Describes the Assessment of Performance Unit (APU) Science project. Discusses the findings including perceptions of problems, procedural understanding, control of variables, and measurement strategies. Suggests a change from traditional learning strategies to more student-centered ones. (YP)

This program guide is meant to help teachers assist their students in viewing the six-part public television series, "Stephen Hawking's Universe." The guide features program summaries that give background information and brief synopses of the programs; previewing activities that familiarize students with the subject; vocabulary that…

This book includes 25 science activities in the fields of environmental science, soil science, life science, and physical science. The activities are designed to be used in outdoor settings. Each activity is composed of two parts--an explanatory section for the teacher and a student lab sheet. The teacher explanatory section begins with a brief…

This book attempts to reflect on the value and purpose of practical work as part of the science curriculum: why are practical exercises so necessary and what do they contribute to the science learning process? The chapters in this book examine issues such as: how practical work is perceived by students and teachers; the possibilities and perils of…

Reviews the traditional definition of practical work in science, offers a different definition of it, and points out that practical work is not always laboratory based. Discusses the logistics of coordinating fieldwork. Contains 17 references. (DDR)

This paper uses inquiry-based learning to introduce primary students to the concepts and terminology found in four introductory engineering courses: Differential Equations, Circuit Analysis, Thermodynamics, and Dynamics. Simple electronic sensors coupled with everyday objects, such as a troll doll, demonstrate and reinforce the physical principles…

Presents a unit of three lessons to teach Newton's Laws of Motion. After rotating through learning centers, answering questions, and recording observations, students are asked to generate a "class law" that explains the scientific phenomenon they observed. (MDH)

Describes the implementation of a bioethics laboratory exercise that incorporates a variety of instructional strategies. In the activity, General Biology students consider relevant and interesting topics of bioethical importance and prepare classroom presentations on the different viewpoints normally attendant to ethical topics. Includes an…

The first challenge in designing and teaching any course is to decide what to teach. At most colleges and universities, the process of selecting course content is an extremely local enterprise. Sometimes the decisions are made by a small group of faculty members, but most often they are made by a single professor with the responsibility of…

In May 2005, the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) was funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop curricular units for Grades K-12 on Space Exploration. The units focus on aspects of the themes that NASA Engineers and Scientists--as well as future generations of explorers--must consider, such…

Lunar Nautics is a hands-on curriculum targeted to youth in grades 6 to 8, that allows the students to design, test, analyze and manage a space mission from initial concept to project funding. Lunar Nautics provides opportunities for development of problem solving skills and critical thinking skills that are needed to design, organize and manage a…

This resource book includes 163 science activities for both preservice and in-service teachers. Activities have been field-tested and are cross-referenced according to the processes of science and the content area covered. Each activity has been written to evoke ideas from the reader, thus enabling each activity to serve a base for additional…

In this document, a description is given of a one activity inservice session intended for teachers kindergarten through grade six. The objective of this activity is to identify the launch angle of a catapult as the variable controlling the distance a projectile will travel. The activity conducted by participants of this workshop deals with the…

This document describes seven science activities that combine scientific principles and computers. The objectives for the activities are to show students how the computer can be used as a tool to store and arrange scientific data, provide students with experience using the computer as a tool to manage scientific data, and provide students with…

This book includes 12 units that have been adapted from the television series "Voyage of the Mimi." Each unit includes the episode, an activity, and an expedition. The episodes introduce and accompany each episode of the television series. The activity is an extension of that episode which can be done in the classroom. Mapping skills, foreign…