Describes an exercise where a team of students constructs a scale map of objects located on their laboratory tabletop. Another group then tries to reorient the objects to fit the groups map. This leads to a discussion concerning the aspects of good and bad maps. (PR)

Comparison of performance in 3 practical problem-solving tasks by eighth graders in Singapore (170 boys, 107 girls matched for aptitude, attitude, and prior knowledge) indicated that girls distinctly preferred content familiarity and outperformed boys in several processes/skills when familiar with content. (SK)

Gives practical notes and suggestions aimed at helping teachers to use newsclippings and other printed materials in science lessons. (PR)

Describes simple and inexpensive labs for introducing students to fiber optic communications. Students investigate light as a carrier wave; look into the difficulties associated with "light" communication; and learn about modulation, optical fibers, and critical angles. (PR)

Describes a teaching strategy, used in a high school physics class, based on a series of "what if" questions. (PR)

Explains how fur color in domestic cats can be used as the basis of a science laboratory activity to teach the Castle-Hardy-Weinberg Law. (PR)

Describes an investigation in which students predict and verify the effect that the number of clicks of a toy copter gun has on the height that the copter will attain. Provides follow-up questions for the students. (MDH)

Describes a two-week summer experience for teachers and students on a dig in Colorado looking for fossil records of the plants and animals in the area. (DDR)

Describes a teacher's involvement with Monarch Watch, an organization that tracks the migration of the monarch butterfly each fall. (DDR)

Outlines three activities for different areas of biology that can serve as motivators for students or as demonstrations. Each activity is easy to organize and uses available materials. Topics include evolution, anaerobic respiration, and heat loss. (DDR)

Describes a project that began as workshops for teachers in biotechnology and became a program that enables students to do hands-on biotechnology experiments in the classroom. The three parts of this program include the development of activities, access to equipment, and further workshops. (DDR)

Analyzes middle school students' interests in biology to provide information on instructional strategies and curriculum development in Korea. Reports that the highest interest domains are genetics and microscope observations. Contains 16 references. (DDR)

Describes a fifth-grade class project to investigate two major forms of ocean pollution: plastics and oil. Students work in groups and read, discuss, speculate, offer opinions, and participate in activities such as keeping a plastics journal, testing the biodegradability of plastics, and simulating oil spills. Activities culminate in…

Describes an activity in which students try to determine, by using physics calculations, when to drop a raw egg from a tower to hit their physics teacher who is walking beneath it. (WRM)

Describes the biochemical structure and functions of the enzyme chymosin. Presents activities to familiarize students with fundamental aspects of enzyme-substrate interaction. (WRM)