NSTA Learning Center Professional Development Tools

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

11/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Online Courses: AMNH Seminars on Science

11/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Natural Resources: Digging Soil

11/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

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

11/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

The Art of Argumentation

11/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

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

11/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Cell Towers and Songbirds

11/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

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

10/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

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

10/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

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

10/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Elk Habitat: A Case Study of Scientific Inquiry

10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Barn Owl

10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Rise the Moon

10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Rice Is Life

10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Construct-a-Greenhouse (e-book)

10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Construct-a-Glove (e-book)

10/15/2009 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.

Answers to Science Questions From the Stop Faking It! Guy (e-book)

10/8/2009 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.

Podcast: Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food, December 18, 2008

10/8/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food is the complete Web Seminar archive subtitled: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall08/FDA/webseminarII.aspx">Biological Hazards in Food: Survival and Growth</a> from 12/18/2008. The podcast is 1 hour 13 minutes in duration. This Web Seminar focused on food microbiology, food processing, food epidemiology, the food label, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, and the public health impact of food safety. The presenter shared their science expertise, answered questions from the participants, and provided information regarding web sites that students can use in the classroom. The seminar was designed for educators of grades 5-8. Topics include careers, disease, personal hygiene, nutrition, outbreaks, and food safety. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC08_Dec18">Biological Hazards in Food: Survival and Growth</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now. Since this is a large file, to view this program in a streaming form, click, <a href="https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playback/link/meeting.jnlp?suid=M.EFDC208E230FF1A7284E9EC27D386A" target="_blank">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food</a>.

Vegetation Analysis

10/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Korean Kimchi Chemistry

9/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

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

9/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Natural Resources: For the Birds

9/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Every Day Science: October 2009

9/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

The Early Years: Safe Smelling

9/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

CSI for Trees

9/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Deer Tracks in the City?

9/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

EcoTipping Points

9/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Stop Faking It! Series, Set of 8 Books

9/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

Intimidated by inertia? Exasperated by electricity? Panicked over the periodic table? The best-selling Stop Faking It! series comes to your rescue. Author Bill Robertson has been helping teachers develop a deeper understanding of scientific principles for years. He uses fun examples, easy-to-understand language, and accurate explanations to teach in a stress-free way. This 8-book set includes all the books in the series.

NSTA Tool Kit for Teaching Evolution (e-book)

9/1/2009 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.

Podcast: Benchmark Hunting

9/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Benchmark Hunting is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/stlouis07/GPS/webseminarII.aspx">GPS and Geodesy for Dummies: Do You Know Where You Are?</a>, May 29, 2007. The podcast is 20 minutes 18 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two on the topic of GPS and Geodesy. The presenter was Casey Brennan, Program Analyst with NOAA's National Geodetic Survey in the Communications and Outreach branch. Mr. Brennan talked about geocaching and benchmark hunting, and shared ideas for using these in the classroom. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSGPS07_May29">GPS and Geodesy for Dummies: Do You Know Where You Are?</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Atlantic Ocean Circulation

9/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Atlantic Ocean Circulation is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall06/oceans/webseminarI.aspx">Ocean's Role in Weather and Climate</a>, December 12, 2006. The podcast is 14 minutes 8 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two about the Ocean's Role in Weather and Climate. The presenter was Dr. Tom Delworth, leader of NOAA's Climate Dynamics and Prediction Group at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, NJ. The seminar focused on the influence of the Atlantic Ocean on climate, from Atlantic hurricanes to African drought. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSORWC06_Dec12">Ocean's Role in Weather and Climate</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

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

8/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Science Sampler: Ecosystem Jenga!

8/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Natural Resources: If You Build It…

8/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

The Early Years: Planting Before Winter

8/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Methods and Strategies: Role-Play in the Science Classroom

8/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Science Shorts: Gourd-ous Decomposition

8/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Science 101: How do plants move?

8/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Every Day Science: September 2009

8/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

What Grows There?

8/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Growing Seeds and Scientists

8/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Teaching through Trade Books: A Habitat Is a Home

8/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Thirsty Plants in Arid Places

8/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Becoming Wildlife Investigators

8/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Forest or Field?

8/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

The Gift of the Tree

8/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Investigating Membranes

8/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

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

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

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

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Podcast: Cosmetic Safety History in U.S.

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Podcast: Cosmetic Safety Issues for FDA

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Podcast: Current Cosmetic Regulation

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Podcast: Impacts to Coral Reefs: Animal Influences

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Podcast: Impacts to Coral Reefs: Land Based Pollution

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Podcast: Coral Reef Teaching Resources

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Podcast: Exploring Bioethics Introduction

8/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Molecular Genetics: Proteins and Genes

8/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Interdependence: Environmental Systems and Human Impact

8/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Reproduction: Meiosis and Variation

8/7/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Evolution: Natural Selection

8/7/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Identification

8/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Factors That Affect Eutrophication

8/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Comparison of Phosphate Levels in Stream Sediments

8/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Measuring Plant Allelopathy

8/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Wetland Delineation

8/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Answers to Science Questions From the Stop Faking It! Guy

8/3/2009 12:00:00 AM

Right Place, Wrong Time

7/28/2009 12:00:00 AM

Songbirds tend to breed at the same time their primary prey is most abundant. Climate warming appears to be disrupting this match, causing reproductive failures in some species. Scientists have detected the consequences of warming for birds primarily through correlational studies. In this activity, students work in small groups and as a class to investigate "correlation versus causation."

Cruel, Cruel Summer

7/28/2009 12:00:00 AM

Scientists expect that a warmer climate will cause more severe, more frequent, and longer heat waves. Heat waves pose a significant health risk to everyone, but especially to poor, elderly, and chronically ill individuals. In this open-ended inquiry, students use raw data from public health websites to investigate the relationship between extreme heat and human mortality. The activity stresses data acquisition and analysis skills.

Population Peril

7/27/2009 12:00:00 AM

Rising air temperatures have changed the extent and timing of sea ice formation in the Arctic, forcing some polar bear populations to go longer each year without food. In this activity, students assume the role of graduate students advising an intern participating in a polar bear study. The students investigate declines in the body condition and population size of polar bears, and reflect on the role of science in wildlife management.

Carrion: It's What's for Dinner

7/27/2009 12:00:00 AM

The restoration of wolves to Yellowstone National Park after a 70-year absence created a natural experiment on the ecological effects of top predators. In this activity, students use mathematical models to explore how carrion from wolf kills can reduce negative effects of climate change on scavengers in the park.

Podcast: Evidence for Anthropogenic Carbon in the Ocean

7/27/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Evidence for Anthropogenic Carbon in the Ocean is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NOAA/webseminarI.aspx">NOAA: The Heat is On! Climate Change and Coral Reef Ecosystems I</a>, April 2, 2009. The podcast is 2 minutes 35 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two scheduled as a follow-up to the The Heat is On! Climate Change an Coral Reef Ecosystems Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In the program Dr. Gledhill talked about ocean acidification, the basic carbon dioxide chemistry cycle of the oceans, and the changes coral reef ecosystems are experiencing due to anthropogenic increases in carbon dioxide. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSCCC09_Apr02">NOAA: The Heat is On! Climate Change and Coral Reef Ecosystems I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Ocean Acidification Basics

7/27/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Ocean Acidification Basics is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NOAA/webseminarI.aspx">NOAA: The Heat is On! Climate Change and Coral Reef Ecosystems I</a>, April 2, 2009. The podcast is 10 minutes 28 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two scheduled as a follow-up to the The Heat is On! Climate Change an Coral Reef Ecosystems Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In the program Dr. Gledhill talked about ocean acidification, the basic carbon dioxide chemistry cycle of the oceans, and the changes coral reef ecosystems are experiencing due to anthropogenic increases in carbon dioxide. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSCCC09_Apr02">NOAA: The Heat is On! Climate Change and Coral Reef Ecosystems I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Ethical Considerations: Respect for Persons

7/27/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Ethical Considerations: Respect for Persons is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NIH/webseminarI.aspx">NIH: Exploring Bioethics I</a>, March, 26, 2009. The podcast is 11 minutes 27 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two scheduled as a follow-up to the NIH: Exploring Bioethics - A New Model for Classroom Instruction Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In the program, Jeanne Chowning presented specific examples of the NIH and EDC developed curriculum for the teaching bioethics in the high school classroom. Participants reviewed and discussed sample questions on vaccination policies, talked about challenges in teaching bioethics, and were given philosophical background on where some of the ethical principles were initially derived. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSEBA09_Mar26">NIH: Exploring Bioethics I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Biological Effects of Climate Change

7/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

How important is climate change-something that has occurred throughout Earth's history? Can ecosystems tolerate the magnitude and rate of future change? How will other conservation threats interact with climate change? How likely are widespread extinctions, and how might they affect the functioning of ecosystems and human societies? Biologists are trying to answer these and other questions as climate change intensifies. This chapter will set the stage for the classroom activities in Part II of the book by summarizing how climate change has affected biological systems thus far.

Quick Guide to Climate

7/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

This "Quick Guide to Climate" is a brief, student-friendly overview of Chapters 1 through 3. The overview is suitable either for introducing climate change to your students or for reviewing key concepts at the end of a unit. You can also use the overview in part or in entirety as background information for the classroom activities in Part II of the book.

Climate and Life

7/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Climate is the state of the atmosphere over years or decades. Although climate is commonly defined as "average weather," the term encompasses more than a simple mean. It also refers to variability, seasonality, and extremes in climate elements such as temperature and precipitation (Hartmann 1994). Earth's climate is controlled by a complex, interactive system composed of land, water, snow and ice, organisms, and the atmosphere (Landsberg and Oliver 2005). This chapter discusses how climatic conditions, and therefore, changes in climate-can impact the health and reproductive success of all organisms.

Podcast: Educational Materials Developed and Focus Group Results

7/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Educational Materials Developed and Focus Group Results is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/FDA/webseminarI.aspx">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food, April 1</a>, 2009 . The podcast is 10 minutes 4 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two scheduled as a follow-up to the Teaching Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In this program, Alan Tart talked about changes in the instructional delivery necessary to reach individuals who are oral-culture learners. He talked about the importance in such instruction with regard to how materials, such as training signs in restaurants, are developed. Mr. Tart also talked about the different causes of food borne illness and the steps necessary to reduce infection. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC09_Apr01">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Oral Culture vs. Print Culture Communication Styles

7/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Oral Culture vs. Print Culture Communication Styles is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/FDA/webseminarI.aspx">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food, April 1</a>, 2009 . The podcast is 10 minutes 59 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two scheduled as a follow-up to the Teaching Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In this program, Alan Tart talked about changes in the instructional delivery necessary to reach individuals who are oral-culture learners. He talked about the importance in such instruction with regard to how materials, such as training signs in restaurants, are developed. Mr. Tart also talked about the different causes of food borne illness and the steps necessary to reduce infection. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC09_Apr01">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Recommendations and Current Activities

7/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Recommendations and Current Activities is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/FDA/webseminarI.aspx">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food, April 1</a>, 2009 . The podcast is 3 minutes 52 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two scheduled as a follow-up to the Teaching Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In this program, Alan Tart talked about changes in the instructional delivery necessary to reach individuals who are oral-culture learners. He talked about the importance in such instruction with regard to how materials, such as training signs in restaurants, are developed. Mr. Tart also talked about the different causes of food borne illness and the steps necessary to reduce infection. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC09_Apr01">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Retention vs. Behavior Modification

7/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Retention vs. Behavior Modification is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/FDA/webseminarI.aspx">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food, April 1</a>, 2009 . The podcast is 11 minutes 39 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two scheduled as a follow-up to the Teaching Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In this program, Alan Tart talked about changes in the instructional delivery necessary to reach individuals who are oral-culture learners. He talked about the importance in such instruction with regard to how materials, such as training signs in restaurants, are developed. Mr. Tart also talked about the different causes of food borne illness and the steps necessary to reduce infection. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC09_Apr01">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Broad FDA Responsibilities

7/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Broad FDA Responsibilities is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/FDA/webseminarII.aspx">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food II</a>, April 28, 2009 . The podcast is 8 minutes 50 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two scheduled as a follow-up to the Teaching Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In this program, Dr. Taylor talked about the broad responsibilities the FDA has in different consumer product regulation. The emphasis of his presentation was on Dietary Supplements and the laws and regulations, such as the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, that govern these consumer products. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC09_Apr28">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food II</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Dietary Supplement Claims

7/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Dietary Supplement Claims is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/FDA/webseminarII.aspx">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food II</a>, April 28, 2009 . The podcast is 9 minutes 18 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two scheduled as a follow-up to the Teaching Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In this program, Dr. Taylor talked about the broad responsibilities the FDA has in different consumer product regulation. The emphasis of his presentation was on Dietary Supplements and the laws and regulations, such as the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, that govern these consumer products. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC09_Apr28">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food II</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act

7/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/FDA/webseminarII.aspx">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food II</a>, April 28, 2009 . The podcast is 6 minutes 12 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two scheduled as a follow-up to the Teaching Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In this program, Dr. Taylor talked about the broad responsibilities the FDA has in different consumer product regulation. The emphasis of his presentation was on Dietary Supplements and the laws and regulations, such as the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, that govern these consumer products. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC09_Apr28">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food II</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Nutrition Label Footnotes

7/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Nutrition Label Footnotes is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/stlouis07/nutrition/webseminarII.aspx">FDA: Food Safety and Nutrition</a>, May 31, 2007. The podcast is 3 minutes 30 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two on the topic of Food Safety and Nutrition. The presenter was Crystal Rasnake, Nutritionist in the Office of Nutrition, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the Food and Drug Administration. Ms. Rasnake talked about the percent daily value on the food label and the "Make Your Calories Count" interactive website that can be used in the classroom to teach about the food label. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSFSN07_May31">FDA: Food Safety and Nutrition</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Exploring Cellular Shape Using Area

7/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this activity, students are challenged to maximize the area enclosed within the limited perimeter of a string "cell membrane," using area formulas as they do so. This is an open-ended activity that will challenge groups of students to apply mathematical thinking to a problem in cell biology. They will confront the issue of cellular shape and the differences between area and volume in a practical setting.

