One of the most popular and accessible ways for members to get quick professional development advice and stay abreast of education trends is through the free NSTA’s E-Mail List Server.

Through the list server, thousands of NSTA members from teachers to administrators are able to reach out virtually for help from fellow members. Discussion topics range from middle school science competitions and model-based biology to kitchen chemistry and the Next Generation Science Standards. The list goes on and on.

Anytime Answers

With more than 20 categories of discussion, the list server allows members to sign up for specific topics such as early childhood education, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and pedagogy. No need to wait until regular working hours to pose a question or vet an idea.

For example, an NSTA member posted the following question a few weeks ago at 7:09 p.m.:

Hi Everyone,
My school is considering changing our current schedule and course offerings. At present, we offer ‘honors’ (advanced) courses for our high achievers/gifted. Can you tell me how your middle school addresses the needs of their high achievers/gifted? I’d like to be able to bring back the information to the scheduling committee.
Thanks!

A number of responses came in from members throughout that evening and during the next couple of days. Here’s an example of one of the responses:

Our district has an accelerated math science path for middle grades. 

7th or 8th graders can take algebra 1 for high school credit. Ones who take it in 7th go on to geometry as 8th graders so they are able to enroll in algebra 2 as freshmen. 

In science the students who are accelerated can take a class that covers 6th and half of 8th grade standards as 6th graders, then 7th and other half of 8th standards as 7th graders. They take an integrated physics and chemistry course as 8th graders.     

There is a subset of this accelerated group that is even more accelerated. Those kids are in a STEM academy where they take geometry, physics, and a computer science course in 8th grade, all for high school credit. 

Established Community

Because the list is exclusive to NSTA members, you can know that each voice on the lists is a member in the science education community. With each email, participants are instantly connected to expertise around the world.

Etiquette and Guidance

Like any professional community, NSTA asks for members to agree to rules for participation. Organic conversations are expected, yet topics should stay on topic. For example, last month a member posed a question about the different approaches to teaching metric conversions. The 12 responses that came in for that question led to valuable information on different approaches, but the topic didn’t stray from metric conversions.

“PD Gold Mine”

It’s not just participants who learn from these discussions. Did you know NSTA E-Mail threads have been considered the “PD gold mine” and have led to articles in NSTA publications such as NSTA Reports?

Connect with other educators, connect with members, and connect directly with NSTA through the E-mail List Server.

Not a member of NSTA? Learn more about how to join.

NSTA’s 2018 Charlotte conference on science education is right around the corner (November 29–December 1).

If you’ve ever attended, you know that you get up to 13 hours of credit for sessions in vital areas like STEM, literacy, and 3D learning. You probably also know that exhibitors like Astrocamp Virginia; Carolina Biological Supply Co.; the Museum of Science, Boston; NASCAR Hall of Fame; the National Inventors Hall of Fame/Camp Invention; STEMscopes; and TeacherGeek, Inc. will be there to show off their latest programs and innovations (leave room in your suitcase for all the giveaways!). And best of all, you know you’ll make new professional contacts and friends.

But did you know you can take a deep dive into your grade level by planning your schedule around your grade level? Browse below to find ideas for your grade level, and see all conference details here.

High School

First, put this meeting of your peers on your schedule. NSTA’s High School Committee is hosting this get-together just for you:

Thursday, November 29
3:30–4:40 PM
High School Teachers: Birds of a Feather
Queens, The Westin Charlotte

Next, put the keywords “high school” into the session browser, and find the ones that are right for you. Here are just a few that you may want to target:

• Using Modeling Activities in the High School Chemistry Class
• The Radio Sky
• Using the Triple Line of Sustainability to Support Student Writing in All Levels of the High School Classroom
• NARST-Sponsored Session: Novel Method for Teaching the Difference and Relationship Between Theories and Laws
• Using District Science Coaching Model to Improve Teacher Instruction and Retention
• Integrating E-Books into the Secondary Classroom

Middle School

Big news for share-a-thon lovers! The Charlotte Conference Program Chair, Manley Midgett , shares this invite: “Join me as I’m joined by as many as 50 dedicated science educators from across the state, with each sharing his or her most successful activity. Share-a-thons will take place at the same time for elementary; middle school; and Earth, life, and physical sciences. A keynote speaker will follow. Have a crazy fun time!” Want in? Plan to attend the NCSTA Share-a-Palooza on Thursday, November 29, 2:00 PM–3:00 PM, in Grand Ballroom C/D, at the Westin Charlotte.

