In a presentation I attended last year, Dr. Rita Colwell, the former director of the National Science Foundation, described 21st century science as “international and interdisciplinary.” Interdisciplinary is one of those words that is hard to define, but we “know it when we see it.” The article Thinking, Teaching, and Learning Science Outside the Boxes does provide a definition as well as a discussion of its importance and even a “taxonomy” of levels of disciplinarity (yes, I know that’s not a real word!), showing that it’s not an either/or dichotomy. It would be interesting to compare our unit plans with this taxonomy.
Other articles in this issue illustrate activities at these levels: studying biofuels and nanotechnology, building rubber-band cars, integrating science and the arts, and collecting and analyzing hydrology data. These are very powerful kinds of investigations, not simply contrived or superficial collections of activities. Scan your back issues of NSTA publications for more excellent examples. If you need some web resources to get similar units started, check out the Scilinks categories Alternate Energy Sources, Nanotechnology, and Leonardo da Vinci.
I’m sure that most of us have tried some level of interdisciplinary studies. But there are some real challenges (especially at the secondary level). Trying to find common planning time with other teachers is difficult. (Wouldn’t it be a great use of professional development days to actually research a topic and plan some units as an interdisciplinary team?) The students in a science class might report to 2-3 different teachers in math or other subjects. But my favorite is teachers who say “We already so this.” I know that this is certainly true in many cases, but I wonder if having students draw a picture, calculate an average, or write a report represents the highest levels of true interdisciplinary instruction (I’ll have to check the taxonomy.)
I had the opportunity last week to visit several high schools. Although it was for a different project, I kept my eyes open for ideas for interdisciplinary activities. For example, I saw an opportunity for connecting an American history unit on 19th century industrialization and inventions with science units on electricity, machines, and energy. In another class, a student asked “So how does all of this fit together?” I suspect that when we do interdisciplinary studies, we as teachers see the connections and we assume that the students will, too. But we need to show the students how things are connected and model how to make the connections.
It also occurred to me that elective courses are where many students start to see the connections and applications — robotics, graphic arts, technical writing, computer applications, marketing/advertising, culinary arts, etc. And yet often these courses do not “count” much for the GPA or honor roll and are the first to go when there are budget cuts. Hmmm.
Having read this issue, I realize now that when my colleagues and I did our “interdisciplinary” field trip every spring, what we really had was a collection of parallel activities. What we needed to do was identify a theme, a problem, or an essential question to connect the activities. We could still do the same activities, but the theme or question would would focus the students’ attention better and help them see the connections.
Please feel free to share any themes or questions that you have used to plan interdisciplinary learning.

We are opening a new academy for grades 10, 11, and 12. We’re going to have a science lab for combined use in biology, chemistry, and physics. I’ve taught in labs, but I’ve never designed one. Where do we start?
—K. D., Oklahoma
There’s nothing more exciting for a science teacher than walking into a new laboratory. The first thing we notice is the equipment. But there’s a lot more to designing a lab than selecting and installing the tables.
Whether you’re constructing a new facility or remodeling an existing one, planning the lab facilities is a complicated process. It’s better to work out all the details in advance than have to go back and correct any mistakes or omissions. I would strongly recommend that you start with the NSTA Guide to Planning School Science Facilities, available through the NSTA Science Store. This publication has a chapter on safety guidelines (including storage of materials), sample floor plans, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines, and even suggestions for “green” labs. It has user-friendly chapters on the steps of this planning process, lots of photographs, and checklists. It also is essential you research recommendations or requirements from your state department of education and your local building codes.
I assume you are going to meet with all of the science teachers for their input. Ask a lot of questions: What kind of science instruction would take place in the lab: lecture/discussion with supporting lab activities vs. an inquiry-based curriculum with ongoing activities? How many students will be in a class? What kinds of investigative processes are suggested or required in your state’s science standards? What will be the role of technology? The NSTA Guide has many discussion-starters.
The first priority should be safety: features such as showers, eyewash stations, fume hoods, air exchangers, fire extinguishers and blankets, sanitizing equipment for goggles, master shut-off switches (for gas, water, electric), adequate and uncluttered workspace dimensions, room size, and unobstructed exits from the lab. The NSTA Guide explores what should be in place so that students and teachers can work safely. The Council of State Science Supervisors also has recommendations in their publication, Science Safety: Making the Connection.
I talked to several other science teachers who suggested:

If anyone has other suggestions for K.D., please feel free to add a comment!

