What are some fun, engaging hands-on activities or demonstrations about the three states of matter for a third grade class?
—B., Tennessee

I think that the best activities with the states of matter involve the changes between states. You may want to review a recent post in which I shared several ideas for activities related to gases. (http://bit.ly/2MnnbnR)

Ideas for liquid/solid activities:

Ice cream in a zip-top bag
Ice cream is more than a sweet treat—it also can be a lesson on depressing the freezing point of water using salt. Record the temperature of the water during the activity. Always double-bag the liquids to avoid salty ice cream! Make sure to provide alternatives to accommodate any dietary restrictions.

Gelatin or chocolate molds
Candy molds take advantage of major properties of liquids and solids: Liquids flow and take on the shape of their container; solids maintain their shapes. Use a gummy formulation for the gelatin. Be careful with hot liquids.

Resin casting jewelry
Purchase two-part resin or epoxy to make jewelry in molds. (Don’t reuse the same molds for edible treats). Prepare the molds with a release agent like vegetable oil. There are resins which are free of harmful out-gassing. Make sure to practice beforehand and always use gloves.

Non-Newtonian fluids
Students will be astounded when they play with these bizarre starch solutions which behave both as solids and liquids. Easy, safe, but messy! Be sure to cover surfaces and wear smocks.

Hope this helps!

Image credit: CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48897

What does a typical high school science teacher’s week look like? If you rolled your eyes and think that’s a trick question, you’re not alone! Typical, predictable, boring… those just aren’t words that describe your job. And you’re not alone. NSTA Area Conferences on Science Education bring together educators at every level, with dozens of sessions and workshops crafted just for high school teachers. Plus, you’ll get to try all kinds of new products and pick up great freebies in the exhibit hall. There are three dates and cities:

• Salt Lake City, UT | October 24–26 | more info
• Cincinnati, OH | November 14–16 | more info
• Seattle, WA | December 12–14 | more info

Browse below for events and opportunities that high school teachers will particularly want to pay attention to during these fall conferences.

Keynote speakers kick off each conference with high energy and talks that make you proud to be a science teacher! (See pages 5, 13, and 21 in the program preview.)

• Salt Lake City, UT | Mireya Mayor, Primatologist and National Geographic Explorer
• Cincinnati, OH | National Geographic Explorer and Bashore Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Environment and Sustainability, Catawba College; and Adjunct Professor of the Environment, Duke University
• Seattle, WA | Nalini M. Nadkarni, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City

Meet the NSTA staff and leadership in the bookstore and at the membership area. Ask about NSTA’s awards for high school science teachers, including the Ron Mardigian Memorial Bio-Rad Explorer Award and many others. Applications are open now!

Chemistry and Engineering Days—Fridays at each conference
These content-focused days are held in addition to all the regularly scheduled presentations on all aspects of science education. If you want to take a deep dive into these areas, put these on your schedule. If not, no problem, go directly to #3, below.
(See pages 8, 16, and 23 of the program preview for more information.)

Dozens of sessions will be led by high school educators. Below is a small sampling of what you’ll find when you search each conference’s session browser for events targeted for high school science teaching. Salt Lake City Sessions | Cincinnati Sessions | Seattle Sessions

• Literacy, Content Reading, and the Promotion of Metacognitive Learning Strategies in STEM
•  Using Case Studies in the High School Classroom
• NGSS@NSTA Forum Session: The NSTA Atlas of the Three Dimensions
• NSELA-Sponsored Session: Developing Science Practices with Citizen Science
  
  Graduate-Level Credit Opportunities are available at each conference from local universities.
  (See pages 10, 18, and 24 of the program preview for more information.)
  
  Learn how to get published in The Science Teacher (NSTA’s high school level journal)
  Salt Lake City, UT | October 24 | 2:00–3:00 PM | Room 260B, Salt Palace Convention Center
  
  The Exhibit Hall—Daily
  Check out the VIRTUAL EXHIBIT HALL
  Preview and create your own list of exhibitors before the conferences using these links: www.nsta.org/saltlakecityexhibits
  www.nsta.org/cincinnatiexhibits
  www.nsta.org/seattleexhibits
  
  The NSTA Exhibit Hall, with more than 125 of the leading science education companies and organizations in the world, has the newest products to show and share with educators. Don’t forget to leave room in your suitcase for all the swag.
  (See p. 30 of the program preview for more information.)
  
  Meet your fellow high school teachers at the First-Timers Session
  Look for tables marked “High School” (among other topics you may choose from like STEM and NGSS), where you can meet other attendees with similar interests, get to know the NSTA leadership, win prizes, and have a lot of fun. It’s the best way to kick off your conference experience. (See p. 3 of the program preview for more information.)
  
• Salt Lake City |Thursday, October 24, 8:00–9:00 AM  | 155F, Salt Palace Convention Center
• Cincinnati | Thursday, November 14, 8:00–9:00 | Junior Ballroom D, Duke Energy Convention Center
• Seattle | Thursday, December 12, 8:00–9:00 AM | Ballroom 6B, Washington State Convention Center

Can’t Attend But Want the Experience?

