The purpose of this activity is to model the expansion of the universe by investigating the behavior of water waves. It is designed for students in the upper grades of physics and physical science who are learning about the wave nature of light and are ready to discover such important questions about science. The article explains first the Doppler…

Archaeology provides the chance to ask questions about human culture, past and present, using artifacts as evidence. By studying archaeology, students learn about how people in their region found and prepared food, responded to changes in their environment (e.g., flooding, earthquakes, droughts), and interacted with other peoples. This article…

In this project, we explore the use of threshold concept theory as a design basis for development of Interactive Virtual Laboratories in thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is a difficult subject for chemical and biological engineering students to master. One reason for the difficulty is the diverse and challenging set of threshold concepts that they…

A kindergarten class learns about inventions, inventors, and how to be an inventor. Engaging students in learning about pencil sharpeners led to researching and developing a lesson plan designed so students could learn how inventions are solutions to problems. Through identifying, researching, and brainstorming new inventions, the students…

Plastics are more prevalent in our society than ever before, yet the general public has a limited understanding of why plastics have properties that are vastly different from other common materials such as glass and ceramics. This lab is designed to introduce students to several introductory principles of polymer science and their relation to the…

Curricula integration presents possibilities for broadening and deepening students' learning, yet more models are required for teachers to engage effectively in curricula integration. Utilising other subject areas to enhance science learning can extend the science curriculum, particularly in primary schools. Linking standards from subject areas…

Since 1968, biologists have known that termites line up and follow some ballpoint ink lines but not others. Suggestions for class lessons based on this observation have become widespread. However, many of these are incomplete, superficial, conflicting, and/or occasionally inaccurate, and most provide only simple demonstrations or cookbook-style…

Biodiesel has gained attention in recent years as a renewable fuel source due to its reduced greenhouse gas and particulate emissions, and it can be produced within the United States. A laboratory experiment designed for students in an upper-division undergraduate laboratory is described to study biodiesel production and biodiesel mixing with…

Students in the undergraduate organic laboratory synthesize tetrahydro-2-(4-nitrophenyl)-4-phenyl-2"H"-pyran via the Montmorillonite K10 clay-catalyzed reaction of p-nitrobenzaldehye with methanol, 3-buten-1-ol, and benzene. The synthesis comprises an environmentally friendly tandem Prins-Friedel-Crafts-type multicomponent reaction (MCR) and sets…

Student interest in artificial sweeteners can enhance the biochemistry classroom learning experience. This in class, guided-inquiry activity focuses on sucralose and fits into a 50-min biochemistry class for undergraduate science majors. Background knowledge of carbohydrate structure, function, and metabolism as well as familiarity with…

Place-based education is a form of teaching and learning that allows the teacher to understand the cultural norms of the learners and ensure that cultural norms and local content are reproduced within the classroom so that learning is meaningful, student-centered, and applicable. The traditional definition of place-based education focused on…

In this article, the authors report on the Top Marks project and some of the successful activities that made assessment "real." The aim of Top Marks project was to "invigorate the assessment of science with fun, relevance, real-life and engagement". The project involved collaboration between schools and primary science consultants from the Centre…

Gravel is a component of parking lots, highway shoulders, garden pathways, and filtration systems. Few people bother to scientifically examine gravel and determine its origin, but gravel can be an effective, inexpensive, and abundant resource for science classrooms. It can serve as a portal for several interdisciplinary science activities and…

Amateur astronomers play a critical role engaging the general public in astronomy. The role of individual and club-related factors is explored using data from two surveys (Survey 1 N = 1142; Survey 2 N = 1242) of amateur astronomers. Analysis suggests that formal or informal training in astronomy, age, club membership, length of club membership,…

Chemical principles are taught in elementary education across much of the United States because the "National Science Education Standards" include concepts about the nature of matter, states of matter, and changes in matter among other science concepts within the first to fifth grade levels. "Chemicals" is a word related to the nature of matter…