In last month’s issue of Science and Children, Bill Robertson asks the question “Why do we classify things in science?” He notes that many teachers teach classification as an end in itself or as a communications exercise. He suggests that “Classification in the classroom should lead toward the understanding of concepts, or at least should be done with an eye toward the ultimate purpose, such as the classification of rocks leading toward an understanding of the formation of geologic features” (page 70).
I visited an elementary class in which the teacher had a collection of small objects, which the students were to categorize. The students had lively discussions as they sorted the objects into the compartments of a cafeteria tray. But the teacher went beyond this simple activity – she had the teams exchange trays and try to figure out what characteristics the other team used to create the groups. Then she gave them some new objects and asked where (and if) the objects fit and whether the groups should be changed or expanded to accommodate the new objects. Two of the articles in this Science Scope also take classification one step further, with follow-ups to scavenger hunts using GPS units and digital cameras!
There are many terrific websites that help students understand the concepts of biological classification, such as those in the Explore Classification section of SciLinks. But let’s not forget that other sciences also use classifications such as the the Periodic Table, simple machines, galaxies, and hurricanes.
Regardless of the subject, instructing students in the process of identifying similarities and differences (through the processes of comparing and classifying) has been found to improve student achievement. In Classroom Instruction That Works. Robert Marzano and his colleagues cite this research and describe two types of classification activities: 1) giving students the categories and asking them to classify items and 2) giving students the items and asking them to sort them into categories of their own creation. The authors note that using graphic organizers can help students to determine the patterns. And science is full of graphic representations of classifications schemes (just think of what can be learned from looking at the Periodic Table). History of Life: Looking at the Pattern depicts the current thinking about how living things are classified based on patterns and observations.
How many of us learned that Pluto was classified as a planet and that there are three kingdoms of living things? It’s exciting to see how new information causes us to rethink what we thought we knew.

March 20, 2009, will be the 40th anniversary of the publication of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a book loved by children for its parade of fanciful food, by parents for the healthy eating message, and by all for the artwork with splendid colors.
Are your students interested in the lifecycles of insects? Observing caterpillars and seeing the metamorphosis to the adult form is a common early childhood classroom activity in spring, culminating with the release of the adult butterflies. The NSTA elementary email list group recently responded to a request for butterfly resources with these suggestions (edited to create a list):
See the Teacher’s Guide from the Florida Museum of Natural History. It has some cool activities, crafts to make, lots of detailed information, and lists of resources Be sure to check the weather forecast! If we rear butterflies, we need to give them a shot at survival–which means you need to have warm enough temperatures for them to survive outside and appropriate nectar plants available outside once the butterflies hatch and you release them. Also, be sure to work around your spring break! You can’t predict exactly when the butterflies will emerge from their chrysalises and you don’t want it to be when you are gone for a week!

Click on the photo to enlarge.

1. Tape the length of the rectangle of netting to the underside of one paper plate, being sure to overlap the width edges by about 10 cm (the overlap is the access for hands but the butterflies do not find it).
2. Lay a line of hot glue around the edge of the plate (over the tape) and quickly put another paper plate on top of the glue.
3. Repeat this with a second set of plates and the second width-edge, paying special attention to making the net overlap go the same direction as on the first set of plates.
4. To hang the housing, poke 2 holes in one set of plates, reinforce with tape, and thread string through the holes.

Please note that almost all butterflies form a chrysalis, rather than a cocoon, when they grow and change into their pupa stage. I substitute the word ‘chrysalis’ for ‘cocoon’ when I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar (I even cross it off in my copy of the book so I will remember) but Eric Carle explains his reason for using the word on his website.
Tell children that as scientists we have special words to explain exactly what we mean when we talk about something with others. It helps to have examples of both chrysalides and cocoons to show children (save the empty ones). They often enjoy having the additional special vocabulary at their disposal.
What I tell people [about The Very Hungry Caterpillar] is to compare what we have observed about butterflies and what we have read in the book—what is “real” and where does the author’s imagination take flight? I think it’s a valuable point to discuss and I feel even young students can begin to appreciate the difference.
Butterfly resources at www.exploringnature.com:

• How to Draw a Swallowtail Butterfly
• Diagrams and information about different species of butterfly

See the article “Honeybees, Butterflies, and Ladybugs: Partners to Plants” in the February 2008 Science & Children.
Comment to add your suggestions to this list of resources.
Thanks,
Peggy

