Describes the history of the study of dinosaurs and current topics of research in the field. Contains 18 references. (WRM)

Reports on Westfield State College's Animal Behavior course which requires students to design their own research projects, write a scientific research proposal, conduct experiments, and present results in the form of a scientific paper. (Author/MM)

This article describes the author's experience dealing with animal rights protests. It describes a group convened to address the issue of animal care and use in education, comprised of faculty from veterinary medicine, veterinary students, members of the Vegetarian Resources Network, the director of Oregon State's Program for Ethics, Science, and…

This document contains some book suggestions to help introduce all the various parts of writing. Helping students understand figures of speech takes more than a book ? it takes a creative teacher and interested students. One book that teachers and students have had a great time with is Monkey Business by Wallace Edwards, (Kids Can Press, 2004,…

Children and teachers in 750 kindness clubs (organized by the World Society for the Protection of Animals, WSPA) in 32 African countries are actively involved in coordinating rural animal clinics and participate in clinic activities including the treatment of these animals. This article discusses the benefits of child-animal relationships.…

Engaging fourth-grade students in hands-on science was easy when a container of mealworms arrived the second week of school. The author's naturally curious students immediately began asking questions, and soon they were eagerly investigating animal characteristics and behavior. But, the journey did not stop there. After students tested mealworms…

Spanish-speaking children, like children everywhere, are naturally interested in the world around them. If teachers are to encourage their understanding and appreciation of the natural and physical sciences, they should provide them with a wide variety of books they can read and understand. From board books about farm animals to a high-interest…

To claim that young children's biological thought is anthropocentric or that their induction depends on similarity rather than categories is to overlook the role of experience in reasoning. We tested four groups of 4-year-olds differing in two aspects of exposure to biological information: (a) their direct experience with nature (urban versus…

Children's books are an important classroom resource for the study of animals because it is not practical for students to study many animals in their natural habitat. This article is the result of a collaborative research project undertaken by a science methods specialist and a children's literature specialist. We analyzed books about animals that…

Environmental familiarization is a learning phenomenon embedded within most tasks used to study learning and motivation. Given its prevalence there is surprisingly little systematic behavioral research on factors affecting familiarization. The six experiments reported in the present report used rats' tendency to interact more with a novel object…

Although most teachers agree that a field trip is an important educational experience for their students, many struggle with finding a way to make it connect with their classroom curriculum. Creating an effective field trip involves creating an effective lesson plan and using the resources of the museum, zoo, or aquarium to foster inquiry and…

The power of the human-animal bond has been described in sources as diverse as ancient literature, modern fiction, and research reports in the professional literature (Chandler, 2001; Mallon, 1992; Parshall, 2003; Siegel, 1993). Educators have used classic examples, such as those found in the children's books Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern…

Evolutionary developmental psychology is a discipline that has the potential to integrate conceptual approaches to the study of behavioral development derived from psychology and biology as well as empirical data from humans and animals. Comparative research with animals, and especially with nonhuman primates, can provide evidence of adaptation in…

Teaching Preschoolers about the environment is hard. Many complex concepts are involved: the interactions among everything on the planet--air, land, water, and all living things; the systems that determine weather and climate, food supply, energy resources, and the quality of life for every plant and animal; systems operating on a planetary scale…

Trained therapy dogs are becoming an increasingly common sight in many educational and health care settings. This article, coauthored by a college professor, a Therapy Dogs International, Inc., Evaluator and local program director, and a registered nurse reviews the research on using registered therapy dogs as adjuncts in school programs and…