Presents information about watersheds including water quantity, water quality, floods and floodplains. Lists resources for learning more about watersheds as well as Internet resources. Includes a foldout that can be used to teach children about watersheds and floodplains. (JRH)

Investigates students' ideas about gravity beyond the earth's surface. Presents a lesson plan designed to help students understand that gravity can act beyond Earth's atmosphere. Also helps students gain a more adequate intuitive understanding of how natural and artificial satellites stay in orbit. Reports that this strategy changed some students'…

Presents activities for elementary students that lay the conceptual foundation for developing an understanding of heredity and identification. Uses analogies and firsthand experiences to demystify the science of DNA. (JRH)

Describes the experiences of children in a program that highlights the process of inquiry by allowing and encouraging children to raise questions, develop investigation strategies, formulate theories, and report findings in a variety of ways. Discusses the teacher's role in observing, respecting, and supporting children's work. (JRH)

Argues that empowering parents is the first step toward improving females' achievement in science. Describes the Sisters in Science (SIS) program that aims to unite the role of parents with the other factors that promote female success in science. Discusses policy and practical implications that can be drawn from the work of the SIS program.…

Describes the construction of a sturdy earthworm box that can provide students with firsthand experience with earthworms. Presents activities that enable students to observe earthworms and discover how they enrich the soil. (JRH)

Presents activities that allow students to think about the Earth in a contextual manner and become familiar with constructive and destructive processes as they relate to sand - its origins, cyclical processes, and yielding of new products. Explores the bigger idea with a developmentally appropriate study of water, rocks, sand, physical phenomena,…

Presents the highlights of National Science & Technology Week '97 which focus on different kinds of communications and communications technologies. Describes the activity packets that are part of the celebration and include innovative, hands-on teaching activities in science, mathematics, and technology. Presents suggestions for school…

Describes a strategy that combines a field trip to a pond with technology such as digital cameras and educational software to help children expand their knowledge about ponds. Involves students sharing this new knowledge using computer writing and drawing tools. Lists science software resources and writing/drawing programs. (JRH)

Discusses ideas for water rocket investigations. Highlights safety precautions that should be considered when using water rockets with soda bottles. (JRH)

Discusses effective ways of using children's journals in science teaching and methods for assessing children's journals for science learning. Emphasizes the importance of children's own cognitive and verbal efforts to make sense of science phenomena. (JRH)

Describes an exploration of how light-up shoes work in which students become a community of scientists through debating, questioning, experimenting, formulating ideas, researching, collaborating, and communicating their understandings. (JRH)

Describes an activity for introducing elementary school students to the surprising Mobius band. Incorporates elements of experimentation and exposes the deceptively simple Mobius band as a rich resource for discovery. Provides an opportunity for young learners to participate in the process of scientific inquiry within a mathematical framework.…

Discusses partnerships between elementary and secondary science programs. Describes two activities that increase communication and provide a better understanding of the important relationship between elementary and secondary schools. (JRH)

Describes the science advocate program in which a science advocate visits elementary classrooms with hands-on activities that make science exciting for students. Highlights advocate activities and benefits of the presence of the science advocate. (JRH)