In the atmosphere or on the ground, snow provides students with unique opportunities to discover winter weather patterns. Traditionally, when students study weather, it is limited to the collection of data one would see on a weather report. However, the interdisciplinary Students Synthesizing Snow data in Natural Objective Ways (SSSNOW) project…

Describes an activity for designing, building, and launching rockets that provides students with an intrinsically motivating and real-life application of what could have been classroom-only concepts. Includes rocket design guidelines and a sample grading rubric. (KHR)

Describes an activity in which the story of "Frosty the Snowman" is reviewed and students are challenged to come up with ways to save Frosty. In cooperative groups, students brainstorm, share ideas, and write a prelaboratory report. After the approval of plans by the teacher students construct the snowmen and begin the three-day experiment. (DDR)

Introduces a group activity in which students build a catapult. Includes a list of materials required for catapult construction and directions for testing. (YDS)

Introduces an activity in which students learn principles of force and motion, systems, and simple machines by exploring the best position of the dogs on the dashboard. Includes a sample lesson plan written in the five instructional models: (1) engagement; (2) exploration; (3) explanation; (4) elaboration; and (5) evaluation. (KHR)

Describes a series of activities exploring Leonardo da Vinci's tree theory that are designed to strengthen 8th grade students' data collection and problem solving skills in physical science classes. (KHR)

Describes a Russian approach of using literature to make physics instruction more interesting and attractive to students. (PR)