Science Scope back issues from October 2007:
The pet food recall puzzle: who, what, why, and how much?(ISSUES IN-DEPTH)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Last spring, North America was gripped in the largest pet food recall in history. News outlets reported tens of thousands of dogs and cats becoming ill, and many dying, as a result of ingesting contaminated pet food. Several pet owners have filed lawsuits against the manufacturers and ...
Can you identify our mystery photo?(MYSTERY PHOTO)
Oct 01, 2007 ... How to submit a guess In each issue of Science Scope, we will publish a science-related image for your students to identify. When an image is published, teachers can submit a guess on behalf of their class through our website (www.nsta.org/ mysteryphoto), by e-mail ...
Teaching science using stories: the storyline approach.
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Storytelling is an age-old and powerful means of communication that can be used as an effective teaching strategy in the science classroom. Listening to a story involves imagination, activation of prior experiences, knowledge, and imagery. A community of ...
Don't know much about history? You should!(EDITOR'S ROUNDTABLE)
Oct 01, 2007; ... As science teachers, we are tasked with producing students who understand the nature of science, its role in society, and the history of scientific knowledge and concepts. Most teachers and school districts work to teach students the facts, vocabulary, and formulas of science; however, ...
Using narrative informational book circles, connection charts, and notebooks to showcase science as a human endeavor.
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Making connections is an emerging education theme of the 21st century. Science teachers are encouraged to connect new learning with prior knowledge, learning with student interests and experience, and classroom activities with the history and nature of ...
A literature-circles approach to understanding science as a human endeavor.(LITERATURE CIRCLES)
Oct 01, 2007; ... The National Science Education Standards suggest that middle school science teachers use "historical examples ... to help students see the scientific enterprise as more philosophical, social, and human" (NRC 1996). Fortunately for today's science teachers, science-related, historical ...
Launch excitement with water rockets.
Oct 01, 2007; ... Explosions and fires--these are what many students are waiting for in science classes. And, when they do occur, students pay attention. While we can't entertain our students with continual mayhem, we can catch their attention and cater to their desires for excitement by saying, "Let's make ...
Modeling Leeuwenhoek's tools with disposable-camera microscopes.(DISPOSABLE-CAMERA MICROSCOPES)
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When students design and build their own versions of instruments, they appreciate them more--and are more likely to appreciate how experimentation plays a critical role in explaining the world around them (NRC 1999). A student-built instrument is not an ...
What's in a word? How word choice can develop (mis)conceptions about the nature of science.
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What do typical seventh-grade students think about science and what scientists do? As part of a study into this question, I asked a group of students, "When scientists are ready to report their results, what kind of information do you think they need in ...
Weaving women into the science curriculum.(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Oct 01, 2007; ... "How many famous female scientists can you name?" When asked this question, students will most frequently mention Marie Curie, but are hard pressed to think of others. This question continues to challenge students despite decade-old research findings that show that students have difficulty ...
The pet rock project: making the rock cycle come alive!(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The rock cycle is often considered to be one of the main themes in Earth science because it summarizes the internal and external processes responsible for the formation and alteration of the Earth's materials. In diagram form, the rock cycle conveniently ...
Two heads.(SCIENCE SAMPLER)(importance of cooperation in learning science)
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One of the greatest challenges science teachers face is delivering information to students in ways that are meaningful. In the presentation of scientific material, it is at times important to remove students from their textbooks so that they come to ...
Doing sophisticated science simply: help students understand the nature of science.(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Oct 01, 2007; ... We all recognize the power of inquiry-based instruction when implemented in our classrooms. It engages students and motivates them to actively participate in their learning. But do our students develop a deep understanding of the nature of science? For example, students commonly strive to ...
A first energy grant: pinwheel electrical generation.(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This is an interdisciplinary activity--with art, science, and math classes involved--where students design their own pinwheels, and then attach their design to a DC generator (motor). I introduce the project by illustrating the physical layout ...
Five myths about girls and science.(OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Research on Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE) program seeks to broaden the participation of girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education fields by supporting research, ...
