Discusses the role of physical enactment in developing an understanding of distance, time, and speed. Provides several examples from classroom experience. (MM)

Describes students' activities in introductory chemistry to fulfill their requirement for service learning. Explains the investigation of the causes for the foul taste of drinking water coming from a specific fountain. (YDS)

Introduces electrophoresis activities developed for chemistry and biology courses in which students identify the food, drug, and cosmetic identity of the food dyes used in the coating of candies. (YDS)

Presents an activity for students to determine the sex and age of an individual from a collection of bones. Simulates some of the actual procedures conducted in a forensic anthropologist's lab, examining and identifying bones through a series of lab activities. (Author/ASK)

After reading a newspaper article on Alzheimer disease, an incurable medical problem involving gradual and debilitating loss of memory, students examine the key elements of the scientific method as conveyed in the story. During their analysis students explore the workings of the nervous system and consider the role of animal model systems in…

Describes the development and enactment of a new teaching unit, "Can simple metals be transmuted into gold?", through an historical approach as well as teacher preparation to teach this unit. (Contains 16 references.) (ASK)

Makes the case for the kitchen as a natural source of science exploration. Shares tried and tested activities and offers teaching suggestions such as the use of journals. Relates activities to the National Science Education Standards. (MM)

Explains how a karst is formed in the U.S. and introduces an activity in which students explore the fragile environment of a karst and study the interactions between human population and the earth system. (YDS)

Introduces a science activity in which students make and examine the characteristics of egg tempera painting. Includes both instructor information and a student activity sheet. (YDS)

Describes a paper recycling experiment in which students recycle a piece of newsprint to make a new sheet of paper. Involves collection of information from the internet for the activity. Includes both instructor information and a student worksheet. (YDS)

Think about making something as basic as hard candy. The ingredients are simple--sugar, water, and flavoring--yet the changes that occur are chemically amazing. Drop by drop, small portions of the syrup placed in ice water indicate how saturated the solution is becoming, until a "crack" sound occurs when the candy is at hard-crack stage, its most…

Living things respond to a stimulus, which is a change in the surroundings. Some common stimuli are noises, smells, and things the people see or feel, such as a change in temperature. Animals often respond to a stimulus by moving. Because plants can't move around in the same way animals do, plants have to respond in a different way. Plants can…

Oceans are often considered mysterious, fascinating places filled with unique and scary animals. One of the most misunderstood and therefore scariest animals is the shark, yet the whale shark, the world's largest fish, is considered harmless to humans. This student-directed activity involves research, deductive reasoning, and students' own…

Science laboratory activities and classroom demonstrations can be both fun and serious. "Fun" in that the students get nature to expose a few of its secrets in interesting ways. "Serious" in that there needs to be respect for the equipment and materials used in experiments and demonstrations in order to stay out of harm?s way. Laboratory accidents…

Fish dissections are a great way to introduce the concepts of food webs, predator-prey relationships, and ecosystems, but these labs are expensive, messy, smelly, and require a lot of supervision because of the tools involved. The author has developed an inexpensive, safe, and clean alternative where students "dissect" simulated fish…