Discusses who has the right to determine the use of animals in scientific research which includes medical experimentation and the toxicity testing of compounds, ranging from pesticides to cosmetics. Provides a list of questions for consideration and discussion. (RT)

Reports two electrochemical demonstrations. Uses a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell to power a clock. Includes description of methods and materials. Investigates the "potato clock" used with different fruits. Lists emf and current for various fruit and electrode combinations. (ML)

Demonstrates a laboratory to teach the concept of moment of inertia in which students are asked to identify four objects of equal mass sealed in unopenable containers by identifying the mass distribution of each object. Gives instructions to build an instrument to determine relative distribution of mass. (MDH)

Presents an activity that models the changes in the concentration of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere during the last 200 years as determined from glacial records. (PR)

A new classification of rocks that requires no tools other than a hand lens and that is both comprehensive and informative is described. Each of the three main rock groups is treated in two-dimensional, rectangular charts with additional appended boxes that provide optional mineralogical and textural terms that can be used in rock names. (PR)

Studied developmental differences in the search constraint heuristics used in scientific reasoning using 12 undergraduates, 20 community college students, 17 fifth to seventh graders (grade 6), and 15 third graders taught to use a programmable robot. Adults use domain-general skills that go beyond the logic of confirmation and disconfirmation.…

Describes an activity where students generate a plan and test their ideas on trying to cope with a small oil spill. (PR)

Describes school science as a rite of passage, and exposes problems in school science that are made visible through the use of this metaphor. (PR)

Developed and tested a cognitive theory-based intervention teaching a procedure for designing simple controlled experiments to fourth graders. Found that the intervention produced significant gains in students' ability to create controlled experiments, provide valid justifications for their experiments, and evaluate experiments designed by others.…

Contrasts spontaneous and reflective knowledge integration instruction delivered using a computer learning environment to enhance understanding of displaced volume. Distinguishes the impact of instruction on students who believed scientific phenomena are governed by principles (cohesive beliefs) versus students who believed that science is a…

Inquiry training is a powerful teaching model for principals to know and teachers to implement. It is designed to teach students to engage in causal reasoning and to become more fluent and precise in asking questions. Further, inquiry training helps learners build concepts and form and test hypotheses in all curriculum areas. The current emphasis…

This standard lesson on identifying salt and sugar crystals expands into an opportunity for students to develop their observation, questioning, and modeling skills. Although sugar and salt may look similar, students discovered that they looked very different under a magnifying glass and behaved differently when dissolved in water. In addition,…

The Medicinal Plants of the Southwest summer workshop is an inquiry-based learning approach to increase interest and skills in biomedical research. Working in teams, Hispanic and Native American students discover the chemical and biological basis for the medicinal activity of regional plants used by healers. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

A science teacher and her mentor reflect on their participation in the Learning Research Cycle, a professional learning model that bridges research and practice in both university and public school contexts. Teachers do scientific research in scientists' laboratories, then bridge their scientific experiences with the design of new classroom…

Science and social studies have much to offer to all learners--including those with disabilities. However, instruction in these subjects has often been overlooked in the quest to better understand and improve leaning in English/language arts and mathematics. As we demonstrate in this paper, science and social studies help students attain skills,…