for curriculum supervisors and professors who teach science education-and anyone else who needs to know what's most current in proven assessment techniques.

Science for English Language Learners: K-12 Classroom Strategies

10/11/2006 12:00:00 AM

If you work with linguistically and culturally diverse students, you and your students will benefit from the foundation this book provides for teaching both science and language. Science for English Language Learners brings you the best practices from different but complementary fields of science education and English language teaching, integrating the two. The book is designed so you can easily dip in and out of the topics you want. It's organized into four sections: 1. Principles and practices that science and English teaching share 2. Classroom strategies for planning, teaching, assessing, and extending learning 3. How to design lessons and model lessons for K-12 students 4. Context and research, including an overview of science and English as a second language standards; instructional practices; and ways to integrate science, language, and literacy Each of the 10 chapters is coauthored by experienced science and language educators who coordinate their approaches to teaching English language learners. By capitalizing on strengths from both fields, Science for English Language Learners will help you reach all students.

Garden Genetics: Teaching With Edible Plants (Student Edition)

8/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Tired of teaching genetic concepts with the same old pink petunias and Mendel's peas? With Garden Genetics, you can present core content in ways that are fun for students and fresh for you. This two-part set-a teacher edition and companion student edition-is adaptable to biology students at all levels, including AP. It uses a series of activities and inquiry-based experiments with familiar foods to teach genetics while helping students make connections to ecology, evolution, plant biology, and even social science. What makes Garden Genetics unique is its emphasis on modern food-plantbased situations. For example, to learn about Punnett's squares, students taste variations in bitterness in cucumber seedlings and then design experiments investigating the surprising role that bitterness plays in protecting plants from insects. To learn about plant breeding, students re-enact a trial in which farmers sued seed companies to compensate for $1 billion in U.S. corn crop losses caused by genetic uniformity. Designed to be flexible, you can use each chapter as a unit or teach the book as a whole. Most important, the innovative content emphasizes the problem-solving skills demanded in today's cutting-edge science classes.

Technology-Based Inquiry for Middle School

1/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Learn the ABCs of working with contemporary tools that will help you integrate technology-based inquiry into your classroom practices. Activities featured in this new compendium-a collection of 26 articles published in Science Scope, NSTA's member journal for middle school teachers-will show you how. Technology-Based Inquiry offers fresh approaches that you and your students can use to explore physical science, Earth and space science, life science, and more. It covers the necessary skills to get hands-on experience with graphing calculators, calculator- based labs (CBL), personal digital assistants (PDA), global positioning systems (GPS), graphical information systems (GIS), and other emerging technologies. Each chapter provides a list of online resources, including where to purchase the devices, where to download programs (often at no cost), and where students can go to conduct further research. But never fear-you won't need a PhD in IT to use this book. The articles are written in a non-threatening style and translate technology-based instructional processes into simple classroom applications. The practical tone makes this collection beneficial to in-service science teachers as well as pre-professionals taking methods courses. Technology-Based Inquiry will give you the confidence that comes with deeper understanding of how to use the latest technology to increase science learning.

Science Safety in the Community College

1/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Science Safety in the Community College is specifically designed to help two-year college faculty-including adjunct faculty-lay a good safety foundation for students in introductory science courses-even when they have widely differing science backgrounds. To encourage safety within a climate of inquiry, this handbook covers essential topics such as: - equipping a lab for safety, - safe materials storage and disposal, - safe field studies, and - special considerations for working with living organisms and teaching chemistry, Earth and space science, and physics. The book also offers a wealth of related websites and a detailed index for quick reference. Science Safety in the Community College is the fourth in NSTA's popular series of safety guidebooks. Not all community college facilities and students are the same, but this book will teach you and your students to "see" your particular physical environment and procedures through a safety-conscious lens.

Garden Genetics: Teaching With Edible Plants (Teacher Edition)

1/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Tired of teaching genetic concepts with the same old pink petunias and Mendel's peas? With Garden Genetics, you can present core content in ways that are fun for students and fresh for you. This two-part set-a teacher edition and companion student edition-is adaptable to biology students at all levels, including AP. It uses a series of activities and inquiry-based experiments with familiar foods to teach genetics while helping students make connections to ecology, evolution, plant biology, and even social science. What makes Garden Genetics unique is its emphasis on modern food-plant-based situations. For example, to learn about Punnett's squares, students taste variations in bitterness in cucumber seedlings and then design experiments investigating the surprising role that bitterness plays in protecting plants from insects. To learn about plant breeding, students re-enact a trial in which farmers sued seed companies to compensate for $1 billion in U.S. corn crop losses caused by genetic uniformity. Garden Genetics is designed to be flexible. You can use each chapter as a stand-alone unit, or teach the book as a whole. Activities range from guided worksheets to open-ended inquiry. Most important, the innovative content emphasizes the problem-solving skills demanded in today's cutting-edge science classes.

Virus and the Whale: Exploring Evolution in Creatures Small and Large

1/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

With this lively book of activities as their guide, students can follow seven scientists into their labs and out to the field to discover how evolution works. Meanwhile, you'll benefit from the practical help the book provides with the twin challenges of evolution: what to teach and how to teach it. For students, Virus and the Whale brings to light some of today's most exciting and up-to-date research through the stories of scientists who study evolution. Each featured research project highlights an important aspect of evolutionary biology, from the "arms race" between viruses and their human hosts to the long-term evolutionary changes that can turn a land mammal into a whale. The activities lead students to investigate evolution as they try out the kinds of creative thinking skills real scientists use to make new discoveries. For teachers, three preliminary chapters explain how to use the scientists' stories as a logical framework for teaching evolutionary concepts. These chapters provide accurate natural history background; offer additional information on the evolution of each of the seven organisms investigated in the book; and introduce common ways in which children and adults think and learn about evolution. Each activity lists learning outcomes tied to the National Science Education Standards and includes assessment questions and materials lists. Virus and the Whale combines a dynamic narrative with easy-to-use activities, clear illustrations, and a welcome dose of humor.

Linking Science and Literacy in the K-8 Classroom

1/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

If you've ever believed you don't have time to teach much science-or feared you don't know how to integrate it with all-important language arts lessons-this is the book that will change your thinking. The message: It isn't just possible to incorporate science into language arts, it also makes a lot of sense. Linking Science and Literacy is divided into two kinds of convincing content. In 16 chapters, prominent National Science Foundation-funded researchers and professional development experts write in lay language about the connections between science and literacy. They offer a broad range of perspectives from the classroom, district administrators, and the research community. The nine accompanying "case stories" show how teachers actually made the curriculum connections in K-8 classrooms. These anecdotal accounts are frank and engaging, with numerous teacher-student dialogues and examples of students' work.The profiled teachers make it clear that there are lessons to be learned even from failed attempts. Based on conferences in Seattle and Dallas, sponsored by NSTA and funded by NSF, this book is just right for K-8 teachers, science and literacy supervisors, school administrators, and professional development providers. Separate sections cover reading, writing, special instruction for English language learners, and the administrators' role in the process of blending science and literacy to the benefit of all.

Math: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It

1/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Flummoxed by formulas? Queasy about equations? Perturbed by π? Now you can stop cursing over calculus and start cackling over Math, another volume in Bill Robertson's accurate but amusing Stop Faking It! bestsellers. As Robertson sees it, too many people view mathematics as a set of rules to be followed, procedures to memorize, and theorems to apply. This book focuses on the reasoning behind the rules, from math basics all the way up to a brief introduction to calculus. Among the questions it covers: Why do you "carry" numbers when adding? Why do you need a common denominator when adding fractions? (Robertson says you don't, by the way!) Where does the number π come from? And who in the heck invented those strange formulas for area and volume, such as πr2 and (4/3)πr3? Like the other six titles in this award-winning NSTA Press series, Math provides clear explanations, irreverent illustrations, and easy-to-follow activities. But Robertson spares you problem sets to do or tests to take. That's because Math is not so much a book that helps you do math as it is a guide to understanding it conceptually.

Handbook of College Science Teaching

1/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Are you still using 20th century techniques to teach science to 21st century students? Update your practices as you learn about current theory and research with the authoritative new Handbook of College Science Teaching. The Handbook offers models of teaching and learning that go beyond the typical lecture-laboratory format and provides rationales for new practices in the college classroom. The 38 chapters-each written by experienced, award-winning science faculty-are organized into eight sections: - Attitudes and motivations (including research on science anxiety) - Active learning - Factors affecting learning - Innovative teaching approaches (such as the use of primary literature, fieldwork, and inquiry labs) - Use of technology for both teaching and student research - Special challenges, such as teaching effectively to culturally diverse or learning disabled students - Pre-college science instruction - Improving instruction No other book fills the Handbook's unique niche as a definitive guide for science professors in all content areas. It even includes special help for those who teach non-science majors at the freshman and sophomore levels. The Handbook is ideal for graduate teaching assistants in need of a solid introduction, senior faculty and graduate coordinators in charge of training new faculty and grad students, and mid-career professors in search of reinvigoration.

Quantoons

1/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Do you crave both physics problems and captivating illustrations? If your answer is "yes", look no further! Quantoons combines challenging problems and provocative quotes with intricate drawings that mix Isaac Newton and Marie Antoinette with Romeo, Juliet, and Einstein. The book is a compilation of 58 contest problems that ran between 1991 and 2001 in Quantum magazine; a collaboration between U.S. and Russian scientists that was published by NSTA. In addition to serving as a reader- involvement device, the problems and cartoons were intended to make inquiring minds think about physics and art in new ways-and have fun doing it. When you open Quantoons, you'll be instantly attracted to the colorful cartoons, densely populated with quirky characters that look like something out of MAD magazine. And no wonder: Illustrator Tomas Bunk is a regular contributor to that publication! But when you pull yourself away from the drawings, you'll find that they work with the text to give new context to interesting physics concepts. For example, a Quantoon that explores the classic physics problem of crossing a raging river and determining where you'll land on the opposite shore is accompanied by a funny/sad metaphorical cartoon about traversing the river of life from birth to death.

If You Build it, They Will Learn: 17 Devices for Demonstrating Physical Science

1/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

If You Build It, They Will Learn is the perfect do-it-yourself guide for physics teachers who want custom-made demonstration projects to use in their classrooms. Devices like Galileo's Track, Coupled Pendulum, and Gum-Wrapper Thermostat will help you teach forces, energy, properties of matter, and much more. Best of all, you don't need an engineering degree to assemble these devices. The book provides such detailed instructions that even novices can handle the necessary tasks and tools. If You Build It is organized into two practical parts: 1. Step-by-step directions for producing 17 well-designed pieces of equipment that author Bruce Yeany has tested in his own classroom. Each set of instructions is illustrated with clear photos or drawings and includes a materials list. 2. Suggestions for how to teach with each piece of equipment. Yeany provides information to prepare students for the demonstration, ideas for the presentation itself, and interactive questions to verify that students are learning the physics concepts. When you can't find or afford high-quality equipment from a catalog… or wish you could make your gear bigger or smaller… or simply find it satisfying to use devices you've put together yourself, If You Build It has your solution. Developing your own demonstrations can even enrich your understanding of the physics concepts you wish to teach. The experience creates an environment rich in opportunities for observing and investigating. Teach physics your way with custom-made demos.

