This past summer, NSTA member Naomi Beverly participated in the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy. Since then, Beverly says that she has gone to the NSTA website and the NSTA Learning Center almost every day to participate in discussions with other science teachers, research lesson plan ideas, and increase her science content knowledge. Beverly, who teaches science to third-grade special education students, calls her NSTA membership and access to the NSTA Learning Center a “blessing.” “I get high-quality professional development at my own pace,” she says.

Beverly: I access the Learning Center so much. I enjoy using the SciPacks, SciGuides, and the Science Objects. Those are really helpful to me, because my undergraduate degree was not in education. So, I’m missing a lot of science content. I received a master’s degree in special education and the science content support I receive from NSTA allows me to properly teach science to my students. Otherwise, how could I help out some of the lowest-performing kids with the greatest needs when I don’t have a solid content base?? Through my NSTA membership, I can study the science content and fill in any gaps in my understanding.

I find quality lesson plans with tons of activities in the Learning Center. So, I don’t have to rattle my brain and try to recreate the wheel. A lot of the activities are hands-on, as well, which is so important when teaching students with special needs. Some of them fall below grade-level in reading, so they really benefit from participating in interactive activities and visual simulations that engage them. NSTA provides those activities.

For instance, I have used content from the Science Object, “Science of Food Safety: Understanding the Cell’s Importance” in my classroom. The module includes a really cool simulation that I show my students on how quickly bacteria can replicate. Just seeing that simulation and having that interactive experience is valuable to them. Now, if I ask those students “How long does it take a bacterium to replicate?” they know the answer and remember that simulation.

We’re focusing on habitats right now. Ocean habitats, for example, include plankton and other organisms that can be too abstract for my third-grade students with special needs to understand at first. They don’t have the vocabulary and the real-world experience. Showing them something interactive on the computer, though, helps. I’m going to incorporate what I’ve learned in the Coral Reef Ecosystems SciPack in my class. My students will be able to see what happens to the health of a reef when conditions change (for example, if the reef isn’t getting enough sunlight). Those sort of simulations that expose students to science and vocabulary are really valuable.

(Note from NSTA: “Science for All” is a key goal of science education. NSTA provides strategies and resources for making science accessible for all students. Not a member of NSTA? Learn more about how to join.)

Jennifer Henderson is our guest blogger for this series. Before launching her freelance career as a writer/editor, Jennifer was Managing Editor of The Science Teacher, NSTA’s peer-reviewed journal for high school science teachers.