There is clear scientific evidence linking climate change to human activity. Despite this, we still find numerous public figures claiming there is no climate change, or that climate change data is "fake news." Societal polarization around climate change (Worland 2017; Pernett 2017; McCright and Dunlap 2011) can provide students with…

The "Next-Generation Science Standards" emphasize the importance of teaching the practices of science alongside content ideas and crosscutting concepts (NGSS Lead States 2013). Chief among these practices is the ability to gather, assess, analyze, and interpret data. Authentic inquiry near the leading-edge of science offers a wonderful…

For students to be successful in STEM, they need "statistical literacy," the ability to interpret, evaluate, and communicate statistical information (Gal 2002). The science and engineering practices dimension of the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") highlights these skills, emphasizing the importance of…

A new online tool called "Science Pipes" allows students to conduct biodiversity investigations. With this free tool, students create and run analyses that would otherwise require access to unwieldy data sets and the ability to write computer code. Using these data, students can conduct guided inquiries or hypothesis-driven research to…

Presents a unit that uses remote-sensing images from satellites and other spacecraft to provide new perspectives of the earth and generate greater global awareness. Relates the levels of Bloom's hierarchy to different aspects of the remote sensing unit to confirm that the concepts and principles of remote sensing and related images belong in…

Describes student-friendly data sets accessible over the Internet that enable students to use large sets of real data to create graphs, apply basic statistical techniques, construct models, and draw conclusions about how the earth functions. Lists useful online data sets. (JRH)