The National Science Teachers Association is an organization of many, contributing their talents towards understanding and promoting best practices in science education. NSTA is committed to promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
NSTA elections earlier in the year put Peggy Carlisle into service for early childhood education interests as the Director of the Preschool and Elementary Division beginning in June 2012. I hope to get to meet her at a conference sometime, but until then, let’s get acquainted in the blogosphere.
Peggy Carlisle writes, “In June, I will begin service as NSTA’s Director of the Preschool and Elementary Division. It is a privilege to represent preschool and elementary science teachers as we strive to support students, making learning possible, productive, and engaging. I value the important work done by teachers of preK through second grade students. My National Board Certification is Early Childhood Generalist (students 3 – 8 years of age) and I have taught at many levels, from 3-year-old preschool to fifth grade. I find teaching in the early years to be invigorating because young children are open to discovery and exploration. They abound with wonder and natural curiosity about the world and how it works. Attitudes toward science form early and children benefit from doing science – being actively engaged, working with concrete materials, employing the senses, and discussing their ideas. It is my hope that I can support the important work that you do as early childhood teachers.”
The complete list of officers and division directors is listed on the NSTA site. Contact them with your ideas and concerns.
Welcome Peggy! Please let the early childhood education community know how we can best support the continued work of the Preschool and Elementary Division!
another Peggy (Ashbrook, the Early Years columnist and blogger)

I’d like to change my approach to learning vocabulary. Even when I ask students to write definitions in their own words, they don’t seem to understand the terms. Any suggestions?
—Ryan, Fort Smith, Arkansas
High school texts may have more than 3,000 specialized terms. We want our students to understand and use this vocabulary to communicate their understanding of science concepts, but the sheer number of words plus the lack of background knowledge in younger or less experienced students can make this a frustrating experience.
Based on the work of researchers such as Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering (in their book Building Academic Vocabulary), I suggest you distill the list in the textbook to critical vocabulary: essential words important to understanding the concepts of the unit, words applicable to other units, and words specifically mentioned in your curriculum or state standards. You could also have supplemental lists of “nice to know” words and review words students should already know. For example, photosynthesis may be an essential term in a unit on plants at the upper elementary level. At the secondary level, it could be on the review list.
Traditionally, students looked up definitions in a glossary or dictionary. I observed a class in which students were copying and pasting from a website—they didn’t even have to read the text or write their own definition. A teacher mentioned that during a unit on the cell, some students had copied a definition of “nucleus” as a part of an atom. It’s important for students to understand the context in which a science word is used.
Students should have a record of the word lists in their notes. In addition to formal “definitions,” ask them to create a graphic representation of the word. Classroom word walls keep the words visible to all. I recently visited a classroom where the students had made the cards for the wall. They put the word and a drawing on one side of the card and a definition and a sentence on the back of the card. The teacher noted the cards weren’t as neat as ones she used to make, but the students had ownership in the list and some were very creative. She sometimes took the cards down and handed them out for students to review.

This teacher also displayed student-created graphic organizers, another way for students to become familiar with words. For example, using Frayer models, concept maps, or semantic feature analysis charts, students identify characteristics of the word (as well as its meaning) and show relationships between words. (These are described on the Graphic Organizers and Reading Educator websites.)
Teachers often assume students, especially older ones, know how to use context clues in the text to figure out what a word means. But with the specialized vocabulary in science, many students may need some assistance, especially less experienced students or those who are learning English. By doing a “think aloud,” teachers can model how to examine a new word using context clues or visuals. My students seemed to enjoy figuring out words using some common affixes and root or base words. For example, when my students first encountered “aquatic,” I pointed out that “aqua” is Latin for water, and we then brainstormed other words that started with aqua- and had something to do with water. They thought of Aquarius, aquarium, aqueduct, Aquaman, aquamarine. The Spanish-speaking students noted that agua means water in that language. The website Prefixes and Suffixes can help you to identify some relevant ones to share.
For students to understand and use new words, they need to hear and say them, as well as read and write them. For more complex or unfamiliar words, have the students repeat the words several times out loud, emphasizing the syllables by clapping or tapping them out: pho-to-syn-the-sis. (I picked up this idea from a colleague who taught elementary science.) This seems to help with spelling, too, so even older students can benefit.
Creating metaphors and analogies and playing games based on Password or Pictionary are enjoyable ways to explore and review words. However, I would question the value of word searches or word scrambles in helping students to use words or to understand their meaning.
You can assess students’ knowledge and use of vocabulary in interesting and creative ways, beyond an objective test. One of my favorites is a “word splash.” Using a word list (either teacher- or student-generated), the students write sentences that include two or more words. In “word sorts,” students are given lists of words to categorize. If these are done in teams or groups, the discussions student have are interesting and informative.
 
