“Uncovering Student Ideas is highly recommended for teachers at every level; it contains a set of essential tools that cross discipline, grade, and ability levels. There’s no better way to guide your planning and decision-making process.”
—from Juliana Texley’s review of Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Vol. 4

Research has shown that the effective use of formative assessment can significantly improve learning for all students. Learn how to use formative assessment to transform instruction while simultaneously supporting learning. During these daylong workshops with NSTA Press authors Page Keeley and Joyce Tugel, participants will be introduced to the use of formative assessment in science, learn about the nature of students’ misconceptions, experience a framework used to address students’ ideas within a cycle of instruction, and experience interactive formative classroom techniques (FACTs) that support language literacy capacities and the scientific practices of constructing explanations and argument from evidence. Applications to both K–12 teaching and teacher professional or preservice development will be addressed. All participants will receive a copy of Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Vol . 4, a $31.95 value.

Continental breakfast is included in the ticket price. These workshops take place in conjunction with the NSTA Area Conferences in Orlando, FL (Weds., Nov. 5) and Long Beach, CA (Weds., Dec. 3).

More information and registration details can be found here:

• Orlando: www.nsta.org/orlandoassessment

• Long Beach: www.nsta.org/longbeachassessment

“Emily Morgan and Karen Ansberry have done it again! Their newest volume, Even More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons, K–5: Using Children’s Books to Guide Inquiry, is as excellent as their previous books.” –from a review in Science Books & Film/AAAS

STEM education begins in elementary school, but it can be difficult for elementary teachers to fit science into the school day. Picture-Perfect Science integrates science and reading in a meaningful way, so you can teach both subjects at once. In these full-day workshops with NSTA Press authors Emily Morgan and Karen Ansberry, you will participate in model lessons that integrate science and reading, learn the benefits and cautions of using children’s picture books in science, become familiar with the BSCS 5E model, and receive a bibliography of recommended science-related picture books. All attendees will also receive a copy of Even More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons, winner of a 2014 Gold EXCEL Award from Association Media & Publishing. This bestselling book contains 15 classroom-ready lessons for grades K–5—a $39.95 value. Continental breakfast is included in the ticket price.

Come to these Picture-Perfect Science Workshops and rejuvenate elementary science instruction in your school! The workshops take place in conjunction with the NSTA Area Conferences in Richmond, VA (Weds., Oct. 15); Orlando, FL (Weds., Nov. 5); and Long Beach, CA (Weds., Dec. 3). More information and registration details can be found here:

•  Richmond: www.nsta.org/richmondpp
•  Orlando: www.nsta.org/orlandopp
• Long Beach: www.nsta.org/longbeachpp

When I taught elementary school, science was the foundation around which I built my multi-age classroom, but I think this approach was rare. With the release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), we have the opportunity for science to become front and center in more elementary classrooms. I am thrilled about the NGSS and the promise and opportunity it holds for ALL students. I am also relieved because finally someone out there “gets it”—just look at Practices # 6 (constructing explanations and designing solutions) and #8 (obtaining, evaluating and communicating information). Science can be the basis of rich instruction around where reading, writing, speaking, and listening are learned and practiced! We don’t have to teach only mathematics and language arts to make students better readers and writers.

For K–5 teachers, the thought of implementing the NGSS in classrooms can be overwhelming. But, it’s exciting too! The NGSS gives us opportunities that we’ve not had in the past to finally make science the centerpiece of the elementary classroom. I think we can make this transition to NGSS more easily if we have a deeper understanding of the NGSS content we need to use in our science instruction. Most (many) elementary teachers, including me, did not learn much science in college, so whenever a learning opportunity presents itself, I am usually the first to sign up. One of those opportunities is coming up soon. NSTA is sponsoring a series of web seminars specifically designed for elementary teachers by people who know elementary teachers best—me, a former elementary teacher turned state science coordinator five years ago; Dr. Mary Starr, author, Executive Director of the Michigan Mathematics and Science Centers Network, and a science consultant who has been working with elementary teachers; and Dr. Carla Zembal-Saul, author of What’s Your Evidence?: Engaging K–5 Children in Constructing Explanations in Science, and a teacher educator who focuses on elementary science and strives to create strong connections between research and practice.