I recently received the first seed catalog in the mail. For those of us in the northern states, seeing the pictures of flowering plants is a harbinger of spring! In the same delivery was this issue of S&C, themed around plants. A coincidence?
Growing bean seeds is a standard activity in elementary science and a great way to learn about parts of a plant. This is also an effective medium for designing and implementing controlled experiments, and the authors of the articles in this issue have many suggestions for differentiating this activity so that the students aren’t doing the same thing each year.
In addition to the web resources at the end of each article, NSTA’s SciLinks database has dozens of websites related to plants. Enter plant as a keyword to get lists of websites related to plant growth, tropisms, plants as food, structure of seed plants, and parts of a plant.
Some of my favorites include Celebrating Wildflowers from the National Park Service, The Great Plant Escape from the University of Illinois (a Spanish version is available), and the Biology of Plants from the Missouri Botanical Garden.
The Teachers’ Domain website has several lesson plans related to plants. Living Life as a Plant and How Do Plants Get Energy are designed for the upper elementary grades. Exploring Plants and Plant Life Cycles are appropriate for the primary grades. All of these lessons incorporate multimedia and graphics as resources.
Horticulture: Just for Kids from Texas A&M University has suggestions for planting a school garden. If you’re not sure what to plant, the Montgomery County (MD) Department of Environmental Protection has suggestions for what to include in a Colonial Herb Garden (featuring plants found in colonial days) and a Shakespeare Herb Garden (plants mentioned in his plays). These lists may be of interest to your colleagues at the secondary level. I’ve also heard of schools planting “pizza gardens” with tomatoes, peppers, onions, basil, and oregano.
For more information on school and community gardens, check the KidsGardening website. Feel free to add your own suggestions as a comment here. Think Spring!

I’m very fortunate to be attending NSTA’s National Conference on Science Education this year. I’ve never been to an event of this size, and I want to get the most I can out of it. Do you have any suggestions for a first-timer?
—Renee, Flint, Michigan
Congratulations! Attending this event is a wonderful professional experience. I assume you’ve registered, made arrangements for lodging and transportation, and have your lesson plans ready.
There are a few things you should do before you go:

Some hints on what to take:

A rolling bag, if you know you can’t resist picking up every brochure and session material you encounter (resistance can be futile).
Address labels are handy for sign-up sheets and marking your program and other materials.
If you don’t have any business cards, get some or make your own. Be sure to include your e-mail address and what and where you teach. These are great to handout when you’re networking with other teachers, presenters, and even exhibitors.
A digital camera is handy to take pictures of equipment, displays, speakers, and new friends.
Have an envelope or other system for keeping receipts and other documents. Expenses not reimbursed by your school might be tax-deductible (check with your accountant).
Above all, pack comfortable walking shoes!

At the Conference:

Pick up your badge holder, your copy of the program (there’s one for each day) and other conference materials ahead of time, if possible. Take some time to finalize your daily schedules. I like to put a small reminder in my badge holder with the session names, times, and locations.
Attend the first-timers session on the first day.
Turn in the session evaluations.
Divide and conquer if you’re attending with a friend or colleague. You can only be at one place at a time, so coordinate with other teachers to share notes and materials from sessions missed.
Consider taking some snacks and a water bottle (the concessions are often crowded at lunch time).
Resist the temptation to collect every brochure, poster, and promotional giveaway in the exhibit area. It’s like a science wonderland! But whatever you collect, you’ll have to get home somehow. I know teachers who take an empty bag (see above under things to take) they can check on the way home (cheaper than shipping via a delivery service).
Take some time for sightseeing. There will be a booth at registration staffed by local teachers. They’ll have lots of ideas and suggestions for what to see and do.
Keep a log or journal of the sessions you attended, people you met, and new ideas. Update your homepage, Facebook, or class Wiki/blog with a summary of what you are learning at the conference. Update your conference transcript.

Back Home:

I know I’m not the only teacher going to the conference. Does anybody else have tips for conference newbies? Please leave a comment.

Are the daffodils blooming yet at your school? My across-the-street neighbors get about 6 more hours of direct sunlight on their front yards in February and March than I do, so I always have a preview of what nature happening will be coming next to my yard. Their daffodils have fat buds now in the middle of February, and the earliest crocuses are already blooming. Some years they wear caps of snow as we get winter and spring weather in turns. Every year spring flowering bulbs struggle to sprout and bloom right in the spot near our steps where my daughter always bounces her ball. The sprouts get smashed down but come back every year.
It can be hard to find a spot in a school yard where children do not step, walk, run, dance, or jump. At one school the best place for planting lies within the playground fence where years of wood chip mulch application have produced a deep organic soil. The flowers may get picked or stepped on, but first they are noticed because the children planted them where they play everyday instead of in a border outside of their territory. A gentle reminder to “go around” serves to protect the blooms while not destroying the children’s freedom to play. The teachers don’t worry too much about the children stepping on the bulb sprouts—they have survived many years of children.
Peggy