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…

To help promote student awareness of the connection between radio astronomy and radio frequency interference (RFI), an inquiry-based science curriculum was developed to allow high school students to determine RFI levels in their communities. The Quiet Skies Project--the result of a collaboration between the National Aeronautics and Space…

As part of the "Car Lab Project," students constructed rubber band cars, raced them, and worked through a number of automotive activities. The students engaged in this project certainly had fun, but they also used high-tech gear such as motion sensors and graphing calculators to gather data on the distance and time cars traveled and to generate…

The "Under the Mistletoe" project was developed to capitalize on student curiosity about the American Christmas Mistletoe plant and draw learners into an engaging, inquiry-based exercise that incorporates numerous life science standards and collaborative research. By collecting data on host and nonhost tree size, location, and number of mistletoe…

An instructional unit incorporating some of the Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) hydrology protocols provides an excellent way to connect academic learning, scientific inquiry, multiple subjects, and the values required for concerned citizenship in a democracy. This article describes the GLOBE hydrology protocols…

Learning cycle investigations allow science students to model the activities of real scientists. An important step in modeling is data collection, which can present a problem in an astronomy course. The celestial body being studied often is unobservable for various reasons. (Contains 3 figures.)

Provides a comprehensive outline for a regional environmental and ecological inventory, including archaeological-historical, visual, and land use (including cultural use) components that could well be used in studies of the ecological and historical characteristics of regions." (Author/AL)

Using movie scenes about being trapped in quicksand as a starting point, this inquiry-oriented lesson engages students in a novel study of density. Students collect and graph data collected on a variety of objects placed in a mixture of sand and water. From their findings, students consider misconceptions about quicksand and its real dangers. (DLH)

Describes a project in which students create wind machines to harness the wind's power and do mechanical work. Demonstrates kinetic and potential energy conversions and makes work and power calculations meaningful. Students conduct hands-on investigations with their machines. (DDR)

Presents the "Before Technology and After Technology" lab where students first complete a simple lab and graph the data by hand and then repeat the lab using graphing calculators. Enables students to see how technology can make data collecting, graphing, and analyzing more fun. (JRH)

Presents activities using thermocouples to investigate the temperatures at which candles burn and popcorn pops. (MKR)

Describes the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program that aims at involving K-12 students in significant data collection and analysis which are then entered into a widely accessible World Wide Web site for use by other students, teachers, and researchers. Provides an invaluable base for developing a better…

Reports the results of a nationwide project in which science classes (representing about 16,000 students) collected and submitted data on the pH of the rain falling in their respective areas. (JR)

Details an investigation concerned with the composition of a grape to illustrate how food and nutrition topics can drive inquiry-oriented science learning. Students design experiments that surround the development of a fictitious new beverage. (DDR)

Developed is a classroom activity that illustrates the scientific method. The importance of observation, interpretation, and prediction is discussed. The activity uses pictures of the surface of Mars. (KR)