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The big fish died. The constant silent presence of the plecostomus—now hiding in the cave, now sucking algae off the aquarium wall—is gone. Donated by a parent who has moved on to high school PTSA duties, the odd fish taught 10 years of prescho...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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Who hasn’t looked into the night sky and wondered about the stars and the universe? But upper elementary and middle school may be the last chance for many students to study or be exposed to concepts in astronomy. Earth and space science is not offe...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
The S&C astronomy issue article Sky Observations by the Book (NSTA membership required) presents lessons specifically for teaching young children astronomy concepts with picture books....
By ManagingEditorSC
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Walking fieldtrips to draw nature
A walking fieldtrip can bring much needed outdoor time and opportunity for scientific observation to a class schedule. The objective can be to view the sky, look for birds, find seeds, or to inventory the surrounding environment. Whether just a walk ...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Planting flower bulbs in the fall
Planting spring-flowering bulbs connects the seasons of Fall and Spring in the minds of young children as they wait all winter for the bulbs to sprout and to see the flowers blooming in the spring. Following the growth of daffodils or tulips reinforc...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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No child (or teacher) left inside, and we're having a ball!
OK, it’s almost October and it’s time to celebrate science. Get ready for Earth Science Week this year (October 12-18, 2008). The theme is “No Child Left Inside.”...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Formative assessments: real-time responses
My principal is talking to us about using “formative” assessments. Does this mean taking time away from instruction for more tests? When will I have time to teach? —W.S., Overland Park, KS...
By MsMentorAdmin
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Displaying children's science learning
One way I like to show the science learning that goes on in school is by posting my photos or children’s work under headings borrowed from, or inspired by, Barbara Lehn in her book What is a Scientist? (1999....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Scientific literacy comes in handy
The importance of being scientifically literate, that is, being able to sift through the information and decide what seems likely to be true, was brought home (literally) to me this month when I discovered a “colony” of bed bugs in our house. Col...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
“Don’t smile until Thanksgiving.” When I started teaching, that was the advice from a few veterans on the staff. Fortunately for my students, I disregarded that advice and followed the example of my advisor: “Be fair, firm, an...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Scoring objective tests is easy: the answer is either correct or incorrect. But with essay questions, lab techniques, writing assignments, reports, cooperative or group work, presentations, or other projects (including multimedia ones), it gets more ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Finding materials for science activities
So many times I wish I had everything I need to do an activity with my five classes of two to five-year-olds—all in a kit. Managing materials in a way that doesn’t distract from the concept being explored, but keeps it foremost in the children�...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Each chapter in my science textbook is loaded with new vocabulary. How can I help students to deal with this specialized vocabulary? —Dan, Ramapo, New Jersey This task can be overwhelming. High school texts may have more than 3,000 specialized ...
By MsMentorAdmin
Blog Post
Some of you may remember the pre-Internet days when if you didn’t subscribe to a mailed publication, you had to trek to a public or university library to catch up on your reading on science topics. I must confess that for me back then, it was diffi...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Using science notebooks with young students
Science Notebooks can be useful tools, even with young students who are just learning to read and write. See how kindergarten teacher Kathryn Kaatz incorporated science writing and drawing as she took her students on “A Walk in the ‘Tall,...
By ManagingEditorSC