In the authors' science classrooms, students respond favorably and with more enthusiasm when they engage them with doing activities and building their own connections, as opposed to simply listening to or reading about the important concepts. Creative activities are important in science classrooms because creativity is not only an integral…

Science teachers know that the mathematics concepts taught in the Common Core are critical for students' understanding of science. But what can a teacher do when his/her students lack the necessary mathematics skills to master science content? There may be other reasons besides students not paying attention in their math courses. Maybe the…

What do paleontologists, dinosaur tracks, and the nature of science have in common? They're combined here in an inquiry activity where students use methods of observation and inference to devise evidence-based explanations for the data they collect about dinosaur tracks, much like the methods used by paleontologists. Students then debate the…

While science is certainly language based, it is also bilingual in the sense that mathematics is also "spoken" in science classes. There are many opportunities throughout the school year to integrate the language of mathematics with science lessons and activities. This month's column provides some measurement activities that can be incorporated…

Most educators have a love-hate relationship with field trips. On the one hand, field trips are a great way to get students out of the building, enhance learning, and have some fun. On the other hand, field trips are a lot of work and worry. Especially now, with the increased cost of transportation and the need for curricular ties, field trips…

The growing number of students needing additional language support requires extra time in the hectic schedule of a typical science teacher. The good news for busy teachers is that several researchers and educators have crafted methods for using "sheltered instruction" to meet the unique needs of English language learner (ELL) students:…

Integrating the worlds of art and science can be a perfect tool for engaging students who wouldn't be initially interested in a science class. Even those students who love science may delve deeper into the subject when it's associated with art. One way to make this connection is to explore the life and work of great nature artists of the past and…

With a grant through Indiana University's Inner Asian & Uralic National Resource Center, the authors developed an online, five-week unit that discusses the cultural and ecological "worlds" of central Asia, specifically the countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. There are two main ideas…

While diagrams make the text more visually appealing and provide an image of the text, they also do much more. Subsequently, the authors designed a series of lessons for students to discover the many purposes of graphics in science. A particular utility of these interdisciplinary lessons is that they are used with any science text featuring visual…

Interdisciplinary teaching is a great way to focus on overarching concepts and help students make connections across disciplines. Historically, art and science have been connected disciplines. The botanical prints of the 18th and 19th centuries and early work with microscopes are two examples of a need for strong artistic skills in the science…

For thousands of years, people have used music to transfer information and narrate stories. The musical structure, consisting of words set to melodies in rhythmic patterns, made the content easier to remember. Researchers have investigated the long- and short-term effects of song on memory and found that music aided in the recall of information.…

This integrative, cross-curricular lab engages middle school biology students in an exercise involving ecology, arthropod biology, and mathematics. Students research the anatomy and behavioral patterns of a species of brine shrimp, compare the anatomy of adult and juvenile brine shrimp, and graph and interpret results. In this article, the authors…

In the atmosphere or on the ground, snow provides students with unique opportunities to discover winter weather patterns. Traditionally, when students study weather, it is limited to the collection of data one would see on a weather report. However, the interdisciplinary Students Synthesizing Snow data in Natural Objective Ways (SSSNOW) project…

Given the commonness of pets in communities throughout the United States, Canada, and Australia, among other countries, pet stewardship should be a natural topic of study for the integration of science, mathematics, and technology. Therefore, the term "stewardship" will be examined by applying observation and research to shape our…

Often the differences students see in science and mathematics classrooms are in perspective, approach, or application. Understanding those differences can help teachers to present a unified picture of mathematics and science to their students. In this article, the science teacher is given a glimpse of the treatment of topics shared by both…