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Full-Text Articles in Education
Title Page - Table Of Contents
One Big Bite: Teaching Elementary Students To Classify Objects Using Animal Teeth, Katelyn Boser, Nicole Eberhard, Amanda Gerhardy
One Big Bite: Teaching Elementary Students To Classify Objects Using Animal Teeth, Katelyn Boser, Nicole Eberhard, Amanda Gerhardy
Iowa Science Teachers Journal
This activity helps students learn the skills of sorting, organizing and classifying using images or models of various animal teeth. The authors used this activity in a Second Grade classroom, however it could be modified for other primary grades. This activity promotes National Science Education Content Standards A and C, and Iowa Teaching Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
What’S My Motivation? Ideas For Rethinking Student Assessment, Jerrid Kruse
What’S My Motivation? Ideas For Rethinking Student Assessment, Jerrid Kruse
Iowa Science Teachers Journal
Three of the articles in this issue of the Iowa Science Teachers Journal address assessment in the science classroom. Jesse Wilcox and Frank Noschese each discuss standards-based grading (SBG). Frank provides examples of his approach to SBG in his physics classes and makes a strong case for SBG while Jesse adds detail by sharing the frameworks he uses to inform and implement his SBG practices. Joe Bower goes a bit further by encouraging readers to consider why we assign grades at all. Each of the articles raises important, and related, points about the connection between assessment and motivation.
Holding Ourselves To A Higher Standard: Using Standards-Based Grading In Science As A Means To Improve Teaching And Learning, Jesse Wilcox
Holding Ourselves To A Higher Standard: Using Standards-Based Grading In Science As A Means To Improve Teaching And Learning, Jesse Wilcox
Iowa Science Teachers Journal
Standards-based grading (SBG) has grown in popularity over the past few years. However, many teachers wonder why they should switch from a traditional grading system. This article explores how standards-based grading can more accurately reflect what students learn and encourage changes in students’ attitude toward learning in the process. This article promotes Iowa Teaching Standards 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
The Trouble With Grading: From Concealing To Revealing Real Learning, Joe Bower
The Trouble With Grading: From Concealing To Revealing Real Learning, Joe Bower
Iowa Science Teachers Journal
Traditional grading, such as multiple choice and bubble filling testing, cannot provide the sort of information needed by the teacher to assess a student’s understanding. There is a better way. This article explains the author’s move to break away from traditional grading and replace it with a zero-question project-based assessment strategy.
A Better Road: Improve Teaching And Student Morale Through Standards-Based Grading, Frank Noschese
A Better Road: Improve Teaching And Student Morale Through Standards-Based Grading, Frank Noschese
Iowa Science Teachers Journal
This article explores the benefits of using a standards-based grading system. Examples of how such a system is used in a high school physics course are also provided.
Title Page - Table Of Contents
Wiggling Worms: Using The Learning Cycle In An Elementary Classroom To Study Variation, Lori Marie Ihrig, Jennifer Nicole Prindle
Wiggling Worms: Using The Learning Cycle In An Elementary Classroom To Study Variation, Lori Marie Ihrig, Jennifer Nicole Prindle
Iowa Science Teachers Journal
In grades K-2, students are at an age when they start to look closely at living things around them. They can comprehend that while individuals may be of the same kind (i.e., kittens from the same litter), they possess differences. This article uses the learning cycle to engage students in making observations and measurements about plants and animals in order to help them understand “there is variation among individuals of one kind in a population” (AAAS, 1993, p. 107). This article promotes National Science Education Standards A and C, and Iowa Teaching Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Hot Conceptual Change - You’Ve Got To Have Faith, Jerrid Kruse, Michael P. Clough
Hot Conceptual Change - You’Ve Got To Have Faith, Jerrid Kruse, Michael P. Clough
Iowa Science Teachers Journal
In the last editorial (Kruse and Clough, 2010), we addressed some common concerns educators raise when considering inquiry-based instruction. Addressing such concerns is of utmost importance to address the plausibility, intelligibility and fruitfulness of inquiry-based teaching. Unfortunately, such issues are not all that affect willingness to enact inquiry-based teaching. More personal and contextual factors also play a part in all learning, including learning how to teach more effectively.
