Describes apparatus for use in high school chemistry instruction. Provides instructions and lists of materials needed for building a homemade sand bath for use in experiments that demonstrate the slow evaporation of a solvent. Plans for the construction of a low-cost conductivity apparatus are also included. (TW)

Describes a new biochemistry laboratory course offered at the University of Scranton (Pennsylvania) which is designed to promote scientific curiosity and creativity. Uses a problems-oriented approach which provides students with independent learning experiences. Provides a listing of some of the course's laboratory exercises. (TW)

At Park Senior High School (Cottage Grove, Minnesota), 46 juniors and seniors planted 384 red pine seedlings in connection with their original research on acid rain, with advice from Dr. Harriet Stubbs, director of the Acid Precipitation Awareness Program (West Saint Paul), which has been developing acid rain teaching materials. (MH)

Nearly 100 teachers worked with staff members at the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco, California, to create scaled-down versions of Exploratorium exhibits that teachers could make on their own using common, inexpensive, readily-available materials. The experiments--called "snacks"--are divided into easy-to-follow sections that…

Developed by classroom teachers during the development phase of Minnesota's Graduation Standards, this performance package is made up of locally designed assignments that, taken together, show whether a student has learned and can apply the knowledge and skills related to comprehending technical information from documents or electronic media and…

The emphasis on laboratory activities for science students has increased. This paper describes research that sought to determine which laboratory skills and competencies are viewed by current teachers as necessary for the preservice teacher to develop. The skills and competencies survey included 145 items in three categories (general, biological…

"How Students Learn: Science in the Classroom" builds on the discoveries detailed in the best-selling "How People Learn." Now these findings are presented in a way that teachers can use immediately, to revitalize their work in the classroom for even greater effectiveness. Organized for utility, the book explores how the principles of learning can…

This study of experiments with a new type of educational institution in Communist China is based upon an analysis of materials from Chinese Communist newspapers and periodicals. Reliance upon a discriminating use of such materials is necessitated by the lack of impartial first hand evaluations of these new institutions by qualified outside…

Describes laboratory procedures, demonstrations, and classroom activities/materials, including water relation exercise on auxin-treated artichoke tuber tissue; aerobic respiration in yeast; an improved potometer; use of mobiles in biological classification, and experiments on powdery mildews and banana polyphenol oxidase. Includes reading lists…

Discusses San Francisco's Exploratorium, a science teaching center with 500 exhibits focusing on human perception, but extending to everything from the mechanics of voice to the art of illusion, from holograms to harmonics. The Exploratorium emphasizes "simple science" (refractions/resonances, sounds/shadows) to tune in the senses and turn on the…

Presents a computer program for analyzing diets, a game designed to supplement a topic on insects, a technique for demonstrating the role of ethene in fruit ripening, an apparatus for removing arthropods from soil samples, activities using cichlids, and an activity on bonds stabilizing protein structure. (JN)

Presents laboratory procedures, classroom materials/activities, and demonstrations, including: vapor pressure of liquid mixtures and Raoult's law; preparation/analysis of transition metal complexes of ethylammonium chloride; atomic structure display using a ZX81 (includes complete program listing); "pop-up" models of molecules and ions;…

Discusses the use of microcomputers as a universal instrument to replace more expensive instrumentation in many traditional labs. Describes the availability of microcomputers as inexpensive educational tools which can be used successfully in labs with minimal requirements on the computer. (SK)

Describes a set of equipment which can be mounted on magnetic chalkboards or other ferromagnetic surfaces, useful for both experiments and demonstrations in mechanics, including center of mass experiments, and force vector experiments using string, spring scales, weights, and pulleys. (SK)

The development of industrial arts education is shown from the standpoints of research, social efficiency, and technical competence. American education was transformed in response to sweeping social changes before and after the turn of the century. The article looks at these educational changes from kindergarten through secondary industrial…