Teaching Science in the 21st Century

1/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

This powerful new book is brain food for all those who care deeply about science and students-including teachers, science educators, curriculum specialists, and policy makers. The collection of 21 provocative essays gives you a fresh look at today's most pressing public policy concerns in science education, from how students learn science to building science partnerships to the ramifications of the No Child Left Behind legislation. The editors capture the latest research, trends, and best practices that science teachers and science leaders can use, organized around five themes: 1. Science of Learning Science explores up-to-date thinking on the methods, procedures, and reasoning processes students use to accumulate knowledge of the natural world. 2. Leadership in Science Teaching and Learning addresses the bold leadership necessary to bring about substantive change in science programs in today's complex educational systems that must occur at all levels. 3. Professional Development: Implications for Science Teaching and Learning examines research on the effectiveness of high-stakes accountability systems in bringing about improvements in professional development and student learning. 4. Within the Science Classroom looks at the impact of technology, the importance of a standards-based curriculum, assessment of science instruction and student learning, and planning science experiences for diverse student populations. 5. Building Science Partnerships and Collaboration considers the importance of partnerships in science education reform, the impact of No Child Left Behind, and the role of professional learning communities in strengthening the science program. Teaching Science in the 21st Century is the latest joint publication of NSTA and the National Science Education Leadership Association. It provides a blueprint for developing a culture that allows and encourages science leaders to continually improve science programs.

Seamless Assessment in Science: A Guide for Elementary and Middle School Teachers

1/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

When you open your science classroom to inquiry-based learning you must align your curriculum to assessment strategies that mirror the investigatory spirit, rather than rely solely on traditional, end-of-unit tests that eschew process for product. Seamless Assessment in Science introduces assessment strategies that parallel inquiry-driven instruction and offer a variety of options and entry points. Seamless Assessment in Science is your one-stop guide for assessing students' learning. Working with the popular 5E model as an instructional framework, Sandra Abell and Mark Volkmann have designed accompanying methods for embedding formative and summative assessment throughout any science unit. They've tested their ideas in real classrooms. Seamless Assessment in Science includes thirteen vignettes, written by practicing teachers in a variety of settings where assessment isn't merely a test, but an opportunity for students to share what they've learned. You'll observe inquiry-driven classrooms in action as primary, intermediate, and middle level students tackle topics in the life, physical, and earth sciences. Aligned with the National Science Standards, full of research-based strategies and ready to work in your science classroom, Seamless Assessment in Science is so practical it will find a permanent home next to your planning book. Read Seamless Assessment in Science and find great ideas for assessment that complement inquiry-based instruction.

How to...Weave the Web Into K-8 Science

1/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Like a search engine for science teachers, How to... Weave the Web into K-8 Science is your custom-made guide to bringing the best of the Internet into your classroom. Author David Wetzel has done the work of locating online materials for you. The book offers resources for Web-based science teaching and learning plus online technical help for both beginners and experienced computer users. You even get instructions for developing your own Web page. In three concise chapters, this book covers: § The rationale behind using Web-based resources for science teaching, including how they support national and state standards, and tips for making the most of the Internet. § Practical strategies you can put to work immediately. Topics include one-computer and multi-computer classrooms; wireless and hand-held computers; Web-based learning centers and lessons; WebQuests; virtual tours, labs, and field trips; and multimedia presentations. § A wealth of Internet resources, including search engines, directories, and NSTA's own SciLinks and Webwatchers. Of special interest is an extensive section of Web-based resources listed by category and science-content area. Best of all, in a special companion Web site, you'll find updated Web addresses as well as new resources that came out after this book was printed.

The Story of Science: Newton at the Center

1/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

The Story of Science offers a comprehensive trek into the history of physical science. In her book, Joy Hakim, provides thoughtful correlations between science and technology and the ramifications that they have had on society. This book highlights the works of such notable scientists as Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton.

Galapagos: An Inquiry into Biological Evolution (Student Field Log)

1/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

"You will soon be in the lab at the Charles Darwin Research Station on the island of Santa Cruz, in the archipelago known as the Galapagos. You are about to take a virtual field trip to these remote islands. The purpose is to conduct scientific investigations of organisms living there. At the same time you will be exploring biological evolution and the change in populations and species across time." These intriguing words introduce students to the virtual fieldwork of this new set, consisting of three multimedia CDs and a spiral-bound Student Field Log. Just as exploring the Galapagos Islands generated questions in Darwin's mind about how differences and similarities among species came to be, this set acts as a guided inquiry for high school students. It will help them think and act like a scientist-asking questions, making observations, collecting data, and formulating logical explanations for what they observe about the process of biological evolution. The CDs feature vivid activities that simulate fieldwork with the giant tortoise, finch, and iguana in the Galapagos. The Student Field Log provides everything fledgling scientists need-including step-by-step explanations, sheets for recording observations, and background readings-to emulate the process Darwin himself used to develop an explanation for how evolution occurs.

Air, Water, and Weather: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It

1/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Thunderstruck by storm fronts? Perplexed about air pressure? Hazy on how weather works? If you've always been shaky on the science behind such phenomena, Air, Water, and Weather is designed to help you develop a deep understanding of the basics so you can teach without fear. Best-selling author Bill Robertson acts as your friendly guide, bringing both wisdom and wit to the study of weather. He starts with basic properties of air and water. You'll learn about pressure, the Coriolis force, the Bernoulli Effect, density, and explanations of why hot air doesn't rise all by itself and why heating air doesn't necessarily cause it to expand. These concepts form a foundation for explanations of weather patterns, including the jet stream, storm fronts, and the formation of tornadoes and hurricanes. Air, Water, and Weather is the sixth book in the award-winning Stop Faking It! series published by NSTA Press. It offers all the features readers have come to love: accurate explanations, irreverent drawings, and activities that use easy-to-find materials. As usual, Robertson avoids memorization for its own sake-no need to commit cloud types to memory!-and makes learning a mostly sunny experience.

Electricity and Magnetism: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It

1/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Shocked by static? Mixed up about magnets? Curious about currents? This book will help you get beyond memorizing electricity-related formulas, rules, and procedures so you can understand the topic at a deep level-deep enough to teach it with confidence and comfort. By covering the basics of static electricity, current electricity, and magnetism, the book develops a scientific model showing that electricity and magnetism are really the same phenomenon in different forms. A bonus feature: access to interactive software that you can download from the NSTA Web site. The software will help you investigate electrical circuits-from simple to complex-without having to buy a lot of expensive materials (or risking electrocution!). Electricity and Magnetism is the fifth title in the award-winning NSTA Press Stop Faking It! Series. As author Bill Robertson writes, "The book you have in your hands is not a textbook. It is, however, designed to help you ‘get' science at a level you never thought possible, and also to bring you to the point where tackling more traditional science resources won't be a terrifying, lump-in-your-throat, I-don't-think-I'll-survive experience." Robertson serves as your friendly guide, one with a comforting knack for anticipating fears, meeting information needs, and entertaining as he edifies.

Exemplary Science in Grades 9-12: Standards-Based Success Stories

1/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

In this collection of 15 essays, educators describe successful programs they've developed to fulfill the National Science Education Standards' vision for the reform of teaching, assessment, professional development, and content at the high school level. All the visions correspond with the Less Emphasis and More Emphasis conditions that conclude each section of the Standards, characterizing what most teachers and programs should do less of as well as describing the changes needed if real reform is to occur. Essay titles reveal the range of programs-and creativity-this book encompasses. Among the titles are "Technology and Cooperative Learning: The IIT Model for Teaching Authentic Chemistry Curriculum," "Modeling: Changes in Traditional Physics Instruction," "Guided by the Standards: Inquiry and Assessment in Two Rural and Urban Schools," and even "Sing and Dance Your Way to Science Success." The book ends with a summary chapter by editor Robert Yager on successes and continuing challenges in meeting the Standards' visions for improving high school science. As Yager notes, "The exemplary programs described in this monograph give inspiration while also providing evidence that the new directions are feasible and worth the energy and effort needed for others to implement changes.

Bringing Technology Education into K-8 Classrooms: A Guide to Curricular Resources About the Designed World

1/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

At last, you can stop wondering how to make sense of the confusing world of technology resources for the classroom. This must-have book is the first independent review of curriculum materials for teaching technology. The authors provide a practical look at the latest technology textbooks and integrated resources (including technology and supplementary resources) plus descriptions of more than 100 informal resources. For each individual product, it describes strengths and weaknesses by analyzing technology topics the product covers, types of technology design activities, assessment strategies, and types of teacher support it offers. Bringing Technology Education into K-8 Classrooms starts with an introduction to technology education and its importance for students today. At the core of the book is complete information for choosing technology resources that meet your district and classroom needs as well as sample pages from major products. Also included is a practical analysis of how technology topics address standards, and tips on how technology activities help students understand a design process. Thanks to its easy-to-follow organization and practical orientation, this guidebook will help you find the resources that meet your needs-and help your students become technologically literate.

Teaching High School Science Through Inquiry: A Case Study Approach

1/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Teaching High School Science Through Inquiry offers a complete plan for nurturing a culture of inquiry in classrooms and schools. Drawing from current research, case studies, and personal anecdotes, Llewellyn leads teachers on a personal and professional journey to understanding inquiry-based instruction. Paying close attention to national standards, he shows teachers how to help students: - Develop an understanding of scientific concepts and the nature of science - Learn the skills and attitudes necessary to become independent thinkers and inquirers about the natural world - Identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations - Use logic and evidence to formulate and revise scientific explanations The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Research Council, and the National Science Teachers Association all assert the importance of promoting scientific literacy through the perspectives and methods of inquiry. Teaching High School Science Through Inquiry makes it doable.

The Nature of Science and the Study of Biological Evolution

1/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

This inspired (and inspiring) two-part set weaves an examination of the nature of scientific inquiry into a compelling study of evolution. The package consists of a teacher guide on CD-ROM with a text designed specifically for high school students. The text's stage-setting first chapter provides a broad introduction to the nature and methods of science. The remaining five chapters cover the events that led to Charles Darwin to develop his ideas on the unity and diversity of life on Earth; seven lines of evidence that support the theory of evolution; population genetics; natural selection; and primate and human evolution. To help students monitor their own learning, the book's special features include statements of key concepts, strategies to reinforce learning, and memorable quotes about evolution. The teacher CD ties in with major points in each chapter, where activity icons serve as invitations to explore major concepts in more depth through the CD's related activities and Zoom Ins.

Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 1: 25 Formative Assessment Probes

1/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Before your students can discover accurate science, you need to uncover the preconceptions they already have. This book helps pinpoint what your students know (or think they know) so you can monitor their learning and adjust your teaching accordingly. Loaded with classroom-friendly features you can use immediately, the book is comprised of 25 "probes"-brief, easily administered activities designed to determine your students' thinking on 44 core science topics (grouped by light, sound, matter, gravity, heat and temperature, life science, and Earth and space science). The probes are invaluable formative assessment tools to use before you begin teaching a topic or unit. The detailed teacher materials that accompany each probe review science content; give connections to National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks; present developmental considerations; summarize relevant research on learning; and suggest instructional approaches for elementary, middle, and high school students. Other books may discuss students' general misconceptions about scientific ideas. Only this one provides probes-single, reproducible sheets- you can use to determine students' thinking about, for example, photosynthesis, moon phases, conservation of matter, reflection, chemical change, and cells. Each probe has been field-tested with hundreds of students across multiple grade levels, so they're proven effective for helping your students reexamine and further develop their understanding of science concepts.

Stepping Up to Science and Math: Exploring the Natural Connections

1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

Stepping Up to Science and Math invites you to step back and rethink the way you teach both of these essential subjects. Then it illustrates how you can step up the pace with Standards-based activities that make learning more effective and efficient. (You can even step outside the ordinary with new lessons featuring gummy worms, school buses, or the planet Mars.) Compiled from Science & Children, NSTA's award-winning elementary school journal, Stepping Up gathers 21 articles that provide interdisciplinary options for linking inquiry-based activities to mathematics as well as other K-6 curriculum areas, such as language arts and social studies. The book is organized into three broad content areas based on subject matter or skills: - Making connections among the basic process skills-such as linear measurement, data collection, estimation, and graphing-that underpin both science and math. Chapter titles include "Say Yes to Metric," "Gummy Worms Measurement," and "Weighing Dinosaurs." - Using scientific concepts as the core for authentic investigations that link to other disciplines. Titles cover "Crossing the Curriculum with Frogs," "Real Earthquakes, Real Learning," and "Mission to Mars." - Finding contemporary applications for scientific inquiry and experimentation to develop more advanced integrated process skills. Among the titles: "The Scoop on Science Data," "Thinking Engineering," and "Building Structures."

Safety in the Middle School Science Classroom (flipchart)

1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

Put safety first by making Safety in the Middle School Science Classroom an essential part of every space where you teach science. Conveniently designed for hanging, this colorful flipchart ensures that you have, at a glance, the latest information for preventing safety problems in today's inquiry-intensive learning environment. Focusing on the unique needs of grades 6-8, the flipchart provides the same features that made its elementary school equivalent an instant NSTA best seller. The front page has space for you to enter emergency phone numbers. A final checklist acts a quick reference on some of the most important safety practices. NSTA's highly regarded SciLinks notations reference up-to-date web pages on safe science. Safety in the Middle School Science Classroom's flipchart format combines the convenience of a calendar with the graphic appeal of a poster. Even your students will find its lavish and colorful illustrations irresistible. It's a quick-reference safety tool you'll flip through-and flip for!-again and again.

Evolution in Perspective: The Science Teacher's Compendium

1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

If ever a subject could benefit from a strong dose of perspective, it's evolution. This important new book supplies the necessary insights by bringing together the views of leading scientists, professors, and teachers. Working from the premise that only those students whose schools teach them about the nature of science will truly understand evolution, the collection gathers 12 influential articles first published in the NSTA member journal, The Science Teacher. The articles fall into three categories. The Scientific Perspective explores the evidence supporting evolution. The Educational Perspective looks at evolution's place in the National Science Education Standards and at the thorny problem of calling evolution a "theory." The Science Teacher's Perspective moves into the classroom, discussing lesson plans that allow students to explore evolution and draw their own conclusions. Also included is the recently revised NSTA Position Statement on Evolution. This collection comes from, and is developed for, the people on the front lines-educators who deal with the controversy over evolution every day. From a practical standpoint, the book can help you address the subject in the classroom without being dragged into endless, ultimately unproductive debate. From a substantive standpoint, it provides a remarkable overview of the state of teaching evolution in America.

Watershed Dynamics (Student Edition)

1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

Whether you're a stream studies novice or a veteran aquatic monitor, Watershed Dynamics gives you abundant practical resources to extend your students' investigations into local water quality and land-use issues. This two-part set is ideal for teaching biological and ecological concepts and research techniques. It also shows how the interplay between scientific data and human judgment can shape public policy decisions on zoning, flood control, and agricultural practices. The Student Edition is organized into four parts: (1) an introduction to watersheds, land use, streams, and related research; (2) 10 protocols with specific instruction on research techniques related to watersheds; (3) field studies and experiments that guide students through interactive research projects using the protocols; and (4) an engineering design challenge in which students develop a device to treat simulated stormwater runoff. Included throughout are plentiful forms that provide both structure and flexibility as they guide students through each research step. Watershed Dynamics is the final volume in the four-part Cornell Scientific Inquiry Series, designed to guide students in designing and conducting experiments, presenting their results, and exchanging feedback with their peers. See the other titles in the series: Decay and Renewal, Assessing Toxic Risk, and Invasion Ecology.

The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way

1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

The Story of Science is the story of people-some really interesting people-who continuously questioned the world around them. In the first book of her six-part Story of Science Joy Hakim invites readers of all ages to meet the forbearers of modern science and share in their exciting discoveries in astronomy, math, and physics. She begins with the fascinating story of the groundbreaking thinkers of ancient Greece, including Thales, Pythagoras, Archimedes, and especially Aristotle, perhaps the greatest thinker of all time. She writes about Ptolemy, once considered the most reliable astronomer in the world, and how during the Dark Ages, Arab and Chinese thinkers preserved and advanced the achievements of the ancients. The author's clear and lively writing about such important medieval thinkers as Thomas Aquinas and Roger Bacon draws Book One to a close with the bold science and scientists of the Renaissance, who rebelled against the strict religious controls that had been imposed for centuries on scientific inquiry.

Clones, Cats, and Chemicals: Thinking Scientifically About Controversial Issues

1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

Does human cloning present a threat or an opportunity? Do common cats constitute a major threat to wildlife? Will the development of new chemical and biological weapons deter war or lead to it? If you want students to think-really think-about the science behind some of today's toughest controversies, this book will give you the facts and the framework to provoke fascinating debates. Clones, Cats, and Chemicals examines 10 dilemmas from the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, Earth science, technology, and mathematics and helps you challenge students to confront scientific and social problems that offer few black-and-white solutions. Each question is presented as a two-part unit: concise scientific background with possible resolutions and a reference list for further teacher reading, and a reproducible essay, questions, and activities to guide students in debating and decision making.

Doing Good Science in Middle School: A Practical Guide to Inquiry-Based Instruction

1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

Just as middle schoolers are "wired" to learn in active, hands-on ways, this book is wired to help you spark a vital connection to these students to keep them tuned-in to science. Doing Good Science in Middle School combines practical insights about adolescent learners with what master teachers know about how to shift from passive, textbook-centered instruction to inquiry-based investigations. Chapters cover the psychology of the middle school learner; why inquiry and collaboration are the cornerstones of good science; integrating science, literacy, math, and technology; classroom management and safety; plus additional resources and sample forms. But at the book's core are 10 must-do activities. All are developmentally appropriate, inquiry- and Standards-based lessons of use to teachers at all experience levels (including preservice). Doing Good Science is a truly comprehensive practitioner's guide. It brings you ideas for presenting curriculum, strategies for reaching all students, and a research basis for justifying your practices in the classroom-all through a combination of humor and true stories from experienced educators who make a solid case for inquiry in real-world middle school.

Crossing Borders in Literacy and Science Instruction: Perspectives on Theory and Practice

1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

Although there is little argument that an important connection exists between literacy and science, much is not known about how literacy-science learning takes place. How does knowledge in one area affect learning in the other? How can teachers provide meaningful literacy-science connections in the classroom? How important are these connections? Teacher educators, reading educators, and science educators answer questions such as these in this collection that aims to reduce the competition of lack of understanding between the science and humanities communities. Editor E. Wendy Saul offers a variety of pieces to help educators address the literacy-science connection: - Quasi-theoretical pieces to help you think differently about how language and the specific discourse of science work together - Literature reviews to help you understand trends in the literature - Case studies to help you recognize exemplary teacher practices - Evaluations of particular interventions to help you forgo the assumption that there is agreement on best practices Each thought-provoking chapter encourages you to reflect on your own beliefs and find new ways to foster the literacy-science connection among your students and colleagues.

Teaching Tips: Innovations in Undergraduate Science Instruction

1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

Like a spirited idea exchange among experienced professors, Teaching Tips: Innovations in Undergraduate Science Instruction brings you the best thinking from campuses nationwide about how to engage undergraduate science students. Published to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Society for College Science Teachers (SCST), Tips is a quick-read compilation of more than 50 innovative approaches that SCST members have found especially effective. The book is organized into three parts: - Pedagogical Practices includes using instant messaging as an involvement tool, encouraging active learning in large classes, and using "peer coercion" to stimulate teamwork - Assessment Activities covers pretests and post-tests to encourage more effective learning, Web-based warm-up exercises to assess student misconceptions, and poetry-writing exercises to encourage creative thinking in the sciences - Content Challenges offers approaches to teaching specific topics from calculations and conversions to conceptual physics, and ways to encourage active learning (using a portfolio approach, games like bingo and Jeopardy, substances like Jell-O, and even student-drawn comic strips) Most of the ideas in the book are applicable across the sciences. Because the tips are only 500 to 700 words each, all contributors have provided contact information so you can learn more by e-mailing them directly.

NSTA Pathways to the Science Standards: Guidelines for Moving the Vision into Practice, Second High School Edition

1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

This must-have tool for applying the Standards in real classrooms has been fully revised for 21st century high schools. Of course, the best parts haven't changed! Our top-selling practical guide still demonstrates how you can bring to life the vision of the Standards for teaching, professional development, assessment, content, programs, and school systems. Throughout the book you'll learn ways to form productive partnerships for reform, inside and outside your building, with other education stakeholders. Several added features make this edition even more valuable. A new 14-page appendix offers practical suggestions for engaging a diverse student body (especially those with physical and learning disabilities) in high-quality science education. Titled "Science for All: Including Each Student," the appendix provides concrete strategies for supporting all students by making information resources available in multiple formats and having assistive technology available. It also suggests professional development routes to learning how to create accessible learning environments, use materials and technology that are accessible to everyone, develop strategies to address diverse student needs, and perform informal and formal assessment. In addition, all of the book's resource lists have been updated with articles and books through 2003. SciLinks have been added throughout to ensure up-to-date Web resources. And thanks to an inviting new design, NSTA Pathways is even more reader friendly.

