The increasing presence of linguistically diverse young children in U.S. public schools has prompted science educators to recognize the need for approaches that are inclusive and sensitive to students' academic needs. The challenge is to design lessons that provide language support while actively engaging children in authentic scientific inquiry.…

The authors show how teachers can use nature explorations as a personal guide in implementing early learning standards. They describe five outdoor experiences of children in age groups ranging from 20 months to 5 years. A chart specifies which of the Nebraska state learning guidelines and Creative Curriculum goals the experiences meet, across the…

Described are five halloween season activities. Included are investigations which focus on observing, measuring, creating, and cooking. A recipe for pumpkin bread is given. Ideas for infusing science into a halloween party are provided. (CW)

Discussed is an alternative teaching strategy to uncover and assess a common misconception in the life sciences and to articulate its use in teaching a unit on angiosperm reproduction. The learning cycle is described, and a concept map on reproduction on angiosperms is included. (KR)