I’m a second-year teacher at a small elementary school. I was poking around the supply closet and found several unopened science kits.  Last year, I did some basic science activities that I did while student teaching, but this year, I’d like to do more. Would these kits be helpful? What do I need to know about them?
—Conrad, South Bend, Indiana
I’m glad you’re expanding your lessons to incorporate more science investigations. Science kits are published by many companies and individuals and address a variety of topics. They can be helpful for teachers who do not have a lot of background experience in science topics–either in the content itself or in designing and implementing inquiry-based activities.
I’d ask your colleagues or department chair what they know about them. And then, go ahead and open the boxes! Take a look at the descriptions and the teacher’s guides and check out information on the publisher’s website. Most kits focus on a theme or topic (e.g., the human body, matter and energy, weather). Determine which topics and lessons align with your curriculum goals. The kits I’m familiar with contain several lessons and are designed to be used as a unit of instruction at specific grade levels (e.g., K-2, 3-5, 6-8).
In addition to a teacher’s guide, the kits should also include student handouts and basic materials the students need for the activities. The activities should promote processes such as observing, questioning, hypothesizing, predicting, investigating (including planning, conducting, measuring, gathering data, controlling variables, interpreting, and drawing conclusions), and communicating. If the kits are just a collection of materials for demonstrations or replication (sometimes referred to as “cookbook” activities), you’ll need to go beyond showing students how to follow directions and supplement the activities with additional strategies in the processes mentioned above.

The kits should also have assessment suggestions, rubrics, timelines for implementation, suggestions for interdisciplinary connections, and components for reading, writing, and mathematics. Using kits should be an integral part of your science program, not an add-on, so be sure to allow time for all of the activities (anywhere from a few weeks to an entire marking period may be needed). The kits I’m familiar with do not have rigid scripts, so the teacher can adapt the activities to the needs and interests of the students.
When schools purchase kits, there is often an option for teacher training/professional development in using them. But unfortunately, you didn’t have that opportunity. If the publisher has a website, use it to learn more about the topics and the materials. Take advantage of any online forums or Frequently Asked Questions.
I worked with a fourth-grade teacher who used a kit focused on the anatomy and physiology of the human skeletal and muscular systems. When I observed her classes, the students made models of the human arm, using craft sticks and rubber bands. But this wasn’t just an arts-and-crafts replica. The students then used their models to explore the relationship between muscles, bones, and ligaments. When a group asked, “What would happen if the rubber bands were shorter?” the teacher asked what they thought would happen and encouraged them to change their model to see what did happen. As students worked, she distributed (without comment) pictures of animal skeletons. When the students looked at bird and bat wings, the arms of humans and apes, and the legs of frogs, horses, and cats, you could see light bulbs go off over their heads. “Wow, look how these are all alike!” “So that’s what the bones in a Buffalo wing are.” “The bones in our arms and legs are similar.” The teacher did not have to tell the students about homologous structures—the students saw them and came up with their own examples.  Several students looked up and learned the names of the bones, even though that was not an essential goal of the unit.
Another consideration is to inventory and replenish any materials in the kit before you store it again. You’ll be all ready for the next time.
This can be a great opportunity to get inquiry science into your classrooms. Just remember: although inquiry-based science often involves hands-on activities, not all hands-on activities are inquiry-based.
 
Photo: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7007/6799976179_7f6b4eecb4_q.jpg
 

Do you have advice on assessments that would be helpful for sharing with my mentee, a new teacher?
—Shirley, Lexington, Kentucky
Assessing student learning can (and should) include more than final tests. The process has components before, during, and at the end of the unit of instruction. You might find my archived posts with questions on assessments helpful:
Assessment at the beginning of a unit—Finding out what students know (or don’t know)

• Overcoming misconceptions Every year my students come to class with the idea that it’s colder in the winter because the earth is farther away from the sun. Where did they get this idea?
• What do students already know?  Last year, I started giving pretests at the beginning of each unit. The students were upset because they didn’t know many of the answers, even though I explained I didn’t expect them to know everything and the pretest wouldn’t count as a grade. Are there other ways to find out what students know about a topic?

Assessment during the unit –- Helping students monitor their own learning, in addition to formative assessments

• Asking for help  During class, students seem to understand the concepts. However, they don’t do well on the tests. I offer extra help before and after school and at lunch, but few students take advantage of it. I’m a first-year biology teacher, so I’d appreciate some suggestions on how to encourage students to ask questions or seek help when they need it.
• Student self-evaluation: How am I doing?   My middle school students frequently ask me “Is this right?” or “What should I do now?” How can I help them become more self-reliant?

