Details the use of the game Yahtzee with modified rules to help students understand the extreme improbability of obtaining complex structures by chance in the process of evolution. Includes a discussion of probability calculations. (DDR)

States that the ecological role of Sphagnum species in peatlands is enormous. Presents a cation exchange experiment and background information on the characteristics and economic importance of Sphagnum. Contains 42 references. (DDR)

Describes how high school biology students use the clam to study the bivalve body plan anatomy. Employs an open-ended investigation format that is rich with measurement opportunities including body mass, valve mass, and volume. (DDR)

Discusses how, by taking advantage of naturally occurring events in the classroom and at home, adults can help young children acquire five important scientific processes: observing, comparing, classifying, measuring, and communicating. Stresses the importance of science-related children's literature as a component of the science curriculum, as…

Finds that interpretation of Galileo's only known experimental manuscript produces some interesting questions that offer pedagogical applications. Promotes classroom "research games" consisting of reconstructed experiments with Galileo's inclined plane and with other instruments to allow further speculation. (Author/WRM)

Describes what kinds of fossils work well in student laboratory activities, and where and how to acquire these fossils at reasonable prices. (WRM)

Presents a hands-on activity designed to be a simulation of meiosis. (WRM)

Introduces activities to reinforce the concept of and problems involved with introduced, nonnative or alien species. Provides seven vignettes about seven different plant and animal species that have become or currently are near ecological disasters. (CCM)

Presents a fun, inexpensive, and pedagogically useful laboratory exercise that involves indoor studies of the dispersal properties of the winged fruits (samaras) of boxelder trees. Engages students in the process of hypothesis testing, experimental design, and data analysis as well as introducing students to important concepts related to…

Describes 10 experiments designed to serve as a qualitative introduction to Rayleigh-Taylor Instability. (WRM)

Describes a safe but qualitative alternative to an experiment in which bullets are shot into wooden blocks from below, with some bullets hitting the blocks in the center and others off-center. Explains why the off-center blocks reach greater heights in spite of the fact that the bullet's energy is divided between translational and rotational…

Features an assignment involving average monthly temperatures that can serve as an example of curve-fitting for a periodic function. (WRM)

Describes the use of thought-provoking essay questions such as "How does one determine the temperature at which Hell freezes over?" to promote better communication skills among chemistry students. Makes reference to and suggests other thought-provoking questions. (WRM)

Describes the organization and completion of a scientific field trip for a group of high school physics students that was organized primarily around a study of the Manhattan Project. The group visited the Trinity site, Los Alamos, several museums, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Very Large Array. Contact information for the various…

Proposes that introductory physics courses extend the analysis of one-dimensional motion to a more sophisticated level. Gives four experimental setups and graphical analysis of the distance, velocity, and acceleration in the vertical and horizontal directions. (WRM)