Digital Commons Network^™

Series Activity: Watching Wildlife [Iowa Academy Of Science National Wildlife Audio Series], Iowa Academy Of Science

Open Educational Resources

Observing wildlife can be fun whether you are at one of Iowa’s National Wildlife Refuges, a local park or your own back yard. Make watching wildlife a hobby and you will begin to recognize habits and patterns in the actions of the wildlife around you. You might be able to predict when certain wildlife will come to an area to feed, the sounds a bird makes when attempting to protect its young or what will trigger a rabbit to freeze in place. You’ll also be practicing the skills scientists use to make their observations: comparing and contrasting, measuring, counting and …

No Simple Matter: Advice On Leading Students To A Deeper Understanding Of The Three States Of Matter, Sarah Whipple, Patrick Rodenborn

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

The following is an activity that utilizes the learning cycle to actively engage students in constructing a deep understanding of the states of matter. Students initially explore properties of solids, liquids, and gases through concrete experiences with familiar materials. Science jargon is appropriately delayed until after students have accurately interpreted their experiences. During the application phase students employ their knowledge of the states of matter to investigate the characteristics of an unusual substance to try to identify its state of matter. Key nature of science ideas are explicitly addressed throughout the activity. This article promotes National Science Education Standards A, …

Less Is More: Stepping Away From Cookbook Labs And Moving Towards Self-Written Labs To Effectively Portray The Nature Of Science, Ben Herman

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Incorporating accurate and explicit nature of science (NOS) instruction throughout the school year is important for overcoming long engrained student misconceptions regarding what science is and how it works. This can be challenging when addressing abstract content such as microscopy and cells. I developed an inquiry based lab that accurately portrays aspects of the NOS while also teaching cell microscopy. The teacher's role in encouraging students to reflect on the NOS is also described. This article addresses National Science Education Standards A, C, and G and Iowa Teaching Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Short Story, Volume 16, Number 2, Fall 2008 [Download Entire Issue]

Short Story

No abstract provided.

Observations On The Distribution And Status Of Western Sand Darter, Spotted Gar, And Skipjack Herring In Iowa Rivers, Travis E. Neebling, Michael C. Quist

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

This paper describes new records of western sand darter (Ammocrypta clara), spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus), and skipjack herring (Alosa chrysochloris) in Iowa's interior rivers. A western sand darter was collected from the Cedar River, Benton County, in 2007. Western sand darters are occasionally collected from the upper Mississippi River (UMR), but have not been sampled in interior rivers since 1958. Two spotted gar were collected from the Des Moines River, Polk and Wapello counties, in 2007. Two spotted gar were sampled from the UMR in 2000, but no spotted gar have been previously recorded from Iowa's interior rivers. A skipjack …

Agriprocessors Inc. Federal Indictments

Postville Project Documents

Documents relating to the federal charges against Agriprocessors of hiring noncitizens in the plant in Postville, Iowa, encouraging document fraud for gain, as well as other charges.

The Fairy Garden, Jennie Walker

Short Story

No abstract provided.

Mississippi River Towns: From Dubuque, Iowa To Hamilton, Illinois, Bonnie Jean Lawhorn

Graduate Research Papers

Knowing and learning about local history is considered to be important by both Iowa and Illinois State Departments of Education. School Districts have directed their teachers to teach the history of the state as well as the local community. The Mississippi River acts as a border between the two states and has played an important part in the development of villages and towns up and down the river. Living in towns that border the Mississippi River most of my life, I recognize the history that has played out in many of the locations from both sides of the river. Having …

A Menu Of Activities In Different Intelligence Areas To Differentiate Instruction For Upper Elementary Students Related To The Book Because Of Winn-Dixie, Caroline F. Elser, Audrey C. Rule

Open Educational Resources

Today’s elementary classrooms are becoming more diverse, requiring teachers to provide effective instruction to children with a wide range of academic performance, ability, background, and interest. This work focuses on the development of a menu of differentiated instructional activities for teaching literacy to upper elementary students. The author, a former elementary teacher, worked with a faculty member and her literacy methods class of undergraduate preservice elementary teachers to develop this teaching unit based on a popular, award-winning children’s novel (DiCamillo, 2000). The menu of various activities organized in ten different intelligence areas (logical-mathematical, linguistic, bodilykinesthetic, spatial, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, …

Hands-On Materials For Teaching About Global Climate Change Through Graph Interpretation, Audrey C. Rule, J. E. Hallagan, B. Shaffer

Open Educational Resources

Teachers need to address global climate change with students in their classrooms as evidence for consequences from these environmental changes mounts. One way to approach global climate change is through examination of authentic data. Mathematics and science may be integrated by interpreting graphs from the professional literature. This study examined the types of errors 72 preservice elementary teachers made in producing hands-on materials for teaching graph interpretation skills through graphed evidence of global climate change from the literature. The teaching materials consisted of a graph electronically manipulated on a colored background and enhanced with clip art related to the graph’s …

Rapid Elearning : Its Impact On Instructional Design In The Corporate World, Stephen W. Acheson

Graduate Research Papers

Rapid eLearning is a present and growing phenomenon in the world of corporate training that is challenging traditional instructional design ideas. The concept of Rapid eLearning represents a class of easy-to-use eLearning development tools, methods designed to shorten course development timelines, and techniques intended to enhance learner understanding and retention. Companies are adopting Rapid eLearning as a way to reduce costs and shorten the time it takes to disseminate new information and concepts to employees in geographically diverse locations. New software tools and instructional design methods are being developed to address the goals of Rapid eLearning.

