I see many good activities for middle school involving plants, but what if students already did something similar at the elementary level? I don’t want to spend time on duplicate activities or get the eye-roll “we already did this.” —M., Arizona

I posed this question to a middle school biology teacher. His students came from several elementary schools, so it was hard for him to determine what activities they did at those levels. When he surveyed his students, he found that many had never grown plants from seeds or it was part of a once-and-done observation activity

He turned traditional plant-growing activities into investigations by encouraging additional questions and incorporating scientific practices and crosscutting concepts. For example, he guided students beyond descriptive observations toward a more robust approach to experimental research—variables, experimental and control groups, measurement, graphing, basic statistical analysis. The students shared their data electronically, creating a database of their measurements and discussing discrepant data. They differentiated between observations and inferences when describing their results.

He concluded that embedding new experiences and elaborations within the context of a familiar activity helped students to focus on higher levels of thinking. And for some of his students, the “aha” of watching plants grow was a new experience.

A colleague from an e-mail list suggested Planting Science. It looks like a good resource on science methods and worth browsing even if you don’t formally participate in their projects.

Who knows where a new-found interest in plants will lead? In some schools, future botanists and horticulturists have expanded their investigations into school gardening or hydroponics.

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/creamaster/573423846

Jessica Tetreault and I were the only two middle school teachers at a recent conference, so we were paired to create a common performance assessment that we could both use with our students in the coming months. She volunteered to share an assessment on gravity that her students recently completed, as I was about to start my unit on gravity and scale in the universe. I didn’t know it then, but collaborating with Jess would improve the entire instructional sequence, not just the performance assessment. Working with Jess made planning easier, enjoyable, and more effective.

Jess explained her performance assessment. After discovering what their weight would be on different planets, students choose three planets to focus on: Earth, a planet they weigh less on, and a planet they weigh more on. Then they create scale, paper models of three planets. Finally, they write an explanation for why their weight changes using claim, evidence, and reasoning.

We then did a deep analysis of the performance expectation (MS-PS2-4) and how well the performance assessment matched it. Talking through the unit goals helped us understand the performance expectation more clearly, as we were able to share and reflect on ideas and discuss the three dimensions of the performance expectation. In addition, since Jess had just taught about gravity, she was able to share some concepts students struggle with, as well as give tips about how to challenge students who need a push. Through our discussions, we decided that we wanted the performance assessment to more strongly emphasize the effect of mass on gravity. So we tweaked it to include a graph showing the masses of the planets.

We would meet again in a few months; in the meantime, I gave the assessment to my students so we could evaluate the performance assessment. To be honest, I thought it would not work for me because I don’t exude as much enthusiasm as Jess does. I was worried that her personality was part of why the students got hooked.

As soon as my students began their work, though, I heard them say, “What?” and “Look at how much I weigh on Jupiter!” They were engaged. While they worked on their scale models of the planets, several groups sneakily tried to change the scale for different planets. When I asked why, they said because Jupiter was too big! They encountered a similar difficulty when they worked on their graphs showing the masses of the planets. Including Jupiter in their graph meant that they could barely show the masses of the inner planets on it. Through this performance task, the abstract concepts of gravity and scale in our universe became tangible to them.

When Jess and I met again, we examined our students’ work. We agreed that adding the graph had helped students understand the effect of mass on gravity. They could see the correlation between planetary mass and students’ weights. We then made one more significant change to the assessment for future use. To emphasize the concept of gravity as an attractive force, students will be asked to include force arrows between the planet and a person standing on the planet’s surface. These arrows must be at the same scale for all planets.

I feel so grateful to have met this talented teacher from across the state. We were able to improve the performance assessment through several iterations, all within one year! On my own, it would have taken several years to make these adjustments to an assessment. My students experienced a project different from one I would have created on my own.

A bonus is that we have stayed in touch as we work on other units. We discovered that we make a great team, with Jess coming up with the great ideas and me working through some of the details. Though we’ve only met in person three times, I hope we continue working together for years to come.

Kate Jesdale

Kate Jesdale is a seventh and eighth grade teacher in Burlington, Vermont. She began teaching middle school science in 1999. She has a geology degree from Carleton College and a master’s degree in teaching from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She loves teaching middle school students and is always looking for real-world application of science concepts and opportunities to collaborate with colleagues.

This article was featured in the August 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 access other articles from the August issue on assessing three-dimensional learning. Click here to sign up to receive the Navigator every month.

