Students love field trips, and why shouldn't they? Field trips provide a break from the routine of the school day and an opportunity to learn from the world outside the classroom. Science and natural history museums are popular field-trip destinations, filled with a dizzying array of displays, and hands-on learning opportunities. The author…

The Take Action Project (TAP) was created to help middle school students take informed and effective action on science-related issues. The seven steps of TAP ask students to (1) choose a science-related problem of interest to them, (2) research their problem, (3) select an action to take on the problem, (4) plan that action, (5) take action, (6)…

In the first months of 2009, the International Year of Astronomy, the authors developed an educational project for middle-level students connected with the first astronomical discoveries that Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) made 400 years ago. The project included the construction of a basic telescope and the observation of the Moon. The project, if…

In this article, the authors share a project developed and implemented in an eighth-grade science classroom in which students apply what they have learned about biomes to create sustainable cities. This project promotes environmental literacy through helping students understand the interrelated elements of sustainable environmental systems and how…

The messages students receive through popular media such as movies, television, the internet, and music videos have a powerful influence and can shape their thinking. A national survey of media use by 8- to 18-year-olds found the average adolescent spends over seven and a half hours daily with entertainment media (KFF 2010). Rather than viewing…

The creation of schoolyard gardens is a growing movement in the United States and around the world (Ballard, Tong, and Usher 1998; Pope 1998; Lewis 2004). It brings together all of the features of authentic hands-on science: Students can collect data on plant growth, observe the plant and animal interactions in the garden, and acquire a sense of…

Many middle school students often report that what they learn in school science has little meaning or relevance to their lives. This is not surprising, as schools and students are frequently separated from what is happening in their community. "Service learning" is a pedagogy that has the potential to connect young adolescents with their community…

Assessing student-led, open-ended scientific inquiry holds a unique problem for classroom teachers because of the diverse skills and content that emerge from student work. This article provides tangible strategies for teachers to assess divergent student-generated inquiry in a manner that is manageable for teachers, informative for students, and…

Describes a nine-week unit that focuses on student development of science-based contraptions that work. Students are allowed to design, construct, and test a device of interest that performs a simple task, such as picking up a paper towel or turning a page in a book. (ZWH)

Introduces an elective science course on one of the silent invaders across the nation--noxious weeds. Targets public education as the main goal of the project. (YDS)

Presents four techniques to bring current science controversy into the classroom: (1) daily reviews and discussions of current science articles; (2) weekly group analysis of an assigned article; (3) individual student reports of a science controversy; and (4) a yearlong cooperative group study of a science issue. (MDH)