Working in collaboration with these two educators to prepare these web seminars has been a unique learning experience. My own understanding of the NGSS has grown as we have grappled with how to best share our ideas with you within the limitations of the medium. I am looking forward to learning more from you as we move forward with these professional learning experiences. Our vision is that the series of web seminars will encourage teachers to come together in a professional learning community that will be nourished by discussions in the NSTA Learning Center forums.

When choosing the content for each of the grade level web seminars we thought about the following things: first and foremost, the standards; second, what teachers are already doing well in the classroom; and third, new information we have discerned that teachers need, based on actual questions they have asked us. Content alone does not make up the Next Generation Science Standards and this approach is very different from standards in the past. Visualize the NGSS as a rope with three strands: disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices. Each strand gets its strength from being interwoven with the other two—they are not meant to stand alone. With that in mind, although the disciplinary core idea might be grade-specific, the practices and crosscutting concepts are not. All of the web seminars will discuss and/or demonstrate the use of the practices and crosscutting concepts in the classroom. Different practices will be highlighted in various web seminars so even if you teach third grade, for instance, it might make sense for you to attend the whole series. We would love to have you!

Series Description

September 17, 2014: Kindergarten

In the NGSS, there are four performance expectations bundled together under the topic of weather. We have chosen to address the classroom instruction that is needed to help students meet the performance expectation, Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time, by the time they leave kindergarten. What does everyday instruction around this weather look like?

October 22, 2014: First Grade

Waves are introduced in first grade in the topics of both light and sound. We will highlight the instruction students will need in order to plan and conduct investigations to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light. We will use videos of actual classrooms to demonstrate that first graders can do very cool science. Using video examples, participants will be able to visualize the first graders in their school doing science around waves.

November 19, 2014: Second Grade

Understanding the concept of matter is foundational to the majority of the science instruction that occurs in later grades. Science instruction in second grade is one of the large building blocks. In this web seminar we will focus on what students need to know and be able to do to construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by heating and cooling can be reversed and some cannot. What instruction is needed for the students to be successful with this performance expectation by the end of the year? We hope participants will feel more prepared to plan instruction around this concept.

December 17, 2014: Third Grade

Students need the opportunity to explore inheritance and variation and by the end of the third grade, be able to analyze and interpret data to provide evidence plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms. What learning experiences can we provide to students to move them towards this goal? How can we help students build this understanding? What might you do? By joining us in this web seminar, participants will get the answers to some of these questions.

January 21, 2015: Fourth Grade

Students will come into fourth grade with many different ideas and understandings about energy. We will focus on energy transfer and transformation. By the end of fourth grade, students need to make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents. In this web seminar we will share examples of what it might look like in the classroom. We will answer questions we have heard from many teachers about teaching this concept and address questions from webinar participants.

February 18, 2015: Fifth Grade

In this web seminar we will look at what needs to happen in the classroom during this unit so that students are able to understand Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems the way that it was envisioned in the NGSS. By the end of the year, the students are expected to develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment. How might students meet this expectation using their own environment? We will help participants explore the interdependent relationships and how they can lead to greater student understanding.

I have learned so much by using NSTA resources, including many in the Learning Center. There are not many web seminars I have missed, especially those on the topic of the Next Generation Science Standards. I’ve also used SciPacks when I had plenty of time to plan a science unit, and SciObjects when I needed “just in time” content knowledge to teach a lesson the following day. (Note, NSTA will release a SciPack on NGSS later this fall.) My favorite resource is the NSTA Community Forums where the conversation happens, and where I can ask my own questions or share my ideas. I am hoping to talk with many people in the Forums following each of the web seminars.

See you on September 17th.

Editor’s Note
To register for the upcoming web seminars, go to (http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NGSS/webseminar.aspx. Visit the NGSS@NSTA Hub to access NSTA’s growing collection of NGSS resources. To access the official NGSS website, go to www.nextgenscience.org.

