Presents year-long, elementary science projects that address the question of why daylight hours vary in length according to locality. Provides three instructional units designed to commence in September, including data collection activities for sunny days encouraging later classroom calculations; on-going graphing activities; and modeling…

The development of conceptual knowledge about the earth among 60 elementary school students in grades 1, 3, and 5 was studied through questions about its shape. In the process of knowledge acquisition, children appear to modify their initial models to make them more consistent with the culturally accepted model. (SLD)

Author describes how 22 first-year high school students became politically active concerning coastal-zone management and wetlands protection. Students translated regulations of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection into plain English. Students wrote their opinions in a concise manner and appeared at a board meeting to influence its…

Describes an approach to introductory geology that requires students to go into the field to make observations, collect and analyze data, synthesize those data, and hypothesize about inferred geologic relationships. The product of these laboratories is a paper that requires students to test their hypothesis using specific examples from the data.…

Author describes an individual research project involving digital modeling of graded river profiles as part of a sophomore-level geomorphology class. The three-week project gives students the opportunity to choose research topics, design experiments to test ideas, interpret results, and write a research report. (PR)

Describes the creation of a glacial park on a university campus. Suggests that the park is a useful instructional resource that helps students relate classroom material to outdoor phenomena by visualizing and identifying glacial landforms, recognizing their spatial relationships, and understanding how glacial features originated. Offers advice for…

Presents two activities for introducing the topic of carbon dioxide: (1) Investigating Some Properties of Carbon Dioxide and (2) Building a Carbon Dioxide Generator. (PR)

Discussed is the Scope, Sequence, and Coordination science curriculum in which students study a combination of biology, chemistry, physics, and earth/space science over a six-year period. The implementation of this curriculum in various schools is described. (KR)

Describes a project where students were involved in finding the most suitable site for a landfill in their community. This two-month project was conducted using team teaching. Two twelfth grade geoscience classes were involved. (PR)

Provides instructions for making telescopes. The design and instruction sheets given to students are provided. (PR)

Examines perceptions concerning the shape of the earth and the causes of the day/night cycle among American Indian children. Interviews with 26 Lakota/Dakota elementary children revealed a preference for a synthetic model of the earth and animistic explanations for the day/night cycle. Includes excerpts from the interviews. (MJP)

Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS), a summer program to increase minority representation in the science community, particularly atmospheric research, is described. An American Indian participant discusses the connection between modern science and traditional Native heritage, noting that observation of the natural…

In November 2000, wild Atlantic salmon were placed under the protection of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Washington Academy (WA) in Maine has played an integral role in the education and restoration of this species. Efforts to restore the salmon's dwindling population, enhance critical habitat areas, and educate and inform the public require…

Student reflective ideas were examined with respect to Group Investigation (GI), which was employed in 11th grade Korean earth science classrooms. A modified GI method was implemented during the course of an action research effort consisting of two yearlong projects. Students' writings, which had been produced twice a year, were analyzed to reveal…

International experiential learning projects have increased in popularity over recent years, and many of these projects focus on environmental topics in the developing world. An experimental course in International Groundwater Studies was developed to bridge the gap between extracurricular service type programs and academically-based study abroad…