Looking for more? Put the keywords “middle school” into the session browser, and find the ones that are right for you. Here are sessions you may like:

• Learning Life Science Content Through the Integration of Computer Science and Computational Thinking Practices
• Newton’s Triple Play: An Online Interactive Lesson on the Application of Newton’s Three Laws of Motion to Baseball
• ASEE Session: Meeting in the Middle—Integrated Engineering in Middle School
• Group Work: Using Student Collaboration in the Middle School Science Classroom (AEOP)
• NESTA Session: Profiling That is Not On-the-Level

Elementary School

Is teaching science your super power? If not, it will be if you attend this panel: Empowering Teachers, Nurturing STEM Equity: The UNCG STEM Teacher Leader Collaborative, on Friday, November 30, 11:00 AM–12:00 PM, in Room 215, at the Charlotte Convention Center. The organizers say “Professional learning and networking centering engineering design makes a difference for elementary teachers’ and students’ engagement. How? Curriculum and professional development resources will be shared.”

Find other sessions just for elementary teachers by browsing the scheduler. Here are some you may want to attend:

• NSTA Press® Session: Uncovering Elementary Students’ Ideas About Science, Mathematics, and Literacy (with award-winning author, Page Keeley)
• STEM Clubs for the Elementary Students
• Energy Games, Chants, and Plays: Increasing Energy Literacy in Your Elementary Classroom
• Using the NGSS to Design Interdisciplinary Lessons for Elementary Students
• Inquiry in Action: Investigating Matter K–5

Pro Tips

Check out more sessions and other events with the Charlotte Session Browser/Personal Scheduler. Follow all our conference tweets using #NSTA18, and if you tweet, please feel free to tag us @NSTA so we see it!

Need help requesting funding or time off from your principal or supervisor? Download a letter of support and bring it with you! Charlotte support letter

And don’t forget, NSTA members save up to $95 off the price of registration. Not a member? Join here.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

Future NSTA Conferences

2018 Area Conferences

• Reno, October 11–13
• National Harbor (MD), November 15–17
• Charlotte, Nov. 29–Dec. 1

“Dive into Three-Dimensional Instruction” Workshop
National Harbor, November 16–17, 2018

2019 National Conference
St. Louis, April 11–14

2019 STEM Forum & Expo
San Francisco, July 24–26

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Huge anatomically incorrect ‘spiders’ with legs as long as a Daddy Longlegs’ took over the neighborhood these past weeks, crawling up webs ‘spun’ on the sides of houses. Dropping out of trees are others with more fuzzy hair than a troll doll. Halloween is a time to delight in shivers from confronting fantastical images when we know they are “not real.”

When children are too afraid of a spider, bee, or other small animal to enjoy a picnic or hike through woods, they will miss out on learning about the many awe-inspiring connections between living organisms in an environment and their relationship to the non-living parts of the landscape too. Look at how the body of the bee works so well to get food from the flower, and how the shape of the flower parts make pollen easily attach to a visiting bee. I want children to be aware and cautious but not afraid as they play outdoor. Every local has some dangers that children must be protected from, such as, stinging and biting insects, venomous snakes, toxic mushrooms, and bacteria that can cause illness, as well as traffic, fine particle air pollution, and applications of chemical pesticides. Some children are at more risk than others due to allergies or inadequate immune systems. Teaching children how to safely play outdoors is a gift that will last for their lifetime. We can prepare ourselves to give this gift by increasing our knowledge and comfort with co-existing with all the nature in our area. When we are aware of real dangers, such as tick-borne illnesses, we prepare to avoid and prevent them through learning. I much prefer the scent of rosemary to that of DEET, but appreciate the scientific testing that goes into determining how effective anything is for repelling mosquitoes and ticks. 

To help children feel safe when a cicada zooms past them or a Daddy Longlegs crawl near, we can first introduce them to making close observations of harmless small animals: isopods (roly-polies), lightning bugs, and earthworms. When animals are in a closed container children may feel comfortable getting close to it. Ask children who want to touch these animals to begin with just one “gentle finger.” This will help them become used to the texture of the animal and also not hurt it. A “Have you touched a worm?” T-chart with two columns—“yes” and “not yet”—can be used to tally experiences that may change over time with additional opportunities. 

