Regardless of what grade level you teach, you the resources in this month’s journals can help make this summer’s eclipse a memorable occasion for your students. Not all students will be back to school on August 21, so this spring is a good time to spark their interest and provide resources.

• Science Teachers as Community Eclipse Outreach Agents
• Become a Solar Eclipse Outreach Agent

Each issue includes the 2016 Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12.

The Science Teacher — Eclipse

“Planetary science is well worth revisiting in our high schools, if only to give students better understanding and appreciation of the majestic Sun-Earth-Moon system we experience every day,” according the TST editor. Especially since many for many high school students, there most recent exposure to Earth and Space Science may have been in middle school (or earlier). This summer’s eclipse is a good context to revisit and expand their experiences.

The lessons described in the articles include connections with the NGSS.

• Total Eclipse shows how this event can be an opportunity for 3-dimensional learning.
• Modeling the Eclipse has ideas for studying eclipses through observations, planetarium and virtual modeling, as well as mathematical and physical modeling,
• The authors of Chasing Shadows suggest that the upcoming eclipse is also an opportunity for students to study exoplanets and astronomical transits.
• In The Future of Energy, students use scientific argumentation to compare, analyze, and evaluate energy sources.
• Better Formative Assessment describes ways to analyze and assess student learning (and misconceptions).
• Science 2.0: Help Students Become Global Collaborators through citizen science projects.
• The Green Room: How Climate Change Affects Our Diet has resources to study the impact of climate change on crops, fishing, and other parts of the global food supply.
• Introducing students to the laws of physics can be done without an emphasis on computation. Focus on Physics: Teaching Physics as the Rules of Nature illustrates resources and graphics.

For more on the content that provides a context for projects and strategies described in this issue, see the SciLinks topics Climate Change, Eclipses, Food Crops, Life on Other Planets, Moon Phases, Planets, Sustainable Agriculture, Sunspots, Torricelli.

Continue for Science Scope and Science and Children.

Science Scope – Our Solar System and Beyond

“Helping students understand the celestial mechanics behind a solar eclipse is just one way that you explore our solar system to better appreciate how our home planet fits into the big picture.” From the Editor’s Desk: When a Shadow Sheds Light

Featured articles in this issue that describe lessons include a helpful sidebar (“At a Glance”) documenting the big idea, essential pre-knowledge, time, and cost. The lessons also include connections with the NGSS.

• Are You Dressed for a Spacewalk? Harnessing Student Interest in Space Exploration to Engage Them in Energy and Engineering taps into students’ interest in space with an engineering project to design a “space suit.”
• Even if you’re not in the path of the eclipse, The August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse: The Perfect Opportunity to Highlight Three-Dimensional Science Learning has ideas for helping students understand phases of the moon, partial eclipses, and why they occur so infrequently.
• Make your astronomy activities more inclusive with the ideas and resources in Skynet Junior Scholars: Authentic Astronomy for All, Including Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students
• Moving Students Toward a More Accurate View of the Solar System goes beyond misconceptions about the size and scope of the solar system with modeling, questioning, and observing.
• Sunrise, Sunset: Using Personal Observations to Understand Changing Sun Patterns from an Earth Perspective looks at the positions of the Earth and sun and changes that can be observed.
• Citizen Science: Out of this World Citizen Science—Sun, Space, and Your Mission: Starlight describes a project from the Royal Society of Chemistry in which students around the world share their data from investigations into UV light.
• Disequilibrium: The Bernoulli Bag has a 5E lesson that shows the principle in action.
• Our colleagues share their resources and ideas in this month’s Listserv Roundup: Four Stellar Modeling Resources for Those Who Teach About the Sun and Solar System
• Scope on the Skies: Beyond Earth’s Orbit has background information on the topic.
• “Reasons for the seasons” is a classic study of student misconceptions, as described in Teacher to Teacher: Tackling Misconceptions About Seasons

For more on the content that provides a context for projects and strategies described in this issue, see the SciLinks topics Astronomy, Bernoulli’s Principle, Eclipses, Phases of the Moon, Seasons, Solar System, Space Exploration, Sun, Telescopes, UV Index

Science & Children – Getting Students Outdoors

“Whether it is a small plot of grassy area, the blacktop around the school, a park

down the street, a vast field, or a deck constructed over a marsh … get students outdoors.” The articles this month show interdisciplinary activities and learning experiences that take advantage of students’ interest in their surroundings.

