JoinAll Blog Posts
Blog Post
Using Art as an Introduction to Science
“Ms. Anne! Did you know kelp is a plant like the sunflowers?” That was just one of many questions I heard last week as my class turned the classroom into a kelp forest. It all began with the otters. No, it really all began with the students...
By Korei Martin
Blog Post
The Role of Instructional Resources in Supporting Investigation and Design
We are at an exciting time in science education. The Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2012) presents a vision for how we should teach science that is grounded in empirical evidence and what we know about how students learn. The Framework fo...
By Kate Falk
Blog Post
I am sick of using cookbook labs in my chemistry class and want my students to conduct more inquiry labs. However, my principal thinks that this might be a recipe for disaster. What do other chemistry teachers do to incorporate more inquiry into thei...
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
Missouri Science Teachers: NSTA Is Coming to You This April
If you’re a Missouri science teacher, you’ve probably been to the Missouri Botanical Garden, most likely as a chaperone. But when you join NSTA for our 2019 National Conference in St. Louis this April, you’ll get a completely different experien...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Dreaming of spring and preparing to garden with young children
Before the weather really warms up in your area, take children for a nature walk and together document through drawing or p...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
E-book Invites Young Readers to Discover How a Fish Fossil Exists in an Egyptian Desert
After devoting 25 years to the teaching profession, Mary Hanson was seeking “out of the box professional development opportunities.”...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Engaging Young Learners in the Practices of Science – Starting with Questions about Earthworms
Photo by Allie LaRue...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Supporting Classroom Implementation of Investigations and Design for All Students
Previous blogs on this series have focused on describing the Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12: Investigation and Design at the Center report’s conclusions and recommendations on the importance and role of investigation and engineering design...
By Kate Falk
Blog Post
Engaging in Authentic Research
High school students participating in Rutgers University’s Waksman Student Scholars Program spend a year conducting research projects in molecular biology and bioinformatics–the computational analysis of biological data̵...
By Debra Shapiro
Blog Post
Why We Shouldn’t Keep "Bugs" in a Drawer
Guest blogger Monica Dolan is the STEM Curriculum Coordinator at The Children’s Center at CalTech where she works as a liaison between the administration and the teaching staff to ensure curriculum plans are consistent with the center’s conceptu...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Preventing Science Laboratory Fires
Most science and STEM laboratories contain chemicals and electrical wiring that could cause smoke or fires. For this reason, the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 45 (section 6.3) standard, in accordance with NFPA 10, requires portable fi...
By Kenneth Roy
Blog Post
Engineering in early childhood continues
Engineering was celebrated last week but it continues to happen spontaneously, and with teachers’ support, in early childhood settings. Engineering happens when young children try to solve a problem by designing and testing a solution....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Using Social Media and Technology to Encourage Students’ Evidence-Based Discussions
Teachers often aspire to help their students become more involved in a community of practice. In my classroom, members of the community are my students, as well as students in other classrooms and professional scientists. In this blog post, I will sh...
By Cindy Workosky