Always wash hands after handling animals.

I do not encourage children to touch small animals that sting or bite, such as bees, centipedes, scorpions, and spiders. Although Daddy Longlegs, also known as Harvestmen, belong to the class Arachnida which also includes spiders, scorpions, mites and ticks, they are not spiders. They are harmless and do not bite or sting but they are fragile and rough handling may break off their legs.

Early childhood educator and author Marie Faust Evitt writes about helping children overcome their fear of spiders, but still retain a healthy caution, by going on a spider hunt, and later, making giant spider webs and constructing a huge, anatomically correct, spider. The children research how spiders make webs of various “stickiness” for different parts of the web.

After the Halloween decorations come down, children will still be seeing (much smaller) spiders and should not be deprived of learning about the lives of these tiny animals.

Outdoors looking for living organisms we will roll logs towards ourselves so any animal that is disturbed will move away from us, with the log separating us so we can have a moment to identify them before choosing to get closer. Indoor spiders will be captured by adults who are comfortable in this role, and kept in a clear container for a period of close observation before being released outdoor.  

Science and Children has several useful articles with information and lesson plans on spiders including:

Science 101: Why Don’t Spiders Stick to Their Own Webs? By Bill Robertson. September 2011. 49(1): 68-69.

Becoming a Spider Scientist by Patricia Patrick and Angela Getz. November 2008. 46(3): 32-35.

It’s trick or treat time, and I’m not talking Halloween. 

This important election will happen in 8 days and NSTA will still be working on your behalf in 8+1 days.  The most important thing for you to do is to vote. We need to make sure teachers’ voices are heard. Here are some good sites and articles to get you up to speed on key education-related issues ahead of the November 6 election:

For a complete and thorough overview of key issues and races, The Education Commission of the States  Why the 2018 Elections Matter for Education website  has a terrific interactive state-by-state map that includes topics such as which governors appoint state boards of education, and what states have key election-related ballot measures.

Speaking of ballot measures, there are 20 confirmed ballot measures in 15 states that could generate more than $2 billion in revenue for public education and represent public referendums on important education policy issues, such as private school vouchers. There are 16 tax- and bond-based funding ballot measures which could allot at least $2.6 billion to education in 12 different states. This, and more, including a table of all the November 2018 ballot measures concerning early childhood, K-12, and higher education, can be found in the article Education is on the Ballot This November  from the Center for American Progress.

The Education Week blog K-12 Education and the Battle for the U.S. Senate: What to Watch from Alyson Klein has a great overview of the key races in the Senate and the candidates’ education policies.

And in her October 24 blog, Alyson Klein writes, “States can still make changes to their ESSA plans. And after the midterm elections in November, many of them may want to.”  Here are the elections to watch on that front.

In this POLITICO article reporter Michael Stratford explains why Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is “cropping up in Democratic TV spots, Facebook ads and debate one-liners in 2018 races” this fall.

And last but not least Real Clear Politics continues to be a favorite spot of political wonks for general election news, polls and more.

Stay tuned, and watch for more updates in future issues of NSTA Express.

Jodi Peterson is the Assistant Executive Director of Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Chair of the STEM Education Coalition. Reach her via e-mail at jpeterson@nsta.org or via Twitter at @stemedadvocate.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

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Authors Lisa M. Nyberg and Julie V. McGough have done it again. Dedicated to “all learners who seek answers and love learning,” their latest offering, The Power of Assessing: Guiding Powerful Practices, is another gem in the NSTA Press Powerful Practices series.* And it doesn’t hurt that the images inside are so eye-catching you may want to hang some in your classroom!

If you’re true to the book’s guidance, the first questions you’ll ask are “What can I learn from this? Why is this methodology so powerful ?” Here’s the short list of reasons:

1. The authors are veteran educators and know what works in real classrooms. Between the two, they have more than 50 years of teaching experience, ranging from preschool to graduate school.
2. The Power of Assessing has been thoroughly peer-reviewed and models authentic assessments that engage students in standards-based learning.
3. The book is chock full of practical resources like assessment charts (so you can tailor your assessments to your students’ needs), QR codes linking to videos so you can get a deeper understanding, instructions for design, rubrics, materials lists, and more.
4. ALL learners are taken into consideration (a point that is very important to NSTA’s mission “promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all…”).

