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By C. Jill Swango and Sally Boles Steward Arlington, Virginia Claire Reinburg, Director J. Andrew Cocke, Associate Editor Judy Cusick, Associate Editor Betty Smith, Associate Editor ART AND DESIGN Linda Olliver, Director Ellen Joy Sasaki, Cover and interior illustrations PRINTING AND PRODUCTION Catherine Lorrain-Hale, Director Nguyet Tran, Assistant Production Manager Jack Parker, Desktop Publishing Specialist MARKETING Holly Hemphill, Director NSTA WEB Tim Weber, Webmaster sciLINKS Tyson Brown, Manager David Anderson, Web and Development Coordinator NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION Gerald F. Wheeler, Executive Director David Beacom, Publisher Help! I’m Teaching Middle School Science NSTA Stock Number: PB170X Printed in the USA by Victor Graphics. Printed on recycled paper. 07 06 05 5 4 3 Copyright © 2003 by the National Science Teachers Association. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Swango, C. Jill, 1956Help! I’m teaching middle school science / by C. Jill Swango and Sally Boles Steward. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-87355-225-3 1. Science—Study and teaching (Middle School)—United States—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Steward, Sally Boles, 1973- II. Title. LB1585.3 .S93 2002 507'.1’2—dc21 2002153474 Permission is granted in advance for photocopying brief excerpts for one-time use in a classroom or workshop. Requests involving electronic reproduction should be directed to Permissions/NSTA Press, 1840 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201-3000; fax 703-5269754. Permissions requests for coursepacks, textbooks, and other commercial uses should be directed to Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923; fax 978-646-8600; www.copyright.com. NSTA is committed to publishing quality materials that promote the best in inquiry-based science education. However, conditions of actual use may vary and the safety procedures and practices described in this book are intended to serve only as a guide. Additional precautionary measures may be required. NSTA and the authors do not warrant or represent that the procedures and practices in this book meet any safety code or standard or federal, state, or local regulations. NSTA and the author(s) disclaim any liability for personal injury or damage to property arising out of or relating to the use of this book including any of the recommendations, instructions, or materials contained therein. Featuring sciLINKS®—a new way of connecting text and the Internet. Up-to-the-minute online content, classroom ideas, and other materials are just a click away. Go to page ix to learn more about this new educational resource. C ONTENTS About the Authors .......................................................... vii Introduction ....................................................................... CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ix Why Did We Write This Book? ....................................... 1 The First Day ...................................................................... 5 Best Practices .................................................................... 13 Lab Set-Up and Safety ..................................................... 19 Cooperative Learning and Assessment ......................... 27 Writing for Science .......................................................... 39 Adapting Labs and Troubleshooting ............................. 47 Modeling and Demonstrations ....................................... 53 Metrics and Measurement ................................