Today’s Guest Blogger is Kathy Renfrew
Kathy Renfrew is the K-5 science Coordinator for the Vermont Agency of Education, as well as an NGSS@NSTA curator and online advisor in the NSTA Learning Center. Kathy is an advocate for quality science instruction in elementary classrooms and working with teacher leaders as Vermont transitions to NGSS.” Email her at Kathy.Renfrew@state.vt.us or follow her on Twitter at @KRScienceLady.
(Photo: Kathy Renfrew, right; Carla Zembal-Saul, left) 

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When are children old enough to begin exploring the natural world? Can a three-year-old touch a crawling beetle? Can a two-year-old smell a flower; can a one-year-old? Can a 3-month-old feel a leaf? This question was raised in a recent training session about helping young children learn more about the small animals they are curious about: worms, insects and other small animals. People disagreed about what age would be appropriate to allow children these experiences but there was no disagreement about five-year-olds being ready to observe for longer periods and draw pictures of what they see. We also agreed that early childhood educators must know the children in their program and what activities they can safely engage in. As a family home child care provider I checked flowers for bees and others before bringing a child (including babies) close enough to smell—but not to taste! My yard only had plants that were not toxic so I did not have the lily-of-the-valley plants or wisteria vines that bear flowers I love to smell.

See these sites to find out more about poisonous plants—no list is complete but they are a good place to begin learning.

• North Carolina Cooperative Extension list of plants. http://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/plant-list
• The retailers code of practice for potentially harmful plants. (UK) Horticultural Trades Association, 2000; Guy’s & St Thomas’ Poisons Information Service and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2008. http://www.kew.org/science/ecbot/HTA_code_list.pdf
• University of California, Safe and Poisonous Garden Plants. http://ucanr.edu/sites/poisonous_safe_plants/Safe_Plants_by_Common_Name/
• University of Vermont Extension System, Potentially Harmful Perennials OH 63. Leonard P. Perry, Extension Associate Professor. http://www.uvm.edu/~pass/perry/oh63harm.html

Early childhood educators may also wonder when children are old enough to learn about the “Nature of Science” (NOS) or how science ‘works’. Researchers are also interested in what young children can understand about aspects of the nature of science—read the article, “Demystifying Nature of Science: Two activities help young children understand the nature of science” (Lederman et al 2014), in the September 2014 Science and Children. I also learned from studies by Akerson and Donnelly (2009, 2011) including “Teaching Nature of Science to K-2 Students: What understanding do they attain?” Children who have an understanding of the nature of science, or how science works, may be able to apply it to many situations, not only the times they know some information.
Dr. Valarie L. Akerson, Professor of Science Education at Indiana University shares some thoughts: “Preschool and Kindergarten teachers are amazing! And they can definitely start young children in conceptualizing NOS from an early age. Research on young children’s understandings of NOS suggest a great strategy is to start with the concrete and move to the abstract, maintaining an emphasis on all NOS aspects throughout the course of the school year. A particularly favorite children’s book I have for NOS instruction is Jerry Pallotta’s “Skull Alphabet” which can be used to introduce and emphasize the distinction between observation and inference, the difference between evidence and observations, the importance of contextual clues, as well as background knowledge in making inferences.”
In the September Early Years column, “The Nature of Science in Early Childhood,” I wrote about an activity to teach one aspect of the nature of science, understanding the difference between observation and inference. Children eagerly wondered what was pictured in their piece cut from a larger photograph of an unknown object. What could it be? Before I would listen to their inferences (what it could be), I asked them to simply describe their observations, what they did see–shapes, colors and any recognizable objects. What do you observe and what do you infer about this photo? See the full photo here.
Other opportunities for teaching children the difference between describing what they notice and telling what they think it means can happen when observing and caring for animals in the classroom. While caring for classroom crickets, children make observations—they notice when a particular cricket stays inside a cardboard tube. “It misses its mommy” or, “It’s shy,” they say. These statements are their inferences—the children’s best possible explanations for the cricket’s behavior based on what they observe and their prior knowledge of animals, including themselves. We can help children begin to understand that their observation is different from the meaning they give to it, an inference. We can ask children, “Tell me what you observed and then tell me what you think is happening,” in any exploration. In later discussions we might ask, “Are there any other reasons why you, or another animal, like to be inside a cozy space?” Animated discussions where children talk about differing meanings inferred about the same observation are an important part of science. Children recall when they were in a cozy space pretending to be bunnies, or finding a quiet place to rest, or hide. Part of science inquiry is considering alternative explanations and it is okay if scientists (including children) don’t agree. Young children may not be able to investigate why that particular cricket often stays inside the tube, but they do notice patterns of behavior and communicate it through conversations, discussions and drawings.
The entire September 2014 issue of Science and Children concerns the Nature of Science and the Next Generation Science Standards. A great resource for beginning the school year and deepening our own understanding!
Resources
Akerson, V. and Lisa A. Donnelly. 2009. Teaching Nature of Science to K-2 Students: What understandings can they attain?” International Journal of Science Education. 30 (1): 97-124
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/240526639_Teaching_Nature_of_Science_to_K-2_Students_What_understandings_can_they_attain
Akerson, V. and G. Buck, L. Donnelly, V. Nargund-Joshi and I. Weiland. 2011. The Importance of Teaching and Learning Nature of Science in the Early Childhood Years. Journal of Science Education and Technology. 20 (5): 537-549
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10956-011-9312-5
Lederman, Judith and Selina Bartels, Norman Lederman and Dionysius Gnanakkan. 2014. “Demystifying Nature of Science: Two activities help young children understand the nature of science.” Science and Children. 52 (1): 40-45.
http://www.nsta.org/publications/browse_journals.aspx?action=issue&thetype=all&id=96700

