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Scientific and engineering practices
If you’re concerned or apprehensive about the NGSS, this month’s Commentary Preparing for the New Standards should be on your to-read list....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
During the past few years, this blog has addressed several questions about formative assessments. These just-in-time assessments embedded in instruction help a teacher understand what students are learning, identify misconceptions, and adjust instruc...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
In the late fall as the weather alternated between 40°F and 70°F overnight, bumblebees sometimes got caught by cold temperatures and spent the night on the zinnia flowers in my garden....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
I attended an event where we cleaned out the science warehouse for our school system. I got a lot of great stuff for my elementary science classes, including a box of rock and mineral samples that have little stickers with letters or numbers. I’...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Earth structures, processes, and history
It’s not hard to get students interested in earth science. They can see the value of learning about the weather and climate, soil, water, tides, volcanoes, earthquakes. The featured articles this month highlight the processes that are all a...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Exploring natural and human-made materials
“I found these two rocks in the sandbox and I think they’re from a volcano.” Children like to share their special found objects and talk about where they came from and what they might be....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
When I was a child, one of my favorite toys was a set of wooden blocks, in a variety of shapes and sizes. We would play for hours, sometimes building models of structures and other times experimenting with designs and patterns. We also had Lincoln Lo...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Should I take a student teacher?
I was asked if I would take a student teacher. This would be my first one. What should I consider in making the decision? —Mark, Queens, New York...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Festive holidays and winter weather can be disruptive for the classroom schedule at this time of year but can also provide inspiration for appealing science activities. Take advantage of cooking themes to teach some chemistry or take a cue from weath...
By Claire Reinburg
Blog Post
NSTA conferences as professional development
The 2012 NSTA conference season is over, concluding with the last sessions in Phoenix this morning. The variety of presentations and workshops had something for everyone–some addressed specific content topics and others related to teaching and ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Learning from "mistakes?"
I’d like to try hands-on labs with my fourth graders, but I’m worried they’ll make mistakes. I guess I’m afraid they won’t learn the concepts if they don’t get the right answers. Is there a way to make the activiti...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Five things you should put on your iPad Camera
The tablet computer like the iPad can be a magic box of inquiry. For instance, it has a camera, and in particular a front facing camera. Why that is important is because students can manipulate objects on the camera and collectively view the results....
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
Baby laughter…what do they laugh at?
While you’re looking forward to winter break, here’s a way you can have fun and do a little bit of science data collecting to contribute to a citizen science project....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Tools and resources for science teachers
As I browse through tweets and Facebook pages, I sometimes feel overwhelmed at the wealth of resources that are available for teaching STEM topics! I’ve learned to skim selectively, looking at some right away and bookmarking others that relate ...
By Mary Bigelow