Describes activities for starting the school year that allow students to begin learning laboratory skills and also gives them a chance to meet and interact with classmates in a relaxed atmosphere. (JRH)

Describes the Parents' Science Lab where parent volunteers lead a homeroom of 25-30 students through a hands-on science activity. Reports that this program has given parents personal experience with activity-based science and mathematics and made them positive and enthusiastic advocates for the cause of good science education. (JRH)

Presents suggestions for parents who wish to continue their children's science education at home. (JRH)

Describes a series of 14 hands-on, low-cost exercises in plant sciences developed to support biology teaching and maintain student interest. Each exercise includes education objectives, biology background, detailed procedures, and topics to stimulate discussion and critical thinking. (DDR)

Presents an alternative way to teach chemistry by using transmuted laboratory activities in which students must predict outcomes within a certain error factor. Includes nine sample labs. (MKR)

The subject of biomechanics is growing as athletes turn to science to improve their performance, and biomechanics interests many students and is a good area in which to investigate forces and Newton's laws. Uses force platforms to quantify such studies. (Author/ASK)

Presents a soybean project designed with an interdisciplinary approach that includes the stages of planting soybeans, studying the impact of rhizobium bacteria on soybean root development, synthesizing the raw oil to methyl ester, testing of biodiesel on a hybrid electric car, and studying the commodities market. Integrates plant science,…

Presents three science activities targeted to help urban students learn about nature: (1) observing coloration patterns of pigeons; (2) measuring local rainfall and comparing it to other areas; and (3) conducting a biodiversity study by observing a patch of lawn. (YDS)

Presents an experiment using plants grown on the classroom window sill that allows students to gain valuable hands-on experience in the collection and analysis of empirical data. (ASK)

Introduces a case study for upper grade levels and undergraduate students that is designed to increase students' ability to read and comprehend scientific information. Discusses ecological parameters and evaluates trophic level interactions. Questions the fluctuations in the moose and wolf populations and the growth rates of balsam firs. Includes…

Uses engineering projects to make students create design prototypes of paper airplanes in order to teach the scientific principle of flight. (ASK)

Describes a partnership involving fifth grade students, preservice teachers, a classroom teacher, and a university faculty member in introducing students to the basic anatomy of a cell using three-dimensional models, analogies, and hands-on/minds-on activities. (ASK)

Explains the process of using science journals with first and second grade students in three activities to explore the instructional sequence. Suggests some strategies to use journals more effectively and makes recommendations on important points for student evaluation. (YDS)

Presents an experiment in which students use laboratory data to calculate the interphase mass transfer coefficient for a fluid passed over a sphere and obtain correlations for solid-gas mass transfer. Students develop a realistic mathematical model to describe the sublimation process. (DDR)

Explains how student projects enable second-year chemistry students to gain their first experience studying a chemistry-based problem before undertaking a major project during the third year of their chemistry studies. (DDR)