By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2012-06-07
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)
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2012-06-06
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/
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
By Christine Royce
Posted on 2012-06-03
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?
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 usin
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2012-06-02
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:
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?
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 
By admin
Posted on 2012-06-01
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]
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.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2012-05-31
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/
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.
By admin
Posted on 2012-05-31
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]
Bizarre advertisement featuring stork holding baby wrapped in cellophane.
By admin
Posted on 2012-05-30
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
Like Robert Frost in Dust of Snow, seeing the individual crystalline shape of a tiny snowflake always brings a smile to my eyes. Yes, no two are alike, so that’s a LOT of smiles! The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explains that each crystal (initially formed around a particle of dust or a pollen grain) falls through a slightly different path of atmospheric conditions, so the resulting patterns are slightly different.
But snowflakes are always six-sided. Why? Visualize this for students using the Chemistry of Ice video, part of The Chemistry of Crystals learning package from NBC Learn and its partners NSF and NSTA. This learning package explores the molecular nature of crystals through ones students use every day—ice and salt. Look through the various assets in this learning package. You’ll find plenty of places to insert them into your instruction. Then, leave comments to let us know how they worked for you.
–Judy Elgin Jensen
Photo of snowflakes by Andrew Magill.
Video: “Chemistry of Ice” explains how the molecular structure of H2O changes as it reaches its freezing point, and turns from a liquid to a less dense solid crystal lattice.
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: Think of “Molecule Profile: H20—Water” as a “highlight reel” of animations and facts about water.
Video: An NBC Weather News report, “Record Breaking Storm Slams Mideast to Northwest” tracks dangerous winter conditions from February 2011 across nine states.
Video: The NBC News report, “How Snowflakes Form” highlights 1986 research at the Schlumberger-Doll Research Lab that visualizes the NOAA description.
Video: The NBC News report, “Alternatives to Road Salt: Liquid Made from Beets” describes an environmentally friendly way to extend salt reserves in winter weather.
Video: The NBC News report “Crystals, Bouncing X-Rays and Atoms: An American Chemist and the Nobel Prize,” profiles Herbert Hauptman and his work on developing direct methods for the determination of crystal structures, which led to the 1985 Nobel Prize in Chemistry that he shared with Jerome Karle.
Middle school lesson: In this lesson, students explore mixtures and solutions and determine how to separate the components of salt water.
High school lesson: In this lesson, students will design an experiment to quantify effectiveness of different salts in melting ice at different temperatures.
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]
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Posted on 2012-05-30
Hello Fellow Bloggers and NSTA Members,
I came across this contest from Discover magazine and wanted to share. We have some talented folks on here, and some of you may want to try it. If you enter, please share your entry with us (you can put it under the NSTA Reports category if you like, which is the category for news and general blogs) and let us know if you win! Click here for more information.
Hello Fellow Bloggers and NSTA Members,
By admin
Posted on 2012-05-30
As a college student in the 70s wracking up science courses for my secondary teaching degree, scientists’ warnings of accelerated global warming made a believer out of me. Recently, looking at photos of Mt. Kilimanjaro or glaciers in Chile taken over the last forty years, I still find it curious that there are doubters out there. Perhaps they just don’t understand the science behind it.
This learning package—Carbon, Captured: Carbon Dioxide, developed by NSTA, NBC Learn, and NSF—emphasizes the chemistry behind global warming and how scientists research its causes and changes over time. Begin using the materials in this package as part of a chemistry or physical science unit on chemical bonding, and then progress to real-world applications. Or use the package as the core of a cross-science discipline unit with a still-timely environmental theme.
Then, don’t forget to let us know how the materials worked for you!
–Judy Elgin Jensen
Spring 2010 photo of Mt. Kilimanjaro by John Haylett.
Video: “The Chemistry of CO2: Carbon Dioxide,” explains and illustrates the bonding of the carbon and oxygen molecules into CO2 and describes its role in the Earth’s atmosphere and how changing levels of CO2 can affect the temperature on Earth.
Video: Part of NBC’s Changing Planet series, “Black Carbon” explains how these particles are polluting the air and causing serious health and environmental concerns for people around the world.
Video: Part of NBC’s Changing Planet series, “Thawing Permafrost” explains how this result of global warming is cause for concern beyond the far north, because the carbon released from thawing permafrost could raise global temperatures even higher.
Video: Part of NBC’s Changing Planet series, “Ocean Acidification” shows how marine organisms in the pristine Arctic and Antarctic oceans are being impacted by increased amounts of carbon dioxide being absorbed by the waters.
Video: Part of NBC’s Changing Planet series, “Survival of Trees” highlights how Dr. Joy Ward at the University of Kansas investigates ancient tree specimens from the Ice Age to see how trees in the past have adapted, helping her to understand how trees may adapt today and in the future in light of global warming.
Video: The NBC News report “Producing Biofuels May Worsen, Not Lessen, Carbon Dioxide Emissions,” highlights a study about the true impact of biofuel production on the environment.
Video: The NBC News report “First-Ever Image of a Molecule,” shows the picture of a molecule of pentacene taken by researchers at IBM.
Middle school lesson: This lesson explores carbon and calcium carbonate and describe how the carbon cycle is at work in the environment.
High school lesson: In this lesson, students set up experiments to help them better understand CO2 and its presence in and impact on the carbon cycle and the environment.
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]
As a college student in the 70s wracking up science courses for my secondary teaching degree, scientists’ warnings of accelerated global warming made a believer out of me. Recently, looking at photos of Mt. Kilimanjaro or glaciers in Chile taken over the last forty years, I still find it curious that there are doubters out there. Perhaps they just don’t understand the science behind it.