The fruit fly ("Drosophila melanogaster") is an ideal subject for studying inheritance patterns, Mendel's laws, meiosis, Punnett squares, and other aspects of genetics. Much of what we know about genetics dates to evolutionary biologist Thomas Hunt Morgan's work with mutated fruit flies in the early 1900s. Many genetic laboratories…

In most STEM industries, teamwork is essential. Engineers, scientists, statisticians, and medical professionals, for example, must communicate with one another and work together. Someday, students may enter the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) workforce, where they also will need to collaborate effectively. This article describes…

Climate change is complex, requiring critical thinking on both local and global scales. Its effects vary dramatically around the world and require new strategies to help students grasp its complexity, scale, and interrelatedness. This article describes a project to help biology students think critically about climate change from a global…

Students best learn science through a combination of science inquiry and language learning. This article presents a series of chemistry lessons on the naming of compounds. The weeklong unit focuses on patterns across compound names and chemical formulas and addresses several of the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States…

The stars closest to Earth are not particularly remarkable or exciting. They are average stars typical of the spiral arms of our Milky Way galaxy. In fact, until recently, most astronomy and Earth science textbooks ignored all but the largest of them to focus on distant, more exotic objects like red supergiants or black holes. The recent discovery…

Studies evaluating the graphics in science textbooks have recommended that teachers use eye-catching visuals to reinforce student learning objectives. Similarly, the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) suggest that science teachers use visuals to teach English Language Learners (ELLs). However, little research has…

Investigates the impetus toward values education in the science curriculum. Provides lists of values which students most often associate with scientists, and compares these with values of society in general. Describes some methods developed for the teaching of values. (CP)

Enumerates five reasons for using science fiction as an aid in teaching science. Also included is a source list of materials that can be utilized. (BR)

Presents outer space topics suitable for use in a high school biology class, such as the reaction of biological systems to extreme conditions. (MLH)

Suggests and describes several learning activities that complement a high synergy classroom, i. e., "one which thrives on cooperative use of power." Described are: (1) the stages in using synectics with examples; (2) the techniques of webbing and guiding; (3) development of new games; (4) development of student portfolios; and (5) classroom…

In this section, brief contributed articles on a variety of secondary school science topics appear. (CP)

Describes the procedures for constructing flowcharts and outlines the advantages of using instructional flowcharts in the teaching of science and mathematics. (JR)

Describes science-related competitive events in which 10th and 11th grade students participated. The organization and operation of the olympiad is detailed. (CP)