This design document describes a research methodology for setting achievement levels (performance standards) on the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress). The current plan is an extension of earlier work by NAGB (National Assessment Governing Board) to set achievement levels on the 1990 NAEP mathematics assessment, and by NAGB and…

This guide contains hands-on science activities to connect middle-school students to the traditional knowledge of their grandparents and elders. Because girls often lose interest in science at the middle-school level, and because women in some communities (especially in rural areas) are seldom involved in work with an obvious science basis, the…

Plant tissue culture has developed into a valid botanical discipline and is considered a key area of biotechnology, but it has not been a key component of the science curriculum because of the expensive and technical nature of research in this area. This manual presents a number of activities that are relatively easy to prepare and perform. The…

This three CD-ROM set is designed to integrate social studies and science. There are 1,300 lessons developed and field tested by curriculum specialists, teachers, and students over a period of 15 years. Using dramatic video, audio, and photos, students can make connections between diet and temperature, location and climate, safety and energy,…

In this paper the development of science pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in elementary teachers is considered, with a particular focus on beginning teachers. Explored is a conceptualization of the development of science pedagogical content knowledge in elementary teachers which emerged from two studies. The first examined the science teaching…

This lesson introduces the study of insects in science by using poetry. Students work in cooperative groups to prepare choral poetry readings and present factual information on an assigned insect to the class. The choral poetry readings also serve to increase fluency in English-as-a-second-language students. During four 30-minute sessions,…

In this activity, students build a city out of sugar cubes, bouillon cubes, and gelatin cubes. The city is then put through simulated earthquakes to see which cube structures withstand the shaking the best. This activity requires a 50-minute time period for completion. (Author/SOE)

The GLOBE Program is a worldwide, hands-on educational program for elementary and secondary school students. GLOBE aims to increase student achievement in mathematics and science, awareness towards the environment, and improve science process skills through network technology. This teacher's guide provides an overview of the GLOBE program and…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any statistically significant differences in the pretest and posttest examination scores between students in two undergraduate biology classes taught in two fundamentally different praxes at the University of Nevada, Reno. Biology 100, an introductory biology course for non-majors, was…

This book explores the concept of using everyday objects as a process initiated both by students and teachers, encouraging growth in student observation, inquisitiveness, and reflection in learning. After "Introduction: Welcome to Inquiry-Based Learning using Everyday Objects (Object-Based Inquiry), there are nine chapters in two parts. Part 1,…

This paper discusses computer based virtual field trips that use technologies commonly found in public schools in the United States. The discussion focuses on the advantages of both using and creating these field trips for an instructional situation. A virtual field trip to Cumberland Island National Seashore, St. Marys, Georgia is used as a point…

A high school science teacher reported that the students have motivation and learning problems to understand the concept of fossilization. Working with the science teacher, a Web-Based Learning Environment (Web-LE) was designed by a group of students in the Department of Instructional Technology at University of Georgia to enhance and sustain the…

Building on collaborative work between the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute and the Lawrence Hall of Science, this curriculum takes advantage of humans' fascination with extraterrestrials to catalyze the study of the solar system and beyond. The unit begins when students attempt to decode a fictitious message from outer…

The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program is an effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that targets large urban school systems with the goal of sustainable implementation of high-quality, standards-based teaching for the purpose of attaining system-wide increases in students' learning of challenging mathematics and science.…

This paper describes the development of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in secondary chemistry and physics preservice teachers. Teacher beliefs are intricately tied to how they make decisions for implementing instructional strategies, and those beliefs aid in the development of pedagogical content knowledge. A model for pedagogical content…