The lessons described in the articles include connections with the NGSS.

• “Sometimes, creating an outdoor space means using existing natural spaces for creative and engaging experiences” such as those described in Down by the Bay — with ideas for other local studies.
• Waiting for the Monarch illustrates how to combine gardening with a study of butterflies and their metamorphosis, in the context of studying biodiversity.
• Junior BioBlitz Takes Learning Outside for elementary students and their communities as they learn about local biodiversity. The Early Years: Exploring Biodiversity has ideas for similar activities with young children.
• Our OASIS shows how to connect elementary and high school students through a summer science camp. The camp agenda is included, along with planning suggestions.
• Preparing for the Eclipse and Eclipses and Eye Safety have suggestions for viewing and studying the upcoming eclipse safely.
• Teaching Through Trade Books: Adaptations for Survival has two 5E lessons (and related books) for learning about plant adaptations for spreading seeds and animal adaptations for surviving harsh habitats as well as changing habitats.
• Science 101: Does the Weather Affect Your Body? What effects do temperature, humidity, air pressure have?

For more on the content that provides a context for projects and strategies described in this issue, see the SciLinks topics Adaptations of Animals, Biodiversity, Butterflies, Eclipse, Environment, Factors Affecting Plant Growth, Fossils, Marine Ecosystems, Metamorphosis, Weather

We all know that to enjoy a game, you must know the rules of the game. Likewise, to appreciate—and even comprehend—your environment, you must understand the rules of nature. Physics is the study of these rules, which show how everything in nature is beautifully interconnected. Physics taught as the rules of nature can be among the most relevant courses in any school, as educationally mainstream as English and history.

Mathematical need not mean computational
Physics has the reputation of being overly mathematical, intimidating many students who are otherwise attracted to science. My teaching experience tells me that it’s not mathematics per se but rather computation that intimidates students. That’s an important distinction. Every serious physics course is mathematical, containing equations. But it also can be noncomputational. By postponing problem solving until a follow-up course, an introductory, noncomputational physics course can be enjoyed by math whizzes and math weaklings alike.

Equations guide thinking
The laws of physics are central to any physics course and are expressed unambiguously in equation form (Figure 1). Although equations have traditionally been used as recipes for problem solving, they provide deeper insight when used as guides to thinking. A physics student can learn to “read” equations as a music student reads notes on a musical score.

Figure 1. The laws of nature are expressed in equations, behind each of which are fascinating stories.

Rather than writing Newton’s second law as F = ma (force equals mass times acceleration), I strongly suggest a = F/m, which is more like Newton expressed it. Then a student can see why a boulder and feather falling without air resistance (free fall) have equal accelerations (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Just as the ratio C/D is the same for all circles, the ratio F/m is the same for all objects in free fall.

Any topic is better learned when related to what students already know. Students know the relationship between a circle’s diameter and circumference: C = πD. In ratio form, they see that whatever the size of a circle, the ratio C/D remains constant: π. Similarly, the ratio of gravitational force F to mass m for freely falling objects yields the constant g, the acceleration due to gravity.

Concepts before computation
When a teacher spends mere seconds on the concepts in an equation and many minutes on number crunching, students get the impression that physics is all about computation. Instead, focus on the concepts in equations and how they connect, with much less number crunching. Concepts first, computation second. Time normally spent on problem solving can be better allocated to an overview of physics. Then all students can enjoy what many of us already know: that physics can be a student’s most delightful course.