Assessment at the end of a unit—Going beyond multiple-choice questions

• Using essay questions   I want to use more essay-type questions on my unit assessments, but with 150 students I feel swamped trying to grade all of the papers and provide feedback. Any suggestions for making this a good learning process?
• Rubrics   I’m trying to use more projects and open-ended assessments this year, but I’m getting bogged down with grading them. I know I should use rubrics, but it’s hard to create them for every assignment. Any suggestions for streamlining this process?

And providing meaningful feedback to students is another component of assessment. Our department chair is encouraging us to add comments to student writing assignments. This sounds time-consuming; I have more than 100 students in my Earth science classes. Would students even read my comments on lab reports or term papers?
Above all, I’d emphasize to your mentee that assessment is more than coming up with numbers to average into a grade. Using a variety of assessment strategies can help both the students and the teacher determine to what extent the learning goals are being met.
 
Photo:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/fontplaydotcom/504443770/
 
 

I’ve been a longtime fan of Understanding Science from the University of California Museum of Paleontology at Berkeley. It’s a comprehensive resource for learning more about the processes of science as used in the real world. The processes of science are represented as fluid and iterative, showing that science does not follow a structured recipe. The three main components of the website are Understanding Science 101, a “primer on the nature and process of science.” Another link leads to Teaching Resources, with grade-specific suggestions. And the Resource Library has sections on misconceptions and case studies as well as links to articles, tutorials, and interactives. If the first unit in your science textbook describes “THE” scientific method as a traditional, rigid flowchart, head to this site right away.
This is similar in design to Berkeley’s Evolution 101 website, another treasure of lessons and resources for K-12
As they say on TV informercials – But wait! There’s more…
How Science Works has been adapted as an online course for middle- and high-school science educators to “broaden their own knowledge and understanding and to use with students, the course weaves together activities, videos, and classroom-ready materials into a primer on the process of science that includes exploration and discovery, testing ideas, community feedback and peer review, and benefits and outcomes.” The course is free and downloadable for iOS devices from iTunes.
I’ve downloaded the course to my iPad (but you’ll need an Internet connection to access the videos and documents). The course has many similarities to the website, but it is designed as a focused learning tool. Each “lesson” includes an overview and links to the videos and articles related to the topic. At key places, the user is invited to reflect or describe their learning, using either the built-in notes or another personal journal or notebook. And there is a section on the connections between the NGSS and the course topics.
I could see this being used for independent study or by a study group (either in-person or online). And it’s FREE.

Check out this month’s most popular books, e-books, and children’s science trade books! Click over to our NSTA Recommends Catalog app to see what’s new. Between now and October 31, 2013, save $10 off your order of $40 or more of NSTA Press books by entering promo code SAVE10 at checkout through the online Science Store.
Most Popular NSTA Press Books

1. Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 1: 25 Formative Assessment Probes
2. The NSTA Reader’s Guide to the Next Generation Science Standards
3. Citizen Science: 15 Lessons That Bring Biology to Life, 6-12
4. Diagnosis for Classroom Success, Teacher Edition: Making Anatomy and Physiology Come Alive
5. Even More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons: Using Children’s Books to Guide Inquiry, K–5

Most Popular NSTA Press e-Books

1. Science for the Next Generation: Preparing for the New Standards
2. Rise and Shine: A Practical Guide for the Beginning Science Teacher
3. Predict, Observe, Explain: Activities Enhancing Scientific Understanding
4. The Case for STEM Education: Challenges and Opportunities
5. Uncovering Student Ideas in Primary Science, Volume 1: 25 New Formative Assessment Probes for Grades K–2

Most Popular Science Trade Books for Kids

1. Clouds, Rain, Clouds Again: I Wonder Why
2. Bubble Bubble
3. Next Time You See a Seashell
4. What Can an Animal Do?: I Wonder Why
5. Next Time You See a Firefly

