One of my favorite benefits of being an NSTA member is being able to view all of the journals electronically, although I’m somewhat of a dinosaur in that I still like the feel of holding an actual book or magazine. On the NSTA home page, use the links in the “Choose Your Classroom” list to get to the current and archived issues of NSTA journals for elementary, middle school, high school, and college.
I subscribe to the hard copies of The Science Teacher and Science Scope, being a veteran secondary teacher. I toss the latest issues into a bag to read articles in between meetings, with my morning coffee or late night cocoa, or in the car (not while I’m driving, of course!). I also enjoy and learn a lot from reading Science and Children online for ideas and insights, and I’m now reading these articles on my iPad, which fits into my bag too.
Sometimes I wonder about the artificial boundaries we create as teachers: elementary vs. secondary, K-12 vs. higher education, middle school vs. high school. Having been an educator at all of these levels, I’ve found that there are as many similarities as differences. If you take a few minutes to browse the table of contents for the journals that are outside your own teaching assignments (or read the related SciLinks blogs or the highlights on Facebook and Twitter @NSTA or the summaries on the Social Networking Dashboard) you might identify a few articles of interest to download and read. For example, if you’re not up to date on content, the secondary journals may help you. Or you may have students who could benefit from more advanced activities, or those who need some fundamental experiences.
I suspect that many K-12 teachers don’t look at the Journal of College Science Teaching, but this is another excellent resource. It’s interesting that some of the articles in this higher education publication are about topics and issues with which all of us in K-12 can identify. For example, there have been articles about team dynamics in cooperative learning, the use of learning contracts, using “clicker” response systems in class, and a comparison of cookbook labs and authentic research activities. Even though the students described in these articles are older, there are a lot of commonalities with science education at all levels. Best of all, unlike some higher education publications, the articles in JCST are very readable, not written in “journalese.”
You can download journal articles as PDFs directly to your desktop or iPad. Or you can take advantage of NSTA’s Learning Center to save relevant articles in your own online library or organized them into a resource collection.

Potentially your students will go kinetic over this installment of the Science of NHL Hockey video series! OK, really bad play on words. But luckily the energy of the video will make up for it. Ha! Really, though, students will learn how potential and kinetic energy cause a player’s slapshot to project a puck at speeds that could pass you up on the interstate!

One of ten lesson packages created by NBC Learn in partnership with NSF and NSTA, this video uses high-speed, slow motion camera work to show students the science of the slapper. Once you view the video and try the lesson plans, let us know how they work for you! And if you made 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 flexed hockey stick by Colin Busby.

Video: “Work, Energy & Power,” explores how NHL players depend on these important physics concepts as well as the roles of potential and kinetic energy and energy conservation.

Middle school lesson: In this lesson, students design ways to measure power output and demonstrate the conservation of energy.

High school lesson: In this lesson, students explore examples of work, potential and kinetic energy, and power, and demonstrate the conservation of energy.

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

[contact-form 2 “ChemNow]

What do diamond and graphite have in common? Wait … that’s too easy. What do diamond, graphite, soccer balls, and the state of Texas have in common? Find out in this video, part of the Chemistry Now series from the partnership of NBC Learn, NSF, and NSTA. Expose students to some of the wonders of carbon allotropes—ranging from nano-scale applications such as chemotherapies and molecule-sized computer chips to space elevators.

The NBC Learn collection (linked below) also includes an NBC News profile of Herbert Haupman, the 1985 winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, one of the Chance Discoveries video series on the development of graphene, and other resources related to carbon chemistry. As always, view the videos, try the lessons, and let us know what you think.

—Judy Elgin Jensen

Photo of dog with buckyball shaped object by  Stuart Dootson.

Video:  “Diamonds, Pencils and Buckyballs: A Look at Buckminsterfullerene,” examines the structure and properties of buckminsterfullerene molecules and carbon allotropes, along with diamonds and graphite. And in “Chance Discoveries: Graphene” researchers from the University of Manchester stumble onto a technique that enables them to reduce graphite to a thin layer one atom thick, and they end up with a pure material of unprecedented strength with highly conductive properties.

Middle school lesson: This lesson guides students in developing a presentation about Nobel Prize-winning chemists.

High school lesson: In this lesson, students explore Nobel Prize-winning chemists and develop presentations about them and their discoveries.