Follow along on Twitter and Instagram using #NSTA19, like NSTA on Facebook, and check out our area conference albums. And don’t forget, NSTA members save up to $90 off the price of registration. Not a member? Join here.

NSTA’s position statement on elementary school science recognizes that elementary science instruction often takes a back seat to math and reading and receives little time in the school day. But it’s also the time when children are easily interested in science and have extraordinary sense of wonder. Join us to learn how to make the most of the time you have for science and children’s innate sense of curiosity. NSTA Area Conferences on Science Education bring together educators at every level, with dozens of sessions and workshops crafted just for elementary school teachers. Plus, you’ll get to try all kinds of new products and pick up great freebies in the exhibit hall. There are three dates and cities:

• Salt Lake City, UT | October 24–26 | more info
• Cincinnati, OH | November 14–16 | more info
• Seattle, WA | December 12–14 | more info

Browse below for events and opportunities designed for elementary school teachers at our fall conferences.

NSTA Press sessions that will give teachers an “aha” moment! Below is a sample:

• Argument-Driven Inquiry in Grades 3–5: Three-Dimensional Investigations That Integrate Literacy and Mathematics
  Salt Lake City, UT | Thursday, October 24, 2:00 PM–3:00 PM | Salt Palace Convention Center, 155B
• Eureka! K–2 and Grades 3–5 Science Activities and Stories
  Cincinnati, OH | Thursday, November 14, 3:30 PM–4:30 PM | Duke Energy Convention Center, Junior Ballroom A
• Picture-Perfect Science Lessons, Using Children’s Books to Guide Inquiry K–5
  Cincinnati, OH | Thursday, November 14, 9:30 AM–10:30 AM | Duke Energy Convention Center, Junior Ballroom A

Keynote speakers kick off each conference with high energy and talks that make you proud to be a science teacher! (See pages 5, 13, and 21 in the program preview.)

• Salt Lake City, UT | Mireya Mayor, Primatologist and National Geographic Explorer
• Cincinnati, OH | National Geographic Explorer and Bashore Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Environment and Sustainability, Catawba College; and Adjunct Professor of the Environment, Duke University
• Seattle, WA | Nalini M. Nadkarni, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City

Dozens of sessions designed for elementary school educators. Below is a small sampling of what you’ll find when you search each conference’s session browser for events targeted for elementary school science teaching. Salt Lake City Sessions | Cincinnati Sessions | Seattle Sessions

• Nurture Through Nature (How Four Teachers Stumbled Their Way into Building the Most Innovative School Club in the Country)
• Fairy Tale Forensics
• Full STEAM Ahead
• Inquiry in Action: Investigating Matter K–5
• ASEE Session: Literacy-Infused Engineering for Middle School and Elementary Students 
• Experience Three-Dimensional Learning in the K–2 Classroom Around the Principles of Flight
• Inviting Play into the Classroom
  

Meet the NSTA staff and leadership in the bookstore and at the membership area. Ask about NSTA’s awards, including the Sylvia Shugrue Award for Elementary School Teachers and many others. Applications are open now!

Seattle-bound conference goers may enjoy this educational trip: Fermentation Science: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Hale’s Brewery and Westland Distillery. In the spirit of STEM, you’ll learn firsthand from master brewers how biology, chemistry, and physics converge in the different processes of brewing beer. (See p. 26 of the program preview for more information.)

Short Courses
These half- or full-day content-focused sessions are held in addition to all the regularly scheduled presentations on all aspects of science education. These require tickets and are worth the extra planning if you want to take a deep dive into areas like three-dimensional teaching and STEM, citizen science, increasing student engagement through “aha” moments, and more. (See pages 9, 17, and 25 of the program preview for more information.)

Graduate-Level Credit Opportunities are available at each conference from local universities.
(See pages 10, 18, and 24 of the program preview for more information.)

The Exhibit Hall—Daily
Check out the VIRTUAL EXHIBIT HALL
Preview and create your own list of exhibitors before the conferences using these links: www.nsta.org/saltlakecityexhibits
www.nsta.org/cincinnatiexhibits
www.nsta.org/seattleexhibits

The NSTA Exhibit Hall, with more than 125 of the leading science education companies and organizations in the world, has the newest products to show and share with educators. Don’t forget to leave room in your suitcase for all the swag.
(See p. 30 of the program preview for more information.)

Meet your fellow elementary school teachers at the First-Timers Session
Look for tables marked “Elementary School” (among other topics you may choose from like STEM and NGSS), where you can meet other attendees with similar interests, get to know the NSTA leadership, win prizes, and have a lot of fun. It’s the best way to kick off your conference experience. (See p. 3 of the program preview for more information.)

