Describes a low cost hydrometer which can be assembled by students using stock laboratory items with a total retail cost of 17 cents. Includes list of required materials (with supplies) and experimental results on the instrument's accuracy. (JM)

"COMETS on Careers" describes science-related careers, introduces activities illustrating a science concept being studied, and encourages use of professional persons as activity leaders. Several COMETS chemistry activities are described. These activities, which can be performed in school or at home, focus on colloids, acid/base…

Summarizes 19 literature sources identifying road-killed vertebrates and frequency of kill by numbers. Examples of how these animals can be incorporated into curricula (integrating biology, society, people, and values) are given, followed by an illustrated example of how a road-killed raccoon's skull demonstrated a human/wildlife interaction prior…

Activities and instructional strategies for two multigrade lessons are provided. Activity objectives include describing an artificial reef (such as a sunken ocean liner) as an ecosystem, knowing animal types in the ecosystem, and describing a food web. (JN)

Describes development of units to teach measuring skills using manipulative materials. Concepts fostered include repetition of identical units, comparison, and standardized units. Descriptions of activities on length and area and mass are given, as well as references for additional activities. (JM)

Suggests teaching a unit on use of tools and machines which are common around most households. Provides a list of tools with related activities, focusing on carpentry, electricity, and plumbing. Suggestions for including science principles involved, possible field experiences, and a list of resources are also provided. (JM)

Suggests cooperative learning projects if only one microcomputer is available for a large class. An example of such a project using a program dealing with correlating sedimentary rock layers through cross-sectional analysis is described. Instructional strategies and academic objectives of the three-module program are included. (JN)

Presents procedures, exercises, demonstrations, and information on a variety of biology topics including labeling systems, biological indicators of stream pollution, growth of lichens, reproductive capacity of bulbous buttercups, a straw balance to measure transpiration, interaction of fungi, osmosis, and nitrogen fixation and crop production. (DC)

Describes a science unit on hearing impairment which combines scientific concepts related to sound while demystifying deafness. Topics include lipreading (and what it shows), frequency/pitch, intensity, hearing aids, and audiograms. The unit is valuable whether or not a hearing-impaired child is about to enter the classroom. (JN)

Describes science activities in a sixth-grade classroom and a physical science workshop for elementary school (K-4) teachers. Also describes an energy newsletter ("Arizona Energy Education") and a week-long science project in all classes/subjects at an elementary school, each day having a different science theme. (JN)

Presents a flow chart for naming inorganic compounds. Although it is not necessary for students to memorize rules, preliminary skills needed before using the chart are outlined. Also presents an activity in which the mass of an imaginary atom is determined using lead shot, Petri dishes, and a platform balance. (JN)

Presents background information, laboratory procedures, classroom materials/activities, and experiments for chemistry. Topics include superheavy elements, polarizing power and chemistry of alkali metals, particulate carbon from combustion, tips for the chemistry laboratory, interesting/colorful experiments, behavior of bismuth (III) iodine, and…

Suggesting that reading can be taught during science, this second of two parts (Part 1 in January 1983 issue) offers guidelines for selecting nonfiction books on scientific subjects. Eighteen activities based on "The Amazing Dandelion" are outlined to illustrate how science trade books can be incorporated into classroom study. (JN)

Describes the life cycle, reproduction, and various classroom uses of the Louisiana Red Swamp Crayfish. Includes advantages and disadvantages of two different culturing techniques. (JN)

Suggests a teaching strategy for water habitat studies to help students make a meaningful connection between physiochemical data (dissolved oxygen content, pH, and water temperature) and biological specimens they collect. Involves constructing a poster and using it to make predictions. Provides sample poster. (DC)