This is a particularly exciting time for science educators across our nation, both for those in states that have adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and those in areas that will never formally take that step, as they begin the process of putting into practice the vision of science education outlined in the Framework for K–12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards.

As exciting as this time is, it would be disingenuous to suggest that this process will be an easy one. Anyone who has ever been involved in a major renovation can attest to the fact that the business of change is never fast, can be overwhelming, and is always messy. In order to succeed, science teachers must prepare themselves for this task. In order for this vision of science education to fully take hold, teachers will have to take responsibility for their own professional learning and for shifting the instruction in their classroom. Teachers will have to take the lead, but they shouldn’t expect to do it on their own. My advice to readers is to start by connecting with your colleagues, whether that is in your school or district, through NSTA’s listservs and online communities, or on broader social media like Twitter (follow @NSTA or search #NGSS for starters).

Once you’re plugged into a professional learning community, how might you go about bringing the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the NGSS to life? First, fully familiarize yourself with the contents of both documents, beginning with the Framework, which brings together more than a decade’s worth of research on student learning in science and provides a solid foundation for the subsequent standards. This means not skipping the front matter or the appendices in order to get to the “good parts”! In fact, you might want to begin with the appendices, as they provide context and guidance for teachers as they translate the NGSS into classroom practice. Reflect deeply on your current instructional practices and compare them to those described in the Framework and NGSS.

A word of caution, it is easy to fall victim to the temptation to tell yourself that you are already using some teaching strategies that align with the Framework and NGSS. While you likely have some excellent lessons in your repertoire, this new vision of science teaching represents a true innovation for the vast majority of us. In order to shift our practice, we have to turn a critical eye toward that practice. Think about your needs in terms of professional knowledge and pedagogy and develop a plan to address those areas of need. NSTA offers a host of resources through the Learning Center and NGSS@NSTA hub, both of which can assist you in your quest for understanding.

Make sure that you fully comprehend the components of each of the three dimensions (Crosscutting Concepts, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Science and Engineering Practices) and how each progresses in complexity with time. The term “three-dimensional learning” is often quoted when describing the NGSS, and it is this idea that sets this set of standards apart from previous ones. The term describes the intention and explicit integration of all three dimensions in teaching, learning, and assessment. Take steps to ensure that you truly understand what this term means and know what this would look like in your classroom. Second, make sure you know how to read the NGSS. The architecture of the standards is designed to provide educators with a wealth of information on each dimension of learning and coherence with the Common Core State Standards. Investigate not only the performance expectations (PEs), but look closely at the foundation boxes to see exactly which component of the science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts are addressed by the PE. Look further to see how a set of particular performance expectations connects to other disciplinary core ideas.

Next, evaluate and adapt the curricular materials you currently have access to in order to determine if they align with the three-dimensional learning called for in the NGSS. A recent NSTA blog post addresses this process (“How to Select and Design Materials that Align to the Next Generation Science Standards,” by Joe Krajcik”). This task isn’t easy and it isn’t fast, but it’s worthwhile. I have found that going through this process has increased considerably my depth of understanding regarding each component. The added benefit of this step of the journey is that you are now putting the crosscutting concepts, science and engineering practices, and disciplinary core ideas into the hands of students. Those of us in education know that it is the high we get when we see our students’ minds firing on all cylinders that keeps us going through all the faculty meetings, in-services, and state-mandated trainings.

