JoinOnline Connections (2010-2021)
July-August 2021
- Standardized rubric for analyzing healthy and impacted coral
- Student worksheet for organizing evidence
Using Big Data to Understand the History of Planet Earth
- Connecting to the Next Generation Science Standards
- Delving Into the Database instruction sheet
- Fossils, rock strata, and the geologic time scale
- Key and rubric for responses to items in lesson
- Key vocabulary
Modeling Magnetism With the Floating Paper Clip
- Connecting to the Next Generation Science Standards
- Grading rubric
- Individual assessment
- Magnetism phenomenon explanation
March-April 2021
Teaching Nature of Science Concepts
- Fram motivation student workwheet
- MOSAiC motivation answer key
- Optical satellite imagery analyst role description sheet
- Ice thickness analyst role description sheet
- Drift analyst role description sheet
- Final visual representation example
- Unit summary
- Connecting to the Next Generation Science Standards
Ecototherm ER
An Unforgettable Journey
Transforming Local Spaces
Some Like It Hot
- Teacher explanation handout
- Student explanation handout
- Engagement teacher and student materials
- Exploration teacher and student materials
- Explanation teacher and student materials
- Elaboration teacher and student materials
- Evaluation teacher and student materials
- Connecting to the Next Generation Science Standards
Landslides
Using Science-Themed Fiction Chapter Books
Small-Group Work in the Online Science Classroom
January-February 2021
Practical Research
The Molecules That Make Me Unique
Walking the Slope
The Moon’s Inclined Orbital Plane
November-December 2020
Interdisciplinary Ideas
Moving Continents
- CER graphic organizer
- For the teacher: Literacy strategies
- Model formative assessment
- NGSS chart
- Paragraph shrinking strategy
- PT Investigation 3 PowerPoint presentation
- PT Unit student handouts
Multimodal Text Sets
Fact or Fiction
Chimborazo: Then and Now
- Day 1 PowerPoint presentation
- Day 2 PowerPoint presentation
- Chimborazo data set (Day 1)
- Chimborazo map (Day 1)
- Humphrey’s data map
- NGSS chart
Self-Donning Sterile Gloves
- Design brief guidelines and rubric
- Lesson plan
- Prototype presentation feedback form
- Student design validation table
- Student version of criteria and constraints matrix
- Student version of tradeoff matrix
- Tradeoff matrix rubric
September/October 2020
The Online Teacher
Case Studies in Environmental Justice
- Artist Statement Directions
- Asthma Texts with Stop and Jots
- Environmental Protest Art, Gallery Walk Note-Catcher
- Environmental Racism Data Task Rubric
- Environmental Racism—Exploring the Data
- Feature Article Brainstorm and Outline
- Feature Article Mentor Text Notes
- Feature Article Rubric—Maquiladoras, Hurricane Katrina, Tar Creek
- Gallery Walk Note-Catcher
- Hurricane Katrina Articles with Stop and Jots
- Maquiladoras Texts with Stop and Jots
- One-Pager Story Sample
- RISE Film Assignment
- Science Background Research—Asthma Case Study
- Science Background Research—Katrina Case Study
- Science Background Research—Maquiladoras Case Study
- Science Background Research—Tar Creek Case Study
- Science Background Research Rubric
- Student Artwork with Artists' Statements
- Tar Creek Texts with Stop and Jots
- Wonder Week Student Overview
Community LEAD-ers
Integrating the Five Practices and Model-Based Inquiry
Mapping Stakeholders
Why Does the Moon Look Like That Again?
