How do teachers help students realize their place in the universe? How do they teach the relationship among the Earth, Moon, stars, and galaxies during daylight hours? Most teachers assume that astronomy is a difficult subject to teach in the classroom and that without a planetarium little can be learned. In this article, the authors discuss…

Investigates the five most common reasons teachers give for not involving students in hands-on classroom activities: too much work, too chaotic, lack of teacher science content knowledge, incompatibility with the curriculum, and lack of materials. Provides strategies for avoiding these excuses. (DDR)

Describes an extra credit science project in which students compete to see who can build the most efficient water rocket out of a two-liter pop bottle. Provides instructions on how to build a demonstration rocket and launching pad. (MDH)