Recently added articles from Science Scope:
Classroom management a la Goldilocks.(EDITOR'S ROUNDTABLE)(Editorial)
Jun 22, 2009; ... Classroom management is a difficult balancing act. Like Goldilocks, teachers should sample all the classroom management techniques available to them to find the ones that are "just right" for their classroom. Finding the right balance is one of the most difficult tasks teachers encounter, ...
Hubble captures cosmic fountain.(SCOPE'S SCOOPS)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2009 ... Over the past 19 years, Hubble has taken dozens of exotic pictures of galaxies going "bump in the night" as they collide with each other and have a variety of close encounters of the galactic kind. Just when you thought these interactions couldn't look any stranger, this image of a trio of ...
Tooth strength aided by cracks.(SCOPE'S SCOOPS)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2009 ... Human enamel is brittle. Like glass, it cracks easily; but unlike glass, enamel is able to contain cracks and remain intact for most individuals' lifetimes. Researchers at George Washington University (GWU) discovered that the major reason why teeth do not break apart is due to the ...
Science of sneezing.(SCOPE'S SCOOPS)
Jun 22, 2009 ... Mark Nicas's job is nothing to sneeze at--he builds mathematical models of how someone else's slobber ends up on you. Nicas's models must account for the size of the particles, whether they come out in a dry cough or a wet sneeze, their evaporation rate, air speed, and other factors to ...
Managing inquiry-based classrooms.
Jun 22, 2009; ... Though it may seem that classroom management comes naturally to some teachers, upon closer examination you'll probably discover that preparation and adaptation are more important than any innate ability when it comes to successful classroom management. Any experienced middle school science ...
Classroom management and inquiry-based learning: finding the balance.
Jun 22, 2009; ... Inquiry practices often involve more student-centered activities where students interact more intensively with materials and with other students during investigations. In addition to monitoring the learning taking place, teachers in an inquiry classroom have to manage more movements of ...
Cartooning your way to student motivation.
Jun 22, 2009; ... Unmotivated, underachieving students pose a huge challenge for teachers. One way to motivate and stimulate student interest in a topic is to use humor. Humor can help students make new connections in learning and improves retention of information (Garner 2006). In this article, we describe ...
Classroom management: setting up the classroom for learning.
Jun 22, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Effective teachers are prepared. They plan the classroom environment, set up the materials, are ready to teach before class starts, and continually analyze how to make their teaching more productive. Their classrooms are well-orchestrated places where ...
Under summer skies.(Recommended readings)
Jun 22, 2009; ... There's no better way to celebrate 2009, the International Year of Astronomy, than by curling up with a good book under summer skies. To every civilization, in every age, the skies inspired imagination and scientific inquiry. There's no better place to start your summer reading than under ...
Current research: summer reading suggestions.(Recommended readings)
Jun 22, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To supplement your summer reading, NSTA's affiliates would like to suggest some recent articles on education research. These articles cover a variety of topics that include diversity, technology, and science teacher retention. More importantly, you do not ...
An introduction to water pressure.(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Jun 22, 2009; ... The difficulty in teaching water pressure is how to represent differences in water pressure, changes that are not visible to the human eye. One way is to manipulate containers of water and to observe the flow of water in different settings at various pressures. The following lesson is one ...
Teaching: a reflective process.(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Jun 22, 2009; ... When preparing for a unit on weather, we use formative assessment to gauge student understanding of the water cycle and ferret out possible misconceptions. An example from the misconception research showed that students think that water only gets evaporated from oceans or lakes, and when ...
Classroom management, rules, consequences, and rewards! Oh, my!(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Jun 22, 2009; ... You've got that first job, your lesson plans are ready, and your room is spotless. The anticipation of the first student walking in makes your heart race. What can a new teacher expect? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Teachers must start with an organized classroom. Think ...
No excuses.(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Jun 22, 2009; ... I truly believe the primary obstacle to student academic achievement is the low expectations of their teachers. I have one rule for my seventh-grade students: "No Excuses." It is the motto I have adopted in my classroom. When students enter my class for the first time, they see this ...
How to enjoy your students while your students enjoy science.(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Jun 22, 2009; ... Every teacher's goal should be to create a classroom atmosphere where students know one another, feel safe both physically and emotionally, and enjoy interacting. This means students need to feel a connection to both their peers and their teacher. Establishing such an atmosphere makes ...
It's as simple as shuffling cards.(TRIED AND TRUE)
Jun 22, 2009; ... Holding students accountable for their work is always on my mind. Getting students to participate used to be. A few years ago, I attended a science-teaching symposium held by the California Science Project of Inland California. At this symposium, I learned the benefits of using playing ...
Combating corrosion.(SCOPE ON SAFETY)
Jun 22, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What do overflow cans, catch buckets, ring stands, electroscopes, magnets, balances, and microscopes have in common? All of these items are commonly found in middle school science laboratories. But more importantly, they usually are made of metal, and ...
Would you like to be a student in your classroom?(GUEST EDITORIAL)
Jun 22, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Why do some teachers experience successful teaching in the middle level year after year, while others consider an eighth-grade teaching assignment equivalent to a sentence of a year at hard labor? Why is it that some teachers and their students look ...
Summer skies.(SCOPE ON THE SKIES)
Jun 22, 2009; ... This summer the planet parade shifts to the morning skies as most of the visible planets are arranged over the southeastern to southwestern horizons before the Sun rises. And only one planet, Saturn, graces the evening skies. All, with the exception of Mercury and Venus, will stay ...
Science Laboratory Safety Manual.(Book review)
Jun 22, 2009; ... Science Laboratory Safety Manual by Linda M. Stroud. 2008. 408pp. $54.95. Science and Safety Consulting Services. Raleigh, NC. ISBN: 9780978879617. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Spiral bound and formatted for ease of use, this ...