Science Scope back issues from October 2008:
Sculpting the Earth's surface.(EDITOR'S ROUNDTABLE)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Reading or hearing about a flood, tsunami, earthquake, or volcanic eruption reminds us of the powerful Earth processes that can change lives in an instant and forever alter local topography. Visiting a famous natural landmark such as Mammoth Cave, the Grand Canyon, or Niagara Falls shows ...
Safety and liability.(SCOPE ON SAFETY)
Oct 01, 2008; ... A middle school life science teacher was having students do blood typing. Using the reasoning that the board of education cut the science department budget, the teacher had every three students share the same blood lancet! A series of lawsuits by parents followed, with lawyers going up the ...
Take it outside!
Oct 01, 2008; ... A glance at the soggy students pouring into my Eugene, Oregon, science classroom confirmed it was raining, as it had been for the last five weeks. When the bell rang, I was faced, like many teachers, with the daunting task of teaching Earth science with little to no background in the ...
The Sea Ice Board Game.
Oct 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sea ice is not visible from most of the United States. The majority of it is locked up on the top and bottom of the globe, in Earth's polar oceans. Although most students in the United States may never have a chance to view it, studying sea ice is ...
The 23rd annual consortium of geologists.
Oct 01, 2008; ... If I have seen farther it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants.--Isaac Newton Even the greatest of scientists owe their accomplishments to those who came before them. They built on the theories of their predecessors and laid the foundations of future science. This is a ...
Networking: Antarctic research discoveries to a science classroom.
Oct 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 2006, a unique scenario transported eighth-grade Earth science students from the classroom into the cold, dry, pristine surroundings of Antarctica. The mission was to expose these students to hands-on science using satellite telephones, Contact 3.0 ...
The great dinosaur feud: science against all odds.
Oct 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The study of dinosaurs is intriguing to students for a variety of reasons: Dinosaurs seem larger than life and somewhat intimidating. Unlike the tigers, crocodiles, and elephants at the local zoo, the past lives of dinosaurs are reconstructed for us by ...
When do girls lose interest in math and science?(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Girls start kindergarten interested in math and science, but leave high school with that interest far diminished (AAUW 1992). Girls and boys enter kindergarten with the same measured math abilities. By the time they graduate from high school, however, girls are behind boys in both math ...
Glacial ice action.(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Glaciers are not just part of the geologic past; they are active today in the arctic regions of mountains and in the Arctic and Antarctic. Current news reports discuss the loss of glacial ice in the Antarctic and Greenland as examples of the effects of global warming. But what are glaciers ...
Chemical weathering: where did the rocks go?(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Oct 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This lesson is a part of a larger Earth science unit that combines the concepts of the rock cycle and the water cycle and how they interact to change landforms. We call it the "make it and then break it" unit. We spend half the unit making metamorphic, ...
Taking steps to understand geologic time.(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Getting students to understand the concept of geologic time is challenging because it is difficult to imagine the vast time frame of Earth's history. In Grand Canyon National Park, where I worked for a few years as a white-water-rafting guide, I spent a lot of time thinking about geologic ...
Developing an awareness of pet stewardship.(AFTER THE BELL)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Statistics of pet ownership in the United States, Canada, and Australia suggest that a large number of people share their homes with pets. As you might imagine, the two most popular animals to cohabitate with humans are cats and dogs. No matter how the statistics are analyzed, more than ...
Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge.(OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS)(Siemens Foundation )(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2008 ... NSTA has joined with the Siemens Foundation and Discovery Communications to launch a comprehensive education initiative to inspire student achievement in sustainability. The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge is the first and only national K-12 sustainability education initiative ...
Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers.(OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2008 ... Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and NSTA are pleased to announce the 19th annual Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program. This year Toyota will award $550,000 in grants to K-12 teachers of science. A total of 50 large grants of up to $10,000 each, along with 20-30 mini-grants ...
No place like home.(SCOPE ON THE SKIES)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Along the right side of the Square of Pegasus, within the constellation of Pegasus, the Winged Horse, lies the star 51 Pegasi. This star, while at the limit of naked-eye visibility, is easily visible through binoculars. At a distance of 50.1 light years, it represents an interesting ...
The Eating Disorders Update: Understanding Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating.(recommends: Highlights from www.nsta.org/recommends)(Brief article)(Book review)
Oct 01, 2008; ... The Eating Disorders Update: Understanding Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein and Laura Silverstein Nunn. 2008. 128pp. $31.93. Enslow Publishers. Berkeley Heights, NJ. ISBN 9780766028029. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Eating disorders are ...
Mass Extinction: Examining the Current Crisis.(Brief article)(Book review)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Mass Extinction: Examining the Current Crisis by Tricia Andryszewski. 2008. 112pp. $30.60. Lerner Publications. Minneapolis. ISBN 9780822575238 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] How often do science teachers want to go beyond the usual factual science cont ent and share the ...
Neandertals: A Prehistoric Puzzle.(Brief article)(Book review)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Neandertals: A Prehistoric Puzzle by Yvette La Pierre. 2008. 112pp. $30.60. Lerner Publications Co. Minneapolis, MN. ISBN 9780822575245. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Neandertals is a recent addition to the science books published as part of the Discovery series. Formerly ...
Girls in Science: A Framework for Action.(Book review)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Girls in Science: A Framework for Action by Liesl Chatman, Katherine Nielsen, Erin J. Strauss, and Kimberly D. Tanner. 2008. 220pp. $24.95. NSTA Press. Arlington, VA. ISBN 9781933531045. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This book addresses the critical issue of gender equity in ...
The Science Quest: Using Inquiry/Discovery to Enhance Student Learning.(Book review)
Oct 01, 2008; ... The Science Quest: Using Inquiry/Discovery to Enhance Student Learning by Frank X. Sutman, Joseph S. Schmuckler, and Joyce D. Woodfield. 2008. 198pp. $29.95. John Wiley and Sons. New York. ISBN 9780787985868. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Science Quest introduces middle ...
Bats and wind power.(SCOPE'S SCOOPS)
Oct 01, 2008; ... With their amazing flying and hunting abilities, bats are major predators of insect pests. But surprising numbers of bats are being killed at wind energy sites. Biologist Erin Baerwald just couldn't believe that these adept, radar-equipped flyers were simply flying into the blades. Now her ...
X-ray vision.(SCOPE'S SCOOPS)
Oct 01, 2008 ... The advantage of using two eyes to see the world around us has long been associated solely with our capacity to see in 3-D. Now, a new study from a scientist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has uncovered a truly eye-opening advantage to binocular vision: our ability to see through ...
Can you identify our mystery photo?(MYSTERY PHOTO)
Oct 01, 2008 ... 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 ...
Summer's answer: St. Louis Arch!(MYSTERY PHOTO)(Brief article)(Photograph)
Oct 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last month's photo was correctly identified by Dawn Brenner's 5-8 grade science class at St. Andrew Parish School in Delavan, Wisconsin. Dawn and her class will receive a copy of Visual Thinking Puzzles by Michael J. DiSpezio. If you would like to order ...