Teachers Toolkit
July/August 2020
Illuminating the Universe
Exploring Earth Geoscience Processes
Learning Business Economics and Fermentation
Flight of the Bumblebee
Integrating Technology
April/May 2020
Planting 3D Instruction in Your Classroom
- Growing a school garden
- Model rubrics
- Population chart follow-up questions
- Safety considerations
- Summary of garden unit
Earthworm Distribution in the Schoolyard Ecosystem
Army Ants and Their Guests
Finding Team Clean
Disequilibrium
March 2020
Making in the Middle
Start with Art
Teacher's Toolkit
February 2020
STEMonstrations Aboard the International Space Station
Lentil Beans and the Milky Way
Atoms and Matter
Energy Museum Walk
January 2020
Superhero Physics
- Ground rules for Socratic seminar
- Superhero task sheets:
- Guided notes
- Formative assessment
- Overall assignment sheet
- Student-graded lessons
Synthesizing Geologic Data into an Argument for Plate Tectonic Theory
Visualizing the Environmental Effects of Electronics
- Student inforgraphic 1
- Student inforgraphic 2
- Student inforgraphic 3
- Steering committee notes template
- Infographic project outline
November 2019
Making in the Middle
Interdisciplinary Ideas
Integrating Tech
Blended Learning in the Science Classroom
October 2019
Classic Lessons 2.0
Let's Be Litter Free
- Blank graph
- Directions for using interactive table
- Example AGL charts
- Simplified trash category count sheets
- Trash count sheets–long version
- Trash sort pictures
Student-Driven Citizen Science
- Biomagnification activity
- Biomagnification
- Food web graphic novel rubric
- Food webs graphic novel
- Microplastics data chart
- Project proposal
- Project requirements
- Visual project report rubric
- Water problems assignment
- Water problems research report
Sustainable Forest Management
- Handout 1: Basal area summary
- Handout 4: Worksheet school forest summary questions
- ThinkPairShare
- Worksheet for graphing school forest trends
The War Over Water Continues
- Distribution of water station: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner—Coleridge
- Distribution of water station: Mathematical models
- Ground water station resource 1
- Ground water station resource 2
- Groundwater water sources
- Infiltration factors station surface features via 3 surfaces
- Infiltration factors surface features via shaving cream model
- Journey of a water droplet student handout
- Water cycle station anticipation guide
- Where did the puddles go?
September 2019
Science-Based Serendipitous Events
Teacher's Toolkit
Teaching Natural Selection Ambitiously
A Particle Model for Density
August 2019
Developing a Highway Crash Safety Barrier
- Design argument template
- Design matrix
- Guiding questions
- Materials tests
- Sample responses student handout
Petroleum and Me
Keeping Critical Thinking Afloat
July 2019
Dairy Discoveries
Creating Culturally Relevant Science Stories
Find Your Future in a Living Science Career
- Agricultural career cluster investigation
- Agricultural career infographic: rubric
- Career activity scenario
- Concept map rubric
- Emerging agricultural technologies
Engineering a Windowsill Hydroponics System to Grow Lettuce
- Graphic organizers for Hydroponics Engineering Challenge
- Hydroponics materials, sources, and approximate prices
- Hydroponics system design: presentation rubric
- Wicking decision scoring rubric
- Wicking materials investigation procedure
Disequilibrium
Balancing egg on salt:
Hard-boiled egg spinning:
Hard-boiled egg stopped:
Raw egg stopped, then spins again:
Yolk being removed from whites:
Yolk placed in separate location:
April/May 2019
Teacher to Teacher
Teacher's Toolkit
- JUMP! data sheet
- Jumping to Conclusions content question sheet
- Meeting 9 (physiology) agenda/activities
- Sit and Reach! data sheet
Citizen Science
March 2019
The Science Project Portfolio
- Comment Codes
- Display Board Advice
- Factors for Comparison worksheet
- Four Questions worksheet
- Materials and Procedures worksheet
- Report Part 1: Peer Review Checklist
- Report Part 2: Peer Review Checklist
- Research Directory
- Research Paper Description and Components
- Research Paper Explanation Prompt
- Research Paper Peer Review Checklist
- Rubrics
- Table and Graph Checklists
- Transformation worksheet
Ride the Movies
Turning Tests into Tasks
Making in the Middle
- Making Cells and Me feedback form
- Making Cells and Me formative checklist
- Making Cells and Me student handout
February 2019
Is Our Water Safe to Drink?
Making in the Middle
- Unplugged robotics assessment
- Vocabulary words and definitions
- Answer key
- Example error and troubleshooting solution
- Example sequence for brushing teeth
- Materials list
- Robot arm sequencing worksheet
Cougars and Bears and Wolves, Oh Elk!
