My middle school students are creating organism presentations. How much scaffolding should I give them?
— P., New York

Students take more interest and greater ownership when they come up with project ideas themselves and teachers provide, as you realize, a scaffold. I have found this guidance results in higher quality presentations and a better learning experience.

First, make sure to specify what must be included in the presentations and share your grading rubric. I would implement benchmarks with deadlines for completing research, presenting a storyboard, and other milestones. Make sure to set a time limit for the presentations.

Take the time to teach them how to use presentation software or applications. Remind them that they are the presenters, not the slides, so they should:

• Limit the amount of text on any slide— just a few points in large, easy-to-read fonts.
• Not simply read the slides— face the audience and refer to notes as they elaborate on the points. Most programs allow the creation of a presenter’s version.
• Use clear, large graphics that everyone can see.
• Draft scripts and rehearse presentations.

If your students are making posters, consider going electronic. Have the students make the text and pictures all fit on one slide. Instead of printing large posters, they can share PDFs on a shared drive and maybe include peer evaluations. Electronic posters are also easier to grade than a large pile of paper!

There are many rubrics out there for assessment of posters and presentations that can help you with grading.

Hope this helps!

Graphic credit: FriendlyStock (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons

Introduction

The Mel Chemistry Starter Kit is equipped with all the materials needed to conduct beginner type experiments. MEL Chemistry is a subscription service that offers monthly delivery of safe chemistry experiments for kids. The subscription will be most beneficial for those who want to gain more knowledge about science. This beginner science kit is perfect for the classroom. It allows experiments to be conducted by students as they watch for certain reactions. The starter kit includes the main chemistry tools that you will need to conduct experiments. When you purchase the starter kit, you will also receive the first two experiment sets as well. The sets are “Chemistry of Monsters” and “Tin.” These sets come with instructions and chemicals to perform four different experiments. Each experiment includes step-by-step instructions along with safety procedures to follow as well. The MEL Science team has done a great job searching for both interesting and safe experiments for students. Best of all, the ingredients and instructions are shipped to your door.

Chemistry of Monsters

Set contents

Hexamethylene-tetramine ×3
Sodium hydrogen carbonate ×3
Aluminum foil ×5
Double-ended measuring spoon
Funnel
Note paper ×10
Plastic ring
Plastic stirring rod
Press mould
Thermochromic sticker ×4
Experiment card ×2
Instructions

Tin

Set contents

Liquid soap
Sodium hydrogen sulfate ×4
Tin(II) chloride ×4
Zinc
Petri dish ×2
Battery holder
Crocodile clip wire ×2
Paper clip
Pin opener
Plastic vial ×2
Protective gloves
Experiment card ×2
Instructions

As mentioned, the starter kit comes with the first two experiment kits too and provides a brief summary of the four experiments that are included in the kit. Each experiment can be explored by using the links associated with each experiment kit below:

Experiment #1 – Tin Dendrite
Link: https://melscience.com/en/experiments/tin-dendrite/

Tin dendrite begins to grow as the electric current flows from the battery through the clip towards the other clip. The metal crocodile clips are acting as electrodes by allowing the electric current to flow through them. The tin crystals form in the petri dish as the current flows. This process is called electrolysis and is a chemical reaction induced by an electric current. Tin has special properties allowing it to form crystals that are visible. Here is the chemical reaction when the tin reduction takes place.

Sn2+(solution) + 2e-  Sn(solid)

This photo was taken with the LIEQI microscope attachment and comes with the science kit. Moreover, this attachment and can be connencted to any smart phone. It clips onto the camera magnifies without using a microscope.

Experiment #2 – Burning Sugar
Link: https://melscience.com/en/experiments/burning-sugar/

Burning is the oxidation reaction of a substance, which removes electrons; breaking bonds to oxidize molecules. At first during the experiment, the sugar cube would not catch on fire on its own because sugar takes time to oxidize. However, once the cube was covered in ash, it caught fire and burned. The ash acts as a catalyst and to increase the rate at which sugar burns. This is because the ash contains sodium and calcium salts that bolster the combustion of the sugar cube reaction.

