Students can look at a globe or map and readily see that water dominates our planet. However, do students know that over 70 percent of the earth’s surface is covered by water? Do they realize the importance of the oceans?
Currently, 80 percent of all people live within 60 miles of a seacoast. Yet many adolescents still do not think […]

Looking for a way to incorporate real data into your science class? Or maybe you want to work on evidence-based claims and reasoning. Perhaps you need an engaging way to tackle the subject of climate change. This lesson uses polar bears and sea ice data to promote critical thinking within the context of an important […]

Are you old enough to remember hearing those words spoken by President John F. Kennedy? I’m not, but I have a distinct memory of the night of July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon—the first humans to set foot on a celestial body other than planet Earth.
I was seven […]

How Does an iPod Affect a Polar Bear?

Photo courtesy of Amanda Graham (Yukon White Light) via Flickr.
When we talk about the problems of global climate change, we tend to focus on cars and coal-burning power plants as major contributors. Yet there are other significant players, including consumer electronics. The number of cell phones, MP3 players, […]

Every middle school student has heard of the flu. They may even have had it, or more likely, they have had some other virus described as the flu. Most students would consider the flu unpleasant, but probably not potentially fatal. Now is a good time to help students learn more about influenza. But where do […]

Thirty, twenty-nine, maybe thirty-two? How many days until we start our summer break? If you have a fabulous summer vacation planned, you are probably aware of the exact number! Maybe you plan on hiking one of the U.S. national parks or rafting a wild river. Or perhaps your plans take you to more exotic locales […]

If your classroom experiences are at all like some of mine, then you know the frustration of having students who either cannot or will not consider the relationship between their book knowledge and its applications in society. I provide what I consider to be scaffolded reading/thinking/discussion opportunities around current science issues connected to concepts learned […]

In his book Hot, Flat, and Crowded, Thomas Friedman challenges policymakers to assume strong leadership and create policies that will change cultures from ones of excessive, thoughtless waste to ones of thoughtful, integrated efficiency with a long-term vision of a sustainable planet. He presents numerous scenarios in which the alternative approach is not only in […]