To gain a broad …

Insects: A Sixth Grade Curriculum Unit, Katherine Schultz

Graduate Research Papers

This unit is designed to teach sixth grade students the importance of insects to our world. Insects appear everywhere on Earth in an amazing number and with great diversity. There are over a million species (York, 2002) identified and more are being discovered. Insects have adapted and multiplied to the point where they represent over eighty percent of the animal species that are found on Earth (Walters& Johnson, 1999)

Curriculum Reform: A Comparison Of A Teacher Created Rock Unit And The Sepup Rock And Mineral Unit, Derek Thomas Wibe

Graduate Research Papers

When the Cedar Rapids Community School District selected a new science curriculum for the fall of 2007, questions arose about how this new curriculum compared with the old curriculum. The new curriculum is similar to the old curriculum when compared by content standards and benchmarks but when the curricula as a whole are compared there are some differences. The seventh grade content curriculum did not experience many significant changes since the new curriculum still covers a large amount of Earth science. Specifically both curricula covered rocks so I decided to focus my research study on comparing the two curricula and …

Cultivating Baby Boomers And Generation Xers: An Examination Of The Pertinent Literature Of The Motivational Techniques For Nonprofit Organizational Fundraisers To Consider When Cultivating Donors Categorized As Baby Boomers And Generation Xers, Jane A. Flanagan

Graduate Research Papers

No abstract provided.

The Comparison Of The National Park Service Between Korea And The Us, Beom Park

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this research was to demonstrate to the comparison of the National Park Service between Korea and the US. I hope that this research is helpful to those who wish to understand the difference between the two countries and their land and natural resources. Also, I would like to share how to preserve natural and cultural resources between the two countries.

The research analyzed the properties, mission, strategy & goal, history, the number of visitors in National Park, budget, employees, the largest/smallest National Park, wildlife (biology), organization, special policy for nature restoration, and restoration project about National Park …

Agritourism: Success Factors Of Leisure Farm Business In Taiwan, Yin-Ya Huang

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine success factors of agritourism diversification in Taiwan and provide agritourism development strategies to be used to improve success of the agritourism industry in the future. The objectives of this study were to identify success factors, challenges, and motivations of agritourism businesses in Taiwan.

Due to the agricultural depression, agritourism diversification has become a popular option for farmers to increase income and keep rural landscapes. Taiwanese agritourism plays a significant role in Taiwanese agricultural industry. Since Taiwan joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2002, the Taiwanese agriculture has faced more challenges. Also, …

A Literature Review Examining The § 501 (H) Election And § Irc 501 (C)(3) Organizations, Kimberly Anne Hefernan Moss

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of the study was to conduct a literature review to determine what IRC § 501(c)(3) organizations know about the§ 501 (h) election, and why they do or do not take it. The literature review is divided into three sections: 1) IRC 501 (c) Organizations and Legislation; 2) IRC § 501 (c) lobbying; and 3) IRC § 501(c)(3) Lobbying Rules/Regulations. There has been scant research conducted surrounding lobbying by nonprofit organizations. The first national study that addressed IRC § 501 (c)(3) organizations' lobbying was the Strengthening Nonprofit Advocacy Project (SNAP). Despite the fact that very few organizations have taken …

Importance Of Teaching Reading Comprehension With Nonfiction Texts, Valeria Jo Frey

Graduate Research Papers

Can comprehension strategies be taught as a learning skill for expository text reading in content area? What strategies in combination best benefit the reading comprehension of students who struggle with reading? How can reading comprehension strategies be taught so that skills are maintained and transferred across settings? In her book Exploring the Literature of Fact, Barbara Moss (2003) suggests that the items needed to be successful in reading nonfiction include accessing quality literature, learning reading strategies, understanding the use of text structure, and responding to the literature.

The following literature review will define reading comprehension using nonfiction material. The research …

The History Of The Iowa Teen Award, Joni K. Hoing

Graduate Research Papers

The major purpose of this research paper was to document in a written form the history of the Iowa Teen Award (ITA). This purpose was accomplished through interviews and examination of IEMA Archival materials located in the University of Northern Iowa Rod Library Archives Collection. The results of this study showed a dedicated group of school librarians who organized a state-wide plan for a book award chosen by students in grades six through nine. Over a five-year period, plans were made for the award to be similar to the Iowa Children's Choice Award. The study presented the growth and development …

The Leap From Playing To Performing: Representing The Composer And Performer In Classical Music Performance, Rachel A. Price

Honors Program Theses

The effect of a great musical performance defies description. It is brilliant and memorable, a unique and influential moment in time. But how does a musician achieve this level of performance? What is it that makes any performance special? There are no simple answers, but as musicians we are constantly exploring, trying to find some answers through trial and error. It is this exploration, and the lessons we learn along the way, that make music meaningful and unique to each performer.