Please Pass the Pollen: Flowering Plants, Pollination, and Insect Pollinators

7/17/2009 12:00:00 AM

This high-interest activity provides an opportunity for students to learn more about the natural world while they hone their investigatory skills. In the activity, student groups investigate pollination, insect behavior, and flower structure. They will design and carry out experiments of their choosing as they apply the inquiry skills learned in other activities in this book. In a Going Further activity, students design and "build" an artificial flower that will attract pollinators.

Determining the Size and Shape of the Blind Spot

7/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

What exactly is the blind spot? It is the place where the optic nerve meets the back of the retina. Because no sensory cells are present in the retina at the meeting point, a "hole" is created in the field of view of each eye. The brain "fills in" the hole with what "ought" to be there, so we usually don't notice the blind spots. In this activity, students will determine several characteristics of the visual blind spot, including its approximate size and shape, as well as its impact on daily life. This lesson will tie in nicely with Activities 6, 7, and 17. This free selection includes the Table of Contents, Introduction, and Index.

Investigating Perception and Illusion

7/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

For a motivating and baffling experience, try this investigation of perceptual illusions and their causes. It allows students to observe, analyze, and compare a variety of optical illusions, and also to create their own optical illusions with pencil, paint, and paper. Their results will lead them to make conclusions about visual perception and to generalize about broader aspects of sensory perception. In the process, students will discover that shapes play a major role in illusions and that it can be difficult for one individual to simultaneously maintain two different perspectives.

Exploring the Dynamics of Temperature

7/15/2009 12:00:00 AM

Would your students like to take care of a penguin? To be a "penguinsitter," they would have to know what conditions that bird needs to survive. One important factor would be temperature. In this activity, you will challenge student groups to prove that they could care for a penguin by demonstrating they can maintain the temperature of a glass of water at 10°C (using ice and/or body heat from their hands) for 15 minutes, recording the temperature for every 30 seconds, and graphing their data. By reflecting on the procedure, students will learn about the dynamics of a closed system, the nature of water, and the value of adjusting to fluctuating environmental conditions.

Observing the Effects of Acids and Bases

7/15/2009 12:00:00 AM

Combining acid/base chemistry, cell biology, and quantitative research methods, this "egg-ceptional" activity promotes a truly interdisciplinary perspective. First, students find out what effect acids and bases have on calcium-based substances such as eggshell and bone. Second, they discover what changes occur when decalcified eggs are placed in solutions of water and corn syrup. Throughout the two exercises, student groups will be measuring, analyzing, and using data to reach valid conclusions.

Podcast: Tips for Conducting Ethics Discussions

7/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Tips for Conducting Ethics Discussions is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NIH/webseminarII.aspx">NIH: Exploring Bioethics II</a>, Wednesday, April 22, 2009. The podcast is 5 minutes 1 second in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two scheduled as a follow-up to the NIH: Exploring Bioethics - A New Model for Classroom Instruction Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In the program, Jeanne Chowning presented specific examples of the NIH and EDC developed curriculum for the teaching bioethics in the high school classroom. Participants reviewed and discussed sample questions on vaccination policies, talked about challenges in teaching bioethics, and were given philosophical background on where some of the ethical principles were initially derived. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSEBA09_Apr22">NIH: Exploring Bioethics II</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Criteria for Deciding Organ Transplantation

7/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Criteria for Deciding Organ Transplantation is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NIH/webseminarI.aspx">NIH: Exploring Bioethics I</a>, Thursday, March 26, 2009. The podcast is 11 minutes 16 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two Web Seminars scheduled as a follow-up to the NIH: Exploring Bioethics - A New Model for Classroom Instruction Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In the program, Liz Crane presented specific examples of the NIH and EDC developed curriculum for teaching bioethics in the high school classroom. Participants responded to a variety of prompts used with students and discussed the pedagogy for using the curriculum with their students. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSEBA09_Mar26">NIH: Exploring Bioethics I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Incorporating Bioethics into the Curriculum

7/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Incorporating Bioethics into the Curriculum is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NIH/webseminarI.aspx">NIH: Exploring Bioethics I</a>, Thursday, March 26, 2009. The podcast is 10 minutes 47 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two Web Seminars scheduled as a follow-up to the NIH: Exploring Bioethics - A New Model for Classroom Instruction Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In the program, Liz Crane presented specific examples of the NIH and EDC developed curriculum for teaching bioethics in the high school classroom. Participants responded to a variety of prompts used with students and discussed the pedagogy for using the curriculum with their students. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSEBA09_Mar26">NIH: Exploring Bioethics I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: The Case of Organ Transplantation

7/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: The Case of Organ Transplantation is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NIH/webseminarI.aspx">NIH: Exploring Bioethics I</a>, Thursday, March 26, 2009. The podcast is 9 minutes 16 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two Web Seminars scheduled as a follow-up to the NIH: Exploring Bioethics - A New Model for Classroom Instruction Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In the program, Liz Crane presented specific examples of the NIH and EDC developed curriculum for teaching bioethics in the high school classroom. Participants responded to a variety of prompts used with students and discussed the pedagogy for using the curriculum with their students. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSEBA09_Mar26">NIH: Exploring Bioethics I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: United Network for Organ Sharing

7/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: United Network for Organ Sharing is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NIH/webseminarI.aspx">NIH: Exploring Bioethics I</a>, Thursday, March 26, 2009. The podcast is 4 minutes 14 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two Web Seminars scheduled as a follow-up to the NIH: Exploring Bioethics - A New Model for Classroom Instruction Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In the program, Liz Crane presented specific examples of the NIH and EDC developed curriculum for teaching bioethics in the high school classroom. Participants responded to a variety of prompts used with students and discussed the pedagogy for using the curriculum with their students. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSEBA09_Mar26">NIH: Exploring Bioethics I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Weighing Organ Allocation Criteria

7/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Weighing Organ Allocation Criteria is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NIH/webseminarI.aspx">NIH: Exploring Bioethics I</a>, Thursday, March 26, 2009. The podcast is 6 minutes 55 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two Web Seminars scheduled as a follow-up to the NIH: Exploring Bioethics - A New Model for Classroom Instruction Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In the program, Liz Crane presented specific examples of the NIH and EDC developed curriculum for teaching bioethics in the high school classroom. Participants responded to a variety of prompts used with students and discussed the pedagogy for using the curriculum with their students. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSEBA09_Mar26">NIH: Exploring Bioethics I</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Classroom Resources for Coral Reefs

7/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Classroom Resources for Coral Reefs is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NOAA/webseminarII.aspx">NOAA: The Heat is On! Climate Change and Coral Reef Ecosystems II</a>, Thursday, April 30, 2009. The podcast is 5 minutes 55 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar is the second of two scheduled as a follow-up to The Heat is On! Climate Change an Coral Reef Ecosystems Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In the program, Dr. Mark Eakin talked about coral bleaching and the death of large areas of corals reefs that have been associated with this phenomenon. He also presented data that showed global climate change as the cause of the problem and mentioned specific behaviors that all individuals can engage in to help slow the destruction of this critical resource. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSCCC09_Apr30">NOAA: The Heat is On! Climate Change and Coral Reef Ecosystems II</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Climate Change Overview

7/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Climate Change Overview is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NOAA/webseminarII.aspx">NOAA: The Heat is On! Climate Change and Coral Reef Ecosystems II</a>, Thursday, April 30, 2009. The podcast is 11 minutes 53 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar is the second of two scheduled as a follow-up to The Heat is On! Climate Change an Coral Reef Ecosystems Symposium that took place at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans, LA. In the program, Dr. Mark Eakin talked about coral bleaching and the death of large areas of corals reefs that have been associated with this phenomenon. He also presented data that showed global climate change as the cause of the problem and mentioned specific behaviors that all individuals can engage in to help slow the destruction of this critical resource. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSCCC09_Apr30">NOAA: The Heat is On! Climate Change and Coral Reef Ecosystems II</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Bacteria and Toxins of Foodborne Illness

7/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Bacteria and Toxins of Foodborne Illness is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall08/FDA/webseminarII.aspx">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food</a>, December 18, 2008. The podcast is 15 minutes 46 seconds in duration. The source web seminar was the second of two featuring scientists and education specialists from the Food and Drug Administration, FDA. The seminars will focused on food microbiology, food processing, food epidemiology, the food label, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, and the public health impact of food safety. The presenter shared their science expertise, answered questions from the participants, and provided information regarding web sites that students can use in the classroom. The Web Seminar was designed for educators of grades 5-8. Topics include careers, disease, personal hygiene, nutrition, outbreaks, and food safety. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC08_Dec18">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Impact to Coral Reefs - Recreation

7/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Impact to Coral Reefs - Recreation is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/Corals/webseminarI.aspx">Coral Ecosystems: Impacts to Coral Reefs</a>, April 10, 2008. The podcast is 11 minutes 47 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two featuring scientists and education specialists from NOAA. This Web Seminar helped participants to link science expertise and archives to engaging, hands-on, and inquiry-based classroom activities. The seminar focused on the biology, dynamics, and conservation of coral ecosystems. This Web Seminar was designed for grade 5-12 educators. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSCES08_Apr10">Coral Ecosystems: Impacts to Coral Reefs</a> to place this archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Causes of Foodbourne Outbreaks

7/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Causes of Foodbourne Outbreaks is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall06/nutrition/webseminarII.aspx">Outbreak Investigation: Be The Detective</a>, January, 18 2007. The podcast is 4 minutes 35 seconds in duration. In the source Web SeminarIn educators had the opportunity to learn about outbreak investigations. The Center for Disease Control estimates that in 1999 there were 76 million foodborne illnesses in the United States. This number shows that foodborne illnesses area a serious problem in our country. The most common causes of foodborne outbreaks are ill workers who do not follow proper personal hygiene requirements. Click Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSFSN07_Jan18">Outbreak Investigation: Be The Detective, January, 18 2007</a> to place this archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Disorders Associated with food allergies

7/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Disorders Associated with food allergies is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall07/FDA/webseminarI.aspx">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food</a>, November 15, 2007. The podcast is 8 minutes 57 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two featuring scientists and education specialists from the Food and Drug Administration, FDA. The seminar focused on food microbiology, food processing, food epidemiology, the food label, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, and the public health impact of food safety. The presenter shared their science expertise, answered questions from the participants, and provided information regarding web sites that students can use in the classroom. This Web Seminar is designed for educators of grades 5-8. Topics include careers, disease, personal hygiene, nutrition, outbreaks, and food safety. Click, Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food to place this <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC07_nov15">archive</a> in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Food Allergies Management - Laws and Labeling

7/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Food Allergies Management - Laws and Labeling is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall07/FDA/webseminarI.aspx">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food</a>, November 15, 2007. The podcast is 5 minutes 42 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two featuring scientists and education specialists from the Food and Drug Administration, FDA. The seminar focused on food microbiology, food processing, food epidemiology, the food label, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, and the public health impact of food safety. The presenter shared their science expertise, answered questions from the participants, and provided information regarding web sites that students can use in the classroom. This Web Seminar is designed for educators of grades 5-8. Topics include careers, disease, personal hygiene, nutrition, outbreaks, and food safety. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC07_nov15">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food</a> to place this archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: What is a Food Allergy

7/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: What is a Food Allergy is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall07/FDA/webseminarI.aspx">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food</a>, November 15, 2007. The podcast is 13 minutes 51 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two featuring scientists and education specialists from the Food and Drug Administration, FDA. The seminar focused on food microbiology, food processing, food epidemiology, the food label, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, and the public health impact of food safety. The presenter shared their science expertise, answered questions from the participants, and provided information regarding web sites that students can use in the classroom. This Web Seminar is designed for educators of grades 5-8. Topics include careers, disease, personal hygiene, nutrition, outbreaks, and food safety. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC07_nov15">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food</a> to place this archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Podcast: Definition of Salt

7/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Definition of Salt is a segment of the Web Seminar <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/FDA/webseminarI.aspx">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food</a>, April 9, 2008. The podcast is 10 minutes 7 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two featuring scientists and education specialists from the Food and Drug Administration, FDA. The seminar focused on food microbiology, food processing, food epidemiology, the food label, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, and the public health impact of food safety. The presenter shared their science expertise, answered questions from the participants, and provided information regarding web sites that students can use in the classroom. This Web Seminar is designed for educators of grades 5-8. Topics include careers, disease, personal hygiene, nutrition, outbreaks, and food safety. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSTSC08_Apr09">Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food</a> to place this archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Chemical Reactions

7/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

SciPacks are 10 hour online learning experiences teachers can use to enhance their understanding of a particular scientific concept. Teachers access topics "on demand" from the Internet. Topics are based on science literacy goals in the national standards and tied to state standards. Pedagogical Implications also address student misconceptions. Expert content help is available via email as well as a final assessment to demonstrate understanding of the SciPack content. The Chemical Reactions SciPack provides an initial context by describing the abundance of chemical reactions in the surrounding world, then relates chemical reactions to electron configurations, describes bonding, and outlines special bonds among carbon atoms. It describes various types of chemical reactions, outlines the importance of factors such as timescales, concentration, pressure, temperature, molecular configuration and catalysts on chemical reaction rates. Finally, the SciPack relates chemical reactions to energy input and release, and connects reactions to the conservation of matter.

A World of Reactions

7/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

Science Objects are two hour on-line interactive inquiry-based content modules that help teachers better understand the science content they teach. This Science Object is the first of four Science Objects in the Chemical Reactions SciPack. It explains that chemical reactions occur all around us, for example in health care, cooking, cosmetics, and automobiles. An enormous variety of biological, chemical, and physical phenomena can be explained by changes in the arrangement and motion of atoms and molecules. An atom's electron configuration, particularly the outermost electrons, determines how the atom can interact with other atoms. Atoms form bonds to other atoms by transferring or sharing electrons. Carbon atoms can bond to one another in chains, rings, and branching networks to form a variety of structures, and complex chemical reactions involving these molecules take place constantly in every cell in living objects.