Two resources that are invaluable in assisting with this daunting task are the Educators Evaluating the Quality of Educational Products (EQuIP) rubric, which was developed jointly by Achieve, Inc. and NSTA and Translating the NGSS for Classroom Instruction written by Rodger Bybee and available through NSTA press. The EQuIP rubric will assist you as you determine how particular materials align with the NGSS. Dr. Joe Krajcik and Dr. Brian Reiser provide guidance on how to use the EQuIP Rubric. Translating the NGSS for Classroom Instruction is a rich resource that provides systematic instructions, templates, and examples for how teachers can translate the NGSS for classroom practice.

Let me close by reiterating two themes. First, and perhaps most importantly, teachers need to complete all the aforementioned steps collaboratively. The best decisions are those which result from deep conversions with peers, except when fifteen year-old boys are involved. Personally, my greatest growth as a professional has resulted from discussions with my colleagues as we question, reflect, and evaluate together. The task is too great and too important to be fully accomplished alone. Second, remember that this will be a long-term journey full of questioning, evaluating, revising, learning, and re-learning. Despite the best efforts of multiple reform initiatives over the years, our approach to teaching and learning in science have remained stable. In order for us to truly effect change within our profession and to ensure that the current efforts become sustainable, science teachers must take the lead in their own classrooms and engage their colleagues in a steady and deliberate process of reflection and change.

Today’s guest blogger is Zoe Evans, a middle school assistant principal in Carrollton, GA. Before becoming an administrator in 2012, Zoe served as a middle school science teacher for nineteen years. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescent Science, a Georgia Master Teacher, and is the 2005 Georgia recipient of the Presidential Award of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Zoe served on the NGSS writing team. Reach her at zoe.evans@carrollcountyschools.com or via Twitter @zoe_evans.

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Just as teachers gear up for a new year, so too do NSTA journal editors! We just published our first issues of the school year, and there’s a lot of great science teaching ideas, lesson plans, STEM information, and of course materials to help you learn more about and integrate the Next Generation Science Standards. These journals, while published by the National Science Teachers Association, are full of articles written by your peers in the trenches. So take a minute to catch your breath, and read some of the articles below. Explore the mystery of argumentation, popular science nonfiction, the use of mobile devices in field science, post-secondary STEM education, and more!

Science and Children

Lessons intended to develop all of the Next Generation Science Standards components must include the nature of science (NOS). But designing those lessons may not be easily accomplished; ways to infuse the NOS are often unclear. The resources in this issue of Science and Children will help deepen your understanding of the NOS and guide you as you cultivate this awareness in your students.
Featured articles (please note, only those marked “free” are available to nonmembers without a fee):

• Demystifying Nature of Science
• Free – Editor’s Note: Learning About the Nature of Science (NOS)
• Free – How Do Scientists Work?
• Integrating the Nature of Science
• Taking the “Mystery” Out of Argumentation
• Three, Two, One … Blast Off!
• Full Table of Contents

Science Scope

Effective assessment is integral to the three-dimensional learning and teaching needed to realize the vision set forth in the Next Generation Science Standards and A Framework for K–12 Science Education. Use the articles found in this issue to learn how to align your assessment with the three-dimensional learning called for in the new standards.
Featured articles (please note, only those marked “free” are available to nonmembers without a fee):

• A Penny for Your Thoughts
• Assessing Student Progress Along a Solar System Learning Progression
• Free – Editor’s Roundtable: Align Your Assessments With Three-Dimensional Learning
• Gearing Up for Engineering
• Including Often-Missed Knowledge and Skills in Science Assessments
• Just Do It! Performance Tasks in the Science Classroom
• Free – Magnetism: More Than Just Objects Attracted to Refrigerators
• Moving Ahead With Alternate Conceptions
• Popular Science Nonfiction and the Connection Between Literacy and the NGSS
• Full Table of Contents

The Science Teacher

New technologies—social media and cloud computing, mobile smart devices, “big data,” advanced computational modeling, and countless others—could revolutionalize science teaching and learning. While such advances make new classroom activities possible, the Next Generation Science Standards require us to rethink how we deliver science instruction. The pedagogical foundation provided by the NGSS can combine with new technology to create more engaging learning experiences for all students. Science teachers must lead the 21st-century skills movement. The articles in this issue of The Science Teacher describe teaching with a sample of new technologies, none of which would have been possible a mere decade ago.
Featured articles (please note, only those marked “free” are available to nonmembers without a fee):

