The National Institutes of Health, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, is releasing three more curriculum supplements - the latest installments in a popular series shown to promote science achievement for students in grades kindergarten through 12. These state-of-the-art instructional materials reveal science research discoveries on the effects of alcohol, the multisensory process of human communication, and sleep and biological rhythms.

The National Institutes of Health - the Federal focal point for medical research in the U.S. - is distributing these supplements free-of-charge to teachers to promote inquiry-based, interdisciplinary learning and to encourage students' interest in science. A preliminary independent evaluation of the NIH series found that students in classes that incorporated a supplement scored an average of 15 per cent higher in science achievement tests compared to those in which the modules were not utilized.