Rates of Chemical Reactions

7/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

Science Objects are two hour on-line interactive inquiry-based content modules that help teachers better understand the science content they teach. This Science Object is the third of four Science Objects in the Chemical Reactions SciPack. It demonstrates how chemical reactions can take place in time periods ranging from the few femto-seconds (10-15 seconds) required for an atom to move a fraction of a chemical bond distance to geologic time scales of billions of years. The rate of reactions among atoms and molecules depends on how often they encounter one another, which is affected by the concentration, pressure (for gases), and temperature of the reacting substances. The configuration of atoms in a molecule determines the molecule's properties. Shapes are particularly important in determining how large molecules interact with others. Some atoms and molecules called catalysts are highly effective in accelerating chemical reactions. Chemical reactions in living systems are catalyzed by protein molecules called enzymes.

Podcast: Anatomy of an Outbreak

7/9/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Anatomy of an Outbreak is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall06/nutrition/webseminarII.aspx">Outbreak Investigation: Be The Detective</a>, January, 18 2007. The podcast is 6 minutes 6 seconds in duration. In the source Web SeminarIn educators had the opportunity to learn about outbreak investigations. The Center for Disease Control estimates that in 1999 there were 76 million foodborne illnesses in the United States. This number shows that foodborne illnesses area a serious problem in our country. The most common causes of foodborne outbreaks are ill workers who do not follow proper personal hygiene requirements. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSFSN07_Jan18">Outbreak Investigation: Be The Detective</a> to place this archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Examining Colors, Color Perception, and Sight

7/8/2009 12:00:00 AM

Students of all ages are fascinated by color and how we perceive it. For the main activity in this chapter, your class explores colors and visual perception by mixing colors in several ways. Students learn more about colors, light, vision, and color composition as they mix paints, spin two or more colors into new colors, and make discoveries about color perception in the human eye and brain. The preliminary activity dynamically introduces several important terms related to vision: refraction, reflection, and spectrum. Students also learn about the anatomy of the vertebrate eye, as they build and operate a simple eye model, complete with lens. In the Going Further section, the class has the opportunity to discover variables that can affect an individual's perception of color.

Studies in Symmetry

7/8/2009 12:00:00 AM

This engaging lesson simultaneously involves animals, flowers, mathematical patterns, and art. Students will learn to discern between radial symmetry, bilateral symmetry, and asymmetry by observing and classifying objects, shapes, and photos and by determining their own rules for classifying according to symmetry. Options for creating several art projects demonstrating symmetry are also provided.

Mixing It Up: Integrated, Interdisciplinary, Intriguing Science in the Elementary Classroom (e-book)

7/7/2009 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).

Stepping Up to Science and Math: Exploring the Natural Connections (e-book)

7/6/2009 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."

Dig In! Hands-On Soil Investigtions (e-book)

7/6/2009 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!

Podcast: Properties of the Nanoscale NanoScience

7/6/2009 12:00:00 AM

ThePodcast: Properties of the Nanoscale NanoScience is a segment of the <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall07/NSTA_Press/webseminarI.aspx">Nanoscale Science: Activities for Grades 6-12: Tiny Science: Big Ideas</a> that took place on December 18, 2007. The podcast is 11 minutes 31 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two related to the NanoScale Science Symposium that took place at the NSTA Area Conference on Science Education in Birmingham, Alabama. The program focused on the NSTA Press book and its activities which are organized around five themes: scale, tools and techniques, unique properties and behaviors, nanotechnology applications, and societal implications

Podcast: Nanotechnology Benefits and Threats to the Environment

7/6/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: Nanotechnology Benefits and Threats to the Environment is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall07/NSTA_Press/webseminarII.aspx">Nanoscale Science: Activities for Grades 6-12: NanoScience and the Future</a>, January 15, 2008. The podcast is 12 minutes 59 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the second of two related to the NanoScale Science Symposium that took place at the NSTA Area Conference on Science Education in Birmingham, Alabama. In the seminar the presenters talked about some of the applications of nanotechnology like sensors, labels, medical applications, and tracking and their potential benefits and risks to society. The program was designed for educators of grades 6-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSNSA07_jan15">Nanoscale Science: Activities for Grades 6-12: NanoScience and the Future</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

The Life Cycle of Everyday Stuff (e-book)

7/3/2009 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.

Garden Genetics: Teaching With Edible Plants (Teacher Edition) (e-book)

7/3/2009 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.

Podcast: NanoScale Fact or Fiction

7/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Podcast: NanoScale Fact or Fiction is a segment of the Web Seminar: <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall07/NSTA_Press/webseminarI.aspx">Nanoscale Science: Activities for Grades 6-12: Tiny Science: Big Ideas</a>, December 18, 2007. The podcast is 8 minutes 27 seconds in duration. The source Web Seminar was the first of two related to the NanoScale Science Symposium that took place at the NSTA Area Conference on Science Education in Birmingham, Alabama. The program focused on the NSTA Press book and its activities which are organized around five themes: scale, tools and techniques, unique properties and behaviors, nanotechnology applications, and societal implications. The Web seminar was designed for educators of grades 6-12. Click, <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/9/WSNSA07_dec18">Nanoscale Science: Activities for Grades 6-12: Tiny Science: Big Ideas</a> to place the web seminar archive in your Learning Center Library now.

Virus and the Whale: Exploring Evolution in Creatures Small and Large (e-book)

7/1/2009 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.

Evolution in Perspective: The Science Teacher's Compendium (e-book)

7/1/2009 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.

Animal Coloration: Activities on the Evolution of Concealment (e-book)

6/30/2009 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.

More Everyday Science Mysteries: Stories for Inquiry-Based Science Teaching (e-book)

6/25/2009 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

Trees From Helicopters, Continued

6/25/2009 12:00:00 AM

Maples are very interesting trees with lots of variation in form. They provide us with a view of diversity in plants as well as a chance to look at natural phenomena that is very common to anyone who has had a maple tree near them. The main purpose is to allow students to examine what happens in the reproductive life of trees. This is indeed a fascinating everyday science mystery. This activity also provides an excellent opportunity for students to observe, draw, and describe in their science notebooks the changes that take place over time.

Flowers: More Than Just Pretty

6/25/2009 12:00:00 AM

Children love to look at flowers but few are inclined to become familiar with the structure and function of the flower. This story is aimed at providing some motivation for children to learn about one of the most important evolutionary developments in the plant and animal world. The students will also develop skills to help them decipher the purpose of these fascinating structures and the fruits that emerge from them.

A Tasteful Story

6/25/2009 12:00:00 AM

Hardly a day goes by without something arriving by e-mail or being posted on the internet that just doesn't sound true. The boys in this story are depicted as having alert skepticism about things that don't actually add up in their minds and determining to find out for themselves. Actually, the tongue map has been around for a long time, even in textbooks. Just recently, it has undergone scrutiny and was found to be a myth. At least, so say some "experts." Therefore, the purpose of the story is threefold: (1) to design the proper test for the tongue map; (2) to encourage the alert skepticism we want our students to display when confronted with seemingly discrepant information; and (3) to learn something about the nervous system and how it works.

Rotten Apples

6/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

In 1991 and 1992, John Leach, Bonnie Shapiro, and the author did a study in which they interviewed approximately 400 students from the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States about their beliefs surrounding the decay of an apple over a year's time. They found that children in all three countries had little understanding of the process of decay and almost totally ignored the role of microorganisms in the process. They believed that apples or any other previously living thing left on the ground miraculously turned to soil, were eaten by animals, or merely disappeared. Therefore, the main purpose of this story is to help students explore how decay breaks down organic material so that it can be recycled within its ecosystem.

Worms Are for More Than Bait

6/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

Segmented worms are considered "yucky" by a great many people, yet they are members of a large animal group that populates the entire world and provides a great service to our planet. The story should stimulate students to want to know more about this group of animals-their behavior, life cycles, habits, and their benefit to the Earth. Worms are also cool. Once kids get to know them, they find them very interesting and should become protective of these animals so vital to our ecosystem. This free selection includes the Table of Contents, Preface, and Index.

What Did That Owl Eat?

6/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

This story is true, although Maria and Enrique are fictional characters. A barred owl does live in the rafter of the chickee at Shark Valley and does drop owl pellets from its nest almost daily. The purpose of this story is twofold: (1) to learn more about the eating habits of owls and (2) learn something about the anatomy of what the owls eat, which is mostly rodents. This is done by dissecting the owl pellet and trying to put together the bones in the pellet into a complete skeleton.

Climate Change From Pole to Pole: Biology Investigations (e-Book)

6/23/2009 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.

Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 2: 25 More Formative Assessment Probes (e-Book)

6/23/2009 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.

Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 1: 25 Formative Assessment Probes (e-book)

6/23/2009 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.

Trees From Helicopters

6/22/2009 12:00:00 AM

This story is aimed at promoting not only inquiry into the germination of tree seeds but seeing trees as typical flowering plants, also known as angiosperms. There is also ample opportunity to take an excursion into fruits and seeds and the germination of seeds.

About Me

6/18/2009 12:00:00 AM

Just what kinds of characteristics do living things receive from their parents and what kinds of traits do they not? What makes the offspring of any animal or plant have the basic characteristics of the parents? There happen to be a great number of human traits that are inherited from parents that are very visible to the naked eye. In fact, eye shape, ear shape and in particular, ear lobe presence or not, hair color, hair texture (including curly or straight), the widow's peak, and the ability to roll one's tongue are very easy to observe and record. The purpose of this chapter's story is to prompt children to explore traits inherited from parents and grandparents and to realize that they are passed from parents to their offspring.

Oatmeal Bugs

6/18/2009 12:00:00 AM

The mystery here has a lot to do with the life cycle of the insect in the cereal and what the various stages were that Emma found in the box. However, it is important that children get to know more about the most populous animals on our planet. It is important for them to understand their life cycles, their behavior, and the role they play within the Earth's ecosystems. Some can be most destructive and yet without many of them we would have no fruit or many kinds of vegetables whose flowers they pollinate, no honey, no beautiful butterflies and moths, no food for many animals and plants, and no decomposing of animals and plants that die. From the pedagogical point of view, insects invite inquiry into their behavior, their life cycles, and their adaptations to every climate and habitat known to humans. Get to know them-they are really cool!

Dried Apples

6/18/2009 12:00:00 AM

Water makes up a very high percentage of all living things. This story is aimed at providing children with the opportunity to measure the surprising amount of water found in fruit. It also provides an opportunity for the teacher to emphasize the importance of water in our lives. However, the story is multifaceted and it takes advantage of the curiosity of children about different textures and tastes and encourages them to experiment with foods they are not accustomed to eating. It also addresses the concept of variety in a common fruit, the apple, and could possibly lead to questions about the purpose of a fruit and how it comes to be.

Seed Bargains

6/18/2009 12:00:00 AM

Children as well as adults are usually intrigued by the ideas of bargains. More seeds for less money is often enough to convince them to buy a larger, cheaper package. In this case, the children are savvy enough to question the value of either package. One seems overly expensive and the other too good to be true. Another common response among consumers of any age is that the more something costs, the better it must be. Implicit in this story is the question, "Which package is the best value?" This story presents a case and an opportunity for promoting the development of alert skepticism as young consumers. The story then suggests that the children can find out for themselves what differences, if any, there are between the two groups of seeds. In addition, it asks the children to decide what "better" might mean. It becomes their task to create the criteria upon which they will design their investigations and their predictions.

Watershed Investigations: 12 Labs for High School Science (e-book)

6/17/2009 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.

Experimental Population Genetics in the Introductory Genetics Laboratory Using Drosophila as a Model Organism

6/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

Hypotheses of population genetics are derived and tested by students in the introductory genetics laboratory classroom as they explore the effects of biotic variables (physical traits of fruit flies) and abiotic variables (island size and distance) on fruit fly populations. In addition to this hypothesis-driven experiment, the development of scientific writing skills is an integral part of this exercise.

Hands-On Herpetology: Exploring Ecology and Conservation (e-book)

6/9/2009 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.

Teaching Green - The Middle School Years: Hands-on Learning in Grade 6-8

6/8/2009 12:00:00 AM

For anyone working with young people in grades 6-8-either inside or outside schools-Teaching Green contains over 50 of the best activities and teaching strategies contributed to Green Teacher magazine over the last 10 years by educators from across North America. Organized into 'green teaching' categories, the book offers a host of ideas for hands-on learning about biodiversity, ecology, resource consumption, green technology and the world around us. This collection will inspire educators who are seeking innovative strategies for incorporating 'green' themes into their programs.

PhUn Week: Understanding Physiology

6/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

Topics such as sports, exercise, health, and nutrition can make the science of physiology relevant and engaging for students. In addition, many lessons on these topics, such as those on the cardiovascular, respiratory, and digestive systems, align with national and state life science education standards. Physiology Understanding Week (PhUn Week)-sponsored by the American Physiological Society (APS)-is an annual outreach event in November that highlights the science of exercise and health. As part of this event, physiologists volunteer to collaborate with teachers in their local communities and visit classrooms to engage students in physiology-based activities.

Teaching Through Trade Books: Flower Power

6/4/2009 12:00:00 AM

Summer is here and flowers are in bloom! Each flowering plant produces a unique bloom that provides opportunities for students to make observations about plants. By comparing and contrasting flowers, students can connect their learning to the larger picture that all organisms have different structures that help them to survive.

Linking Science and Writing With Two Bad Ants

6/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

Two Bad Ants, a fictional story detailing the journey of "two bad ants" that stray from their colony and choose to stay in a container full of large, white, sweet-tasking crystals (sugar)-was the catalyst for an engaging five-day study with third-grade students. In this hands-on investigation with live ants, students are introduced to the process of scientific inquiry; in language arts, the story ushered in lessons about point of view, using sensory details, and developing the writing process. Through artwork and text, students observe human life from the perspective of two small insects.

Adventures in Paleontology: 36 Classroom Fossil Activities (e-book)

5/18/2009 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.

Using Forensics: Wildlife Crime Scene! (e-book)

5/18/2009 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.