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

Future NSTA Conferences

2017 Fall Conferences

• Baltimore: Oct. 5–7, 2017
• Milwaukee: Nov. 9–11, 2017
• New Orleans: Nov. 30–Dec. 2, 2017

National Conference

• Atlanta: March 15–18, 2018

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This week in education news, hands-on learning can’t disappear; new data shows that the U.S. teaching force has grown by 13 percent in four years; STEM instruction offers workforce benefits beyond the traditional fields; a new survey shows more than 530 teacher vacancies in Oklahoma schools; new research suggests that opportunities for engaging diverse U.K. students outside of the science classroom are few and far between; many principals have very little knowledge of what the ESSA law actually means; and video gaming is changing education.

VR Is Great, But Here’s Why Hands-On Learning Can’t Disappear

With 80 percent of teachers reporting that they support the use of technology in the classroom, it is important to integrate tools that best fit with a child’s learning abilities, as well as school curriculum. With the help of technological tools and toys, children can now engage with worlds that they could have only experienced before in their dreams. However, we must find a way to teach children to utilize these tools to interact with the world around us, not just the digital world. Click here to read the article featured in eSchool News.

Teaching Force Growing Faster Than Student Enrollment Once Again

The number of U.S. teachers has grown by 13 percent in four years, according to new data from the federal government, and has far outpaced the rise in student enrollment over the same time period. The new data show that there were about 3.8 million K-12 public school teachers across the country in 2015-16. That’s up from about 3.4 million teachers in the 2011-12 school year. That jump is much larger than the increase in student enrollment over that time. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.

STEM Instruction Offers Educational, Workforce Benefits Beyond Traditional Fields

With more jobs opening up requiring a background in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), industry leaders worry there will not be enough qualified applicants to fill the pool. K-12 and higher ed institutions have responded by focusing on building the education-to-workforce pipeline in these fields, and have often found there’s an added benefit. For students who end up in non-STEM careers, instruction in STEM still gives them the skills they need for college and career readiness. Click here to read the article featured in Education DIVE.

Going Old School

Students at St. Helen Catholic School in Vero Beach are in for a treat this year. Their middle school science teacher and department head of science, Giancarlo Cetrulo, is introducing a new way of teaching. It’s called argument-driven inquiry, a method he learned at a National Science Teachers Association fellowship last year sponsored by Lockheed Martin and the Bayer USA Foundation. Click here to read the article featured on TCPALM.com.

Survey Shows More Than 530 Teacher Vacancies In Oklahoma

A new survey shows Oklahoma schools are beginning a new year with more than 530 teacher vacancies and more than two-thirds of the state’s superintendents saying the teacher shortage is worse than last year. Click here to read the article by the Associated Press.

Fewer STEM Activities For Students From Diverse Backgrounds

According to research published in the International Journal of Science Education, opportunities for engaging diverse students outside of the science classroom are few and far between. Observing data from nearly 6,000 secondary schools in the U.K., researchers determined that students from less privileged backgrounds were less likely to attend science-related school trips or forums conducted by visitors from this concentration. Click here to read the article featured in Engineering 360.

Stemming The Tide Of Girls Leaving Science, Math

Aniyah Baker and Ahijah Corey are sixth-graders at Raymond Park Middle School in Indianapolis and, like the rest of the girls in their class, they love science. “All the girls are interested in science,” said Aniyah, who wants to be an engineer. “There are more girls than boys in our (science class).” While programming a computerized robot car at an all-girls STEM event last week, Aniyah and Ahijah said they’ve never had anyone tell them science, technology, engineering and math – STEM fields – aren’t for them. Not too long ago, that wouldn’t have been the case. Click here to read the article featured in the Indy Star.

On ESSA, Many Principals Have Little Idea What The Law Actually Means

One of the recurring themes from principals around ESSA implementation has been, “Well, I’m just going to wait for my superintendent to tell me what to do.” Actually, according to experts from the National Association of Elementary School Principals who shared at the 2017 National Principals Conference in Philadelphia and spoke on background for this article, the law was designed to be much more bottom-up than previous laws, and you should reach out to your superintendent with plans you’d like to see implemented in your school to help improve outcomes for all learners therein. Click here to read the article featured in Education DIVE.

