JoinAll Blog Posts
Blog Post
Counting birds and winter jackets
The next Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is February 16-19, 2018!...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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Q and A With Jim Short on Instructional Materials
Why do instructional materials for science need to change?...
By Cindy Workosky
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What is Engineering's Place in STEM Certification? ASEE Responds
Engineering historically has had a very limited presence in K-12 education outside of specialized schools and a few out-of-school activities. That changed dramatically with the release of the Next Generation Science Standards which explicitly inclu...
By Korei Martin
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Collaborating on a Vision for NGSS Instructional Materials
Recently, state science teachers associations in four states that had adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)—California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington—worked together to address the critical role that review and selection of high-q...
By Cindy Workosky
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Amid controversy and conversations around immigration, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, budget caps, children’s health insurance, and more, federal lawmakers could not come to an agreement on final spending for FY 2018 federal pr...
By Jodi Peterson
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Sharing Enthusiasm to Increase STEM Interest
Ricky Arnold. Photo credit: NASA By Ricky Arnold An unexpected thunderstorm during my ninth-grade Earth science class led me to an equally unexpected career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, and then to NASA....
By Guest Blogger
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I’ve been considering adding some live animals to my classroom for my students to study. What should I consider before taking the leap? —K., Washington ...
By Gabe Kraljevic
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The Carson MicroMini 20x Pocket Microscope: An ounce of magnification is worth a pound of words.
There are a surprising number of so-called “Pocket Microscopes” available today. I even remember pocket microscopes advertised in the pages of comic books back when I was a kid. And at that time, comic books were not targeting adult readers. Ther...
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
The science teacher must be prepared to clean up minor spills that may occur in the lab and know how to proceed in the event of a major spill. A proper response could prevent major disruptions to science laboratory operations, damage to laboratory eq...
By Kenneth Roy
Blog Post
Here's Why Elementary Science Teachers Will Love #NSTA18 Atlanta
NSTA is headed to Atlanta for our 2018 National Conference on Science Education, March 15-18, and we have incredible things in store for elementary teachers! The first thing you’ll want to put on your schedule is the Elementary Extravaganza on ...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
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I have a few students who test me, as well as my mentor teacher, in most directions and instructions that we give and will abuse the science materials. Any suggestions on how to address this behavior? – D., Maryland ...
By Gabe Kraljevic
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Choosing resources for early childhood science learning
Choosing resources for early childhood science learning that are scientifically accurate, developmentally appropriate, and reference research about learning, requires educators to have time to review resources ourselves, or access to reviews by exper...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Ideas and inspiration from NSTA’s January 2018 K-12 journals
Installing Glass Walls and Doors in the Science Classroom, a commentary in Science Scope, describes what collaborative teacher teams “look like” in science and is appropriate for teachers at all grade levels to begin or fine-tune the proc...
By Mary Bigelow
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Eureka! Grade 3-5 Science Activities and Stories
Elementary teachers have to balance the challenges of literacy instruction with high stakes testing and content area instruction. What teachers need to achieve this delicate balance is a text that can be both an instructional tool and a step-by-ste...
By Carole Hayward
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Growing a Turnip and Growing Professionally: Resources at every step of the way
Resources that support early childhood science learning may be ideas or lesson plans for specific investigations by children, or be information for educators about children’s learning progressions, research into how children learn, science content ...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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NASA Grants Rocket Informal Ed Ahead
As part of a NASA CP4SMPVC grant to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Florida, middle and high school students have identified 91 varieties of edible plants...
By Debra Shapiro
Blog Post
Model-making and engineering in a preK program
Through visits to other programs, reading books, attending conferences and webinars, and having conversations with colleagues, I continue to learn about teaching young children. In conversation, preschool teacher Barbara Foster related how children u...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Argument-Driven Inquiry for the High School Physics Classroom
Argument-Driven Inquiry in Physics Volume 1, Mechanics Lab Investigations for Grades 9–12 is the latest addition to the popular NSTA Press Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) series....
By Carole Hayward
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Ed News: A Novel Way To Improve Teacher Prep, Give Teacher Better Curriculum
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By Kate Falk
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Engineering in Early Childhood: Learning from conference sessions
One of the conference sessions on engineering I attended at NAEYC quoted children in the title: “Don’t Call Us Kinders, We’re Engineers!” To introduce an engineering design process to children in kindergarten up to second grade, Emily P...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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My partner and I are thinking of moving to rural North Dakota to teach. I teach high school science while my partner teaches middle school. We would both like to teach in the same district. Do you have any advice on how we should proceed? —A., Mis...
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
A Q&A on Wisconsin's Science Standards
Wisconsin recently adopted new K–12 science education standards. Learn more about the standards in this Q&A with Kevin Anderson, Science Education Consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. When were your science standards a...
By Cindy Workosky
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Ideas and inspiration from NSTA’s December 2017 K-12 journals
Are you updating your approach to modeling? Aligning lessons between 5E and NGSS? Incorporating digital resources? Regardless of the grade level you teach, this month’s journals have ideas that can be used or adapted. Science Scope – Modeling...
By Mary Bigelow
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Ed News: How One CA School District is Leading the Way on New Science Standards
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By Cindy Workosky
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Conferences as professional development
Professional development—learning that will develop our professionalism, make us better teachers, and expand our content knowledge—aims to be delivered at just the right moment with an insight that changes you forever....
By Peggy Ashbrook
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Differentiating for an "Out of This World" Student
Artist’s rendition of Sirius A and B...
By Gabe Kraljevic
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As many high schools begin adopting curricula that include the study of microorganisms, biosafety must be addressed for a safer lab experience. Biohazards are biologically derived infectious materials, which may present a risk to other living thin...
By Kenneth Roy
Blog Post
House Education and Workforce Chair Virginia Fox introduced a bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA) last week, and her committee will be meeting to mark up the bill on Tuesday, December 12....
By Jodi Peterson
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Ed News: TFA, Alternative Programs Marginally Better Than Traditional Teacher Prep
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By Kate Falk
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My middle school students are creating organism presentations. How much scaffolding should I give them? — P., New York...
By Gabe Kraljevic
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What did you learn today, teacher?
I’m teaching a science methods class. I’d like to know: What was the most important thing you learned in your undergrad science methods classes? What do you wish you had known about science teaching that you didn’t learn in undergrad? ...
By Gabe Kraljevic
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Resources from previous NSTA conferences
Have you revisited the sessions from previous NSTA conference to check out the resources posted by presenters? Begin with the 2017 Elementary Extravaganza that has 27 resources listed, both documents and webpages. It was held on Friday, March 31 at t...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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STEMcoding project releases "Physics of Video Games" Hour of Code activity
Until recently, the world’s most popular K12 computer science website, hourofcode.com, did not have any physics-focused coding activities. This was the case until Professor Chris Orban of Ohio State University initiated an effort to develop co...
By Edwin P. Christmann
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Build the Science Department: Stories of Success
How can your science department become a site for developing teachers’ professional learning?...
By Carole Hayward