Presents a practical introduction to the phenomenon of static electricity. (Author/MKR)

Presents activities to help students develop an awareness and appreciation of star patterns through observation of the night sky. Includes the name of a contact person for acquiring star maps. (HTH)

Describes one teacher's experiences at the Institute for Deep Ecology Education (IDEE) Summer School in Applied Deep Ecology. Reviews the program offered and the focus on interactive, experiential activities. (LZ)

This article provides a model for inviting children to "an exploration in ecology" by observing earthworms. It gives reasons to explore earthworms and guides the investigator through a detailed examination of the worms to answer 21 observation questions. Explores the ways in which earthworms interact with their environment. (LZ)

Presents one teacher's classroom techniques for teaching responsibility through real-world learning experiences. Wall charts rotate everyday jobs. Students apply for challenging jobs. A lottery system determines who gets favorite jobs. Students vote on who organizes special events. (SM)

Describes families of materials and their properties and provides a student quiz, possible outcomes, sources of information, and a design brief in which students build something using a variety of materials. (SK)

Discusses the role of observation in participative learning activities and describes methods to increase observation skills. Purposes of observing are discussed in relation to strategies followed by facilitators; categories of observation are described; methods of recording are examined; and training exercises for observational skills development…

Each technology learning activity describes context and lists objectives, needed materials and equipment, student assignment, and evaluation questions. (SK)

Offers a group exercise for teaching students how to achieve consensus concerning rank order. Explains that students are assigned to rank the incidence of animals biting their own species in New York City. Reports that the teacher chooses a group member to explain the group's ranking. Identifies evaluation methods for the exercise. (SG)

An emerging view of professional development recommends enhancement of current practice by integrating research-based strategies into teachers' classroom repertoire. This article describes an urban elementary school enhancement program involving intensive collaboration between teachers and master teachers. Two case studies are described. (10…

Provides a brief history, the science behind the art, and instructions for use of stereograms. (ZWH)

The first learning activity is intended to heighten students' awareness of the need for recycling, reuse, and reduction of materials; the second explores the aerodynamics of automobiles. Both include context, concept, objectives, procedure, and materials needed. (SK)

Teachers can give children a learning experience by (1) providing a concept; (2) selecting an activity; (3) generating a learning task; (4) formulating a cognitive challenge; (5) creating small groups; (6) debriefing the meanings learned; and (7) using the feedback to modify the original idea. (DG)

Suggests not a unit or single project but an approach that weaves folklore into an existing curriculum. Presents ideas included at appropriate points in an eleventh grade American literature course to enrich student experiences through activities that tap into students' family experiences. (RS)

Presents ways of elaborating statistical concepts so as to make course material more meaningful for students. Describes examples using exclamations, circus and cartoon characters, and falling leaves to illustrate variability, null hypothesis testing, and confidence interval. Concludes that the exercises increase student comprehension of the text…