Examine the whole elephant before measuring its tail
A physics course can concentrate on a few topics in detail or many topics more generally. I prefer the latter—to study mechanics, properties of matter, heat, waves, light, radioactivity, nuclear fission and fusion, with some time devoted to Einstein’s relativity. A broad overview of physics is valuable to students who continue with physics and also to those who don’t.

The black hole of physics instruction: kinematics
To cover a wide range of physics I recommend just skimming through kinematics—the study of motion without regard to forces. Kinematics can swallow more class time than any other topic, because it’s a dandy introduction to numerical problem solving. A main reason for limiting time spent on kinematics is that it addresses no laws of physics. None.

Exaggerating symbol sizes
The relationship between terms in an equation can be illustrated by changing the sizes of the symbols. For example, when a cannon is fired, the force acting on the cannonball has the same magnitude as the force that makes the cannon recoil. Although the two forces are equal in strength, the resulting accelerations are enormously different. Tweaking the symbols in Newton’s second law illustrates and provides the explanation (Figure 3). Note the relative sizes of the m’s and a’s.

Figure 3. The differences in acceleration are due to the different masses.

Equations identify and connect concepts
Some teachers complain when students presented with a problem grasp for an equation. I don’t. I encourage it! Hooray for equations serving as a crutch. Equations identify the concepts involved. For example: We know that a rocket fired in deep space gains speed as long as the thrusting force is maintained. Question: For a constant thrust, will the rocket’s acceleration also increase? The equation for Newton’s second law guides our answer by reminding us that acceleration depends not only on applied force but also on mass. Aha! As fuel is burned, the mass m of the rocket decreases. Hence the acceleration as well as the speed of the rocket increase (Figure 4). The equation nicely guides this discussion.

Figure 4. As fuel is burned to provide thrust, mass decreases and acceleration increases.

Distinguishing between closely related concepts
Equations help to differentiate closely related concepts such as velocity and acceleration, which are commonly confused. Well-chosen examples help point out the differences between the two. My favorite is asking for the acceleration of a vertically tossed object at the top of its path, such as little Hudson tossed upward by his dad (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Although the velocity of Hudson varies as he is tossed upward, his acceleration is a constant g.

Students will likely say the acceleration of Hudson at the top of his path is zero. This answer is wrong because velocity (which is zero there) is confused with acceleration. The equation a = F/m guides thinking to the correct answer, g. Barring air drag, the acceleration of any projectile is everywhere g, whether moving upward, momentarily at rest at the top of its path, or moving downward.

Newton’s second law involves thinking of three concepts at once: acceleration, force, and mass. A lot of us, me included, have difficulty thinking of two ideas at once. But three ideas? Even Galileo didn’t get around to that! So we have to be patient with students who don’t comprehend these connections and distinctions right away.

Momentum and energy
Exaggerated symbols help explain differing magnitudes of concepts in various circumstances. For instance, symbol sizes nicely illustrate how the amount of force varies during the changes in momentum of colliding objects (Figure 6) and with changes in energy (Figure 7).

Figure 6. The impulse-momentum equation tells us that the magnitude of force in a collision greatly depends on the time during which the change occurs.

Figure 7. Energy conservation tells us that a small force can ideally lift a huge weight.

Beyond mechanics
Given a choice, would students want to spend time on kinematics problems or learn why radiation from their smart phones can’t damage human cells? Radiation energy comes in packets, or photons. The photon energy is related to the radiation frequency by E = hf, where h is Planck’s constant. It’s easy to see that radiation at low frequencies means low energy of each photon (Figure 8). A bit of number checking will show photon energies much too low to disrupt cells in the human body.

Figure 8. The low radiation frequency of smart phones means correspondingly low energy for each photon of radiation.

We can’t change only one thing
The value of equations isn’t limited to the physics classroom. Equations in general remind us that we can never change only one thing: Change the value of a term on one side of an equation, and you correspondingly change the other side. Whenever you change one thing, something else is also changed. Not being able to change only one thing extends way beyond physics, especially to ecology and to situations that are social and even personal.

