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Crosscutting Concepts in NSTA Journals
The more I learn about NGSS, the more I’m intrigued by the crosscutting concepts. These concepts are the big ideas that transcend and connect the core ideas and processes within and in between traditional subject areas....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Observe. Everything. Young children, Science Friday and walks in nature
Why is a spider hanging out on a flower? Two-year-old children observed this spider but haven’t yet asked a question about it. Give them time. #ObserveEverything...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
This era of AYP (annual yearly progress) and the pressure to meet AMAOs for English Language Learners (ELLs) has fueled our current focus on academic language goals, often framed as vocabulary or discrete elements of grammar....
By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
Highlights from the Hall: #NSTA14 Richmond October 16–18
We’re just days away from the first NSTA area conference of the year. We’ll be making ourselves at home at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia, from October 16-18, and we invite you to join us as we Celebrate Science ...
By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
I need suggestions on encouraging students to tell me when they don’t understand something. I ask my classes if they need any help, but no one seems to have any questions. The next day, it’s as if they never heard of the topic before! &#...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
My Name Is Teshia and I'm an NSTA Groupie
Yes, my name is Teshia Birts, and I’m an #NSTAGroupie—I have been for four years now....
By Teshia Birts, CAE
Blog Post
What’s Ahead for K-12 Education and CCSS Snapshot
Official Washington has slowed to a crawl with the midterm election just weeks away and the possible power shift in the U.S. Senate. This Ed Week blog has a great take on what’s ahead for education if the Republicans take control of the Senate....
By Jodi Peterson
Blog Post
NSTA’s K–12 Science Education Journals: October 2014 Issues Online
Patterns, arguing from evidence, and ecosystem ecology—these are the themes of the October 2014 science education journals published by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Each issue is filled with articles written by science educat...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
I’ve been reading the literature on the value of play in learning. I do give my students unstructured activity time in science class, but I’m not sure they’re getting anything out of it. For example, I gave each group of students a ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
7 NSTA Resources that Save Science Teachers Time and Money
Having worked at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) for many years, I get to talk to a lot of science teachers. One of my favorite things about them is how much they share with each other. In fact, I joked at our recent national confere...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
I’m a new high school teacher looking for suggestions on how to estimate the amount of time a lesson will take. My lessons look good when I plan them, but I find that often a lesson is either too short and we have extra time at the end of the c...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
The Vernier Motion Encoder System: Motion Encoding Made Personal
The Vernier Motion Encoder System marks a significant shift in the science teacher’s ability to transition between the conceptual, formula-based physics of motion to the “real world” application of those concepts and formulas—and here’s the...
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
Engaging in the Art of Teaching With the Next Generation Science Standards
For the past 15 months, a four-letter acronym has been on the tip of science educators’ tongues: NGSS, the Next Generation Science Standards....
By Guest Blogger