• Salt Lake City
  Thursday, October 24, 8:00–9:00 AM  | 155F, Salt Palace Convention Center
• Cincinnati
  Thursday, November 14, 8:00–9:00 | Junior Ballroom D, Duke Energy Convention Center
• Seattle
  Thursday, December 12, 8:00–9:00 AM | Ballroom 6B, Washington State Convention Center

Can’t Attend But Want the Experience?

Follow along on Twitter and Instagram using #NSTA19, like NSTA on Facebook, and check out our area conference albums. 

And don’t forget, NSTA members save up to $90 off the price of registration. Not a member? Join here.

Does teaching middle school science require superhuman powers? Maybe, but no matter how you answer this question, one thing is certain—three days away from the classroom surrounded by educators who understand and can teach you tried-and-true ways to reach this unique bunch of people we call tweens may just save your sanity and will definitely make your career more rewarding.  NSTA Area Conferences on Science Education bring together educators at every level, with dozens of sessions and workshops crafted just for middle school teachers. Plus, you’ll get to try all kinds of new products and pick up great freebies in the exhibit hall. There are three dates and cities:

• Salt Lake City, UT | October 24–26 | more info
• Cincinnati, OH | November 14–16 | more info
• Seattle, WA | December 12–14 | more info

Browse below for events and opportunities that middle school teachers will love at our fall conferences.

Dozens of sessions designed for middle school educators. Below is a small sampling of what you’ll find when you search each conference’s session browser for events targeted for midle school science teaching. Salt Lake City Sessions | Cincinnati Sessions | Seattle Sessions

• STEM-ify Your Middle School Science Classroom
• Making Detectives in Middle School: Using Ecology Mysteries to Explore Content and Integrate Writing Practices
• Middle School Magic: Choice, Song, and Play
• NMLSTA-Sponsored Session: Engaging Students with Authentic Data
• Food Chains: Using Field Surveys That Give Real Results
• ASEE Session: Literacy-Infused Engineering for Middle School and Elementary Students
• Makerspaces: Why, What, How
  
  Keynote speakers: Kick off each conference with high energy and talks that make you proud to be a science teacher! (See pages 5, 13, and 21 in the program preview.)
  
  • Salt Lake City, UT | Mireya Mayor, Primatologist and National Geographic Explorer
  • Cincinnati, OH | National Geographic Explorer and Bashore Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Environment and Sustainability, Catawba College; and Adjunct Professor of the Environment, Duke University
  • Seattle, WA | Nalini M. Nadkarni, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City
    
    Meet the NSTA staff and leadership in the bookstore and at the membership area. Ask about NSTA’s awards for middle school science teachers and students, including the Angela Award and many others. Applications are open now!
    
    Seattle-bound conference goers may enjoy this educational trip: Fermentation Science: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Hale’s Brewery and Westland Distillery. In the spirit of STEM, you’ll learn firsthand from master brewers how biology, chemistry, and physics converge in the different processes of brewing beer. (See p. 26 of the program preview for more information.)
    
    Short Courses
    These half- or full-day content-focused sessions are held in addition to all the regularly scheduled presentations on all aspects of science education. These require tickets and are worth the extra planning if you want to take a deep dive into areas like three-dimensional teaching and STEM, citizen science, increasing student engagement through “aha” moments, and more. (See pages 9, 17, and 25 of the program preview for more information.)
    Graduate-Level Credit Opportunities are available at each conference from local universities.
    (See pages 10, 18, and 24 of the program preview for more information.)
    
    The Exhibit Hall—Daily
    Check out the VIRTUAL EXHIBIT HALL
    Preview and create your own list of exhibitors before the conferences using these links: www.nsta.org/saltlakecityexhibits
    www.nsta.org/cincinnatiexhibits
    www.nsta.org/seattleexhibits
    
    The NSTA Exhibit Hall, with more than 125 of the leading science education companies and organizations in the world, has the newest products to show and share with educators. Don’t forget to leave room in your suitcase for all the swag.
    (See p. 30 of the program preview for more information.)
    
    Meet your fellow middle school teachers at the First-Timers Session
    Look for tables marked “Middle School” (among other topics you may choose from like STEM and NGSS), where you can meet other attendees with similar interests, get to know the NSTA leadership, win prizes, and have a lot of fun. It’s the best way to kick off your conference experience. (See p. 3 of the program preview for more information.)
    
  • Salt Lake City
    Thursday, October 24, 8:00–9:00 AM  | 155F, Salt Palace Convention Center
  • Cincinnati
    Thursday, November 14, 8:00–9:00 | Junior Ballroom D, Duke Energy Convention Center
  • Seattle
    Thursday, December 12, 8:00–9:00 AM | Ballroom 6B, Washington State Convention Center

Can’t Attend But Want the Experience?

Follow along on Twitter and Instagram using #NSTA19, like NSTA on Facebook, and check out our area conference albums. And don’t forget, NSTA members save up to $90 off the price of registration. Not a member? Join here.

