Describes the use of mud dauber wasp nests in laboratory activities in ecology and behavior and life science classes. Provides students with an opportunity to develop and practice basic skills including dissection, identification, observation, measurement, and communication. Discusses the life of mud daubers, obtaining and storing nests,…

Presents activities that allow students to explore the fundamental but poorly understood concept of diffusion by appealing to their kinesthetic senses first, then challenging their analytical skills as they try to deduce the mathematical principle involved. Presents a computer simulation of diffusion and discusses diffusion's limitations and…

Presents a protocol that gives students hands-on experience in generating a meaningful physical map of a circular molecule of DNA. Topics include agarose gel electrophoresis, logic of restriction maps, extracting data from an agarose gel, managing data from gels, experimental protocol, loading gels, electrophoresis, photographing gels, collecting…

Summarizes the benefits of using hydroponics in school for investigational work. Lists requirements and includes advice on suitable plant choices. Outlines the various growing systems and growing media and provides suggestions for science investigations using hydroponics. (DDR)

Describes a simple activity that explores and reveals the principles of significant figures and scientific notation using a 500 gram bag of unpopped popcorn. Students must devise a method for determining the number of kernels in the bag. (DDR)

Describes an outdoor unit of study that enables students to realize the cause and effect relationships that exist within the ecosystem. Provides activities that help students understand how these interrelations can be easily disrupted, resulting in habitat destruction. (DDR)

Presents a classroom activity that tests students' parapsychological powers and can demonstrate a number of methods of science, including the processes of formulating a hypothesis and rigorously subjecting the hypothesis to testing. (DDR)

Describes the Fifth Grade Roadkill Study that was designed to make students aware of the types of animals, chiefly mammals, that live in the central piedmont area of North Carolina. Involves students taking a survey of roadkills. Enables students to learn about animals as well as become more familiar with the scientific process. (JRH)

Introduces a community service-learning project and shows how the community photography project captures the essence of biology and fosters curriculum collaboration between high school and elementary students. (KHR)

Describes a collaborative science research project designed to help build strong school and community relationships. Participating students joined with university scientists on a yearlong agriculturally-based research project to study the effect of marigolds on nematode management. (KHR)

Provides tips and resources to help science teachers of the deaf. Discusses how to counter myths, how to use an interpreter, and communicating during the lab. (DDR)

Examines uses of evidence in university students' writing of scientific argument in an introductory-level oceanography course. Provides students with an interactive CD-ROM entitled 'Our Dynamic Planet' to write a scientific technical paper. Discusses ways of teaching students the construction of argument in scientific writing. (KHR)

Describes a scientific investigation of sexual dimorphism with regard to chela size in crayfish in which students utilize the skills, tools, and techniques associated with the formulation and testing of scientific hypotheses. Indicates that students find the investigation effective in aiding their understanding of fundamental aspects of scientific…

Presents inquiry-oriented activities that acquaint students with groundwater sources, movement of water through aquifers, and contamination of groundwater by pollution. In one activity, students use well log data from web-based resources to explore groundwater systems. Provides sample well log data for those not having access to local information.…

Describes a study that investigates both the use and usefulness of laboratory dissections and computer-based dissections in a tertiary, first-year human biology course. Explores attitudes toward dissection. (DDR)