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The House Subcommittee on Research and Technology began work on reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act with a hearing on Wednesday, November 13. Lawmakers are reviewing draft legislation introduced by committee Republicans to reauthorize this ke...
By Jodi Peterson
Blog Post
After a lab activity I try to engage students in a discussion of their findings. I use a variety of strategies to involve the students, but I find they don’t really know how to have a meaningful discussion without interruptions, off-topic state...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Problem solving and investigating the properties of materials
Does the way a child approaches finger-painting or eating a somewhat messy snack tell us anything about how she or he will approach building with blocks or participating in a science activity?...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Brush up on your science content knowledge
At NSTA’s recent fall conferences in Portland and Charlotte, NSTA Press author Bill Robertson led teachers in refresher courses on physical science topics such as sound, light, and force and motion. Robertson’s bestselling book series, Stop Fakin...
By Claire Reinburg
Blog Post
NSTA's K-College Journals: Live for November
You’ve turned the clocks back an hour, but you’re still short on time—that’s what most teachers tell us! How can the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) help? With grade-level journals targeted to your needs, written by e...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
Assessment products and processes
What is the purpose of an assessment? The featured articles in this issue show assessment as a true part of the instructional process, not an add-on to get a score for a grade. As I read the articles, I was impressed at how the assessments were desig...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
#NSTA13 Charlotte Twitter Contest
Join the #NSTA13 Charlotte Twitter contest! If you’ll be attending the National Science Teachers Association’s Conference on Science Education in Charlotte, NC, November 7–9, 2013, tweet for a chance to win NSTA Gear or a $50 Gift Certifica...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
I’m a new elementary teacher, and I love seeing how students get excited doing hands–on science activities. But the students can get out of hand and I have a hard time focusing them on the activity. Any advice on channeling their enthusiasm with ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Fall changes in trees bring science and art together
The colors of the autumn leaves in my area call out to me for attention and to bring inside in a basket for the kitchen table. Outside I arrange them into patterns pleasing to myself....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
I’ve talked with teachers who are concerned about the E in STEM. “I barely have time for science, and now I’m supposed to teach engineering, too? I’ve never studied engineering!”...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
The classroom as learning center
Last year (my first year teaching) I floated among several classrooms. A few days before the beginning of this year, I learned that I have my own biology lab! I didn’t have much time, so I just put up a few posters. Now I want to make this plai...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Reading to support science learning begins with babies
Welcome back to guest blogger Sarah Erdman! Sarah writes about her first-hand observations of sharing books with a toddler....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
So – who’s ready for Mole Day? Rather than competing with the commercial hoopla around Halloween, perhaps we science teachers could get a head start on October 23 (10/23) from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m. The timing of this event celebrates Avogadr...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Documentation and discussion at the fish tank
An aquarium in the classroom may be a science center and the site of a morning separation ritual for some children. In addition to daily feeding and casual observation, children can make scientific drawings and notes. To encourage close observation, ...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Science for the Next Generation: Preparing for the New Standards
If you’re an elementary school teacher who teaches grades K-5, the authors and editors of ...
By Carole Hayward