Physics in the educational mainstream
There are many reasons why physics courses aren’t as common as English and history in secondary schools. Physics is avoided by students who are threatened by math and by others who view it as a “killer course” that will lower their GPAs. Some teachers are quite content with their small classes of mathematically talented students who, like them, enjoy problem solving. These courses should remain, for they provide the vital foundation for future engineers and scientists.

But we shouldn’t shut out the many nonmathematical students who see science as “cool” and would love to learn physics “without numbers.” They would welcome a noncomputational course that emphasizes concepts over mathematical skills. To bring more of the general public into science, a noncomputational survey physics course can precede the higher level physics courses and have a place in the educational mainstream. This approach isn’t just good for individuals—it’s good for the country. Basic science knowledge enables people to understand critical issues such as climate change.

When a learner’s first course in physics is a delightful experience, the rigor of a second course will be welcomed. And in your teaching of physics, it’s fun and rewarding to get to photons and rainbows.

Paul G. Hewitt (pghewitt@aol.com) is the author of the popular textbook Conceptual Physics, 12th edition, and coauthor with his daughter Leslie Hewitt and nephew John Suchocki of Conceptual Physical Science, 6th edition, both published by Pearson Education.

On the web
A video with more on equations as the rules of nature and as guides to thinking, “Hewitt-Drew-it! Physics for Teachers 1,” is at http://bit.ly/TST-physics.

Editor’s Note

This article was originally published in the March 2017 issue of The Science Teacher journal from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

Get Involved With NSTA!

Join NSTA today and receive The Science Teacher,
the peer-reviewed journal just for high school teachers; to write for the journal, see our Author Guidelines, Call for Papers, and annotated sample manuscript; connect on the high school level science teaching list (members can sign up on the list server); or consider joining your peers at future NSTA conferences.

One day Jared was teaching about the boiling points of common liquids. The year was 1999, and students had to take his word for it when he said those points would vary slightly in the mountains of Nepal versus coastal Miami. Imagine if those students could have investigated the phenomenon collaboratively with peers across the globe. Nowadays, they can.

Meeting the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards makes it possible for students to become global collaborators. The Global Collaborator standard articulates that students should:

• use digital tools to connect with learners from various backgrounds and cultures;
• use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts, or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints;
• contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal; and
• explore local and global issues and work with others to investigate solutions (ISTE 2016).

Global perspectives
Two strategies can help foster a global approach in our science classrooms. First, students must have a basic understanding of the perspectives of others and the research work of scientists across the globe.

Google can enable this strategy, but standard search results are specific to the student’s own country. To search another nation, find its country code (a part of URLs), to identify the country of origin. NASA offers a comprehensive list. Then, to find search results for a specific country, follow the search terms with “site:.countrycode.” So, the search “Human impact on climate change,” for instance, becomes “Human impact on climate change site:.cn” to bring up results from China. The search results will be much different from those in our own region.

Global classrooms
After students begin to understand the perspectives of others, the second strategy is to have them conduct science inquiry with global communities, where they work together, share results, compare-contrast data, and evaluate their findings.

Find relevant resources within the citizen science movement. National Geographic has a web page dedicated to citizen science projects that will help students connect with others. The Teaching Resources section of that page offers activities, lessons, and educator guides to walk your class through their first citizen science exploration.

Wikipedia has a fantastic list of citizen science projects created by a global community of contributors. Virtually anyone can join the projects within their own classroom. Citizen seismology, to give one example, helps students understand the tectonic movement of our Earth and allows scientists to better predict earthquakes and provide warnings to communities in the most affected areas.

The website www.scistarter.com is famous for a project that involved adding sensors to packages shipped across the globe just to see what types of environmental conditions and abuse those shipments experience going from point A to point B. Students can search the site for projects that pique their interest. To search for a project via a more kid-friendly interface, go to www.pbskids.org/scigirls/citizen-science. Or, students can propose a project of their own to the larger scientific community at http://bit.ly/2jsBrLy.