This is not a dry research tome; it’s a lively resource that will show you that assessments can not only be dynamic tools of learning, they can even be fun! The authors show creative teachers how to make the most of assessments, and how powerful instructional practices can change the lives of students.

Just as students have diverse learning styles, the authors show educators how to make the best use of diverse assessments. Have students who do well with pictures and images? Check out the visual-spacial assessments (complete with examples and criteria). Want to assess student understanding through physical movement activities? Dive into the bodily-kinesthetic assessments. There are so many assessment styles to choose from—musical assessments, logical-mathematical assessments, and linguistic assessments, to name just a few.

Toward the end of the book, the authors ask “How will you design new learning adventures to empower and inspire the children of today who will build our tomorrows?” That’s a tall order. But with this user-friendly book (think of it as a tutorial between two covers), readers will be fully equipped with dynamic strategies to engage their students.

Ready to learn a little more? Make your own assessment! A free chapter is available: The Power of Assessing: Guiding Powerful Practices.

This book is also available as an ebook.

*The Power of Assessing is the third book in the NSTA Press Powerful Practices series and focuses on modeling authentic assessment techniques. The series also includes The Power of Investigating (2017) and The Power of Questioning (2015), which was selected by educators and publishers of the Association of American Publishers as a REVERE award finalist.

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This week in education news, across the board teachers feel disrespected; University of Utah professors and local teachers are developing high school curriculum about opioids; Arizona State Board of Education approved revised science standards; new study finds 55 percent of university STEM classroom interactions consist mostly of conventional lecturing; Nintendo is giving elementary school students across the country Nintendo Labo: Variety Kits and Switch systems; new report details four key elements for successful high school redesigns; the teaching force has continued to grow larger, less experienced, and more racially diverse; and a University of Alabama researcher says educators must give students a motive to learn science.

We Followed 15 Of America’s Teachers On A Single Day. This Is What We Learned

A teacher whose income was so low, her child qualified for reduced-price lunch. A teacher whose school was so short on staff, he had to fill a shift as a security guard. A teacher who made meals for other teachers to pay for her grocery bill. We thought we knew teachers, until we followed 15 of them on a single day in September. What we learned: No matter their pay, teachers share in a feeling of disrespect. Read the article featured in USA Today.

High School Science Could Include Opioid Education With New Program

A first-of-its-kind program at the University of Utah is bringing together teachers and professors to create high school curriculum about opioids. Read the article featured on KUER.org.

New Arizona K-12 Science Standards Recognize Evolution

The Arizona State Board of Education approved revised science and history standards, shrugging off outgoing State Superintendent Diane Douglas’ suggestion to replace all the standards with a set from a conservative college in Michigan. Read the article featured on AZcentral.com.

Want To Keep Students Engaged? Ask, Don’t Tell

Quick: Think about something new you learned in the last year. It could be anything – an improved swing, a management technique, a coding language, a recipe. How did you learn it? New research suggests it wasn’t through a lecture. Maybe a teacher asked you a great question that made you articulate something for the first time. Maybe you took something you learned, rolled up your sleeves, and used it to solve a different challenge. The essence, according to new research, is that you need to use learning for it to stick. Read the article featured in Forbes.

Issues Arise In Teaching New Science Standards

Advocates of a set of science standards for public schools cheered when the state Public Education Department agreed after some contention and debate to initiate those recommendations starting this year. But the harsh reality of adopting the standards seemed to set in this week when the Legislative Education Study Committee heard from a trio of experts concerned about the speed in which educators must move on the curriculum. Those three science standards proponents painted a picture of too much work without enough time or money to do it correctly. Read the article featured in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

How About Swapping That Science Book For A Nintendo Switch?

Nintendo is giving elementary school students across the country the opportunity to tinker and game while learning the basics of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. The company plans to deliver Nintendo Labo: Variety Kits and Switch systems to elementary classrooms nationwide, with the goal of reaching around 2,000 students ages 8 to 11 this school year. Read the article featured in PC Magazine.

Student Engagement, Supports Among Key Elements Of Successful School Redesign

A new report released this week by the Center for American Progress (CAP) details four key elements for successful high school redesigns: student engagement, career and college ready coursework, student supports and a tracking system for student success. More specifically, the report recommends career and technology classes, dual-enrollment college programs, project-based learning, social-emotional learning and grading systems that accurately gauge student success. Read the article featured in Education DIVE.

