Communication is a science process skill found within the Science as Inquiry section of the National Science Education Standards. The resources here point to methods and references science teachers can use to assist students in continual honing of this important skill.
Writing with Scientists
In this workshop students will use their own notes and research to write […]

The National Science Teachers Association’s Position Statement on Scientific Inquiry says:
Scientific inquiry reflects how scientists come to understand the natural world, and it is at the heart of how students learn. From a very early age, children interact with their environment, ask questions, and seek ways to answer those questions. Understanding science content is significantly […]

In June 2007, the National Science Teachers Association adopted its official position statement on professionalism. Teachers, like all other working adults, are expected to conduct their work professionally and ethically. But when exactly would they have learned proper ethics? Ethics is sometimes perceived as a sensitive issue and is not explicitly taught in the K-12 […]

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. […]

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 […]

The National Science Education Standards Science as Inquiry Standard states middle school “students should develop general abilities, such as systematic observation, making accurate measurements, and identifying and controlling variables.” The Standards acknowledge this can be challenging for students. Resources highlighted below focus on helping learners acquire knowledge of variables in scientific inquiry.

Environmental Inquiry: Tips for […]