Conclusion
When students explore and learn with others from around the world, they become global collaborators, developing the skills that may help us solve the most challenging scientific problems of the coming decades.

Ben Smith (ben@edtechinnovators.com) is an educational technology program specialist, and Jared Mader (jared@edtechinnovators.com) is the director of educational technology, for the Lincoln Intermediate Unit in New Oxford, Pennsylvania. They conduct teacher workshops on technology in the classroom nationwide.

Reference
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). 2016. The 2016 ISTE standards for students. Arlington, VA: ISTE. http://bit.ly/ISTE-standards.

Editor’s Note

This article was originally published in the March 2017 issue of The Science Teacher journal from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

Get Involved With NSTA!

Join NSTA today and receive The Science Teacher,
the peer-reviewed journal just for high school teachers; to write for the journal, see our Author Guidelines, Call for Papers, and annotated sample manuscript; connect on the high school level science teaching list (members can sign up on the list server); or consider joining your peers at future NSTA conferences.

Imagine a little white box of about 30 cubic centimeters or a third of the size of a deck of cards. And only 23 grams. Now imagine that that little box can effortlessly and wirelessly measure and share data about motion, acceleration, angular velocity, magnetic fields, pressure, altitude, and temperature all streaming on demand to your phone, tablet, or computer.

The battery-powered PocketLab shares information with a Bluetooth-connected tablet or phone. The PocketLab App makes connection easy, and then the simplified interface that makes visualizing data enjoyable. But that’s not the best part. What really drops jaws is when the PockeLab combines efforts with the smartphone or tablet’s camera. When the two work together creating an augmented reality perspective that has a graphical overlay on what the camera sees. What that means is that you can both see the data as it is collected at the same time you see what is creating the data. 

The Nevada Ready 21 program zeroed in on the PocketLab for their statewide tech integration that used the Chromebooks as its tech hub. According to the NR21 website, “PocketLab® is a science lab that connects to the CTL NL6 Chromebook and fits in a pocket. PocketLab allows students to explore the world and build science experiments using integrated sensors including: Accelerometer; Gyroscope; Magnetometer: Pressure and Temperature. PocketLab has many of the same features as lab equipment that costs thousands of dollars but is simple to use, deploy and manage and is included with the CTL NL6 Education Chromebook as part of CTL’s solution for NR21.”

The PocketLab is a collection of microsensors piled into a small battery-operated Bluetooth-enabled rectangular block. Controlling the block with an App, the student can choose any of the sensors and collect realtime data with it. 

The PocketLab App’s augmented reality tangent is accessed through a little icon in the upper right that connects the phone/tablet camera with the App. Instantly the data stream is overlaid in graphical form on top of a video stream of what is generating the data (or wherever the camera is pointed). 

One issue to note, however is that to combine the graphical data over the video takes time to render. It’s a slow process where in my tests it took about 12 seconds of rendering time for each second of videographing. So a minute of videography will take 12 minutes of rendering.

Here is the operating manual for iOS. And for Android. And Chromebook.

The PocketLab runs on a single CR2032 button battery that is easily replaceable. Its expected that a student will get between 40 and 400 hours of PocketLab operation out of one battery depending on data rate and sensors used. Here’s a video of how to change the battery.

The Pocket lab sells for about $98 for one, with discounts for multiple units and classroom sets. Although PocketLab should take a drop up to two meters, a silicon bumper case is available as well for those rougher assignments.

The future looks bright for the PocketLab family with several new additions on the horizon. Due to a successful Indiegogo campaign, The PocketLab Voyager and The PocketLab Weather have onboard memory to collect data on their own, and then share via Bluetooth when the PocketLab returns from it’s adventure.

