Children from two primary schools--one a state primary and the other a private school--have been involved for some eight years with planning, making and maintaining a conservation area beside the River Thames in Berkshire. The work is part of the curriculum and involves habitat studies, identification of local species and learning about animal…

The relationship between language, thought, and concept formation has been a central issue in many studies and theoretical discussions in various domains--philosophy, psychology, anthropology, and linguistics. The relation between language and concept development can be framed as two opposing questions: (1) Does the child learn concepts first and…

This set of 16 laboratory activities is designed to illustrate the life cycle of Brassicae plants from seeds in pots to pods in 40 days. At certain points along the production cycle of the central core of labs, there are related lateral labs to provide additional learning opportunities employing this family of plants, referred to as "fast…

This document is a pretrip instruction manual that can be used by secondary school and college teachers who are planning trips to visit the tropical habitats in South Florida. The material is divided into two parts: (1) several fact sheets on the various habitats in South Florida; and (2) a number of species lists for various areas. Factsheets on…

An ethnographic study was conducted with the goal of evaluating the botanical concepts of sixth-grade students. One aspect of the study involved examination of the levels of abstraction students use for naming plants. Nine sixth-grade students were interviewed individually. Each was asked to identify the plants seen in a set of 64 slides and…

This curriculum for gifted/talented students in kindergarten through grade 2 focuses on the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains in the areas of language arts, mathematics, music, physical education (dance), science, social studies, theatre, and visual arts. The curriculum is student centered, experientially based, exploratory,…

Students' alternative conceptions arise out of an interconnected system of beliefs: about the nature of science, of learning, of the natural and social world. Cross-cultural perspectives on these world views are therefore essential. This study probed middle school students' conceptions about plants. Tribal students were found to have a richer and…

This book presents science activities designed for young children. The activities are divided into the following the content areas of chemistry, physics, earth explorations, weather watchers, flight and space, plants, animal adventures, and mathworks. Each activity features sections of language with science, required items, procedures, and…

This book is a compilation of articles from the The American Biology Teacher journal that present biology labs that are safe, simple, dependable, economic, and diverse. Each activity can be used alone or as a starting point for helping students design follow-up experiments for in-depth study on a particular topic. Students must make keen…

This guide contains hands-on science activities to connect middle-school students to the traditional knowledge of their grandparents and elders. Because girls often lose interest in science at the middle-school level, and because women in some communities (especially in rural areas) are seldom involved in work with an obvious science basis, the…

Plant tissue culture has developed into a valid botanical discipline and is considered a key area of biotechnology, but it has not been a key component of the science curriculum because of the expensive and technical nature of research in this area. This manual presents a number of activities that are relatively easy to prepare and perform. The…

Noting that a student's study of a state becomes more meaningful when children's and young adult literature is used as an enhancement, this book offers Florida-related works of literature to broaden the study of the state. The book is organized by category: history, historical fiction, biographies, plants, animals, fiction, geography, and travel.…

Children have ample opportunities to learn about science outside of school through visits to science museums, participation in extra-curricular science programs, and by pursuing experiments at home, yet few studies have examined what it means to do science in such places and how such ways of knowing might become integrated with, or differentiated…

Judy Bluehorse Skelton is an herbalist of Native American descent who conducts field trips to identify plants and classroom activities to demonstrate their uses. She also works with Portland (Oregon) schools developing culturally appropriate strategies for presenting Native American content. She encourages students to look at events such as the…

Describes an activity where students research Native American and colonial uses of herbs, study herb folklore, and observe differences between herb seeds and plants. (PR)