Watershed Dynamics (Teacher Edition) (Includes the full Student Edition)

1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

Whether you're a stream studies novice or a veteran aquatic monitor, Watershed Dynamics gives you abundant practical resources to extend your students' investigations into local water quality and land-use issues. This two-part set is ideal for teaching biological and ecological concepts and research techniques. It also shows how the interplay between scientific data and human judgment can shape public policy decisions on zoning, flood control, and agricultural practices. The Teacher Edition explains how to guide student research and engineering design projects. Classroom-ready materials include detailed background, sample assessment tasks and rubrics, and guidelines for integrating peer review into classroom science. The Teacher Edition also includes the complete Student Edition. Watershed Dynamics is the final volume in the four-part Cornell Scientific Inquiry Series, designed to guide students in designing and conducting experiments, presenting their results, and exchanging feedback with their peers. See the other titles in the series: Decay and Renewal, Assessing Toxic Risk, and Invasion Ecology.

How to... Write to Learn Science, Second Edition

1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

Make science an exhilarating process of discovery! Through a wealth of creative write-to-learn strategies, this book offers inspiring techniques to coax out the reluctant scientists in your classroom. Newly updated and expanded, this NSTA best seller is a storehouse of practical ideas and examples for use with students at all ability levels. It provides classroom-tested writing activities that you can: - Introduce during the first week of class to build positive attitudes among students toward the subject of science, and toward you; - Use at different stages in a learning unit and for quick review; and - Adapt to help students write for different audiences, write to better understand the textbook, and write lab reports, research papers, and essay tests. Added to this edition is a special section, "How Science Portfolio Assessment Can Improve Student Writing," that describes ways portfolios help students focus on their work throughout the year, document science concepts they've mastered-or not-and serve as powerful assessment tools. There are many books about writing to learn, most authored by education or English professors who focus on theories of writing. This book is different-it's full of classroom-tested, pragmatic approaches from high school science teachers who used the ideas to make teaching and learning more creative endeavors. The authors put their own good advice to work, writing in an appealing, personal style to convey teaching concepts and learning goals. As Bob Tierney says, expressive writing is "a vehicle for the exhilaration of discovery."

Investigating Safely: A Guide for High School Teachers

1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

Just as high school science is more complex than it is at lower grade levels, so are the safety issues you face in your classes and labs. Reduce the risks to people and place with Investigating Safely, the third and most advanced and detailed volume in NSTA's unique series of safety guidebooks for science teachers. Some of the guide's 11 chapters deal with the special safety requirements of specific disciplines-physics, chemistry, Earth and space sciences, and biology. Others cover topics every high school teacher must grapple with, including equipping labs; storing and disposing of chemicals and other hazardous materials; maintaining documentation; and organizing field trips. You'll learn not only how to accommodate students with special needs but also how to make every student a partner in safer science. Classroom veterans themselves, the authors have organized the book with practicality in mind. Safety concepts are discussed in the context of common situations in real classrooms. Sidebars and inserts in every chapter highlight and reinforce important material. Key information is selectively repeated in different chapters so you won't have to flip back and forth. And permission slips, student contracts, and other sample forms are included for adapting to your needs. With scrutiny of teachers' practices and concerns about liability accelerating, Investigating Safely belongs on the bookshelf of every high school science teacher-and every science supervisor.

Favorite Demonstrations for College Science

1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

Peer-reviewed, classroom-tested, and tailored specifically for introductory science courses, Favorite Demonstrations is an essential complement to every college instructor's lesson plans. The book is an all-in-one compilation of 36 popular classroom demonstrations published since 1993 in the "Favorite Demonstration" column of NSTA's Journal of College Science Teaching. The collection begins with a chapter on safety, "The Rules of Research." From there, chapters emphasize conveying scientific principles while making them memorable. The demonstrations cover general science, biology, chemistry, Earth science, and physics while many illustrate the interdisciplinary nature of science by showing how the various subjects contribute to each other's knowledge base. Most are simple to prepare; use low-cost, readily available materials; and can be repeated throughout the day for back-to-back classes.

Invasion Ecology (Teacher's Guide)

1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Strange intruders are invading our part of the world, threatening our environment and our economy. These newcomers and their impact on our ecological balance are the focus of Invasion Ecology, a new book that teaches students to investigate the behaviors of nonnative and native species. Studying real-life invaders such as purple loosestrife and Phragmites, students will learn about the links between biology and ecology -- and explore how scientists are fighting these aggressors with biological controls. The Teacher's Edition explains how to guide highly sophisticated inquiry and conduct interactive research. Materials are classroom-ready and include detailed background information as well as sample assessment tasks and rubrics. The companion Student Edition has three sections: - Background on the science of ecology and its place in the control of invasive species - Protocols for practicing methods that scientists use in monitoring invasive species, such as early detection surveys, plot sampling, transect surveys, and decomposition studies - A series of helpful worksheets to guide students through their own interactive research Invasion Ecology is the second volume in the four-part Environmental Inquiry curriculum series, designed to show students how to apply scientific knowledge to solving real-life problems.

The Lingo of Learning: 88 Education Terms Every Science Teacher Should Know

1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

What does "constructivism" mean? What is the difference between "reliability" and "validity?" You'll be surprised at the ease of finding definitive answers to terminology questions like these with The Lingo of Learning. Ideal for the time-pressed science teacher who is ready to learn once and for all what key terms really mean. Each of the 88 entries-from "anticipatory set" to "zone of proximal growth"-is a concise discussion (300 to 500 words) of education terms and ideas, most within the context of science teaching. The book's chapters cover teaching techniques, learning theories, research concepts, and even the nature of science. Although this is a useful reference for a quick definition, you'll be drawn into reading entire chapters-and come away with a deeper understanding. The author's special gift: a friendly writing style, a balanced approach, and a willingness to tackle common misconceptions.

Help! I'm Teaching Middle School Science

1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Like your own personal survival guide, Help! I'm Teaching Middle School Science is a nontechnical how-to manual-especially for first-year teachers. But even veteran teachers can benefit from the plentiful ideas, examples, and tips on teaching science the way middle-schoolers learn best. The book covers all the basics: what to do on the first day of school (including icebreaker activities), preparing safe and effective lab lessons, managing the classroom, and working with in-school teams as well as parents. But its practical-and encouraging-approach doesn't mean it shortchanges the basics of effective pedagogy. You'll learn how to handle cooperative learning and assessment, how to help students write effectively, and the importance of modeling for early adolescents. Applicable National Science Education Standards and helpful resources and references are provided throughout the text. In addition to a wealth of reproducible field trip permission forms, lab report formats, and measurement and safety quizzes, you get low-cost recipes for salt crystals, culture medium, fun putty, and the ever-popular "oobleck." Help! is just the lively resource you need to see you through your first months-and beyond!

Safety in the Elementary Science Classroom (flipchart)

1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

It's a safety resource your classroom should not be without! As attractive as a poster and as convenient to use as a calendar, the completely updated Safety in the Elementary Classroom flipchart is a quick-read resource on how to prevent or solve safety problems as they arise. It offers step-by-step instructions on such essential topics as: - In case of accident - Fire protection - Plants in the classroom - First aid - Animals in the classroom - Field trips - Fire prevention and control - Storage and labeling - Safe use of equipment and materials Among the flipchart's other helpful features: The cover provides room to write important emergency phone numbers. A handy checklist serves as a quick reference for some of the most important safety practices. And NSTA SciLinks connect you to the most up-to-date resources on safe science. Safety in the Elementary Classroom is eye-catching as well as practical, in easily readable hang-up format, 11" × 11 1/4" (closed). Printed in full color on heavy paper stock for durability, it's charmingly illustrated throughout with lively graphics. Flowers and vines coil around the pages on plants in the classroom; hamsters scamper and frogs leap across the section about animal care; a fire hose and fire extinguisher douse the section on fire prevention.

Science Teacher Retention: Mentoring and Renewal

1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

"Some forty percent of all new science teachers leave the profession within five years, and too many science teachers are wedded to their textbooks and the routines they acquired during their collegiate years." What can be done to retain new science teachers and reinvigorate more experienced science teachers? Allow Science Teacher Retention: Mentoring and Renewal to "mentor" you as you reach toward this lofty but attainable goal. For this book, Jack Rhoton and Patricia Bowers assembled some of the country's most noted science educators and asked them to offer ideas to resolve the problems of science teacher retention and renewal. Their suggestions are designed to keep the brightest and most motivated new teachers in the profession and help all science teachers to continue to learn and to treat their own profession like science itself-that is, by basing it on questions, suggesting answers, and using their interests and abilities to test the validity of these answers.

Inquiring Safely: A Guide for Middle School Teachers

1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Not your average safety guide, Inquiring Safely is a uniquely readable resource from experienced teachers who know both middle school science content and how middle school students behave. The authors go beyond the standard rules and regulations to discuss safety concepts in the context of real classrooms-and to help you make students your partners-in-safety within an inquiry-based science curriculum. New and veteran teachers alike can use Inquiring Safely to develop better approaches to equip labs, dispose of chemicals and other hazardous materials, maintain documentation, and organize field trips. Some chapters cover specific disciplines, such as physical science, chemistry, Earth science, and biology. Others deal with general topics such as supervising students' online activities, accommodating students with special needs, and working with volunteers. Special features include an unusually detailed index plus model student contracts and permission forms. Like Exploring Safely: A Guide for Elementary Teachers, this essential book emphasizes a preventive approach to an up-to-date range of potential hazards. Given increased scrutiny of teaching practices and growing concerns about liability, Inquiring Safely belongs on the reference shelf of every middle school science teacher.

Light: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It

1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Why is left right and right left in the mirror? Baffled by the basics of reflection and refraction? Wondering just how the eye works? If you have trouble teaching concepts about light that you don't fully grasp yourself, get help from a book that's both scientifically accurate and entertaining-with Light. By combining clear explanations, clever drawings, and activities that use easy-to-find materials, this book covers what science teachers and parents need to know to teach about light with confidence. It uses ray, wave, and particle models of light to explain the basics of reflection and refraction, optical instruments, polarization of light, and interference and diffraction. There's also an entire chapter on how the eye works. Each chapter ends with a Summary and Applications section that reinforces concepts with everyday examples. Whether you need a deeper understanding of how light bends or a good explanation of why the sky is blue, you'll find Light more illuminating and accessible than a college textbook-and certainly more fun.

Teaching Science in the Two-Year College: An NSTA Press Journals Collection

1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Two-year colleges are critical to science education's future-in fact, some data indicate that half of future science teachers will take their first years of science at a two-year school. To address the unique challenges of this special setting, Teaching Science in the Two-Year College presents 24 articles featuring the most useful and relevant insights and advice from NSTA's Journal of College Science Teaching. The collection is divided into four sections, all written from the two-year college perspective: - An Overview of the Uniqueness of Teaching Science in a Two-Year College examines the isolation faculty members experience, the science anxiety many students feel, the special issues of part-time faculty, staffing crises, and the value of forming a partnership with the counseling department. - Curricular Issues includes the importance of the National Science Education Standards; fresh approaches to designing courses for nonscience majors; key methodological and content-oriented ingredients; teaching strategies for adult learners; and case studies about a community-oriented science-learning activity and an integrated science course for nonscience majors. - Teaching Strategies covers the hazards of lecture courses, the challenges and rewards of student-centered instruction, and case studies for teaching everything from biology to the value of science. - Using Information and Communication Technologies looks at computerized quizzes in the classroom and developing, adapting, and evaluating distance learning for science students.

