Presents methods and questions for discussion, activities, role plays, and assessment methods for helping students understand the importance of water conservation. (PR)

Describes a class activity of conducting a mock trial of a pretend situation of a white-tailed deep population creating problems for a town. Procedures, fact sheets, names, and descriptors of characters are provided. (PR)

Recent events, such as the anthrax scares and the SARS outbreak, have forced teachers to focus on issues such as disease control and bioterrorism in their own backyards. Students are aware of the current biological issues in the news and are curious about infectious diseases and the issues relating to biological warfare. In order to address the…

Describes a partnership between two school districts, a college, a public library, and local community members. Highlights two projects: (1) the Beacon School project that addresses science and mathematics education, and (2) the Community of Learners network project that addresses the need for a high-speed community-based computer network that…

Discusses the classroom management, instructional design, and interactive grouping of cooperative learning. Lists six of the positive results of cooperative learning. (YP)

Provides strategies for adapting microscope activities for students with disabilities. The following factors are considered: (1) mainstreaming strategies; (2) laboratory techniques; (3) observing and classifying; (4) vocabulary and terminology; and (5) safety. (ZWH)

Presents the "mine to my home" concept (explore-mine-process-consume-recycle). Provides a large, color poster and many activities for teaching this concept. (PR)

Presents names, phone numbers, and addresses for obtaining space resources used in classroom instruction. (PR)

Vertical connections, constructed using inquiry, give students the skills to reach new heights in both their academic and local communities. In this article, the authors present inquiry projects, developed by middle level teachers, to ensure that students use higher-level thinking skills to improve the community. Each project is connected to the…

Describes the Integrated Science program that integrates biology, earth/space science, chemistry, and physics over a three-year, spiraling sequence arranged around broad themes such as cycles, changes, patterns, and waves. Includes weekly telecasts via public television and satellite, teacher manuals, student handbooks, e-mail connections, staff…

Describes a unit that applies constructivist teaching methods to a science concept. Contains mini-lessons in math that present to students information that they need to know in order to perform their experiments. Gives students the opportunity to construct their own knowledge about the natural phenomenon of light as they apply their mathematical…

Describes a partnership that linked ninth-grade earth science students with local government agencies and businesses. It facilitated accessing, manipulating, and analyzing digital imagery from satellites and ground-based data-receiving systems. Highlights three projects that involve middle-level students in real-world geological problem solving.…

Describes an extra credit science project in which students compete to see who can build the most efficient water rocket out of a two-liter pop bottle. Provides instructions on how to build a demonstration rocket and launching pad. (MDH)

Describes a project where students build their own catapults and modify them to solve four problems. Suggests the unit be integrated with a social studies unit on the Middle Ages. (PR)

Describes Project Alliance, a program that brings the university and science communities together to support middle school teachers working in teams to create integrated inquiry-based science curricula. Discusses the two-year program that trains teachers to become leaders in science education reform, six types of science partnerships, partnership…