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

[contact-form 2 “ChemNow]

My first year of teaching had its ups and downs, but I’m looking forward to next year. As the school year ends, do you have any suggestions for how I can prepare for next year? I’ll be teaching the same subjects in the same lab.
—Monica, South Carolina.
Congratulations for completing your first year, and for having a job next year! You’ll find the end of the year is as hectic as the beginning, with final exams, grades and other reports, inventory updates, and clean-up. You also may be looking forward to graduate courses, home improvements, a summer job, family time, or some much-needed R&R. But the end of the school year is a good time to review, reflect on, and learn from your experiences while your memory is fresh and plan for next year
You probably had some great lessons, as well as a few that went over like a lead balloon, and you can learn from both kinds. What made them successful? What did you do when things didn’t go as planned? How effective were your classroom management routines and procedures? Did your students seem to enjoy learning science? Did you enjoy teaching and learning with them? How did you deal with disruptive students? What were your interactions with parents like? Are there any strategies you would like to add to your repertoire, in terms of instruction, classroom management, or communications?

Consider your course curriculum. Were you surprised by any misconceptions or lack of experience your students had? Should you change the amount of time or emphasis you put on some units? Did you have an effective combination of science content, skills, and processes? Do you have any gaps in your own knowledge base that could be supplemented this summer with online courses, readings, websites, or visits to local informal science institutions (museums, zoos, planetariums, etc.)? How well were you able to access and use the technologies available in your school? What kinds of interdisciplinary connections did you make?
As you complete final evaluations/grades for students, ask yourself how well the grades reflect student learning. How well did your assessments align with the unit goals and lesson objectives? Did you provide opportunities for students to reflect on their own learning (e.g., through a science notebook, rubrics)?
Although some schools do not require detailed written lesson plans, there are advantages of having plans that can be revisited and adapted the following year. Were your lesson plans detailed enough, or will you have to recreate them? Based on your assessment data, what instructional strategies should you change (or keep)? How well were your assignments and projects aligned to the unit goals and lesson objectives? Did your lab activities help students to develop their inquiry skills?
On a practical note, check with your principal or department chair for any end-of-year checkout procedures. Your classroom may not be secure during the summer months, so keep your lab equipment and technology in locked cabinets or store rooms. Take valuable or irreplaceable personal belongings home or lock them in a cabinet. Label any large personal items you brought in, such as a desk chair or stool, with your name in case they wander off over the break. If you have personal documents, tests, grades, or other sensitive information on an unsecured hard drive, transfer them to a network drive or to a flash drive. Some schools allow teachers to take their school-assigned computer home for the summer, but don’t take any school equipment home without permission.
Update equipment inventories and note if anything needs to be repaired or replaced. Keep your requisition list for next year handy so you can check in the new materials. If any textbooks are in need of repair, take care of them now. Make sure items such as glassware, cages, aquariums, sinks, or tabletops are clean and ready for next year.
Based on your reflections, this might also be a good time to formulate your goals for next year. It’s tempting to say, “I’ll think about this in August,” but if you take some time now for thinking, reflecting, organizing, and planning, you’ll have more time in the fall to get your second year off to a good start.

Vectors. The key to passing a puck, throwing a football, shooting pool, coordinating fireworks, or finding buried treasure. Knowing which way to go is one thing. Knowing how fast to move is another. Put them both together and you’ll be in the right place at the right time!

Find out more in this lesson package, one of 10, created by NBC Learn, in partnership with NSF and NSTA. It focuses on the ability of NHL players to pass the puck quickly and accurately as play moves from one end of the ice to the other.

Although vectors might not be in your middle school standards, show this video to students as an extension or enrichment. From this real-world application of the concept, students will start to build a basis for later learning. Give this one a try and let us know how we can improve it for middle schoolers!

—Judy Elgin Jensen

Photo of hockey player by Jason Kessenich 

Video: “Vectors,” examines velocity vectors through the pinpoint passes of NHL players.

Middle school lesson: In this lesson, students will define a vector as a quantity that has magnitude and direction and make generalizations about the basic properties of vectors and how to add them.

High school lesson: In this lesson, students explore the basic properties of vectors and their components and how to add vectors.