Mixing It Up: Integrated, Interdisciplinary, Intriguing Science in the Elementary Classroom

1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

This book-a compilation of 25 practical articles from NSTA's elementary school journal, Science & Children-offers a wealth of lesson plans and idea starters using interdisciplinary, integrated, and thematic approaches. Discover how a language arts unit on survival can include student inquiry into properties of ice, ways to improve students' observational skills as they write haiku about nature, how to use data collection and math in mapping the ocean floor, and more. To engage students schoolwide or in the great outdoors, several articles offer project-based interdisciplinary units that are widely adaptable. Each article is categorized by grade level, the National Science Education Standards it addresses, and whether it is interdisciplinary, integrated, thematic, or a combination of the three. Even teachers who lack a strong science background will find these concrete techniques especially valuable for teaching science through other subjects (and vice versa).

Sound: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It

1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Muddled about what makes music? Stuck on the study of harmonics? Dumbfounded by how sound gets around? Now you no longer have to struggle to teach concepts you really don't grasp yourself. Sound takes an intentionally light touch to help out all those adults-science teachers, parents wanting to help with homework, home-schoolers-seeking necessary scientific background to teach middle school physics with confidence. The book introduces sound waves and uses that model to explain sound-related occurrences. Starting with the basics of what causes sound and how it travels, you'll learn how musical instruments work, how sound waves add and subtract, how the human ear works, and even why you can sound like a Munchkin when you inhale helium. Sound is the fourth book in the award-winning Stop Faking It! Series, published by NSTA Press. Like the other popular volumes, it is written by irreverent educator Bill Robertson, who offers this Sound recommendation: "One of the coolest activities is whacking a spinning metal rod to create a ‘wah-wah' effect. It's a simple activity, the explanation incorporates several interesting properties of sound. This activity is in Chapter 5. I suggest you try it and see!"

Invasion Ecology (Student Edition)

1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Strange intruders are invading our part of the world, threatening our environment and our economy. These newcomers and their impact on our ecological balance are the focus of Invasion Ecology, a guide to learning skills for investigating the behaviors on non-native and native species. Studying invaders such as zebra mussels, chestnut blight, purple loosestrife, and Phragmites, you will explore how scientists are fighting these aggressors with biological controls. This Student Edition has three sections: (1) Background on the science of ecology and its place in the control of invasive species (2) Protocols for practicing methods that scientists use in monitoring invasive species, such as early detection surveys, plot sampling, transect surveys, and decomposition studies (3) A series of helpful worksheets to guide you through your own interactive research Invasion Ecology is the second volume in the four-part Environmental Inquiry curriculum series, designed to show you how to apply scientific knowledge to solving real-life problems.

How to… Teach Measurements in Elementary School Science

1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Science is knowledge and science is a process. The goals of science teaching in elementary school include both definitions, for today the processes of science and mathematics are as important as the body of accumulated theories, facts, and principles called knowledge. The processes of science in school curricula involve investigation and learning by doing. No matter what topics in science are considered in the elementary school, the actions of observing, making useful measurements, and recording data play a role. This booklet is designed to help you help students to develop concepts about measurement and then use those concepts to make useful measurements.

Decay and Renewal (Teacher Edition-Includes the full Student Edition)

1/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Are you looking for a new way to teach about respiration, nutrient cycling, energy flow, producers, consumers, and decomposers? Decay and Renewal provides techniques for students to learn the basics while investigating the science behind biodegradation-in nature and in human-engineered systems for wastewater treatment, waste disposal, and bioremediation of oil spills and other contaminated sites. The Teacher Edition explains how to guide student research and engineering design projects. Classroom-ready materials include detailed background information, sample assessment tasks, and rubrics, and guidelines for integrating peer review into classroom science. The Teacher Edition contains the complete text of the Student Edition. The Student Edition includes: - An overview of basic principles of biodegradation and how they apply in composting, landfills, wastewater treatment, and bioremediation systems. - Protocols that provide instructions for conducting experiments on biological, chemical, and physical aspects of biodegradation. - Forms to guide students through each step of research, providing structure but flexibility in designing and conducting meaningful experiments. - Step-by-Step guidelines for an engineering design challenge related to treatment of simulated wastewater. Decay and Renewal is the third volume in the four-part Cornell Scientific Inquiry Series, designed to guide students in creating and conducting experiments, presenting their results, and exchanging feedback with their peers.

Force & Motion: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It

1/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

Intimidated by inertia? Frightened by forces? Mystified by Newton's law of motion? You're not alone-and help is at hand. The stop Faking It! Series is perfect for science teachers, home-schoolers, parents wanting to help with homework-all of you who need a jargon-free way to learn the background for teaching middle school physical science with confidence. With Bill Roberton as your friendly, able-but somewhat irreverent-guide, you will discover you CAN come to grips with the basics of force and motion. Combining easy-to-understand explanations with activities using commonly found equipment, this book will lead you through Newton's laws to the physics of space travel. The book is as entertaining as it is informative. Best of all, the author understands the needs of adults who want concrete examples, hands-on activities, clear language, diagrams-and yes, a certain amount of empathy.

Science Educator's Guide to Laboratory Assessment

1/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

Focus on frequent, accurate feedback with this newly expanded guide to understanding assessment. Field-tested and classroom ready, it's designed to help you reinforce productive learning habits while gauging your lessons' effectiveness. The book opens with an up-to-date discussion of assessment theory, research, and uses. Then comes a wealth of sample assessment activities (nearly 50 in all, including 15 new ones) in biology, chemistry, physics, and Earth science. You'll like the activities' flexibility. Some are short tasks that zero in on a few specific process skills; others are investigations involving a variety of skills you can cover in one or two class periods; and still others are extended, in-depth investigations that take several weeks to complete. Keyed to the National Science Education Standards, the activities include reproducible task sheets and scoring rubrics. All are ideal for helping your students reflect on their own learning during science lab.

Energy: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It

1/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

Confounded by kinetic energy? Suspect that teaching about simple machines isn't really so simple? Exasperated by electricity? If you fear the study of energy is beyond you, this entertaining book will do more than introduce you to the topic. It will help you actually understand it. At the book's heart are easy-to-grasp explanations of energy basics-work, kinetic energy, potential energy, and the transformation of energy-and energy as it relates to simple machines, heat energy, temperature, and heat transfer. Irreverent author Bill Robertson suggests activities that bring the basic concepts of energy to life with common household objects. Each chapter ends with a summary and an applications section that uses practical examples such as roller coasters and home heating systems to explain energy transformations and convection cells. The final chapter brings together key concepts in an easy-to-grasp explanation of how electricity is generated. Energy is the second book in the Stop Faking It! series published by NSTA Press. Titles in the series are written with clarity, creative flair, and special empathy for science teachers and parents in search of a stress-free way to learn the basics.

Innovative Techniques for Large-Group Instruction

1/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

Size does matter. When you're faced with a class of 50, 150, or even 250 college students, it's tough to head off boredom - much less promote higher-order thinking and inquiry skills. But it's not impossible, thanks to the professor-tested techniques in this collection of 14 articles from the Journal of College Science Teaching. The book starts by examining what research shows about the effectiveness of popular teaching styles. (Surprise: Lectures don't stimulate active learning.) From there, the authors offer proven alternatives that range from small-scale innovations to completely revamped teaching methods. Suggested strategies include using quizzes in place of midterms and finals, student forums, interactive lectures, collaborative groups, group facilitators, and e-mail and computer technology. The contributors write in first person, making the book as readable as it is practical. One of the most thought-provoking chapters is called, "Are We Cultivating Couch Potatoes in Our College Science Lectures?" With this book's help, you can answer that question with a definitive no.

Learning Science and the Science of Learning: Science Educators' Essay Collection

1/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

Sure, you teach science. But do your students really learn it? Students of all ages will absorb more if you adapt the way you teach to the way they learn. That's the message of this thoughtful collection of 12 essays by noted science teachers. Based on the latest research, this is definitely a scholarly book. But to bring theories to life, it includes realistic scenarios featuring classrooms where students are encouraged to "construct" their own science learning. These scenarios will give you specific ideas on how to help your students become more reflective about their learning process, including what they know, what their stumbling blocks are, and how to overcome them. You'll also examine how to use formative assessment to gauge student learning during the course of a lesson, not just at the end. Learning Science offers inspiration to all the weary teachers who've ever wondered, "Why don't these kids seem to get what I'm trying to say?"

Teaching Teachers: Bringing First-Rate Science to the Elementary Classroom

1/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

Preservice and novice teachers feeling jittery will find this book full of workable strategies for helping students experience the wonders of science. Classroom veterans will discover new ideas, and science educators will learn how colleagues pass on the art of good teaching. Teaching Teachers' thirteen articles-culled from the "Teaching Teachers" section of NSTA's award-winning journal, Science and Children--were written within the spirit of the National Science Education Standards by leading college educators.

The Truth About Science: A Curriculum for Developing Young Scientists

1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

The truth is: Valid research demands more than beakers and Bunsen burners-- much more. So give kids the lowdown on how real scientists work. This engaging book shows you how to develop students' creative and critical thinking skills to make qualitative and quantitative observations, compare testable research questions and hypotheses, design an experiment, collect and analyze data, and present results and conclusions orally and in writing. In addition to handy reproducible pages, the book is packed with special features: an unusually large section on quantitative analysis and data interpretation, plenty of background for teachers inexperienced with statistics and data analysis, and a mix of both formative and summative assessment strategies.

Dig In! Hands-On Soil Investigtions

1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

Give students the dirt on soil with a practical book that brings new meaning to the term "hands-on." Using these 12 activities and two original stories as guides, kids will soon be up to their elbows in the study of soil formation, habitats and land use, animals that depend on soil, plants that grow in soil, soil science, and soil conservation. Each teacher-tested lesson plan offers helpful background, assessment methods, and suggestions for further exploration. This book also contains SciLinks--Internet links, housed on an NSTA web site, that we promise to keep up-to-date and relevant to your teaching for as long as the book stays in print!

Project Earth Science: Meteorology

1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

The forecast for learning meteorology is bright! With nineteen hands-on activities, ten readings, and a thorough resource guide, Project Earth Science: Meteorology brings the atmosphere right into the classroom. Designed for small budgets, Meteorology is teacher-written and classroom-tested, with ready-to-use, self-directed activities. These activities require students to make clouds and hail; build weather maps; and understand the causes of smog, ozone depletion, and acid rain. Whether it's exploring basic principles or following real-world examples, your students will agree-discovering how weather works was never this much fun!