Photograph: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theglauber/416091822/sizes/l/in/photostream/
 

This month’s topic focuses on the NAEP results and the fact that while the results from the eighth graders knowledge of basic science test increased from 30% to 32% being rated “at or above proficient” the science education community does not feel that is nearly enough progress.  Personally I agree,  this means just about one-third of the eighth grade students in this country are “at or above proficiency” on the NAEP test meaning two-thirds are below proficient.  Now I know what the statement will be – tests don’t measure everything, we can’t continue to compare ourselves to each other using a single measure, tests are not authentic assessments that show application of knowledge.  Personally, I agree with all of those statements as well.  However, the reality of the situation is tests are here and we are going to use them for comparison – so with that in mind – it is at least positive that our scores are moving in the right direction – UP!  What are your thoughts on this? Do you think the development of the Next Generation Science Standards will help our students? Do you think the NAEP test will adopt the content found in the NGSS once completed?

Sometimes I see articles and websites that cause me to reflect and ask my own questions, such as the Girls in STEM poster  created by EngineeringDegree.net titled “Girls are smarter than boys. But where are the women in science and math?” The infographic uses three themes to provide data about the status of women in science and engineering careers:

1. Studies show that at an early age, girls are smarter than boys. Three data summaries are included in the infographic as measures of “smartness.” A summary of IQ scores notes the scores of girls at age 7 are 1.5 points higher than boys. There is also a graph comparing the number of science and math credits earned by high school boys and girls: although the girls’ number is higher, both have an average of between 7-8 courses. The final statistic is GPA in math and science courses, with girls at 2.75 and boys at 2.50. Although these differences may be statistically significant (we’d have to look at the primary research documents to find out), I wonder if the differences are large enough to be meaningful in decision-making about curriculum and instruction. I also wonder how others would define or measure “smartness” in students.
2. Girls begin to question their ability because of their gender. Several graphs show a change in girls’ self-esteem and self-confidence. I thought the nuns who taught all of my science and math classes in high school were wonderful role models, exemplifying that girls do indeed belong in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers (or any other field). They never allowed us to question our ability or shrink from leadership roles, and I tried to channel this attitude with my students. I wonder what today’s teachers, parents, society, and media should do to encourage all students (including girls) to explore their interests, take on challenges, and ignore stereotypes?
3. These feelings continue into college. The graphs show fewer women enrolled in science majors and working in STEM-related careers, especially in engineering. In my freshman university days there were two women in a chemistry class of 400. The professor glared at us and said, “Little girls don’t belong in my class.” It was a struggle to get through the course, and we resisted the temptation to change majors. I wonder what challenges women face today at the college level or in the workplace.

The data on the poster raise some questions that would be interesting to discuss: If girls and boys take basically the same number of courses and have similar grades, why do fewer girls major in math and science? Why do only 20% of women graduates in science and math work in a related field? How much talent is being overlooked? Why are we overlooking it?
It seems that this conversation has been going on for a long time. Why in the year 2012 are we still looking for ways to encourage girls’ and young women’s interest in science and careers in STEM-related fields?
 
 

Atoms, molecules, protons, electrons, bonding. Nothing new there, so why don’t your students remember which is which and how it works? A question with many possible answers, but now, perhaps a solution! Use this learning package to introduce, review, or add to your instruction. How Atoms Bond: Ionic Bonds uses animated sequences to really hit home how electrons are involved in bonding. MUCH easier than drawing them yourself!

This is just one of over 30 lesson packages that are part of the Chemistry Now series produced by the team of NSTA, NBC Learn, and NSF. If you use them, please leave comments below each posting about how well the information worked in real-world classrooms. And if you had to make significant changes to a lesson, we’d love to see what you did differently, as well as why you made the changes. Leave a comment, and we’ll get in touch with you with submission information.

–Judy Elgin Jensen

Photo of salt pools and harvest in southern India by Perumal Venkatesan 

Video: “How Atoms Bond: Ionic Bonds” uses common table salt to explain and illustrate what happens between the electrons and protons in atoms of the element sodium and atoms and the element chlorine to make crystals of sodium chloride.

Video: “Chemistry of Salt (NaCl)” explains and illustrates the molecular structure of sodium chloride (NaCl) crystals; the structure and symmetry of crystal lattices; and why one crystalline solid, salt, melts another, ice.

Video: “The Chemical Bonding Between Cloves and Nutmeg” focuses on the variety, strengths — and placement — of chemical bonds in the structures of molecules. In a “bonding” story of another kind, NBC Learn profiles Purdue materials chemist Jon Wilker, who’s making synthetic adhesives based on the glues mussels produce underwater.