Here’s What States Are Doing With Their ESSA Block Grant Money

The Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants—or Title IV of ESSA—only received about a quarter of the funding the law recommends, $400 million for the 2017-18 school year, when ESSA will be fully in place for the first time.To help get bigger bang for the fund’s considerably reduced buck, Congress gave states the option, for one year only, to give the money out through a competitive process, allowing for fewer, but more-ambitious projects. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.

Believe The Hype! How Video Games Are Changing Education

To draw a parallel between video gaming and education may cause the more traditional educators to balk at the thought, but recent developments in the field of video game research reveal dramatic correlations between playing video games and the ability to learn. 1.2 billion people play video games worldwide. This is a rather significant portion of the population and if we ignore the negative consequences for the moment, which include addictive qualities and deprioritizing of school work, we can delve into the beneficial correlations between gaming and education. Click here to read the article featured in eSchool News.

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 recently embarked on a journey with K–8 teachers in Vermont to learn how to be intentional about planning for three-dimensional (3-D) learning in the classroom.

To begin our journey, we determined which NGSS performance expectations would be the focus of our instructional sequence. For each performance expectation, we identified the related Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs). We then determined our anchoring event and driving questions and identified possible student misconceptions related to gravity and space. During this process, I was able to work with other middle school science teachers who were going to teach gravity and space in the coming months. This collaboration with teachers outside of my district was powerful, as we all had different talents, and we were all able to excel in those areas while also addressing our weaknesses.

An example of the template used to determine PEs, DCIs, & CCCs  is shown below. (click here to view a full screen image of the chart)

To begin the unit, the task was set up to encourage students to grapple with the following driving question, which was our anchoring event: If humans were capable of traveling to planets in our solar system, would our weight change? Why or why not?.  It was amazing how many misconceptions were revealed as students discussed their ideas in a “gathering ideas scientist meeting,” arguing and supporting claims with information obtained from movies, books, and media and from the random thought process. When the scientist meeting concluded, with all student ideas exhausted and documented, students were asked to determine what information they needed to gather to develop a logical answer that was rooted in scientific knowledge, not fiction. Doing this helped the students take the lead in their own learning and enabled me to be a fearless facilitator.

Throughout the unit, students gathered evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses (and distances for those students that were ready to go above and beyond) between interacting objects. As the unit progressed, I was able to formatively assess student understanding through additional scientist meetings and one-on-one check-in sessions. For example, in a pre-write session, when I realized that a few of my students were struggling with making predictions about their weight on various planets in relation to their weight on Earth, I knew it was time for me to conference one-on-one to clear up misconceptions. To be sure of my conferencing efforts, I held a “making meaning scientist meeting,” so students were able to reach consensus about the factors influencing weight and thus gravity on various planets.

At the conclusion of the unit, through a summative assessment, students were able to analyze and interpret data to determine scale proportions of planets in the solar system that they would weigh more or less on compared to on Earth. First, students constructed a bar graph representing each planet in the solar system and its relative mass. Then, students drew scale models of these planets, and explained, using the model they created and the data associated with the planet, why their weight would change.

<insert images of student work> Examples of student work (Each piece shown below fell into the expanding category except the last, as each student was able to explain how the mass of a planet and the distance away from the core of it determined whether they could theoretically stand on the planet, and whether that could affect gravitational pull and thus their weight. The latter fell into the proficient category, as the students struggled with the distance factor.)

Not only were the students in charge of their own learning, but they also had choice and voice in determining which bodies in the solar system they wanted to research. This allowed them to dig deeper into their own learning, which led to high energy and engagement in class!

I believe that being intentional about teaching for 3-D learning, especially regarding the crosscutting concepts, allowed me to bridge the gap between the two performance expectations in the unit, while also allowing students to make connections to prior learning from other units of study. Furthermore, the explicitness of teaching for 3-D learning enabled students to formulate questions that needed to be answered through investigations and by analysis of solar system data, which scientists have gathered through advancements in engineering and technology. If I did not have sufficient time to explicitly plan for these learning opportunities, I truly feel the learning on both the students’ and my own part would not have been as rich.    

At the conclusion of this unit, I was able to collaborate with the colleagues to discuss rubrics, performance indicators, and student work. It was through this work that I was better able to shed light on my own instruction, celebrating successes and noting areas that needed tweaking. Additionally, I learned that it is our colleagues who are best situated to help us understand the limits of our ordinary perspective.