This month’s The Leading Edge asks science education leaders to share their views on The Top Ten items identified by administrators as part of the Speak Up National Research Project which focused on the changing environment for digital learning. While there is The Top Ten list of items identified by students as need to know, the list that people are asked to comment on relates to the top topics in administrator’s views on technology.
One of the items on the top ten list indicates that 55% of school principals and district administrators say it is their concern that they do not have adequate technology for students to use at schools.  While there are pros and cons on the topic, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has gained much press and popularity in recent years allowing districts to provide the access whereas the students need to provide the technology option.  The idea of BYOD is actually third on the top ten list.  Concordia University actually offers a pros and cons review of BYOD that might be helpful in making a decision.  Regardless of the district policy, BYOD will need to be integrated into the school culture carefully with meaningful and relevant tasks for students to utilize their own device around.  Simply having a device does not necessarily indicate that it should always be open and/or available.  Educators will have a paradigm shift as they begin to look at the class and say “take out your (insert name of device here).”  Some students however will also have a learning curve as they begin to utilize technological devices as a tool for learning rather than as a method for interaction with friends.
Another area that is focused in relates to utilizing technology for professional growth as well as tasks.  The use of tablets for classroom observations and online videos for professional development end up making tasks easier and more readily available, but can also isolate professionals from the discourse that most likely would happen when brought together for a larger professional development experience.
So what are your thoughts on the top ten topics in digital learning?

One of the big ideas from my teaching courses was “congruency”—an alignment of curriculum (What content and skills will you teach?), instruction (What learning activities will help students learn and use the content and skills?), and assessment (How will students demonstrate or show what they learned?). The featured articles in this month’s issue of Science Scope provide opportunities for teachers to learn more about how to align the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) with student learning opportunities. As the editor suggests, now is a good time to take this new vehicle on a “test drive.”
A question that is on the mind of most science teachers is “What will my school and I have to change to meet the expectations in the new standards?” The author of the guest editorial Conceptual Shifts in the NGSS: Opportunities and Challenges describes seven shifts in thinking and the challenges and opportunities that are evolving. The editorial also has advice about how to approach the decision makers in your district or school to move toward implementation.
If you’re looking for ways to incorporate writing in science (as noted in the Common Core State Standards), Cross-Disciplinary Writing: Scientific Argumentation, the Common Core, and the ADI Model describes the “Argument Driven Inquiry” (ADI) model that science teachers can use in student expository writing and argumentation. There are several graphics that describe the 8 stages of the model and their alignment with the CCSS. I suspect that many teachers already have students writing in class, and this model combines science, writing, and argumentation into a do-able, authentic process.
Similarly, English Language Arts and Science: A Shift Toward Student Success describes some of the commonalities between language arts and science: an understanding of vocabulary, questioning, making inferences, visualizing and connecting ideas, creating models, determining important ideas (comparing and contrasting), synthesizing information, and communicating. The authors show how language arts and science can be integrated in a topic about which students (and many adults) have misconceptions: the reasons for the seasons. The article includes an anticipation guide, informational text, vocabulary strategies and writing activities. [SciLinks: Seasons]
Developing and Using Models to Align with NGSS illustrates the complementary nature of disciplinary core ideas (DCI) and modeling. The authors suggest using the article to work with colleagues as a professional learning opportunity. The Earth-Sun-Moon system provides the context for this article. [SciLinks: Earth-Moon Connection, Moon Phases, Solar System]

The use of modeling continues with Incorporating Models Into Science Teaching to Meet the NGSS. The authors note that models serve four roles: data synthesis, representations of science ideas, substitutes for natural phenomena, and hypotheses and claims. They provides examples of these kinds of models and provide a chart of suggested activities and connections  with the performance expectations of the NGSS. The article also includes suggestions for getting started with the use of models.
The fall is a great time to be outdoors. Rather than traditional scavenger hunts or collection activities, Modeling the Forest describes an investigation in which students collect tree data to model a single tree or a forested area. The article provides activities, student handouts, and background information. NGSS: Lost in the Woods describes an investigation of moss and lichen growth on trees as a way of ramping up a traditional activity into an extended investigation. [SciLinks: Forests, Autumn Leaves, Deforestation, Lichens, What Are Mosses?]
[Modeling is the theme for the September issue of The Science Teacher. Check it out for more on the topic.]
Staying on the topic of wood, Innovative Composite Research Modeled in the Middle School Classroom describes an engineering-focused activity in which students explore how composites (based on wood and wood products) can be designed to create materials with more desirable properties. Students were asked to develop a stronger wood-based product—a composite of baker’s dough and sawdust. The authors include a day-by-day lesson suggestion with examples of student handouts/data sheets.
Ken Roy’s safety columns appear in both Science Scope and The Science Teacher. Each journal has a different column, but this month has a direct connection. We often think of safety as the domain of chemistry and biology teachers, but this month Ken writes Earth Science Safety: It’s All in Your Form (in Science Scope) and Acknowledging Safety in Physics (in The Science Teacher). Both of his columns should be required reading (and NSTA members have access to both journals).