Practicing Science: The Investigative Approach in College Science Teaching

1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

In this collection of ten articles reprinted from the Journal of College Science Teaching, college and university science professors show how they have used investigative learning-or inquiry-based instruction-to introduce students to the process of science. These first-person accounts demonstrate how students, including non-science majors, can learn to do science as it is done in the real world-through hypothesis building, observation, and experimental design. The higher education faculty represented in this book is committed to the investigative approach. As one contributor writes, "Would I return to lecturing in a traditional fashion? Not a chance. The excitement and energy of a room of students working in groups, challenging each other, and questioning each other is what I'll always want to see in my classroom."

Assessing Toxic Risk (Teacher's Guide)

1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

Assessing Toxic Risk is a comprehensive guide to student research in toxicology. It includes an overview of basic principles of toxicology and how they are used to assess chemical risks. It provides simple but authentic research protocols to engage students in the process of testing chemical toxicity by conducting bioassays using lettuce seeds, duckweed, and Daphnia. It also contains guidelines for integrating peer review and other collaborative knowledge-building into classroom science. Toxicology makes an ideal topic for student research because it provides a natural link between biology, chemistry, environmental science, and human health; it highlights the connections between science and public policy; and builds critical-thinking skills.

Issues in Science Education: Professional Development Leadership and the Diverse Learner

1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

Make science teaching better for every student. Help learners from different backgrounds-and with different learning styles-by developing new skills, resources, and knowledge. This book discusses the ways in which professional development can help you handle equity and diversity issues in the classroom. Among the topics: - How professional development can help teachers motivate and increase participation by women and minorities in science - Using professional development to promote change - Professional development's role in leadership development and reform

Issues in Science Education: Professional Development Planning and Design

1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

There's got to be more to professional development than in-service workshops. This thoughtful book paves the way to change. It shows the circumstances under which professional development has the most impact on student learning, reviews programs that work, and offers practical ideas about how professional development can sustain science education reform. The following topics are addressed: - Changing professional development to help with standards-based reform - Building a professional development program - Using achievement data and assessment tools to modify teaching practices

Celebrating Cultural Diversity: Science Learning for All

1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

Science Learning for All: Celebrating Cultural Diversity covers three must-know" areas of multicultural science education: inclusive curriculum design, multicultural teaching strategies, and language diversity in science teaching and learning. With the help of this best-of collection from The Science Teacher, NSTA's journal for high school teachers, you'll find fresh ideas on how to meet the science learning needs of all students, with explicit connections to the National Science Education Standards. You'll also discover focused teaching techniques, tips on handling language diversity, practical insights on giving students an appreciation of the contributions that all cultures make to our scientific heritage, and more.

Atlas of Science Literacy, Volume 1

1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

The science education reform tool, Atlas of Science Literacy, is designed to help educators navigate the science curriculum and the National Science Education Standards. It graphically depicts connections among the learning goals established in AAAS's Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy. Atlas is a collection of 50 linked conceptual strand maps that illustrate exactly how students in grades K-12 can expand their understanding and skills toward specific science-literacy goals. It further shows how the ideas and skills that students learn in different grades and topics-and even disciplines such as math, technology, and science (of course) depend on and support one another. This groundbreaking book is every school's road map to helping children learn science systematically. Using the Atlas as your guide, you can trace the prerequisites for learning in each grade, make the connections to support science content, and facilitate the next learning path for your students.

Building Successful Partnerships: Community Connections for Science Education

1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

No single educator can help children learn all they need to become scientifically literate. Resources are all around us-not only in traditional science classrooms and laboratories, but also in gardens, nature centers, parks, youth programs, museums, and on television and radio. Community Connections for Science Education, Volume I: Building Successful Partnerships offers advice on how to select community resource partners, set joint learning goals, improve pre- and post-field trip activities, instruct students in field trip safety and etiquette, and much more. This book was developed by the National Science Teachers Association and the National Park Foundation.

Hands-On Herpetology: Exploring Ecology and Conservation

1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

Plentiful, diverse, and readily available, these animals-known in science as "herps"-are also perfect for teaching students about biology, ecology, and conservation, including problems affecting both amphibians and reptiles. This highly readable resource melds rigorous science content with science research. Its five sections cover the animals' biology and handling procedures (including safety tips), provide background information for teachers, offer twenty-one indoor/outdoor activities, and broach critical conservation issues. Hands-On Herpetology: Exploring Ecology and Conservation is ideal for middle and high school teachers, volunteer leaders in 4-H and other clubs, and nature center staff who want to mix serious issues with amazing science.

Assessing Toxic Risk (Student Edition)

1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

How can we decide what concentration of arsenic is acceptable in public drinking water? What does it mean to say that Vitamin D is a highly toxic chemical? How can we balance the risks of spraying pesticides versus the risks of insect-borne diseases such as West Nile Virus, Lyme Disease, or Malaria? Students discover the answers to these intriguing questions and more by delving into the Cornell Scientific Inquiry Series: Assessing Toxic Risk, Student Edition. It includes five chapters of background text on the basic concepts of toxicology. Also included are planning forms, presentation guidelines, and peer review forms that guide students through self-designed research projects that encourage critical thinking. This integrated approach allows students to discover firsthand the natural links between biology, chemistry, environmental science, and human health.

Project Earth Science: Geology

1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

Now you can literally explain what it's like "between a rock and a hard place!" Use Project Earth Science: Geology to introduce your students to plate tectonics and teach them what causes volcanoes and earthquakes. Lead explorations of these and other larger-than-the-classroom geological phenomena with the teacher-tested, Standards-based activities. Earth's physical evolution and dynamic processes are carefully explained in language accessible to students and teachers. Supplemental readings provide educators with the background information to answer student questions and concerns.

Project Earth Science: Astronomy

1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

The hands-on, teacher-tested activities in Project Earth Science: Astronomy brings the sometimes daunting concepts of astronomy down to Earth. Background information, supplementary readings, and suggestions for integrating other disciplines provide the teacher with a framework to launch a successful introduction to astronomy. Students will discover Earth's uniqueness by examining it as a part of the whole-one planet within our Solar System. How did the planets form? Are we seeing a star's present or past? Why is Earth's distance from the Sun so important? Project Earth Science: Astronomy will lead you and your students on an exploration that takes you to the stars and back.

The Creation Controversy and The Science Classroom

1/1/2000 12:00:00 AM

In the debate over creationism, you need ammunition that will let you respond to the opposition in a forceful but reasoned manner. This is it. Organized into three practical parts, The Creation Controversy arms you with insights into modern science and the Book of Genesis, effective strategies for teaching evolution and other controversial topics, and the NSTA Position Statement on Evolution.

Taking Charge: An Introduction to Electricity

1/1/2000 12:00:00 AM

Spark your students' interest in electricity. Taking Charge is designed to help teachers bring the intimidating subject of electricity to students in the middle grades. These teacher-tested, hands-on activities use readily available materials and make students' first exposure to electricity a fun one. Students explore static electricity in the first module before seeing that static electricity can move as current electricity, which is investigated in the second module. The unique historical approach of the first module shows students how we developed our modern ideas of electricity by introducing them to the ideas of Ben Franklin and other early explorers of electricity.

Construct-a-Glove

1/1/2000 12:00:00 AM

Physics and technology go hand-in-hand in this practical demonstration of thermodynamics. By testing a simple prototype of an insulated grove, students learn about homeothermic regulation and the variables that influence heat transfer. The challenge to improve upon their initial model introduces them to the design process and the relationship between form and function. Working in teams, your students will learn how to integrate their knowledge of scientific principles with properties of the materials at hand in a fitting display of technological mastery.

NSTA Pathways To the Standards: Guidelines for Moving the Vision into Practice - Middle School Edition (Second Edition)

1/1/2000 12:00:00 AM

Throughout the pages of NSTA Pathways to the Science Standards: Guidelines for Moving the Vision into Practice, we demonstrate how you can bring the "vision" of the National Science Education Standards into the middle school curriculum. It encompasses all aspects of teaching, assessment, content, professional development, and the science program. By following this "pathway," you will bring real-world context into your school and classroom. In addition, this book is an effective tool for you to use in collaborating with principals, local and state administrators, parents, school board members, and other stakeholders in science education.

How to... Ask the Right Questions

1/1/2000 12:00:00 AM

Questions, questions, questions! They are a large part of a teacher's stock-in-trade. We use questions to help students review, to check on comprehension, to stimulate critical thinking, to encourage creativity, to emphasize a point, to control classroom activities, reduce disruptive behavior, to help determine grades, to encourage discussion, to discourage inattentiveness, and for other reasons and purposes. Questioning style and content varies from teacher to teacher, student group to student group, and situation to situation. The aim of this "How to…" booklet is to help you focus on a common teaching activity-the asking of questions. To illustrate some of the classifications and concepts discussed, excerpts from a videotaped lesson to third graders on magnetism appears at the end of this booklet.

Project Earth Science: Physical Oceanography

1/1/2000 12:00:00 AM

Immerse your students in Earth's most abundant resource--water. Embark on a voyage of discovery as you steer your students through activities designed to teach them about currents, waves, and tides. From an understanding of the properties that make water unique, your students will get a global view of the marine environment, including the impact of human activities on the oceans. This book is one of four in NSTA's popular Project Earth Science series. The other books are Project Earth Science:Geology, Project Earth Science:Astronomy, and Project Earth Science:Meteorology.

Construct-a-Catapult

1/1/2000 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.

The Pillbug Project: A Guide to Investigation

1/1/1999 12:00:00 AM

Help children see for themselves what science is all about with the perfect classroom critter, the docile pillbug. Organized around 10 days of activities, this innovative book helps students explore organisms' life cycles and environments, understand scientific inquiry, and have fun. You'll like the practical lesson plans, assessments, and reproducible materials: kids will love the whimsical illustrations and the adventures of Patricia Pillbug. This book provides an entertaining way to teach through stories and pictures.

Ten-Minute Field Trips

1/1/1998 12:00:00 AM

You don't have to go far to get science out of the classroom. An NSTA best-seller, this book is ideal for teachers in all school environments--urban, suburban, or rural. Renowned educator Helen Ross Russell describes more than 200 short, close-to-home field trips that explore new dimensions of familiar spaces and objects. Brick walls, rock outcrops, lawns, broken pavement, weeds, and trees are all targets for exploration. Each topic section (plants, animals, interdependence of living things, physical science, Earth science, and ecology) includes pre-trip classroom activities, teacher preparation, and a list of trip possibilities. For urban areas, a special cross-referenced list of field trips for hard-topped school grounds is included.

How to... Teach With Topographic Maps

1/1/1998 12:00:00 AM

The world of topographic maps comes alive for instructors and students in this NSTA bestseller. Learn the special language of topographic maps-quadrangles, contour lines, and mapping symbols-and apply it to teaching basic map-reading skills. Student activities explore longitude and latitude, the concept of scale, terrain changes, and how to use the maps for environmental studies. One engaging way to have students utilize these skills is to have them create a topographic map of their own schoolyard. Bonus items include an actual topographic map from the U.S. Geological Survey, and a detailed booklet explaining map symbols.