Click here to see an example of a scoring guide

Jessica Tetreault

Jessica Tetreault is a middle school math and science teacher at North Country Union Junior High school in Derby, Vermont, and has taught for 15 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and a master’s degree in curriculum and development with an emphasis in secondary science education. When not at school, she and her family operate a small organic farm. Her hope is to inspire young people to better understand and feel a connection to the land on which they live.

This article was featured in the August 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 access other articles from the August issue on assessing three-dimensional learning. Click here to sign up to receive the Navigator every month.

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

Future NSTA Conferences

2017 Fall Conferences

• Baltimore: Oct. 5–7, 2017
• Milwaukee: Nov. 9–11, 2017
• New Orleans: Nov. 30–Dec. 2, 2017

National Conference

• Atlanta: March 15–18, 2018

Follow NSTA

Teachers wear many hats in the classroom. We are doctors, therapists, IT technicians, politicians, and entertainers, but the one hat we wear that is essential for student learning is the detective’s hat. As detectives, we gather and analyze evidence to help us understand what our students know and don’t know and what misconceptions they may have. Instead of this “detective work,” though, teachers often consider student work as an end product to assess learning rather than a tool to investigate student learning.

My young students did not come to me as a blank slate. They brought a bouquet of preconceptions about science, and those preconceptions either worked for or against their ability to understand the core ideas in science. I quickly learned that I could “teach my heart out” and do fun activities, and my students could regurgitate what I taught them. However, they did not comprehend the new concepts as well as I thought they had, and they certainly could not apply that knowledge to other concepts in science. What was I doing wrong? 

What did I learn from student work?

After careful reflection and collaboration with colleagues, I decided I needed to stop focusing on the end product and start focusing on the entire process of student learning. I needed to use my students’ work to my advantage. So I put on my detective’s hat. My job was to dig deep and investigate my students’ work more effectively so I could uncover what my students knew; what they didn’t know; and what they thought they knew, but had some misunderstandings about.

Based on students’ performance tasks and formative assessments, I could learn more about their preconceptions about core ideas and their ability to solve problems. Then I could capitalize on this information to help guide my instruction. I could also use that information to give my students quality academic feedback as they learned the core ideas and crosscutting concepts, rather than waiting until after they completed a performance task or took the summative assessment.

As my focus on how I analyzed students’ work and used that information to enhance instruction changed, I had to change what I was asking my students to do so I could gather the information I needed to help them learn as they solved real-world problems. I began to ask better, more intentional questions, and I made my performance tasks three- dimensional. Talk Moves was a strategy I began using to improve my students’ academic discourse. Having students argue about ideas in science in a productive way gave me powerful insight into their thinking and helped me gather the evidence I needed to inform my classroom instruction.

The most powerful change I made was to use formative assessment more effectively. Previously, my formative assessment toolbox consisted of quick checks that did not actually provide much information about how my students were thinking about science. A colleague told me about Page Keeley and her work with formative assessments. Using probes from Keeley’s Uncovering Student Ideas in Science book series and her Science Formative Assessment Classroom Techniques (FACTS), I was better able to gather the evidence I needed about how my students were thinking.

I used the information I gleaned from science probes, FACTS strategies, and other formative assessments to provide quality academic feedback to my students. These formative assessments allowed me to work smarter and use my instructional time more wisely. I enhanced classroom activities so I could better address my students’ needs, help them explore science phenomena, deepen their understanding of the core ideas as they engaged in the practices, and apply their knowledge to other disciplines in science.

“With formative assessments, there usually is no need to assign scores to individual students. Instead of scoring rubrics, you might use more informal criteria that will help you quickly see what you need to know in order to make instructional decisions and better support your students.” —Seeing Students Learn Science (NAS 2017)

What can students learn from student work?

Learning is a journey, a journey that students can and should be part of. Unfortunately, students are often excluded from that journey altogether. Teaching and learning are things that are done to them rather than things they actively participate in. Teachers should encourage students to take part in their own learning journey by empowering them to analyze their own thinking. The best way to accomplish that is by allowing them to interpret their work.

When students are involved in understanding the purpose of their work and how to analyze it, both teachers and students experience a common vision of what students are expected to know and do. This is critical in improving student learning.

I used to think that showing students the scoring rubric before they completed a task helped them understand my expectations. Unfortunately, just as focusing on the end product didn’t help me understand their thinking or learning needs, having students examine a rubric didn’t help them comprehend what I expected them to do and the knowledge I needed them to apply. They, too, needed to become detectives.

