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Book Chapter
Whether or not a boat floats is determined by its shape and density. In this activity, students discover how and why boats float by designing different hull shapes and finding which design holds the most weight. Students record, calculate, and interp...
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Book Chapter
Determining the Size and Shape of the Blind Spot
What exactly is the blind spot? It is the place where the optic nerve meets the back of the retina. Because no sensory cells are present in the retina at the meeting point, a “hole” is created in the field of view of each eye. The brain “fills ...
Book Chapter
Daniel and the Old Lion Hunter
Daniel Bernoulli wanted to be the Newton of the eighteenth century; he thought he could do it by studying fluids (by that he meant liquid and gases). His thoughts and his principle will percolate in other heads and help bring changes in science and l...
Book Chapter
The Promise of Professional Learning Communities
In this chapter, the authors discuss the origin and the characteristics of professional learning communities (PLCs) and summarize the research findings on the impact and results achieved by schools that are organized as PLCs. ...
Book Chapter
"Late-Start Mondays": The Catalyst for Change in an Urban High School
At the high school level, the task of creating a whole-school community of practice is often monumental and requires tremendous energy to disrupt the status quo. The story that follows describes the process by which a large, urban high school formed ...
Book Chapter
Teaching Learning Collaborative: A Process for Supporting Professional Learning Communities
The teaching learning collaborative (TLC) is a unique professional development strategy that engages groups of teachers in collaborative planning and teaching of a science lesson, coaching and mentoring, and examining student work. In this chapter, t...
Book Chapter
Building Professional Development Cadres
This chapter begins with a vignette based on several anecdotes that were relayed to the authors during their years working in the Los Angeles basin with a cadre of professional developers. This story sets the stage for exploring challenges tackled by...
Book Chapter
Creating and Sustaining Science-Focused Professional Learning Communities Through Partnerships
In this chapter, the authors share selected components of The North Cascades and Olympic Science Partnership (NCOSP) model for professional learning communities (PLCs) and the impact those communities had on instruction and student learning. They off...
Book Chapter
After five years of developing and investigating professional learning communities (PLCs) in school districts in Arizona, the authors have uncovered attributes that differentiate high-performing PLCs from lower-performing PLCs and have begun to uncov...
Book Chapter
The Role of Local and State Science Leaders in Developing Professional Learning Communities
This chapter tells two stories, both focused on the role of science leadership in developing the teacher leadership that is essential for creating and maintaining professional learning communities (PLCs). The first story provides insight into how dis...
Book Chapter
The K20 Model develops professional learning communities (PLCs) and has been successful in district-wide and school initiatives across Oklahoma. It is based on four interrelated structures for engaging people in communities: networks, PLCS, communiti...
Book Chapter
This book, and particularly the stories which lie within, provide an opportunity for students to take ownership of their learning and learn science in a way that will give them a more positive attitude about science. In addition, it will serve to hel...
Book Chapter
Segmented worms are considered “yucky” by a great many people, yet they are members of a large animal group that populates the entire world and provides a great service to our planet. This story should stimulate students to want to know more abou...
Book Chapter
This story is true, although Maria and Enrique are fictional characters. A barred owl does live in the rafter of the chickee at Shark Valley and does drop owl pellets from its nest almost daily. The purpose of this story is twofold: (1) to learn more...
Book Chapter
Trees From Helicopters, Continued
Maples are very interesting trees with lots of variation in form. They provide a view of diversity in plants as well as a chance to look at natural phenomena that is very common to anyone who has had a maple tree near them. The main purpose of this s...