Science Sampler : Differentiated assessment
One of the goals of science education is to encourage students to think and reason at increasingly higher levels. In order to accomplish this goal, the authors created a unique form of assessment that not only encourages students to work at the highest critical-thinking level possible, but also allows them creative liberty to express their understandings of the big ideas. This enables all students, including English language learners and special education students, to achieve their potential thr
Science in Focus: Shedding Light on Science: Workshop 5. Sunlight to Starch
Explains the process of photosynthesis. Leaves from plants grown in the light contain starch, but leaves from plants grown in the dark do not contain starch.
A Maths Dictionary For Kids
An animated, interactive dictionary for students which explains over 400 common mathematical terms in simple language. Includes definitions, animated examples, interactive activities, practice and lots of different calculators.
Builder Ted
In this interactive game, students must order decimals. In the game scenario, they help Builder Ted by placing the numbered bricks on a ladder in order. At the first level of difficulty, all numbers are positive, but the two higher include negative numbers as well. If a number is placed incorrectly, all the bricks immediately fall and the player begins again. Tips for students are available as well as a full explanation of the key instructional ideas underlying the game.
Ebola infection reported
This article describes cases and outbreaks of Ebola virus. The focus is on how little is known about Ebola and Marberg viruses, especially about how certain people survive those infections. Copyright 2005 Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
Teacher's Toolkit : Reforming cookbook labs
The majority of ancillary materials provided with any textbook includes a large quantity of labs that have step-by-step instructions. Although it is important in science for students to learn how to follow directions, offering only cookbook labs limits students' access to exploration. Presented in this article are 11 different ways of altering cookbook labs so that students understand the intention of the procedure. The altered labs do not fully achieve the status of inquiry-lab, but they are a
Science Sampler : Fossil detectives
Middle school students are transformed into Fossil detectives as they examine the fossil record and use evidence about paleo-environments to develop an understanding of structure and function in living systems and changes over time in Earths history. In this enrichment activity, students work in teams to research an assigned geologic time period. They determine available habitats, food sources and types (animal, plant; woody, herbaceous, etc.), cover sources, methods of getting food, defense, an
Angles
This Java applet enables students to investigate acute, obtuse, and right angles. The student decides to work with one or two transversals and a pair of parallel lines. Angle measure is given for one angle. The student answers a short series of questions about the size of other angles, identifying relationships such as vertical and adjacent angles and alternate interior and alternate exterior angles. In addition to automatically checking the student's answers, the applet can keep score of correc
Watersheds
This web page focuses on watersheds, the topic of one of the books in the curriculum series that the larger web site accompanies. The page mentions why it can be beneficial for students to investigate local watersheds. The term watershed is defined, and examples of different sizes of watersheds are given. In addition, the page explains why local governments often manage watersheds. Links are provided to water quality experiments, to related online materials on other sites, and to information abo
Cold Clouds and Water in Space
This article from Astrobiology Magazine reports on the discovery of water in cold regions of space. Using data from the European Space Agencys Infrared Space Observatory, astronomers have determined that water is abundant in these cold, or quiescent regions of space where there are no stars, and that the majority of it occurs as ice with a small amount of water vapor. It is thought that these cold regions of space might be the future birthplaces of low-mass stars like our own sun. Links to other
The future of energy, efficiency
Energy-efficient appliances and vehicles can greatly reduce the amount of energy Americans use. This informational piece, part of a series about the future of energy, introduces students to the consequences of using energy more efficiently. An example about baking a pie provides students with a practical definition of efficiency. A discussion of energy-efficient appliances and processes follows as students read about the Energy Star label. The overall efficiency of a power plant is described, sh
Once in a million years : teaching geologic time
This article outlines effective pedagogical approaches to teaching geologic time and describes common student preconceptions and misconceptions as well as several student centered activities that assist students in conceptual change.
Nanomedicine : Problem Solving to Treat Cancer
Students rarely have the opportunity to delve into the unknown and brainstorm solutions to cutting-edge, unsolved science problems that affect thousands of people. To counter this trend, the following activity was developed to expose students to issues and problems surrounding cancer treatment using an inquiry-based approach. Through this activity, students step into the role of ?real? scientists and brainstorm possible treatment options by working collaboratively, utilizing problem solving stra
Maximize Student Time On Task
Student time on task is the most influential factor in student achievement. To maximize time on task, teachers need to make decisions about the systems they install in their classroom well before any students enter the room. Beginning the school year by explicitly teaching process skills and having classroom operating systems that reinforce process skills are two strategies that lay the foundation for logical thinking throughout the year, which are discussed in this article.
The Fibonacci Numbers and the Golden Section
This award-winning site explores not only who Fibonacci was, but also the Fibonacci number properties, where they occur in nature, and much, much more. Puzzles with answers, illustrations, diagrams, and graphs are included. The Golden Ratio and Lucas numbers are addressed here as well. This site contains over 200 pages of information.
Stats for Schools
Stats4schools, developed by the United Kingdom's Office of National Statistics, is about helping teachers and pupils to get more from statistics. The project has posted here datasets collected by the Office for National Statistics as part of the Omnibus survey and made them available for students to download free of charge. Teachers will also find lesson plans, worksheets and datasets that can be used in their classrooms. The lesson ideas are organized by topics and involve using statistics to a
Ohio resource center for mathematics, science, and reading
ORC provides links to peer-reviewed instructional resources that have been identified by a panel of Ohio educators as exemplifying best or promising practice. Available resources also include content and professional resources as well as assessment and general education resources that will support the work of preK to 12 classroom teachers and higher education faculty members. The resources are correlated with Ohio's academic content standards and with applicable national content standards.
The Yo-Yo Problem
Students will explore linear patterns, write a pattern in symbolic form, and solve linear equations using algebra tiles, symbolic manipulation, and the graphing calculator. This lesson plan includes the objective, overview of the lesson, needed materials, procedures, assessment, extensions and adaptations, tips, resources, ideas for discussion, and the activity sheets and answer key.
New York Times Daily Lesson Plan: Mathematics
These lesson ideas from the New York Times offer suggestions for ways to draw on real world issues and statistics to develop lessons in mathematics. For example, in one lesson students convert statistics about gun injuries into visual presentations, then use these as the basis for a poster campaign to teach children about the dangers of guns in home while another lesson idea involves designing brochures that are intended to explain specific mathematical concepts to a popular audience. Each lesso
What's That Stuff?
What's That Stuff? Well, the Web site provided by Chemical and Engineering News answers this question on many of those everyday items that are just a bit curious. For example, Silly Putty is a dilatant compound, which means it has an inverse thixotropy--that is, as a viscous suspension or gel, it becomes solid under the influence of pressure. The site explains the history and characteristics of this and over twenty other substances such as sunscreen, cheese whiz, baseballs, fluoride, new car sme