Experiment #3 – Sugar Snake
Link: https://melscience.com/en/experiments/sugar-snake/

In this experiment, a fuel of sugar and sodium hydrogen carbonate is mixed together with hexamethylene- tetramine, forming a burning snake-like object. The snake is made of carbon that is the product of the heated sugar. During the reaction, carbon dioxide and water vapor is given-off that causes the snake to grow. Here are the three chemical reactions that occur in the formation of the “snake.”

1. C12H22O11 + 12O2  12CO2 + 11H2O
2. C12H22O11  12C + 11H2O
3. 2NaHCO3  Na2CO3 + CO2 + H2O

Experiment #4 – Tin Hedgehog

Link: https://melscience.com/en/experiments/tin-hedgehog/

The zinc metal reacts with the tin chloride to form tiny crystals on the surface of a zinc pellet. The tin precipitates and forms these crystals creating the tin hedgehog. The process of the needle-like structures growing in the solution is called crystallization. Here is the reaction that takes place.

SnCl2 + Zn  Sn + ZnCl2

Conclusion:

Each experiment is designed to show a different chemical reaction and we found that they worked very well. Hence, there is no doubt that the Mel Chemistry Starter kit is excellent and will no doubt be useful for teaching chemistry lessons. Here is a link to find out more information about what “Mel Science” has to offer science teachers:

https://melscience.com/US-en/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyMjOt_Xc4wIVGZSzCh2iNQUNEAAYASAAEgIdBvD_BwE

Price:
A monthly package of two boxes costs $49.90 and includes free shipping. Your credit card is charged for the monthly sets several days before delivery and the starter kit and a reagent pack come free. You can cancel the subscription at any time.

Edwin P. Christmann is a professor and chairman of the secondary education department and graduate coordinator of the mathematics and science teaching program at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. Caitlin Baxter is a graduate student in the mathematics and science teaching program at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.

This week in education news, North Dakota’s superintendent is requesting teachers to review new academic standards; California teachers find new science standards fun, but expensive; four New York students injured in a chemistry experiment gone wrong; several Wisconsin school districts are trying a new method of evaluating what students learn; Veteran astronaut Dr. Bernard Harris named new CEO of NMSI; new Gallup poll reveals that superintendents have a hard time finding quality teachers; Houston-area administrators are using physical activities to better engage students in STEM courses; and Ohio high school students may soon be allowed to replace the Algebra 2 graduation requirement with an advanced computer science course.

Review Of New Academic Standards Begins

North Dakota’s superintendent is asking teachers statewide to review academic standards for science, health, early learning and the arts as the process for drafting new benchmarks gets underway. State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler is asking teachers who specialize in science, health, the arts or early learning to apply to serve on one of the four content committees that will draft standards. Read the article featured on WRAL.com.

Fizz! Pop! Bang! Teachers Find New Science Standards Fun, But Costly

With their emphasis on hands-on experiments, California’s new science standards have turned classrooms into noisy, messy laboratories. That’s been popular with students and teachers who say it’s a more effective way to learn science than studying textbooks and memorizing facts, but the cost of all those underwater robots and exploding chemicals has left some teachers wondering how they can successfully implement the standards with ever-restricting budgets. Read the article featured in Ed Source.

New Florida Law Expected To Increase Conflict Over Textbooks

In Florida, some say global warming and evolution are a hoax and should not be taught in textbooks unopposed. Others say their local school’s textbooks shortchange Islam’s role in the world, while their opponents argue it’s the danger posed by Muslim terrorists that’s underexposed. Under a bill passed by the Florida Legislature this year, any district resident — regardless of whether they have a child in school — can now challenge material as pornographic, biased, inaccurate or a violation of state law and get a hearing before an outside mediator. Read the article featured in the Tampa Bay Times.