Archive: APS: Studying the Human Physiological Limits of Exploring Mars, May 13, 2009

5/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

Dr. Jim Pawelczyk, Associate Professor of Physiology, Kinesiology and Medicine at Pennsylvania State University has had extensive experience as an astronaut and researcher on the effects of microgravity on the human body. Missions to Mars would require humans to travel well beyond the current record of 15 months by a Russian astronaut, and doubling that length to nearly 30 months. Factors such as the environment, bone repair and growth, radiation, psychological stamina, and other influences play a critical role towards achieving this goal. Data from previous missions such as the International Space Station and Skylab have helped in determining how to address these challenges, but Pawelczyk points out the need to inspire today's students to realize the solutions and possibilities of such travel since they will be our astronauts, engineers, and scientists of tomorrow. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NSDL3/Webseminar8.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

Flow of Energy and Matter: Photosynthesis

5/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this chapter, the authors explore the misconception that carbon from carbon dioxide is the source of a plant's mass. They also look at other common, research-identified misconceptions that make it difficult for students to understand photosynthesis and to connect the photosynthetic processes in a plant cell to the plant and its surroundings. They focus on photosynthesis as a mechanism for harnessing energy and generating organic carbon from atmospheric carbon. In addition, they briefly discuss what happens to that carbon in the plant once photosynthesis is complete and gas exchange in plants during respiration. This free selection includes the Table of Contents, Introduction, and Index.

Archive: The Heat is On! Climate Change and Coral Reef Ecosystems, April 30, 2009

4/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar took place on April 30, 2009, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. Presenting was Dr. Mark Eakin who serves as an Oceanographer in NOAA's NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research. In this Seminar, Dr. Eakin focused the discussion on coral bleaching and the global climate changes that our causing the issue. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NOAA/webseminarII.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

Archive: Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food, April 28, 2009

4/28/2009 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar took place on April 28, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Presenting was Dr. Kenneth Taylor of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. In this Seminar, Dr. Taylor focused the discussion on Dietary Supplements and the regulations that govern those products. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/FDA/webseminarII.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

Billions of Us: Scale and Population

4/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Population is increasingly important as both a scientific and a political subject. The world is getting more crowded. Providing students with the tools to understand population numbers is not only important for their basic understanding of their world, but it is also essential for their future navigation of social and political subjects ranging from energy use and the environment to globalization and the economy. How many people live in your city? Your state? Your country? Your world? How many people live in the United States versus China? This exercise helps students explore the magnitudes of populations and build familiarity with the scales of city, country, and world populations. A related exercise explores the connection between population and energy consumption by comparing the populations of various countries and their corresponding use of oil. This free selection includes the Table of Contents, Introduction, and Index. As a special bonus, the chapter entitled, That's Hot! The Effect of Size on Rate of Heat Loss is also included.

Plant Identification

4/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

This investigation gives students the opportunity to view the outside world and bring science into the field. Teaching students how to identify plants gives them a greater appreciation for nature, just as learning to read words lets young students begin to appreciate literature. As older students learn to identify plants, they become educated about what lives in the watershed and they develop a greater desire to preserve it. They also become familiar with invasive species that may be invading their watershed. This free selection includes the Table of Contents, Preface, and the Index.

The Creation Controversy and The Science Classroom (e-book)

4/23/2009 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.

Archive: Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears: Arctic and Antarctic Birds, April 21, 2009

4/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar, developed in collaboration with the National Science Digital Library(NSDL), took place on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. In this program, presenters Jennifer Fee, Colleen McLinn, and Jessica Fries-Gaither provided an overview of resources that can be used to investigate bird behavior in the classroom. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NSDL3/Webseminar7.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

Favorite Demonstration: Using Dice to Explore the Consequences of DNA Mutations

4/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

Working collaboratively, students explore the effect of different types of DNA mutations using dice. The exercise provides students with a tangible way of visualizing how mutations may contribute to genetic diversity and the randomness with which they may occur. After the exercise, students comprehend better why some mutations may cause devastating phenotypic effects, while others have no effect on the resulting protein. It is an ideal exercise for instructors who are new or inexperienced in using group activities in their classes or by those who would like to expand their repertoire of biology exercises. This demonstration can easily be done in a large lecture hall or in a laboratory setting.

Invasion Ecology (Teacher's Guide) (e-book)

4/18/2009 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.

Assessing Toxic Risk (Teacher's Guide) (e-book)

4/18/2009 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.

Watershed Dynamics (Teacher Edition) (Includes the full Student Edition) (e-book)

4/18/2009 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.

Integration With Big Ideas in Mind

4/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

Integrating science lessons with lessons in other content areas can be an efficient use of limited time, but not every activity can be integrated productively. Teachers must consider several factors when making decisions about which lessons to integrate: time available, specific curricular requirements in other content areas, and the interests of particular students to name a few. In this article, the authors discuss using the big ideas-concepts that can be applied to explain a variety of phenomena across contexts-to guide choices about integrating science across the content areas. This approach can help students develop lasting understanding about important scientific ideas.

Archive: The Heat is On! Climate Change and Coral Reef Ecosystems, April 2, 2009

4/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar took place on April 2, 2009, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. Presenting was Dr. Dwight Gledhill, a chemist with NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) Ocean Chemistry Division. In this Seminar, Dr. Gledhill focused the discussion on changes that are being observed in coral reef ecosystems that are directly attributed to climate change. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NOAA/webseminarI.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

The Artistic Oceanographer Program

4/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Artistic Oceanographer Program (AOP) was designed to engage elementary school students in ocean sciences and to illustrate basic fifth-grade science and art standards with ocean-based examples. The program combines short science lessons, hands-on observational science, and art, and focuses on phytoplankton, the tiny marine organisms that form the base of the marine food web. This article describes one of the AOP's multidisciplinary lessons that promotes ocean literacy while capturing students' interest.

Archive: Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food, April 1, 2009

4/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar took place on April 1, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Presenting was Alan Tart, Regional Retail Food Specialist and Co-Team Leader for the FDA National Retail Food Field Team. In this Seminar Mr. Tart focused the discussion on Teaching Food Safety to Oral-Culture Communication Learners. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/FDA/webseminarI.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

Archive: Exploring Bioethics - A New Model for Classroom Instruction, March 26, 2009

3/26/2009 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar took place on March 26, 2009, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Presenting was Liz Crane, High School Teacher from Brookline HS in Massachusetts! Ms. Crane has extensive experience with the curriculum created by NIH and EDC and gave participants an overview of some of the curriculum modules. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NewOrleans09/NIH/webseminarI.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

Observing Nature

3/25/2009 12:00:00 AM

In this activity, students will be asked to review their experiments from the previous chapters. Throughout this book, the students have studied animal coloration through the use of models, rather than by investigating living animals. This activity gives students the opportunity to use the knowledge they have gained to design an investigation in a real life setting.

Disruptive Coloration

3/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

Most animals are patterned. While some markings may serve as an advertisement, many appear to function in concealment. Because of the principal way in which they seem to function, such markings are often termed disruptive coloration. Although there are a number of characteristics that may influence the effectiveness of markings in disruption; this study will only focus on two aspects: (1) the effectiveness of the position of markings in blurring or enhancing outline, and (2) the degree to which strongly contrasting markings may interfere with or aid recognition. In regard to the former, it must be kept in mind that the profile changes with change in viewing angle. Thus the pattern seen in relation to the profile most commonly presented to predator (or prey) is of most interest to us here.

Concealment of Give-Away Parts

3/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

The outline of an animal is not the only feature that might give it away. Often some part of it, perhaps its eyes or its legs or its tail, might also be a clue. In this activity, these parts are called giveaway parts. The function of the first activity is to consider the problem of eye concealment more carefully as students investigate the usefulness of an eye stripe. In the second activity, the frog's give-away parts will be inspected through a series of exercises.

Concealing Behavior

3/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

A previous activity suggested the importance of behavior to an animal with coincident coloration. If the stripe-legged frog fails to fold its legs, the disruptive markings on them lose much of their effectiveness. If, when at rest, a moth with coincident wing markings on them lose much of their effectiveness. If, when at rest, a moth with coincident wing markings leaves its wings spread too widely after alighting, the coincident pattern that normally cuts across them is broken into pieces. This activity considers further aspects of behavior that may influence the effectiveness of their concealing coloration. In the second activity, further attention is paid to the influence of behavior on concealment as students put to test much of their recently acquired knowledge by playing the Lizard Game.

Matching Background Color

3/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

This chapter introduces an especially important subject in the concealment of animals-countershading. One observes many animals with colors that match the general color of their usual backgrounds. Many leaf-eating insects appear green, for example, making them relatively inconspicuous against their normal background of leaves. The manner of coloration that will provide such a color match is not as obvious as one might imagine. It depends significantly on the nature of the lighting. The inquiry-based activities included in this section effectively illustrate this concept.

Evolution and the Functions of Color

3/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

The purpose of the first activity is to stimulate students' interest in the coloration of animals. While students may already be aware that the white coat of the polar bear provides some measure of concealment in the snowy surroundings of the Arctic, or that the green color of certain caterpillars may be helpful to them in their leafy habitat, they have probably not stopped to think that the coloration of many animals serves a useful function. Therefore, the primary purpose of this activity is to suggest that any question about animal coloration may have an answer, perhaps even an answer that students themselves can discover.

About Fish

3/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

This activity introduces students to an animal that is to be the subject of much experimentation by them. Because most fish have a relatively simple form and exhibit a wide variety of colors and patterns, they prove to be an excellent animal for experimental study of many aspects of coloration. The body of the lesson is devoted to a description and discussion of the external structure of fish.

Archive: NOAA/NSTA Symposium: The Heat is On!: Climate Change and Coral Reef Ecosystems, New Orleans, Louisiana: March 21, 2009

3/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

During this half-day Symposium, experts and educators from NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program and Coral Reef watch gave an overview of the biology of coral and coral reefs and showed the participants how satellite data is used to understand and predict coral bleaching events and ocean acidification. The participants engaged in hands-on experiments which illustrated the effects of ocean acidification and helped learners understand the structure and biology of a coral polyp.

Archive: FDA/NSTA Symposium: Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food, New Orleans, Louisiana: March 20, 2009

3/20/2009 12:00:00 AM

During this half-day Symposium, experts and educators from FDA explained how foodborne pathogens are tracked in an outbreak investigation and the scientific basis for the percent daily values (%DVs) on the Nutrition Facts Label. FDA experts and master educators also lead participants in activities exploring the meaning of the food label and examining the effects of different treatments of milk on milk storage. These presentations and activities were aimed at giving educators tools to use in their classrooms to help students experience several of the National Science Education Standards. Each participant received a notebook of teaching resources from FDA.

Archive: NIH/NSTA Symposium: Exploring Bioethics - A New Model for Classroom Instruction, New Orleans, Louisiana: March 19, 2009

3/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

During this half-day Symposium, science and education experts from NIH focused their presentations and activities on the teaching of bioethics in the high school biology classroom. They modeled field-tested lessons that can engage students in understanding current practices in biomedicine, such as genetic testing. The presenters also lead discussions regarding the ethical concepts of fairness, respect, and weighing harms and benefits, and shared strategies for facilitating rich ethics discussions in the classroom. All participants received educational materials from NIH.

Catching a Cold

3/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students' ideas about infectious disease. The probe is designed to find out whether students use the germ theory to explain what causes an infectious disease like the common cold. This free selection includes the Preface, Introduction, Table of Contents, and the Index.

Mendelian Genetics

3/6/2009 12:00:00 AM

In a typical Mendelian genetics lab, students cross flies or other organisms of known genotypes, score phenotypes of the offspring, and determine if their results are significantly different from expected phenotype ratios. For this unit, the traditional dihybrid cross lab has been reformatted into an inquiry-based exercise. Students receive two vials of wild-type (Canton S or Oregon R) flies and two vials of mutant flies, but they are not told the genotype of assigned mutants. During the first week they must identify the mutation(s) present by comparing the adults in the two vials. Subsequently students must cross mutant flies to wild-type flies and, based on phenotype ratios in the F1 and F2 generations, determine the pattern of inheritance and most likely genotype of the original mutants. Students decide for themselves what crosses must be done to uncover the pattern of inheritance. This free selection includes the Table of Contents, Preface, and Index. As a special bonus, the chapter entitled A Brief Introduction to Inquiry is also included.

Case Study: Chimpanzee Droppings Lead Scientists to Evolutionary Discovery

3/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

This case study explores the evolution of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) from SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus) and how scientists approach problems. The goal is for students to get a sense of how questions are formulated and methods are employed in the field, to understand the contribution of basic and applied science toward fostering our understanding of the natural world, and to explore a case on viral evolution.

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.

Chow Down! Using Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches to Explore Basic Nutrition Concepts

2/25/2009 12:00:00 AM

The Madagascar hissing cockroach gromphadorhina portentosa) is one of the most exciting and enjoyable animals to incorporate into your science curriculum. Madagascar hissing cockroaches (MHCs) do not bite, are easy to handle, produce little odor compared to many terrarium animals, have a fascinating social structure, are easy to breed, teach students how to properly care for animals, and are very cool looking! This article describes an inquiry-based MHC activity and further questions for your students to explore. The activity and questions address basic concepts of nutrition.

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

2/25/2009 12:00:00 AM

Watershed Investigations: 12 Labs for High School Science

2/25/2009 12:00:00 AM

Shark Teeth Classification

2/19/2009 12:00:00 AM

On a recent autumn afternoon at Harmony Leland Elementary in Mableton, Georgia, students in a fifth-grade science class investigated the essential process of classification-the act of putting things into groups according to some common characteristics or attributes. While they may have honed these skills earlier in the week by grouping their own shoes or school supplies, this class provided the unique opportunity to classify objects that are inherently fascinating to students-shark teeth fossils! This article describes how by using the teeth to estimate the length of ancient sharks, students got a classification activity they could really sink their teeth into.

Classification and the Dichotomous Key

2/6/2009 12:00:00 AM

Classification is a vital science-process skill for all students to master. Understanding dichotomous keys as a means of classification enables students to better comprehend large amounts of information and understand how to organize, compare and contrast, and analyze that information. To biology students, mastering the dichotomous key provides an avenue through which they can identify any organism they come in contact with. This article discusses how to approach and teach the concepts of classification and identification in science classes.