One Touchy Topic: Targeting Students’ Sense Of Touch Through Multiple Activities, Ally Shinar, Rabihah Simmons, Megan Ross
One Touchy Topic: Targeting Students’ Sense Of Touch Through Multiple Activities, Ally Shinar, Rabihah Simmons, Megan Ross
Iowa Science Teachers Journal
This article provides exploratory experiences for First Grade students to refine their understanding of their sense of touch and develop their observation skills. The activities scaffold from open-ended exploratory investigations to application activities in which students categorize items using their understanding of touch. The activities also make explicit links to help students develop language and writing skills. This activity promotes National Science Education Content Standards A and B, and Iowa Teaching Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Title Page - Table Of Contents
Learning Under Pressure: Teaching Boyle’S Law Through Inquiry, Meagan Woestman, Adam Kent
Learning Under Pressure: Teaching Boyle’S Law Through Inquiry, Meagan Woestman, Adam Kent
Iowa Science Teachers Journal
Boyle’s law is commonly addressed in chemistry and physical science textbooks, but rarely in a manner consistent with what we know best promotes learning (Bransford, Brown & Cocking, 2000). We present the standard syringe activity as an exploratory inquiry experience followed by a more formal development of the relationship. The activity starts and concludes by having students examine how the volume of a crushed pop bottle changes in a vacuum. Through iterative concrete experiences and guided discussions, students construct Boyle’s law to account for the class data. This article address National Science Education Standards A, B, E, G, and Iowa …
Growing Minds: Planting A Lasting Seed Using The Learning Cycle, Jennifer Nicole Prindle, Lori Marie Ihrig
Growing Minds: Planting A Lasting Seed Using The Learning Cycle, Jennifer Nicole Prindle, Lori Marie Ihrig
Iowa Science Teachers Journal
This article highlights modifying a common early elementary activity to move instruction beyond isolated activities into a full unit of instruction using the learning cycle. The unit is designed to tackle students' misconceptions and deepen their understanding of scientific inquiry and the growing requirements of plants. This activity promotes National Science Education Standards A and C, and Iowa Teaching Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
All Bottled Up: An Inquiry Activity Using Bottles To Teach The Effect Of Water Temperature On Dissolved Gas, Collin Reichert, Curtis Titter
All Bottled Up: An Inquiry Activity Using Bottles To Teach The Effect Of Water Temperature On Dissolved Gas, Collin Reichert, Curtis Titter
Iowa Science Teachers Journal
This article describes an inquiry activity that promotes an accurate and deep understanding of key components of the carbon cycle, namely the exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas between the atmosphere and the ocean, and how temperature affects this exchange. The crucial role of the teacher during this activity is described, including key questions and interactions that help students arrive at deep and robust understandings of the carbon cycle and nature of science ideas. This article promotes High School National Science Education Content Standards A, B, D, and G, Iowa Core Curriculum 1 and 3, and Iowa Teaching …
How Do You Mass What You Cannot See? Using Paper Clips To Help Students Learn How Electron Mass Was First Measured, Rob Hingstrum, Jacob Pleasants, Shannon Mclaughlin
How Do You Mass What You Cannot See? Using Paper Clips To Help Students Learn How Electron Mass Was First Measured, Rob Hingstrum, Jacob Pleasants, Shannon Mclaughlin
Iowa Science Teachers Journal
Many students wrongly presume that scientific knowledge is mysteriously discovered and often believe the development of this knowledge is beyond their ability to comprehend. The activity presented here – appropriate for high-school chemistry and physics students – challenges these misconceptions. Students are engaged in thinking and creativity similar to how the first scientists accurately measured the mass and charge of an electron. Through this process, students develop a deep understanding of how the mass and charge of an individual electron was determined. This activity addresses National Science Education Standards A, B, E, and G and Iowa teaching Standards 1, 2, …
Cloudy Judgment: Helping Students Deeply Understand Cloud Formation, Katie Borton, Hallie Satre, Jesse Wilcox
Cloudy Judgment: Helping Students Deeply Understand Cloud Formation, Katie Borton, Hallie Satre, Jesse Wilcox
Iowa Science Teachers Journal
Weather is ubiquitously experienced, yet generally misunderstood by students. We present the well known “cloud in the bottle” activity, but do so in a manner that mentally engages students to a greater extent, identifies commonly held misconceptions, and moves students to a deeper understanding of cloud formation. This activity promotes National Science Education Standards A, B, D and G and Iowa Teaching Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
The Buds And The Bees: Inquiry Into The Sexual Reproduction Of Plants, Timothy D. Goodman, Laurence H. Woodruff
The Buds And The Bees: Inquiry Into The Sexual Reproduction Of Plants, Timothy D. Goodman, Laurence H. Woodruff
Iowa Science Teachers Journal
Many students have few significant experiences investigating flower structure and function, yet are expected to understand sexual reproduction in angiosperms. We present here an inquiry-based hands-on activity where middle school students compare plant reproduction to more commonly understood animal reproduction. This provides a foundation to more deeply understand topics related to plant reproduction. This activity also provides many opportunities to explicitly address the nature of science and how science works. This article addresses National Science Education Content Standards A, C, and G, and Iowa Teaching Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Flood Frequency Estimation By Neyman-Scott Rectangular Pulse Rainfall Model And Topmodel, Richard Bernatz
Flood Frequency Estimation By Neyman-Scott Rectangular Pulse Rainfall Model And Topmodel, Richard Bernatz
Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS
A spatial-temporal Neyman-Scott Rectangular Pulse (NSRP) stochastic rainfall model is developed for seasonal-continuous simulation to project annual discharge probabilities from a relatively small watershed, the 1395 km2 Upper Iowa River watershed upstream from Decorah, Iowa. NSRP rainfall data is used as rainfall input to TOPMODEL, a conceptual, semidistributed rainfall runoff model, to calculate river discharge at a site common to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) gauging station in Decorah, Iowa. Annual peak flows based on simulated rainfall are used to fit a log-Pearson type III distribution to project 1 %-, 0.2%-, and 0.1 %-annual discharges. These results are compared …
Current Status Of Lichen Diversity In Iowa, James T. Colbert
Current Status Of Lichen Diversity In Iowa, James T. Colbert
Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS
No abstract provided.
Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Sciences Officers And Directors
Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Sciences Officers And Directors
Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS
No abstract provided.
Table Of Contents (Back Cover)
Table Of Contents (Back Cover)
Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS
No abstract provided.
The Birds Of Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt (Polk County, Iowa): Patterns Of Habitat Use And Implications For Management, Keith Summerville, Joel Boyles, Loren Lown
The Birds Of Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt (Polk County, Iowa): Patterns Of Habitat Use And Implications For Management, Keith Summerville, Joel Boyles, Loren Lown
Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS
Despite the fact that many birds are believed to be declining as a result of habitat loss and elimination of historic disturbance regimes, few studies have explored how restoration and management of mixed grassland and woodland systems influence bird communities. In this study, we tested whether habitat size, habitat type, and use of prescribed fire as a management tool affected the species richness and composition of bird communities sampled from 22 restored grassland and woodland sites within Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt (Polk County, Iowa). In 2004-5 bird communities were sampled by walking transects within each site and recording the presence and …