State Exam Report Card Is Out: Science Results Show Improvement But Math Continues To Be A Struggle

The focus on science education seems to be paying off for Pennsylvania’s public school students based on their performance on state exams. Statewide results on the 2018 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment and Keystone Exams released on Tuesday show that the percentage of students achieving passing scores (either proficient or advanced) on those exams improved at least slightly over the prior year in every grade level of students tested. Read the article featured on Pennlive.com.

5 Things To Know About Today’s Teaching Force

The teaching force has continued to grow larger, less experienced, and more racially diverse. And the high numbers of teacher turnover have continued, especially among inexperienced and nonwhite teachers, a new analysis shows. Read the article featured in Education Week.

STEM Dual Enrollment: Model Policy Components

A new report from the Education Commission of the States outlines state-level policy components that help ensure dual enrollment programs in science, technology, engineering and math are broadly accessible, particularly to students traditionally underrepresented in STEM courses. Read the report.

Why Students Should Read Scientific Literature

A University of Alabama researcher says educators must give students a motive to learn science by teaching them to reason. Read the commentary featured in Education DIVE.

Imagine A World Without Facts

To avoid sliding further into a world without facts, we must articulate and defend the processes of evidence generation, evaluation, and integration. This includes not only clear statements of conclusions, but also clear understanding of the underlying evidence with recognition that some propositions have been well established, whereas others are associated with substantial remaining uncertainty. Read the article featured in Science.

Meet The AP Biology Teacher Who Could Flip The New York Senate

John Mannion wants to shift the balance of power at the statehouse in Albany. But before he could even try, he had to get approved for leave from teaching four periods of high school biology ― and buy three reasonably priced suits for the campaign trail. Read the article featured in The Huffington Post.

Stay tuned for next week’s top education news stories.

The Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs (CLPA) team strives to keep NSTA members, teachers, science education leaders, and the general public informed about NSTA programs, products, and services and key science education issues and legislation. In the association’s role as the national voice for science education, its CLPA team actively promotes NSTA’s positions on science education issues and communicates key NSTA messages to essential audiences.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

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How do you achieve the full concept of bringing the outdoors, indoors? How do you make sure your students are getting the most out of it? How do you transition smoothly where you do not lose any student’s attention?
— K., Louisiana

I love teaching outdoors! Part of the problem you face is the novelty of taking your students outside and the time spent walking out and back. Consider separating the activity into two sessions, the first one outside collecting data and the second one indoors analyzing the data. You need to do a lot of planning and preparation. Build the activity as an inquiry and allow students some flexibility in asking questions, gathering data and exploring. Run through it yourself in advance so you can avoid any obstacles (literally and figuratively) and gauge the time commitment. Create checklists that students will need to complete.

You can reduce difficult transitions by…eliminating them entirely! Have the students meet you outdoors and spend the entire period outside. Prepare the students beforehand so they know where to go, what to wear, what to bring and what not to bring (large back packs, food, and so forth). Prepare all the materials you will need the day before. Ask for some volunteers to help carry out and bring back any equipment. (I always thanked volunteers with a candy treat.) Once you have all the students outside, instruct them and give them a timeline to gather up the samples, return equipment, and have a discussion before dismissal. Do head counts frequently. To promote good discussions later, have students keep logs and take photos of their observations, which could be uploaded on a shared drive. The ‘indoor’ investigation can continue the next period.

Hope this helps!

Photo Credit: Creative Commons via Pixabay

What special features of plants and animals can inspire solutions to human problems?

That’s the driving question behind Jennifer Evans and Laura Chambless’s new eBook, “What Makes Them Special,” which provides K-5 students the engaging, highly interactive opportunity to be scientists and engineers while learning about structures and functions of animals and plants that live in their community.

This book, part of NSTA’s interactive eBooks+ Kids collection, takes students on a backyard exploration led by three characters, Lisa, DJ, and José, who help explain how nature has provided humans with many solutions to our problems. Students are given the opportunity to contemplate and ask lots of questions, define problems, analyze and interpret data, construct explanations, and argue from evidence. A companion Teacher’s Guide helps extend the learning experience into the classroom via shared discussions and activities.

