Successful mastery of multistep synthesis is an essential learning objective in the completion of the organic chemistry sequence. This entrepreneurial class project was designed to incentivize students to master multistep synthesis through role-playing as an entrepreneur. In short, students play the role of a group member in a startup whereby they…

Are makerspaces--where children can create gas-powered Roman chariots, singing greeting cards, or playdough circuit boards--just the site for a slightly wacky explosion of inventiveness? Or can these maker activities be channeled to support deep STEM learning? Bronwyn Bevan, director of the Exploratorium Institute for Research and Learning in San…

The Madagascar hissing cockroach (MHC) provides an excellent avenue to introduce students to the joys of inquiry-centered learning. MHC's are relatively tame, produce little odor, do not bite, and are easy to handle and breed. Because of these characteristics, they are ideal for classroom activities, science projects, and as pets. They also help…

An in-class activity is described that can be used not only to motivate hypothesis testing, but also to understand and compute the p-value and power in a statistical test. (Contains 3 figures.)

Describes a science project about growing seeds for which kindergarten students reported their results both by printing and by making a video. (SR)

Practical project work based on eBay selling prices is described. It is suitable for secondary school students of a wide range of statistical expertise and it may be used to introduce a statistical package. (Contains 4 figures and 5 tables.)

Science fairs offer students the opportunity to develop skills in inquiry, writing research proposals, working with peers, verifying results, and sharing experimental findings. However, the science fair itself does not necessarily translate into a student's attainment of such skills. Project quality and a student's successful achievement of good…

This article about science fairs provides a list of topics children can research and suggestions for evaluating the possibilities of project ideas before children invest much work in them. Ideas for selecting a fair date and location, choosing judges, and involving parents and the community are included. (PP)

Profiles the author of 28 science books for children, teachers, and parents. Most of the books focus on science fair projects, teaching science to elementary school students, and fun science activities that parents and teachers can use with students. (MDM)

Describes a long-term science study project on natural disasters and phenomena in a second-grade classroom in which students had the major responsibility to plan, choose, inquire, and problem solve as they chose topics, browsed and read, planned and made murals, wrote and drew in their journals, and designed dramas which mixed story and…

The author was looking for a demonstration that actually used wind shear forces to set up the tornado effect when he saw a video produced by The Tornado Project called "Secrets of the Tornado". This video not only shows dozens of actual tornadoes, but also gives construction techniques for several different styles of tornado boxes that are…

Describes a project that encouraged combining pictures and words by middle school students to create science picture books. Suggests six steps to help students plan, research, and create picture books. Discusses a variety of final products that emerged, and benefits of the project. (BAC)

When a federal court in 2005 rejected an attempt by the Dover, Pennsylvania, school board to introduce intelligent design as an alternative to evolution to explain the development of life on Earth, it sparked a renaissance in involvement among scientists in K-12 science instruction. Now, some of those teaching programs, studies, and research…

Presents an idea for insect study with live organisms. The life cycle of the common housefly and the behavior of the adult and larvae are discussed. Activities for young students are given along with information for the teacher on the fly's life history. (SA)

The "Biotechnology Discoveries and Applications" guidebook aims to provide teachers with an overview of the recent advances in genetics and biotechnology, allowing them to share these findings with their students. The annual guidebook introduces a wealth of modern genomic discoveries and provides teachers with tools to integrate exciting…