Looking for Exemplary Science Programs (ESP) that illustrate inquiry.(OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS)
Oct 01, 2007 ... As the 2008 year approaches, NSTA's National Advisory Board (NAB) invites your help in identifying 15 programs for the 2008 Exemplary Science Program Monograph. The 2008 ESP Monograph will focus on teachers and programs that illustrate full (or open) inquiry. This means that it starts with ...
Start your day with a look back at the history of science.(NSTA online)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Did you know that NSTA's homepage (www.nsta.org) includes a daily look back at significant events in the history of science? Today in Science History offers vignettes that can be shared with students to kick off the day and provide ...
Free chapter from Story of Science series.(NSTA online)(Brief article)(Book review)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Download a free chapter from Joy Hakim's new book, Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New Dimension. This is the third in the Story of Science series, joining Aristotle Leads the Way and Newton at the Center. These books explore the story of people--some really interesting people--who ...
Starry Night: Wheels on Mars--Classroom Edition; Starry Night: Searching for Superstars--Classroom Edition; Starry Night: Danger! Solar Storm-Classroom Edition; Starry Night: Comet Hunters/Asteroid Seekers--Classroom Edition With Teaching Guide.(Young adult review)(Video recording review)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Starry Night: Wheels on Mars--Classroom Edition; Starry Night: Searching for Superstars--Classroom Edition; Starry Night: Danger! Solar Storm-Classroom Edition; Starry Night: Comet Hunters/Asteroid Seekers-Classroom Edition With Teaching Guide by Imaginova Corporation. 2005. $49.95 ....
100 Greatest Science Inventions of All Time.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)
Oct 01, 2007; ... 100 Greatest Science Inventions of All Time by Kendall Haven. 2006. 333pp. $40. Libraries Unlimited, Inc. Westport, CT. ISBN 1591582644. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Whoever said "less is more" never worked with Kendall Haven. This book on the 100 greatest science ...
The Tuberculosis Update.(Young adult review)(Brief article)(Book review)
Oct 01, 2007; ... The Tuberculosis Update by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein and Laura Silverstein Nunn. 2006. 112pp. $31.93. Enslow Publishers. Berkeley Heights, NJ. ISBN 0766024814. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With the threat of pandemic diseases making the news daily, the study of the ...
Our class periodic table.(TRIED AND TRUE)
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This activity originated out of necessity. After introducing the topic of chemistry through a discussion on matter and atomic structure, I was poised to move on to a discussion about how atomic structure information can be obtained through the periodic ...
Strategies for learning and metacognition: identifying and remembering big ideas.(AFTER THE BELL)
Oct 01, 2007; ... How can language enable students not merely to memorize facts, but to learn concepts, theories, and laws? Questions having to do with students' knowledge acquisition--not only in science, but in any content area--emanate from the field of information processing (Miller 1956; Newell and ...
Teen brains.(SCOPE'S SCOOPS)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Adolescence brings more freedom, and with it, more opportunities for risky behaviors. Mental health researchers say teen risk-taking is also a natural response to changes in their brains. Monique Ernst, a researcher and clinician in the National Institute of Mental Health's (NIMH) Mood and ...
Squirrel lightsaber.(SCOPE'S SCOOPS)(squirrels' defense mechanism against rattlesnakes)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Any homeowner knows that squirrels are clever; but squirrels are also clever when it comes to defending against predators. Adult squirrels have the ability to neutralize rattlesnake venom; and they also widely employ the tactic of tail flagging--pointing their tails straight up like a ...
Hammering home Earth-science safety.(SCOPE ON SAFETY)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Kids love to cut up, tear apart, and smash things in order to study them. This is one reason they get so excited about the opportunity to study rocks and minerals in the lab or out in the field. Although this can certainly be fun and fuel their curiosity, it can also be dangerous. There ...
Focus on Uranus.(SCOPE ON SKIES)
Oct 01, 2007; ... The solar system as we now know it is changing, with new objects and moons regularly being discovered. For many centuries the solar system was known to only contain the Sun, our Moon, and six planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. It wasn't until the invention of the ...