Encouraging students with learning challenges to actively participate in the learning process can be difficult, especially when they are tentative about their knowledge level as compared to their peers. This article outlines three steps teachers can take to incorporate cooperative learning strategies that ensure active participation by all…

In this project, students compare the makeup of a cell to an everyday working unit or system. They create a three-dimensional object that represents their analogy. For example, students could create a car motor or manufacturing plant. (Of course, this is totally hand-created by them, so it can be a homemade re-creation of a system, not an actual…

Collecting weather data is a traditional part of a meteorology unit at the middle level. However, making connections between the data and weather conditions can be a challenge. One way to make these connections clearer is to enter the data into a database. This allows students to quickly compare different fields of data and recognize which…