The nature of science encompasses the entire world and within that realm, patterns of life can be observed, interpreted, and organized into a sensible arrangement of understanding. By discovering, through an intricate process, how shapes and images form into a complete design or sequence, students related similar scientific patterns to their own…

"Introduction to Aerospace and Design" is a 3-hour per week freshman elective course at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that culminates in a Lighter-Than-Air (LTA) vehicle design competition, exposing freshmen to the excitement of aerospace engineering design typically taught in the junior or senior years. In addition to the…

Around Puget Sound, communities and elementary teachers value naturalist intelligence, the kind needed to solve environmental problems. As part of an integrated curriculum on water quality, sixth graders are learning about scientific procedures by performing dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity tests and taking samples of aquatic organisms. An…

Describes a classroom lesson on comets that uses modeling and guided imagery to spark students' curiosity. Comet models are built using chunks of rock salt, polystyrene balls, and tinsel. Abstract ideas are made more concrete with a guided imagery story called Comet Ride! Includes an introduction to the use of parallax to measure the distance of…

Presents an activity that enables students to learn how to read a fertilizer label, to understand the components of fertilizers, and to compare natural and man-made fertilizers. Includes background information and student worksheets. (DDR)

Presents a science activity that enables students to carefully examine the root system of a plant and to understand that roots-specifically root hairs-are needed so that water and nutrients can be absorbed. Includes student data sheet and extension activities. (DDR)

Argues that assessment should be an integral component of the science curriculum and that assessment should assist students and teachers in accomplishing their goals. Points out the failures of the process-product models of school reform. (DDR)

Presents activities on persistence of vision that involve students in a hands-on approach to the study of early methods of creating motion pictures. Students construct flip books, a Zoetrope, and an early movie machine. (DDR)

Details the experiences of a physiologist introducing kindergartners to the basics of cardiorespiratory physiology including pulmonary ventilation and circulatory transport of oxygen. Describes the demonstration and how it enables children to participate in scientific inquiry. Contains 17 references. (DDR)

Recommends that teachers address the challenge of making science fun and interesting by employing space sciences to convert the ordinary into the extraordinary through imagination, community involvement, and hands-on activities. (DDR)

Presents investigations in which students are provided with a series of four mystery items related to cicadas. Observations and a class discussion follow each item. Contains basic information on doing experiments with live cicadas, specific assessment strategies for this activity, and facts about cicadas. (DDR)

Describes the role played by the Children's Museum of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, in science education. Provides details of the history and logistics of the program which helps alleviate school science equipment problems by bringing kits and exhibits to the schools. (DDR)

Recommends that teachers try putting a new twist on classic experiments to focus and motivate students to learn science. Argues that dissonance or discrepancy can be introduced into many activities. Focuses on gloop (a puttylike substance). (DDR)

Details an activity in which students create and study miniature impact craters in the classroom. Engages students in making detailed, meaningful observations, drawing inferences, reaching conclusions based on scientific evidence, and designing experiments to test selected variables. (DDR)

Describes a program designed to educate and train selected teachers to utilize hands-on activities, provide inservice workshops for their colleagues, and function as resource persons within their school districts. Discusses participant selection, workshops, and final project overview and evaluation. Concludes that the stated goals of the project…