Guest blog post by Valeria Rodriguez

Walking into the Moscone West Center in San Francisco on Wednesday afternoon, I had a few personal issues I was tackling, when I overheard a teacher saying: 

“ I am almost 50 and I have had so many firsts since yesterday: I traveled to San Francisco, took an Uber, and ate at Whole Foods Market… and I still have three more days here. Friday I will present at this conference, which is another first. I know these things may seem small, but to me, they aren’t. I almost took my life a few years back, so the way I see it they are huge. It’s heartbreaking that I needed to almost die to really appreciate the gift that life brings and the new opportunities that it offers every day. I hope that you do not have to almost die before you realize it too.” 

-Kim Konczyk

I apologized for eavesdropping and thanked her for sharing so openly. Those words were spoken by Kim, a pre-service teacher from Philadelphia who lives in chronic pain has had a few recent spine surgeries, and yet wore a smile ear to ear the entire conference going out of her way to inspire and make others smile while she was at it. She has 1 semester of coursework and 1 semester of student teaching left before she gets to grace a lucky classroom somewhere.

Throughout that conversation, I was reminded that teachers arriving at the STEM FORUM were full of COURAGE. Teachers were showing up despite each of their own stories and their own set of challenges they were working through. They were showing up with open hearts to learn, connect, build, re-build, explore, and grow in new ways as educators, and people, to SHOW UP in a more authentic way for their students and communities.

Throughout the conference, I saw many more examples of courage spring up.

• I saw vendors putting their ideas and products out to strangers, hoping that they would get to make an impact in classrooms. 

• I saw teachers sharing hacks, lessons, and tips at the Elementary showcase. They were openly giving resources, sharing their contact information, and talking about some of the challenges that led to their breakthroughs. 

• I saw presenters stand in front of other teachers and share ideas that had worked for them. I even had my own “face your fears” experience presenting. When I woke up the morning of my presentation, I could barely hear myself speak. I immediately wondered how I was going to deliver the presentation. When I walked into my presentation room with 15 minutes left, there was not a soul in the room. My heart sunk. I wondered if anyone would come. Then one teacher came in. She told me not to worry. Another followed, and then slowly my room started to populate with empathetic and caring teachers who helped me look for my voice ( to no avail). With sweaty armpits and palms, I took a deep breath in, took the microphone of room 2016, and presented on how to use the Design Thinking to Create Cross-Curricular lesson plans- by myself for the first time. It takes courage to stand in front of others…and I did it. By the end of my session, I realized that “my voice” wasn’t the only tool I had to transmit my message–and I wrote that down to make sure to remind myself of that once the school year started.
• I saw students bravely share on student panels their findings, project inspiration, and advice for teachers. One student said that being a passionate teachers sparks curiosity in students because if nothing else, they (students) will pay attention long enough to figure out why that teacher is so passionate about that subject. This left me thinking. It sounds like no big deal, but it takes courage to be that kind of teacher. 
• I saw an astronaut who has accomplished extraterrestrial missions, now dedicates his career to focusing on terrestrial missions that provide STEM opportunities for all students through NMSI (National Math and Science Initiative.

• I saw NSTA leaders and organizers address questions, actively participate in sessions, embrace attendees’ concerns, and shared about their own professional journeys.  Christine Anne Royce, retiring president of NSTA, Science educator, author, and world traveler took time from her crazy NSTA schedule to sit and talk with me. She shared about her amazing mentors along the way, her willingness to move to the next level (from classroom teacher to university professor), her “model-by-doing” mantra, and her stubbornness and/or perseverance to take risks and grow into roles she has held throughout her career. Every part of our conversation had courage written all over it, though she said that there was no ONE REAL big act of courage, all her small yet consistent acts reminded me to lean into my future fearlessly. Jennifer Williams tirelessly worked the conference from idea to reality– and grew the Elementary Showcase to the most successful it’s ever been. Right before the keynote, she graciously accepted a certificate of Honor from the City of San Francisco, but instead of taking all the credit, she immediately reminded everyone that it belongs to all of NSTA and thanked her amazing committee for their hard work. It’s no wonder that NSTA is in the midst of changing its logo, website platform, and just went through an official name change, as well. 

“Members of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) have approved a new name for the organization that better reflects the numerous stakeholders in the K–16 science teaching community and the many places where science learning takes place. Effective immediately, the National Science Teachers Association will be known as the National Science Teaching Association.” 

Those were just some of the many random sightings of courage I witnessed over the span of a few days. I bear witness to the courage it takes to teach EVERYDAY, too. Thousands of us get up every morning and SHOW UP for our students. It takes courage to ask for help, communicate concerns with our students’ families, and adjust our plans (whether its changing lessons, subject areas, classrooms, or schools). It takes courage to “FLIP” our classrooms, implement new models, and do experiments/lessons we haven’t done before (and don’t entirely know the outcome of). It takes courage to remind ourselves of the strengths our coworkers (when we have different approaches), walk away from gossip at the “watering hole”, and start positive talks about community members/students/colleagues in our workplaces (to model for our students). 

