Tag Archives: environmental science

Outdoor Science

The melting snow piles outside NSTA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, provide daily reminders of the D.C. area’s record 2010 snowfall (locally dubbed Snowmageddon).  Like many teachers in other parts of the country, we’re watching for green shoots and planning for spring. What better way to spend the remaining days of winter than planning how to [...]
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Going green

Teachers use several strategies at the end of the school year. One strategy is to try to cram in as many topics as possible in an effort to “cover” everything.  Other teachers use culminating or capstone projects to integrate concepts and give students a chance to use what they’ve learned in science (and other subjects). [...]
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Science in the community

I’m hoping that secondary teachers will take a look at the articles that describe authentic investigations conducted by young scientists in their communities: Creative Soil Conservation and Boulder Creek Study. The latter has examples of student work as they studied the water quality in their communities, using various indicators, including the presence of aquatic invertebrates. [...]
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Seeking inventive college students

A new series for a major cable network is searching for college students who are always inventing things and building things. If you know any smart, creative, and talented students who have a flair for science and engineering, please share this announcement with them. Ideal candidates should be freshmen or sophomores and have a couple of [...]
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Excursions

Looking for a little outdoors time in between sessions? If the beach doesn’t do it for you, a short trip up the coast to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park will. Smack dab in the city, this “oasis of tropical hammocks” features native and exotic plants, plus an opportunity to see mangroves. It is well worth [...]
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Richard Louv on returning nature to the classroom

By now many of you surely have heard of Richard Louv and his book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. I looked at his blog, Field Notes From the Future, to see what he has to say lately. He reports the nonprofit Children & Nature Network, which he chairs, “has [...]
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Science in society

The editor makes a good point – helping students connect science to real issues can help to dispel the “why are we doing this” question. For example, every part of the country has its real challenges from storms and other disasters (both natural and human-enhanced). Use “severe weather” as a keyword in SciLinks for some [...]
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Exploring habitats

What an appropriate theme for the September issue! I’ve often wondered why field trips are usually scheduled in the spring when the fall is such a great time to be outdoors. And activities involving plants and animals are good ways to introduce students to scientific investigation and observation at the beginning of the year. These [...]
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Environmental activities

In much of the country, February is not the month in which we think of environmental activities, at least the outdoor kind. But this month’s Science Scope has a lot of suggestions for teacher-tested activities that can be done at any time of the year – from exploring the microorganisms that help termites digest wood [...]
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Nature-study

As I was reading my February issues of the NSTA publications, it occurred to me how there is a common thread among them. The lead article in The Science Teacher is “Back to the Future?” which looks at nature-study as an approach to teaching. The whole issue of Science Scope is devoted to environmental studies, [...]
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