Science Scope back issues from March 2009:
Safety in the Science Classroom--an online resource from NSTA.(SCOPE ON SAFETY)(National Science Teachers Association)
Mar 01, 2009; ... NSTA's Science Safety Advisory Board has developed a new online resource for science teachers, Safety in the Science Classroom, which is available at www.nsta.org/pdfs/SafetyInTheScienceClassroom. pdf. The introduction, Science Laboratory Rules and Regulations, sets the stage by ...
Star light, star bright.(SCOPE ON THE SKIES)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Measuring stellar distances We all know something about the idea of light-years and the idea of looking back in time as we observe the light from distant celestial objects. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second (~300,000 km/sec.). At that speed, it takes sunlight ...
Acids and Bases.(Young adult review)(Book review)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Acids and Bases by Eurona Earl Tilley. 2008. 128pp. $35. Chelsea House Publishers. New York. ISBN: 0791097838. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Acid and base chemistry is involved when we teach or review many aspects of introductory chemistry: writing formulas, ...
Take a Winter Nature Walk: Your Discovery Adventure Guide to Nature in Winter.(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Take a Winter Nature Walk: Your Discovery Adventure Guide to Nature in Winter by Jane Kirkland. 2008. 32pp. $9.95. Stillwater Publishing. Lionville, PA. ISBN: 0970975473. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, my husband disappears for a ...
Not a Drop to Drink: Water for a Thirsty World.(Young adult review)(Brief article)(Book review)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Not a Drop to Drink: Water for a Thirsty World by Michael Burgan. 2008. 64pp. $17.95. National Geographic Society. Washington, DC. ISBN: 1426303602. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Books in the National Geographic Investigates series introduce students to the vital ...
Finding Better Medicines.(Young adult review)(Book review)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Finding Better Medicines by John Coad. 2009. 56pp. $32.86. Heinemann Library. Chicago. ISBN: 9781432918385. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Finding Better Medicines begins with the story of Sash Elterman, a 16-year-old Australian athlete. On her way to the opening ...
Can you identify our Mystery Photo?(MYSTERY PHOTO)
Mar 01, 2009 ... 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 ...
Essential data.(EDITOR'S ROUNDTABLE)(Editorial)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Answering a question or proposing an explanation based on evidence gathered from observations and measurements is at the heart of scientific inquiry. To develop this ability, teachers should provide repeated opportunities for students to generate questions, figure out what data must be ...
Spacesuits and spacewalks.(OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS)(Website overview)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2009 ... This website from NASA presents a wealth of educational resources for both students and teachers. A "Clickable Spacesuit" lets students explore different parts of the equipment, and video segments show spacesuits of the past and future, along ...
Science literacy maps.(OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS)(Website overview)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2009 ... The National Science Digital Library (NSDL) has created a mapping tool that helps teachers find the best approach to meeting national standards, which is available at http://strandmaps.nsdl.org. The maps illustrate connections between concepts as well as ...
NeMO: New millennium observatory.(OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS)(Website overview)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2009 ... The NeMO project studies interactions among geology, chemistry, and biology at the site of an active underwater volcano. Using state-of-the-art technology, data from the seafloor observatory documents changes in these inter related systems. Photographs and video segments at NeMO's ...
Free chapters from NSTA on data analysis.(NSTA online)(National Science Teachers Association)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2009 ... The following are three free chapters from Technology in the Secondary Science Classroom, from NSTA Press. These chapters explore how the latest technology can be used to improve students' data collection and analysis techniques. "Acquiring Online Data for Scientific Analysis," ...
SciLinks for data collection and analysis.(NSTA online)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2009 ... SciLinks has collected a number of vetted sites related to data collection and analysis. One category, Collecting Weather Data, provides links to ...
Astronomers spot cosmic dust fountain.(SCOPE'S SCOOPS)
Mar 01, 2009 ... Space dust annoys astronomers just as much as the household variety when it interferes with their observations of distant stars. And yet space dust also poses one of the great mysteries of astronomy. "We not only do not know what the stuff is, but we do not know where it is made or how it ...
Snaking around the block.(SCOPE'S SCOOPS)
Mar 01, 2009 ... Scientists have recovered fossils from a 60-million-year-old South American snake whose length and weight might make today's anacondas and reticulated pythons seem a bit cuter and more cuddly. Named Titanoboa cerrejonensis by its discoverers, the size of the snake's vertebrae suggest it ...
Chow down! Using Madagascar hissing cockroaches to explore basic nutrition concepts.
Mar 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Madagascar hissing cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa) is one of the most exciting and enjoyable animals to incorporate into your science curriculum. Madagascar hissing cockroaches (MHCs) do not bite, are easy to handle, produce little odor compared ...
Big Macs and healthy teens? Exploring fast food as part of a healthy adolescent lifestyle.
Mar 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] From donuts in the school office for birthday celebrations to an increasing presence in school lunch programs, fast food is a common part of the American teen's diet. Because students are bombarded with advertisements about the newest burger or sandwich, I ...
Roadkill data analysis: using spreadsheets to integrate math and science.
Mar 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What kind of animal gets run over most often on the beltway around Richmond, Virginia? Would a different species win the "most-often-flattened" title if you were to look at roads a few hundred miles to the west, in the rural mountains of Virginia? ...
A land-use-planning simulation using Google Earth: search maps.
Mar 01, 2009; ... Google Earth (GE) is proving to be a valuable tool in the science classroom for understanding the environment and making responsible environmental decisions (Bodzin 2008). GE provides learners with a dynamic mapping experience using a simple interface with a limited range of functions ....
Outstanding science trade books for students K-12: books published in 2008.(Recommended readings)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Today's classrooms have no real walls! Students explore the world on field trips, during virtual journeys on the world wide web, and through the books they read. These pathways help them fly to the ends of the universe to satisfy their scientific curiosity. Again this year, the ...
What about Albert Einstein? Using biographies to promote students' scientific thinking.
Mar 01, 2009; ... Who hasn't heard of Einstein? Science educators everywhere are familiar with Einstein's genius and general theory of relativity. Students easily recognize Einstein's image by his white flyaway hair and bushy mustache. It is well known that Einstein was a brilliant physicist and an abstract ...
Plastics in our environment: a jigsaw learning activity.(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Mar 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In this lesson, a ready-to-teach cooperative reading activity, students learn about the effects of plastics in our environment, specifically that certain petrochemicals act as artificial estrogens and impact hormonal activities. Much of the content in this ...
Laws of motion.(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Mar 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What do you get when you cross an electronic whiteboard, online videos, and a room full of sixth graders? This may perhaps sound like an uncontrollable mix, but these simple ingredients create an interesting way to reinforce student understanding of ...
Making connections in Earth science using local data.(SCIENCE SAMPLER)
Mar 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In early May 2006, heavy rain pelted the Merrimack Valley in Massachusetts. Within one week, many areas received nearly a foot of rain, causing the Merrimack River to rise above flood stage. Homes were evacuated, schools were closed, and some places lost ...
Message in a bottle: analyzing reaction rates using gas pressure sensors.(TRIED AND TRUE)
Mar 01, 2009; ... One of the many ways to engage students in science is by using probes or computerized devices that respond in real time to changes. By using devices such as motion sensors, temperature probes, and pressure sensors, we found that students not only appear to enjoy science more, they also ...
Cracking the method.(TEACHER'S TOOLKIT)
Mar 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One problem we face as teachers of sixth-grade science is how to teach the process of inquiry to students who are still used to learning everything concretely. Indeed, even after walking students through an inquiry lab while modeling the lab-report-writing ...