Biological Clocks and Circadian Rhythms

1/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

The study of biological clocks and circadian rhythms is an excellent way to address the inquiry strand in the National Science Education Standards (NSES) (NRC 1996). Students can study these everyday phenomena by designing experiments, gathering and analyzing data, and generating new experiments. As students explore biological clocks and circadian rhythms, they are provided with opportunities to connect learning to experiences and observations from their own lives. This article describes how to reset the biological clock of a shamrock plant while shedding light on its circadian rhythms.

Science Sampler: Using seashells to teach classification

1/29/2009 12:00:00 AM

Everyone loves the beach. Unfortunately, most schools don't have access to beachfront property. So, why not bring the beach to the classroom? This seashell lab investigation is great because students enjoy it, they learn that science is a way to solve problems through a thinking process, and they learn about the important methods of classification. Through these different methods, students take part in the same process that a scientist would to classify an organism, only on a smaller time scale that fits within classroom instructional time.

Tread Lightly: The Truth About Science Friction

1/27/2009 12:00:00 AM

During a recent unit on characteristics of animals in different environments, "backyard safari" trips around the schoolyard provided opportunities for students to describe ways that animals are adapted to their unique environments. This led to a discussion of how polar bears have adjusted to living in the arctic. Therefore, students' questions provided an opportunity to make natural connections between the life science topic-characteristics of organisms and their environment-and properties of objects and materials in physical science. Using broad themes that encompass concepts in several science strands helps students to develop understanding of the "big ideas" of science-in this case, form and function.

Botanical Scavenger Hunt

1/27/2009 12:00:00 AM

Why not combine the use of technology with the excitement of a scavenger hunt that moves middle-level students out into the "wilds" of their school campus to classify plants? In the lesson plan described here, students embark on a botanical scavenger hunt and then document their findings using a digital camera. This project was designed to allow students to not only understand the concept of classification, but to incorporate 21st skills such as collaboration, public speaking, problem solving, and creativity.

The Early Years: Bring On Spring-Planting Peas

1/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Growing peas helps children who grow food at home make a connection between school and home by sharing their experience, and those who have never seen a field of crops make a connection between soil, weather, and food production by growing a trial crop. Learning about growing plants is part of the National Science Education Content Standard C: Life Science.

Teaching Through Trade Books: Secrets of Seeds

1/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

From a tiny radish seed to a giant coconut, seeds come in a multitude of shapes and sizes. They all share one amazing secret: the potential to grow into a new plant when conditions are right. In this month's column, students observe a variety of seeds, match seeds to the plants they grow into, explore what seeds need to germinate and grow, and design investigations with seeds.

Science Shorts: Hypothesis Testing-It's Okay to Be Wrong

1/22/2009 12:00:00 AM

Students often seek affirmation from their teachers about their thinking and can be embarrassed at the thought of being "wrong." In science, we want children to feel comfortable making hypotheses and to know that it's the investigative process-not being right or wrong-that really counts. In the following activity, students will participate in an experiment where they are likely to formulate a hypothesis that will ultimately be unsupported. Because most of the class will have made similar hypotheses, students won't feel singled out in being "wrong." Furthermore, students will see that surprise findings can be more interesting than outcomes that were suspected all along.

Every Day Science: February 2009

1/22/2009 12:00:00 AM

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

Plants on the Move

1/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

When it comes to directly interacting with and doing experiments with organisms, plants have some distinct advantages over animals. Their diversity and accessibility allows students to use them in experiments, thus practicing important science inquiry skills. This article describes an investigation that was designed to help students appreciate the relationships between the form and function of plant structures as they experimentally test plant adaptation. In this simple classroom experiment, fifth- and sixth-grade students examined and compared different types of seeds and investigated which seeds travel farthest on the wind.

Honeybees, Butterflies, and Ladybugs: Partners to Plants

1/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

Honeybees, butterflies, and ladybugs all have fascinating mutually beneficial relationships with plants and play important ecosystem roles. Children also love these creatures. But how do we teach children about these symbiotic interactions and help them appreciate their vital roles in our environment? One must is to give children direct experience observing and exploring living things in the world around them. Direct experiences excite children about science, but Louv notes that "most children today are hard-pressed to develop a sense of wonder" (2005, p. 95). With that in mind, this series of experiences with living things was designed to encourage this kind of wonder in students.

Creating a Schoolyard Mini-Garden

1/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

The creation of schoolyard gardens is a growing movement in the United States and around the world (Ballard, Tong, and Usher 1998; Pope 1998; Lewis 2004). It brings together all of the features of authentic hands-on science: Students can collect data on plant growth, observe the plant and animal interactions in the garden, and acquire a sense of nature and environmental issues. Here the author shares how easy it can be to start a schoolyard garden, using an in-class germination project as a starting point. With just a tiny plot of land, they created a mini-garden that infused third-grade students with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Leaves: Nature's Solar Collectors

1/21/2009 12:00:00 AM

One of the most captivating things about plants is the way they capture the Sun's energy, but this can be a difficult topic to cover with elementary students. Therefore, to help students to make a concrete connection to this abstract concept, this series of solar-energy lessons focuses on leaves and how they act as "solar collectors." As students pondered the mechanics of leaves' solar-collecting abilities, they began to understand plant behavior in a meaningful way.

Worms Eat School Lunch Too?

1/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

In the process of discovering the extraordinary creature commonly known as a red wiggler worm-or as scientists would identify it, Eisenia fetida, fifth-grade students recycled their school lunch leftovers, made predictions about worm behavior in compost bins, discovered the process of decomposition, and valued the importance of organic farming methods. Students were able to develop science-process skills (e.g., developing a plan, measuring, constructing, using data, predicting, and communicating) and relate mathematical procedures in a significant way, all while their worms processed those lunchroom leftovers into organic plant food!

The Potential da Vinci in All of Us

1/13/2009 12:00:00 AM

The study of the human form is fundamental to both science and art curricula. For vertebrates, perhaps no feature is more important than the skeleton to determine observable form and function. As Leonard da Vinci's famous Proportions of the Human Figure (Virtruvian Man) illustrates, the size, shape, and proportions of the human body are defined by bones and their articulations. In this unit that focuses on the human skeleton, students are introduced to these concepts by asking them both to study da Vinci's drawing and build their own model of the human skeleton. Units on animal camouflage and architecture are also presented to further support the art and science connection.

Favorite Demonstration: Biological Membranes

1/12/2009 12:00:00 AM

This demonstration provides an excellent example of how eukaryotic cells are compartmentalized and how important the bilipid layer of the endomembrane system is in providing this sectioned architecture. This demonstration also effectively depicts how lipid barriers exhibit a hydrophobic response to polar substances such as the cytoplasm and the nucleoplasm. By disrupting the various membranes during the demonstration, students can observe the amphipathetic nature of the membranes. Although this is not a true lipid bilayer, the characteristics of the lipid fluidity in membranes is clearly exemplified.

Explore the World Using Protozoa (e-Book)

1/12/2009 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.

Nanoscale Science: Activities for Grades 6-12 (e-Book)

1/6/2009 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.

Science Sampler: Seeing the world in a garden-Science and art curricula synergy

1/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

Duke Farms and Gardens, a 2,700-acre estate in Hillsborough, New Jersey, that includes a large greenhouse, was the site of a middle school field trip that provided the opportunity to highlight overlapping science and visual art curricula goals. Some of the classroom activities that students engaged in before and after returning from the field trip included creating three-dimensional terrariums with living plants, rocks, and earth, and sketching, drawing, painting, and making prints of the contents of the discrete greenhouse gardens.

Straight from the Mouths of Horses and Tapirs: Using Fossil Teeth to Clarify How Ancient Environments Have Changed Over Time

12/31/2008 12:00:00 AM

Clarifying ancient environments millions of years ago is necessary to better understand how ecosystems change over time, providing insight as to the potential impacts of current global warming. This module engages middle school students in the scientific process, asking them to use tooth measurement to test the null hypothesis that horse and tapir diets have not changed over time. Based on their tooth study, students are then asked to make a new hypothesis regarding the diets of these animals, testing their second hypothesis with dental microwear data. Students utilize multiple learning styles during their paleontology research projects, ultimately making scientific illustrations based on their analysis of the quantitative data.

Extracting the Max From a DNA Extraction

12/31/2008 12:00:00 AM

Students of all ages get a thrill out of actually seeing clumps or strands of DNA. The Biotechnology/Bioinformatics Discovery! Project, a professional development workshop offered to science teachers, has always included a DNA-extraction activity. Over the course of four years, as the authors conducted these workshops for scores of teachers, they extended and refined the DNA-extraction activity to make it relevant to middle school students. Although the protocol for this exercise is on their project website along with teaching tips, they describe here the use of oral directions to give teachers many opportunities to interact with their students, and to assess how well students can follow directions and stay focused on the task.

Archive: Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food, December 18, 2008

12/18/2008 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar took place on December 18, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Presenting was Alan Tart, a Regional Retail Food Specialist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The presentation focused on biological food safety hazards. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall08/FDA/webseminarII.aspx" target=_Blank">go here</a>.

The Early Years: What Sort of Feather?

12/15/2008 12:00:00 AM

What do feathers have to do with flying? How is a feather like a hair? Do all feathers look the same or serve the same purpose? What does a feather look like inside? These are the type of open-ended questions to explore with your students as they handle feathers, wool, and hair. In addition, children can classify birds by many characteristics, including color, shape, size, and adaptation, such as webbed feet. Classifying objects such as feathers supports children's learning about the objects as well as how scientists order the information they gather and is part of the National Science Education Content Standards A: Science as Inquiry and C: Life Science.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

12/11/2008 12:00:00 AM

Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! Digital cameras, young inquisitive scientists, give it a try! In this project, students create an open-ended question for investigation, capture and record their observations-data-with digital cameras, and create a digital story to share their findings. The project follows a 5E learning cycle-Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate/Extend, and Evaluate-and meets science learning standards as students model inquiry behaviors such as making careful observations and using simple tools (i.e., the digital camera) to gather information and extend their senses, while learning about animal diversity and animals in their environments in a meaningful way.

An O-"fish"-ial Research Project

12/11/2008 12:00:00 AM

In this "O-"fish"-ial" research project, third-grade students use multiple resources to research several fish species, write a research paper and develop a PowerPoint presentation to communicate their findings. In addition, students actually examine these species up close with samples from the local market, and then conclude the project with a celebratory fish-tasting party. Best of all, students not only learn about habitats, ecosystems, and food chains, but also incorporate the science-process skills of observing, classifying, communicating, inferring, predicting, and measuring into this inviting "menu" of learning!

First-Grade Record Keepers

12/11/2008 12:00:00 AM

Developing good record-keeping habits is essential for organizing, processing, and communicating experimental results objectively. Therefore, the authors designed an interactive method of teaching first graders to record, organize, and interpret data as they studied the life cycle of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum). In their curricular sequence, students recorded the water temperature, date, and number of salamander eggs that hatched. Additionally, students illustrated the salamander's developmental stages over time in a personal journal and learned how to organize data on bar graphs. In this article, they describe their experiences to inspire you to try similar units with your young scientists

Archive:The Chemistry of Color Additives, December 2, 2008

12/2/2008 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar took place on December 2, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Presenting was Dr. Bhakti Petigara-Harp, chemist in the Office of Cosmetics and Colors at the FDA. Dr. Petigara-Harp's current responsibilities include research and methods development for color additives using various analytical techniques including HPLC and mass spectrometry, among others, for FDA's color certification program. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall08/FDA/webseminarI.aspx" target="_blank">go here</a>.

Archive: FDA/NSTA Symposium: Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food, Portland, Oregon: November 21, 2008

11/21/2008 12:00:00 AM

During this half-day symposium, scientists and education specialists from the FDA shared information with teachers about food science, bioscience, and the food label. The presenters also performed activities that enhanced the participants' knowledge about the topic of food science and served as models for activities the teachers can do with students in the classroom. Participants learned how FDA scientists use DNA micro-array technology to detect foodborne pathogens, about the scientific basis for the percent daily values (%DVs) on the Nutrition Facts Label, and how to culture bacteria found in food. All participants received a binder prepared by the FDA team including paper copies of all the PowerPoint slides, informational handouts about food science, and a $60 stipend for attending the symposium.

Archive: Intro to the Atlas of Science Literacy, November 18, 2008

11/18/2008 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar took place on November 18, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Presenting was Ted Willard, project director for Project 2061 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Assisting Mr. Willard on the chat window was Mary Koppal, Communications Director for Project 2061 at the AAAS. Mr. Willard gave an introduction to the Atlas of Science Literacy. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/AAAS/Webseminar.aspx" Target="_blank">go here</a>.

Dinosaur Extinction, Early Childhood Style

11/13/2008 12:00:00 AM

Do dinosaurs have bellybuttons? This intriguing question launched a journey into inquiry science that captivated a class of four-year-olds for eight months. As students enjoyed dinosaur books, examined dinosaur artifacts, drew pictures, watched videos, and generally immersed themselves in all things dinosaur, the authors built a culture of learning in their classroom that helped these young students develop science-process skills such as observation, measurement, and communication. They share their inspiring learning adventure here.

Tried and True: Cell organelle employment advertisements

10/27/2008 12:00:00 AM

Are you looking for a creative way to teach the functions of cell organelles? If you answered yes, then organelle employment advertisements are just what you need. During this project, students must create an employment ad for a cell organelle and give an oral presentation. Students are assessed on their ablity to clearly communicate their work to others.

Science Sampler: Field Journals-Bringing the past to life

10/24/2008 12:00:00 AM

In this activity, students travel back in time as explorers to collect scientific information on plant and animal life during various geological eras. The author uses the book, The Deep Time Diaries as way to bring literature into the science classroom and to introduce field journals. Students have two days to collect research from the internet, books, and maps to complete their field-journal entries. They then compile the information and create drawings of what they discovered. To add a creative element to the field journals, students also invent an imaginary story line of what could have happened during their jump back in time.