- Elaboration—newspaper template
- Figure 2: Engagement identity cards
- Figure: Exploration student graph
- Teacher handout 1: Engagement phase
- Teacher handout 2: Exploration phase
- Teacher handout 3: Explanation phase
Using Storylines to Support Three-Dimensional Learning in Project-Based Science
Teacher's Toolkit
January 2019
Ocean Acidification Investigation
The Microscopic World of Plankton
Staying Fit in Space
Ocean Pressure
Practical Research
November/December 2018
Science for All
Astronomy That Makes Sense
Bottle Flipping
Demolishing Traditional Approaches to Science Instruction
Deriving Ohm's Law Using a Guided-Inquiry Investigation
Teacher's Toolkit
- Final summative assess and scoring guide
- Student handout for lesson 3
- Student handout for lesson 4
- Student handout for lesson 5
Disequilibrium
Bottle on bill:
Bottle, bill, coins:
October 2018
Making in the Middle
Teacher's Toolkit
Outlining Informational Text
Disequilibrium
Removing an egg:
September 2018
Classroom-scale Experiments with Application to the Global Cycle of Water and Energy
- Example student handouts
- Example student work with annotations
- Supplies for latent heat transfer experiment
Getting Beneath the Surface
When Air Masses Collide!
National Parks Investigation
Integrating Technology
Classic Lessons
August 2018
Teacher to Teacher
Inspiring Student-Driven Observations
The Temperature-Sensing Lunchbox
Connect-the-Engineer Activity
Illuminating Food Webs
- Student worksheet
- Rubric
- Materials list
- Paper circuit templates:
July 2018
Teacher to Teacher
Where Does a Tree Get Its Mass?
How Will We Freeze the Ice Cream?
- Exothermic v Endothermic worksheet
- Exothermic v Endothermic worksheet answer key
- Lab investigation worksheet
- Data sheets
- Ice Cream Design Challenge journal
- Ice Cream Design Challenge answer key
- Ice Cream Design Challenge slideshow
- Confidence chart
- Student sketch
- Endothermic v Exothermic investigation report rubric
- Explanation sample 1
Making Mixtures
April/May 2018
What Kind of Person Becomes a Scientist?
Teacher to Teacher
Engineering Partnerships
- Buoyancy expert group experiment
- Heat group experiment
- Microbe group experiment
- Engineering design rubric
- Engineering reflection
- Expert roles and engineering design steps
- Heat lost lab
- Materials price list
- Ocean vent exploration
- Presentation checklist
Integrating Technology
Classic Lessons 2.0
Bridging the Gap Between "Rocks for Jocks" and the Mars Sample Return Program
The Evolution of a Partnership
March 2018
Disequilibrium/Sensory Illusions
Classic Lessons
Integrating Tech
Could "The Martian" Really Have Grown Potatoes for Food?
Engineering Nanoparticles for the Body
Cells on Mars
Cell Modeling Students Can Really Get Into
February 2018
How Can We Provide Water for Developing Countries?
- Investigation instructions
- Reflections on lab activity
- Options for clean water research table
- Background and research table
The NGSS-ification of Too Slow to Notice
A Framework for Integrating Science, Engineering, and Literacy
Composting
January 2018
Wilderness Water Crisis
Integrating Tech
- Commenting guide
- Differentiated ecology post instructions
- Genotype and phenotype practice
- Post commenting rubric
Teacher Toolkit
December 2017
Deep Thinking Over Geologic Time
Classic Lessons
November 2017
Teacher's Toolkit
- Certificate
- Multiple choice questions feedback sheet
- STEM Club poster
- Student sign-up sheet
- Parent information sheet
Inquiry Into Action: Ecosystems and Animals
- Animal cards
- Rubric for report
- Student example
- Exhibit evaluation
- Saving animals research
- Website evaluation
- Conservation actions for classrooms
Out in the field: Learning about plant diversity
October 2017
Disequilibrium/Measuring Our Rising Sea Levels
Looking Backward, Looking Forward
Using Packrat Midden Models to Investigate Climate Variability
The Sea Bird Mystery
A Gassy World
- Designing a fair test
- It's a Gassy World! scavenger hunt
- Lab checklist
- CER student handouts answer key
- Teacher answer key for CER
Teacher's Toolkit
Empowering Sixth-Grade Students Through a Climate Change Lesson
Climate Change, Photosynthesis, and Misleading Information
Using Packrat Midden Models to Investigate Climate Variability
September 2017
Teacher to Teacher
Teaching Thermal Energy Concepts in a Middle School Mathematics-Infused Science Curriculum
What's in Your School Yard?
