Engaging elementary students in evidence-based reasoning is an essential aspect of science and engineering education. Evidence-based reasoning involves students making claims (i.e., answers to questions, or solutions to problems), providing evidence to support those claims, and articulating their reasoning to connect the evidence to the claim. In…

As an amateur photographer and science teacher, the author shares how to use digital media to enhance the study of habitat and adaptation. The author also helps you to discover how to use the camera to boost science vocabulary, especially for English language learners. Through breathtaking photographs--the possibilities are endless, your students…

It should come as no surprise that digital video technology is of particular interest to English language learners; students are drawn to its visual appeal and vibrant creative potential. The seven original case studies in this book demonstrate how video can be an effective and powerful tool to create fluid, fun, interactive, and collaborative…

The main purpose of this paper is to add to the list of examples of how cell phones may be used as teaching tools in the classroom. One very interesting example of this comes from the study of projectile motion, the classical "cannon ball" problem. This problem is central to the study of kinematics, the very first topic a student meets in physics.…

We propose a simple, direct estimate of the Sun's diameter based on penumbra observation and measurement in a two-level approach, the first for middle-school pupils and making use of simple geometrical arguments, the second more appropriate to high-school students and based on a slightly more sophisticated approach. (Contains 5 figures.)

Since many people tend to use photographs as memory anchors, this author decided she wanted to know whether the process of capturing and manipulating an image taken during a learning activity would act as a memory anchor for children's visual, auditory and kinaesthetic memories linked to their cognitive learning at the time. In plain English,…

If a picture is worth a thousand words, think about how long it takes your students to read a thousand words. Case studies are effective and stimulating ways to teach a variety of subjects, including the biological sciences. In learning the details of a particular case, students develop skills in both deductive and inductive reasoning, hypothesis…

Positive psychology is a rapidly expanding area of study that is of great interest to students at the graduate, undergraduate, and high school levels. But the field is so broad that teachers who want to cover all the bases when designing a positive psychology course may have difficulty locating and selecting materials. "Activities for Teaching…

Digital photography energizes students and focuses their attention on their environment. The personal connection to science helps students develop a habit of mind in which everything they see inside or outside of school can prompt them to wonder and investigate. This article describes how first graders explore their school grounds with cameras in…

The centrality of culture and language learning in foreign language instruction is highlighted in the "Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century" (National Standards, 2006) and the MLA report, "Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World" (MLA Ad Hoc Committee on Foreign Languages, 2007).…

Situating instruction in a local context, socioscientific issues (SSIs) offers students an opportunity to become active participants in the community and has the potential to encourage them to authentically and critically participate and engage in understanding, caring for, and transforming the world to which they belong. Photovoice is one way…

This article describes how to make a clay camera. This idea of creating functional cameras from clay allows students to experience ceramics, photography, and painting all in one unit. (Contains 1 resource and 3 online resources.)

Despite their experiences with a cartoon sponge, most elementary students know little about the diverse inhabitants of coral reefs. Therefore, with vivid photography and video, diverse coral reef inhabitants were brought to life for the author's fifth-grade students. Students shared their knowledge in language arts and even explored coral reefs in…

Many teachers of children with disabilities incorporate photographs of people during the school day as part of daily schedules, choice-making, attendance, and turn-taking opportunities. They often hold the expectation that the child with disabilities will be able to discriminate the photographs of others from a self-photograph. It is important to…

Photography is a powerful medium with which to explore social issues and concerns through the intersection of artistic form and concept. Through the discussions of images and suggested activities, students will understand various ways photographers have documented and addressed racism and discrimination. This Instructional Resource presents a…