From the Indiegogo Website:

The creativity of experimental design is set free with the PocketLab. But when coloring between the lines, PocketLab provides a helpful guide to connect activities with the New Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

And here is a small taste of PocketLab examples posted on YouTube. 

https://youtu.be/QOjGu_gqX7U

https://youtu.be/9lZQXj-arpw

https://youtu.be/XS0dMciFVX4

https://youtu.be/nPbLYXof1p8

https://youtu.be/r4h21MZN9DI

https://youtu.be/PrBH-yHs2mc

I teach fifth and sixth grade science, and I’m finding it hard to balance teaching, grad school, and family responsibilities. Are there any secrets for this? —E., Washington

Everyone’s situation varies, so unfortunately there are no universal secrets. It may help to prioritize activities into essential, nice-if–you-can-get-to-it, and back burner.

Your family and your health are essentials. However, teachers realize that some family celebrations have to be rescheduled for the weekends, and “vacations” are often spent at informal science sites for personalized professional development. Teachers often attend their kids’ sporting events with papers to grade or reading to do. Some housework and hobbies may have to go on the back burner for now, but please make time for exercise and non-academic interests to maintain your mental health.

Many teachers use time before or after school to prepare lab activities, contact parents, or evaluate student work, freeing up evenings and weekends for other responsibilities. When I was in your situation, these were on my backburner:

• Afterschool coaching, club advising, or tutoring (instead, connect with students by attending events as your schedule allows)
• Elaborate bulletin boards (post student work or ask teams of students to create a display)
• Grading every assignment
• Using a complicated, time-consuming reward system

For your graduate work, a study group can help by sharing resources. Schedule specific times for homework. Online courses allow you to control the timeframe. Take readings to school for when you have extra time (as if teachers ever do, but you never know). Limit yourself to one course per semester, and skip a semester if you’re overwhelmed.

Your degree has an end date! At that point, you can reprioritize some of the personal or professional things that were on the back burner.

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cgc/7080721/

Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing March 15 to Focus on STEM Education

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education will hold a hearing next Wednesday, March 15th, on federal STEM education programs. NSTA member (and NSELA Board member) Larry Plank, STEM Director for the Hillsborough School District in Florida, will be testifying before the committee. Other panelists include Caroline King of Washington STEM. The hearing presents a unique opportunity to highlight STEM education programs and funding before key lawmakers. Read more about the hearing (and watch it live) here.

Senate Scraps ESSA Accountability Regulations and Teacher Prep Rules

On Thursday, March 9 the Senate voted 50-49 to scrap the Obama Administration’s regulations for holding schools accountable under the Every Student Succeeds Act. The House earlier passed a measure to scrap the rule; the measure now goes to President Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.

This measure will not repeal or replace ESSA, instead it will only undo accountability regulations finalized last fall governing how school performance is judged under the new law. The accountability regulations were intended to direct the work of state stakeholders creating new plans required under ESSA to track low income students, and intervene in high risk schools.

For weeks Democrats and many business, labor, and civil rights groups opposed overturning this accountability rule, citing it would eliminate the federal oversight to ensure that state and local districts were held accountable for closing the student achievement gap. The Dems also argued that overturning the rule would severely disrupt the plans that states are now in the process of creating around ESSA.

Republicans saw the accountability rule as an overreach from the Obama Administration that would have restricted local decision makers as they implement the new law.

The accountability rule was repealed under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which allows Congress to review and overrule some federal regulations that were issued by the Obama Administration. Once a rule is repealed, the CRA also prohibits the agency from reissuing the rule in the same form or issuing  a new rule that is substantially the same. Secretary DeVos is expected to release something later this week that will tell states what’s “absolutely necessary” for them to consider in developing their plans.

Goodbye to Teacher Prep Regs

On Wednesday, March 8, the Senate voted 59 to 40 to get rid of the Obama Administration’s regulation on teacher preparation programs. This regulation would have linked students’ test scores to the teacher prep programs from which their teachers graduated. Low-performing teacher preparation programs would see access to federal Teach Grants eliminated.

