Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Proposal For An Elemenatry Science Curriculum Outline To Help K-4 Teachers Prepare Students To Take The 5th Grade Science Wasl, Cindy D. Williams

All Graduate Projects

With a statewide pilot of the 5th grade science Washington Assessment of Student Leaming (WASL) in the spring of 2003, all elementary schools were tiying to prepare their students to meet the standards. At this time, the only resources schools had for preparation was a glimpse of the first criterion-referenced assessment, the Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs), Grade level Expectations (GLEs) and a "release booklet" of sample items distributed to 5th grade science teachers. Educators knew that the best curriculum built on the previous year's knowledge which spiraled throughout the curriculum. At this time there were no curriculums designed starting …

Aims & Scope

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

An Advanced Mathematics Program For Middle School Teachers, D. Carothers

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and other organizations recommend twenty-one credits of mathematics coursework for prospective middle school teachers, beginning with a foundation based on mathematics for the elementary school curriculum, and followed by advanced courses directly addressing middle school mathematics. Three simultaneous factors—the emergence of the Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies Program at James Madison University, the release of CBMS guidelines, and a statewide focus on a critical shortage of qualified middle school teachers—provided an immediate audience for new upper-division courses built around the guidelines in probability/statistics, algebra, geometry, and calculus/analysis. We …

Index For The Journal Of The Iowa Academy Of Science Volume 111

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Science Interest And Experience On Pseudoscientific Beliefs--An Empirical Test, Travis J. Ryan, Jessica Brown, Angela Johnson, Colin Sanberg, Megan Schilmidier

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

An article for Skeptic Magazine investigating the effect of science literacy on pseudoscientific belief. Authors found no significant relationship between science literacy scores and pseudoscientific belief. Students observed were significantly skeptical of psuedoscientific belief overall.

Plant Parasitic Fungi Of Ten Tallgrass Prairies Of Iowa: Distribution And Prevalence, Lois H. Tiffany, George Knaphus

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

During the 1980s and 1990s, collections of fungal parasites on above ground parts of prairie plants in Iowa were made throughout the growing seasons. This report presents the fungi recorded from three groups of Iowa tallgrass prairies. The western group was composed of Dinesen, Steele and Stinson Prairie State Preserves, a Loess Hills group of collecting sites in Five Ridge and Runkel Prairie State Preserves and prairies at Waubonsie State Park. 180 species of fungi were collected on 116 hosts from these prairies. A central Iowa group of prairies associated with the Des Moines Lobe landform, Anderson, Doolittle, Kalsow and …

Back Cover

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Drinking Water Contamination In Buried Slab Wells, Other Large-Diameter Wells, And Drilled Wells, Rita M. Gergely

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

This study presents the results of a statewide water well survey conducted by the Iowa Department of Public Health from 1993 to 1995 to determine whether there were statistically significant differences between well water contamination in buried slab wells, other large-diameter wells, and drilled wells. Wells were sampled for total coliform bacteria, fecal coliform bacteria, nitrate, and atrazine. Staff collected water samples and completed a site survey at each well, which included an interview with the occupant or owner and actual observations of the wellhead and surrounding area.

The study included 293 buried slab wells, 287 other large-diameter wells, and …

Biomass Yield Stability In Alfalfa, Joseph G. Robins, Heathcliffe Riday, Sara J. Helland, E. Charles Brummer

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

In addition to biomass production, alfalfa (Medicago sativa) cultivars also need to express yield stability across diverse environments. The objective of this experiment was to analyze the nature of biomass yield stability in ten commercial alfalfa cultivars by evaluating performance of individual genotypes. Biomass yield was measured in each of five environments across two years, and the yield stability computed for the overall cultivar mean performance and the mean performance of each of the genotypes comprising the cultivars using the genotype x environment variance statistic of Shukla and the superiority statistic of Lin and Binns'. The GxE variance of the …

Back Cover

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Cover - Table Of Contents

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

The Freshwater Mussels (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae) Of The Boone River, North Central Iowa, Ellet Hoke

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

A survey of the freshwater mussels of the Boone River conducted in September 1982 documented a fauna consisting of seventeen then extant or relict species. Analysis of museum records yielded one additional species unrecovered since 1937. Subsequent to the 1982 study, additional surveys were conducted in the region in 1984-1985 and 1998-1999 as a part of two statewide surveys. A comparison of the results of the three studies suggests a significant decline in the unionid fauna in the Boone River since 1982. While it is almost certain that a real decline in the fauna has occurred, the extent of this …

Cover - Table Of Contents

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of White Pine (Pinus Strobus) On A Mollisol After Seven Decades Of Soil Development, Irina Kovda, Eric C. Brevik, Thomas E. Fenton, Maria Gerasimova

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Selected chemical, physical, and macro and micromorphological properties in two pedons of a Clarion soil (Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Hapludolls) formed in till parent material, one planted to white pines (Pinus strobus) for the past 75 years and the other to grass, were compared. The most obvious difference between the two was the increased biological activity under pines; the variety and quantity of excrements suggested the activity of soil microfauna and variability of species resulted in finer and better aggregation of biological origin (crumbs and granules), numerous excrements in voids, and higher total porosity under pines. The matrix was …

Succeeding In Introduction To Physical Science: Is Mathematics Background Important?, Wilson J. Gonzalez-Espada

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Most college students complete courses in physical and life science as general education requirements. Although the level of difficulty of these survey courses is relatively low compared to upper-level science courses, a number of students still struggle to pass them. The purpose of this research was to investigate (a) the nature of mathematics background of students enrolling in physical science courses; (b) the change in mathematics ability of students at the end of the semester; and (c) what is the relationship between mathematics background and course completion and success. A 15-item test of basic mathematics skills was administered as a …

Contents

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Bridge To The Future – What The Past Can Tell Us, S. T. Thornton

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Investigations In Geometry— A Hands-On Course For Grades 6-8 Pre-Service Teachers, A. J. Ellington

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes a geometry course at Virginia Commonwealth University for pre-scrvicc middle school teachers that features hands-on activities, group collaboration, and technology. Details of the topics and activities covered in this course are provided. Feedback from the first group of students to complete the course was gathered throughout the semester and student responses to the class format and topics are also discussed.