As a new science teacher, your first year of teaching is well underway. You’ve been facing the challenges that all new teachers face—learning your students’ names, how to manage your classroom, the best ways to engage your students, and how to account to your administrators for all that you do. But science teachers face other challenges, such as additional safety requirements, particular grading difficulties, budget restrictions, and how to incorporate science into an already crowded curriculum.
The New Science Teacher’s Handbook: What You Didn’t Learn From Student Teaching may be just the lifeline you need to keep your first teaching experience a positive one. Written by Sarah Reeves Young and Mike Roberts, using their actual classroom experiences as examples, this handbook tells you what you need to know that you didn’t learn in your preservice training.
Each chapter presents scenarios and time-tested ideas from both within and outside the classroom. The authors explain the setup for each chapter:

The Story: These are actual experiences that happened within either Sarah’s or Mike’s classroom. Any “I” statements are in reference to what happened to us individually within our classrooms. As a new teacher, it’s always nice to know that someone else has had a similar struggle. These true stories demonstrate that even those who go on to write books on best practices in the classroom didn’t start off as perfect educators.
The Moral: What we learned from the aforementioned story. Similar to a fable, there is a moral to each story that addresses the theme of the struggle and sets the stage for moving beyond the challenge.
Steps for Success: Here we present strategies to help teachers overcome situations similar to those presented in “the story.” There are multiple solutions presented so teachers can choose those that work best for their specific concerns and school environment.
What Does Success Look Like: This section examines how the classroom looks after implementing the “steps for success.” This is the “light at the end of the tunnel” to help new teachers see that common challenges can end with positive results that benefit both teacher and students.
Resources: Here we present resources to consider for additional support in organizing the classroom for those teachers who want to explore the topic in more detail.

Whether you are on your way to becoming a new science teacher or a teacher in the early years of your career, we feel confident that the ideas presented here will help you become the teacher you’ve always wanted to be.
To learn more, check out the sample chapter: “Starting Class the Right Way: Starter Activities.” This book is also available as an e-book.
An additional NSTA Press resources to help you as you get started in your science teaching career is Rise and Shine: A Practical Guide for the Beginning Science Teacher.

Our parents’ association is giving mini-grants to each teacher. This is only my second year teaching at the elementary level, so I still need lots of stuff for my classroom. I’d like to spend the funds on science-related materials. Any suggestions on what I should buy?
—Darin, Savannah, Georgia
Although it’s tempting to use the funds for classroom supplies or posters and decorations, I’m glad you’re thinking about science! Some basic materials can go a long way in providing opportunities for young students to explore and investigate.
First of all, look at your school’s science curriculum for your grade level and your lesson plans from last year. Were there activities you couldn’t do because you didn’t have the materials? Refer to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for elementary students and consider how the performance expectations (and the practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts they were developed from) could be addressed through student investigations. Materials for these activities could be a good start for your shopping list.
Do you have protective eyewear and other basic safety equipment? If not, put these on the list. Did you use science kits last year? You may need to replenish the consumable materials this year. Perhaps you and your colleagues could pool your mini-grants for larger-ticket items to share among your classrooms.
I have several colleagues who were elementary science specialists. Based on what I saw in their classrooms, you could begin to develop an inventory of simple materials used for a variety of activities:

• Building blocks in different sizes and shapes
• Magnets
• Hand lenses
• Calculators
• Metric rulers and plastic measuring cups
• Easy-to-read thermometers
• Science-related books at a variety of reading levels for your classroom library
• Maps of your state, the United States, and the world
• A class set of small white boards and markers for students to display their work
• Shallow trays
• Animal specimens sealed in clear plastic blocks (e.g., insects, worms, small skeletons)

Consider what you might need for student projects:

• Materials for investigating plant growth in a classroom garden (even a window ledge can be a garden): small pots, plants, potting soil, a grow light
• Binoculars and field guides to use on class field trips
• Science notebooks for student journaling, sketching, and recording data
• Materials for composting or recycling projects
• Weather stations
• A small aquarium