It takes courage to believe that the work we do makes a difference. Life is chock full of lessons and we have to always remember that there is a greater purpose ahead if we just have the patience to see through the moments of discomfort that will inevitably cross our path (and the path of our students). Like Astronaut Bernard A Harris mentioned in his keynote, it takes courage to help students “Dream Beyond”, prepare them for the future, and “eradicate the STEM desserts” around our country. He ended his keynote saying, “Once we enable their dreams, there is no limit of what they can do.” I’d like to apply his quote to ourselves, as teachers. Once we enable our dreams, there is no limit to what we can do and what we can inspire students (and other teachers to do).

I’d like to give a special thanks to Kim for inspiring this post. May we all have the courage to appreciate the gifts that life brings and the new opportunities that life offers every day. Let’s have the courage to repeat this as many times as necessary to ourselves and our students:

“I am an infinite being with infinite possibilities”.

Thank you to all the teachers, presenters, and NSTA who made this experience so enriching and thought-provoking. May we all enter the new school year with fresh eyes, open hearts, and a bottomless GRANDE cups of SOY CHAI COURAGE LATTES or COURAGE MACCHIATOS in hand!

Guest posters Claire Christensen, Corinne Singleton, Kea Anderson, and Danae Kamdar share their work investigating approaches to school-community organization partnering, perceived benefits to participating organizations and local children and families, and challenges they encountered along the way. Claire Christensen is an Education Researcher at SRI International who researches how young children learn from educational media. Corinne Singleton is a Senior Education Researcher at SRI International whose research focuses on education for underserved populations, innovative teaching and learning, education technology, and math education. Kea Anderson is a Senior Education Researcher at SRI International who specializes in informal STEM learning and supporting equity in STEM. Danae Kamdar is an Early STEM Education Researcher at Digital Promise, and her work aims to better understand how to promote STEM teaching and learning in public early childhood settings. 

In Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, a veteran educator and coach added new hands-on ocean-science learning activities from PBS into a longstanding teacher professional development workshop. In Columbus, Ohio, elementary students learn about habitats and ocean species using materials from curriculum kits developed by staff at the local PBS station WOSU.

In these and five other communities around the country, elementary teachers partnered with local public media stations and other organizations to engage young children in ocean science and protecting local waterways through activities related to the PBS KIDS show, Splash and Bubbles. The partners collaborating in the examples above sought to create relationships, strategies, resources, and plans that would outlast the grant that supported their partnering.

In this post, we draw on findings from a recent partnerships study to offer guidance for school leaders and teachers interested in pursuing similar collaborations. As part of a study conducted for The Jim Henson Company and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, we conducted 22 teacher surveys, 4 teacher interviews, 12 partner interviews, and 4 observations at 6 locations across the country to investigate partnering approaches, perceived benefits to participating organizations and local children and families, and challenges they encountered along the way. Here are a few key considerations based on what we learned. 

Is partnership worth it? We found that teachers and their partners valued their Splash and Bubbles partnership and felt it furthered their shared goals. On teacher surveys, teachers said that the partnerships gave them new ideas, materials, and activities for teaching ocean science. They also felt partnering improved both their teaching and knowledge of ocean science. Notably, teachers said the partnership helped students have new experiences, develop stronger connections to the community, learn about local waterways, and have fun!

Considering potential partners. Partnering works best when plans are jointly developed, and the relationships and activities are mutually beneficial. For example, in a museum-school partnership, a school might benefit from new educational experiences provided by the museum, and the museum might benefit by reaching new audiences with educational content that is aligned to its mission. Here are some examples of community partners involved in this study, and how they supported ocean science education.

• Museums, science centers, zoos, and aquariums – In our study, teachers partnered with these types of organizations for both field trips and classroom visits. Field trips often included tailored tours or scavenger hunts based on Splash and Bubbles ocean science content. To prepare students for field trips, or as a standalone activity, some museums, zoos, and aquariums arranged for staff to visit classrooms with live specimens or related artifacts. One partner also provided classroom kits with reusable materials related to their zoo visit.
• Conservation organizations – Teachers partnered with local conservation organizations to host watershed clean-up days, either as a component of a field trip or as an event for families. Conservation organizations also provided tours and interpretation of local centers, parks, and preserves focused on protecting the local watershed and how to protect it.
• Local PBS stations – Local PBS stations received grant funds to connect teachers with other community organizations. They provided these partnerships with funding, lesson plans, and activities related to Splash and Bubbles. Many local PBS stations can partner with schools and community organizations to provide activities and lessons related to PBS KIDS content in science, math, and literacy. 

Of course, your partnering options go beyond these examples! Get creative when identifying science education resources in your community, such as local farms, national parks, or universities. 

Approaching potential partners to ensure a good fit. You probably already have relationships that can help connect you to a potential partner. Share your goals with in your school community to discover a parent or other educator who can make an introduction. Cold calls also work! If a particular organization may not be a perfect fit, a staff member there might be able to introduce you to colleagues at another relevant one. 