To help students investigate what I was expecting of them, I had them critique examples of completed student work. I wanted them to better understand what effective and ineffective work looked like. These examples included both exemplars and non-exemplars, examples of work that demonstrated gaps in understanding. (Note: I always wrote the non-exemplar samples using common misconceptions and inaccurate understandings my students traditionally held. I never used the work of students currently in my classroom.)

Giving students an opportunity to see what they should do and the connections they should make helped them better understand what I expected them to know and do. Giving them a chance to identify the areas of refinement in the work samples that demonstrated weaker understanding helped them understand what mistakes they needed to avoid. Students also could see what different levels of performance looked like.

Furthermore, students often saw their own misunderstandings in the non-exemplars. Analyzing these samples gave them a safe space to identify their own misconceptions, then engage in the practices of scientists and engineers to better understand the core ideas and crosscutting concepts. They refined their knowledge through investigations, explorations, and research.

Analyzing samples of student work made them think critically and deepen their own knowledge, and gave them the tools needed to really analyze their own thinking. It created a safer, more engaging learning culture in my classroom. Indeed, the changes I implemented yielded exciting results.

I observed that my students began to ask better questions and made less careless mistakes while completing performance tasks. They were more confident as they designed solutions to problems and more open to the academic feedback I gave them on their own work and formative assessments. Their ability to reason and engage in academic discourse improved, and they were much more willing to reconsider their previously held misconceptions. Their detective work paid off. The quality of my fourth graders’ work soared, and my students became more responsible, critical thinkers. 

As teachers encourage students to explore their natural curiosity and understand the natural world surrounding them, it is essential that teachers analyze students’ work on formative assessments and performance tasks to identify students’ preconceptions and make sound decisions in the classroom. When teachers and students work together as detectives to gather evidence about how students are thinking about their thinking, meaningful learning can take place.

K. Renae Pullen

K. Renae Pullen is the K–6 science curriculum-instructional specialist for Caddo Parish Public Schools in Louisiana. Pullen currently serves on the Teacher Advisory Council of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. She received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching in 2008. Read her blog, and follow her on Twitter: @KrenaeP.

This article was featured in the August 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 access other articles from the August issue on assessing three-dimensional learning. Click here to sign up to receive the Navigator every month.

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

Future NSTA Conferences

2017 Fall Conferences

• Baltimore: Oct. 5–7, 2017
• Milwaukee: Nov. 9–11, 2017
• New Orleans: Nov. 30–Dec. 2, 2017

National Conference

• Atlanta: March 15–18, 2018

Follow NSTA

It is truly an exciting time in science education. Science educators across the country are adapting to a new vision of how students learn science guided by the Framework for K–12 Science Education (Framework). As a result, science instruction is changing to better tap into students’ natural curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world around them.

As instruction changes, assessments need to change as well. Many science educators recognize that traditional assessments are not appropriate for capturing three-dimensional science learning. But they may not know what assessments of three-dimensional learning should look like, nor how they can be used effectively in science classrooms.

The Board on Science Education (BOSE) at the National Academy of Sciences has a new resource that can help. BOSE is the group responsible for developing the Framework, and we have been working hard to continue to offer guidance to educators as they strive to make the new vision a reality in classrooms. In March 2017, BOSE released a new book on formative assessment for science, Seeing Students Learn Science. The book draws on research-based recommendations for assessment to explore how classroom teachers can use assessments as part of instruction to advance students’ three-dimensional learning.

Traditional science assessments do not allow teachers to fully understand students’ mastery of science and engineering practices, nor do they provide insight into students’ learning trajectories. In contrast, effective classroom assessments of 3-D science learning can help teachers collect information about students’ understanding of core ideas and crosscutting concepts, as well as students’ ability to engage in the scientific and engineering practices. Good assessments of 3-D science learning can help teachers make decisions about next steps for learning and identify the supports that individual students or groups of students may need. They can also help students take control of their own learning by helping them understand what they have mastered and where they may need more practice. A major goal is for assessment to become an integral part of science instruction, rather than an interruption

The new book is designed to help teachers create and implement classroom assessments that capture three-dimensional learning. While transitioning to a new assessment system will be a gradual process, change begins at the classroom level, and individual educators can begin to implement new approaches immediately. Seeing Students Learn Science is filled with examples of innovative assessment formats, strategies to embed assessments in classroom activities, and ideas for interpreting and using information from these assessments. It also provides ideas and questions educators can use to reflect on what they can adapt right away—and what they can work toward over time—to ensure that instruction drives assessment, not the other way around.

