Explains the importance of using well-chosen trade books for stimulating student interest and motivation in the natural world. Discusses how to assess and select trade books. Lists selected trade books on the life cycles of plants. (YDS)

Uses characters from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" to teach about human pedigrees and presents an activity demonstrating how traits are passed to offspring. (YDS)

Activities that use a common fluorescent light as a strobe light to make things appear to slow down, speed up, or stand still are presented. Background information on strobe lights and directions for the activities are provided. (KR)

Describes the use of "Water Crossings," a Project WET activity, with preservice elementary teachers in a science methods course. Discusses how the activity integrates applications from physical science with history and geography concepts. Explains that the teaching strategy used is a version of the scientific method. (WRM)

Discusses how a science teacher can explain to his youngsters what happens when an ice cube is added to tap water or other liquids. How long melting a standard ice cube takes is also discussed. (HM)

Activities in which students build their own simulations of fossils, using seashells, chicken bones, toy dinosaurs, or leaves as models and plaster of paris, sand, mud, clay, or a mixture of gravel and clay as a matrix are presented. Curriculum extensions are included. (KR)

Presents a brine shrimp activity designed for students in grades 5-12 to foster authentic scientific inquiry in addition to providing an engaging and exciting avenue for student exploration. Emphasizes that inquiry should be a critical component in the science classroom. (KHR)

A game used for test review based on the television game show "Jeopardy" is described. Sample categories, rules, models for category cards, answer pockets, and answer cards are included. (KR)

Explains the teaching opportunities, especially in science activities and laboratory experiments, of using technology in science classrooms. (YDS)

Uses a theatrical approach to implement dramatization into science classrooms. Explains how to use dramatic science in and outside of the classroom with different scenarios. (YDS)

Describes an activity in which students are introduced to the concept of food webs through a role-playing tag game. (Author/CCM)

Provides tips for students to create and maintain a miniature ecosystem using a large variety of living representatives. (Author/CCM)

Describes the main features, rationale, and goals of the Science, Math, and Social Studies Help (SMASSH) project which provides unified, mutually supportive educational experiences for elementary school children. Describes the learning cycle instructional approach, presents a brief background of the science concepts addressed in these lessons, and…

Provides a concrete example of the use of successful incidental learning techniques in the classroom to improve science content instruction. (LZ)

Two easy student activities that demonstrate physical weathering by expansion are described. The first demonstrates ice wedging and the second root wedging. A list of the needed materials, procedure, and observations are included. (KR)