The life of a musician would be much easier if one could answer the question, "How does one perform …

Depictions Of Male-Male Sexual Activities In Ancient Greece As Expressed Through Visual Imagery: Aspects Of Roles, Abigail Bristow

Honors Program Theses

The Greek Classical period (ca. 400-600 BCE) yields various types of evidence concerning male-male sex. These include figural depictions and literary references with some of the later addressing rules of civilized behavior. This study will explore the existing material with an attempt to find the extent to which the visual imagery reflects the social rules as described in the surviving literary texts.

Analysis Of Echoic Properties In Vocalizations Of A Preverbal Child On The Autistic Spectrum, Sarah A. Mcconnell

Honors Program Theses

Echolalia, the echoing of words, is a hallmark of language in children with autism. Echolalia in autistic language is generally viewed as a manifestation of gestalt learning, a particular cognitive style that impacts language learning, memory, and overall cognition. While extensive research has investigated echolalia, research has not investigated non-word echoing.

Debian Clusters For Education And Research: The Missing Manual, Kristina Wanous

Honors Program Theses

Debian Clusters for Education and Research: The Missing Manual [4], or just "Debian Clusters" for short, meets the needs of this growing group of people. The Debian Clusters project is an online resource for anyone wishing to set up a cluster, particularly for those using Debian as the operating system. It features detailed step-by-step tutorials for every part of cluster setup and administration. In order to be accessible to people new to clusters, the walkthroughs assume no previous knowledge of clustering or networking and explain the principles and vocabulary behind the steps, yet are complex and detailed enough to be …

A Comparison Of The Portrayal Of Evil In Fairy Tales And Contemporary Fantasy Fiction, Donna Gwinnup

Graduate Research Papers

Writing and publishing literature for children and young adults has become a rhizomorphic entity. There are thousands of books published each year. When you compare that to the little over two hundred stories Perrault and the Grimm brothers recorded you can see how the market has substantially grown. With the use of literature as a teaching tool it is imperative we keep a close watch on trends. This study was designed to look at the changes from fairy tales to contemporary fiction in order to ascertain what changes have taken place in three particular areas: has the gender of the …

Children’S Web Site: History Of Elkader, Iowa… For Kids, Nancy Healy

Graduate Research Papers

Elkader, located in the hills of Northeast Iowa, along the banks of the Turkey River, is a community rich with history. There are no resources designed for children about the history of Elkader. The purpose of this project was to create an engaging informational web site for children that shares information about the history of Elkader, from its beginning years to present day. Research provided throughout this project makes it evident that not only is history education important and that young people are capable of understanding and appreciating the past; it also demonstrates how to best present the information online-with …

Mass Transit, Elizabeth A. Cook

Student Writing Awards

The most embarrassing secrets are usually the most boring. I might, for instance, tell you that I am 39 and like to hum show tunes in the shower and wear briefs and not boxers, but I would never tell you that every Thursday, at precisely seven a.m., I step on to the Number 7 bus at the 100th Street stop and do not get off for hours.

The Dream Vacation, Emily Burney

Student Writing Awards

Nora woke up before her alarm went off. She half-wished she could go back to sleep, but her internal clock was too stubborn to allow it. The room was still dark, and she lay for several minutes, listening to the silence and watching the glowing red numbers on the digital clock across the room. She treated the device warily, like a wild animal that sat encaged on her bookshelf. She hated the harsh sound of it enough to get up every morning and trot across the room to turn it off before it awoke.

A Moment Of Truth, Pam Klein

Student Writing Awards

In my daydream, I had a mug of hot cocoa in one hand, Henry David Thoreau’s Walden in my other hand, and a space heater at my feet. I had no reason to shiver, no reason to want to be elsewhere, no reason to wonder why Cody and I had spent the night with Cody’s parents, which made it nearly impossible to get out of deer hunting. In my daydream, I had no reason to wish Larry and Lori didn’t suspect I would accidently burn their house down if I’d stayed behind to cook them supper. In my daydream, I …

Geography Newsletter, 2007-2008, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Geography.

Geography Newsletter

Inside this issue:

-- Alumni Newsletter
-- News From the Head
-- Department News and Activities
-- Notes from the Geographic Alliance of Iowa
-- Student News
-- Faculty News
-- Alumni News
-- University of Northern Iowa GeoInformatics Training, Research, Education and Extension

2008 Betcha Can't Do It Like We Did It, Northern University High School

Malcolm Price Laboratory School Yearbooks

The student yearbook of the Northern University High School, part of the Malcolm Price Laboratory School of the University of Northern Iowa.