Global Environmental Change: Deforestation

1/1/1997 12:00:00 AM

Washington State's Olympic Peninsula contains some of America's only old-growth forest. Its timber supports local, regional, and even global economies. It also supports many biological species and provides a link in biogeochemical cycling. How can these roles be balanced? Using the Olympic Peninsula as a case study, this book introduces students to basic scientific themes and equips them with tools to increase their understanding of deforestation. Hands-on classroom activities demonstrate how to integrate science with other disciplines to gather information, address problems, and make decisions. NSTA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency created the Global Environmental Change Series so students can see how science works in today's world. Each volume links a global environmental topic directly to students' own experiences. The series covers topics ranging from biodiversity to population growth to solid waste management.

Quantum Quandaries

1/1/1996 12:00:00 AM

For extra credit or just for the fun of it-why not try a brainteaser? This collection brings together the first 100 brainteasers from Quantum magazine, published by the National Science Teachers Association in collaboration with the Russian magazine Kvant. Through its pages, you'll find number rebuses, geometry ticklers, logic puzzles, and quirky questions with a physics twist. Students and teachers alike will enjoy these fun quandaries.

Polymer Chemistry: Introduction to an Indispensable Science

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

Here's an interesting statistic: More than half of all chemists work on some aspect of polymers. For high school teachers who want to introduce polymer science basics, properties, and uses, this book is uniquely helpful-much deeper than simple monographs or collections of experiments, but much more accessible than college texts. Divided into four sections, Polymer Chemistry starts with a broad overview of synthetic and natural polymers and then covers polymers' synthesis and preparation; common methods for processing them into useful objects; and demonstrations and experiments dealing with polymer synthesis, solutions and gels, and solid-state properties. In addition to the science, this book includes an engaging history of polymers and issues on their disposal. For environmental science teachers, the comprehensive chapter on recycling, degradation, and disposal of polymers is invaluable. And all teachers will benefit from the introduction. Written by a fellow science teacher, it provides creative chapter-by-chapter techniques for using the book in AP chemistry, and even basic high school chemistry. As the title says, polymer chemistry is an indispensable science-and Polymer Chemistry is an indispensable resource on the topic.

Understanding Models in Earth and Space Science

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

It's a challenge educators at all grade levels face: How do you teach subjects your students can't see, touch, or hear? You do it with models-which have gained new importance since the National Science Education Standards specifically recommended using models as an organizing framework for teaching and understanding science. Whether your lessons concern molecules or Mars, Understanding Models in Earth and Space Science offers practical guidance. It's designed to help you understand the full range of models available to illustrate abstract concepts, demonstrate complex ideas, or teach about things students can't see. The book provides an in-depth look at specific kinds of models-what they are, how they can be designed, the best ways to use them, and possible shortcomings. Among the chapter topics are concrete models; mathematical models; similes, analogies, and metaphors; computer models; and inquiry and model building. Itself a model of good modeling, the book offers abundant examples (including drawing parallels between seemingly unrelated topics, such as how tornadoes are like vacuum cleaners) and plentiful background specific to Earth science teachers. Understanding Models is the result of a partnership between NSTA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.

Exemplary Science in Grades 5-8: Standards-Based Success Stories

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

Do the Standards really matter in middle school? Nine years after the National Science Education Standards' release, just how well do science teachers in grades 5 to 8 actually use them to plan content, define improved teaching, and assess real learning? Find out the answers to these key questions in this groundbreaking collection of 15 essays by teachers, researchers, and professors whose specialty is middle school. Nine years after the release of the Standards, these educators describe what they're doing to achieve the visions for the reform of teaching, assessment, professional development, and content. All the visions correspond to the Less Emphasis and More Emphasis conditions that conclude each section of the Standards, characterizing what most teachers and programs should do less of as well as describing the changes needed if real reform is to occur. Among this collection's wide-ranging essay topics: "Teaching Science With Student Thinking in Mind," "The Relationship Between a Professional Development Model and Student Achievement," "Creating a Classroom Culture of Scientific Practices," "Traveling the Inquiry Continuum: Learning Through Teacher Action Research," "What Do We Get to Do Today? The Middle School Full Option Science System Program," and "Teach Them to Fish." This volume is the third in NSTA Press's Exemplary Science monograph series, which provides the results of an unprecedented national search to assess how well the Standards' vision has been realized.

Exemplary Science in Grades PreK-4: Standards-Based Success Stories

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

Since their release in 1996, the National Science Education Standards have provided the vision for science education reform. But has that reform actually taken hold in elementary school? "Yes!," reports Robert Yager, editor of Exemplary Science in Grades PreK-4: Standards-Based Success Stories. "Probably the Standards have done more to change science in elementary schools than has occurred at the other grade levels." Evidence of change is apparent in this fourth volume of the Exemplary Science monograph series, an essay collection featuring educators in PreK-4 describing programs they've developed to fulfill the Standards' More Emphasis guidelines. The 14 programs are real-life examples you can learn from in carrying out reforms in teaching, assessment, professional development, and content. Among the topics covered: "Adapting Science Curricula in the Kindergarten Classroom," "Building on the Natural Wonder Inherent in Us All," "Guiding Students in Active and Extended Scientific Inquiry," "Active, Integrated Inquiry in an Afterschool Setting," and "Thinking Outside the Box: No Child Left Inside!" As Yager writes in the book's introduction, "The 14 exemplary programs can be seen as models for other teachers-not just to copy, but as ways of approaching science and encouraging their students to do more of what they like...When both teachers and students are enthused, curious, and involved, science becomes central to the lives of students and others in the community and can tie the whole school experience together.

Global Environmental Change: Carrying Capacity

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

Carrying Capacity addresses the ability of the Earth to sustain healthy populations of different species. Earth's human population, now past six billion, is expected to reach 10 billion by 2030. This growth will place an even greater strain on the planet's carrying capacity. With your school as a case study, link small-scale biology, ecology, and Earth science to the big picture. Carrying Capacity is one of four books in NSTA Press's Global Environmental Change series, a joint project of NSTA Press and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The other books in the series are Deforestation, Biodiversity, and Introduced Species.

Global Environmental Change: Biodiversity

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

This book uses Costa Rica as a case study because the country's tropical forests contain four percent of Earth's total biological species diversity. Biodiversity's activities and readings help students explore efforts to balance economic expansion with resource conservation. This resource has activities to explore local biodiversity and true-to-life role-playing scenarios, so students can apply what they have learned. Biodiversity is one of four books in NSTA Press's Global Environmental Change series, a joint project of NSTA Press and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The other books in the series are Deforestation, Carrying Capacity, and Introduced Species.

Decay and Renewal (Student Edition)

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

Most of us throw or flush things away every day without thinking about the fact that there is no "away." Whether discarded substances break down or not, they affect our environment. By investigating the processes in wastewater treatment, composting, landfilling, and bioremediation of contaminated sites, Decay and Renewal teaches important science concepts within the context of environmental issues. Using inquiry-based methods, the book focuses on biodegradation to help students learn basic biological and ecological concepts. The Student Edition has four sections:(1) basic concepts in biodegradation in nature and in composting, wastewater treatment, and bioremediation; (2) 14 protocols with specific instruction on research techniques; (3) how to develop relevant research projects using protocols; and (4) how to build systems for treating simulated wastewater. Also included are abundant worksheets to guide students from planning a research project to presenting results.

Start Young: Early Childhood Science Activities

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

You asked for it-now you've got it! In a focus group at a recent NSTA convention, teachers of prekindergarten through second grade clamored for help. They do want easy-to-do science activities they can use for everyday teaching. But they don't want to be forced to adapt material meant for older children. So here's the solution. Start Young! offers a wealth of simple educational activities designed to use right away with even the littlest scientists. The book includes a chapter of helpful background on the latest thinking about effective ways to introduce science in early childhood. But the bulk of the book is two dozen articles compiled from Science & Children, NSTA's award-winning journal for elementary school teachers. Among the topics: - Playful science activities for young children - The science and mathematics of building structures - Planning a Rock Day - What makes miniature sleds go, go, go - Figuring out how big is big and how big is small - Learning about birds, flight, ponds, and the environment - Creating science centers for all students Everyone who works with young children knows how eager they are to see, smell, hear, and touch the world around them. Encourage that natural curiosity while laying a foundation for a lifetime of learning about science. Start Young! is the age-appropriate resource to help you start them off right.

Exemplary Science: Best Practices in Professional Development

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

This collection of 16 essays is ideal for staff development providers (university faculty, district supervisors, lead teachers, and principals) as well as preservice science methods instructors. Each essay describes a specific program designed to train current or future teachers to carry out the constructivist, inquiry-based approach of the Standards. These professional development programs are in universities and school districts around the country-from Florida to Alaska, in rural and urban areas, and in contexts ranging from summer institutes to on-site support programs. The essays in this volume range from "Filling the Void in the Professional Development Continuum: Assisting Beginning Secondary Science Teachers" to "Emphasizing Inquiry, Collaboration, and Leadership in K-12 Professional Development" to "Hey! What're Ya Thinkin'? Developing Teachers as Reflective Practitioners." In addition to describing how the program works, each essay also provides evidence of effectiveness-how teachers grow more confident using inquiry approaches, in integrating technology into the classrooms, collaborating with their colleagues and local resource persons, and developing as science education leaders in their schools and districts.

Exploring Ecology: 49 Ready-to-Use Activities for Grades 4-8

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

Get out of the classroom and into the field, where students can get up close and personal with the environment. Exploring Ecology gets you ready and then tells you what to do when you get there. It's a collection of hands-on, inquiry-based activities developed and written by two teachers who test-drove them with their own students. The book can be used for an eight-week unit on ecology or for shorter, one- or two-week units. Designed specifically for easy use, Exploring Ecology combines content with activities, all in one place, and organized into four clear sections. After starting with Management, Mechanics, and Miscellany, which includes guidance on safety, preparation, materials, and discipline, the authors get to the activities: - The Basic Introduction to Ecology covers basic ecological concepts, including populations, communities, food webs, and energy flow with 35 in-class and outside activities that prepare students for their trip. - The Field Trip: Applying Ecology Concepts offers practical suggestions on site selection and organizing the students and their materials, plus four before- and after-the-trip activities. - Integration and Extension provides 10 more activities to integrate other disciplines-language arts, social studies, and art-and extend the students' understanding of Earth as an ecosystem. Although the book is targeted to teachers of science in grades 4-8, many activities have been adapted for students ranging from first grade to high school. The material is also suitable for nature centers and summer camps.

Science Fairs Plus: Reinventing an Old Favorite, Grades K-8

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

At last: a sure cure for science fair fatigue. This new book -- a collection of 20 articles from NSTA's member journals for elementary, middle, and high school teachers -- is bound to re-energize the way you plan and produce these mainstay events. The articles explore all aspects of getting ready for a science fair. You'll learn how to help students pick their projects; understand what makes for fair judging; and create innovative alternatives, including festivals and expos. Several articles even debate the pros and cons of sponsoring a science fair. You'll find yourself turning again and again to the back of the book which features an up-to-date annotated bibliography of science fair and project books and an annotated list of Web sites. Highly practical and wide-ranging, Science Fairs may be the only guide you'll ever need to run successful fairs at your school.