• Cellulose Breakdown
• Free – Editor’s Corner: Science Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century
• Going Viral
• Lights and Larvae
• Supporting Newly Hired Science Teachers
• Free – Using Mobile Devices in Field Science
• Full Table of Contents

Journal of College Science Teaching

An article in the Two-Year Community column describes a dual-enrollment program that gives high school students an opportunity to experience college science in a supported environment, along with lessons learned and challenges faced by faculty when setting up such a program. Also, read how one group of investigators examined whether short “Kahn style” video lectures, assigned as homework, could replace live classroom lectures in the presentation of buffer theory and problem solving. This issue also has an article on the development and evaluation of graduate teaching assistant learning communities to enhance the implementation of inquiry experiences in undergraduate laboratories.
Featured articles (please note, only those marked “free” are available to nonmembers without a fee):

• A Case Study for Teaching Quantitative Biochemical Buffer Problems Using Group Work and “Khan Style” Videos
• A Comparative Study of Instructor- and Student-Led Learning in a Large Nonmajors Biology Course: Student Performance and Perceptions
• Aeronautical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering: A Learner-Centered Teaching Perspective in Higher Education
• Can Graduate Teaching Assistants Teach Inquiry-Based Geology Labs Effectively?
• Free – How Does Undergraduate Research Experience Impact Career Trajectories and Level of Career Satisfaction: A Comparative Survey
• Improving Postsecondary STEM Education: Strategies for Successful Interdisciplinary Collaborations and Brokering Engagement With Education Research and Theory
• Research and Teaching: Emotion, Engagement, and Case Studies
• Research and Teaching: Training the Foot Soldiers of Inquiry: Development and Evaluation of a Graduate Teaching Assistant Learning Community
• Full Table of Contents

Get these journals in your mailbox as well as your inbox—become an NSTA member!

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

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Kathy Brooks says that her NSTA membership helped her tremendously during her almost 30-year career as a middle-level science teacher. And, she says, her NSTA membership is still just as valuable to her now that she’s retired from classroom teaching. Brooks says that you don’t have to end your involvement with NSTA when you leave the classroom. “There are a lot of ways NSTA can help you with your career and ways that you can be involved in the organization,” she says.
Brooks: NSTA has been a wonderful resource for me throughout my career. For example, when I was in the classroom I used SciGuides and the NSTA Learning Center for lesson ideas and to beef up my own knowledge on scientific topics. And, when I was named a district project manager to oversee revisions to the K–12 science curriculum, I turned to NSTA’s Safety Issue Papers, written by the NSTA Safety Advisory Board. I used the papers as documentation and support for the safety precautions we included in the curriculum. The funny thing is, I now serve on the NSTA Science Safety Advisory Board. I’m editing and working on position papers that were once a lifeline for me and helped me do the right thing in the curriculum.
In addition, I’ve always enjoyed attending NSTA Conferences. Presenting at the NSTA conferences has helped me gain confidence. I retired from teaching a year ago because my district offered an early retirement at the right age for me. After retiring, I became an educational consultant for the Capital Region Education Council (CREC) in Connecticut. I think that all of the presentations I made at NSTA conferences has helped me with my consulting work.
I still attend every NSTA conference that I can. Now that I’m retired, though, I look at the conferences from a different angle than when I was teaching. I have the opportunity to share my experiences with other teachers who, like me 20 years ago, were so eager to learn. Giving back is part of our professional duty. It makes me feel good when I share something I’ve done in the classroom for years and somebody says, ‘wow, that’s really cool’. Also, part of my consulting work involves giving presentations on energy education. When I attend the conferences now, I go with the intent of getting more ideas for teaching about energy.
In addition to the conferences, I still rely on other NSTA resources for my consulting work. The company I consult for has a contract with Connecticut utility companies to oversee the eeSmarts program. It provides free professional development and curriculum materials to all teachers in the state. Consultants like me take the materials into the classroom and model the lessons for teachers. This summer, I had to write two investigations—one on energy and one on water. I’ve taught a great deal on water, but not as much on energy. So, I turned to a variety of resources in the NSTA Learning Center to get a better handle on my own understanding.
NSTA membership certainly has given me a lot of support over the years. I used my NSTA membership a great deal when I was teaching, and I still get a lot of use out of it now that I’m retired. Just because I stopped teaching full time doesn’t mean I’m not interested in science education anymore. I am still very involved with NSTA because I’m young enough in my retirement that I want to stay current.
Not a member of NSTA? Learn more about how to join.
Jennifer Henderson is our guest blogger for this series. Before launching her freelance career as a writer/editor, Jennifer was Managing Editor of The Science Teacher, NSTA’s peer-reviewed journal for high school science teachers.

