A series of three practical sessions are designed to give students firsthand experience with the preparation of natural product extracts and assay using a live tissue preparation. Areca or betel nuts are the seeds from the fruit of the "Areca catechu" palm tree that is known to contain a number of pharmacologically active alkaloids. The…

Kindergartners have an energizing sense of wonder and an insatiable desire to learn about the world around them. For this reason, the study of ecosystems and how organisms interact within their environment is very exciting for these young learners. An appropriate place for young students to start constructing their own understanding of living and…

The creation of schoolyard gardens is a growing movement in the United States and around the world (Ballard, Tong, and Usher 1998; Pope 1998; Lewis 2004). It brings together all of the features of authentic hands-on science: Students can collect data on plant growth, observe the plant and animal interactions in the garden, and acquire a sense of…

A piece of children's literature can be a powerful tool for teaching and learning science; however, it takes more than reading about a topic to qualify as "doing science." Inspired by the book, "The Gift of the Tree", the author developed an in-depth interdisciplinary lesson for her sixth-grade students without diluting the science. Through this…

Where does cellular respiration take place? How does a plant make food and in turn use the food to produce its own energy? Do animals carry on this process also? To help students answer these and other questions, have them build a model leaf, plant cell, and animal cell. This hands-on project allows students to see and manipulate the reactants and…

Plants provide oxygen, food, shelter, medicine and more for all animals, including humans. In fact, people depend on plants for their very survival just as plants rely on animals! In All About Plant & Animal Interdependency, join aspiring botanists as they discover how plants and animals interrelate. Learn about the constant exchange of gases…

This book is designed to introduce students to a variety of fascinating desert ecosystems through a series of learning activities including games, graphs, experiments, and crafts. Each section contains an information section along with student activities and worksheets. The section topics are sand, scorpions, and snow; scenic sculpture; desert…

Young learners are invited to learn about the natural world through engaging activities that encourage the observation, exploration, and appreciation of nature. Weaving together a stimulating tapestry of folktales, personal narratives, and hands-on activities, this book teaches children about the earth and all of its creatures--birds, plants,…

This is an activity book designed for students in grades 3 through 6. These activities incorporate science themes and cooperative learning. Students explore topics by working with others as team members to complete the science activities. This book contains five units on the following topics: weather, insects, plants, dinosaurs, and space. Each…

This book is a compilation of biology labs that are safe, simple, dependable, economical, and diverse. Some of the 25 investigations contained within this book involve organisms that are free for the taking and returned to the environment unharmed following the investigations. Students gain experience in making observations, forming hypotheses,…

This document provides information on the most commonly asked science safety questions by science teachers primarily at the secondary school level. Topics include the legal responsibilities of a science teacher, a general safety checklist, proper labeling and storing of chemicals, purchasing of new chemicals and disposing of old chemicals, a…

This book provides resources to teachers and librarians for creating thematic units on specific topics targeting grades K-8. Each topic includes key concepts, comprehensive teaching resources, teaching resources (nonfiction children's literature), reading selections (fiction children's literature), science activities, creative writing and art…

This manual was developed by the Community Resource Curriculum Development Project (CRCDP), a cooperative project to develop multi-disciplinary, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural science/social sciences teaching units based upon the Illinois State Goals for Learning. This manual contains seven teaching units that include several experience-based…

In every ecosystem, organisms rely on each other in unique relationships that ensure each other's survival. In Plant & Animal Interdependency, find out how plants and animals interact, cooperate and compete. All living things have basic needs and depend on other living things to meet those needs. Discover why the constant exchange of nutrients 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…