By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2013-08-28
Just when we finally got our heads around the idea that Pluto is no longer considered a true planet, now we have evidence of another element to add to the Periodic Table.
Here is a roundup of recent news articles on the topic to share with students:
[For more information on the elements, check out SciLinks: Periodic Table of Elements, Elements Above 109]
Just when we finally got our heads around the idea that Pluto is no longer considered a true planet, now we have evidence of another element to add to the Periodic Table.
Here is a roundup of recent news articles on the topic to share with students:
By admin
Posted on 2013-08-26
If you’ve ever flown into a city of any size, you know you can spot a golf course a mile away. The well-manicured fairways, even when snaking around natural contours, contrast sharply with the local vegetation. Nowhere is this more apparent than in water-starved deserts where the climate promotes year-round play.
And no one is more aware of this stark contrast than the United States Golf Association (USGA). Their attention to water use is inherent in the USGA Mission Statement and a key segment of the USGA’s Environmental Commitment. Use the video Science of Golf: Water Conservation and the connected NSTA-developed lesson plans to raise student awareness of issues surrounding turfgrass and water conservation.
The Science of Golf series is just one of NBC Learn’s explorations into the science of sport, where scientists and engineers really explain “how it works.” This series was produced by NBC Learn in partnership with the United States Golf Association (USGA) and Chevron. The videos are available cost-free on www.NBCLearn.com.
Give them a try with your students here at the beginning of the year to excite them about science inquiry and other STEM subjects. No prior golf experience needed!
–Judy Elgin Jensen
Image of Estancia Club Golf Course near Scottsdale, Arizona, courtesy of AZGlenn.
Video
SOG: Water Conservation discusses water usage and conservation related to maintaining turfgrass on golf courses.
STEM Lesson Plan—Adaptable for Grades 7–12
The lesson plan provides ideas for STEM exploration plus strategies to support students in their own quest for answers and as well as a more focused approach that helps all students participate in hands-on inquiry.
The SOG: Water Conservation lesson plan describes how students might investigate a question about the conservation of irrigation water for a golf course.
You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans: [contact-form 2 “ChemNow]
If you’ve ever flown into a city of any size, you know you can spot a golf course a mile away. The well-manicured fairways, even when snaking around natural contours, contrast sharply with the local vegetation. Nowhere is this more apparent than in water-starved deserts where the climate promotes year-round play.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2013-08-26
By Carole Hayward
Posted on 2013-08-23
The monograph Exemplary Science series’ latest volume, Exemplary College Science Teaching, edited by Robert Yager, is dedicated to the community of college and university teaching scholars who are working to enhance science education through the development and testing of best classroom practices.
“For too long there have been few who have thought beyond lectures and two-hour labs as the sole organization for college science,” says Yager, “and usually within the boundaries of the major ‘disciplines.'” The chapters focus on nonlectures, use of local environments, case studies, study groups, jigsawing, and continuing to analyze and use technology.
The Society for College Science Teachers (SCST) and NSTA collaborate on projects like this to serve college instructors. SCST President Brian Shmaefsky encourages readers of the monograph to think about the following questions:
“It is important to envision catalysts for thinking about curriculum design for all K-16 science offerings,” Yager proposes. “Real learning is a result of continuous discussion and reflection. This is how the process of curriculum design should also begin….We expect this monograph to encourage STEM reforms while also stimulating more to try!”
Other monographs in this series include:
Read a sample chapter from this latest monograph.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2013-08-21
I need some ideas for what to do when students miss a lab. I’ve tried having them do the activity before or after school when they return, but that is difficult because most of my students ride the bus.
—Jennifer, Henderson, Nevada
A teacher cannot control student absences, and students should not be punished for missing a class due to illness or a family situation. On the other hand, you plan meaningful activities for students to help them meet the learning goals, and when they miss the activity it affects what they are learning.
Some teachers excuse the student from the activity, but most provide a make-up opportunity or alternate activity. If your main concern is having points to include in a grade, then having the student do a generic report or extra worksheet might suffice. But if the activity supports the planned learning goals, a report or worksheet might not be an adequate substitute for the real thing.
Many teachers provide opportunities for students to make up labs before or after school. But as you mentioned, this is not an option for bus riders or students involved in extra-curricular activities. In a self-contained elementary classroom, you might have more flexibility to accommodate make-ups during the school day. But at the secondary level the only possibilities are study halls or activity periods, when the teacher might be involved with another class. You should not require a student to skip lunch to make up a lab (and eating lunch in the lab is a definite no-no).
Realistically, it’s also hard to keep equipment and supplies set up for an extended time, especially if you teach more than one subject, are ready to move on to a different activity, or share the lab or equipment with other teachers.
