A unit on energy is a perfect opportunity to use an interdisciplinary approach with a range of grade levels. This blueprint describes the needs of one such program and covers developmental strategies step by step. Each activity is categorized according to grade level. Topics include: (1) "Getting Organized," which discusses selecting activities…

Discusses planning necessary for a successful elementary school science fair. Includes a science fair checklist. (JN)

This article about science fairs provides a list of topics children can research and suggestions for evaluating the possibilities of project ideas before children invest much work in them. Ideas for selecting a fair date and location, choosing judges, and involving parents and the community are included. (PP)

Described is a simple demonstration of fermentation. The materials needed, the basic experimental set-up, and various projects are outlined. Included are a diagram of an apparatus for measuring carbon dioxide production and a table showing typical results of the effect of pH on fermentation. (RT)

Describes the relationships a high school built with neighborhood industry, a national laboratory, a national museum, and a large university while trying to build a scale model of the original atomic pile. Provides suggestions for teachers. (MVL)

Describes a project that explores the use of interactive computer software for teaching Einstein's special theory of relativity to secondary students. Also describes ways to use computers to help students visualize and experiment with otherwise inaccessible phenomena. (ZWH)

Describes an educational project primarily aimed at teachers and 15 to 18-year-old students that describes the essential features of a modern high-energy physics experiment. (Author/CCM)

Introduces the MicroObservatory Network of automated telescopes which is designed to provide access to classroom teachers who wish their students to conduct projects over the World Wide Web. Allows students to take pictures with remote pointing and focusing telescopes. Encourages collaboration among schools. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/YDS)

This activity discusses a two-day unit on ecology implemented during the summer of 2004 using the project-based science instructional (PBSI) approach. Through collaborative fieldwork, group discussions, presentations, and reflections, students planned, implemented, and reported their own scientific investigations on the environmental health of…

Engaging students in both hands-on and minds-on experiences is needed for education that is relevant and complete. Many middle school students enter science classrooms with pre-conceived ideas about their world. Some of these ideas are misconceptions that hinder students from developing accepted concepts in science, such as those related to…

Formative assessment has been demonstrated to result in increased student achievement across a variety of educational contexts. When using formative assessment strategies, teachers engage students in instructional tasks that allow the teacher to uncover levels of student understanding so that the teacher may change instruction accordingly. Tools…

This paper lists 35 studies in biology which can be tailored to suit the full range of student age groups and are designed to involve most or all of the key elements of the scientific process (study design, data collection and presentation, and experimental manipulation). Examples of some studies are: (1) study the growth of molds on food items…

Many educators advocate the use of projects in the science classroom. This document describes an effort (LabNet) that has successfully implemented a program that allows students to learn science using projects. Chapter 1, "An Introduction to LabNet" (Richard Ruopp, Megham Pfister), provides an initial framework for understanding the…

Science as a Way of Knowing is a project being developed by the American Society of Zoologists' education committee. The project, co-sponsored by several professional organizations, seeks to increase the effectiveness of college-level biology. A report on the project's goals, symposia, publications, reprints, and sponsorship needs is presented.…