What Does An Exemplary Middle School Mathematics Teacher Look Like? The Use Of A Professional Development Rubric, M. Mason, D. Johnson, J. Rozelle, A. Koziol, Y. Smith-Jones, R. Cofer, L. Quick, E. O'Brien, W. M. Geiger, K. Grass

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

A School University Research Network (SURN) committee composed of current mathematics teachers, central office math supervisors, building administrators, mathematicians, and mathematics educators researched numerous sources regarding best practices in mathematics instruction. The resulting professional development rubric synthesizes their findings and can serve a professional development role by providing teachers and administrators with a tool to develop clarity and consensus on best mathematics instructional practices, and how these practices are implemented in the classroom. It is also being used as a tool for cooperating teachers in their supervision of student teachers and as a reflective method for self-evaluation.

Virginia Commonwealth University B.S. In Science Degree Program, R. W. Farley

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The initiation of the Virginia Commonwealth University B.S. in Science program was reported in this journal Fall 1999 as a program designed to meet the academic content major of a teacher preparation program for elementary and middle school mathematics and science teachers [1]. This paper reports the current status of the interdisciplinary B.S. in Science degree program including program enrollment data and trends. Also described are refinements in the required curriculum, which include a newly developed geometry, a mathematical computing course, and an emerging teaching technology course featuring graphing calculators, CBLs, and computer software applications.

A Case For Proof Making For Prospective Middle School Teachers, J. W. Whitenack, L. A. Lovin, L. Cavey

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

In this article, we discuss how we, as mathematics teacher educators, might help our prospective middle school teachers develop a disposition toward mathematics that involves making sound arguments and, more generally, making proofs about mathematical ideas. First, we illustrate what we mean by making sound mathematical proofs. We then use this definition to characterize what ninety-two prospective middle school teachers consider to be proof making, based on a survey that we administered in their first mathematics course. Following our findings, we discuss how we, as teacher educators, might realign our instruction to provide opportunities for prospective teachers to develop new …

Transition To Teaching: An Alternative Certification Program Through Partnership Between A Public School District And A Public University, R. Q. Berry Iii

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act has had a significant impact on licenses for teachers working in school programs. The act refers to highly qualified teachers in both Title I and Title ll. This paper defines alternative certification programs. This paper then describes a partnership, funded by the US. Department of Education, between a school district and a university to establish an alternative licensure program to train highly qualified secondary mathematics teachers.The goal of this partnership is to provide an infrastructure that supports the recruitment. preparation, placement, induction, and retention of highly qualified teachers through a new …

Brief Relational Mathematics Counseling As An Approach To Mathematics Academic Support Of College Students Taking Introductory Courses, Jillian M. Knowles

Educational Studies Dissertations

Traditional approaches to college mathematics support focus on cognitive aspects of the student's approach and only incidentally address affective problems such as mathematics and testing anxiety. Because such affective conditions may be symptoms of underlying relational problems rooted in a student's learning history, I proposed a brief relational mathematics counseling approach that integrates cognitive constructivist mathematics tutoring into a brief relational conflict counseling framework.

The Periodic Table Of The Elements, Michael A. Bailey

All Graduate Projects

The blueprint to the world of chemistry is encoded in the periodic table of the elements. This fundamental chart can be found in virtually all science classrooms in the world. The purpose of this project was to design a professional development course focusing on the periodic table of the elements. The target audience is college students working towards teaching science as a career, current teachers looking to enhance their understanding of the table, and resident teachers working towards continuing certification. In order to accomplish this purpose extensive literary research, the Washington State Academic Learning Requirements for science, published science lessons, …

A Model General Science Developmental Writing Skills Curriculum In Alignment With Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements, Troy L. Halfaday

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to design a model general science curriculum, for seventh grade students, for implementation at Ballou Junior High School, Puyallup, Washington. The model curriculum was designed in alignment with the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALR's). To accomplish this purpose, current research and literature was reviewed. Additionally, related information from authorities was obtained and analyzed.

Mutual Benefits Of Teacher/Scientist Partnerships, Marion Dresner, Erin Starvel

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

University ecologists, science educators and natural resource agency scientists have been working with science teachers in a partnership called "Teachers in the Woods". Teachers work with field scientists to implement a variety of ecological research and monitoring projects on federal agency land. Scientists and teachers were interviewed to obtain insights into the benefits of this partnership. These partnerships generated greater teacher knowledge of local ecological communities and processes and fostered a mutual respect for the work of both classroom teachers and scientists.

Nebraska Summary 473: Massey Ferguson 7485 Dynavt Diesel Dyna Step Transmission, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA

The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data.

EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES

Purpose

The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary 474: Massey Ferguson 7490 Dynavt Diesel Dyna Step Transmission, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA

The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data.

EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES

Purpose

The purpose of …