For the last five years I have asked students of the Diploma of Teaching and Graduate Diploma of Education to write "an individual science autobiography". They were asked to include their recollections of any science lesson that either encouraged them to do science or nearly put them off altogether. They were also asked if the content of the…

Science curricula typically do not capitalize on the hands-on, self-initiated learning style of young children. This book provides a comprehensive, developmentally appropriate approach to science education with young children, with special attention to physics and chemistry. The book's introductory chapter is followed by chapters on: (1) science…

This study investigates the fate of claims made by middle school science students working in collaborative groups in a multicultural urban classroom and the concomitant effects on engagement and understanding. Given problems of a complex and open-ended nature in a learning community setting, students were challenged to establish group positions…

This monograph focuses on the chemistry of lipids and enables teachers to introduce their students to the concepts and processes of industrial chemistry and relate these concepts to the consumer products students encounter daily. This teacher resource module is organized into sections that provide information on how to use the resource module, how…

Background information on natural polymers, synthetic polymers, and the properties of polymers is presented as an introduction to this curriculum guide. Details are provided on the use of polymer products in consumer goods, polymer recycling, polymer densities, the making of a polymer such as GLUEP, polyvinyl alcohol, dissolving plastics, polymers…

This report is one of a series of reports from a research project that focuses on the evaluation of laboratory work in secondary schools. The study focuses on 12 different laboratory tasks from the biology and chemistry courses of the Finnish comprehensive school. Secondary students (N=212) were observed during laboratory sessions and analysis of…

The purpose of this study is to describe types and structural properties of instructional activities used by physics and chemistry preservice teachers (N=4) during their teaching of pupils 14 to 16 years old. The study involved the observation and tape recording of 64 classes with all tapes transcribed verbatim. Analysis involved the decomposition…

The long term impact of inquiry-based science instruction is explored in this study that examines the relationship between an inquiry-based science program on students' attitudes towards science and interest in science careers several years after participation in the program. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the long term effects of the…

This CD-ROM consists of simulation software that allows students to conduct countless experiments using 20 Java simulators and curriculum units that explore light and color, forces and motion, sound and waves, static electricity and magnetism, current electricity, the nature of matter, and a unit on underpinnings. Setups can be designed by the…

In this activity, students reinforce an antenna tower made from foam insulation so that it can withstand a 480 N-cm bending moment (torque) and a 280 N-cm twisting moment (torque) with minimal deflection. One class period is used to discuss the problem, run the initial bending and torsion tests, and graph the results. The second class is used for…

This paper introduces and reports upon lessons learned during the development phase of the Lord Kelvin Middle School Science Program. For the past two years, a set of tools to help middle school students learn science in a way that uses the full power of today's technology has been under development. Lord Kelvin is a robust collection of science…

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether exposure to multimedia and presentation software on laptop computers influenced student achievement in a secondary level anatomy and physiology science course. Group A used laptop computers with A.D.A.M. (Animated Dissection of Anatomy for Medicine) multimedia software and PowerPoint…

This document is comprised of the six issues of volume 19 of "First Teacher," a periodical providing helpful activity ideas and information on child development for early childhood teachers and caregivers. The major topics for each themed issue are as follows: (1) Exploring Letters and Numbers, including flannel board activities, and number rhymes…

The student textbook is designed for grades 5-8 and explores various earth science topics. A cartoon character named Tommy Tsumi explores earth facts and concepts throughout the text. Activities, materials, and learning objectives for each unit in the textbook are presented in the teacher's guide. Units in both books include: (1) "The Outside…

Ranger Rick's NatureScope is a creative education series dedicated to inspiring in children an understanding and appreciation of the natural world while developing the skills they will need to make responsible decisions about the environment. The topic of this issue is "Astronomy Adventures." Contents are organized into the following…