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This book uses a detective approach to teach about environmental issues. Student sleuths investigate many potential causes of fish dying including chlorine pollution, acid rain, erosion and sediment pollution, predator-prey relationships, phosphate pollution and algal blooms, and oil pollution. The text provides students the opportunity to grapple with complex, interdisciplinary scientific problems. They hear statements of various suspects in a crime, then study and discuss reference materials including records, newspaper articles, charts, graphs, and even secret documents to integrate all of this information with their own test results. Placing science learning in a real world context, the book conveys solid scientific content and research-related inquiry skills. Students become aware of the interconnectedness of the natural world and the complexity of many environmental problems. They discover that science and society are inextricably linked and that most solutions require compromise. Step-by-step instructions, assessment suggestions, literature connections, and background information for the teacher are also included. (SAH)

This teacher's guide attempts to answer questions such as: What causes ocean currents? What impact do they have on Earth's environment? and How have they influenced human history? Seven innovative activities are provided in which students can gain fascinating insights into the earth as the ocean planet. Activities focus on how wind, temperature, salinity, and density set water into motion. An "in-depth" investigation of the key physical science concept of density in which students model how pollution dumped in one location can spread throughout the ocean is also included. Learning is placed in a real-world context as students predict and analyze routes taken by shipwrecked sailors, the 1990 Nike shoe spill, the raft Kon Tiki, and other voyages. In the seventh activity, "Message in a Bottle," students create stories to show what they have learned over the course of the unit. (ASK)

There is plenty of "math on the menu" in the series of activities featured in this book. Students help the Rosada family start a Mexican restaurant featuring a variety of tostadas. Over the course of the unit, students apply different problem-solving strategies as they plan and expand the menu, determine different combinations of ingredients, analyze costs, set prices, and arrange tables and chairs in a new location. The activities build on one another, and children have the opportunity to use a wide variety of problem solving skills. Emphasis is placed on cooperative learning, language arts, and literature connections while the activities put mathematics learning in a real-world, multicultural context. (ASK)

Building on collaborative work between the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute and the Lawrence Hall of Science, this curriculum takes advantage of humans' fascination with extraterrestrials to catalyze the study of the solar system and beyond. The unit begins when students attempt to decode a fictitious message from outer space. Imagining that they are SETI scientists, students begin to analyze where in our solar system and beyond there may be conditions favorable for life. Students investigate how our solar system and other planetary systems may have formed, and consider how information about our solar system fits into a bigger picture of the universe. This book includes background information for teachers and diverse resources. Teachers do not need to have special knowledge of astronomy to present this unit successfully. (WRM)

This curriculum unit revolves around the intriguing nature of dry ice and the incessant curiosity it provokes in all those who have the opportunity to interact with it. The activities featured in this book guide students toward being able to conduct their own independent scientific inquiry while presenting strong scientific content. Activities included in these materials are organized into the following categories: (1) Scientist's Mindset; (2) Systematic Observation; (3) Experimenting; and (4) Conducting Dry Ice Investigations. Information on obtaining and using dry ice and on locating related educational resources is included. (WRM)