Acadia Files: Autumn Science

Acadia Greene wants answers. What happened to the frogs she used to see at her favorite local pond? Why do leaves change color in the fall, and why don't evergreen needles do the same? What is the water cycle, and what is transpiration? How do time zones work, and why does the sun set at different times in different places within a single zone? How do germs infect us? Acadia doesn't mean to do science, but she has questions and her parents refuse to simply give her the answers. "Conduct an experiment," they tell her. "Use the scientific method." So Acadia makes hypotheses, designs experiments, analyzes data, and draws conclusions. Acadia does science.

The author, Katie Coppens writes a recurring column for NSTA's middle school magazine Science Scope on science and literacy called "The Integrated Classroom."