All Science Scope resources

Journal Article

After the Bell: Creating junior ethologists

Did you ever think that observing your dog, cat, fish, bird, or reptile could prepare you for long-term science investigations? Indeed it can! The basis for developing scientific thinking is improving observation skills. Through observation, students...

Journal Article

Astrobiology in the Classroom

Astrobiology is a relatively new field of study in science, one that has found a home in the curriculum of many universities. At the middle level, this multidisciplinary field is an exciting mix of topics and questions that can help students see how ...

Journal Article

It Pays to Go to School

Just for once, skip the usual first day of school routine that includes seating charts, questionnaires, textbook distribution, and so on, and try a little science instead. By implementing this inquiry-based lesson into your science curriculum, studen...

Journal Article

How Deductive Are You?

Students use deductive reasoning and their powers of observation to identify mystery items in a sealed, brown-paper bag. By using items such as bells, bags of water, coffee beans, and bags of frozen vegetables, teachers can encourage students to util...

Journal Article

Scope on the Skies: September in the skies

Although there weren't any visible planets at the beginning of the September 2004 school year, there were plenty of other celestial thrills to make up for it. These include the strangely shaped asteroid Toutatis that tumbled past the Earth, coming wi...

Journal Article

Tricky Science

Science demonstrations can be excellent tools for capturing students' attention. This "magic trick" involves Super Gel (sodium polyacrylate) and "disappearing" water. This inquiry-based activity is designed to stimulate critical thinking and develop ...

Journal Article

NASA "ROCKS" Problem-Based Learning

With the National Science Education Standards as a driving force behind instruction, science educators must move toward classroom activities that allow students to guide their own learning experiences and form their own questions for investigation in...

Journal Article

First Day of School

Capture your students’ attention on the first day of school by breaking from the usual routine of reviewing class expectations, rules, and the course syllabus. Students will be captivated when you ask them to explain how a balloon was inflated insi...

Journal Article

Making Science Teams Work

While the importance of teamwork is emphasized in the National Science Education Standards, getting teams to share equally in the academic assignments and interact in a positive and productive manner often eludes even the best of teachers. These stra...

Journal Article

Fuel-Cell Drivers Wanted

This design challenge required students to design, build, test, and race fuel-cell cars. As part of the Fuel-Cell Car Challenge, student cars had to drive up an inclined plane with increasingly steep angles and compete in a speed race. This activity ...

Journal Article

Tech Trek: Software that makes the grade

As you make plans for the upcoming school year, consider reviewing one of the many gradebook software packages that are available for organizing and computing your classroom grades. Many different packages are available (see Figure 1) which range in ...