Describes a course, Chemistry for Elementary Education Majors, collaboratively planned and taught by chemistry and teacher education faculty. Discusses the instructional bases of the course, the audience, themes and activities in the course, course expenses, student learning, and challenges for the future. Lists the course schedule with lab and…

Describes a lab that introduces agarose electrophoresis techniques and basic information on proteins to middle school and high school students. Insists that, built around a scenario in which students must solve a crime, the lab has real-world applications that should spark student interest. (KHR)

Since young children are natural scientists, early childhood educators should view science instruction as an ongoing part of the total curriculum, easily woven into daily activities and routines. Established standards for science literacy reinforce the idea that children best learn science through hands-on, meaningful, and relevant activities.…

Presents an activity that provides a way to cover the complex topic of mass spectrometry and connects with a discussion of the 2002 Nobel Prize in chemistry. (DDR)

Introduces the Apple Ocean activity which teaches about the diminishing natural resources of the earth including drinkable water, habitable land, and productive areas while working with fractions, ratios, and proportions. (YDS)

Presents a laboratory exercise on spicy food and body temperature that introduces the scientific method to introductory biology students. Suggests that when students perform their own experiments which they have developed, it helps with their understanding of and confidence in doing science. (Author/SOE)

Describes the "I Wonder" project, which uses student questions to teach and enhance the science curriculum. Students kept journals to reflect upon classroom activities and document solutions to science and mathematics problems, and came up with the topics they wanted to investigate in the form of a question beginning with "I wonder". Includes…

Investigates factors affecting students' ability to consistently apply the concept of adaptations. Individual interviews were conducted with 74 Year 10 students in Australia, of whom only 47% showed an understanding of the concept. It was found that the students were more likely to apply the concept to vertebrates. (AIM)

Describes an event called Star Week that involved families joining in their children's projects, attending an educational presentation by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and participating in a schoolwide star party. Contains resources for both students and teachers. (JRH)

Describes an experiment to illustrate the effect of food source and added nutrients (N) on microbial activity in the soil. Supplies include air-dried soil, dried plant material, sources of carbon and nitrogen, a trap such as KOH, colored water, and a 500-mL Erlenmeyer flask. Includes a diagram of an incubation chamber to demonstrate microbial…

Describes a classroom unit that provides preschoolers with hands-on experience, using common dirt as a way to develop scientific thinking and foster an appreciation of biology, ecology, and the natural world. Focuses on practicing the basic steps in the scientific process, including prediction, observation, documentation, conclusions, and…

Describes the use of a simple process known as chromatography to separate and observe the color pigments in leaves, inks, and other materials. Provides some historical background and detailed procedures. (DDR)

Presents an activity that enables students to gain a better understanding of the importance of polymers. Students perform an experiment in which polymer chains of polyvinyl acetate form crosslinks. Includes background information and discussion questions. (DDR)

Presents numismatic experiments that cover a range of topics that tie physical science and chemistry to society and history. Discusses measuring length; measuring mass; metals, alloys, and amalgams; reactivity of metals and electrochemistry; reactions of metals with acids; money to burn; magnetic properties of coins; inertia; refraction;…

Describes the biochemistry component of study to become a medical technologist in a Chilean university. Provides details of program structure, course content descriptions, and teaching strategies. (DDR)