Presents a laboratory activity on enzymes. Uses common items found in the supermarket that contain protease enzymes, such as contact lens cleaner and meat tenderizer. Demonstrates the digestion of gelatin proteins as part of enzymatic reactions. (Author/SOE)

Discusses the implications of withdrawing support for programs that bring amateur and professional astronomers into the schools. Provides insight into the perspectives of the scientists who are involved with schools as well as the perspective of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (DDR)

Describes a field experiment that was designed to test the effects of three different interpretive programs on students' attitudes toward live, nonpoisonous snakes. One of the treatments measured the effectiveness of using "hands-on" interpretive techniques. Direct contact with snakes improved students' attitudes but only slightly. Females'…

Gives details of three experiments with alcoholic fermentation by yeasts which yield carbon dioxide and ethanol. Lists procedures for making cider, vinegar, and fermentation gases. Provides some historical background and detailed equipment requirements. (DDR)

Describes a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project in which hands-on science became the predominant mode of instruction in a school district. Explores the effectiveness of the program and its implications for the future and the science supervisor. (KHR)

Describes the activities of the Physics Teachers Action Research Group in which college physics teachers work together in planning, revising, and evaluating student projects that foster greater conceptual understanding and address student misconceptions. Presents the details of a project in which students were asked to build an accelerometer. (JRH)

Describes a two-week summer experience for teachers and students on a dig in Colorado looking for fossil records of the plants and animals in the area. (DDR)

Describes a teacher's involvement with Monarch Watch, an organization that tracks the migration of the monarch butterfly each fall. (DDR)

Describes a project that began as workshops for teachers in biotechnology and became a program that enables students to do hands-on biotechnology experiments in the classroom. The three parts of this program include the development of activities, access to equipment, and further workshops. (DDR)

Inquires into the pre-trip preparation and interaction between elementary teachers and students during a field trip to a discovery center of natural history. Reports that teachers did not specifically prepare students for their visit to the center and many teachers exhibited formal school behaviors in this informal environment. (Author/CCM)

Describes a fifth-grade class project to investigate two major forms of ocean pollution: plastics and oil. Students work in groups and read, discuss, speculate, offer opinions, and participate in activities such as keeping a plastics journal, testing the biodegradability of plastics, and simulating oil spills. Activities culminate in…

Suggests that teacher preparation courses should model hands-on activities that promote positive attitudes toward science. Investigates the qualities of activities in a field-based science methods course that motivates preservice elementary teachers to implement them in their own classrooms. (Author/CCM)

Provides an overview of informal elementary science-education programs in the United States, and features a detailed description of the Hands on Science Outreach program. Presents insights for informal elementary science-education programs trying to maintain their unique niche while conforming to the new national standards in science education.…

Describes the use of a weekly elementary science schedule that incorporates students doing hands-on science and inquiry activities, constructing explanations of natural phenomena, and connecting their ideas and thinking. All of the activities and books suggested in the article cover the eight categories of the National Science Education Standards…