National science education standards emphasize actively engaging students in developing their abilities in and understanding of scientific inquiry as a way to learn important concepts in the earth sciences and other disciplines. Too few high-quality instructional tools, based on the national standards, currently exist that model this type of activity for sixth-grade students. To promote this approach, we created a national laboratory/middle-school partnership to develop a hands-on,

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... research project related to flash floods in southeastern Washington State. The project, conducted during the 2003-2004 school year, built on the middle-school Catastrophic Events module developed by the National Science Resources Center. Seventeen student research teams deepened their understanding of geology, hydrology, and meteorology and applied this understanding as they analyzed and evaluated data they collected. The student teams wrote technical reports and created posters that synthesized the data and presented conclusions and recommendations based on their findings. The project models a successful approach for developing an inquiry-based earth science project and creating a meaningful partnership between schools and scientists.