Using teachers as co-researchers to collect and analyze data, this case study explored preschool and kindergarteners' learning when they were engaged in hands-on activities in the garden and greenhouse areas of a model outdoor classroom. Key findings suggest that when young children are participating in garden and greenhouse activities they are:…

Some children hold the belief that insects and spiders are all mere nuisances because they have never had opportunities to observe, study, and learn to appreciate how these animals live and carry out their purposes in life. Studying insects and spiders fosters children's natural curiosity about the world around them and encourages them to use…

The ability to utilize and change energy is one of the most fundamental characteristics of living things. Plants have the unique ability to change light energy into the chemical energy on which human beings depend for such things as fuel and food. Through the activities in this book students examine how plants and other living things use and…

This activity book designed for grades 1-3 provides teachers with ready-to-use materials designed to get parents and children excited about science, help establish a home-school connection, and provide interesting learning activities for children to share with adults. This program gets parents involved in developing their children's science…

These lesson plans, designed for grades 6-8, have been developed to provide a guide to hands-on experience in science and math. They focus on an International Space Station and are designed for use with students working in groups. The three lesson plans highlighting the importance of the scientific method are: (1) International Space Station…

Although feminist perspectives about research have not been presented in a unified paradigm, feminist theory has helped to expose and demystify the empirical assumption of objectivity as the only way to truth in research. The feminist perspective in research represents alternate, non-oppressive formulations of what constitutes meaningful and valid…

This book is based on the premise that students apply thinking skills to learning science concepts by doing through firsthand experiences in an interactive, open atmosphere; constructing by building knowledge through guided inquiry; and connecting by relating learning to the world around them. The contents of this book have been designed to…

The seven activities contained in this book are designed to equip students (grades 9-12) with scientific tools and skills for understanding what introduced species are, how they impact natural processes and human systems, and what may be done about them. The activities are designed to link the biology and ecology of introduced species with…

Many times science does not provide us with exact descriptions of phenomena or answers to questions but only allows us to make educated guesses. Black box activities encourage this method of scientific thinking because the activity is performed inside a sealed container requiring the students to hypothesize on the contents and operation of the…

The threats of terrorism have greatly alerted the chemical process industries to assure plant security at all levels: infrastructure-improvement-focused physical security, information-protection-focused cyber security, and design-and-operation-improvement-focused process security. While developing effective plant security methods and technologies…

"Stepping Up to Science and Math" invites teachers to step back and rethink the way they teach both of these essential subjects. Then it illustrates how teachers can step up the pace with Standards-based activities that make learning more effective and efficient. (New lessons featuring gummy worms, school buses, or the planet Mars help teachers…

This paper reviews the history of the GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) Program, an international environmental science education program. The goals of the program are to: enhance the environmental awareness of individuals around the world; contribute to the scientific understanding of the earth; and to help all…

The activities in this collection are designed to help teachers bring the worlds of science and art into the classroom. Each activity is both a hands-on science investigation and an art experience. As students create satisfying art projects, they utilize science skills such as observing, predicting, investigating, and communicating. The projects…

This paper describes a longitudinal case study that examined the various products that a primary grade student created as he co-researched with his teacher how to implement self-selected science inquiry in a suburban first grade classroom in New Jersey. Transcriptions of science presentations and interviews, parent and student reflection, and the…

This activity is designed to build creative skills based on an everyday problem. The scenario that sometimes packages are dropped and letters get bent is used. How can a special delivery be protected from such unfortunate mishaps? Students use their creative skills to determine a way to mail raw spaghetti. A way to safely package the raw spaghetti…