The paper is an extended work from a previous study on Taiwanese and German students' conceptions of the universe (Liu, 2005). The study revealed that students discuss astronomical events and entities based on a mental model of universe and their models of the universe seem to have similar underlying principles with historical ones. In present…

This study describes the experiences of 10- and 11-year-old students with building science models during a unit on weather. With the teacher, we prepared and gathered materials for the students to use in the building of dynamic physical models demonstrating the key features of the weather concepts they were learning. An important aspect of the…

It is a principle that many teachers have come to trust, from the first time their classes filled test tubes with yeast and loaded mini-volcanoes with baking soda and vinegar, when it comes to science, students learn best by doing, not just sitting and listening. However, some researchers and educators have challenged the argument for hands-on…

This student employee handbook offers tips on planning, design process, and presentation of a student Lunar Nautics project. Each section includes mission, task, challenge, and guide questions. With the activities presented, students will learn to design a Lunar Lander, Lunar Miner, and Lunar Base; investigate the geography and geology of the moon…

This curriculum guide uses hands-on activities to help grade 5-8 students and teachers understand the significance of space-based astronomy--astronomical observations made from outside the Earth's atmosphere. The guide begins with a survey of astronomy-related spacecraft that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has sent into…

This book highlights women's achievements in science and mathematics from the first century A.D. to the present. Included are paleontologists, geologists, astronomers, mathematicians, chemists, botanists, biologists, engineers, physicians entomologists, and atomic physicists. Their noteworthy accomplishments are translated to students through…

This paper outlines the implementation of a Science Rally held at Palm Beach State Primary School (Australia) which has a high proportion of disadvantaged families. Fostering the principles of multi-age grouping in primary schools, the rally aimed at engaging children in meaningful and exciting activities in a non threatening and success oriented…

This book contains science activities that are designed to make learning and demonstrating nonpoint source pollution concepts exciting and fun. These activities can either be used alone or with an existing water resources education curricula. Activities include: Water Tasting, Acting Out the Hydrologic Cycle, Concentration of Chemical Pollutants…

The ability to utilize and change energy is one of the most fundamental characteristics of living things. Plants have the unique ability to change light energy into the chemical energy on which human beings depend for such things as fuel and food. Through the activities in this book students examine how plants and other living things use and…

This activity book designed for grades 1-3 provides teachers with ready-to-use materials designed to get parents and children excited about science, help establish a home-school connection, and provide interesting learning activities for children to share with adults. This program gets parents involved in developing their children's science…

These lesson plans, designed for grades 6-8, have been developed to provide a guide to hands-on experience in science and math. They focus on an International Space Station and are designed for use with students working in groups. The three lesson plans highlighting the importance of the scientific method are: (1) International Space Station…

This book is based on the premise that students apply thinking skills to learning science concepts by doing through firsthand experiences in an interactive, open atmosphere; constructing by building knowledge through guided inquiry; and connecting by relating learning to the world around them. The contents of this book have been designed to…

The objective of this investigation was to review impact evaluations related to activity based elementary science programs. Of particular focus is the measurement of process skills attainment. The report presents a survey of current impact evaluation procedure for process-oriented programs as described by recent literature, identification of…

This activity guide for teachers interested in using the intense interest many children have in space exploration as a launching point for exciting hands-on learning opportunities begins with brief discussions of the space environment, the history of spacewalking, the Space Shuttle spacesuit, and working in space. These are followed by a series of…

This document presents a field hearing of the Governmental Affairs Committee to examine the current reform efforts in science and mathematics education at the federal and state levels, focusing specifically on the experiences of Ohio. Nine witnesses representing various educational levels presented testimony concerning mathematics and science…