It is important for students to understand that what they learn in science class is the product of the hard work of those who have come before them. It is the author's job to help them understand this work and to encourage them to be future contributors to the understanding of how nature works. As stated in the National Science Education…

According to Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods," "disconnection from nature...has enormous implications for human health and child development...Children need nature for the healthy development of their senses, and therefore, for learning and creativity" (2005). How can science teachers help their students learn…

While students may acknowledge the impact that land use and development have on our environment, they do not necessarily understand the relationship between human activities and ecosystem responses. Therefore, the nature of the relationships leaves the science teacher to most often present information in a purely narrative form without any…

Introduces naturalist writers who discuss environments and natural resources, the issue of human population growth and its impact on the environments, and the nature and history of science. Includes activities addressing the interpretation of naturalist writing geographically, chronologically, and by the environment. (KHR)

When students investigate science, they model, imitate, and perform science much as scientists do. Learning science in this way is best, according to the locus of control research. Based on this research, students need to develop an internal belief that they can control science outcomes and become a part of science through their own hands-on…

Biographies are sometimes considered to be a bridge between fact and fiction. As students read real life accounts of the lives of scientists, they can expand their view of what kinds of things scientists do; realize that all kinds of people do science; find out how the scientific community influences the acceptance of scientific knowledge; learn…