I would like to have a science club in our middle school. How should I get started? What types of competitions we can enter? What else should I consider?  I have taught Life Science and Physical Science for 15 years.
—Liz, Billings, Montana
Working with students in a club setting is a wonderful opportunity to get to know them better and encourage them to develop lifelong interests beyond the classroom. Much of what you can do depends on the size of the club and the logistics of your meetings:

• How long will your meetings be: 30 minutes? A class period? When will you meet? Before or after school? A club period during the day? How often will you meet? Weekly? Bi-weekly? Monthly?
• Is there a limit on the number of students? How will you determine students’ interests and their level of commitment to the club activities?
• Where will you meet? Do you have to stay in your lab or on the school campus during the meeting time? Are field trips a possibility? Will transportation be an issue?
• Is there an activity fund your club can access for materials, entry fees, or transportation?

Participating in formal competitions could provide a focus. These programs have established guidelines and activities and culminate in a project or contest. They do require a high level of commitment, so look at their websites to determine the time and financial issues. You could do an informal trial for a year before committing to an actual competition. See the list at the end for some competitions appropriate for middle schoolers. This is by no means a complete list, but I’ve heard good things about these. Check out the article “Competing to Learn” in NSTA Reports, which describes how some teachers are using competitions to help motivate students and has some suggestions on how to get started with competitions.
Another possibility is involving your club in “Citizen Science” projects. In these regional and nation-wide projects, participants record observations in their own communities and upload data to a project database. Students get to see “their” data used as part of a larger project and are encouraged to pose their own research questions. The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology has several ongoing projects, including BirdSleuth, which I have worked on.  The article Using Citizen Scientists to Measure the Effects of Ozone Damage on Native Wildflowers in the April 2010 issue of Science Scope describes an air quality monitoring project. And in Project BudBurst participants chart their observations of plant growth. These are just a few examples of this type of authentic science investigation.
Here are some suggestions for some “home-grown” activities:

• Ask students about their interests (and be prepared for shoulder shrugs or “we want to blow things up”).  But you might be surprised at the topics they suggest, such as ecology, technology, genetics, or robotics. You could choose a different theme each year.
• Have students expand science to other parts of the school. Set up and maintain aquariums or plants in the office, library, or other public areas. Create and maintain flower gardens, vegetable gardens, or water gardens.
• Spearhead a school recycling project, especially for paper or cafeteria waste (see the article “Trash Pie” in March 2010 Science & Children).
• Collaborate with an elementary school. Your club could conduct demos for younger students or assist them with science projects or family night activities (if scheduling permits). Create videos in which your students explain or demonstrate concepts for the younger ones. I observed a project in which older students created “kits” out of small boxes with items such as magnets, hand lenses, small collections of shells, forest floor “litter,” pictures of animals, flash cards, leaves. The students made illustrated field guides or activities to go along with the kits.  The elementary teachers used them as take-home activities.
• Set up and monitor a weather station. The students’ report could be part of the daily announcements. Some local television stations even provide the equipment and share student data on the nightly news.
• Conduct build-it events such as egg drop containers, boat floating, kites, paper airplanes, or simple robotic kits. The Internet has suggestions for many of these. Activities involving global positioning satellites and geo-caches are becoming popular, too.
• If field trips are a possibility, visit local water treatment plants, museums, university research centers, or health centers to see the labs, interview scientists/researchers, and learn about careers. Volunteer at parks or nature centers.