The book is organized around key questions educators may have about the new types of assessments.

What’s really different? Gives a quick overview of how ideas about science learning and instruction have changed and why different kinds of assessments are needed. 

What does this kind of assessment look like? Highlights a few examples to see how these ideas and principles work in practice. 

What can I learn from my students’ work? Examines more deeply the information educators can obtain from a variety of assessments—and how they provide evidence of students’ thinking. 

How can I build new kinds of assessments into the flow of my instruction? Describes ways to adapt assessments already in use and to design new assessments that support the changes science teachers are making in instruction. 

How can I work with others in my school, district, and state? Focuses on how teachers can connect with developments outside of the classroom, and explores assessment systems, ways of reporting assessment results, and assessment for monitoring purposes.                                      

A key message of the book is that educators can lead the way in transforming science assessment. We all know that new state and district assessments will be needed. The transition to new large-scale assessments may be a complicated one for states and districts, and will likely pose challenges that will take time to solve. Individual educators, though, can lead the way in adapting assessment practices to new approaches to science instruction. With adequate professional development support, and the resources provided in Seeing Students Learn Science, educators can begin to redesign assessments in their own classrooms and champion new approaches in their schools and districts.

Heidi Schweingruber is director of the Board on Science Education at the National Research Council (NRC). She co-directed the study that resulted in the report A Framework for K–12 Science Education (2011). She served as study director for a review of NASA’s pre-college education programs completed in 2008 and co-directed the study that produced the 2007 report Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K–8. Before joining the NRC, Schweingruber worked as a senior research associate at the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences . Schweingruber holds a Ph.D. in psychology and anthropology and a certificate in culture and cognition from the University of Michigan.

This article was featured in the August 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 access other articles from the August issue on assessing three-dimensional learning. Click here to sign up to receive the Navigator every month.

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

Future NSTA Conferences

2017 Fall Conferences

• Baltimore: Oct. 5–7, 2017
• Milwaukee: Nov. 9–11, 2017
• New Orleans: Nov. 30–Dec. 2, 2017

National Conference

• Atlanta: March 15–18, 2018

Follow NSTA

I will start teaching in an elementary school this year. When I looked in what will be my future my classroom, but I didn’t see supplies or equipment for teaching science. What can I do now? –  —G., Michigan

Describe the situation to your principal before you panic. There may be a central storeroom or she may ask other teachers to share materials. She may also guide you through the purchasing process.

Fortunately, science teaching at the elementary level does not necessarily require a lot of expensive equipment. I’ve attended many NSTA conference sessions in which we investigated science concepts with marbles, balloons, straws, paper clips, plastic cups, hand lenses, rubber bands, craft sticks, blocks, and small plastic cars.

Browse through the archives of Science & Children, and you’ll see students investigating plant growth, examining rock samples or insects, studying mechanics and motion, or collecting weather data with simple, inexpensive materials. (However without safety equipment such as goggles, there may be activities that you cannot do until you get them.) Check the science curriculum for activities that your students will do and make a list of materials.

As a last resort you may have to purchase things yourself, as many teachers do. Discount stores have low-cost items that can be repurposed for science. Take a prioritized wish list everywhere you go—you’ll never know what you’ll find at a flea market or yard sale. And save the receipts—the principal may have discretionary funds to reimburse your purchases.

In an ideal world, all schools would be fully funded and teachers and students would be provided with the materials they need. Until that happens, many teachers will continue to be generous toward their students and provide supplies. Welcome to the profession!

(For more science-on-a-shoestring ideas, refer to The Frugal Science Teacher, PreK-5 from NSTA Press.)

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tormol/5013204447

During July 2001, I along with 24 science educators from 15 states attended the NASA Educator Workshop (NEW) at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The two-week program was a NASA Headquarters initiative managed by NSTA, and coordinated by Marshall’s Education Programs Department. The NEW program has been a catalyst in my career as a teacher of science. As a result of my participation, thousands of students have enjoyed unparalleled NASA experiences.    

Throughout the NEW workshop, I interacted with NASA scientists, engineers, technicians, and educational specialists learning about state of the art research and development occurring at the Center. The educational materials and activities presented during the workshop were related to aerospace technology, biological science and physical research, earth science, human exploration and development of space, space science, and rocket propulsion.  These opportunities gave me a broader perspective on how NASA could support my work in the classroom. Below are three programs I learned about during NEW and was able to bring to my students and community.

