Much has been said about what science content students need to learn (e.g., "Benchmarks for Science Literacy, National Science Education Standards"). Less has been said about what science content teachers need to know to teach the content students are expected to learn. This study analyzed four standards documents and assessment frameworks to…

Presents activities that use marine organisms with plant-like appearances to help students build classification skills and illustrate some of the less obvious differences between plants and animals. Compares mechanisms by which sessile plants and animals deal with common problems such as obtaining energy, defending themselves, successfully…

Describes an activity that involves student teams designing and producing three-to-five-minute instructional videos that define a scientific concept and illustrate its application to their personal experiences. (JRH)

Describes a five-step plan of action, formulated by students, to rebuild a pond ecosystem. Steps include cement/rocks, soil/sand, water, producers (autotrophs), and consumers (heterotrophs). (JRH)

Presents an assignment that involves forming student companies to determine and defend cost estimates for producing a silver Oscar statuette. Includes an assessment rubric for cooperative effort. (JRH)

Presents a student simulation activity based on the dideoxy chain termination method of determining the nucleotide sequence of DNA fragments developed in 1977 by Fred Sanger. (JRH)

Describes the use of weather satellites in providing an exciting, cohesive framework for students learning Earth and space science and in providing a hands-on approach to technology in the classroom. Discusses the history of weather satellites and classroom satellite tracking. (JRH)

Describes a project that predicts the orbits of satellites using a TI-85 calculator. Enables students to achieve a richer understanding of longitude, latitude, time zones, orbital mechanics of satellites, and the terms associated with satellite tracking. (JRH)

Presents an activity to investigate soil nitrification and denitrification. Enables students to visualize the transformation of ammonium to nitrate and its reduction to nitrogen gases. (JRH)

Describes a project that uses essays to supplement or supplant the traditional methods of teaching science at the high school level. Presents two examples of essays used, the rationale for using them, and suggestions for implementing this project in the high school science classroom. (JRH)

Describes the Science Bound project, a partnership aimed at increasing the participation of ethnic minority students in science and technology and encouraging them to prepare for careers as scientists, engineers, and technologists. Presents eight successful field-tested strategies for ensuring that students in multicultural settings learn science.…

Discusses classroom concerns and educational strategies for meeting the needs of limited English proficiency students in science classrooms. (JRH)

Discusses the need for integration of the learner's culture into the academic and social context of the science classroom to aid and support academic learning. Presents a typology of cultural inclusion that enables science teachers to determine the extent that currently used instructional strategies, curriculum, textbooks and other resources,…

Presents a lesson plan that uses information about traditional African iron-smelting to highlight the scientific contributions of non-European cultures. Includes a laboratory activity on the reduction of metal oxides with a multicultural perspective that helps students grasp some of the chemistry concepts involved in smelting. (JRH)

Presents an activity that involves construction of a Native American drill to teach about technology, simple and compound machines, mechanical advantage, and force and area. Introduces students to non-Western technological innovations. (JRH)