If you have access to tablets, their cameras can be turned into microscopes, or you could purchase apps that relate to your learning goals or enhance student creativity. Students could use a digital camera to document and share their activities.
Storage space is a concern in many classrooms. You could include containers for storing materials or trays and small boxes to organize materials for the lab groups.
Browse through the articles in Science & Children for more activities (and what you would need) that fit with your learning goals and students’ interests.
During the school year, share what you and your students are doing with the materials with the parents’ organization. They’ll appreciate seeing pictures or videos of students at work. You could also ask students to write thank-you notes or create presentations explaining what they’re learning in science as a result of their gift.
And once you’ve used these funds, start a list for next year!
 
Photo: http://tinyurl.com/kf8d74l
 

The first week of school is when we begin to know our students and make observations about their skills, personalities and interests. I was surprised by the abilities of this year’s two-year-old class, but I shouldn’t have been. Even though just a year ago they were babies coming with a parent to pick up their older siblings at the end of the school day, it was almost half their lifetime ago. They have grown much in that year and know and do so much! Some tell a detailed story about a summer experience, are experts about trains, zip through the single piece puzzles, dig deeply in the sand, jump with two feet, use the “potty”, share a toy with a friend, turn the book pages by themselves, pass the paint brush to a classmate waiting at the easel, and wipe their mouth after snack.
Sensory experiences engage them and introduce materials from the natural world—rough and smooth pieces of tree bark, fuzzy and smooth leaves, big and small leaves, leaves with a strong smell, dry and wet sand, sea shells and water in jars and tubs. The hard objects should be too large to choke on, and the softer ones, like leaves, need adult supervision to remind the children to keep them out of their mouths. What sensory experiences do your children have with natural materials? How does experiencing the natural world fit in with your local, state or national standards?
Outside there are many more natural sights, smells, sounds and textures to experience. By making contact with natural materials a daily experience, children will soon be experts in their local nature. It does take additional time to wash hands, dump sand out of shoes and change into dry clothes. This extra time must be acknowledged and supported by the program administrators and the families. Finger plays, story-telling, conversation and songs can make the clothes-changing clean-up time rich with language and caring.

Many of us remember building models in school—replicas of the solar system, atomic structure, or the double helix of DNA. But in the era of the Next Generation Science Standards, models should not just be built as an arts-and-crafts activity, but as a way to explore and explain phenomena. If this is a new idea for you and your students, the authors of the featured articles in this month’s issue provide strategies that illustrate these modeling experiences.
Developing and Using Models in Physics has examples of students’ models and suggestions you can use in any class. You’ll notice that some are paper-and-pencil diagrams and explanations. The topics include electrostatics, forces and rockets, and buoyant forces. The authors note that “Rather than using trial and error, students were asked to create models of variables that they thought might affect how their rocket performed.” And then they did small-scale tests based on their models. [SciLinks: Using Models, Forces, Rocketry, Buoyancy]
Making Sense of Natural Selection describes a unit that culminates with students crafting explanations for how a population may have changed over time due to natural selection, well beyond reciting definitions. The article includes several observations and suggestions for teaching using models. “Instead of identifying models of particular things (like cells, the solar system, or volcanoes), we might want to talk about models for specific reasoning aims (like explaining inheritance or the behavior of matter).” [SciLinks: Natural Selection]

Models can be part of earth and space science, too. Modeling Sunspots describes how high school students in Korea used two types of modeling (data modeling and theoretical modeling) in their study of the Sun. In this extra-curricular club activity, students were challenged to construct models to explain why sunspots changed over time in four patterns (described in the article, along with a chart showing a classification scheme for sunspots). The article includes examples of the student models. [SciLinks: Sunspot Cycles, Solar Activity]
Linked In shows how modeling can be used as a link to other scientific practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts. Models can include “physical representations, conceptual relationships, and simulations.”  The example in the article describes how students used data from classroom activities and computer simulations on electrostatics to construct models of atoms. [SciLinks: Atomic Structure, Rutherford Model of the Atom]
Five strategies for making thinking visible are described in The Modeling Toolkit: small group models that are revised as the unit progresses, whole class consensus models, sticky notes and sentence frames, explanation checklists, and summary tables. The authors provide descriptions of these strategies, strategy for the classroom, and examples of student work.