Provides a form for evaluating software and software design. The form, which emphasizes instructional qualities, considers science processes, hardware requirements, program mechanics, student reaction, and other areas. Guidelines for using the form are included. (DH)

Provides background information and student activities on how desert animals have adapted to dryness and heat, how and when animals move on the desert, and nocturnal/diurnal animals. Each activity includes objective(s), recommended age level(s), subject area(s), list of materials needed, and procedures. Ready-to-copy pages are included for a…

Presents three articles dealing with: (1) a critical assessment of providing science education for the 16-19 age range (part 3), vocational preparation; (2) thinking and writing in primary science; and (3) teaching science to children from ethnic minority groups. (JN)

Reviews the benefits and hazards that the sun provides. Describes activities which focus on the power of the sun and on the development of "Sun-sensible" behavior. Also included is a poster which contains puzzles and additional information and activities on safe sunning. (ML)

Discusses the role that children's ideas and questions have in learning science. Explains four techniques which aim to promote primary students' question-asking. Also suggests specific approaches that were developed in the Learning in Science Project to assist teachers in making use of children's questions. (ML)

Examines the major characteristics of effective schools, focusing on the role of science teachers in contributing to school effectiveness. Suggests that maximum benefits can result from improvements in teacher responsiveness and in classroom management areas. (ML)

Describes methods designed to add new studies to published meta-analysis results, focusing on a procedure using Bayesian analysis and showing how new findings complement previous meta-analysis and extend its conclusions. Also considers how studies are to be weighted, which variables are to be examined, and how often meta-analyses are to be…

Provides instructions for constructing a model passive-solar house from a sturdy cardboard box and other readily available materials. By constructing the house and performing related experiments, students begin to understand some of the major principles of solar energy. (JN)

Discusses the role of predators in regulating prey populations, noting that this is an excellent example of the "interconnectedness" of life. Suggestions for films, books, articles, and student questions are given, and a special section dealing with human attitudes about predators is provided. (DH)

Describes a method for interpreting and representing children's science conceptions as expressed during clinical interviews. Also demonstrated how application of the "Interview Vee" yields important insights into the long-term growth of several children's conceptions of "molecules." (JN)

Reports on the development, reliability, and validity of an instrument which measures the science process skills of middle and high school students. The 36-item instrument can be completed during a normal classroom period. (JN)

Discusses problems reflecting the crisis in education, presenting general approaches for resolving the problems. Also discusses the California Earthquake Education Project (CALEEP), a program which provides education of current concern (including personal emergency preparedness) to the public. CALEEP activities are successful due to many social,…

Outlines three projects which have been designed for teaching electronics to ages 11-13, 13-16, and 16-18. Aims, content, approach, and equipment are discussed with guidelines for teacher use. Indicates that work with microprocessors (alongside Nuffield style analogue work) should help digital electronics receive greater emphasis in secondary…

Mechanically-minded middle school students who have been studying electromagnetism can construct inexpensive telegraphs resembling Samuel Morse's 1844 invention. Instructions (with diagrams), list of materials needed, and suggestions are given for a simple telegraph and for a two-way system. (DH)

Inservice workshops were conducted to help elementary teachers (self-contained and subject specialists) understand energy issues. Information/background, sources of materials/activities, experiments/demonstrations, and evaluation are discussed. One important aspect of the project was the local utilities' involvement in the workshops. (DH)