As a result of my experience at Marshall, I was able to raise several thousand dollars and arranged for a week-long visit of the NASA Mobile Aerospace Educational Laboratory (MAEL) to the Williamsville Central School District in April 2003.  The MAEL was a mobile 53 foot trailer which housed an electronically enhanced computerized classroom operated by the NASA Glenn Research Center.  During the week-long visit to Western New York, over 800 students from our district were engaged in aerospace lessons that modeled real-world challenges in aviation.  

In March 2004, I was the program coordinator for a live video downlink with crew members aboard the International Space Station.  During the downlink event, twelve students spoke with United States astronaut C. Michael Foale and Russian cosmonaut, Alexander Kaleri as they orbited 250 miles above earth. The program impressed on our districts 1200 middle school students and the estimated 6,000,000 people world-wide that read about or viewed the downlink how science and technology transcend national borders and in doing so enrich the lives of humankind.

During the NEW program, I received NASA lunar and meteorite certification.  This certification has enabled me to provide instruction to over 4500 students, and teachers using these tangible legacies of our nation’s Apollo space program.  Curricular activities I have incorporated since receiving certification include activities related to geologic history of the moon, lessons involving planetary processes such as impacting, and activities focused on the effects of earth’s atmosphere as they relate to the samples. For the past 15 years, I have coordinated a March Moon Madness event with our district planetarium director. The event is well attended by local Boy and Girl Scout programs. Approximately 1000 members of the community have gained knowledge of past, present, and the future of space exploration at this annual program.

The NASA NEW program has enabled me to bring the real world of aerospace to the classroom, my colleagues, and the community.  These aerospace educational activities I have implemented have made science, discovery, and exploration exciting for thousands of students.  By nurturing and challenging young minds, together we inspire our next generation of explorers.

I encourage teachers to subscribe to NASA Education Express to receive weekly announcements about opportunities available to them and their students. There is a journey waiting for you. Only as far as we seek, can we go. Only as much as we dream, can we be!

Kenneth L. Huff is a science teacher at Mill Middle School in Williamsville, New York and a member of the NSTA Board of Directors. 

If you have any questions please email me. 

Science has been a central component of American democracy from the very beginning. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.”

What do we need to be informed about in today’s modern times? Consider this daunting short list of topics—climate change, GMO food, vaccination, energy, artificial intelligence, ‘designer babies,’ and pharmaceuticals—and you can see how important science is in keeping us well informed.  All of these topics require a basic level of knowledge about what science is and about the role of scientific evidence so we can understand phenomena and make verifiable predictions.

Jefferson also understood the intersection between government and science and acted to assert the government’s role in science by establishing the first U.S. science agency, The Survey of the Coast. This predecessor of NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) measured and published water depth data to inform mariners’ safe passage. Jefferson also launched the Lewis and Clark expedition that excited and educated the public and led to dramatic economic expansion. Realizing that education was essential for national security, he connected the education and science endeavors by establishing a “Corps of Engineers” to be “stationed at West Point in the state of New York,” the U.S. Military Academy.

In the years since Jefferson, government agencies have observed the world, recorded data, and helped the public benefit by publishing results and supporting the educators who enable children and future citizens to be well-informed. We may have turned our attention from the survey of the coast to the survey of the heavens but our need for education remains. Fortunately, federal agencies like NOAA, NASA, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Interior have maintained their mission to educate us and have developed programs that facilitate teachers’ access to and use of their science. We strongly believe this must continue.

Science instruction today is motivated by exposing students to phenomena, encouraging their questions, and guiding their practices to build and defend explanations supported by evidence. Students learn to use observations, build models, and make predictions, just like the scientists in federal agencies. They also explore the consequences of science in the world they live in, learning to be well-informed citizens.

Recognizing the traditional connection between science, education, and federal agencies, we invite science teachers who have benefited from federal agency programs to share your experiences and the impact these programs have had on your students. These reflections will appear on the NSTA blog and inspire other teachers to seek out and use similar resources and programs to support science teaching. Read our first blog by middle level teacher Ken Huff who shares his experience with the NASA Educator Workshop (NEW) at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. 

Dr. David L. Evans is the Executive Director of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Reach him via e-mail at devans@nsta.org or via Twitter @devans_NSTA. 

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

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