However you develop your club, keep it low-key and enjoy yourself. I still reminisce with former students about tracking animals in the snow, determining the water quality at the local reservoir, and testing paper airplane designs.
Competitions
Science Olympiad
Odyssey of the Mind
JETS – Junior Engineering Technical Society
U.S. Department of Energy Science Quiz Bowl
Toshiba/NSTA Exploravision
National Engineers Week  Future City Competition
Envirothon (for high school, but you may get some ideas)
Junior Solar Sprint Car Competitions
First Lego League
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lowercolumbiacollege/4438634434/

Science notebooking is a valuable exercise, as evidenced by an article in the current issue of NTSA Reports. “Enhancing Learning with Science Notebooks” is extremely timely as it coincides with the release of Michael Klentschy’s new book, Using Science Notebooks in Middle School. In his Introduction, Klentschy stresses the significance of Middle School as a transitional period in the development of students. The use of science notebooks in the Middle School classroom serves many purposes during this time of growth. Firstly, theycan act as a bridge from the less formal elementary school setting to the more intense high school setting. Secondly, science notebooks help to integrate language arts and aid in the development of students’ ability to think and write critically and effectively. Whether you are a teacher currently using notebooks in your classroom, or a complete stranger to science notebooking, Using Science Notebooks in Middle School will give you a deeper understanding of how to successfully incorporate notebooks into your lessons.

What’s New for May 31 on NSTA’s various online outposts

Happy Memorial Day!
Many of you are wanting to download the resources from the conference in Philadelphia. Here’s how.
Highlights of stimulating conversations taking place right now on our listservs:

• Biology—discussion of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, alcohol experiments, and college admissions;
• Chemistry—big conversation about cheating on tests;
• Earth Science—Phases of the moon, tornado movies;
• General Science—Hopper Poppers, graphing, and recommended websites;
• Physical Science—The physics of cell phones;
• Physics—CO₂ cars.

In NSTA’s online professional learning communities, a new group has formed for traveling teachers, and don’t forget to download all the presentation resources for our Philadelphia Conference–even if you didn’t come, as a member of these communities, you can access all the handouts and session materials! Click here to access a short video that teaches you how to get the handouts.
On our “core site” (www.nsta.org): read about our Summer Institute for Elementary Education—and then register to attend!
On Facebook, deadlines extended for NSTA’s New Science Teacher’s Academy, and some research going on about the educational uses of Google Earth.
On LinkedIn, more direct posts from NSTA’s Career Center, and discussions about springtime ferns and presenting at NSTA’s National Conference on Science Education next year in San Francisco.
And of course, on our Twitter stream, science educators are tweeting and re-tweeting the latest from NSTA Press!
Renew Your Membership!
Now is the time to insure that you don’t miss a single journal issue or one minute of the time you use to network and build professional connections here in these online communities. Click the link above to renew your membership and insure that NSTA stays in your corner for your science education career!

I had an interesting conversation with some teachers about technology skills for the 21st century. Many years ago in the last century (the mid 1980s), when personal computers were emerging into the schools, we had similar discussions and made up lists of skills we thought would take our students into the future. Looking back at some of these lists, I can see that although we were well-intentioned, the technology continues to change and some of knowledge (e.g., how a floppy disk worked) and skills (MS-DOS commands) we thought were important are now obsolete. What we thought was a high-end use of technology (e.g., word processing or spreadsheets) is now standard. And the Internet didn’t even exist then (at least not in the sense that virtually everyone had access to it).
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has a sets of technology standards that go beyond specific applications. Before we start thinking “just what we need, another set of standards when we can’t even get to everything in science,” look at the headings for the student standards:

• Creativity and Innovation
• Communication and Collaboration
• Research and Information Fluency
• Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
• Digital Citizenship

Many of descriptions and performance indicators for these might already be incorporated in our science classes, and they’re independent of specific software and applications. ISTE also has sets of standards with performance indicators for teachers and administrators that would be helpful in designing professional development programs. They’re worth a look.

At our elementary school, we’re exploring the idea of changing from self-contained classrooms to departmentalizing in grades 4 through 6. In terms of science instruction, what are some advantages and disadvantages we should consider?
—Erin, Jackson, Mississippi
Any time we change how we do things in schools, there should be some fact-finding and thoughtful discussion of the advantages and disadvantages. A quick Internet search turns up many articles, reports, forums, and blogs on the topic (although I did not see much formal, current research). What data are you using to determine the need to change your schedule?
I don’t have a definitive answer on what configuration works best for upper elementary students.  In my classroom visits, I’ve seen many different variations of departmentalization, or “platooning.”