Designing the Perfect Plant: Activities to Investigate Plant Ecology

10/23/2008 12:00:00 AM

Plant ecology is an important subject that often receives little attention in middle school, as more time during science classes is devoted to plant biology. Therefore, the authors have developed a series of activities, including a card game-Designing the Perfect Plant-to introduce student's to plant ecology and the ecological tradeoffs associated with different types of plants and plant attributes. The activities also introduce students to general ecological concepts such as biodiversity, environmental disturbance, habitat, competition, and predation.

Every Day Science-November 2008

10/22/2008 12:00:00 AM

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

The Early Years: The Story of Corn

10/22/2008 12:00:00 AM

Corn is an interesting subject for young children to explore because it grows ears in many forms, the seeds are easy to see and handle, and it is familiar to most children in one food product or another. Therefore, science activities about corn are easily integrated with social studies and language arts units because of the importance of corn to human civilizations. Exposure to ideas such as early people living in a different manner than the children do now, the spread of plants around the globe, and growth of this important plant go together in this activity about corn.

Integration With Integrity

10/21/2008 12:00:00 AM

Read! Read! Read! In first grade, language arts are such a driving force; and yet, we know the students love science and art! How can we integrate the subjects, maintain the integrity of each subject area, and authentically assess the students? The key is to maximize your instruction time and integrate with integrity. Here the authors share how they were able to integrate with integrity as they introduced a literacy-filled unit on insects to their first-grade students, most of whom were beginning English learners.

Scientific Journals: A Creative Assessment Tool

10/20/2008 12:00:00 AM

The typical use of science notebooks is for students to record information as they complete an investigation, writing down their procedure, observations, data, results, graphs, and any other factual information pertaining to their experiment. The author did the same, but also incorporated specific writing assignments to prepare students to publish "articles" about their science investigations in a class science journal. During the school year, they published eight science journals, all based on investigations or special projects the students completed. In this article, the author describes how she integrated language arts and science throughout the school year.

Becoming a Spider Scientist

10/20/2008 12:00:00 AM

In this integrated unit, third grade students become spider scientists as they observe spiders in their classroom to debunk some common misconceptions about these intimidating creatures. Charlotte's Web is used to capture students' interest. In addition to addressing philosophical topics such as growing-up, death, and friendship; E.B. White's book defines vocabulary words and incorporates scientific facts concerning arachnids. However, some of the spider information in the book is not accurate. Therefore, Charlotte's Web can also be used to teach students to become better informed readers.

Investigating Invasives

10/16/2008 12:00:00 AM

Invasive species, commonly known as "invasives," are nonnative plants, animals, and microbes that completely take over and change an established ecosystem. The consequences of invasives' spread are significant. In fact, many of the species that appear on the Endangered Species list are threatened by invasives. Therefore, the topic of invasive nonnative species can provide the focus for projects that engage students in authentic science investigations. Here the author describes how she launched her students into a study of invasives while supporting their local environment using the 5E Learning Cycle (engage, explore, explain, extend, evaluate).

The Herpetology Project

10/15/2008 12:00:00 AM

In this article, the authors describe their ongoing experience with the Herpetology Project. Through this field study, students catch and track amphibians and reptiles in the Assabet River area, record and analyze data, share their findings with the community, and ultimately, work toward protecting turtles' habitats. The authors chose to focus on turtles in this article because they helped to inspire the project and because they have a method of tracking their recapture.

Active Evolution Instruction

10/15/2008 12:00:00 AM

To help elevate your level of active instruction, this chapter provides a sampling of the kinds of hands-on activities that promote understanding of evolutionary processes. These particular activities are structured according to the BSCS 5E Instruction Model-engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. The 5E Model is a teaching sequence that can be used for entire programs, specific units, or individual lessons (Bybee 1997). This chapter also contains print and online resources for new ideas and practical applications that will help you emphasize science process and how evolutionary changes affect us daily. This free selection also includes the Table of Contents, Introduction, and Index.

Now You "Sea" Ice, Now You Don't

10/9/2008 12:00:00 AM

Increasing air temperatures in the last 50 years have dramatically altered the Antarctic Peninsula ecosystem. In this interdisciplinary inquiry, learners use a cooperative approach to investigate changes in the living and nonliving resources of the Peninsula. The activity stresses the importance of evidence in the formulation of scientific explanations. This free selection includes the Table of Contents and the following sections: How To Use This Book; Climate Change Case Studies (Chapters 5-10): Their focus, use, and Curriculum Connections, and About the Authors. As a special bonus, Chapter 1, entitled Climate and Life, is also included.

Climate Change From Pole to Pole: Biology Investigations

10/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

NSTA Tool Kit for Teaching Evolution

10/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

Resources and Human Impact

9/30/2008 12:00:00 AM

SciPacks are 10 hour online learning experiences teachers can use to enhance their understanding of a particular scientific concept. Teachers access topics "on demand" from the Internet. Topics are based on science literacy goals in the national standards and tied to state standards. Pedagogical Implications also address student misconceptions. Expert content help is available via email as well as a final assessment to demonstrate understanding of the SciPack content. The Resources and Human Impact SciPack explores the role society plays in environmental degradation, and the technological solutions, including resource management, that arises from environmental issues. Human beings modify all components of Earth's ecosystems as they use and consume available resources. The amount and rate of consumption is affected by the population growth and access to technology. This SciPack is focused on Standards and Benchmarks related to interactions in and between ecosystem; population growth and carrying capacity; resource use; and environmental degradation and changes to Earth's systems.

Resources and Human Impact: Earth as a System

9/30/2008 12:00:00 AM

Science Objects are two hour on-line interactive inquiry-based content modules that help teachers better understand the science content they teach. This Science Object is the first of four Science Objects in the Resources and Human Impact SciPack. It explores how human beings, who live within and depend on Earth's ecosystems, modify the land, ocean, and atmosphere. In all environments, organisms, including humans, cooperate or compete with one another for resources. These resources include food, air, water, and space. The size and rate of growth of all species, including humans, are affected by these environmental factors. In turn, these environmental factors are affected by the size and rate of growth of a population. Populations are limited in growth by the carrying capacity of the environment, which is the amount of life any ecosystem can support with its available space, energy, water, and food.

Resources and Human Impact: Population Growth, Technology, and the Environment

9/30/2008 12:00:00 AM

Science Objects are two hour on-line interactive inquiry-based content modules that help teachers better understand the science content they teach. This Science Object is the second of four Science Objects in the Resources and Human Impact SciPack. It explores how technology can solve problems, but at the same time, can also create new strains on the environment. Improved technology used for harvesting food, coupled with the technology of improved sanitation, has accelerated the growth of the human population. A larger human population increases the impact on the environment and its resources, many of which are limited and non renewable. Due to the rapid growth of the human population and their use of technology in many parts of the world, humans have exceeded the carrying capacity of their environment, compromising human health.

Resources and Human Impact: Grades 5-8

9/30/2008 12:00:00 AM

In today's global society, it has become increasingly important to educate our students about the human impact upon the Earth's resources. It is also our duty as teachers to teach our students responsible decision-making so that they may make better choices about how their actions affect Earth's complex system. Land, atmosphere, oceans, and all forms of life interact continually in our ever-changing planet that may not be noticeable on a day-to-day basis; for example, some of these interactions over time drive the course of climate change. The websites in this guide will help you bring real-world data into the classroom, engage students in collaborative studies using real-time data, and help your students to understand that humans have the power to create new technologies and methods that will reverse this negative impact. As students work through the simulations, interactive data charts, educational games, and more, they will learn core content, apply scientific and mathematical skills, and become knowledgeable "keepers of the Earth."

The Great Dinosaur Feud: Science Against All Odds

9/24/2008 12:00:00 AM

In the 19th century, the race to uncover dinosaur fossils and name new dinosaur species inspired two rival scientists, Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh, to behave in ways that were the antithesis of scientific methods. Subterfuge, theft, and espionage were the ingredients of the Great Dinosaur Feud. Because students often enjoy controversy, as evidenced by popular television programs today, the authors use the controversy of the dinosaur feud to illustrate the human side of science, and the triumph of science in spite of inappropriate competition.

Investigating With Charles Darwin

9/16/2008 12:00:00 AM

Naturalist Charles Darwin made observations, conducted experiments, and kept detailed notebooks of his findings throughout his life. He was regularly transfixed by his observations of the natural world, whether in his early collecting days, during his legendary voyage on the Beagle, or on his daily walks in later life through the British countryside. This article offers two scientific investigations to deepen students' understandings of not only how science operates, but how Darwin in particular, approached analysis of the natural world.

Worms Out of This World!

9/16/2008 12:00:00 AM

Many people think of earthworms as small, slimy creatures that belong in the garden. To teachers, however, earthworms are delicate animals that can help young students develop important science-process skills such as observation and data collection. This article describes the authors' three-day classroom exploration, Worms Out of This World, a unit in which second-grade students observed live earthworms and recorded their observations in a learning log. Along the way, students sharpened their observation skills and were motivated to learn science.

Real-Time Ocean Data in the Classroom

9/10/2008 12:00:00 AM

To apply students' savvy internet skills in the science classroom-as well as capture their interest in science and investigation, and provide opportunities for authentic research-introduce them to real-time data from ocean-observing systems. Students can use data from these ocean-observing systems to discover the winds and waves from storms or to explore currents and predict marine-organism distribution. The four web-based student activities presented in this article bring the world of high-tech instruments and real-time data information to the classroom.

A Useful Laboratory Tool

9/10/2008 12:00:00 AM

Recently, a high school Science Club generated a large number of questions involving temperature. Therefore, they decided to construct a thermal gradient apparatus in order to conduct a wide range of experiments beyond the standard "cookbook" labs. They felt that this apparatus could be especially useful in future ninth-grade biology classes, in which students must design and conduct individual, inquiry-based experiments as part of their training in scientific methodology. This article describes their experience building and testing a thermal gradient for laboratory use.

Caught in Their Tracks

9/9/2008 12:00:00 AM

By allowing students to develop and conduct research on biological or environmental problems they identify themselves, students gain a higher level of understanding and appreciation for science. To this end, teachers should incorporate student-driven research in biology and environmental science classes in lieu of cookbook laboratory activities with a specific expected outcome. In this article, the author describes a student-driven research project in which a high school class developed hypotheses and experimental design regarding wildlife ecology.

PREPping Students for Authentic Science

9/9/2008 12:00:00 AM

In this article, the authors describe a large-scale research collaboration, the Partnership for Research and Education in Plants (PREP), which has capitalized on publicly available databases that contain massive amounts of biological information; stock centers that house and distribute inexpensive organisms with different genotypes; and the internet, which serves as a conduit for dialogue and knowledge sharing. Through PREP, entire classes of students, with mentorship from teachers and scientists, are currently designing and conducting their own investigations while adding to the body of knowledge about genes and their functions.

Tried and True: Helicopter seeds and hypotheses … that's funny!

8/26/2008 12:00:00 AM

Investigating maple samaras, or helicopter seeds, can give students a "that's funny" experience and catalyze the development of inquiry skills. In this article, the authors describe how to use maple helicopter seeds (samaras) to engage students in focused observation and hypothesis testing. This activity requires only basic classroom equipment and maple samaras, which can be found throughout most of the United States or purchased online.

Injecting Inquiry Into Photosynthesis Investigations

8/25/2008 12:00:00 AM

This is the story of how a typical middle school lab was transformed into an open-ended inquiry experience through a few small, but very powerful, changes. By allowing students to follow their own questions, the classroom filled with enthusiasm and students learned much more about photosynthesis, respiration, and the scientific processes. The story begins with a brief description of the original, ultratransformed lab.

Science Sampler: Teaching cell anatomy with a fabric model

8/11/2008 12:00:00 AM

One of the most important, yet difficult, life science concepts for students to grasp is that "all life functions of humans and other organisms are carried out by cells" (Lang 1991). Specifically, the function of organelles must be taught so that students can relate them to familiar objects in everyday life. Fabric cell models in cytology education help convey the role of organelles and life science concepts.

Enzyme Inquiry

8/6/2008 12:00:00 AM

In this article, the authors describe a two-phase inquiry lesson in which students explore the catalytic activity of amylase on starch (Rungruangsa and Panijpan 1979). In the first phase, students' prior knowledge about the reaction is assessed through a set of directed prompts and small-group discussion, then challenged or reinforced as students carry out a laboratory investigation. During the second phase, students design and carry out an experiment to further explore the phenomenon, choosing to study the effect of pH, temperature, or substrate concentration on the kinetics of the starch hydrolysis.

How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming

7/22/2008 12:00:00 AM

When the weather changes daily, how do we really know that Earth's climate is changing? Here is the science behind the headlines-evidence from flowers, butterflies, birds, frogs, trees, glaciers and much more, gathered by scientists from all over the world, sometimes with assistance from young "citizen-scientists." And here is what young people, and their families and teachers, can do to learn about climate change and take action. Climate change is a critical and timely topic of deep concern, here told in an age-appropriate manner, with clarity and hope. Kids can make a difference! This book combines the talents of two uniquely qualified authors: Lynne Cherry, the leading children's environmental writer/illustrator and author of The Great Kapok Tree, and Gary Braasch, award-winning photojournalist and author of Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming is Changing the World.

Science Sampler: The wonder of it all

7/18/2008 12:00:00 AM

Nature surrounds us with awe-inspiring events and elements. All too often, however, the beauty and intricacy of nature is lost on students who get bogged down with reading about it in textbooks rather than experiencing it. The simple pleasures of learning-through hearing, seeing, smelling, and touching-are far superior to most classroom interactions. A student is led towards real scientific learning when they are consumed by "I wonder if…" questions that serve as starting blocks for authentic inquiry. An example of this process can be seen in the outdoor expansion scenario described in this article, which is based on the distinctive mimosa tree.

