Citizen science projects are an increasingly popular way to engage the public in the process of science. However, few studies have evaluated learning outcomes beyond knowledge gains in formal learning settings with youth. This study evaluated the effects of a classroom-based citizen science project in which middle and high school students…

The National Curriculum Framework-2005 (NCF-2005) recommends that learning of children has to shift away from methods encouraging rote memory. This is possible only if children get an opportunity to explore the surroundings themselves. In this paper the researcher shares her experiences in the use of various innovative approaches in…

Educators at Thomas A. Edison Middle School have worked together to bring invention information and activities to life. One activity in particular, Ping-Pong Ball Invention Challenge, has proven a great success. The Ping-Pong Ball Invention Challenge was inspired by the basic rules for PBS's "Design Squad"'s "Pop Fly" activity. In this article,…

Periodic Table Target, a game for middle school or high school students, familiarizes students with the form of the periodic table and the biological significance of different elements. The Periodic Table Target game board is constructed as a class project, and the game is played to reinforce the content. Students are assigned several elements…

Describes a project for middle school students that uses the computer to support student investigation of constitutional issues, called "Putting Rights on Line for 21st Century Citizens." (SR)

Corrugated cardboard is a common material that educators can put to good use in a variety of ways in technology, art, design, science, and other classes. Sometimes, teachers overlook this material, turning instead to more expensive and durable ones when basic cardboard would suffice. In this article, the author describes how the cost of materials…

Describes eight creative inquiry projects for middle-school students, complete with description, time investment, level of difficulty, and student rating. (SR)

Describes a project that encouraged combining pictures and words by middle school students to create science picture books. Suggests six steps to help students plan, research, and create picture books. Discusses a variety of final products that emerged, and benefits of the project. (BAC)

Project-based curricula have the potential to engage students' interests. But how do students become interested in the goals of a project? This article documents how a group of 8th-grade students participated in an architectural design project called the Antarctica Project. The project is based on the imaginary premise that students need to design…

Describes a range of community-based writing projects that the author used with her middle and high school students of all levels. Discusses how these projects (ranging from simple interviews, to short biographies to profiles published and distributed in the community) not only became part of students' home town, but also helped students distill…

A seventh-grade teacher describes how her students gradually became engaged in a year-long project on Thoreau. Although initially resistant and unenthusiastic, the students became interested after two field trips involving living-history experiences, and went on to write a play involving Thoreau, his contemporary and 20th-century…

For the last several years, students at a Gainesville, Florida middle school have produced an award winning literary journal. It is exciting to win national awards, but the greatest reward comes when each student discovers that there is a writer within him- or herself. With very few exceptions, all of the writing published in each year's journal…

Designed to encourage students to become involved with their school and community, this handbook presents a compilation of service and school spirit activities developed by the Meadow Park Intermediate School in Beaverton, Oregon. Information about how to organize a spirit or service club is presented, and three school spirit projects (locker…