The New Jersey State Department of Education administers a Gifted Education Exemplary and Demonstration Grant Program in which successful applicants are awarded grant funds to enable them to prepare materials for dissemination to teachers of the gifted statewide. This document presents profiles of the 35 programs selected for 1987-88, 1988-89, and…

Designed to obtain information on the tests and activities in which students engage in science classes, this study focused on the activity structures used by teachers in high school science classes and on the academic work of students. The main component of the study was an ethnographic investigation of 15 science teachers from Perth, Australia.…

This study is based on the premise that research on science textbook content has not specifically dealt with patterned class and grade level differences in how the organization of the content orients students to the cognitive and personality characteristics identified as precursors to scientific careers. The investigation analyzed the effects of…

Stressing the use of hands-on activities, this guide contains ideas and suggestions for teaching model rocketry to junior high school students. It is intended to be used as a supplemental unit to the existing science curriculum. The unit includes a listing of goals and objectives that are designed to be used by the teacher to correlate this unit…

Developed as an introduction to computer programming using an Apple microcomputer, this document presents teachers and students with: (1) essential vocabulary used in the BASIC language; (2) syntax; and (3) programming techniques. Simple hands-on activities designed to guide the learner through beginning BASIC programming skills and fundamental…

Critiques of 10 articles reporting research studies focused on various aspects of attitude development in science education and of six research articles related to investigations of learning and cognitive development are contained in this issue. Seven of the attitude articles describe investigations designed to change the attitudes of both…

Each year more lives are lost due to floods than due to the next 18 natural disasters put together. The element of human choice makes the study of floods and droughts an opportunity for decision making experiences for students. This document contains information and activities designed to be used in correlation with a science unit or as a…

The National Diffusion Network (NDN) is a federally funded system that makes exemplary educational programs available for use by schools, colleges, and other institutions. This publication contains information describing the science education programs currently in the NDN, along with procedural information on how to access these programs. The…

Using a case study approach, this study focuses on a physical science teacher's method of pacing instruction and the use of target students. This report includes an examination of: (1) the teacher's perceptions of the target students in the science class; (2) possible reasons for certain students being target students; and (3) types of questions…

Designed to provide teachers with low cost laboratory exercises, project ideas, and classroom activities for individuals and groups, this document focuses on the concepts of heredity and embryology. The materials address the topics of: (1) cell division; (2) the identification of the human embryo; (3) chromosomes; (4) DNA; (5) differences in the…

Based on the idea that active participation stimulates the processes by which learning takes place, this document provides teachers and students with a variety of information and learning activities that deal with plants and animals in nature. Basic concepts are presented through the use of laboratory experiments, worksheet exercises, diagrams,…

Suggestions for instructional improvement are offered for science teachers in this compilation of research summaries on specific areas of science education. This series examines the topic areas of: (1) higher-order cognitive skills (focusing on developing operational definitions and classification schemes for cognitive skills); (2) microcomputers…

Designed to develop creativity in young learners, this book contains interdisciplinary activities which focus on the theme of nature. Activity pages are provided that can serve as front and back covers of a student booklet and the suggested activities can be duplicated for insertion between the covers resulting in a booklet for each student. A…

As part of an investigation of the effectiveness of a microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) activity in developing students' graphing skills, this study was specifically designed to examine the differences between females and males in both performance on graphing tasks and on their attitudes to graphs and graph-based activities. Results based on a…

Developed as part of a document series that focuses on science and technology teaching, this volume was produced under the auspices of the Commission for Biological Education of the International Union of Biological Sciences (CBE-IUBS). It serves to provide biology teachers and others concerned with secondary biology curriculum development with…