Video: The NBC News report “First-Ever Image of a Molecule,” shows the picture of a molecule of pentacene taken by researchers at IBM.

High school lesson: In this lesson, students compare ionic and covalent bonds by examining water’s Lewis dot structure and observing water’s reaction to a statically charged material.

Please tell us what you think. Click here to complete a 15-minute survey. Thanks.

You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans:

[contact-form 2 “ChemNow]

One of my principals shared a comment at a faculty meeting: School is where old people do most of the work while the young people sit back and watch. His point was to start a discussion of how (and why) to engage students actively and help them assume more responsibility for their own learning.
During some recent class visits, I saw the students excitedly talking about the end of the school year and the upcoming vacation. Meanwhile, the science teacher noted that she would be busy over the weekend preparing study guides for her students to prepare for the final exam. I assumed the teacher already understands the concepts, so I wondered why the students weren’t the ones preparing for the test? During each unit, if students created a guide related to the learning goals (e.g., a concept map, outline, questions, summary) in their notebooks or in an electronic portfolio, by the end of the course they would have their own documents for review. The teacher could certainly guide a review, but the students would already have the material in their own words and style.
I visited another classroom that was full of student-generated materials. For example, rather than teacher-printed cards on the word wall, students had made them and included a drawing with each word. They weren’t as neat or uniform as entries created by a teacher, but the students had input into the process. The classroom had many other student-created posters, rather than commercially prepared ones. During the lessons, the teacher refers to these to illustrate or explain concepts.

Teachers spend a lot of time on bulletin boards, but most of these showcase the teacher’s creativity, not the students’ work. One of my colleagues started the school year with blank bulletin boards. During each unit, students contributed to them—vocabulary cards, reports, news and current events, photographs, maps, drawings, etc.
In conversations with students, one thing that they said they really disliked was copying notes verbatim from the board or projector screen. Notetaking is a lifelong skill, so we’re doing students a favor when we help them learn how to take their own notes and then use the information in other contexts. In my own classes, however, I found that students needed modeling, guided practice, and feedback to develop notetaking skills.
I’ve been following and learning more about the “flipped classroom” and how teachers are creating videos for their students. This isn’t a new thing–I grew up watching Mr. Wizard on television as he demonstrated and explained science phenomena (an ancestor of Bill Nye). In his videos, children were part of the story. They asked questions and assisted in the demonstrations. Many videos that I’ve reviewed for SciLinks are lectures by talking heads or narrated PowerPoints. I wonder if students would be more interested if other students were in the videos with the teacher—or what if students created the videos with the guidance of the teacher?
Speaking of students creating media, I recently came across The Fireside Book Chat, a library of podcasts of 5-minute book reviews by high school students. In the one I randomly selected, the student admitted he had not finished the book yet. Rather than berate the student, the teacher asked about what he had read so far and they discussed predictions about the rest of the book.
Students demonstrating their learning by creating materials to help other students learn is a win-win experience for all.
Photograph:   http://www.flickr.com/photos/kissyface/2287122313/

Bizarre advertisement featuring stork holding baby wrapped in cellophane.

Looking for something to spark discussion about the importance of scientific investigation? Try out the assets in this learning package created by NBC Learn, NSF, and NSTA. Two core videos look at how accidental and ongoing, targeted research can result in unimagined discoveries. Supporting videos and other materials give you fodder for building units or encouraging independent research on the impact of science in our daily lives.

You might start with Chance Discoveries: Cellophane for a historical look at innovation. Students will likely chuckle at some of the archival footage but will end up in fascinating discussions as they make comparisons with today’s consumer packaging and marketing methods.

Or, students might explore the world of the research chemist using Dr. Stefan France as a springboard. When they see him on a zipline in the rain forest, it may be quite a revelation that not all scientists spend their time in white coats in front of lab benches!

–Judy Elgin Jensen

Photo of vintage cellophane advertisement by Brett Jordan

Video: “Chance Discoveries: Cellophane” traces the development of cellophane from liquid viscous cellulose, applied to fabric to protect from stains, to a thin clear film first used as a luxury gift wrap and after it was made moisture-proof, as a fundamental form of protective yet transparent food packaging.

Video: In this 21st Century Chemist profile, “Georgia Tech Chemist Designs Molecules that May Stop or Slow Effects of Alzheimer’s,” Stefan France describes his work designing “neuro-protective” molecules that he hopes might be used to prevent or slow the effects of diseases such as Alzheimer’s in patients’ brains.

High school lesson: In this lesson, students will test a cellophane membrane for permeability and design an experiment that determines the permeability of a cellophane membrane to different molecules.

Please tell us what you think. Click here to complete a 15-minute survey. Thanks.

You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans:

[contact-form 2 “ChemNow]