JoinThis is just the resource you need to get middle schoolers ready for August 21, 2017—the day when millions of North Americans will have the rare chance to witness a total solar eclipse. But the book’s usefulness won’t end when the eclipse does! Solar Science offers more than three dozen hands-on, inquiry-based activities on many fascinating aspects of solar astronomy. The activities cover the Sun’s motions, space weather caused by the Sun, the measuring of time and seasons in our daily lives, and much more.
This is just the resource you need to get middle schoolers ready for August 21, 2017—the day when millions of North Americans will have the rare chance to witness a total solar eclipse. But the book’s usefulness won’t end when the eclipse does! Solar Science offers more than three dozen hands-on, inquiry-based activities on many fascinating aspects of solar astronomy. The activities cover the Sun’s motions, space weather caused by the Sun, the measuring of time and seasons in our daily lives, and much more.
Wendy Saul at #NSTA15 Kansas City: Curiosity Takes Center Stage
By Korei Martin
Posted on 2015-09-03
Dr. Wendy Saul has been a vital part of the science literacy community since 1985 when she co-authored Vital Connections: Children, Science and Book. Since then Saul has focused her attention on the relationship between science and language and how it can be better integrated in schools and libraries.
NSTA members know her from the book Front-Page Science: Engaging Teens in Science Literacy (read a sample chapter), which offers science journalism techniques that help students become better consumers of, and contributors to, a scientifically literate community.
Fostering an Insatiable Curiosity
This December 3–5, fans of Saul can meet her in person, at the 2015 Area Conference on Science Education in Kansas City, Missouri, where she will share her thoughts on sparking curiosity and active learning in students. Don’t miss “Fostering an Insatiable Curiosity: Planning for the Future,” on Friday, December 3 9:30-10:30 AM, in the Kansas City Convention Center, room 2105.
Curious about what else will be happening during the conference? Here is a sample list of other sessions:
- STEMming The Zombie Tide
- AMSE Session: The Overlap between Culturally Responsive Teaching and the NGSS
- Hovercrafts and Newton’s Laws
- CPO’s Link™ Chemistry Models: Fun with Atom Building and the Periodic Table
- Earth Science for Our Next Generation of Very Young Scientists
- Archaea and the Three Domains: Classification of Life for Middle School
- Teach Engineering Principles on the Cheap with Concrete
Want more? Check out more sessions and other events with the Kansas City Session Browser/Personal Scheduler. Follow all our conference tweets using #NSTA15, and if you tweet, please feel free to tag us @NSTA so we see it!
The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
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2016 STEM Forum & Expo
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Encourage a Sense of Wonder in Your Students
By Carole Hayward
Posted on 2015-09-02
New books in the NSTA Kids I Wonder Why series are available just in time for the new school year! Focused on the biological sciences, these five books introduce readers to basic science content pertaining to plants and animals. Author Lawrence F. Lowery ignites the curiosity of children in grades K–3 while encouraging them to become avid readers. Included in each volume is a Parent/Teacher Handbook with coordinating activities.
Animals Two by Two
To give kids practice identifying similarities and differences, the book starts by pairing easy-to-distinguish animals, such as zebras and horses. Then it moves on to duos that are more difficult to tell apart, such as turtles and tortoises and seals and sea lions. Reading Animals Two by Two is like taking a walk through the zoo with an eagle-eyed friend—one who wants to know if you can spot the differences between a frog and a toad or a mole and a vole!
Looking for Animals
Now you see them, now you don’t! By showing the same creatures in two different settings, this book brings out the detective in young readers. They can investigate the role of protective coloration— nature’s own camouflage—for katydids, crickets, bumblebees, beavers, spiders, and spotted green frogs. The vivid examples encourage children to closely examine the characteristics of hidden creatures.
What happens when two friends take an interest in an oak tree? They begin to notice more about the world around them, such as the seasons changing and squirrels making homes. They are inspired to do independent research, from studying acorns to looking up scientific terms, and to be creative by composing pictures and poems. And they discover new things—all because they stopped to look around them.
The Tree by Diane’s House
Written in the rhythm of “The House That Jack Built,” The Tree by Diane’s House tells the story of a budding tree and a growing girl. As the tree grows from seed to sycamore, its leaves become meals for caterpillars, which become food for birds. Diane witnesses what happens when living things depend on one another—until they can’t do so anymore. This tale teaches young readers about the circle of life in the natural world.
The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
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New books in the NSTA Kids I Wonder Why series are available just in time for the new school year! Focused on the biological sciences, these five books introduce readers to basic science content pertaining to plants and animals. Author Lawrence F. Lowery ignites the curiosity of children in grades K–3 while encouraging them to become avid readers.