A vibrant exploration of Earth's unique water cycle Earth's Amazing Cycles: Water looks at what the water cycle is, what powers it and why it is essential for all life on Earth. Spanning core science and geography topics, Earth's Amazing Cycles makes sense of the natural processes in the constantly changing world that surrounds us, from food chains to photosynthesis and from reproduction to rock formation, and reveals how these processes work together in a complicated and fragile balance. It also highlights throughout the importance of caring for our unique planet. Earth's Amazing Cycles showcases fresh, vibrant new illustrations and clever infographics. A funny character features throughout, guiding readers through the information and providing opportunities for humour and engagement. Titles in the series: Animals/Energy/Plants/Rocks/Seasons/Water

This book provides an international perspective of current work aimed at both clarifying the theoretical foundations for the use of multimodal representations as a part of effective science education pedagogy and the pragmatic application of research findings to actual classroom settings. Intended for a wide ranging audience from science education faculty members and researchers to classroom teachers, school administrators, and curriculum developers, the studies reported in this book can inform best practices in K - 12 classrooms of all science disciplines and provide models of how to improve science literacy for all students. Specific descriptions of classroom activities aimed at helping infuses the use of multimodal representations in classrooms are combined with discussion of the impact on student learning. Overarching findings from a synthesis of the various studies are presented to help assert appropriate pedagogical and instructional implications as well as to suggest further avenues of research.

For all-in-one Grade 9-1 Edexcel International GCSE Chemistry exam preparation, look no further than this fantastic Complete Revision & Practice book. It's bursting with straightforward, easy-to-read study notes, examples and diagrams, with brilliant coverage of the Practical Investigations. It's packed with warm-up questions and exam-style questions throughout (with answers included at the back). What's more, the book is rounded off with a set of realistic Chemistry practice papers! There's even a free Online Edition of the whole book - just use the code printed inside the book to access it on your PC, Mac or tablet. Separate CGP Complete Revision & Practice books are available for Edexcel International GCSE Biology (9781789080827) and Physics (9781789080841).

With their eerie howls and fierce hunting skills, wolves are fascinating creatures. These loyal pack animals are close relatives to man's best friend, dogs. Learn more about these proud hunters.

Founded on the premise that zoos are 'bilingual'-that the zoo, in the shape of its staff and exhibits, and its visitors speak distinct languages-this enlightening analysis of the informal learning that occurs in zoos examines the 'speech' of exhibits and staff as well as the discourse of visitors beginning in the earliest years. Using real-life conversations among visitors as a basis for discussion, the authors interrogate children's responses to the exhibits and by doing so develop an 'informal learning model' and a 'zoo knowledge model' that prompts suggestions for activities that classroom educators can use before, during, and after a zoo visit. Their analysis of the 'visitor voice' informs creative suggestions for how to enhance the educational experiences of young patrons. By assessing visitors' entry knowledge and their interpretations of the exhibits, the authors establish a baseline for zoos that helps them to refine their communication with visitors, for example in expanding knowledge of issues concerning biodiversity and biological conservation. The book includes practical advice for zoo and classroom educators about positive ways to prepare for zoo visits, engaging activities during visits, and follow-up work that maximizes the pedagogical benefits. It also reflects on the interplay between the developing role of zoos as facilitators of learning, and the ways in which zoos help visitors assimilate the knowledge on offer. In addition to being essential reading for educators in zoos and in the classroom, this volume is full of insights with much broader contextual relevance for getting the most out of museum visits and field trips in general.

The purpose of the edited volume is to provide an international lens to examine evidence-based investigations in Ethno-STEM research: Ethno-science, Ethno-technology, Ethno-engineering, and Ethno-mathematics. These themes grew out of multi-national, multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary efforts to preserve as well as epitomize the role that Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) play in cognitive development and its vital contributions to successful and meaningful learning in conventional and non-conventional contexts. Principled by the Embodied, Situated, and Distributed Cognition (ESDC), this innovative book will provide evidence supporting the embeddedness of a thinking-in-acting model as a fundamental framework that explains and supports students' acquisition of scientific knowledge. So often 'western' science curricula are experienced as irrelevant, since it does not take cognizance of the daily experiences and world in which the learner finds himself. This book takes a socio-cultural look at IKS and applies research in neuroscience to make a case its incorporation in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) classroom. We use the Embodied Situated Distributed Cognition (ESDC) Model as conceptual framework in this book. Although the value of IKS is often acknowledged in curriculum policy documents, teachers are most often not trained in incorporating IK in the classroom. Teachers' lack of the necessary pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in effectively incorporating IK in their classrooms is a tremendous problem internationally. Another problem is that IK is often perceived as "pseudo-science", and scholars advocating for the incorporation of IK in the school curriculum often do not contextualize their arguments within a convincing theoretical and conceptual framework.

How do plants make food? What is the largest seed in the world? How do flowers grow in ponds and lakes? Which plants eat insects? Find all the answers and much more in this delightful book, with photographs, step-by-step illustrations, simple text and links to websites with fun activities and video clips.