When Chambless, the assistant director of K-5 math and science for the St. Clair County Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) in Marysville, Mich., learned that NSTA was seeking new authors–to write eBooks that helped teachers align their practice with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Three Dimensional Learning–she turned to her good friend and colleague, Evans, who also works for the St. Clair County RESA as the assistant director of English Language Arts.

“Jennifer and I both work in the classroom with teachers and kids on a daily basis across seven different school districts in our area,” Chambless said. “This allows us to understand what teachers know, are able to do, what they are missing, and what they need help with.”

The book’s very first chapter, “What’s Special About Dogs Paws?” takes experiences familiar to students, such as seeing a dog’s paws and watching them run across a gravel driveway, and connects it to deeper learning about science and engineering. After exploring this chapter, students will be able to pose questions based on their observations; agree or disagree with arguments though listening to others’ ideas during discussions; develop a sound argument backed up with multiple points of evidence; and increase their knowledge and understanding by identifying key content vocabulary that becomes part of their usable language.

Given that higher levels of student engagement and accountability can be achieved via eBooks than with traditional textbooks, students transcend from being passive to active learners, Chambless said. “Our eBook presents eight science and engineering practices about kids doing  science. Students learn how to critique the reasoning of their peers, using the evidence they learned in the book.”

“The questions that we have placed to teachers or students on each ‘page’ really make them think, at the right time, about what they just learned, what they just experienced. These eBooks allow students to explore at their own pace and then check to see if their thinking is on the right track. It’s an ‘in the moment’ assessment,” she added.

Both authors agreed that science educators need more teaching and learning resources that integrate content areas such as science and reading and writing so fluidly and easily.

“There is a natural connection with science and reading and writing,” Evans said. “More support is needed to expose teachers to the kind of resources that are available. In my experience, very few teachers are using enhanced eBooks. They just don’t know that they are available.”

Chambless and Evans expressed excitement as well as pride in being able to work together to produce resources that teachers can use in enhancing their instruction and better engage kids in the inquiry-based process of learning content.

“It was really cool to go into classroom where the students were doing an ELA writing lesson and I told them that I was in the middle of writing this book,” Chambless said. “The students  wanted to look at my rough draft to ‘see’ what a real author does.”

Chambless recently moved closer to Evans, which allows them to take evening walks through their neighborhood and talk about things such as their next collaboration.

Those evening strolls have been productive. The two are already at work on their next interactive e-book!

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As we watch students arrive for class, we notice that Alejandra hangs her jacket on a coat hook, while Calder reaches for scissors to make a fringe on his picture. Tessa replaces her rain boots with the sneakers from her cubby, and Nick searches for a spoon to eat his cereal. These daily scenes illustrate that students come to school already familiar with structure and function relationships. They know which tool will get the job done; that’s why Nick grabbed the spoon, and not the fork, and Tessa switched to her sneakers before PE.

These daily habits tell us that structure and function is everywhere, and our students already rely on this concept to navigate their world. Students implicitly use structure and function throughout their day, and as educators, we can empower them and deepen their understanding of the natural and engineered worlds by making these relationships explicit.

Of all the objects in a classroom, we love the paper clip to explain structure and function. Grab a paper clip and ask your students, “What does it do?” This reveals the function. Straighten the paper clip and ask, “Does it still hold paper?” No, because you changed the shape, which means you also changed the function. As you might predict, several of your students might point out that the new shape is perfect for poking—a different function.

Now make a paper clip–shape with a piece of string and ask, “Can this paper clip bind paper? It has the right shape after all.” After your students respond no, ask them why not. They may say no because it has the wrong physical properties and is too flexible. This simple exercise helps students understand that the shape and physical properties—the structure—of an object enable its function.  

We developed Quick Start questions to explore the crosscutting concepts. We rely on the four below to deepen our understanding of structure-and- function relationships. Here’s how they work with our paper clip:

• What does it do? (function) Holds papers together;
• What is its shape? (structure) Curved, flat, and spiral-shaped;
• What are the physical properties? (structure) Thin and rigid yet flexible; and
• How do the shape and physical properties enable the function? The flexible and rigid nature, along with the curves of the paper clip, apply pressure to papers, holding them together.

We invite you to use shoes to further explore this relationship in the engineered world. Before class, channel your “inner Kardashian” and bring various types of shoes, such as sandals, hiking boots, mud stompers, cleats, running shoes, dress shoes, and tap shoes. Make signs that say things like beach, fashion runway, bog, mountain, and dance floor. Ask your students to match the shoes to the signs.