Being outside under the sky is different from being inside under a roof. The experiences that can happen in either place are not necessarily better than the other place, but they are different. We know that children can learn about distant places and the living organisms in those places by using non-fiction books and videos, including television programs. I would not trade the week of my father’s bedtime hour read-alouds of The Borrowers Afield (Mary Norton 1955) for a week spent camping. I would not trade even one day spent in bed reading Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White 1952) for one day on a farm. But since I grew up in a house at the edge of “The Valley” of a small creek, I didn’t have to make those choices—I had both experiences of learning from books and learning through experiences in nature. I think all children should have outdoor experiences in natural settings in addition to looking at fiction and non-fiction books (or reading or having them read aloud) that are engaging, have rich vocabulary and accurately present the topic. The National Science Teachers Association “NSTA Recommends” is a good source of non-fiction book titles that are accurate and engaging.
Using teaching about the life cycle of an organism as an example, teachers can use the many fiction and non-fiction books, ideas for craft projects, and series cards to illustrate the life cycle of a butterfly. We can read The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle 1969), have children paint and cut and glue to illustrate the egg-larvae- pupa-to-adult-egg lifecycle, and ask them to show us which life stage card comes first. These activities do not provide the same “ah-ha” moments as actually observing living butterflies. Details such as the roundness of a butterfly’s eye, or the two-part wings pop out when seen firsthand. When a school plants some plant sources for nectar for adult butterflies and “nice green leaves” for caterpillars, children can observe a butterfly drinking nectar from a flower, or find an egg or caterpillar on a leaf. They can make first hand observations, gathering evidence for understanding that animals depend on plants for food. When children observe an adult butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, they are gathering evidence from their own observations for understanding that a butterfly changes form during its life cycle. When teachers ask children for the evidence for their understanding, they will have first hand experiences and observations to relate. Early childhood educators in all programs can support children’s understanding of their observations by voicing their own thoughts aloud while making observations, and by supporting discussion and productive arguments about the meaning of those observations.
Weekly walking fieldtrips around the block expose children in built-up areas to a larger slice of nature than what they experience in the schoolyard. Can you go a bit farther once a season, to a near-by natural area? Longer walks can be great exercise and the open space found at many natural locations allow more vigorous exploration on the wider vistas. See the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s list, “Resources for Environments That Engage and Inspire Young Learners,” to find articles and other print sources for learning how others find ways to teach children in natural settings. The July 2009 Young Children article “We Need a Way to Get to the Other Side!: Exploring the Possibilities for Learning in Natural Spaces,” presents many reasons for outdoor exploration and some tips on how to implement it. The authors’ ability to work with small groups of five children is a strength of their program. If your program can not accommodate such groupings, consider other ways to bring children in contact with nature. Authors of the Young Children article, Carolyn Galizio, Julia Stoll, and Pamela Hutchins, reported that the outdoor play supported positive changes in children’s behavior and learning. They also said, “The freedom children experience in a natural environment heightens their feelings of joy, passion, fun, peace, excitement, wonder, and fear. These feelings make times spent outdoors in these spaces valuable for children and adults. As teachers this is foremost in our minds.”
The HighScope Curriculum Newsletter, Extensions (v25 no. 2), addresses nature education in preschool with tips for teachers, resources and support for inclusion of all children.

I’ve noticed that children find a way to engage with natural materials wherever they are. On one playground with just one tiny garden corner, children eagerly point out the bee in the cucumber flower and the struggling pumpkin vine. They dig in the wood mulch to create pits and scoop it up to move and mound it up. They still use the “climbing structure” with steps, platform and ladder but not for as long as they engage w
ith the mulch. What natural materials can you add to playscapes made of only human-created materials? Tubs of water, a large pot for a few plants, and a box of sand come to mind. Going out the gate to view a neighboring tree and the ants that crawl on it, or walking to a nearby more-or-less natural area to run through the grass or investigate the ant
hills in the dirt will expand children’s world just a little more.