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

[contact-form 2 “ChemNow]

Although science and math seem to go hand-in-hand, many of us have trouble incorporating math concepts in our science instruction. Hockey Geometry, produced by NBC Learn in partnership with NSF will give you a hand! From the passes NHL players make to their teammates, to the shots they take to score, players in every position are constantly using geometry when playing the game.

This lesson package will cause students to look at playing fields in a whole new way. Use it as a springboard for students to analyze surfaces, packages, and other objects for geometry principles. Or use it to engage students in angles and reflection as you begin studying optics.

Now it’s possible that your BFF is a math teacher or you need to repay a favor to your math teammate. If so, share this link and you’ll get a VBG in return! And once you (or they) view the video and try the lessons, be sure to let us know what you think.

—Judy Elgin Jensen

Photo of world’s largest real hockey stick by Jenni Konrad

Video:

“Hockey Geometry,” examines the lines, angles and curves on the ice as well as the geometry involved in playing shots.

Middle school lesson: In this lesson, students use manipulatives to explore the geometry of hockey and make connections to optics.

High school lesson: In this lesson, students begin by exploring geometry concepts and move into basic trigonometry applications.

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

[contact-form 2 “ChemNow]

We are featuring a post from guest blogger, Kelly Price.  Kelly is the GSTA Director for the 2012-13 year. She has been a member of the GSTA board for many years serving in the roles of District II Director, Secretary, and President. Kelly  has also served a three year term on the NSTA Council as the District V Director. 
Membership management can be a huge task for any club or group.  For the Georgia Science Teachers Association, we had passed on the task of “spreadsheet monitor” of the membership lists for many years before we found a transformational resource to help us.
The transformation began with a hard look at the core tasks of the organization in May 2011.  We decided to simplify our target activities instead of expending time in so many different traditional committees and chores.  Our focus became the electronic newsletter, the GSTA website and the annual GSTA conference.
A task force did a formal review of the GSTA website and determined that a complete redesign was in order. GSTA was paying at least $2000 per year for a webmaster to update the website in a timely manner as directed by the GSTA board.  The new redesign was not part of the original contract with the webmaster and would result in an additional cost of at least $5000.  With that news we started to brainstorm a different solution.
At the 2011 National Congress for Science Education in Baltimore, I remembered a session about membership management where different solutions were shared.  I found my notes from the session and started researching to see if one of them might suit our needs.  From that point forward, I have been a raving fan of Wild Apricot (www.wildapricot.com).  This was one of the membership management systems included in the presentation and it is amazing.  Not only does it serve as our membership management system, but our website too!  We can go in and update our site on the spot and it also does event registration.  We found an all-in-one solution to meet our needs! Within a 48 hour period, the leader of our website task force had created a brand new website for GSTA.  We already owned our URL address — it took a few more days to transfer to our new website using our recognizable URL.  Check it out,  www.georgiascienceteacher.org.
This new membership management system allowed us to import our old-style spreadsheet to populate our membership list.  You can easily create a “members only“ section. It automatically generates invoices, reminders about membership renewal and so much more.  We are certainly still learning about all of the attributes the system offers.  The webpage building process is extremely easy and there are lots of themes and formats to choose from.
Credit card processing for the GSTA annual conference has been another opportunity for growth and we are researching the different credit card processing options available.  Even with the credit card processing learning curve, we are now using a membership management system that also serves as our GSTA website platform and manages conference registrations.
All that for just over $1000 in subscription cost per year.  We really got a bargain!
Kelly Price, GSTA Director 2012-2013

The USA Science and Engineering Festival had something for everyone this weekend—information, experiences, fun and challenges for scientists young and old.
I learned about the senses through the “Science of Our Senses” exhibit activities by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. By smelling, people can have different perceptions of the same compound, that is, things may not smell the same to different people. Data was collected by age and intensity of the perceived smell on the Smell Board to see if any trends developed. Listening to a “Shepard Tone” sounds like it’s rising endlessly because our brain doesn’t notice that other rising tones come up from the depths to take our focus away from the tone that rose out of our hearing range. The sense of touch activity involved identifying shapes by touch. The sense of sight was illustrated by optical illusions. 
The National Science Teachers Association tables had a steady stream of visitors making soda straw rockets, a sense of touch materials science challenge, a center-of-gravity activity to balance a butterfly, a loop plane (see page 48), as well as an activity involving a hairdryer blowing toilet paper and one with a big jar of cheese balls (your guess is as good as mine, I wish I had participated!).
The volunteers staffing a National Institute of Health booth were using models to teach about the structure of the human brain. Visitors lined up to look through a window into the Crew Module of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. And Ms Frizzle brought the Magic School Bus to the Festival.
It was wonderful to see so many families spending time together learning, and to meet teachers who came from places like NYC and California just for the Festival.
Next year I hope to go both days.
Peggy

