This document consists of a series of astronomy activities for intermediate grade students. It contains three major teaching sections. Teacher Section I deals with stars, constellations, and galaxies and presents a series of demonstrations, discussion topics, readings, and hands-on-activities. Teachers Section II is concerned with a planetarium…

This environmental unit is one of a series designed for integration within an existing curriculum. It is self-contained and students are encouraged to work at their own speed. The philosophy behind the series is based on an experience-oriented process that promotes independent student work. This particular unit explores the concept of succession…

This publication includes curriculum materials on animals for grades 4-6. The major purposes of this publication are to foster individualized and interdisciplinary science and art activities within elementary classrooms and to provide pupils and teachers with suggestions to encourage the use of zoos, animal parks, and natural history museums.…

Provides instructions for constructing a model passive-solar house from a sturdy cardboard box and other readily available materials. By constructing the house and performing related experiments, students begin to understand some of the major principles of solar energy. (JN)

Reports on the development, reliability, and validity of an instrument which measures the science process skills of middle and high school students. The 36-item instrument can be completed during a normal classroom period. (JN)

Discusses problems reflecting the crisis in education, presenting general approaches for resolving the problems. Also discusses the California Earthquake Education Project (CALEEP), a program which provides education of current concern (including personal emergency preparedness) to the public. CALEEP activities are successful due to many social,…

Outlines three projects which have been designed for teaching electronics to ages 11-13, 13-16, and 16-18. Aims, content, approach, and equipment are discussed with guidelines for teacher use. Indicates that work with microprocessors (alongside Nuffield style analogue work) should help digital electronics receive greater emphasis in secondary…

Mechanically-minded middle school students who have been studying electromagnetism can construct inexpensive telegraphs resembling Samuel Morse's 1844 invention. Instructions (with diagrams), list of materials needed, and suggestions are given for a simple telegraph and for a two-way system. (DH)

Describes: the chemical history of a pencil; a simple solar camera for measuring the sun's diameter; the experimental comparison of the thermal stability of metal carbonates; and the introduction of the concept of weight as a force to young children. A computer program listing on color mixing is also provided. (JN)

Determined that graphic organizers are effective in increasing the achievement of sixth-grade (N=235) and seventh-grade (N=220) middle school students who used the organizers. Reasons why the graphic organizer enhances student learning and is an effective and practical teaching strategy are also discussed. (JN)

Investigated sex-related differences in science achievement from a science assessment project in British Columbia. Findings (obtained from students in grades 4, 8, and 12) confirm earlier findings that boys outscore girls on items testing understanding and application of scientific knowledge. No sex-related differences on process skills were…

This paper presents and discusses the results of a project in which seven teams of elementary school students were involved in designing and implementing interactive multimedia resources in science for younger children. During a period of 3 months, students in grades 5 and 6 were divided into teams and met regularly to program the multimedia…

This book is a collaborative project between the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). It has two complementary goals: to provide classroom-tested lessons that effectively model the vision of the NCTM Standards and to focus on the exciting problems that arise out of NASA's…

Sisters in Science, like many other programs aimed at fostering girls' interest and achievement in science, is designed to encourage more girls and women to prepare for the careers in math, science, and technology that will dominate the 21st century. One of the foci of Sisters in Science was on the role of teachers as decision-makers in promoting…

In the spring of 2000, public school eighth grade students will be assessed for the first time on the Colorado Model Content Standards for Science. This guide was developed to help educators prepare for the upcoming Colorado science assessment. The purpose of this book is to provide a window into eighth grade science assessment. This guide is…