- eMammal Predictions vs. Observations table
- eMammal Habitat worksheet
- Species Richness teacher guide and student worksheet
Teacher's Toolkit
- Answer key
- Sample Bingo card
- Sample Bingo Card 2
- Sample Bingo Card 3
- Sample Bingo Card 4
- Sample fact sheet
- Sample fact sheet 1
- Sample script
- Sample script 1
- STEM Bingo worksheet
Integrating Tech
Exploring the Engineering Design Process Through Computer-Aided Design and 3-D Printing
- Figure 5: Design requirements of a new car body
- Appendix B
- Appendix C
- Appendix D
- Appendix E
- Shapes for a 3-D printer (.stl files):
Summer 2017
Science for All
Moving Beyond STEAM
- Artifact analysis worksheet
- Kodu game rubric
- Sea turtle proportion example
- Sea turtle rubric
- Student's turtle
Exploring Terrestrial Isopods
- Rubric
- A student guide for the biology of terrestrial isopods
- Activity 2 data collection sheet
- Activity 3 data collection sheet
Teacher's Toolkit
April/May 2017
Disequilibrium
Science for All
Teacher to Teacher
Beat the Heat!
Beluga Whales
Integrating Tech
Classic Lessons
- Graphing rubric
- Assessment worksheet
- Predicting mode of seed dispersal worksheet
- Student data sheet for model fruits
March 2017
Are You Ready for a Spacewalk?
The August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse
- Image 4 - Six Lunar Photographs Set 1
- Image 6 – Lunar Observing Record Chart
- Image 10 – Moon Phase Activity Sheet
Teacher to Teacher
Moving Students Toward a More Accurate View of the Solar System
Sunrise, Sunset
February 2017
An Inquiry Lesson on Stream Ecosystems
- FFG characteristics
- Habitat analysis data sheet
- Habitat assessment rubric
- Materials list
- Rubric
- Sample data sheet
- Vocab list
Teacher to Teacher
Science on a Shoestring
Supporting Student Understanding of Watersheds by Using Multiple Models to Explore Elevation
- Rubric for evaluating students' watershed drawings
- Watershed project rubric
- Worksheet 1: ESRI digital elevation tools
- Worksheet 2: Creating a clay model
Learning and Applying Systems Thinking When Studying a Local Creek System
Author video introduction to activity:
From Fish Tank to Fuel Tank
- The Spec0: A Single-Wavelength Homemade Spectrophotometer
- Evaluating the Photobioreactors
- Morphological chart
Water, Water Everywhere!
January 2017
Classic Lessons
Teacher to Teacher
Building Bots to Develop Systems Thinking
Using Systems Mapping to Plan Scientific Investigations
Citizen Science
Call the Plumber!