Every month, our colleague Ken Roy shares important information about safety in the science classrooms and laboratories. His columns appear in Science Scope and The Science Teacher. These are “must-reads” for science teachers, and NSTA members can access articles in both of these online, regardless of which journal you receive in print. The information can and should be shared with administrators and discussed at faculty meetings.
Usually his column in each journal is different, but I noticed in the April/May editions OSHA’s Newest Lab Resource was discussed in both columns: Science Scope’s Scope on Safety and The Science Teacher’s Safer Science.
Ken describes this latest resource, the publication Laboratory Safety Guidance, which can be read online or downloaded as a PDF at no cost. According to Ken this document is “intended to help science teachers and their supervisors maintain safer, healthier laboratories and ensure that applicable health, safety, and environmental regulations are followed.” The booklet summarizes applicable OSHA standards for laboratory workers and focuses on chemical hazards, biological hazards, and safety hazards. OSHA’s Laboratories site also has links to fact sheets and other information.
Publications such as NSTA’s Exploring Safely (elementary), Inquiring Safely (middle school), and Investigating Safely (high school) also have a wealth of practical, relevant information and should be in your school or personal library–read about them at the NSTA Press site. NSTA also has position papers related to student lab work and safety and a Safety in the Science Classroom Portal. And if you search for “safety” and your grade level in NSTA’s SciLinks, you can access even more resources and information. Let’s be careful out there!

The Early Years blog will broaden its voice by having occasional guest bloggers. Marie Faust Evitt joins us today. She is the head teacher of a preschool class for four- and five-year-olds, and leads an “Adventure Day” class in Mountain View, California. She has written for newspapers and journals* and is the author of Thinking Big, Learning Big, a book of science activities aligned with national standards in literacy, math, and science. She posts wonderful photographs and writes about her classroom activities on Facebook. *A Web of Learning, Science & Children September 2011 
Spring is in full bloom here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve discovered that when I’m out walking with my nature fieldtrip class the children are much more excited about seeing wildflowers when they are looking for a few specific flowers as if it were a treasure hunt. And they are quicker to notice the flowers if we have talked about the flower names ahead of time and come up with, gestures to remember them.
For example, Pacific hound’s tongue is an early woodland flower with delicate blue flowers. The name comes from two characteristics – the leaves look like a dog’s tongue hanging out, and the seed pods look like the surface of a tongue. I tell the children that when we see hound’s tongue we’ll stick out our tongues and pant like a dog. We all look silly, and they remember the name of the plant.
We remember trillium by holding up three fingers because trillium has three big leaves and three magenta petals, like a tricycle has three wheels. (Click on the photos to see the larger photographs.)

These gestures help me remember the names of the California flowers myself since I grew up in Connecticut with buttercups and Queen Anne’s lace. I had learned to recognize buttercups by the old saying that if you held the flower under your chin on a sunny day and your chin showed a yellow reflection it meant you like butter. Folklore, yes, but I remembered the name of that cheerful yellow flower when I saw it again here, years later. It was like greeting an old friend! Buttercups!! I just discovered the science behind the lore.
As beautiful as the wildflowers are, we have the rule that during class we don’t pick any flowers so they can go to seed and make food for the wildlife and new flowers for the next year. Know your students—if you have any concerns that a particularly curious child might taste one of the flowers, talk about the “No Taste” rule too and stay close to that child. Check this site to learn more about your local wildflowers http://wildflowerinformation.org/.
Reading books about wildflowers adds to the learning. My preschoolers like hearing The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by Tommie de Paulo and Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. Elemenatry school children will enjoy Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers by Kathi Appelt, the story of Lady Bird Johnson’s love of wildflowers.
Happy spring! Marie Faust Evitt