This paper describes a method that attempts to confront the challenges of developing an environmentally-based earth sciences program. The research scheme includes five stages: (1) predevelopment study; (2) curriculum development; (3) implementation; (4) formative evaluation; and (5) curriculum modification. The research results indicate that the…

Science trade books can spark real-life involvement in saving a threatened fish. A successful science program at the Westbrook Elementary School, in Bethesda, Maryland, does just that. The program--in which students participate in watershed restoration projects as part of a yearlong study of the local Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River…

National concerns about the quality and effectiveness of science teaching have resulted in several efforts directed at restructuring the United States' science curriculum. This digest discusses recent initiatives of the Earth Systems Education. Topics discussed include: (1) efforts to understand the planet Earth; (2) the Program for Leadership in…

Provides a description of a program in Maine that emphasizes the relevance of earth science to students' everyday lives with classroom activities that address real societal issues such as wise management of habitats. Includes two of the activities from the curriculum materials. (DDR)

During the month of February, eighth and ninth graders at a university school in Wyoming participate in a winter lake study. Descriptions are given of various measurement techniques related to water quality studies. (SA)

Describes the founding and structure of the Sea Grant Program and speculation on its future. Discusses the creation of the program and its three components, networking, and financial aspects. Provides a map of the distribution and a directory of Sea Grant colleges, institutional programs, and coherent area programs. (YP)

Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) is an integrated, sustainable environmental education program that focuses on the concept of Earth system science which integrates fields like meteorology, oceanography, atmospheric science, geology, and biology. The program has the following objectives: training the next generation of scientists to use an…

Listed are the in-service institutes sponsored by the National Science Foundation for secondary school teachers during the 1972-73 academic year. The broad areas included in the institutes are biology, chemistry, engineering, environmental studies, earth sciences, physical science, social science, and mathematics. Also included are brief…

The concept of experiential education has gained increasing popularity among many types of institutions and organizations. Experiential education is an interactive learning process between student, instructor, subject, and environment where the student becomes actively involved with the subject at hand through discussion, activity, and creative…

The Search for Excellence in Science Education was inaugurated in 1982 to carry out the National Science Foundation's 1981 initiative, Project Synthesis. The Search establishes criteria for excellence and applies them to actual programs in one or several fields each year. In each area the Search identifies hallmarks of excellence in terms of…