Science diagrams are an integral part of science because they are an important means of conveying and visualizing abstract science content. In recent years, researchers have demonstrated the educational benefits of encouraging students to draw their own conceptual diagrams, rather than focusing on interpreting diagrams given to them. To help…

To enhance teaching and learning about Earth's climate and global climate change (GCC) in secondary science classrooms, the authors are engaged in a four-year, National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project to develop, implement, and evaluate a new four-week curriculum module grounded in the use of a data-driven, computer-based climate modeling…

It is important that students understand the role the ocean plays in mitigating climate change, and how every person on this planet is uniquely connected to the ocean. Identifying these connections can be challenging for students in rural or underserved areas, many of whom do not live by, or interact with, the ocean. Through the use of the board…

This three-day integrated 5E inquiry lesson that includes physics, engineering, and biology concepts, uses physical computing and photoplethysmography to learn about one's pulse. The main learning objective is to have students communicate how wave phenomena, like a pulse, can be analyzed using sensors, which is called physical computing. This…

Recent research on science teaching and learning defines science as both a body of knowledge and a process (NRC 2007); it is the integration of science content, practices, and core ideas (NRC 2012). It would follow that science learning should parallel what science is and how it is done; students should not be just consumers of scientific…

At the core of an effective model-based inquiry (MBI) unit is a scientifically rich, complex phenomenon that serves as the reason for engagement and drives student sensemaking and investigations throughout the unit. Engaging in iterative attempts to explain phenomena over the course of an MBI unit allows the opportunity for students to construct…

There are three aspects of science: (1) scientific knowledge: what we know about the natural world, which would include crosscutting concepts; (2) scientific practices: skills and knowledge necessary for building scientific knowledge; and (3) nature of science (NOS): how science works (Bell et al. 2003). Most science instruction emphasizes the…

Teaching the tools and concepts associated with modern physics can often be a daunting and difficult task for secondary science teachers. Classical physics is often perceived as intimidating and complex in its own right. Modern physics addressing quantum phenomena where Newtonian laws break down is even more abstract for learners. However,…

Cultivating students' scientific knowledge and developing their capability in scientific inquiry depends on a teacher's ability to use existing resources to design rich learning opportunities. Designing such experiences is not easy, and is particularly challenging for new teachers who have little experience making decisions about the best way to…

Teaching about wave structure and function is a critical element of any physical science curriculum and supported by "Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)" PS4: Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer. To support students' learning of these ideas, teachers often rely on developing graphic models of a…

Protein synthesis, involving such abstract concepts as "DNA," "RNA," "transcription," and "translation," is one of many biological processes too small to be seen by the naked eye. This combination of scientific jargon and sub-microscopic elements can make biology seem overwhelming to any student--but…

In 1827, Robert Brown noticed pollen suspended in water bouncing around erratically. It wasn't until 1905 that Albert Einstein provided an acceptable explanation of the phenomenon (Kac 1947): Brownian motion is the random movement of particles (e.g., pollen) in a fluid (liquid or gas) as a result of collisions with atoms and molecules. Movement of…

Many students (and adults) do not understand a basic tenet of energy literacy: how electricity is produced. They do not know how coal or other fossil fuels are used to make electricity, nor do they understand how nuclear power, hydroelectric power, and wind power work. The author developed a series of lessons to help students understand how…

Science students should use mathematical and computational thinking to explain phenomena, but few examples of teachers engaging students in this important scientific practice have been found. This article describes a strategy for enhancing a lesson in which students use a mechanistic model to explain friction by adding mathematical and…

Students often confuse the functional differences between motion "transmission" and "transformation" systems. Students find it difficult to conceptualize differences between the specific systems. In this article, the author describes a technology and engineering unit that incorporates problem-based learning (PBL) to assist…