What is it really like to plunge into the world of science learning and teaching? Find out in this unique book. "Dive In!" grew out of a teacher-scientist project at the University of New Hampshire that promoted active learning and using science practices in the classroom. That experience yielded this book's reason for being: to provide…

Instructors of physics courses face the demanding challenge of creating a safe, nurturing community in their classroom while maintaining sufficient rigor. First-day activities are especially important, because they need to both motivate their students and prepare them for the course. Experienced instructors happily share their successful first-day…

In this article, the author describes a series of lessons that focuses on observation and documentation of organisms and that is appropriate for the second through fourth grades. By giving students the necessary initial support, they will have the ability to observe details and the skills and confidence to make realistic scientific drawings and…

Presents three experiments exploring aspects of the greenhouse effect. Topics and discussion includes radiation in energy transfer, emissivity and absorptivity, the irrelevance of reflectivity, a digression on insulators and convection, climate change, and radiative energy balance. (MCO)

Long Island Sound is an estuary of national significance and provides important economic, recreational, and aesthetic value to the citizens of Connecticut and New York. Investigations have been conducted regarding living marine resources and nutrient loading. However, Long Island Sound is often overlooked as an educational resource. This guide is…

Children are naturally curious about their bodies and how they work. This book utilizes this natural interest to usher children into an age-appropriate study of the human body. The guided discovery lesson plans in this book consist of four parts: the question, the discovery process, the summary of what scientists know, and a real-life application.…

Describes an activity in which students apply the scientific method as they explore each step of crystal growing. Students select variables, record daily observations, and participate in discussions about the differences in crystal formation. Crystal recipe and procedures are provided. (DDR)

Presents an activity to construct a tester for electrical resistors. Contains discussion questions, extensions, curriculum correlations to health and art, and home links. Includes a reproducible student worksheet. (MKR)

Presents a global warming activity and extensions that direct students in visualizing changes that may occur as a result of the predicted sea-level rise. Includes a map of site-specific U.S. sea-level changes. (MCO)

Presents a classroom activity wherein students use dilution techniques to gain an understanding of small measurements such as parts per million, billion, or trillion. Includes activity extensions, two lists of analogies for thinking about the size of small quantities, and questions leading to further investigations. (six references) (MCO)

Presents an integrated math/science activity in which families work together at an activity station and design and make a track for a marble to travel down using rules attached to a board. (MKR)

Presents two experiments about ozone related topics. The first experiment examines the effect of sunlight on newsprint and relates this to human skin. The second demonstrates how chemicals, and specifically chlorofluorocarbons travel through the air. (MCO)

This document is a teacher's edition of a basic skills curriculum in science for adult basic education (ABE) students. The course consists of 25 lessons on basic science concepts, designed to give students a good understanding of the biological and physical sciences. Suggested activities and experiments that the student can do are also included.…

This document consists of a series of astronomy activities for intermediate grade students. It contains three major teaching sections. Teacher Section I deals with stars, constellations, and galaxies and presents a series of demonstrations, discussion topics, readings, and hands-on-activities. Teachers Section II is concerned with a planetarium…

This booklet is a compilation of field-tested outdoor activities introducing basic projects for small group or individualized study in monitoring certain aspects of the environment. Its purpose is to provide teachers with new ways to involve children directly in meaningful and developmental learning activities and to help students become more…