Points out the importance of an understanding of a sense of scale and presents an activity that uses distance or time as a measure. The activity illustrates for students what the universe would look like at various scales. (DDR)

Discusses the New Orleans Center of Science & Mathematics, an alternative high school with an activity-based curriculum specializing exclusively in mathematics and science courses for inner-city students. (PKP)

Presents two studies that explore the connection between students' language use and how they participate in small-group science activities. Describes the range of language used by groups of students while working with materials in several elementary science classrooms. Examines how students use language in small groups to discuss, clarify, and…

Describes activities to introduce middle school students to the metric system. Involves converting common cookbook recipes from English to metric measure and then having students reconvert the recipes and prepare them as an assignment. (JRH)

Suggests ways in which teachers can help students learn investigation and problem-solving skills on open investigation tasks. Includes matching the degree of openness of the investigations to the experience and skills of the student, providing scaffolding to support student decision making, and using formative and student self-assessment. (JRH)

Describes how to lead students through a classroom-based simulation to teach a variety of concepts such as X-linked traits, sex determination, and sex anomalies. The simulation utilizes inexpensive materials such as plastic eggs that twist apart to represent human eggs and sperm. (AIM)

Presents activities that use a box of pencils to foster science process skills. Describes each phase of the scientific learning method with instructions for a "broken pencil" activity. Discusses initial observations, multiple working hypotheses, detailed observations, developing a theory, pattern-process relationships, and further ideas. (JRH)

Describes a week-long activity for general to honors-level students that addresses Hubble's law and the universal expansion theory. Uses a discrepant event-type activity to lead up to the abstract principles of the universal expansion theory. (JRH)

Presents an activity that combines the concepts of quantum numbers and probability locations, energy levels, and electron configurations in a concrete, hands-on way. Uses model houses constructed out of foam board and colored beads to represent electrons. (JRH)

Describes and explains the rationale for establishing a program in higher education that would support and interact with the community of institutions and individuals involved in informal or nonformal science education. Outlines a number of research questions proposed at a recent meeting of informal science educators. (DDR)

Attempts to answer two research questions: (1) Does the use of a digital camera in laboratory activities increase student learning?; and (2) Does the use of digital cameras motivate students to take a greater interest in laboratory work? Results indicate that the digital camera did increase student learning of process skills in two biology…

Presents a science activity in genetics that explains concepts such as dominant and recessive traits, monohybrid and dihybrid crosses, Punnett squares, and Mendel's Laws of Segregation and Independent Assortment. Uses the activity as an assessment tool to measure students' fundamental understanding. (YDS)

Explains the benefits and risks of genetically-modified foods and describes methods for genetically modifying food. Presents a laboratory experiment using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to detect foreign DNA in genetically-modified food. (Contains 18 references.) (YDS)

Introduces a laboratory activity on biological diversity that focuses on mollusks and trees. (YDS)

Students use their senses when working and thinking scientifically. Recommends setting up sensory trails as a field trip and presents activity ideas. (YDS)