In this classroom activity, students perform a series of tests with deicers to decide which works better at melting ice and then decide if calcium chloride deicer is worth the extra cost. (MM)

Space Shuttle Glider is a scale model of the U.S. Space Shuttle orbiter. The airplane-like orbiter usually remains in Earth orbit for up to two weeks at a time. It normally carries a six- to seven-person crew which includes the mission commander, pilot, and several mission and/or payload specialists who have specialized training associated with…

The article presents inexpensive activities to teach elementary school students about electromagnets. Students learn to make an electromagnet with a battery, nail, and wire, then different activities help them explore the difference between permanent magnets and electromagnets. (SM)

Describes independent and group research activities for the classroom focusing on the properties of air. (SS)

Describes a project for junior high and senior high school students designed to safely preserve hard-bodied marine invertebrates. Details the materials and procedures used in this technique. Stresses the use of non-toxic solutions and producing a lifelike specimen. (CW)

Presents low-cost learning activities to help teach elementary students about the earth's magnetic field. One project has students make a model of the earth's magnetic field. Another has them experiment with magnetism. (SM)

Focuses on the characteristics of tropical rain forests, where they grow, and some of the misconceptions about them. Includes six activities on: figuring out forests, jungle journey, tropical trivia trek, forest comparisons, and lost in the jungle. Five copyable sheets are provided. (RT)

The purpose of this community study unit is to introduce third grade students to the concept of the food web and to guide them in an investigation of the interrelationships among living things within a community. In the first section, students examine their own diets, and then extend this examination to the diets of some familiar animals.…

Discusses the diversity of rain forest life, the adaptations of rain forest plants and animals, and ways these organisms interact. Includes activities on canopy critters with a copyable sheet, rain forest revue, design a plant, and jungle sleuths. (RT)

This unit is designed to help first grade students understand the broad concept of community. The students experience a variety of in-class and field trip activities that will expose them to communities. The students observe and compare both natural and human-designed communities. Learning activities include pantomimes, listening activities,…

This unit of study is made up of a series of activities designed to acquaint the students with changes and cycles in the world around them. The unit includes a field trip to a local beach where a number of changes can be observed first-hand. Life cycles, as well as the water cycle, are introduced in the unit through a variety of pre-trip classroom…

Designed to use simple materials that can be found in almost any household, this document provides elementary teachers and students with activities and worksheets that deal with basic scientific concepts. The activities are intended to help students form and test their own hypotheses. Each topic in the booklet is addressed through a simple…

Ten activities that feature a hands-on, student inquiry-based investigatory approach to rocks and minerals are presented. "Guided discovery" and/or inquiry instructional strategies are emphasized. They focus on a student-centered active classroom. Each activity includes the heading, science content, the scientific process skills, objective or…

The Atlantic barrier system is used as a focal point in this manual of field exercises. A collection of activities and posed questions provide students with opportunities to develop skills basic to the development of sound field techniques. Investigations can be adapted and modified by teachers to specific subject areas and developmental needs.…

Focuses on what life is like in the three major regions of the ocean: (1) the sunlit surface waters; (2) the dim mid-waters; and (3) the dark ocean depths. Five activities and three pages of ocean organisms for copying are included. (Author/RT)