Seven Democrats and one Independent joined Republicans to kill the teacher prep rule. This regulation was widely disliked by the education community, who believed it was an overreach by the federal government and much too costly. The issue of teacher prep will come up again when Congress reauthorizes the Higher Education Act, which is expected to come up in the next year or so.

The House also passed their version to nullify this reg, so it goes to President Trump who is expected to sign this rule as well.  

Read more here.

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

Jodi Peterson is 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.

Follow NSTA

This week in education news, new research by the National Women’s Business Council supports women in STEM; David Berliner explains what is really happening in America’s public schools; Louisiana will phase new science standards into classroom by the 2018-19 school year; and parents are the key to getting high school students interested in STEM, according to a new study from the University of Virginia.

On the Commercialization Path: New Research Supports Women In STEM

While women make up more than half of all college students and now surpass men in attaining undergraduate degrees, the National Women’s Business Council’s new report, On the Commercialization Path: Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property Outputs among Women in STEM, reveals that women are underrepresented among students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Click here to read the article featured in The Hill.

What The Numbers Really Tell Us About America’s Public Schools

David Berliner discusses what is really happening in America’s public schools today as opposed to what the media and politicians say is happening. Click here to read the post featured on The Washington Post’s Answer Sheet blog.

New Science Standards To Be Phased Into Louisiana Classrooms

Louisiana’s new science standards for public schools will be phased into classrooms, taking full effect by the 2018-19 school year. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education gave final approval earlier this week to the rewrite of the state’s 2-decades-old teaching benchmarks with no discussion. Click here to read the article by Associated Press.

Study: To Get High School Students Interested In STEM, Invest In Parents

When parents of high schoolers are given guidance on how to talk about the importance of science and math, their children are more likely to score well on a STEM standardized test and, years later, pursue a STEM career, according to a recent study from the University of Virginia. Click here to read the article on Education Week’s Curriculum Matters blog.

What Happens To Education Spending If The Budget Stays In A Holding Pattern

Right now, the federal budget is operating on a “continuing resolution” through April 28 that essentially holds fiscal year 2017 spending levels at their fiscal 2016 amounts. In this article, Andrew Ujifusa examines how a few programs in the Every Students Succeeds Act would be affected if Congress approves a continuing resolution for the rest of the fiscal 2017. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.

A New Technology Is Fundamentally Changing Learning—Here’s How

Middle school students across the U.S. are learning how the body works by studying the anatomy of a frog, a vertebrate with an organ system similar to that of humans. But unlike school lab work that uses real specimens or images of a virtual frog on a screen, a new approach to this standard experiment is taking the act of learning to a unique interactive level, thanks to the use of technology known as blended reality. 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.

Follow NSTA

I still have the wooden unit blocks that were central to many of my childhood play scenarios. The wooden blocks did not stick or snap together so we had to consider balance and how to make a sturdy base to support our structures. They were the materials we used to make models—building beds and shelter for our dolls, walls to separate MY space from YOUR space, and paths around our wooden block village. Making and using models is one of the Next Generation Science Standards essential science and engineering practices, and the NGSS K-2 Engineering Design performance expectation K-2-ETS1-2, using a model to illustrate how form helps an object function. Models can be sketches, drawings, or physical models. 

When young children play with blocks, teachers have many opportunities to support the children’s language development and mathematical skills, and strengthen their spatial abilities. The book Creative Block Play: A Comprehensive Guide to Learning through Building by Rosanne Hansel (Redleaf 2016) provides guidance on how to understand what children learn through building with blocks and strategies to increase the learning opportunities in the “block area.” 

Wooden unit blocks have been a staple in early childhood programs since they were designed in 1913 by educator Caroline Pratt (Hewitt, 2001) with a single rectangular prism unit block having the proportions 1:2:4, and measuring 1-3/8 by 2-3/4 by 5-1/2 inches, and many other shapes based on this unit. They meet the needs of children to learn through play and the needs of educators for materials that address many areas of the curriculum and can survive years of use by children. A set of 300-400 quality wooden unit blocks will provide hours of learning for generations of children and costs about the same as 2-4 tablets. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every early childhood program had both these forms of technology? 