Teaching With Purpose: Closing the Research - Practice Gap

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

The best science teachers don't just get up in front of the class and start talking. They draw from a plan… a rationale… a purpose. This book helps you create and implement a detailed, research-based teaching rationale that works even with students of varied needs in less-than-ideal facilities. The key is a method that this book's authors and their colleagues have used to help more than 3,000 preservice and inservice science teachers achieve improved results in their classrooms. Teaching with Purpose provides a framework for coordinating your unique students and school with your desired educational outcomes and the education research literature. You can use this framework in several aspects of teaching: for planning lessons and units, selecting activities and curriculum, and analyzing your role as teacher. All this is explained within the book's easy-to-grasp structure. It covers the case for a research-based teaching rationale, the elements of such a rationale, how to develop and implement it, and then how to become a mentor to others. Throughout the text, more than a dozen elementary, middle, and high school science teachers comment on how developing a research-based rationale has made them better educators. The book's combination of theory and practice, instruction and inspiration, makes it ideal for planning personal development and for use at teacher workshops.

Science Curriculum Topic Study

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

Need help making the connection between science standards, teacher practice, and improved student achievement? Science Curriculum Topic Study is your missing link. The book offers a systematic professional development strategy that brings together science standards and research with curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Writing in the book's foreword, Harold Pratt, former NSTA President, calls Science Curriculum Topic Study "by far the best thing I have seen on how to effectively use the standards." The CTS process will help you: - Improve your understanding of science content - Clarify a hierarchy of content and skills in a learning goal from state or local standards - Define formative and summative assessment goals and strategies - Learn to recognize and address learning difficulties - Design or use instructional materials effectively - Increase opportunities for students of all backgrounds to achieve science literacy Science Curriculum Topic Study is rich with features that make it both easy to use and illuminating. It contains 147 separate curriculum topic study guides arranged in 11 categories representing the major domains of science. You get worksheets to help you apply the CTS process to curriculum, instruction, and assessment, plus a quick-reference guide to the major standards and research documents. In addition, teacher vignettes show how to use the CTS process to enrich your own teaching immediately.

Adventures in Paleontology: 36 Classroom Fossil Activities

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

Millions of years after vanishing from the Earth, dinosaurs still have the power to stir students' curiosity. Deepen that interest with Adventures in Paleontology, a series of lively hands-on activities especially for middle schoolers. This beautifully illustrated full color book features 36 activities that open students up to a variety of foundational sciences, including biology, geology, chemistry, physics, and astronomy. For example: - "How Do Fossils Form?" discusses how organisms become fossils and illustrates the concept with activities that simulate fossil-making processes. - "What Can You Learn From Fossils?" explores what fossils teach about ancient organisms. - "Mass Extinction and Meteor Collisions With Earth" discusses recently discovered links between meteor and asteroid impacts on Earth and the demise of animals like dinosaurs. Other chapters cover how to tell the age of the Earth; how dinosaurs evolved; and diversity, classification, and taxonomy. The final chapters offer humanistic perspectives on fossils in literature and art. As an attention-grabbing complement to the text, vivid full color illustrations show not just skeletons and animal tracks but also what dinosaurs probably looked like in their natural settings. Handy line drawings guide students through each step of the activities.

The Life Cycle of Everyday Stuff

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

Your students need to understand that stuff doesn't just happen-it has a life cycle. Using common products like the telephone, this lively book helps students learn about the flow of energy and matter through Earth's system. Seven illustrated sections (useful as stand-alone units or as a cumulative program) give you hands-on activities to teach: - What is a life cycle? - How does product design influence the life cycle? - What are products made of and why? - How can products be less wasteful at the end of their useful lives? Ideal for teachers who cover integrated science, physical science, environmental science, and Earth science. Plus: Get a free Life Cycle of a Pencil classroom poster.

Construct-a-Greenhouse

1/1/1900 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.

NSTA Pathways to the Science Standards: Guidelines for Moving the Vision into Practice - Elementary School Edition (Second Edition)

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

Your job: taking lofty educational goals and achieving them in the real world. Your best source of help: The Pathways books--one for elementary, middle, and high school--are brimming with practical guidance for putting the Standards into action. Packed with specific teaching suggestions, great for both seasoned educators and novice teachers. What's more, all three books show you how to convert administrators, school boards, and other decision-makers into strong allies for science education reform. Each book has color photos, plus a long list of recommended readings--readily available in libraries or fully "browse-able" in the Resources for the Road CD-ROM.

College Pathways to the Science Education Standards

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

This one-of-a-kind book applies the Standards, written for K-12 classes, to the college level. Designed for postsecondary science content teachers, science educators, and administrators, this book shows how to implement all six areas of the Standards on campus--teaching, professional development, assessment, science content, science education programs, and science education systems. To bring the topic to life, 40 "From the Field' vignettes give concrete examples of how higher education faculty and administrators have already used the Standards to make classrooms more student-centered and inquiry-based.

Exploring Safely: A Guide for Elementary Teachers

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

Take the fear factor out of science lessons. This easy-to-digest book relieves many of the safety worries that come with teaching science in elementary school. The emphasis is on positive options for heading off potential hazards, from handling special equipment to conducting field studies. Chapters cover: - making safe work habits second nature to students - equipping your classroom for safety and conveniene, including organizational systems for preparation, setup, and cleanup - choosing and culturing live plants and animals for classroom study - working safely with electricity, chemicals, and volunteers A special added ingredient: model forms that can be adapted for your needs, including permission slips and student contracts. Best of all, a wealth of anecdotes about what works-and what doesn't-in real-life classrooms makes Exploring Safely enjoyable to read as well as to reference.

Classroom Creature Culture: Algae to Anoles

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

Living organisms are important classroom resources and require appropriate, responsible care. This anthology of articles from NSTA's award-winning journal Science and Children provides the basics about collecting, investigating, and caring for plants and animals in classroom settings. From daddy longlegs to box turtles, from duckweed to butterflies, emphasis is placed on responsible observation, respect for living beings, and the individual needs of nature's many creatures. Also makes an excellent complement to ecological studies.

Construct-a-Boat

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM

Construct-a-Boat deepens students' knowledge of principles of mass, buoyancy, friction, and acceleration. Working with a simple model powered by a battery-driven fan, students get a feel for the forces involved in moving a boat through water. To improve performance, students use their understanding of physics to analyze parameters and design a faster boat. This immersion in learning-by-doing translates abstract concepts into tangible objectives and teaches students lessons in modeling and design. The other books in the series are Construct-a-Glove, Construct-a-Catapult, and Construct-a-Greenhouse.

NSTA Learning Center Professional Development Tools

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

Forestry Field Studies: A Manual for Science Teachers

Answers to Science Questions From the <em>Stop Faking It!</em> Guy

Designing Effective Science Instruction: What Works in Science Classrooms

Lecture-Free Teaching: A Learning Partnership Between Science Educators and Their Students

Picture-Perfect Science Book Collection

More Picture-Perfect Science Book Collection

The Biology Teacher's Handbook, 4th Edition

Take-Home Physics: 65 High-Impact, Low-Cost Labs

Professional Learning Communities for Science Teaching: Lessons From Research and Practice

Activities Linking Science With Math, K-4

Activities Linking Science With Math, 5-8

PISA Science 2006: Implications for Science Teachers and Teaching

Whole-Class Inquiry: Creating Student-Centered Science Communities

Hard-to-Teach Biology Concepts: A Framework to Deepen Student Understanding

Extreme Science: From Nano to Galactic

Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 4: 25 New Formative Assessment Probes

More Everyday Science Mysteries: Stories for Inquiry-Based Science Teaching

Watershed Investigations: 12 Labs for High School Science

40 Inquiry Exercises for the College Biology Lab

NEW TEACHER WELCOME PACK: MIDDLE SCHOOL

NEW TEACHER WELCOME PACK: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

NEW TEACHER WELCOME PACK: HIGH SCHOOL

Inquiry: The Key to Exemplary Science

College Science Teachers Guide to Assessment

Reforming Secondary Science Instruction

NSTA Tool Kit for Teaching Evolution

Climate Change From Pole to Pole: Biology Investigations

Earth Science Success: 50 Lesson Plans for Grades 6-9

Interpreting Assessment Data: Statistical Techniques You Can Use

All in a Day's Work: Careers Using Science, 2nd Edition

Questions, Claims, and Evidence: The Important Place of Argument in Children's Science Writing

Science Formative Assessments: 75 Practical Strategies for Linking Assessment, Instruction, and Learning

Readings in Science Methods, K-8

Assessing Science Learning: Perspectives From Research and Practice

Animal Coloration: Activities on the Evolution of Concealment

Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms

Girls in Science: A Framework for Action

Everyday Science Mysteries: Stories for Inquiry-Based Science Teaching

Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 3: Another 25 Formative Assessment Probes

Science Beyond the Classroom

Everyday Assessment in the Science Classroom

Picture-Perfect Science Lessons: Using Children's Books to Guide Inquiry

Why Science?

Teaching Science to English Language Learners: Building on Students' Strengths

Science as Inquiry in the Secondary Setting

Exemplary Science in Informal Education Settings: Standards-Based Success Stories

The NSTA Ready-Reference Guide to Safer Science

Technology in the Secondary Science Classroom

The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New Dimension

Global Climate Change: Resources for Environmental Literacy

Genetically Modified Crops: Resources for Environmental Literacy

A Head Start on Science: Encouraging a Sense of Wonder

Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunamis: Resources for Environmental Literacy

Teacher Research: Stories of Learning and Growing

Biodiversity: Resources for Environmental Literacy

Radioactive Waste: Resources for Environmental Literacy

Using Forensics: Wildlife Crime Scene!

Making Science Mentors: A 10-Session Guide for Middle Grades

Resources for the Road CD-ROM

Resources for Environmental Literacy: Five Teaching Modules for Middle and High School Teachers

Atlas of Science Literacy, Volume 2

Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 2: 25 More Formative Assessment Probes

Explore the World Using Protozoa

Global Environmental Change: Introduced Species

NSTA Guide to Planning School Science Facilities, Second Edition

Chemistry Basics: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach it

More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons: Using Children's Books to Guide Inquiry, K-4

Start With A Story: The Case Study Method of Teaching College Science

Nanoscale Science: Activities for Grades 6-12

Assessment in Science: Practical Experiences and Education Research

Science for English Language Learners: K-12 Classroom Strategies

Garden Genetics: Teaching With Edible Plants (Student Edition)

Technology-Based Inquiry for Middle School

Science Safety in the Community College

Garden Genetics: Teaching With Edible Plants (Teacher Edition)

Virus and the Whale: Exploring Evolution in Creatures Small and Large

Linking Science and Literacy in the K-8 Classroom

Math: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It