JoinAll Blog Posts
Blog Post
Plan Labs with Assessments, School Calendars in Mind
I have written a lab about quarks. The problem is there are no Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) about quarks. The only standards that refer to the nucleus is about protons and neutrons. How can I align my lab with standards that don’t e...
By Sharon Delesbore
Blog Post
I’m a first-year high school science teacher seeking desperately the best way to connect with my freshman biology students who are very smart but are not use to being pushed to comprehend a rigorous curriculum. Any suggestions would be greatly appr...
By Sharon Delesbore
Blog Post
100 days of school–weather watching and documenting plant growth
Just as numerals marking the number of in-school days are sometimes posted in one long line stretching across walls of the classroom, weather data can be collected and posted throughout the year. Using symbols that both children and scientists recog...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
How PLCs Helped Move Us Toward Equitable High School Assessment Practices
My colleagues and I began using units intentionally designed for the NGSS for biology in early 2017. We started with a high-quality unit evaluated by my colleagues on the Science Peer Review Panel, and eventually used a full program from the unit’s...
By Holly Hereau
Blog Post
PLNs + High-Quality Units = NGSS Success
In June 2013, Kentucky’s Board of Education officially adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which not only set a new course for science education in Kentucky, but also started me on a new professional journey. As the newly-minted s...
By David Grossman
Blog Post
Improving Elementary Science Programs Through Professional Learning Communities
“I’m not good at science.” It’s a declaration that far too many students have made in classrooms. Their beliefs are often based on lack of exposure to science, not their true potential to do science. So how do we change their minds and get th...
By Edel Maeder
Blog Post
Matter and Energy for Growth and Activity
The human body is an amazing mechanism. For students, learning how the human body works can prove to be an exciting educational adventure. Matter and Energy for Growth and Activity from NSTA Press provides in-depth and meaningful lessons that explor...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Middle and high school science teachers often have or should have the task of retrofitting their chemical storeroom. Critical issues such as what chemicals are acceptable for use and grade appropriate, how should they be labeled, how should they be s...
By Kenneth Roy
Blog Post
Introducing the STEM Teacher Leadership Network
By Joni Falk, Co-director of the Center for School Reform at TERC @STEMTLnet.org The STEM Teacher Leadership Network (https://STEMTLnet.org), funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is inviting teacher leaders, aspiring teacher leaders, ...
By Korei Martin
Blog Post
Intentionally providing materials to sort
In addition to providing materials for children, we can ask ourselves, “What is my role as an educator when I provide materials for sorting?” If we were picking through lentils to sort out any wee stones before cooking, our job would be to give ...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
I was planning a lesson for fifth grade about constellations. If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them. —B., Illinois...
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
Bring STEM Practices Into the Secondary Classroom
STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics—is discussed in the news, politics, and education journals, yet what does it really mean for classrooms? The Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS) works to support secondary science in ...
By Juan-Carlos Aguilar, Anne Petersen, Megan Schrauben