The results of an in-depth analysis of the lab activities found in two popular high school biology textbooks are presented. Activities were rated against 24 task categories that parallel skills or behaviors which reflect scientific inquiry, problem-solving skills, manipulative skills, and observational skills. (25 references) (KR)

Presents two interdisciplinary lesson plans that explore options in energy production and conservation. Students study (1) the implications of power production and resources choices, and (2) producing and conserving electric power. (MCO)

Presents a cooperative activity between home and school in which parents and students examine the growth of a variety of bulbs. Bulbs are taken home to sprout and returned to school to monitor their growth. Students gather data, hone observation and graphing skills, and communicate with their parents on the project. (MDH)

Presented is an approach to the study of nutrient cycling in the school laboratory. Discussed are obtaining, processing, and incubating samples; extraction of ions from soil; procedures for nitrate and ammonium analysis; data analysis; an example of results; and other aspects of the nitrogen cycle. (CW)

Describes problems in teaching problem solving and summarizes research in this area. Presents Guided Design or Guided Decision Making as a problem-solving approach in which groups of students work their way through a model of the problem-solving process as they wrestle with a discipline-specific situation. (PR)

Provides a student worksheet and set-up instructions for a science experiment to demonstrate the concept of density. Students are asked to explain the phenomenon in which a liquid of lower density placed in the bottom of two vertical flasks flows up to replace the liquid of higher density in the upper flask. (MDH)

Presents an activity to help students understand the precepts of the Hardy-Weinberg principle and simultaneously permit observation of a model of evolution through natural selection in a nonthreatening setting. (PR)

Presents a simple activity designed to allow students to experimentally verify Kepler's second law, sometimes called the law of equal areas. It states that areas swept out by a planet as it orbits the Sun are equal for equal time intervals. (PR)

Describes the federal legislation introduced in 1991 that provides formula grants to states to purchase elementary science equipment. The purchases are to be matched by local education agencies and coordinated with hands-on laboratory activities. (MDH)

Presents the results of an analysis of science-classroom lab talk which focuses on topics and manner of talk as an approach to understanding the social context of undergraduate lab work. Argues that lab instructors should pay attention to how "scientific" the lab talk is, and to sociability among students. Contains 32 references.…

Discusses the development of an exercise physiology class offered via the Internet at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. Topics include cognitive evaluations, laboratory assignments, student interactions, differences in examination scores with traditional lecture classes, post-class surveys, and the need for training educators and providing…

Examines the extent and nature of Year 10 students' model-based reasoning in a laboratory investigation that considered the influence of six factors on electrical resistance. Finds that spontaneous use of the electron-drift model of metals in explanations increased over the duration of the task, but the explanations were restricted to mainly…

Describes the physical and chemical structure of zeolites and presents a series of experiments demonstrating some of the properties of these chemicals, including investigations of the hardness of tap water and the water-softening capabilities of various laundry detergents. Contains 13 references. (WRM)

If science education is to be related as closely as possible to science, then Thought Experiments (TEs) must play an appropriate part. Presents a typology of TEs with examples drawn from the history of physics and addresses their various uses in bringing about students' conceptual development. Finds appropriate use of TEs is lacking in physics…

Reviews three projects that use a graphing calculator linked to a calculator-based laboratory device as a portable data-collection system for students in chemistry classes. Projects include Isolation, Purification and Quantification of Buckminsterfullerene from Woodstove Ashes; Determination of the Activation Energy Associated with the…