Diving into Buoyancy
December 2016
Classic Lessons
Science for All
Food and Energy for All
November 2016
Using Place-Based Structured Inquiry to Motivate At-Risk Students
Toolkit
Teacher-to-Teacher
An Interdisciplinary Approach to Gene Therapy
October 2016
Earth History Theories
Exploring Lunar and Solar Eclipses Via a 3-D Modeling Design Task
Teacher's Toolkit
Classic Lessons 2.0
September 2016
A Middle School Lake Study
Investigating Axial Seamount
- Evidence-based explanation
- Evidence-based explanation rubric
- Plate boundary type notes
- Subduction zone data and graph
Classic Lessons 2.0
Summer 2016
Engineering Seltzer Rockets
WISEngineering
Engineering Technology for the Digital World
Evaluating the Egg Drop
Tried and True
- Engineering design team roles
- Student handout
- The engineering design process
- Page 5 of handout with student notations
- Rubric
Teacher's Toolkit
- Culminating Project Rubric and Design Requirements
- Mini-Project Rubric and Design Requirements
- Skills Checklist Example
April/May 2016
Making Science Real
Naming the Solar System
Tried and True
Teacher's Toolkit
- Base explanation rubric
- ELA examples
- ELA prompts
- Example presentation 1
- Example presentation 2
- History scaffold and student response
- Physical features data table for the temperature difference test
Light, Color, Vision, Optics! A Text for Grades 6–8
March 2016
Build Your Own Sunglasses
Chemical Connections: A Problem-Based Learning, STEM Experience
Teacher's Toolkit
- Figure 3. A Marble Ramps project in the initial build phase
- Figure 4. Students testing their Marble Ramps design
- Figure 5. Metrics used to evaluate the Marble Ramps project
February 2016
From Mendel to Me: Constructing Genetics Knowledge Through Historical Problem-Based Learning
- Pea Activity
- Pre- and Posttest
- Punnett
- Vignette 1: Early Years
- Vignette 1: Sample Activity and Response
- Vignette 1: Sample Work
- Vignette 2: Heredity
- Vignette 3: Mendel's Accomplishments
- Vignette 3: Mendel's Contributions
- Vignette 4
- Student Work Samples
Pass the DNA, Please
Tried and True
January 2016
Outbreak! Cells, Pathogens, and Disease
- Guiding Questions
- Klews Chart
- Online Alternative Resources
- Online Resources
- Sample Comic
- Sheet 1
- Sheet 1 Unscaffolded
- Sheet 2
- Sheet 2 Unscaffolded
- Sheet 3
- Sheet 3 Unscaffolded
- Storyboard
- Rubric
A Biomedical Engineering Twist to Science Fairs
- Approval Form
- Display and Safety Rules
- Engineering Fair Proposal
- Engineering Portfolio
- Human Subject Consent Form
- Judges Scoring Sheet
- Risk Assessment Form
- Topic Selection Worksheet
Modeling Ecosystems
Eco-choices: Understanding the Complex Consequences of Local Decisions
Bird-brained Foraging: Learn to Eat Like a Crow
December 2015
Authentic Science Investigation in the Classroom
Tried and True
Everyday Engineering
Present, Critique, Reflect, and Refine
Assessing Science Practices
November 2015
The Ocean Platform Engineering Design Challenge: Flooded with STEM Content and Practice
- Engineering Design Process Graphic Organizer
- Wave Bin Construction Instructions
- Vocabulary Card-sort Activity
- Platform Design Brief for Students and Scoring Rubric
- Lesson Plan and Student Prompts to Help Justify Engineering Solution
Troubling Tides
Modeling the Physical Properties of Glaciers
Exploring the Complexity of Ocean Acidification
- Photos:
- Worksheet
- Reading
- pH and Temperature Data (Spreadsheet)
There's a Glacier in Your Backyard
Tried and True
October 2015
Sea Less Sea-Less Seagulls: Planning for an Interdisciplinary STEM Unit
Connecting the Dots: Lasers Link Students to their 3-D World
Using Biographical Letters to Draw on the Nature of Science
Shrimp and Black Gill: Studying the Effect of Apostome Ciliates
Tried and True: Using Observations of Fossils to Reconstruct Ancient Environments
Teacher's Toolkit: Bridging the Three Dimensions of the NGSS Using the Nature of Science
Using a STEM-based Approach to Make Recycling Metallic Elements Relevant
Using a STEM-Based Approach to Make Recycling Metallic Elements Relevant
September 2015
Botanical Heart Throbs: Heart Rate in Blackworms
Exploring the Science of Less-Familiar Forms of Animal "Flight"
The Controversy Over Pluto: Planet or Astronomic Oddball?