As you explore potential partnerships from those you’ve brainstormed, consider your needs and constraints. Your partner may share your educational goals but may not be aware of your needs and constraints. Communicate any scheduling or resource constraints clearly.  Here are some common needs to consider:

• What long-term benefits can the partnership provide? In what ways does an ongoing relationship benefit those involved? What can you create in the partnership that will serve as a lasting resource?
• Does the partner have experience working with this age group? A partner who understands child development may be able to play a larger role in activity planning or facilitation. Partners who have less experience with young children may need you to take the lead.
• Can planned activities take place within your scheduling constraints? You may need events to coincide with a particular unit, or to conclude before a school break begins.
• Can the partner make help science locally relevant? In our study, coastal communities focused on ocean science while inland ones took a watershed perspective. Teachers and students can have higher engagement with science concepts when they apply them authentically in their own communities. How can you highlight local assets in your partnership? 
• What resources are available to support your continued collaboration? Developing a common understanding, inventorying resources and expertise each partner can contribute, and planning joint activities takes time. It is helpful to discuss funding and time constraints for this work. 

Brainstorming partnership activities. Once you’ve identified potential partners, work together to brainstorm potential activities that meet your goals, such as helping your students to explore natural phenomena or building teacher capacity to support hands-on science, and your partners’ goals. To inspire your thinking, here are some additional ocean science activities we learned about in our study:

• A family science event to celebrate World Oceans Day, in which families rotated among stations with hands-on science activities
• Beach and waterway clean-up days and a recycled art project
• Webinars on implementing ocean science lessons for educators to view anytime
• Educator open houses, in which teachers were invited visit booths from local potential partners such as the library system, a local Department of Environmental Services, and a university extension office
• Classroom lessons using clips from Splash and Bubbles and/or crafts activities
• A pen pal program in which students shared information about their local watershed areas with a classroom in another part of the country
• Field trips to zoos, aquariums, and museums

Selecting or developing activities based on your educational and practical needs. As you and your partners refine your plans, consider your learning goals and logistical constraints. Here are some examples: 

• Plan activities you can use repeatedly,to make the most of your joint work. In addition to the examples above, these can include add-on activities for long-standing regular events such as family nights or after school programs. 
• Extend one-time experiences, such as field trips. One-time activities are most beneficial when supported by additional learning opportunities. In one partnership, zoo staff visited the school before a planned a field trip to the zoo to prepare the class and extend learning.  
• Consider supplies, cost, and time. If the partner develops lessons for use in the classroom, you may need help preparing materials. One community partner pre-cut all paper materials to create “grab and go” lessons.  

Local partnerships can help make science local and lively for your students. We hope these tips will inspire you to build new community connections and strengthen existing ones! 

Guest blog post authors, Michelle Cerrone, Gay Mohrbacher, and Megan Silander write about using digital media to support children’s interest in science topics, and discuss tips educators can use to support families using media to explore science with their preschool-age children, based on their research and development of the PEEP Family Science series of apps.

Michelle Cerrone, is a Research Associate at the Education Development Center’s (EDC) Center for Children and Technology. Michelle’s work focuses on the role of media and ed tech in supporting STEM learning and teacher professional development. Gay Mohrbacher is a Senior Project Manager for WGBH Education. Gay coordinates educational outreach to early childhood audiences for PBS station, WGBH. WGBH is a national leader in producing media-based resources to support learning and teaching.  Megan Silander is a Research Scientist at EDC’s Center for Children and Technology. Megan conducts research on the use of digital tools and media to increase capacity to support children’s learning, both in and out of school. Welcome Michelle, Gay, and Megan!

When used well, media (such as live-action videos, animations, and digital games) can inspire parents’ and children’s interest in science topics, engage their imaginations, model how to explore science, and show children things they cannot experience in person.

A high-quality media experience for preschoolers involves an adult and connects the media with hands-on investigation of topics children encounter in their everyday lives. When an adult shares the experience of watching a video or playing a digital game with a young child and then uses it as a springboard to real-life explorations, media-based resources can provide a terrific opportunity for learning (Strouse et al., 2013; Strouse et al., 2018).

Tips for Educators 

Below we offer four tips for how educators can work with families to prepare them to use media to engage in hands-on science explorations. These tips are based on the authors’ research and testing of the PEEP Family Science app…more about this app later.

1. Address parent perceptions that science is too difficult for preschoolers. Some parents view science as a technical subject far beyond their young child’s grasp, and many lack confidence in their ability to help their child learn science. To reassure parents that they already have the knowledge and tools necessary to explore science with their child, educators might recommend families view animated videos on PEEP Family Science featuring lovable characters engaged in science adventures involving water drops, sounds, or shadows. The videos can expand parents’ notion of science and demonstrate that science for preschoolers is fun, easy to do, and focuses on everyday topics and phenomena children are naturally curious about.

2. Help parents use media effectively. We know that how parents participate in their child’s media consumption is critical for supporting learning (Strouse et al., 2013; Strouse et al., 2018). Parents should be active participants: watching alongside their child, asking questions, helping them make sense of what they are seeing, and expressing excitement throughout the experience.

During home visits or school events, educators can model these practices for parents. The PEEP Family Science apps provide embedded reminders prompting this kind of interaction.

3. Provide scaffolds and simple strategies. Educators can boost parent confidence by modeling science activities, demonstrating how to facilitate a child-centered activity, and offering ways to encourage children to talk and reflect on their science experiences. Parents can benefit from simple strategies on how to keep children engaged in science explorations. The PEEP Family Science apps feature parent videos that model the science activities and offer parent strategies such as play and explore together, ask questions and talk about ideas, and explore more. 

4. Direct parents to high-quality resources. Not all media are created equally and parents may need guidance choosing from a seemingly endless menu of options. Direct parents to media that supports active learning through hands-on, child-centered explorations, and that help parents consider ways to explore a given topic in new ways, indoors and out. For example, PEEP Family Science uses an animation about PEEP and his friends going down a slide as a jumping-off point for hands-on activities exploring ideas such as ramps and friction. The PEEP apps also offer ideas for how parents can extend a hands-on activity to other settings or using other materials. 

More about PEEP

PEEP Family Science was created by educational media developers from WGBH (Boston’s PBS station) and tested by researchers from Education Development Center’s Center for Children and Technology. Designed to help families with preschool-age children engage in science at home, PEEP pairs media with hands-on activities and comes in a series of apps, each on a different science topic: sounds, ramps and movement, colors, and shadows. Awarded a 5-star rating from Common Sense Media (see, for example, reviews of PEEP Colors and PEEP Ramps), the apps are free, easy to download and use offline, and come in English and Spanish. 

Each 20- to 30-minute session uses a PEEP video to introduce a new concept, offers step-by-step ideas for the parent and child to explore together, provides questions to launch a conversation, and suggests ideas for taking an exploration further. In addition to the apps, there are print and video resources for educators—the impact of PEEP Family Science is greatly enhanced when families have the support of someone who can get them started and check back later as they continue to explore at home.  

The PEEP Study: Addressing a Need

With funding from the National Science Foundation, we tested PEEP Family Science with low-income families who participate in home visiting programs that support parents whose children are not enrolled in formal preschool. The study responded to the urgent, ongoing need to find new avenues for bringing early science experiences to all children. For many, preschool provides opportunities to engage in meaningful science learning. But for the 46% of American 3- and 4-year-olds who do not attend preschool, opportunities for science enrichment are limited and depend greatly on grownups in the home. As noted, many parents may feel ill-equipped and hesitant to pursue science-related activities with their children, or they may not know where to turn for quality, age-appropriate supports. The result is that many children who would benefit from early science enrichment are not getting those experiences. Home visiting programs, which have trained early childhood specialists who go into families’ homes to give parents the resources they need to foster children’s healthy development and school readiness, are one promising avenue for reaching parents unable to send their children to preschool.

A team of researchers at EDC studied the implementation of PEEP Family Science with English- and Spanish-speaking families enrolled in home visiting programs in both rural and urban communities. The research team tested PEEP Family Science with 217 families and 20 home educators from local offices of home visiting organizations: HIPPY USA (in Arkansas)  and AVANCE (in Texas). More than three-quarters of households served by home visiting services report annual family incomes below the federal poverty guidelines. One-third of parents are under 21 years old, and a little under one-third do not have a high school diploma.  

Findings

The use of media and characters as role models is an important strength of PEEP. During interviews, parents reported that their children watched the videos multiple times, identified with the characters, and were motivated to explore the same content PEEP characters explored. Parents also reported doing substantially more science activities with their children and using more engagement strategies to support their children’s learning. During observations, parents and children used science practices, including asking questions; planning and carrying out investigations; analyzing and interpreting data; and evaluating and sharing information. Moreover, the vast majority of parents agreed that PEEP Family Science gave them ideas about how to do science activities beyond the activities in the app. 

PEEP Family Science is available for free in both English and Spanish on both Google Play and the App Store. There are four different apps: sounds, ramps, colors, and shadows. Find out more about EDC’s study, Bringing Science Home with PEEP.   

References

Strouse, G. A., O’Doherty, K., & Troseth, G. L. (2013). Effective coviewing: Preschoolers’ learning from video after a dialogic questioning intervention. Developmental psychology, 49(12), 2368.

Strouse, G. A., Troseth, G. L., O’Doherty, K. D., & Saylor, M. M. (2018). Co-viewing supports toddlers’ word learning from contingent and noncontingent video. Journal of experimental child psychology, 166, 310-326.

I start my first teaching position this fall sharing a fourth grade class with a veteran teacher. I will be teaching science, math, and art. Do you have any suggestions for a new teacher?
—V., Manitoba

Congratulations!

This looks like a great way to begin your career. With a shared class you will have someone to share ideas and insights into the students you both teach. I would ask your partner for advice about school policies, the general practices employed in the school, and if she has any pearls of wisdom to start the year. She may have taught science, math, or art before; ask if she has any lessons, activities; and resources she might share. However, try not to mimic your partner or go to her for everything. You have to develop as the teacher you want to be and she has her work to do. While your partner has experience, you may bring new ideas in teaching.

