Science Scope Call for Papers

January 2006

Transfer of Energy

Deadline: August 28, 2005

An abstract, difficult-to-define concept such as energy can be very challenging to teach to middle school students. What do you do to help them grasp the basics about the types of energy and how it can be transferred into or out of a system or changed in form? How do you get students to understand the interactions between matter and energy? How do you explain the Sun’s role as an energy source for the Earth? What activities do you use to teach heat transfer?

February 2006

Weather/Atmosphere

Deadline: September 31, 2005

How do you capitalize on students’ interest to teach the many concepts involved in meteorology, such as phases of matter, water cycle, air pressure, and convention? Tell us how you help students grasp the interactions among the atmosphere, the oceans, land forms, living organisms, solar energy, and the Earth’s rotation and revolution. What strategies do you use to get students to observe local weather patterns as well as see the bigger picture of global atmospheric circulation? How do you tie severe weather into your lessons? What environmental issues can be connected to the study of weather?

March 2006

Genetics, Stem Cell Research, and Related Issues

April 2006

Writing in Science

Summer 2006

High Interest, Fun Projects in Art and Science

We are also looking for articles on these topics for future issues:

• Hands-on Earth Science Lab Activities, especially those that teach Earth History.
• Getting the Most out of Inquiry Activities and Hands-on Labs—Techniques for using extensions and activities, and writing follow-up questions to teach higher-order thinking skills and link concepts/processes to everyday situations and events.
• At-Home Lab Activities and Family Science Programs—Assignments or programs that extend or reinforce class learning and involve parents and siblings working together with middle level students.
• Science-Related Issues and Debates in Society—Engaging strategies and activities to show students how to research and evaluate information from different sources and then take a position about various issues that involve science.