• Teacher A teaches a self-contained fifth grade class. She enjoys science and uses science themes in interdisciplinary activities in which students apply their skills in science, math, reading, and writing. She likes the flexibility of having the same students for the whole day, and her classroom is full of student projects.

• Teacher B teaches a self-contained sixth grade class. He admits that his own science background is weak, and he can’t justify the time it takes to set up science activities. He feels a need to focus on math and reading, and so he considers science and social studies as subjects he gets to when there is time, usually at the end of the day.

• Teacher C is a science specialist in a large school. He teaches every fourth grade student. His classroom has been designated as a science center with water, electrical outlets, tables, and safety equipment. There is an extensive collection of science trade books, a weather station, and aquariums. He sees the students every day.

• Teacher D teams with another fifth grade teacher. She teaches math and science and her colleague teaches reading and social studies. They meet their students every day for a block of time. Some days she uses more of the time for science investigations, other days she focuses more on math, and some lessons, like graphing or measurement, can be integrated into both subjects.

• Teacher E works in a small school, with one section of each grade. She teaches reading/language arts in her sixth grade homeroom and science for grades 4, 5, and 6. By working with all of the students for three years,  she gets to know them and implements a science curriculum that builds on their skills and knowledge.

Many elementary teachers feel the nurturing and intimacy of a self-contained classroom is important. They get to know the students better and can focus on their needs throughout the day. By teaching all of the subjects, they can help the students make the connections among the topics. Their schedule is not bell-driven, and except for the scheduled time for specials, recess, and lunch, the instructional time can be flexible. Some teachers and administrators prefer this configuration because they are concerned about the time students would spend moving to different classrooms and behavior management issues in the hallways. Some parents and teachers may feel changing classes sounds too much like a middle school experience. However, science can be overlooked, especially in an environment under pressure for students to perform well on reading and math tests. There are also issues around purchasing and storing duplicates of equipment, kits, safety materials such as goggles and sanitizers, and science libraries for individual classrooms. In this setting, it is important to discuss how to ensure high-quality science instruction for all students on a regular basis.
Departmentalized teachers may feel that the upper elementary students are ready for a different learning environment. The students get regular experiences in science, and the teachers can focus on one or two subjects in their planning. The classrooms become science centers appropriately equipped for student investigations and ongoing projects. In many departmentalized schools, the entire grade level team meets periodically to develop  and maintain consistent grading rubrics and basic classroom procedures in all subjects. The schedules alternate daily or weekly, so the subject the students have at the end of the day varies. However, having several teachers with different styles and personalities can be challenging for some students. There is also a concern that departmentalization could become compartmentalization, in which students and teachers see their subjects as totally separate entities. Parents also have several teachers to communicate with, instead of one.
As you discuss this possible change, work with your principal to identify the pros and cons and to explore potential issues with scheduling and facilities. Include the special education faculty in your discussions. If you’re serious about modifying your schedule, keep parents in the loop, sharing the rationale you develop. Whatever you decide to do should be based on your data and reflect the best interests of your students.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/benwerd/329570851/

The deadline to submit applications for the 2010 NSTA New Science Teacher Academy has been extended to June 21, 2010. Science teachers located throughout the country, who will be entering their second or third year of teaching and whose schedule is a minimum of 51 percent middle or high school science, are encouraged to apply.
NSTA Fellows chosen for the program receive a comprehensive membership package, online mentoring with trained mentors who teach in the same discipline, and the opportunity to participate in a variety of web-based professional development activities, including web seminars. In addition, each NSTA Fellow receives financial support to attend and participate in NSTA’s National Conference on Science Education, taking place in San Francisco, March 10-13, 2010.
For more information about the NSTA New Science Teacher Academy or to learn how to apply to become a fellow, please visit www.nsta.org/academy. Applications must be submitted no later than June 21, 2010, to be considered. Don’t delay, apply now!