Being green means different things to different people. Some suggest that being green means saving energy, not wasting paper towels, going solar, harnessing wind, using less fertilizer, or buying products that are organically grown. Given that being green can mean a lot of things, what does "being green" or "going green" mean to both you and your…

As you have read in the previous "After the Bell" column, water harvesting is a process of diverting and collecting rainwater. One of the main reasons to harvest rainwater is to reduce the demand on local sources of water. The objective of the harvesting procedure is to gather water from a weather event that is usually lost as runoff and either…

As teachers, we try to make subjects applicable to students' lives. A topic that extends well beyond the classroom and any single discipline is the physical properties of symmetry found in architecture. Few curriculum programs, however, have implemented a detailed study of symmetry for students to develop geometric thinking before middle school.…

Presents a science activity on modeling a bridge to teach about the forces of tension versus compression. The activity is designed for middle school students. (YDS)

Discusses the importance of observation in science education, how to foster students' observation skills in the classroom, and how to facilitate what they observe when learning. Includes a list of components of good scientific observing. (KHR)

One of the most important connections that must be made during the middle school years is the relationship between scientific inquiry and algebraic thinking. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways in which teachers in both mathematics and science can make this intrinsically important association for students. One way is by studying rate of change,…

Describes how to use newspapers and newsmagazines as available science-related resources in the science classroom. Provides teaching strategies to foster student thinking and assess student understanding. (KHR)