Citizen Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

7/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is an international center for the study, appreciation, and conservation of birds located on a 200-acre wildlife sanctuary in Ithaca, New York. Founded in 1915 by Arthur A. Allen, the world's first professor of ornithology, the Lab originally became known for its pioneering work in bird photography and has been involved in public education ever since. In fact, Dr. Allen's desire to embrace the public by involving bird watchers in field research launched the Lab on an important path that it continues to this day-that of breaking down barriers between "science" and "public" by actively engaging citizens in the process of scientific inquiry. This chapter will focus on the development and impact of three Citizen Science Lab projects: Project Feeder Watch, the Great Backyard Bird Count, and eBird.

Inquiry Is Taking Flight Through Project Butterfly WINGS

7/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

Project Butterfly WINGS (Winning Investigative Network for Great Science) is designed to foster adolescents' interest, understanding, and long-term involvement in science, as well as promote positive youth development. Through WINGS, students form a network of butterfly observers who progress from beginners to engaged citizen scientists. A series of cumulative activities, each with a life skill and science inquiry skill component, culminates in a final activity in which students create a custom research project on a topic that interests them. Their skills combine in a dynamic interplay to equip each participant with rich, life-enhancing experiences they can apply to other areas.

Favorite Demonstration: A Simple Model of Hox Genes-Bone Morphology Demonstration

7/3/2008 12:00:00 AM

Visual demonstrations of abstract scientific concepts are effective strategies for enhancing content retention (Shmaefsky 2004). The concepts associated with gene regulation of growth and development are particularly complex and are well suited for teaching with visual models. This demonstration provides a simple and accurate model of Hox gene function related to skeletal morphology in animals. The model used in this demonstration can be adapted to plant flower, fruit, leaf, and stem morphology.

Science Sampler: Node graph visualizations for eighth-grade mathematics students using a virus transmission simulation

6/25/2008 12:00:00 AM

Because eighth-grade curriculum standards focus in part on systems analysis and graphing, a lesson was created to enhance students' analytical skills with the introduction of a type of graph, the node graph, which can be used to represent the interconnectedness of system components. This lesson is rooted in understanding real-world concepts regarding the transmission of infectious agents throughout a population.

Teaching Science Through a Systems Approach

6/23/2008 12:00:00 AM

Based on the recommendation of the AAAS and the NRC, middle level science is the rightful introduction for a systems approach, including the study of its parts, subsystems, interconnections, and interrelationships. Dr. Seuss's The Lorax provides an excellent opportunity to combine ecological consequences within a systems approach (Sweeney 2001). The inquiry-based lesson described here is designed using the 5E instructional model and develops students' critical-thinking skills as they create concept maps to depict the relationships among components of a larger system.

Focusing on Function: Thinking Below the Surface of Complex Natural Systems

6/23/2008 12:00:00 AM

Structure-Behavior-Function (SBF) thinking considers the different levels of a system in terms of structures, behaviors, and functions, and how these are interconnected (Goel et al. 1996). This article presents an example of helping middle school students use SBF thinking to learn about ecosystems using an aquarium. Students can use an aquarium as a model for natural systems and through the use of questions and simulations-students can use SBF thinking to develop their systems understanding.

The Early Years: An Invertebrate Garden

6/13/2008 12:00:00 AM

For farmers and gardeners, slugs and snails may be serious pests that will limit the amount of harvest, but for a child, they represent a world to be explored. To teachers, however, invertebrates are tools for broadening students' understanding about animals, the connections between animals and habitats or plants, and an engaging subject to write about. This month's column describes how science teachers can cultivate an invertebrate garden that will yield a bountiful harvest just in time for the first day of school.

Teaching Through Trade Books: Growing a Garden

6/13/2008 12:00:00 AM

Many people look forward to planting their own garden and enjoying its fruitage throughout the summer months. Gardening can be an excellent learning experience in many ways because it offers opportunities to learn about plants and to observe changes over time. This column focuses on a long-term project of understanding plant growth and planting your own garden.

Science Shorts: Project BudBurst-Analyzing Data

6/12/2008 12:00:00 AM

Project BudBurst is a national program intended to get students and other "citizen scientists" to participate in a real study about plants, the environment, and climate change. It also provides an excellent opportunity for students to build data-analysis skills. A collaboration of several agencies and universities, the program began last year and attracted thousands of participants from 26 states. The project operates through its user-friendly website and participation is free. This article describes this project and includes a lesson related to how geography can affect plant life cycles.

Methods and Strategies: Using Drawing Strategically

6/11/2008 12:00:00 AM

Drawing activities in science can help students conceptualize and reflect on their experiences. In this article, the authors share their experiences incorporating drawing into science lessons for third- and fourth-grade students. While these examples pertain to life science lessons, drawing strategically is appropriate for any topic and is an effective method for the motivation, instruction, and assessment of students of all abilities and levels, including students who are learning English and students with other special needs.

Archive: Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears Series: Integrating Science and Literacy for the K-5 Classroom, Seminar 1: Polar Geography, May 27, 2008

5/27/2008 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar, developed in collaboration with the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) took place on Tuesday, May 27, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. In this program Jessica Fries-Gaither, Project Director and Elementary Resource Specialist for the Ohio Resource Center, and Dr. Carol Landis, Education Coordinator at the Byrd Polar Research Center, featured the online magazine titled: Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears. This magazine provides resources and strategies for teachers interested in integrating science and literacy. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NSDL2/webseminar11.aspx"> go here</a>.

Archive: Coral Ecosystems, May 8, 2008

5/8/2008 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar, sponsored by NOAA, took place on May 8, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Presenting was Dr. Kathy Chaston, Coral and Coastal Management Specialist with NOAA's Office of Coastal Resource Management. Dr. Chaston talked about land-based pollution threats to coral reefs. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/Corals/webseminarII.aspx"> go here</a>.

Archive: Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food and Cosmetics, May 6, 2008

5/6/2008 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar, sponsored by the FDA, took place on May 6, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Presenting was Beth Meyers, Writer-editor at FDA's Office of Cosmetics and Colors. Ms. Meyers talked about cosmetic safety. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/FDA/webseminarII.aspx">go here.</a>

Archive: Coral Ecosystems, April 10, 2008

4/10/2008 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar, sponsored by NOAA, took place on April 10, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Presenting was Kelly Drinnen, Education Specialist for the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. The topic of her presentation was impacts to coral reefs. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/Corals/webseminarI.aspx">go here</a>.

Archive: Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food, April 9, 2008

4/9/2008 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar, sponsored by the FDA, took place on April 9, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time. Presenting was Richard Bonnette, a Consumer Safety Officer with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the Division of Biotechnology and GRAS Notice Review at the FDA. Mr. Bonnette talked about salt. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/boston08/FDA/webseminarI.aspx">go here</a>.

Science Sampler: In search of whale food

4/3/2008 12:00:00 AM

A middle school science teacher from Texas shares his professional development experience as part of the ARMADA Project, which partners science teachers with field research scientists. He was paired with a group of oceanographers studying the ecology of one of Barrow, Alaska's major food sources, the bowhead whale. Based on his experiences in this study, he developed the lesson featured in this article. Its focus is on science/societal interactions; specifically, how science and other factors can affect a community's right to obtain their traditional food source from their local environment.

Archive: It's Alive: Using Online Life Science Resources in Middle School Classrooms, April 1, 2008

4/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar, developed in collaboration with the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) took place on Tuesday, April 1, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. In this program the presenters showcased the PRISMS Project. The PRISMS acronym stands for Phenomena and Representations for the Instruction of Science in Middle Schools. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NSDL2/webseminar10.aspx">go here</a>.

The Early Years: First Explorations in Flower Anatomy

3/28/2008 12:00:00 AM

Help children explore the idea that there are many different flower shapes, all with the function of forming seeds, by allowing children to dissect flowers after drawing them, using their fingers or plastic picnic knives. As children take apart the flowers, they are involved in many parts of science investigations referred to in state and national standards, including counting, measuring, describing things and comparing with others' observations, and using tools such as magnifiers.

Archive: FDA/NSTA Symposium: Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food, Boston, MA: March 28, 2008

3/28/2008 12:00:00 AM

During this half-day symposium, scientists and education specialists from the FDA shared information with teachers about food science, bioscience, and the food label. The presenters also performed activities that enhanced the participants' knowledge about the topic of food science and served as models for activities the teachers can do with students in their classrooms. Participants learned how FDA uses DNA micro-array technology to detect foodborne pathogens, the scientific basis for the percent daily values (%DVs) on the Nutrition Facts Label, and how to culture bacteria found in food. All participants received a binder including all the PowerPoint presentations and handouts and a $60 stipend for attending the symposium.

Archive: NOAA/NSTA Symposium: Coral Ecosystems, Boston, MA: March 27, 2008

3/27/2008 12:00:00 AM

During this half-day symposium, sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), scientists and education specialists shared information with teachers about the biology, dynamics, and conservation of coral ecosystems. The presenters led activities that enhanced the participants' knowledge about coral reef ecosystems that can be easily replicated in their classrooms. All participants received educational materials and information about related links available via the NOAA and NSTA web sites.

Bring the Zoo to You!

3/26/2008 12:00:00 AM

This hands-on, minds-on zoo project provides a fun and safe opportunity for students to experience the world of animals and nature right in their own classroom. Students have the chance to work individually or in small groups to explore, observe, and discover answers to their questions about the natural world. In addition, it provides numerous occasions to integrate science, math, reading, and art. The nearly month-long experience described here was conducted with a group of top-notch first-grade zookeepers!

Methods and Strategies: Integrated Assessments for ELL

3/26/2008 12:00:00 AM

Despite the challenges posed by increased time, specialized vocabularies, and balance, integrating writing and drawing with science investigations is beneficial for teachers and students. This month's column explains why this integrated approach is beneficial, and illustrates how teachers can use it to meet the needs of students learning English and guide teaching. It concludes by noting some of the difficulties posed by integration and offers some recommendations.

Leonardo's Tree Theory

3/22/2008 12:00:00 AM

This activity focuses on Leonardo da Vinci's tree theory, which states that the cross-sectional area of a major limb is approximately equal to the cross-sectional areas of its two offshoot limbs. Students test this theory by collecting data from 10 trees and perform the mathematical calculations. In addition to data collection skills, this exercise strengthens problem solving skills.

The Vision of Animals

3/21/2008 12:00:00 AM

In their study of animal coloration, the students will be "hiding" animals from themselves. If the students cannot easily spot a fish, they may assume that the fish will be overlooked by another fish or by a preying bird or mammal. If a moth escapes the students' attention, they may assume that the moth will be likely to escape the attention of its real predators. This activity questions such assumptions. This free selection includes reproducible animal patterns, the Table of Contents, Introduction, and the Index.

Ask the Experts-April/May 2008

3/18/2008 12:00:00 AM

In this month's column, the experts address the following questions: - How does temperature regulate the gender of sea turtles (and other organisms) as they incubate? Also, how can XX females become male turtles simply due to temperature level if they do not have a Y chromosome to begin with? - Will we experience increased volcanic activity if the sea level rises due to human-induced global warming? - Why do we not see baby seagulls?

A Museum Learning Lab

3/17/2008 12:00:00 AM

The "Learning Lab: The Cell" exhibit was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Museum and the MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS). Specially designed for middle and high school students, the Learning Lab provides museum visitors of all ages with fascinating insights into how our living cells work. In addition, it serves as an excellent example of how different groups can collaborate to create a unique educational experience not only for students and teachers but for the general public as well.

Real Science or Marketing Hype?

3/17/2008 12:00:00 AM

The Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems (Nano-CEMMS) at the University of Illinois, in collaboration with local Champaign-area teachers, has developed classroom activities designed to introduce nanotechnology to secondary students. This article describes a quick, simple, and safe classroom activity in which students make silver nanoparticles and design experiments to test their effectiveness.

Cougars and the Community

3/14/2008 12:00:00 AM

In a research collaboration with government biologists and university educators, K-12 students in the Cle Elum-Roslyn (CER) School District in eastern Washington are investigating where cougars go when their habitat gives way to new housing developments. Now in its seventh year, Project Cougars and Teaching (CAT) is taking the education and science partnership a step further by incorporating civics into the environmental education curriculum. Through this model, students become civically engaged by conducting field investigations of the indigenous cougar's ecology and making public presentations to the community.

Making Science Relevant

3/13/2008 12:00:00 AM

By connecting science learning to important societal issues, teachers can motivate students to both enjoy and engage in relevant science (Bennet, Lubben, and Hogarth 2007). To develop that connection, teachers can help students take an active role in authentic community-based science that goes beyond merely learning about the science behind the issues. This article describes an approach to relevancy through an inquiry-based project that connects high school biology, chemistry, and environmental science curriculum to the local environment and the issue of water conservation and protection.

Archive: Under the Microscope: Using Images to Enhance Inquiry-The Exploratorium, March 11, 2008

3/11/2008 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar, developed in collaboration with the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) took place on Tuesday, March 11, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. In this program, the presenters discussed classroom explorations based on digital images taken from the Exploratorium's Imaging Station and from inquiry-based classroom activities and lessons being created and developed through the Exploratorium Teacher Institute. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NSDL2/webseminar9.aspx">go here</a>.

Investigating Evolutionary Biology in the Laboratory

3/10/2008 12:00:00 AM

Investigating Evolutionary Biology in the Laboratory contains a complete introduction to the strategies and rationales for teaching evolutionary biology in the laboratory. The accom¬panying laboratory exercises and experiments illustrate common evolutionary principles and themes aligned with major elements of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Teachers may choose from a variety of activities to illustrate exactly the elements of evolution most appropriate for their students. Themes include: - Evidence of evolution - Variation within the species - Adaptation - Simulations of natural selection - Explorations of neo-Darwinism In Investigating Evolutionary Biology in the Laboratory, William F. McComas writes that evolution is "the most important, most misunderstood, and most maligned concept in the syllabus-if it even appears in the syllabus."

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12: Books published in 2002 (Science Scope)

3/9/2008 12:00:00 AM

The books that appear in this annotated bibliography were selected as outstanding science trade books published in 2002. They are intended primarily for kindergarten through twelfth grade. They were selected by members of a book review panel appointed by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and assembled in cooperation with The Children's Book Council (CBC). NSTA and CBC have cooperated on this bibliographic project since 1973.