If a student misses one day of a multi-day activity, it’s not difficult for them to catch up with their lab team. Perhaps an ad hoc role for a lab team member could be to explain the procedure and share the data when the absent student is back the next day. The absentee would be responsible for completing the assigned report on the activity.
For longer absences, you could consider several possibilities. These could be done outside of the lab and on the students’ own time:
Most students enjoy lab activities and will try not to miss them. If you have many students who typically miss the last class period for athletic events, you could plan the activities for days when there are no events, ask your principal to schedule athletes for an earlier period, or ask the students to come into a class during their study hall (if possible) to join in with another group.
If students are pulled out of your class for special services, perhaps you could talk with that teacher or counselor so if a student must miss a science class, it would be on a day when you don’t have a hands-on investigation scheduled.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremywilburn/5229139935/sizes/q/in/photostream/
I need some ideas for what to do when students miss a lab. I’ve tried having them do the activity before or after school when they return, but that is difficult because most of my students ride the bus.
—Jennifer, Henderson, Nevada
By Bill Badders
Posted on 2013-08-19
Today, SXSW (South by Southwest) is launching their PanelPicker voting for the fourth annual SXSWedu taking place March 3-6, 2014 in Austin, TX.
Each year, SXSWedu invites the greater online community to share their input on content they’d like to see at the upcoming event. This Monday, August 19 marks the first day of public voting in PanelPicker, ending Friday, September 6. The community will have the opportunity to vote on session proposals (rankings held private), and add comments to share their thoughts about the ideas submitted.
The National Science Teachers Association would like to participate this year, to begin our conversations with people who would not normally consider themselves “science educators,” and we need your help. Choosing speakers for SXSWedu is a joint effort between the SXSWedu Advisory Board (40%), SXSWedu staff (30%) and the public (30%)…that’s where you come in.
We are asking you to cast a vote for NSTA to participate. Visit the link below to learn more about NSTA’s proposed panel and cast your vote today!
Voting closes on September 6, 2013, so be sure to cast your votes soon!
Today, SXSW (South by Southwest) is launching their PanelPicker voting for the fourth annual SXSWedu taking place March 3-6, 2014 in Austin, TX.
By Carole Hayward
Posted on 2013-08-19
When I wrote about Uncovering Student Ideas recently, I didn’t know that a new volume was in the works specifically designed for K-2 students. What a marvelous idea! The eighth book in the series, Uncovering Student Ideas in Primary Science: 25 New Formative Assessment Probes for Grades K-2 is the first one that exclusively targets young children’s ideas.
The formative assessment probes are designed to uncover the ideas students bring to their science learning. The idea behind each probe is to elicit commonly held ideas young children have about scientific concepts. In the book, the best answer is provided along with distractors designed to reveal research-identified misconceptions held by young children.
If you are familiar with the format of the Uncovering Student Ideas books, you’ll find this one slightly different. Conveyed through the extensive use of engaging illustrations, the probes use minimal text so that they can be used by children who are just learning to read and write.
The 25 probes in this book are organized into three sections: Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth and Space Science. Each probe presents a purpose, related concepts, an explanation, curricular and instructional considerations for grades K-2, how to administer the probe, related ideas in the national standards, related research, suggestions for instruction and assessment, related NSTA resources, and references.
The topics are wide ranging and are designed to encourage “science talk” while letting you identify students’ preconceptions before beginning a lesson or monitor their progress as they develop new scientific explanations.
If you find yourself wondering or needing to understand how your young students’ view important scientific concepts, let Page Keeley guide you with new ways to uncover their ideas. This book is also available as an ebook (downloadable pdf). Learn more about the other books in this series.
By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2013-08-16
The National Association for the Education of Young Children published a collection of articles that focus on early childhood science education. Spotlight on Young Children: Exploring Science offers views into classroom practices with guidance in developing science inquiry in preK to grade 2 programs, and recommended resources for further learning. Members of the NAEYC Early Childhood Science Interest Forum contributed to the work.
Science and Children editor Linda Froschauer wrote an article on science standards—a good place to begin reading to find out how national science standards are based on research into how children learn. A section with questions and follow-up activities will be valuable for individuals, program administrators or science team leaders in leading groups in exploring, discussing and reflecting on, the articles on teaching science inquiry. Whether you are comfortable teaching science or wish someone else would do it, whether you like life science or physics best, and even if you are not yet a teacher, Spotlight on Young Children: Exploring Science will be enjoyable, enlightening reading.
You can read more online from two of the authors of Spotlight on Young Children: Exploring Science, Sally Moomaw and Lauren Schaffer. They answered questions posted by readers August 12-16, 2013.
If you are reading this on August 16, 2013, you can still post a question!
The National Association for the Education of Young Children published a collection of articles that focus on early childhood science education.