The recent promotion of inquiry-based learning techniques (Uno, 1990) is well suited to the use of animals in the classroom. Working with living organisms directly engages students and stimulates them to actively participate in the learning process. Students develop a greater appreciation for living things, the natural world, and their impact on…

Stress facilitates memory formation, but only when the stressor is closely linked to the learning context. These effects are, at least in part, mediated by corticosteroid hormones. Here we demonstrate that corticosterone rapidly facilitates synaptic potentiation in the mouse hippocampal CA1 area when high levels of the hormone and high-frequency…

Cannabinoid receptors type 1 (CB1) play a central role in both short-term and long-term extinction of auditory-cued fear memory. The molecular mechanisms underlying this function remain to be clarified. Several studies indicated extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs), the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase with its downstream effector AKT, and…

The widely used Pavlovian fear-conditioning paradigms used for studying the neurobiology of learning and memory have mainly used auditory cues as conditioned stimuli (CS). The present work assessed the neural network involved in olfactory fear conditioning, using olfactory bulb stimulation-induced field potential signal (EFP) as a marker of…

Adaptive motor actions require prior knowledge of instrumental contingencies. With practice, these actions can become highly automatic in nature. However, the molecular and anatomical substrates mediating these related forms of learning are not understood. In the present study, we used in situ hybridization to measure the mRNA levels of two…

The attentional blink (AB) is a robust phenomenon that has been consistently reported in the cognitive literature. The AB is found when two target images (T1, T2) are presented within 500 ms of each other and errors are induced on the perceptual report of T2. The AB may increase when T1 has some salience to the viewer. This study examined the…

Mechanisms of selection and control are utilized in both farming and special education. In a nation where sheep outnumber the population at a ratio of 10 to 1, the processes of drafting and selection have been refined over 150 years of New Zealand focusing on its agricultural primary production. Practices of sheep farming offer an interesting…

Holiday and festival celebrations are a unique form of cultural expression. Physical activities associated with cultural traditions offer the perfect opportunity for physical educators to integrate interdisciplinary teaching in their programs. This article focuses on the application of a multicultural perspective by introducing 12 station tasks…

This instructional packet is one of 14 school environmental education programs developed for use in the classroom and at the Dahlem Environmental Education Center (DEEC) of the Jackson Community College (Michigan). Provided in the packet are pre-trip activities, field trip activities, and post-trip activities which focus on the characteristics and…

Explains a teaching activity designed to help students develop an appreciation of the role of animal control officers in the community and the importance of licensing their pets. Includes playing instructions, reproducible game cards and a game board, and a supportive statement from the director of a state humane society. (TW)

Describes some of the characteristics of various reptiles. Contains teaching activities including making reptile number books and identification keys, flip-ups about cobras, puzzles involving graphing, and group presentations. Includes reproducible handouts to be used with some of the activities. (TW)

Presents descriptive information about carnivores, including a definition and the characteristics. Contains instructions for teaching activities along with reproducible worksheets and handouts. (TW)

Presents information on some of the unusual mammal groups, such as platypuses, kangaroos, anteaters, and armadillos. Characteristics of these animals are given and teaching activities are described, including "Oddball Options,""Pocket Pals," and "Fact and Fancy." A reproducible handout for "Oddball Options" is included. (TW)

Describes the characteristics, care, feeding, housing, and diet of garter snakes. Includes tips on using the snakes for short-term classroom projects and brief comments on handling snakes. (JN)

This collection of pamphlets and articles reprinted from other National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) publications was compiled to address the issues of classroom laboratory dissection and the use of animals in science fair projects. Three of the pamphlets contained in this packet are student handbooks designed to help students of elementary,…