This integrative, cross-curricular lab engages middle school biology students in an exercise involving ecology, arthropod biology, and mathematics. Students research the anatomy and behavioral patterns of a species of brine shrimp, compare the anatomy of adult and juvenile brine shrimp, and graph and interpret results. In this article, the authors…

Graphs are important for supporting critical thinking and scientific argumentation because students can use them to reason, make judgments and decisions, and solve problems like a scientist (Connery 2007). Yet teaching students how to use math to actually think critically continues to be difficult for teachers. This article describes two…

Middle school students can develop and enhance their observation skills by participating in teacher-guided scientific inquiry (NRC 1996) activities where they observe animals that tend to act in known, predictable ways. Madagascar hissing cockroaches ("Gromphadorhina portentosa") are one such animal. This article presents beginning, intermediate,…

The United Nations has proclaimed 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry and, as part of that designation, has invited teachers worldwide to participate with their students in the Global Water Experiment (IYC 2010). Students have the opportunity to take part in four different water-related investigations to assess water quality and then share…

This lesson can be used at the beginning of the year to teach students how to conduct inquiries using the essential features described in "Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards" (NRC 1996). The lesson is divided into several activities which may be spread over several days or interspersed with your other beginning-of-the-year…

The International Boiling Point Project is an online, collaborative project for students in grades 6-12 in which they investigate the impact of four factors (room temperature, elevation, volume of water and heating device) on the boiling point of water. A detailed procedure is provided for students in order to limit the number of variables…

Wondering how to make the study of the immune system and infectious agents more relevant to your students' lives? The online adventure series, Medical Mysteries, can provide the context and motivation. The series combines the drama of television's "CSI" episodes with science to address several of the National Science Education Content Standards.…

In the exciting, "out of this world" activity described here, students measure the Earth using meter sticks while measuring their shadows in two distant locations. To obtain the size of the Earth, students discover the connection between the measurements of the shadows and a model of the spherical Earth following the method developed by…

Presents a class activity in which students use trigonometry to calculate the height attained by a water rocket. Provides a lesson plan that includes a list of materials needed, procedures to carry out the experiment, suggestions to extend the activity, and a reproducible worksheet for the students to register their calculations. (MDH)

Biobottles are miniature ecosystems made from 2-liter plastic soda bottles. They allow students to explore how organisms in an ecosystem are connected to each other, examine how biotic and abiotic factors influence plant and animal growth and development, and discover how important biodiversity is to an ecosystem. This activity was inspired by an…

Describes an activity for helping students understand and use data tables. (PR)

Describes making a magnetic pendulum similar to those seen in novelty shops. Presents an open-ended activity and a more structured activity using this pendulum. (PR)

Describes having students write lab reports that concentrate more on writing and independent thought. Students take the role of scientists writing about their findings for publication. The teacher acts as a journal editor, reading the reports and either accepting them for publication or suggesting ways for improvement. (PR)

In this article, the authors describe the mechanics of They're M-e-e-elting!, an activity wherein middle school students can simulate glacial retreat in Antarctica. They're M-e-e-elting! allows students to melt glaciers, change the water level and salinity of the Southern Ocean, and examine alterations to the Antarctic food web--all without…

Describes an inquiry-based experiment on the heat absorption of color that is developed from a scientific misconception. Uses three cans colored white, gray, and black and observes and compares the temperature changes of water in cans when placed under 100 watt lamps. (YDS)