Use the Quick Start questions to reinforce the role that shape and physical properties play in enabling function. Nothing makes this point like donning high heels and trying to kick a goal. Despite having some cleat-like qualities, heels are clearly not the functional equivalent.  

Drawing by Zander Lubkowitz

Structure and function relationships exist throughout the biological world. We bet you have never seen a raptor trying to drink at a hummingbird feeder, nor a pelican trying to peck a tree for insects. The raptor’s beak is sharp and shaped to tear flesh, not sip nectar from tubular- shaped flowers. The pelican’s beak serves as a ladle for scooping fish and does not have the shape or the strength to peck wood and bark.

Image courtesy of Ralph Fletcher, an author, educator, and nature photographer.

Bird beaks are a rich and easily accessible topic for exploring structure and function in the natural world. Observing bird beaks can take place on the playground, through your classroom window, and even in a picture book like Sneed B. Collard’s Beaks!

Image courtesy of Ralph Fletcher, an author, educator, and nature photographer.

A great time to apply the concept of structure and function is when reading aloud, particularly from picture books. Some books—most often nonfiction ones—expressly focus on structure and function: for example, What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? (by Steve Jenkins) or Bridges Are to Cross (by Philemon Sturges). Apply the Quick Start questions to any page in these books to begin the conversation.

Sometimes a question describing an unlikely scenario invites humor, but also focuses students on the way structure enables function. For example, a rope bridge doesn’t work well for a dump truck trying to cross a river. Once you start looking, you will see structure and function everywhere, even in fiction, like the fairy tale featuring houses made of straw, sticks, and bricks. Your students will be amused when they realize that The Three Little Pigs is actually a tale of structure and function going wrong before it goes right.

Teachers have so many opportunities to launch a discussion about the crosscutting concepts in their daily classroom routines, and one of our favorites is the read-aloud. Read-alouds are perfect because the crosscutting concepts shout or whisper on every page of every book, once you know how to find them.

Image courtesy of Ralph Fletcher, an author, educator, and nature photographer.

Valerie Bang-Jensen and Mark Lubkowitz, professors of education and biology respectively, teach at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont. They present frequently on the NGSS crosscutting concepts and their book, Sharing Books, Talking Science: Exploring Scientific Concepts With Children’s Literature (Heinemann 2017).

Note: This article was featured in the October issue of Next Gen Navigator, a monthly e-newsletter from NSTA delivering information, insights, resources, and professional learning opportunities for science educators by science educators on the Next Generation Science Standards and three-dimensional instruction.  Click here to sign up to receive the Navigator every month.

Visit NSTA’s NGSS@NSTA Hub for hundreds of vetted classroom resources, professional learning opportunities, publications, ebooks and more; connect with your teacher colleagues on the NGSS listservs (members can sign up here); and join us for discussions around NGSS at an upcoming conference.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

Future NSTA Conferences

2018 Area Conferences

• National Harbor (MD), November 15–17
• Charlotte, Nov. 29-Dec. 1

2019 National Conference

• St. Louis, April 11-14, 2019

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As an entomologist, one of my greatest challenges is trying to overcome my students’ feelings of fear and disgust regarding insects. Insects often have negative images in society. Walk through any toy store, and you will likely find plastic insects with the words “gross” or “creepy” written on their colorful packaging.

One of our main jobs as educators is to give students informative experiences that correct misconceptions and open their minds to new ideas. To accomplish this, I incorporate insects into my lessons.

Insects are excellent models for many behaviors and physical adaptations. Because of their diversity (i.e., millions of species!), insects offer numerous examples of reproductive, defensive, foraging, and feeding strategies. One area of the NGSS in which using insect models works well is with the Crosscutting Concept (CCC) of structure and function. Encouraging students to learn about the structures that evoke so much fear opens doors to further curiosity and learning.

A structure-and-function investigation that students especially enjoy involves insect mouthparts. This two-part investigation is easily adaptable and can be used in many units of instruction, ranging from comparative morphology to adaptations.

Insect mouthparts

How is the structure of the mouthparts a reflection of their function and the insect’s diet type? Insect feeding serves as the phenomenon for this investigation.

