Investigate essential science concepts with fun, easy-to-implement, hands-on activities designed to support the National Science Education Standards. You'll find plenty of creative ideas and reproducibles to enhance your curriculum, grab your students' attention, and make science connections to everyday life. A wide range of activities promote scientific inquiry and connect science with other areas of the curriculum, such as math, writing, and art. Investigating science has never been more fun! Each unit contains Step-by-step instructions Clearly defined objectives and skills Background information for the teacher Engaging reproducibles Valuable resource booklist
Bill Nye the Science Guy meets The Magic School Bus! This is the second book in a new STEM-based picture book series from the Emmy Award-winning host of PBS’s Design Squad and Design Squad Nation, Nate Ball. With a lively cast of characters and vibrant illustrations by Wes Hargis, it's an adventure in learning! Ever look up at the sky and wonder how many planets there are? Or want to know how many Earths could fit within the Sun? Take a ride 3.6 billion miles away to answer these questions and more while exploring the solar system with Nate and his team of adventurous scientists! Walk on the moon, fly with a satellite, gaze at comets, and discover why Pluto isn’t a planet anymore.
The field of planetary biology and chemical evolution draws together experts in astronomy, paleobiology, biochemistry, and space science who work together to understand the evolution of living systems. This field has made exciting discoveries that shed light on how organic compounds came together to form self-replicating molecules-the origin of life. This volume updates that progress and offers recommendations on research programs-including an ambitious effort centered on Mars-to advance the field over the next 10 to 15 years. The book presents a wide range of data and research results on these and other issues: The biogenic elements and their interaction in the interstellar clouds and in solar nebulae. Early planetary environments and the conditions that lead to the origin of life. The evolution of cellular and multicellular life. The search for life outside the solar system. This volume will become required reading for anyone involved in the search for life's beginnings-including exobiologists, geoscientists, planetary scientists, and U.S. space and science policymakers.
Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every facet of modern life and hold the key to solving many of humanity's most pressing current and future challenges. The United States' position in the global economy is declining, in part because U.S. workers lack fundamental knowledge in these fields. To address the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce, A Framework for K-12 Science Education proposes a new approach to K-12 science education that will capture students' interest and provide them with the necessary foundational knowledge in the field. A Framework for K-12 Science Education outlines a broad set of expectations for students in science and engineering in grades K-12. These expectations will inform the development of new standards for K-12 science education and, subsequently, revisions to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development for educators. This book identifies three dimensions that convey the core ideas and practices around which science and engineering education in these grades should be built. These three dimensions are: crosscutting concepts that unify the study of science through their common application across science and engineering; scientific and engineering practices; and disciplinary core ideas in the physical sciences, life sciences, and earth and space sciences and for engineering, technology, and the applications of science. The overarching goal is for all high school graduates to have sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on science-related issues, be careful consumers of scientific and technical information, and enter the careers of their choice. A Framework for K-12 Science Education is the first step in a process that can inform state-level decisions and achieve a research-grounded basis for improving science instruction and learning across the country. The book will guide standards developers, teachers, curriculum designers, assessment developers, state and district science administrators, and educators who teach science in informal environments.
Long before astronauts ventured into space, scientists and philosophers used models to develop theories about Earth and what lies beyond it. This experimentation guide shows students how they too can create models to forge a deep understanding of topics like the scale of the solar system, how eclipses occur, and the cyclic patterns that govern life on our planet. Through the creation of models, readers learn how to develop and test hypotheses and how to represent their findings visually in graphs and charts.
Beginning in the early days of the Space Age - well before the advent of manned spaceflight - the United States, followed soon by other nations, undertook an ambitious effort to study the planets of the solar system. The remarkable fruits of this research revolutionized the public's view of their celestial neighbors, capturing the imaginations of people from all backgrounds like nothing else save the Apollo lunar missions. From the first space probes to the most recent planetary rovers, they have continually delivered impressive discoveries and reshaped our understanding of the cosmos. Offering fascinating investigations into this crucial chapter in space history, this collection of specially commissioned essays from leading historians opens new vistas in our understanding of the development of planetary science.
