JoinAll Blog Posts
Blog Post
Upon reflection on last year’s practice of taking children on “nature walks” outside, I see how much they enjoyed nature, made gains in vocabulary and became familiar with diversity in plants. In June, at the end of the school y...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
What Can NSTA Do for You This New School Year?
Turning the calendar to the month of August signifies the excitement of another school year. Early on in my teaching career, a colleague jokingly stated when the date stamped on the breakfast orange juice container read August 15 it was a reminder t...
By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
Career of the Month: Paleoseismologist
Based on Interviews With Professionals Using Science in the Workplace Paleoseismologists study geologic records to learn about earthquakes that happened thousands of years ago and then use that data to create models to forecast the probability of fut...
By sstuckey
Blog Post
Right to the Source: Sketching the Double Helix
Exploring Science and History With the Library of Congress. In 1869, 25-year-old Swiss physician Friedrich Miescher first identified and isolated deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), calling it nuclein. Decades later, scientists identified the DNA molecule�...
By sstuckey
Blog Post
I just took a fifth-grade position, and the principal showed me the classroom I’ll have. It’s a brand-new building, and there’s nothing in the classroom—just the student tables, bare bulletin boards, a few empty bookshelves, and a...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Starting the New School Year: Seven Safer Science Strategies
Before starting the new school year, in terms of safety, a little planning can go a long way. Science teachers, supervisors, and administrators should check out the Safer Seven checklist below for strategies that improve laboratory safety. Know...
By Kenneth Roy
Blog Post
Could a Species Like Bigfoot Have Evolved? 17 Mysteries Revealed at #STEMforum Last Week
2016 STEM Forum and Expo Denver, Colorado, July 27–29 As Seen on Twitter...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
I’m moving to a different state to take a teaching position. I don’t know anyone there, so where can I look for guidance on state standards and other resources that would be helpful in my new job? —W., Pennsylvania Congratulations on fi...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
The Anatomy of the STEM Pipeline: Dissecting Misconceptions at the 2016 #STEMforum
Anatomy: The subject tend to make teachers freeze up, or make the obligatory “gross” puns. But it’s a great topic for STEM, and a career field more students need to know about....
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
Health Wise: Countering Poverty’s Effects on Learning
Poverty is a student health problem, according to the 64,000-member American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP; 2016a)....
By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
Manipulating Contents & Containers, and representing 3-D objects in block play
It is so fascinating how obvious it is that children have different prior experiences, different developmental ages, and different interests when we teachers present them with a set of materials and don’t ask them to use them in a particular way! T...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Wooden unit blocks and representing their use in early childhood education
Working with and reading about the work of other educators is inspiring. While observing or mentoring in different programs I am given an education and opportunity to reflect on my own practice....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Once Upon an Earth Science Book
Do your middle school or high school students have trouble comprehending scientific reading? If you answered yes, we’ve got just the book for you! Here’s another question: Are you ready to have some fun in your classroom? Yes, again? Well, Once U...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Focus on Physics: The Equilibrium Rule—A Personal Discovery
Building an Understanding of Physical Principles Figure 1. Burl and Paul on a scaffold....
By sstuckey
Blog Post
Ideas and information from NSTA's Summer K-12 journals
These issues are great additions to your summer reading list! Most of the lessons in these journals include a detailed chart connecting the lesson to the NGSS. Science and Children – From Molecules to Organisms...
By Mary Bigelow