Part 1:  Behavioral analysis of mouthparts

Give students an assortment of adult insects that have different types of mouthparts: for example, grasshoppers or caterpillars (chewing mouthparts), houseflies (sponging mouthparts), mosquitoes or stink bugs (piercing-sucking mouthparts), butterflies (siphoning mouthparts), bees (chewing-lapping mouthparts), or horseflies (rasping mouthparts). Using magnifying glasses or dissecting microscopes, students observe and describe the mouthparts as they function on a moving, living organism. You will be surprised about how amazed students will be to observe a living insect and its complexity. Allow them to formulate hypotheses regarding which foods each mouthpart type is best suited for consuming. Provide students with leaves and sugar water–soaked sponges for feeding their insects. How accurate were their hypotheses?

Allow students to observe feeding using their magnifying glasses or microscopes. They will be able to see that the mouthparts are interacting appendages that work together to manipulate and consume food. What different mouthpart appendages do they see? How are each of these components shaped? How do they manipulate the food? How does each component’s shape reflect its apparent function?

Part 2: Mouthpart dissection

Yes! Dissections can fit into an NGSS framework. Separating all components of grasshopper mouthparts during a small dissection exercise reinforces the concept of interacting structures and allows students to better visualize the structure of each mouthpart appendage. For this dissection, I recommend using large grasshoppers. Grasshoppers have chewing mouthparts that allow them to eat solid foods, like leaves. Of all the insect mouthpart types, chewing mouthparts have the greatest number of similarities to the human mouth. Preserved specimens can be ordered for a low price from a scientific supply company.

Divide students into pairs, and provide each pair with a grasshopper. Have students use dissecting scissors and a probe to carefully separate and disconnect the different components of the mouthparts. Have students create an expanded view of the mouthparts by placing them on their dissecting trays, as in the photo.

Use the following questions to guide the investigation:

• Do any of these components resemble structures of the human mouth?
• Some of the mouthpart appendages are composed of many tiny segments and contain microscopic hairs. What other structures on the grasshopper or the other insects from part 1 have a similar structure? What do you think this means in terms of function?
• Describe the shape and composition of each mouthpart appendage. How do you think each component contributes to food manipulation or consumption?
• What other types of insects do you expect to have similar mouthparts?
• How do you think these mouthparts would differ if the insect ate firm, woody plants instead of leaves?
• Consider part 1. Which appendages do you think are modified in these other mouthpart types? Which components, if any, do you think are common across mouthpart types?
• What body systems are involved in mouthpart movement, taste perception, and digestion of the consumed food?

Customize this investigation to fit your needs!

• Add modeling! Have students create models of the process of food consumption. Models can be created before the investigation, then revised as new evidence is gathered in the dissection. These models serve as excellent artifacts of student learning.
• Is your class ready for a full-body dissection? Have students dissect the grasshopper’s body to reveal the structures of the digestive system. This provides for a more comprehensive lesson, covering all structures from consumption to excretion.
• Don’t have access to grasshoppers? No problem! Modify the investigation by having students perform an online or literature search for images of grasshopper mouthpart components. Have students then create paper cutouts of each of the components. Stack the components as they would exist in a living grasshopper, and fasten them together using a metal brad. Allow students to move the pieces around as if the insect were chewing. Have them describe the structure of each piece and consider the interactions in their paper models to deduce the function.

I hope you will be inspired to use insects in your classroom. Working with these organisms is likely a new experience for your students and a great way to illustrate the complexity of life all around them. How have you used insects in your classroom? What other topics could be brought to life in your classroom with an insect model?

Happy dissecting!

This investigation builds upon:

Angela Cruise is president of Cruise Consulting Group, LLC, which specializes in lesson development and educational consulting for the agricultural, forensic, and life sciences. Cruise has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Loyola University Maryland and a PhD in entomology (forensic entomology concentration) from North Carolina State University. She has taught science at the college level and has organized and participated in dozens of elementary and middle school outreach events across North Carolina. Cruise has developed lessons for one of the country’s largest biological suppliers and has participated in several intensive NGSS training programs. She is excited to share her love of insects with students and teachers everywhere!

Note: This article was featured in the October issue of Next Gen Navigator, a monthly e-newsletter from NSTA delivering information, insights, resources, and professional learning opportunities for science educators by science educators on the Next Generation Science Standards and three-dimensional instruction.  Click here to sign up to receive the Navigator every month.

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