25 incredible--and EDIBLE--science experiments to get kids excited about science! Did you know that all cooking is really chemistry? And that chocolate chip cookies will look--and taste--completely different if you swap out baking powder for baking soda? Or swap out brown sugar for white sugar? In this cookbook packed with 25 edible science experiment recipes kids can do in their own kitchen, chemistry professor and science entertainer Kate the Chemist introduces young scientists to the fascinating world of STEM--and cooking! Kids can make their own: Chocolate-covered pretzels Rainbow pasta Ice cream Pretzel bites and more! Each recipe includes step-by-step instructions, an ingredients list, full-color photographs, a messiness factor rating, and a note from Kate explaining the science behind each delicious treat.

Find out about different snakes, including their body parts, how much they weigh, where they live and what they eat. Then test your new-found knowledge at the back of the book!

What makes the Platinum Natural sciences course unique? Skills focus pages cover process skills prescribed by CAPS and give learners opportunity to practice each new skill; high-quality artwork and real-life photographs enhance visual literacy and make the subject matter more accessible; key words boxes throughout the text and science language practice at the end of each topic makes scientific language accessible for learners; key concepts at the end of each unit and topic revisions reinforce new content and concepts; more resources pages make the subject interesting and applicable to everyday life. Platinum - simply superior: Superior CAPS coverage and written by expert authors; superior illustrations and activities to improve results and motivate learners; superior teacher support to save time and make teaching easy, including photocopiable worksheets; superior quality = exam success!

In a changing world that demands new skills, a vital concern of public education is the gap in academic performance between low- and high-achieving students. There is no excuse for the achievement gaps that persist among poor and minority students in schools today. All students can succeed at high levels, regardless of race, ethnicity and economic background. Several countries have successfully confronted inequities in achievement, demonstrating that any school can close achievement gaps regardless of the community they serve, and that all students can achieve at high levels when they are provided with the right opportunities. This book is about understanding what factors selected countries have applied to promote progress and what factors contribute to progress in the closing of achievement gaps. It is about creating opportunities for all students.
"Closing the Achievement Gap from an International Perspective: Transforming STEM for Effective Education" is written in response to rising concern for the improvement of quality education - especially in mathematics and science - provided to all students. The contributors take a systematic view of the subject, beginning with a cross-national analysis of teacher qualifications and the achievement gap that spans 50 countries. The content of the book is organized in sections describing education around the globe: North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Individual chapters offer close-up analysis of efforts to close achievement gaps in the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, England, Turkey, China, South Africa and Australia among many others.The contributors provide information on the achievement gap in mathematics and science, review current research, and present strategies for fostering improvement and raising performance with a focus on school-related variables that adversely affect educational outcomes among poor and minority students. The authors of the various chapters looked at how students' data correlated with classroom practices, teacher instruction and academic programming, as part of their efforts to measure student growth. Qualitative and quantitative data are provided to provide evidence not only of the problem, but also for the solution. The book concludes with a chapter on promoting equality and equity to shrink the achievement gap worldwide."

When Dinosaurs Conquered the Skies is an exquisitely illustrated exploration of how dinosaurs evolved flight and eventually became the birds we live with today. What are birds, and where did they come from? Discover fascinating facts about bird evolution, including: How the oldest bird fossils are about 150 million years old. That birds evolved from a group of meat-eating dinosaurs called theropods. That's the same group that Tyrannosaurus Rex belonged to, although birds evolved from small theropods. How these ancient birds looked quite a lot like small, feathered dinosaurs and they had much in common. Their mouths still contained sharp teeth. That over time, birds lost their teeth and evolved beaks. And more! The story of bird evolution is fascinating, and When Dinosaurs Conquered the Skies explores this incredible history in a digestible, accessible way. This book from the successful Incredible Evolution series proves that fact can definitely be stranger and more exciting than fiction! Can you imagine coming face-to-face with a toothy pigeon?! Through digestible information and absorbing illustrations, young readers will be given an insight into how dinosaurs evolved flight and conquered the skies. This book is from the Incredible Evolution series, a fascinating, informative collection of books which examine the development of life on eart. Other titles available include: When Plants Took Over the Planet, When We Became Humans, and When the Whales Walked.

American science education is in trouble. As the United States continues to lag behind other nations in science achievement, the question is asked: how can we better get our students excited and inspired by science? This is the science teacher's duty. The irony of the education profession is that some of the most important aspects of it are the hardest to measure and replicate. The things that matter most can be the hardest to quantify. Some teachers can know the different learning styles, intelligences, and brain preferences of their students. They can know best practices of how to deliver instruction. They can do all these things and more, but still not convey imagination and passion for science to their students. But some science teachers do inspire. These special teachers seem to possess something the others don't, but what is it? Exceptional science teachers make us feel better about ourselves through their teaching of science, and bring us to a higher quality of life as a result, while some science teachers can be the leading researchers in their fields, yet leave us flat. What is the recipe for this unique, special teacher? And why is it so hard to explain and describe? The objective of this book is to uncover these aspects of teaching that are so hard to measure and quantify. This is achieved through interviewing people who are either current or retired teachers, or who were positively affected by a teacher, and also through case studies of exceptional teachers in order to quantify and explain the exact traits and personality quirks of these exceptional people. The contribution to the field of education this book hopes to achieve is the examination of the question; why do some teachers have that "X" factor, what, exactly is it, and how can we all have it?