Science Mishap Sends Bronx Students To The Hospital

A chemistry experiment gone awry sent four tenth graders from a Catholic school in the Bronx to the hospital after they were singed by a flame. Sister Patricia Wolf, president of the school, said that an experienced chemistry teacher was showing students a procedure that involved alcohol and a metal when the flame got out of control. Read the article featured in The New York Times.

By 2022, America Will Need 1 Million More College Grads With STEM Training Than We Are On Track To Produce

As our economy evolves, we must evolve with it, developing a workforce prepared to meet the demands of a new economy. Now is our chance to build a workforce ready to succeed over a lifetime, not just over the next three to five years. At the heart of the opportunities and risks we face in a new global economy is the increasing value of skills rooted in STEM. Indeed, 10 of the top 14 fastest-growing industries require STEM training. To keep up with the projected growth in demand for STEM jobs, America will need an additional 1 million more college graduates with STEM training by 2022 than we’re on track to produce. Read the article featured in The74million.org.

Some Wisconsin Schools Use Standards-Based Grading…What Is That?

Several Wisconsin school districts are trying a new method of evaluating what students learn. It’s called “standards-based grading,” and it’s different than the typical A-F grading system people may be used to. Advocates believe the new approach will replace the old system. But, in order for the practice to catch on, it will take a shift in mindset from both parents and educators. Read the article featured on WUWM.com.

National Math And Science Initiative Names Dr. Bernard A. Harris, Jr. As CEO

Veteran astronaut and STEM education advocate Dr. Bernard A. Harris, Jr. has been named the new chief executive officer of the National Math and Science Initiative. Dr. Harris is a founding member of the NMSI board and has served in that role for 10 years. He succeeds Matthew Randazzo, who recently was named president and CEO of The Dallas Foundation. Randazzo will assume this role in mid-2018 and will remain a NMSI board member. Read the press release posted on News9.com.

Superintendents Grapple With Finding Stellar Teachers

Concerns around finding highly-qualified teachers and principals plague today’s district superintendents, according to a new Gallup poll. Two-thirds of district superintendents in a new survey said the quantity of new teacher candidates is decreasing, and 43 percent said new principal candidates are decreasing. Read the article featured in eSchool News.

Report: STEM Degrees Rise, But Disparities Remain

Despite modest gains in degree attainment in science, technology, engineering and math, women and minorities remain grossly underrepresented in the fields, according to a new report. Women are also less likely to enter STEM occupations after earning a STEM degree as are blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans, according to the report, which was prepared by the RAND corporation and commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute. Read the article featured in U.S. News & World Report.

Schools Add Another ‘S’ To STEM—For Sports

Administrators from the Houston area discovered a more effective way of teaching terminal velocity and gravity—by keeping students afloat on 150-mph winds inside a vertical tunnel. The experience—hosted by the indoor skydiving facility iFLY—is one of many physical activities that schools use to better engage students in STEM courses. Read the article featured in District Administration.

ESSA Is A Big Piece Of The STEM Equity Puzzle

High-quality STEM education not only has the potential to foster curiosity and creativity in students, it is critical for U.S. economic growth. But both words and plans are insufficient without follow-through. To best promote student success in STEM, we need both adequate funding and implementation of smart and equitable policies by all states and the District of Columbia. Read the article featured in Education Week.

Can Computer Science Replace Algebra 2?

Should students be allowed to take computer science instead of Algebra 2? Ohio schools could be heading in that direction. House Bill 170 would let high school students replace the Algebra 2 graduation requirement with an advanced computer science course. Students could also choose to take computer science in place of some other science courses. Read the article featured in Education Week.

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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I’m teaching a science methods class. I’d like to know: What was the most important thing you learned in your undergrad science methods classes? What do you wish you had known about science teaching that you didn’t learn in undergrad?
– L., Illinois

This post to an NSTA e-mail list produced excellent responses and I wanted to share my thoughts.

