Purpose: The implementation of life cycle assessment (LCA) and carbon footprinting represents an important professional and research opportunity for chemical engineers, but this is not broadly reflected in chemical engineering curricula worldwide. This paper aims to present the implementation of a coursework that is easy to apply, free of cost,…

Biogeochemical cycles support all anthropogenic activities and are affected by them, therefore they are intricately interlinked with global environmental and socioeconomic issues. Elements of these cycles that are already included in the science/chemical curriculum and textbooks intended for formal education in Greek secondary schools were…

Describes an activity designed for secondary school students that explains the global carbon cycle and the production of CO2 through soil respiration. (YDS)

Learning progressions are used to describe how students' understanding of a topic progresses over time and to classify the progress of students into steps or levels. This study applies Item Response Theory (IRT) based methods to investigate how to design learning progression-based science assessments. The research questions of this study are: (1)…

This paper describes a method that attempts to confront the challenges of developing an environmentally-based earth sciences program. The research scheme includes five stages: (1) predevelopment study; (2) curriculum development; (3) implementation; (4) formative evaluation; and (5) curriculum modification. The research results indicate that the…

Coal fueled the Industrial Revolution and, as a result, changed the course of human history. However, the geologic history of coal is much, much longer than that which is recorded by humans. In your classroom, the coal cycle can be used to trace the formation of this important economic resource from its plant origins, through its lithification, or…

Describes exercises to examine the global carbon cycle. Students are asked to predict consequences of increased carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and to suggest ways to mitigate problems associated with these higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. A comparison modeling exercise examines some of the variables related to the success…

Uses in-depth interviews to explore the understanding of a non-random sample of 12 practicing primary school teachers in four areas: (1) biodiversity; (2) the carbon cycle; (3) ozone; and (4) global warming. Identifies those underpinning science concepts that were well understood, and those which were not so well understood. (Author/SAH)

Discusses the teaching of cyclic reactions using the carbon fixation cycle of photosynthesis as a model. (SL)

Uses a questionnaire to explore understanding in practicing primary school teachers (n=170), primary trainees (n= 120), and secondary science trainees (n=88) in the areas of biodiversity, carbon cycle, ozone, and global warming. Suggests that both basic explanations and difficulties in understanding of teachers in some areas can usefully inform…

This ERIC Digest investigates the earth and space science guidelines of the National Science Education Standards. These guidelines are frequently referred to as the earth system and include components such as plate tectonics, the water cycle, and the carbon cycle. This Digest describes the development of earth systems science and earth systems…

Purpose: This study aims to use life cycle assessment to determine the environmental impact of food purchases at a small, liberal arts college. The authors also use the results to develop a simple decision-making tool for college and university dining services administrators, attempting to make their food purchases more sustainable.…

The Science Curriculum Improvement Study has developed this teacher's guide to "Ecosystems," the sixth part of a six unit life science curriculum sequence. The six basic units, emphasizing organism-environment interactions, are organisms, life cycles, populations, environments, communities, and ecosystems. They make use of scientific and…

The soil science and soil chemistry is incorporated into teaching materials for earth day and beyond. It revealed some of the chemical properties of the soil through color and texture and the chemical processes relevant to soils abound, including the carbon and nitrogen cycles in the soil, acidification of soils through acid deposition, leaching…

Student variables which influence attainment of ecological concepts and conceptual systems were investigated. Researcher-designed paper/pencil and free-sort categorization tests were administered to 256 Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) students in grades 4-6. Findings are: (1) grade and ability, not sex, influenced concept attainment…