Classroom management will likely be where your inexperience will be most evident. It is different stepping in to a classroom for a few weeks compared to being there for the whole year. Your partner will be of great help here, but if you go into your classroom well-prepared, plan your transitions well, and have a clear vision of the environment you want to create, you will have a good foundation upon which to manage your classroom.

Don’t expect your lessons to go perfectly. Just remember to reflect on everything you do and address anything you feel you need to improve upon. You also have a great opportunity to integrate your subjects – so look for projects that incorporate science, math, and art! Don’t shy away from trying something new.

Keep your eye on professional development opportunities and don’t be afraid to ask for support to continue your professional education.

Good luck in your career!

Image by Steve Buissine via Pixabay

Guest blog post by Anne Lowry

As teachers, we know how important family engagement is for student success. How can we improve upon last year’s family engagement and how do we do so while maintaining respect for each family’s unique culture, configuration, workload, finances, and other out of school factors?

One part of the answer is offering multiple ways for families to be involved and being flexible within those ways, remembering that we don’t always see the engagement, but we do hear about it!

Starting with welcoming each family is a given, either in person or remotely, especially with materials in the home language if possible. Taking that extra time early in the year for those phone calls and emails often builds a strong relationship that grows through the year, leading to more family engagement. Creating a family board for your school and/or classroom, with information about local events or other useful information for your families.  If you have a linguistically diverse school, this is a great place to post which staff and/or families speak which language and are willing to help with translation if needed.

Documentation is another tool. While we often use it in the classroom for one purpose, the pictures and text give the parents a window into the school day. Daily notes, weekly reflections, and pictures and stories of classroom explorations can be posted in the hallway where families will see them, or you can send them electronically to your students’ families. This can be a particularly powerful tool if your students have family members working or deployed out of the area.

Asking family members to be in class or virtual “experts” with either their work or leisure activities or cultural practices is a powerful way to make families welcome. Posting information about one family usually gets the other families interested as well. A family member reading a story as “librarian for the day” in the classroom sends a powerful message to the student that his/her school is a valued place.

Homework can be a contentious element in family engagement, so change it up. Create interview questions for family members, send “thinking questions” home, and have the students discuss it with family members.  We did that last week in my class as we were creating a class definition of a beach. Have them gather data at home, such as measuring snow depth in several spots, to create class graphs.  A class favorite is taking a familiar story and coming up with a new version, from a different character’s perspective.  Activity packs, with a book and a do at home activity, are always a hit also

Don’t overlook help as part of family engagement. These behind the scenes activities can be a wonderful way for families to become involved.  I’ve had families translate materials and documentation into other languages, and create word lists for us to use in the classroom. One year, a parent who worked a tricky schedule became our procurement specialist. One example out of many:  We needed newspaper for paper mache; she found it for us. She took pictures of the projects and shared them with those who had helped her collect the materials.

Out of school activities are fun as well. Though these can be tricky to arrange, they create such a positive atmosphere. My class holds a reunion twice a year at a local park, with all previous classes invited. My school hosts several playdates a year at local parks as well.  Family Science Nights are extremely popular. NSTA Press released an excellent book on the subject earlier this year:  Staging Family Science Nights by Donna Governor and Denise Webb.

Other alternatives include partnering with local non-profit organizations, or the local PBS station. Changing the location can make an event more accessible: libraries, museums, hardware stores, or local restaurants would be good places to start, depending upon your specific demographic.

And don’t forget about using Citizen Science Projects! Many can be done both at home and at school, which provides built-in engagement opportunities. SciStarter.org is a great place to look for such projects No matter what you are doing in your class to improve family engagement, just beginning with the attitude that families want to be engaged and you want to have them engaged will have your school year off to a great start!

Anne Lowry
Committee on Preschool-Elementary Science Teaching
PreK Teacher
Aleph Academy
Reno, NV

Additional resources

NSTA Learning Center: 
Family Engagement Family Engagement Collection Created By: Anne Lowry

Family Science Night Collection Created By: Sandy Grady

Sand play engages children in many of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) disciplinary core ideas, practices, and crosscutting concepts. Explorations with sand also involve natural phenomena of flow and adhesion, and math concepts of scale and volume, as children scoop, pour, and build. Children observe how sand grains flow when dry and stick together when wet. The small grains combine to create a large body of matter (2-PS1-1, 2-PS1-3, and  Scale, Proportion, and Quantity). Children feel the small individual grains and root down into large amounts of sand in sensory experiences.

They use wet sand to make models of landscapes (2-ESS2-2) and structures such as tunnels, towers, and channels (K-2-ETS1-2 and Developing and Using Models).

Children draw with sand and use it as a sketchpad, drawing and writing with sticks.

In small amounts or beach expanses, sand is a medium for expanding children’s experience with and knowledge of the world.