As students investigate such national and global issues as climate change, water shortages, deforestation, endangered species, or shifting tectonic plates, online thematic maps can connect the issues to locations. Often these maps provide supporting data. Here are some sources of thematic maps that can be useful in the science classroom.
The Map Guide
Here is a […]

April showers bring May flowers—and their pollinators. Many angiosperms, i.e., flowering plants, depend upon animals for species survival. If pollination fails, no new seeds (or fruits) are produced, genetic diversity declines, and the plant population could become threatened. Plants have various adaptations that increase the likelihood of successful pollination. Some require insect pollinators, some bird, […]

Middle school students often have a rather generic concept of plants, failing to recognize the incredible diversity of plants. Unless students are widely traveled, it is unlikely their concept of plant diversity will expand without some intervention. Here are a few resources that can help you impart ideas of species diversity, biological classification, and adaptations, […]

Students are naturally curious about the world they live in. What better way to satisfy this curiosity than by giving them hands-on opportunities to collect data and find answers to their questions? These resources provide opportunities for students to collect data and to present and analyze their findings. These skills are an important part of […]

When students interpret data and communicate inferences, they are building skills that will help them solve problems throughout their lives. With the investigations featured in these resources, students will collect data and present and analyze their findings. These skills are an important part of the Science as Inquiry strand in the National Science Education Standards. […]

We know that days, weeks, or months without using a skill takes a toll on our proficiency. So it can be with teaching topics in the middle school math curriculum. If it’s been a while since you taught algebra or geometry topics, which are now recommended in “significant amounts” by the NCTM Standards, here are […]

As students investigate such national and global issues as climate change, water shortages, deforestation, endangered species, or shifting tectonic plates, online thematic maps can connect the issues to locations. Often these maps provide supporting data. Here are some sources of thematic maps that can be useful in the science classroom.
The Map Guide
Here is a […]

Scale is a unifying concept in science. Whether one is considering the size and scope of the universe, an atom, or anything in-between, conceptual understanding of scale is a prerequisite to understanding. Other phenomena requiring knowledge of scale include geologic time, pH, and maps. Cognitively, most middle school students hold a concrete, incomplete conception of […]

Venn diagrams are one of many tools used in logic and reasoning. Their use is especially helpful in learning foundational notions of definition and set theory. One of the five Process Standards promoted by NCTM, Reasoning and Proof requires middle school students to sharpen such skills as they learn to develop mathematical argument. […]

Density is a property of materials included in the National Science Education Standards Physical Science Content Standard B. It is a property by which mixtures can be separated but has much more profound applications outside the classroom such as rock formation, severe weather and living systems. But none of these concepts are fully comprehensible without […]