New teaching tools were developed to demonstrate calcite birefringence. We used three luminescent materials: an infusion of quercus (quercus water), uranium glass prisms, and a calcite crystal for the purpose of visualizing the light traces. A laser pointer that provides a 405-nm purple light emission was used as the excitation source for luminescence. The aforementioned materials were assembled for the apparatus as follows. (1) A calcite crystal was placed in quercus water, or (2) A calcite crystal was placed between two uranium glass prisms, and then the light traces were observed. The following light traces were visualized; the incident light, the refracted light in the calcite crystal, and the transmitted light that passes through quercus water or a uranium glass prism. Practical applications of our tools that demonstrate rectilinear propagation, reflection, and refraction of light can result in better understanding of light propagation among the high school students.

New educational guidelines coming into effect in 2011 have resulted in more high school students than before taking earth science classes because the guidelines mean students at most high schools need to take at least three basic science courses. With more students beginning to study earth science, it is important to provide effective learning materials for promoting astronomical education. The development of effective teaching materials is vital to support teachers who have little information about astronomical learning materials. Color is one of the most essential characteristics of stars as well as magnitude, and it has a close relationship with stellar surface temperature. As stellar color differences can easily be seen by the naked eye, the cause of stellar color difference is considered to be a theme familiar to high school students. However, fewer materials are available on stellar surface temperature than on stellar magnitude. To remedy this, we have developed an astronomical learning program for estimating stellar surface temperature by comparing the observed stellar flux in the B, V, R_C, and I_C bands with blackbody spectra. We used archived image data made public by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan as the data set. In this program, students can semi-automatically estimate stellar temperature by inputting the stellar brightness from each band into a spreadsheet containing a macro program. To evaluate the usefulness of the learning program, a trial run with the program was carried out at the open seminar held by Mie University. Thirty-seven high school students from grade one to three participated in the trial. None of the participants had taken astronomy classes at their high schools. The program received a favorable response from more than 90% of the experimental participants. Accordingly, our program will prove to be effective even for students who have little knowledge of astronomy.

High school earth sciences deal with the crystallization differentiation model as the main reason for the variety of igneous rocks. Recent igneous petrology, however, indicates that magma mixing and the partial melting of crust material are more important factors than previously though in producing the island arc igneous rocks. In this paper, we propose a practical educational program for verification of crystallization differentiation and magma-mixing models by using variable igneous rocks of Usu Volcano, Hokkaido. A small amount, less than 20% in weight, of felsic magma is expected from the differentiation model of basaltic primary magma. Mass balance calculations of individual igneous rock from Usu Volcano are conducted using a topographic map and a geologic map. Usu Volcano consists of a large amount of felsic rocks ～65%, which means there is an inconsistency with the simple crystallization differentiation model. An observation program for thin sections of felsic rocks using a polarization-microscope tells us much about the evidence of the magma-mixing model, such as basic inclusions in the felsic rocks, and resorption morphology of plagioclase phenocrysts.

The thoughts of sixth graders at an elementary school with respect to the diurnal variation in the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere were investigated by means of a questionnaire survey. The survey results yielded the following two points.

(1) Before studying about the comings and goings of carbon dioxide due to combustion, respiration, and photosynthesis, the most common thought of the pupils was that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is high during daytime, and low during nighttime. However, after studying the topic, the prevailing thought was that the concentration is high at night, and low in the day.

(2) After lessons in which the pupils considered the reasons for this diurnal variation in the carbon dioxide concentration, many of them came to understand the reasons in relation to lesson content they had already learned.