Popular Science Almanac for Kids from BrainPOP.com

This book is developed and distributed by the many contributors behind BrainPOP.com.  It provides a wide ranging overview of many things cool and interesting in the world of science.  The book is mostly full of various information and science facts (Did you know...?), but it also has a bunch of activities and projects intersperseed throughout.  A plethora of graphics and pictures, make this text ideal and engaging for 9 - 12 year olds.  So many of the topics are very timely and up-to-date (pollution, cell phones, hurricanes...).  Thanks to Joy Tshibangu from U.T. Arlington for bringing this to our attention.

Science Wizardry for Kids by M. Kenda and P.S. Williams

Visit your local library or bookstore to pick up this compendium of fun and engaging science projects and experiments (multiple editions available, published by Barron's Educational Series). These activities appear to be best suited for elementary to early middle school-age students; they cover a wide range of subjects, including life science, geology, chemistry, and astronomy, among others.  The book also has a thoughtful introduction about safety and how to be a good scientist (Start keeping a science notebook!).  The text is easy to understand, and is accompanied by nice graphics that tell what to do and what it means.  You probably already have a lot of the materials at home that you need for these projects and experiments.  Thanks to Joy Tshibangu at U.T. Arlington for bringing this great book to our attention.

Meniscus.exe and other useful freeware

JABE Educational Software is a software package that has many stand-alone programs, which can be used to illustrate various physical concepts.  Importantly, on their site, there are also several free utilities available.  One of them is a graduated cylinder graphics program (meniscus.exe), which was used to make the pictures shown here.  This can be a great resource to have for making your own worksheets and lab procedures.  The software does not require a lot of disk space and is easy to use.  Other worksheets and freeware are also available.  Thanks to Jane Smith of Centennial High School in Frisco, TX for bringing this great resource to our attention.

I Can Buy CaCl2 in the Paint Department? Really?

Over the years I've learned I do not have to purchase everything I need from a chemical supplier. A classic lab every science teacher knows and loves is Chemistry in a Bag. In its simplest form, a spoonful of calcium chloride and sodium bicarbonate are placed in opposite corners inside of a ziplock baggie. Then a small ketchup cup filled with about 1 cm of any pH indicator is gently slid into the baggie so it does not spill, the excess air is squeezed out and the bag is sealed. The student then topples over the ketchup cup and gently massages both the sodium bicarbonate and calcium chloride with the indicator and a chemical change occurs. This is a great lab where students have the opportunity to observe a color change, bubbles, hot and cold spots, and the bag inflate with a new gas produced as a result of the chemical change. There are so many variations of this lab on the internet because it can be easily modified for any grade level and tweeked to illustrate everything from conservation of mass, to gas stoichiometry and limiting reactants. It is also a 10 on the clean-up scale because the baggie just goes into the trash. Here's the kicker- where do you purchase your calcium chloride? Calcium chloride is readily available in any home improvement or big box store as the closet dehumidifier, DampRid. You can purchase a huge tub of it in the paint department or ironing board aisle for a quarter of the cost you would pay elsewhere. I also purchase red cabbage juice extract you mix up like a powdered drink from Educational Innovations. Keeping both of these on your shelves and learning how you can expand this classic lab to meet a variety of curriculum needs will give you a big bang for your buck. Do you have your own version of Chemistry in a Bag you would like to share or do you know of other chemicals you can purchase this easily? Share with us!

Think-Pair-Share

Think-Pair-Share is a versatile teaching strategy that emphasizes peer-learning in order to grasp new concepts.  Students who have been introduced to a new concept are given the opportunity to contemplate new material.  They then pair together with another student and share their understanding of the concept.  This strategy can be used during virtually any lesson, especially when the teacher senses that a little more time needs to be spent on a new concept which has just been introduced.  A great deal of research has shown that this is an effective technique; basic misunderstandings can be quickly revealed and resolved during the course of peer discussion.  An excellent, detailed overview of this technique can be found here.

SCIE 5307 Summer 2009

Many of the lesson plans which currently populate the DISCUS website have been developed by current and aspiring teachers.  Soon after the grant which funds DISCUS was awarded (summer 2009), Jennifer Cruze and I instructed a Science Education course at U.T. Arlington, where we had a fantastic bunch of teachers working to earn their MAIS degrees.  In addition to building a stronger foundation in chemistry, this group of students/teachers built an impressive set of lessons, which I hope that users of the DISCUS site will have the opportunity to share with their students.

EPA Water Science and Technology for Students and Teachers

Not the most visually stimulating site, but the EPA does provide a variety of activities to support learning of water quality and water management aspects of science.  These activities are tailored to different grade levels.  These materials would be great for supporting a multitude of environmental science and water chemistry lessons prepared by teachers.