Collaborative inquiry is an instructional approach that encourages student groups to engage in scientific inquiry processes, thereby enhancing their critical thinking and exploratory skills. The effective classroom implementation of this method requires ensuring student engagement in each inquiry stage, where technological tools and activity…

The Wiggers diagram showing simultaneous events of the cardiac cycle in composite graphs is one of the most intimidating figures students encounter in their study of physiology. This paper describes a discovery learning activity that walks students through the construction of the Wiggers diagram by focusing on the core concepts of blood flow down…

Most of the transport along the nephron uses membrane proteins and exhibits the three characteristics of mediated transport: saturation, specificity, and competition. Glucose reabsorption in the nephron is an excellent example of the consequences of saturation. Two classic papers by James A. Shannon and colleagues clearly show the ability of the…

The impulse to investigate the natural world is deeply rooted in our earliest childhood experiences. This notion has long guided researchers to uncover the cognitive mechanisms underlying the development of scientific reasoning in children. Until recently, however, research in cognitive development and education followed largely independent…

Two projects, the reaction notebook and the end-of-semester synthesis activity are described which could help students to adopt a discovery-based learning and engage students in practical applications of chemistry. Students have provided positive feedback on this classroom assignment and have felt that it has helped them crystallize their thought…

A lot of good elementary science involves studying solids, liquids, and gases, and some inquiry-based activities that are easy to set up and do. In this article, the author presents activities pertaining to simple phase change. Using water as the example, these activities introduce upper-grade students to the idea of the arrangement of molecules…

As students observe plant growth, the questions that naturally arise can provide opportunities for student exploration and discovery. This guide presents a collection of activities for students in grades K-8 that turn students' questions into life sciences learning experiences. The guide contains four chapters, each with background information and…

Insights gained from experience and research on language minority students' academic success are reviewed as background for presentation of a curriculum that is bilingual and content-based and uses cooperative learning techniques. First, findings on three elements of success (interest and motivation, intelligence and development, and psychosocial…

Having a garden in the classroom offers students a chance to explore plant life cycles, and provides a hands-on context for teaching a wide variety of basic subject area skills in science, mathematics, social studies, language arts, health, and fine arts. This teacher guide is designed to help teachers in grades K-8 establish and maintain a garden…