Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Sunshots

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Looking for spectacular sun pictures? Get the November, 1976, issue of Natural History.

A Joint International Conference

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

1977 will be the 20th anniversary of the Science Teacher's Association of Manitoba.

The Hazards Of Window Peeping, Sondra Waltz

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

When studying the development of a chick embryo by opening up an egg every few days to observe its growth, two problems arise. The first is that every egg does not begin its development at the same time or proceed at the same rate. Second, the disposal of the embryo after it has been studied (especially after taking on the appearance of a mature chick) is awkward. The psychological impact upon the child in killing the poor little chick is difficult to assess and, for some students, may even destroy the educational objectives of the whole study.

Iowa's Earliest Spring Flower, Roger M. Knutson

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

At a time when most wild flower fanciers have only memories of spring blooms, one of Iowa's less known plants is pushing up the earliest flowers of the season. The Eastern Skunk Cabbage can begin blooming in Northeast Iowa before mid-February, even when air temperatures are near -18°C.

Iowa Assist: Outreach Foci, Daniel S. Sheldon

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Iowa-ASSIST is a statewide program for improving science teaching in Iowa. ASSIST is an acronym for Alternative Strategies and Services for Improving Science Teaching. Iowa-ASSIST developed from several NSF-Supported Academic Year Institute programs for preparing science supervisors which were conducted in Iowa. It was established as a formal program in 1973. The program operated during 1973-76 with support of approximately $600,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

From The Editor's Desk

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

A recent study by the U.S. House-Senate Joint Economic Committee indicates that solar energy will be Iowa's cheapest way to warm homes and heat water by 1985, if Congress removes the federal price limits on natural gas.

The ISTJ Advisory Board is pleased to announce the selection of an Associate Editor in Chemistry Education. Don Murphy, of Hoover High School in Des Moines, has been selected and has accepted the position.

The Mole Hill Mnemonic, Mike Williams

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

The concept of a mole in chemistry is difficult for many introductory students to understand. I have discovered a crutch which seems to help some students become operational while improving their understanding of the abstraction called a mole.

The Heat Of Fusion Of Ice, Walter J. Gohman

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Students have learned that when heat energy is added to any substance the temperature of this substance increases and, conversely, when heat energy escapes from the substance the temperature decreases. Based upon this concept, the idea of the heat of fusion of ice does not make sense. The idea that each gram of ice a 0° C can absorb 80 calories of heat energy and become a gram of water with the temperature still 0°C does not seem logical. The student may accept the “if you say so" approach, but some meaningful laboratory data will be more convincing. The usual …

New Botany Text

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Dr. John D. Dodd, Professor of Botany and Plant Pathology at Iowa State University, has just published a new botany text suit able for a one term course in general botany. Course Book in General Botany, published by the Iowa State University Press, emphasizes descriptive rather than the physiological aspects of plants.

Cover - Front Matter - Table Of Contents

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

No abstract provided.

From The Editor's Desk

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

The lead article in this issue suggests that, in the near future, computer outlets may be available in many more schools in Iowa. The utilization of computers in science classrooms has been well documented. The different ways that computers can be used in science classrooms are limited only by the creative imagination of science teachers. Computers are even being used to make out examinations.

Cover - Front Matter - Table Of Contents

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

No abstract provided.

Drought: A Time To Teach, Owen Primavera

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Is there a pattern to weather? Can drought be predicted with any degree of accuracy? These questions have been pondered by climatologists for years and make interesting topics for classroom discussion.

A Negative Sodium Ion?

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Chemistry textbooks will have to be rewritten again because of a new discovery at Michigan State University.

A Noteworthy Physics Program: Is Individualization The Answer?, Walter J. Gohman

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

My career as a physics teacher began in 1938. This was the year that I was assigned to teach my first physics class. My undergraduate field was biology. I needed something to compensate for my very inadequate background in physics.

Milkweeds

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Recent studies indicate that seedlings of some plants, when subjected to aqueous extracts of milkweed leaves, have their growth inhibited.

An Inquiry Into Tides, Darrel Hoff

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Classic earth science textbooks present a rather generalized treatment of the topic of tides, but to the majority of mid-westerners the descriptions are largely without intrinsic meaning because of the lack of firsthand experience with marine tides. The suggestion contained herein provides a vicarious experience with tides for landlocked Iowans that will hopefully stimulate discussion resulting in an improved understanding of tidal phenomena.

Reaction Time

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Have 10 or more students hold hands in a line. Squeeze the hand of the first student, then he squeezes the hand of the second student, etc.

Nature's Notebook

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

A new publication is now available to upper-elementary teachers desiring nature-centered materials and activities for classroom teaching.

Eastern Iowa Science And Engineering Fair

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

The 19th Eastern Iowa Science and Engineering Fair will be held March 18 and 19, 1978.

Iowa Academy Of Science Leadership Directory, 1977-78, Iowa Academy Of Science

Iowa Academy of Science Documents

Contents:

Officers and Directors ... 2
Section Chairpersons ... 3
Standing Committees ... 6
Special Committee ... 15

The 1977 Outstanding Service Award, Roy Unruh

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

The Iowa Science Teachers Section has selected Dr. Robert E. Yager, Professor of Science Education, and Head of the Science Education Department at the University of Iowa, as its recipient of this year's Outstanding Service Award.

Practical Application Of Basic Research In Hydrogen Bonding, Paul E. Rider

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

It has become common in recent years for non-scientists to react rather disdainfully toward research projects that ad dress what appear to them to be highly specialized areas of interest and which, from their titles, offer little good for mankind. Those of us who spend great portions of our waking hours engrossed in these studies tend to over-react in the other direction by holding our endeavors in an exaggerated esteem that tends to preclude an appropriate assessment of their essential merit. As is usually the case, the proper perspective lies somewhere in between.

Ice - The Common, Yet Strange Substance, Dennis Barnaal

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Ice has been the focus of studies by physicists, chemists, geologists and even biologists for many years. Ice represents a basic example of the hydrogen bond which is present in many important organic molecules. In some parts of the world, ice or permafrost is an important constituent of construction. The movement of glaciers and formation of hailstones represent aspects of ice physics. Cell water in living cells appears to be ice-like. However, ice is still not fully understood. An international conference on the physics and chemistry of ice is held approximately every four years.

Try It

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Songbirds sometimes end it all by mistakenly dashing into picture windows or sliding doors.

Snowflakes You Can Keep!, A. C. Haman

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Are all snowflakes the same shape? To answer this question have students try the following procedure, used for the preservation of snowflakes, outlined in a recent Kalamazoo Nature Center Newsletter.

Outstanding Iowa Jr. Academy Of Science Papers, Doug Farris, Renae Steinke, Steve Isaacson

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Listed are the abstracts and authors of the three top papers presented at the Iowa Jr. Academy of Science Meeting held at Drake University on April 23 and 24, 1977. The ISTJ Advisory Board wishes to congratulate the winners and their teachers for their outstanding efforts.

New Units Available

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Agricultural Research Service scientists and high school teachers have combined their skills to create innovative science units.

Another Christmas Experiment, Glen Loveridge

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

In the December 1974 edition of Iowa Science Teacher's Journal, p. 24, I described a peanut brittle lab which could be done just before Christmas. This year I would like to describe a Candy Cane Lab.

"Fore" Physics, Rick Zehr

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

I have developed an activity which I would like to share, in the hope that it might prove educational as well as enjoyable. In Chapter 1 of the Project Physics there is a brief history of photography, which in itself is quite interesting, but one picture specifically lends itself to additional study. The photograph of the golfer provides the basis for this activity. The students are asked to work in small groups to determine the speed of the ball.