Using GLOBE's Plant Phenology to Monitor the Growing Season

3/9/2008 12:00:00 AM

Has the growing season in North America increased by eight days? Is it still increasing? Middle-school students can help sleuth the answer with the Global Learning and Observations To Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) phenology data collected at many school sites over a long time period. GLOBE allows students to take an active part in the scientific enterprise by monitoring plant phenology locally and contributing to the worldwide GLOBE data bank through this inquiry-based project.

Rooted in Forestry

3/8/2008 12:00:00 AM

Research indicates that interdisciplinary instructional strategies help students make meaningful connections among various subjects through asking questions, making predictions, and thinking critically (Borich 2000). For this purpose, trees are an easily accessible and cost effective resource. Additionally, learning about the forest teaches students to become stewards of the Earth so future generations can enjoy its many benefits. Therefore, this cross-curricular series of inquiry-based lessons was designed to help students examine meaningful relationships among the growth, physiology, and utilization of trees.

Animal Coloration: Activities on the Evolution of Concealment

3/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

Science Sampler: Making science relevant with an integrated curriculum

3/3/2008 12:00:00 AM

This article describes a modular middle school curriculum that integrates science, math, social studies, and language arts. An adventure story creates the context for student learning of the academic content, which is made relevant to students by including environmental health themes. Most children can relate curriculum concepts to environmental health problems because they have such a problem or know of someone who does. Common conditions include allergies and asthma; poisoning from food, water, or air; exposure to chemical hazards and carcinogens; nutritional disorders; and assorted infectious diseases (NIEHS).

Science Sampler: Wade in the water-School, parent, and community collaboration

3/3/2008 12:00:00 AM

Real-life science experiences can excite students. Both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the National Research Council (NRC) stress the importance of hands-on activities that foster inquiry-skill development. One such strategy is to get students out in the field where they get to actively conduct investigations as scientists do. "Beaver Pond" is an activity that allows students to experience the work of various scientists in the field.

Science Sampler: Wanted-Citizen Scientists

3/3/2008 12:00:00 AM

As middle school students and teachers become involved in citizen-scientist activities, their awareness of important environmental issues will be enhanced. Here the author shares her involvement in a partnership with the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont's All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) to turn her students into citizen scientists. The ATBI is an ongoing program to document, catalog, and count species of animals, plants, and fungi in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Making Mitosis Visible

3/2/2008 12:00:00 AM

The Technology-Enhanced Learning in Science (TELS) center, a National Science Foundation-funded Center for Learning and Teaching, offers research-tested science modules for students in grades 6-12 (Linn et al. 2006). These free, online modules engage students in scientific inquiry through collaborative activities that include online investigations, interactive visualizations, and electronic discussions that allow teachers to access detailed accounts of student learning (Williams and Lynn 2003). This paper reports on how the Mitosis and Cell process module worked in a seventh-grade classroom in an urban school.

Give Me Some Skin: A Hands-On Science Activity Integrating Racial Sensitivity

2/24/2008 12:00:00 AM

What's the largest, fastest growing, organ in the human body? It's the tough, elastic, flexible, and waterproof covering that helps protect other organs and body parts from such things as germs, heat, cold, and sunlight-skin, of course! This life science activity engages middle school students in an exploration of the structure, function, and variety of skin. They "construct" skin layer by layer using simple materials such as felt, foam padding, yarn, and vinyl in various skin tones. This activity provides an opportunity to discuss racial diversity and to show students that skin color is, quite literally, only skin deep.

After the Bell: Bringing the Outside In-Insects and their galls

2/23/2008 12:00:00 AM

Gall systems are excellent tools for teaching biology. They demonstrate important concepts such as genetic control, plant and animal development, species interactions, biodiversity, and the flow of energy through the food web. Galls, and the animals that attack them, make for a self-contained and somewhat tractable community for study. In this month's column, background information, inquiry-based procedures, and safety notes are provided for students to embark on an investigation of these fascinating systems.

Developing Scientific Reasoning Patterns in College Biology

2/22/2008 12:00:00 AM

A long-held and central objective of science instruction is to help students develop scientific reasoning patterns. During the past few decades, considerable research has been undertaken to identify the nature of scientific reasoning patterns, their "natural" paths of development, and there role in concept acquisition, as well as how science instruction can help in their development. This chapter describes the nature of scientific reasoning and argumentation and it includes instructional strategies to help college students develop advanced scientific reasoning patterns and construct key biological concepts and theories.

The Impact of a Conceptually Sequenced Genetics Unit in an Introductory College Biology Course

2/22/2008 12:00:00 AM

In this chapter, the authors describe how they revised the genetics section of an introductory biology course to reflect current knowledge of learning theory and conceptual change. A sequence and associated experiences were developed that would center on building from concrete to abstract, allowing time for expert problem-solving strategies to develop, promoting inquiry, linking new knowledge to previous knowledge, addressing preconceptions, and providing novel situations to which the knowledge could be applied. The revised sequence of the genetics unit follows, with a description of the learning phenomena presented along with the concepts and terms being addressed.

Problem Solving in Biology: A Methodology

2/21/2008 12:00:00 AM

A methodology is described that teaches science process by combining informal logic and a heuristic for rating factual reliability. This system facilitates student hypothesis formation, testing, and evaluation of results. After problem solving with this scheme, students are asked to examine and evaluate arguments for the underlying principles of biology, and apply them to new sets of facts.

Bread Making: Classic Biotechnology and Experimental Design

2/18/2008 12:00:00 AM

Bread making activities can help students meet local and national standards for scientific inquiry, experimental design, and problem solving. In the first activity, students make and observe yeast solutions. Then they predict what might happen when the recipe is modified and conduct invesitigations. The subsequent investigations increase the level of student input and encourages students to practice the skills before using them outside of the classroom. The final assignment draws upon and expands the skills practiced in class with an at-home investigation.

Ask the Experts-March 2008

2/15/2008 12:00:00 AM

The experts address the following question in this month's column: Are fish sensitive to lightning that strikes water?

Science Is for the Birds

2/12/2008 12:00:00 AM

Backyard bird watching can be a means for promoting authentic research projects in middle level science. Cornell University's Project FeederWatch provides research protocols for measuring diversity, distribution, and abundance of feeder birds. Suggestions for surveys and investigations are provided, as are plans for building a nest box and a sidebar about West Nile virus.

Field Studies as a Pedagogical Approach to Inquiry

2/12/2008 12:00:00 AM

By designing and conducting their own field studies, students learn science in a meaningful context, apply scientific knowledge to local environmental issues, use resources within and around the school, and link classroom science to real-world issues. As students collect their field data, they organize, analyze, and make sense of the patterns they observe. The field work gives meaning to doing science, as well as to the science concepts used to make sense of the world.

Archive: Flower Bulb Science: Activities for the Hands-on Science Classroom, February 7, 2008

2/7/2008 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar, developed in collaboration with the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) took place on Thursday, February 7, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. In this program, the presenters discussed various activities examples and applications of how teachers can use flower bulbs in their teaching. The topics presented included experiments and observations in growing bulbs out of season, altering bulb growing variables, and learning extensions associated with the activities and experiments. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NSDL2/webseminar8.aspx">go here</a>.

Tried and True: Investigating ecosystems in a biobottle

2/5/2008 12:00:00 AM

Biobottles are miniature ecosystems made from 2-liter plastic soda bottles. They allow students to explore how organisms in an ecosystem are connected to each other, examine how biotic and abiotic factors influence plant and animal growth and development, and discover how important biodiversity is to an ecosystem. This activity was inspired by an idea developed by the Rachel Carson Center for Natural Resources.

Science Sampler: Leaf litter-An urban schoolyard investigation

2/4/2008 12:00:00 AM

In the Leaf Litter investigation, students use the existing school campus to investigate the biodiversity of organisms present among various courtyard areas. The study engages students in an inquiry-based learning experience that addresses both current national and state standards. The investigation allows students to make deeper observations, provoke more questions, and to "see" what is going on in their own school environment. Conducting the study within school grounds also makes the environment relevant to students.

Science Sampler: Designed by Nature-Exploring linear and circular life cycles

2/4/2008 12:00:00 AM

Designed by Nature is a series of six sequential lessons that help middle school students explore the environmental impacts of producing and disposing of everyday items, and the role of citizens, consumers, and businesses in promoting sustainable product design. The activities, which were developed by faculty at Eastern Michigan University, incorporate the 5E learning model-engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. The lessons guide students through a typical product's life cycle-from producer to consumer to landfill-and then explain that a Designed by Nature product is one that breaks this cycle by being reusable, recyclable, or biodegradable.

Science Sampler: Alien Invaders! A board game about the threats posed by introduced species

2/4/2008 12:00:00 AM

Alien Invaders!-loosely modeled after the game of Life, helps students to understand how introduced species can affect native species. This board game allows students to role-play native birds in a world of introduced species, facing the hazards posed by those species. By playing this game, students come to understand some of the effects, such as competition and predation, of invasive species on native species.

How About a Log for Lunch?

2/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

Many students do not have the manual dexterity to keep up with a fast-moving paramecium on a microscope slide. The lowly termite, however, provides an easily observable microscopic endo-ecosystem in an environment not usually considered by middle school teachers. In the activity described here, students examine the gut fauna of a termite in what is almost guaranteed to be a successful inquiry-based experience viewing protists for the first time.

Science Sampler: Using art to get kids into and doing science

2/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

In the following lessons, students learn about the biology of birds and conservation issues by bird watching at museums, zoos, and outside in the park or schoolyard. They communicate their understanding of concepts in biology such as structure and function, diversity, adaptations, and the impact of humans by designing an art exhibit in the classroom. By utilizing the resources of local art museums, students are introduced to the history of science through art. Additionally, by observing birds in their local communities, students will discover how they can use their scientific knowledge to be active citizens.

The Fish Kill Mystery: Using Case Studies in the Middle School Classroom

1/31/2008 12:00:00 AM

Case studies are an excellent method for engaging middle school students in the current work of scientists. Students learn to think like scientists as they decide how to investigate the dilemma presented in the case study. This article describes one such case study, the Fish Kill Mystery, which takes place at a popular vacation spot-the beaches of North Carolina. Based on the original case from the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science at the University at Buffalo (Kosal 2003), the authors modified the case and developed inquiry-based activities for use in the middle school classroom.

A Walk in the "Tall, Tall Grass"

1/28/2008 12:00:00 AM

This inquiry-based lesson was inspired by Denise Fleming's book entitled, In the Tall, Tall Grass (1991). The author used the book and a real study of prairie grasses to teach kindergartners how to make careful observations and record what they see. In addition, they learn how to "draw as scientists." Here the author describes her class's yearly journey into the "tall, tall grass."

Archive: Arctic and Antarctic Living Systems, January 24, 2008

1/24/2008 12:00:00 AM

This Web Seminar, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, NASA and NOAA, took place on January 24, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time. Presenting was Dr. Craig Tweedie, Assistant Professor at the University of Texas, El Paso, where he is jointly appointed in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering Program. Dr. Tweedie gave an impressive presentation on the implications and consequences of global warming and climate change on living systems in the Arctic and Antarctica. For more information about this web seminar, its presenter(s), read what participants said about it, and to see and download its PowerPoint slides <a href="http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall07/IPY_Birmingham/webseminarIII.aspx">go here</a>.

NSTA Learning Center Professional Development Tools

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

Online Courses: AMNH Seminars on Science

Natural Resources: Digging Soil

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

The Art of Argumentation

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

Cell Towers and Songbirds

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

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

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

Elk Habitat: A Case Study of Scientific Inquiry

Barn Owl

Rise the Moon

Rice Is Life

Construct-a-Greenhouse (e-book)

Construct-a-Glove (e-book)

Answers to Science Questions From the <em>Stop Faking It!</em> Guy (e-book)

Podcast: Teach Science Concepts and Inquiry with Food, December 18, 2008

Vegetation Analysis

Korean Kimchi Chemistry

Science Matters - Achieving Scientific Literacy, <em>New Edition</em>, <em>Expanded and Updated</em>

Natural Resources: For the Birds

Every Day Science: October 2009

The Early Years: Safe Smelling

<em>CSI</em> for Trees

Deer Tracks in the City?

EcoTipping Points

Stop Faking It! Series, Set of 8 Books

NSTA Tool Kit for Teaching Evolution (e-book)

Podcast: Benchmark Hunting

Podcast: Atlantic Ocean Circulation

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

Science Sampler: Ecosystem Jenga!

Natural Resources: If You Build It…

The Early Years: Planting Before Winter

Methods and Strategies: Role-Play in the Science Classroom

Science Shorts: Gourd-ous Decomposition

Science 101: How do plants move?

Every Day Science: September 2009

What Grows There?

Growing Seeds and Scientists

Teaching through Trade Books: A Habitat Is a Home

Thirsty Plants in Arid Places

Becoming Wildlife Investigators

Forest or Field?

The Gift of the Tree

Investigating Membranes

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

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

Podcast: Cosmetic Safety History in U.S.

Podcast: Cosmetic Safety Issues for FDA

Podcast: Current Cosmetic Regulation

Podcast: Impacts to Coral Reefs: Animal Influences

Podcast: Impacts to Coral Reefs: Land Based Pollution

Podcast: Coral Reef Teaching Resources

Podcast: Exploring Bioethics Introduction

Molecular Genetics: Proteins and Genes

Interdependence: Environmental Systems and Human Impact

Reproduction: Meiosis and Variation

Evolution: Natural Selection

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Identification

Factors That Affect Eutrophication

Comparison of Phosphate Levels in Stream Sediments

Measuring Plant Allelopathy

Wetland Delineation

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

Right Place, Wrong Time

Cruel, Cruel Summer

Population Peril

Carrion: It's What's for Dinner

Podcast: Evidence for Anthropogenic Carbon in the Ocean

Podcast: Ocean Acidification Basics

Podcast: Ethical Considerations: Respect for Persons

Biological Effects of Climate Change

Quick Guide to Climate

Climate and Life

Podcast: Educational Materials Developed and Focus Group Results

Podcast: Oral Culture vs. Print Culture Communication Styles

Podcast: Recommendations and Current Activities