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 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)

Reports on a project in which a 6th grade class determined the type of trash being thrown away on their school grounds through data collection, analysis, and graphing. (YDS)

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…

Introduces the project Technology Enhanced Elementary and Middle School Science (TEEMSS) which implements technology into numeracy, literacy, and scientific working. Uses a hands-on science approach. (YDS)

Conducted classroom observations to determine students' understanding of the nature of science and the intentionality of experiments. Topics discussed include: does science seek to explain, using models, proving that the theoretical explanation is correct, and discussions of different interpretations. Concludes that most students in the 14-16 age…

Uses a problem-solving task to compare the performance of school students, university students, and research scientists on a laboratory-based science investigation. Reports limitations in the work of the school students and provides insights into the development and nature of expertise in investigation skills. Presents recommendations for…

Discusses an approach to general chemistry used to make chemistry relevant for students in chemical and environmental technician programs using the following ideas: utilizing group project teaching methods, involving local industry in the education process, and assigning oral presentations and written reports to students. (JRH)

Notes that traditional early childhood science programs have attempted to facilitate children's understanding of the physical or natural world. Suggests another view: that children are developing scientific thinking processes or learning strategies in the personal and social domains, and that this should be seen as part of science program in early…

Researchers revised a psychological assessment of organization in memory to measure organization in thinking. Secondary students viewed a videotape, wrote essays, then created word trees using provided words that eliminated the memory component in their original task. The ordered-tree technique reliably measured organization in thinking.…

Investigates scientific reasoning skills used by students in a naturalistic collaborative writing context and changes in students' reasoning discourse over time. Findings suggest that an understanding of socially constructed scientific reasoning skills is important for designing meaningful collaborative activities and assessments in science. (LZ)

A study involving 60 fifth-grade classrooms assessed student growth on integrated science process skills after being taught a 20-36 hour science unit based on the Integrated Curriculum Model developed for gifted learners. Results indicate small, but significant, gains for students in skills when compared to students not using the unit. (CR)

Examined the complex interactions among student engagement, scientific-thinking practices, and student role taking and social interaction in the context of school-based science lessons. Found that students in an intellectual-roles plus audience-roles condition were more active in initiating engagement episodes than those in intellectual roles only…

Introduces puzzles that proved challenging and popular in the Mexican Chemistry Olympiad. Presents data showing that mainstream general chemistry students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln enjoyed the puzzles and were challenged by them. (WRM)