Describes the development and enactment of a new teaching unit, "Can simple metals be transmuted into gold?", through an historical approach as well as teacher preparation to teach this unit. (Contains 16 references.) (ASK)

Makes the case for the kitchen as a natural source of science exploration. Shares tried and tested activities and offers teaching suggestions such as the use of journals. Relates activities to the National Science Education Standards. (MM)

Explains how a karst is formed in the U.S. and introduces an activity in which students explore the fragile environment of a karst and study the interactions between human population and the earth system. (YDS)

Introduces a science activity in which students make and examine the characteristics of egg tempera painting. Includes both instructor information and a student activity sheet. (YDS)

Describes a paper recycling experiment in which students recycle a piece of newsprint to make a new sheet of paper. Involves collection of information from the internet for the activity. Includes both instructor information and a student worksheet. (YDS)

Think about making something as basic as hard candy. The ingredients are simple--sugar, water, and flavoring--yet the changes that occur are chemically amazing. Drop by drop, small portions of the syrup placed in ice water indicate how saturated the solution is becoming, until a "crack" sound occurs when the candy is at hard-crack stage, its most…

Living things respond to a stimulus, which is a change in the surroundings. Some common stimuli are noises, smells, and things the people see or feel, such as a change in temperature. Animals often respond to a stimulus by moving. Because plants can't move around in the same way animals do, plants have to respond in a different way. Plants can…

Oceans are often considered mysterious, fascinating places filled with unique and scary animals. One of the most misunderstood and therefore scariest animals is the shark, yet the whale shark, the world's largest fish, is considered harmless to humans. This student-directed activity involves research, deductive reasoning, and students' own…

Science laboratory activities and classroom demonstrations can be both fun and serious. "Fun" in that the students get nature to expose a few of its secrets in interesting ways. "Serious" in that there needs to be respect for the equipment and materials used in experiments and demonstrations in order to stay out of harm?s way. Laboratory accidents…

Fish dissections are a great way to introduce the concepts of food webs, predator-prey relationships, and ecosystems, but these labs are expensive, messy, smelly, and require a lot of supervision because of the tools involved. The author has developed an inexpensive, safe, and clean alternative where students "dissect" simulated fish…

Educating the public about safety issues related to severe weather is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) mission. This month's insert, Severe Weather, has been created by NOAA to help educate the public about hazardous weather conditions. The four types of severe weather highlighted in this poster are hurricanes,…

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans generate approximately 1.6 million tons of hazardous household waste every year. When most people think of hazardous waste, they generally think of materials used in construction, the defense industry, mining, manufacturing, and agriculture. Few people think of hazardous substances…

To develop student interest in the periodic table, the author developed a simple, but fun, role-playing activity. This play is used after students have learned the basic structure of atoms and the general layout of the periodic table. It also comes after students have learned the basics of ionic and covalent bonding. The basic idea of bonding is…

It can be found as a solid, liquid, or gas. It is cohesive, colorless, tasteless, odorless, and has a pH of 7. These are some of the properties of pure water. Life without water would be unimaginable. Water is one of the most important substances for organisms on Earth. It is so important as a means of sustaining life that its existence is one of…

This article discusses how to use popcorn to engage students in model building and to teach them about the nature of matter. Popping kernels is a simple and effective method to connect the concepts of heat, motion, and volume with the different phases of matter. Before proceeding with the activity the class should discuss the nature of scientific…