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Blog Post
On the train, returning from a busy day in Philadelphia and the annual ISTE conference (International Society for Technology in Education), I finally had time to think. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a technology-related conferenc...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Chemistry Now, week 16: biotoxins
What can be a poison in one form can be therapeutic in another, which begins to explain why researchers would look to the biotoxins produced by warm water dwelling snails for solutions to chronic pain and a host of other neurological conditions in h...
By admin
Blog Post
Preparation for the future….
“Ways you promote college preparedness and career readiness skills in your science classroom.” is the topic for this blog….while we always have those items that we “must” teach in the classroom which are based on curricular deci...
By Christine Royce
Blog Post
Va-cation, stay-cation, and edu-cation
But you only work 9 months a year! How many times do teachers hear that? Those who make that comment obviously have never been a teacher or a family member or friend of a teacher. (And I’m not sure where the 3 months off idea comes from. My cla...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Chemistry Now, week 14: flower color
In a sea of green vegetation, you’ll find reds, yellows, oranges, blues, and purples—a beautiful range of colors that pop out, saying to insects and other pollinators, “visit me, visit me, no, not that one…....
By admin
Blog Post
I teach seventh grade science and am currently putting together my wish list for next year. I’m looking for information on data collection devices such as Vernier, RED (Really Easy Data) or Log It. In particular, I would like to use the devices...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
NSTA Press author Bill Robertson has extended his popular Stop Faking It! series with the new teacher resource Companion Classroom Activities for Stop Faking It! Force and Motion (Grades 5–9)....
By Claire Reinburg
Blog Post
1st and 2nd grade students collecting and analyzing data, 7th graders too!
Collecting and analyzing data follows observational steps in science inquiry. To get inspired about expanding your students’ science experiences, read about the data collection by first and second grader teams who are National Elementary School Win...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
I recently graduated from a teaching program with a biology certification. With the current economic situation, I’m not sure I’ll get a full-time teaching position. What should I know about substituting? —Alex, Chattanooga, TN...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Last weekend, I did volunteer work at a county park nature center. Many people were taking advantage of the beautiful weather: walking the trails, birdwatching, biking, running, and picnicking. When a family came in to the building to see the display...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Cell phones and cancer? A modern science debate
Do cell phones cause cancer? Those five words have been floating around for over a decade, but only recently has it caught the attention of mainstream cell phone users, some of whom out of fear have changed their usage habits....
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
“Though wholly fabricated from such common raw materials as coal, water and air, nylon can be fashioned into filaments as strong as steel, as fine as the spider’s web, yet more elastic than any of the common natural fibers and possessing ...
By admin
Blog Post
"Distractions" in the classroom
I’m having some classroom management problems in my middle school science classes. I think the classroom itself provides many distractions and contributes to the problem. My middle-school students sit at lab tables, facing each other. Their c...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
A wise professor once told us, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, pretty soon everything starts to look like a nail.” My takeaway from that class was that teachers need a variety of tools, from basic strategies to more specialized on...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Student blogs replace worksheets
Blogs provide a great way to extend the classroom beyond your 45 minute class period. They can be used in a variety of ways to spark discussion and student research. Chris Ludwig, a high school science teacher in Colorado, wrote this blog post to...
By Eric Brunsell
Blog Post
“I know what I mean but I can’t ‘splain it.” I used to hear that from my middle school students in physical science, especially on essay questions. Sometimes the concepts are indeed hard to ‘splain in words. Visuals and ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Spring bird sightings bring reflection on conference sessions
If children bring a downed and abandoned nest to school, have them return it to the same location....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
On being a "cooperating" teacher: The greatest lesson ever
In a previous blog on student teaching, Christina Atton reflected on her student teaching in science. Her cooperating teacher, Ms. Chevin Stone (from Donald E. Gavit MS/HS in Hammond, IN), shares her experiences as Christina’s cooperating teach...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Did you see this article from Education Week shared on NSTA’s Facebook page? Study: Interactive Tools Matter More Than Teaching Methods...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Activities that focus on food and cooking can help students see how relevant and fascinating science can be in everyday life. In a recent illustration of the enduring appeal of food’s scientific underpinnings, one of the most sought-after classro...
By Claire Reinburg
Blog Post
All you earlybirds out there are in for a treat this month if you look eastward just before dawn (and the weather is clear). Four planets will be engaged in a slow-motion dance, aligning themselves differently day by day in a tight segment of the s...
By NSTA Web Director
Blog Post
For the past few years, I’ve had a self-contained fifth-grade class, and my students and I enjoyed doing many hands-on science activities and investigations. Next year, I’ll be teaching science to all of the sixth-graders....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
While reviewing some materials from a workshop, I came across a few online gems this week to add to the SciLinks keyword assessment. Even some of the experienced teachers in the workshop had to stop and think about the differences between analytic an...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Family science: ideas and resources for activities
Towards the end of the school year we often think of resources we can share with families to use over the summer....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Chemistry Now, week 13: chemistry to dye for
Reds and pinks, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, purples, browns, even grays and blacks, these represent a spectrum of colors that we take for granted thanks to synthetic dyes, but once weavers and fabric makers took great pains to extract these colo...
By admin
Blog Post
Next semester, I’ll be student teaching and I’m currently in the midst of my Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment classes. However, I really don’t have any insight into the life of a student teacher yet. I’m curious what I should d...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Will the science education plan work in the knowledge economy?
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan shared his views on the direction of Science Education in the Knowledge Economy in the May 2011 issue of NSTA Reports....
By Lynn Petrinjak
Blog Post
The last few days of the school year are a challenge—the time in between the final projects/assessments and the last day of school. Students assume that the year is over, and to stay “busy,” they are sometimes inundated with videos ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
This is my first year of teaching in a middle school, and I am really struggling with paperwork. Currently I am spending all my time checking papers to make sure my students are actually doing their homework and grading worksheets, lab reports, and t...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
What are STEM activities in your school, district or state?
In this month’s Leaders Letter, some of the questions posted connect to STEM related activities in your area. To start the topic off, I’d like to highlight some upcoming possible STEM initiatives that people can attend and hope that oth...
By Christine Royce
Blog Post
Chemistry Now, week 12: clean chemistry: under the sink
Ammonia is one of the chemicals that feeds the world....
By admin
Blog Post
Spring, and moving on towards summer
In my neck of the woods we are enjoying a consistently cool Spring with cherry blossoms and daffodils lasting longer than in most years. The sugar snap peas that the children planted in a large pot outside are about 7cm tall and while we’ve seen Ca...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Giving students opportunities to explore and observe plants, birds, or bugs on the school grounds or in nearby gardens and parks can bring multiple benefits....
By Claire Reinburg
Blog Post
I’m interested in finding some science assessments to supplement the state tests at the high school level. I’m especially looking for ones that will help me understand students’ thinking. —Lisa, Fort Myers, Florida...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Chemistry Now, week 11: condiments
Salads, sandwiches, and, of course, hamburgers feature condiments for flavor and texture. Tuna and chicken cling to onions and celery with the aid of mayonnaise. A teaspoon or so of mustard might add some bite to the salad. And if you’re feeling in...
By admin
Blog Post
Sharing research results of play dough comparison
Children in my preschool love to cook, and in some ways cooking is much like science learning. We feel the ingredients, measure them, follow a procedure to (hopefully) replicate the results of others, and make observations as we mix and apply heat....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Should science instruction before grade 3 be eliminated to make more time in the school day for Language Arts and Math instruction?...
By Peggy Ashbrook