Important things I learned in university:

• Reflect on everything you do, every class. Ask yourself: Did they get it? Is this working toward my goals? How can I tell they learned this? How could I have taught this differently?
• Check over and test everything you do in advance. Practice demonstrations and labs to uncover any issues, modify as needed, and resolve with safety concerns. Even labs that look “foolproof” on paper could take twice as long in the classroom. Check all handouts for errors and out-dated information.

Important things I learned in my classroom:

• You teach students, not science. Students want to know that a teacher cares about them. Flexibility, understanding and compassion are good traits.
• Resist being the “sage on the stage.” There is no way to know everything so admit when you don’t know something. Turn perplexing questions into learning experiences for the whole class, including you. Make sure that the students are active in their learning instead of passively listening to you.
• You do not have to create everything yourself. Use premade materials that fit perfectly; modify the materials that don’t; and create new materials when you can’t find anything that fits.

Hope this helps!

Photo Credit:  Harker School Staff Photographer (The Harker School)

Have you revisited the sessions from previous NSTA conference to check out the resources posted by presenters? Begin with the 2017 Elementary Extravaganza that has 27 resources listed, both documents and webpages. It was held on Friday, March 31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. My table had a parade of adults and children whipping up bubble foam from simple ingredients, and talking about the properties of matter.  Other EE tables showcased:

• an engineering challenge to design and build shade structures to protect special UV-sensitive beaded lizards from the sun (Laura Kitagawa),  
• using a paper template and CD to make a spectroscope as used by the New Horizons spacecraft to explore Pluto (Nancy Tashima),  and
• infusing children’s scientific knowledge and understandings into writing poetry (Patricia Bricker, Melisssa Faetz, Nancy Luke, & Kelly Tracy).

Search for a topic, such as “notebook,” to locate sessions with specific topics. See Katie Morrison and Deb Chickadel’s resources from their “Using Lab Notebooks in the Preschool and Elementary Classroom” session for examples from preK-grade 5 and how-to guidance.

Even if you don’t teach high school you might look at materials from sessions such as “Blue Marble Matches” by Veronica Leija and Brandon Hargis to enhance your own understanding of science concepts. 

You can view sessions as far back as the 2015 Chicago National Conference by going to the NSTA conference page  and clicking on “Sessions” for the recent or future conferences.  As you search using a grade level or keyword to identify sessions of interest, keep an eye out for links to presenter materials listed at the bottom of the session information. 

Not all sessions have links to materials–consider attending the next NSTA conference near you to learn directly from the presenters!

Until recently, the world’s most popular K12 computer science website, hourofcode.com, did not have any physics-focused coding activities. This was the case until Professor Chris Orban of Ohio State University initiated an effort to develop coding tutorials for physics teachers to learn code. Below is a link to describe his work on this project:

https://physics.osu.edu/news/prof.-chris-orban-receives-aip-meggers-project-award

Perhaps the best way to understand what Professor Orban has developed is to look at the “The Physics of Video Games” Hour of Code video tutorial below:.

Another perspective is to examine the STEMcoding project (u.osu.edu/stemcoding), which was just released on hourofcode.com/learn. The direct link to the video tutorial is at go.osu.edu/hourofcode . The “Physics of Video Games” coding activities are intended for absolute beginner programmers in grades 9-12 and they were designed with significant feedback from high school physics teachers. All activities are 100% chromebook compatible. The STEMcoding project, which was recently selected for the AIP Meggers award, is led by Prof. Chris Orban from Ohio State University and Prof. Richelle Teeling-Smith from the University of Mt. Union.

Once you take the time to explore this project, I think you will find it very useful for high school teachers. Since we all know that video games are of interest for most high school learners, having teachers examine how physics can be understood within video games offers educators great potential to motivate students to learn physics. In summary, this is a winner!

