Our August 28 blog entry focused on developing concepts related to the methods in and nature of science. In that post, titled “Put On a Happy Face!,” the inspiration came from scientific investigation of the relationship between suggestive language and involuntary contractions of facial muscles. The goals of that post were to help teachers assist […]

Very soon we will meet our new students and their parents. Everyone is excited but a bit nervous and perhaps anxious. Intuitively, we know smiling will help put others at ease. Everyone has heard the old wives’ tale that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile; thus, smile more and decrease the energy […]

Forensic science is always interesting to students. The mystery and puzzle solving are hard to resist. Here’s a real case you can use to get students thinking scientifically while integrating knowledge of insect life cycles—a timely topic for spring. The NYtimes.com reports how the unsolved cause of death of a woman in Las Vegas was […]

A massive ice bridge, 40 km long and more than 500 m wide, that once connected two islands is no longer. See http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36060 for a great visual: a labeled photograph of the area. The ice bridge had been in place for hundreds, probably thousands, of years and held back the Wilkins Ice Shelf. Now scientists […]

An oxymoron? Perhaps, but 500 million years ago, such a creature roamed the vast seas. That was before the dinosaurs and concurrent with the Cambrian explosion. Scientists who put the fossil parts together described the giant shrimp this way:

. . . this underwater predator had a segmented body, a pair of claws and a circular […]

According to TV’s CSI, forensic science can do no wrong. Thus, if you are a criminal, wear gloves and a hairnet, brush over footprints left in the dirt, and leave no evidence behind.
Remember the O.J. Simpson trial for the murder of Nicole Brown? It appears the police botched the evidence collection, calling the investigation into […]

DEET (short for N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) is the most widely used insect repellent in the world for a very good reason – it works really, really well! Just a quick spray on exposed skin keeps mosquitoes, flies, fleas, chiggers, and ticks away. Developed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and patented by the U.S. Army […]

Middle school students are often intrigued by the excitement of exploration and the adventures of explorers, as their enthusiasm for Indiana Jones attests. Space exploration should be no exception. With new images now available from the Mars explorer, Phoenix, teachers can capitalize on student interest in exploration to meet some of the Earth and Space […]

Distinguishing between science and science fiction can be a good reinforcement activity for students learning the characteristics of science. Cognitively, middle school students are able to differentiate between fantasy and reality. But because science is not always intuitively obvious, distinguishing science fact from science fiction can be more challenging. Today’s blog encourages you to use […]

Typically, a middle school life science study of cells explores the parts of the cells, cell diversity and how cells reproduce through mitosis. Discussion of cancer at this time is appropriate since cancer cells share the needs of normal cells in terms of obtaining nutrients and getting rid of waste. However, they differ in their […]