Here’s an example of how one teacher strengthened a child’s math and problem-solving skills while supporting his developing self regulation.

Jeremiah was still adding blocks to his “house” structure when it was time for breakfast. Knowing that children often need help making transitions, Ms Carrie posed a problem to those in the block area: “You may put away the blocks you are working with, or you may move your structure out of the way so there will be room for circle time later.” “How can I move it?” asked Jeremiah. Ms Carrie counted the blocks on one side, saying, “You have 1, 2, 3, 4 blocks on this side wall of your house and we can rebuild this wall right over here.” She helped him carefully move and rebuild that wall. “Which shapes did you use for the roof up on top of the walls? How many blocks did you use for the opposite wall?” she asked as they counted, noted the position and rebuilt the house in a new location.

Moving and rebuilding the house structure, together with a teacher, also supported Jeremiah in learning vocabulary (side, roof, rebuild, opposite) and developing spatial ability to “translate” (move a shape without rotating it) and his “part-whole integration” (knowing how parts fit together to form a whole). 

Do you have a favorite block-building memory? How can you support young children in making their own memories as they play with blocks?

Hewitt, K (2001). Blocks as a tool for learning: Historical and contemporary perspectives. Young Children 56(1): 6-13. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/Hewitt0101.pdf

Introduction

As mentioned in our prior overview of STEM Sims [http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2017/02/06/stem-sims-interactive-simulations-for-the-stem-classroom/], this interactive software package provides over 100 simulations of laboratory experiments and engineering design products for the STEM classroom. The simulation titled “Trench Attack” immerses students in World War I trench warfare. This simulation has the student assume the role of a military commander using chemical agents against enemy forces to win a battle. During the simulation, students explore how chemical agents (e.g., mustard gas) can affect the environment. As is the case with all STEM Sims software, Trench Attack is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (MS-ETS1.A –Defining and Delimiting an Engineering Problem) and is compatible with state standards as well.

The simulation provides students with a brochure (see link below) that includes a pre-assessment quiz and introductory information about the use of chemical agents in warfare. Moreover, the simulation includes background information on science and historical content. The integration of historical information is a great opportunity for science and history teachers to work together on a WWI Unit across the curriculum. 

Brochure: https://stemsims.com/content/brochures/trench-attack-brochure.pdf

The STEM Sims provides three separate lesson plans for this simulation (see links below), which will help you tailor it for your curriculum. As is the case for other STEM Sims packages, a multiple-choice assessment is included with a Teacher Guide.

Lesson Plan 1: https://stemsims.com/content/lessons/trench-attack-lesson-1.pdf

Lesson Plan 2: https://stemsims.com/content/lessons/trench-attack-lesson-2.pdf

Lesson Plan 3: https://stemsims.com/content/lessons/trench-attack-lesson-3.pdf

Teacher Guide: https://stemsims.com/content/teacher-guides/trench-attack-teacher.pdf

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, Trench Attack is an excellent simulation that will stimulate students’ interest and engage them in learning chemistry. Moreover, the potential for the assimilation of instruction into both science and history content is an added benefit of this highly dynamic learning tool.  If you are looking for something to create a bridge between history and science, Trench Attack Makes the connection.

For a free trial, visit https://stemsims.com/account/sign-up

Recommended System Qualifications:

• Operating system: Windows XP or Mac OS X 10.7
• Browser: Chrome 40, Firefox 35, Internet Explorer 11, or Safari 7
• Java 7, Flash Player 13

Single classroom subscription: $169 for a 365-day subscription and includes access for 30 students and 100 simulations.

Product Site: https://stemsims.com/

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. Anthony Balos is a graduate student and a research assistant in the secondary education program at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.