For more information including (mostly online) summer professional development for teachers (from any STEM discipline) please contact Prof. Chris Orban at orban@physics.osu.edu

Edwin P. Christmann is a professor and chairman of the secondary education department and graduate coordinator of the mathematics and science teaching program at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.

How can your science department become a site for developing teachers’ professional learning?

Building the Science Department: Stories of Success by Wayne Melville, Doug Jones, and Todd Campbell, features authentic accounts of teachers invested in reforming science teaching and learning. From the authors of the NSTA Press guide Reimagining the Science Department, this book offers stories told in teachers’ own words to provide advice and insight into strategies for building and improving a science department.

The book was conceived with the intention of sharing the stories of teachers who had negotiated reforms, challenged their own teaching practices, changed their classrooms, and transformed their departments.

The first part of the book focuses on scientific activity as represented in A Framework for K–12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and looks at how scientific activity can be used to “frame the work within science departments and how it aligns with contemporary visions of science teaching and learning.”

The second part of the book features teacher vignettes that address the various parts of a professional learning framework: context, content, activities, and processes. Each vignette is accompanied by commentary that unpacks key points and messages, and includes questions designed to challenge teachers to improve their instructional practices and align these practices more closely with current reform initiatives. As the authors note, one teacher alone cannot achieve the vision and aim of the Framework and NGSS; instead, teachers must work together as a department to collaborate, learn together, and move the department forward as a unit.

The book discusses some of the cultural issues that serve to maintain the status quo in science teaching. “The current reality is that school science has not changed much in the past century and is struggling to engage and retain students in many parts of the Western world,” the authors state.

Traditionally-taught school science, rather than engage young people, turns them away from the field; therefore, in order to reform science education, deeper and more authentic professional learning will be required. What’s being offered to teachers now isn’t good enough. “If we are being honest, the value of much professional learning that occurs in schools can be questioned. The reason for this pessimistic view is that much professional learning fails to address teachers’ learning needs, the context of their work, or the ways in which adults learn,” the authors state.

By exploring real-life examples from both new and veteran teachers, Building the Science Department can help science teachers identify gaps in their knowledge and experience, and start to build departments that will be able to meet the needs of diverse teachers interested in creating curricula and teaching practices that will engage their students and help them to achieve.

To learn more, read the sample chapter “The Content of Professional Learning.”

This book is also available as an e-book.

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I would like to include a rubric when students are completing various labs and activities in science. Could you share any examples?
– A., Iowa

I have found that checklists, in particular, are good assessment tools during a lab. The objective is to quickly assess and record student performance while still monitoring the lab as you circulate the room and answer questions.

Most textbooks and lab manuals include generic checklists and rubrics for assessing lab skills and maintaining safety. Streamline the checklist by incorporating it with a class list. I would often copy checklists on colored paper and carry it around on a clipboard. You can align it with curricular goals by listing the specific learning outcomes. A ‘checklist’ doesn’t have to be tick-boxes – it could be a Likert-type scale or a quick numbering system (as simple as 1-2-3). Incorporate space for comments.

A quick search of NSTA’s The Learning Center came up with a few sample chapters that might be useful:

• The Nature of Science and Science Inquiry https://goo.gl/mnEf5T
• Assessment in Science: Practical Experiences and Education Research https://goo.gl/M6R9eb

4Teachers (https://goo.gl/3QHVUa) offers a pretty good checklist generator with some built-in items that you can select, edit, and augment. (After you select the appropriate grade level under the Science heading, check out the option for Experimental Research.) I would even give students the checklists to self-assess after cleanup.

This same website also has an excellent rubric maker: rubistar.4teachers.org. This website revolutionized the way I teach because I could generate an assessment rubric for almost any type of activity I could think of: reports, posters, brochures, public service announcements, videos, and more. I would never have considered doing debates in biology if it weren’t for this website. As for your specific needs: under the Science heading there is a Lab Report item that contains some lab safety assessment options. Group work rubrics can be generated as well.

Hope this helps!