Summer 2015
Supporting Science Access for All Students: Using Content Enhancements to Create Pathways to the Big Ideas
Artificial Floating Islands: An Integrated STEM Unit
The Fish Weir: A Culturally Relevant STEM Activity
Science Meets Engineering: Applying the Design Process to Monitor Leatherback Turtle Hatchlings
Tried and True: Fossils, Inquiry, and the English Language Learner
April/May 2015
Exploring Sound! Using Tablets in Middle School Science
Using Authentic Data in Middle School Atmospheric Science Instruction
"Nor Any Drop to Drink": Students Engineer Solutions for Desalinating Ocean Water
Teaching With Tarantulas
March 2015
For the Love of Infographics
The Surprising Patterns of Health and Disease
February 2015
The Who, What, When, Where, and How of Waves
- Light and Sound Story: Guided Version
- Light and Sound Story: Gifted Version
- Light and Sound Story: Students with Disabilities Version
- Exploration Stations
- Writing Rubric
Reading and Writing Alignment Across the Content Areas
- Expository Paragraph Rubric
- Formative Assessment
- Summative Expository Writing Assessment
- Summative Assessment
- Student Revision Reflection
Comic Relief: Using Comics and Illustrated Trade Books to Support Science Learning in First-Year English Language Learners
January 2015
Aliens Invade and Drop Off Litter
Plotting Plants: Tracking Invasive Species in the Local Community
A Water Cycle of Many Paths
Life With Limited Resources
December 2014
No Ordinary Coronary
Tried and True: Building Bridges with the NGSS
Sickle Cell Disease: Relating Community Health and Heredity
The Big Break: A Module on Biomedical Engineering Principles
November 2014
Engineering Design and EFFECTS: A Water Filtration Example
The Justin Time Challenge
Designing Earthquake-Resistant Structures: Integrating Science and Engineering Practices
October 2014
Lakes Alive!
Eureka! Causal Thinking About Molecules and Matter
Conservation of Matter in the Life Sciences
September 2014
Gearing Up for Engineering
Summer 2014
Including Students in a Model of the Earth, Moon, and Sun System
April/May 2014
Straws and Air Pressure: Using and Everyday Object to Explain Air Pressure
January 2014
The Leonardo Strategy: Scientific Discourse and Argumentation in an Online Environment
Stomp Rockets: A High-Impact Exploration of Science Concepts
Using Place-Based Inquiry to Inspire and Motivate Future Scientists
Teachers Toolkit: Scientific Explanations and Arguments
December 2013
Bringing Earthquake Engineering to Your Hometown
99.99%: Antibacterial Products and Natural Selection
November 2013
Tried and True: Classroom Zoo
- Project Goals and Timeline as a PDF
- Project Rubric
- Student Research Tasks
- Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Worksheet
- Animal Project Design Worksheet
- Classroom Zoo Student Reflection
April/May 2013
Using Mathematics to Conduct Social Analyses of Bottlenose Dolphins in Science Classrooms
March 2013
Sense-of-Place Writing Templates
Science Circus
Everyday Engineering: An In-Depth Look at 3-D
February 2013
Editor’s Roundtable
Building on Students’ Knowledge of Solar Cells
Lunch-Trash Solar Stills: Learning About the Engineering Design Process Through Earth Science
December 2012
Everyday Engineering: Toying Around with Wind Ups
October 2012
Playing Scientist: Using Digital Resources and Role Play to Enhance Student Understanding of Science as a Human Endeavor
September 2012
Everyday Engineering: Should Ice be Cubed?
Swap Meet: A Novel Way to Introduce Unit Conversion
Recommendations for Using Computer in Science Classes: Making a Positive Impact
July 2012
Teacher’s Toolkit: Using Metacognition to develop understanding of the role of evidence in science
Tried and True: Cubes and raisins: A student-centered lesson designed to teach observations and inferences
March 2012
Reconstructing Environmental Change Using Lake Varves as a Climate Proxy
January 2012
Getting Past "Just Because": Teaching Writing in Science Class
July 2011
Twenty Ways to Assess Students Using Technology
Current Research: 2011 Summer Reading Suggestions
April/May 2011
Our Human-Plant Connection
March 2011
Flooded! An Investigation of Sea-Level Rise in a Changing Climate
October 2010
Science Sampler: The Science of Soil Textures
March 2010
Tried and True: Disrupted Food Webs
February 2010
Helping the Environment Helps the Human Race
January 2010
How Middle School Students Come Face to Face with Down Syndrome Research
March 2007
Science Sampler—Earthweek in the Classroom: