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First week of preschool for two-year-olds

By Peggy Ashbrook

Posted on 2013-09-16

Young child digs into the sand with feet and shovel.The first week of school is when we begin to know our students and make observations about their skills, personalities and interests. I was surprised by the abilities of this year’s two-year-old class, but I shouldn’t have been. Even though just a year ago they were babies coming with a parent to pick up their older siblings at the end of the school day, it was almost half their lifetime ago. They have grown much in that year and know and do so much! Some tell a detailed story about a summer experience, are experts about trains, zip through the single piece puzzles, dig deeply in the sand, jump with two feet, use the “potty”, share a toy with a friend, turn the book pages by themselves, pass the paint brush to a classmate waiting at the easel, and wipe their mouth after snack.
Child feels and cuts a large leaf.Sensory experiences engage them and introduce materials from the natural world—rough and smooth pieces of tree bark, fuzzy and smooth leaves, big and small leaves, leaves with a strong smell, dry and wet sand, sea shells and water in jars and tubs. The hard objects should be too large to choke on, and the softer ones, like leaves, need adult supervision to remind the children to keep them out of their mouths. What sensory experiences do your children have with natural materials? How does experiencing the natural world fit in with your local, state or national standards?
Child hugs a tree to feel it and smell it.Outside there are many more natural sights, smells, sounds and textures to experience. By making contact with natural materials a daily experience, children will soon be experts in their local nature. It does take additional time to wash hands, dump sand out of shoes and change into dry clothes. This extra time must be acknowledged and supported by the program administrators and the families. Finger plays, story-telling, conversation and songs can make the clothes-changing clean-up time rich with language and caring.

Young child digs into the sand with feet and shovel.The first week of school is when we begin to know our students and make observations about their skills, personalities and interests. I was surprised by the abilities of this year’s two-year-old class, but I shouldn’t have been.

 

Developing and using models

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2013-09-15

Many of us remember building models in school—replicas of the solar system, atomic structure, or the double helix of DNA. But in the era of the Next Generation Science Standards, models should not just be built as an arts-and-crafts activity, but as a way to explore and explain phenomena. If this is a new idea for you and your students, the authors of the featured articles in this month’s issue provide strategies that illustrate these modeling experiences.
Developing and Using Models in Physics has examples of students’ models and suggestions you can use in any class. You’ll notice that some are paper-and-pencil diagrams and explanations. The topics include electrostatics, forces and rockets, and buoyant forces. The authors note that “Rather than using trial and error, students were asked to create models of variables that they thought might affect how their rocket performed.” And then they did small-scale tests based on their models. [SciLinks: Using Models, Forces, Rocketry, Buoyancy]
Making Sense of Natural Selection describes a unit that culminates with students crafting explanations for how a population may have changed over time due to natural selection, well beyond reciting definitions. The article includes several observations and suggestions for teaching using models. “Instead of identifying models of particular things (like cells, the solar system, or volcanoes), we might want to talk about models for specific reasoning aims (like explaining inheritance or the behavior of matter).” [SciLinks: Natural Selection]

Models can be part of earth and space science, too. Modeling Sunspots describes how high school students in Korea used two types of modeling (data modeling and theoretical modeling) in their study of the Sun. In this extra-curricular club activity, students were challenged to construct models to explain why sunspots changed over time in four patterns (described in the article, along with a chart showing a classification scheme for sunspots). The article includes examples of the student models. [SciLinks: Sunspot Cycles, Solar Activity]
Linked In shows how modeling can be used as a link to other scientific practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts. Models can include “physical representations, conceptual relationships, and simulations.”  The example in the article describes how students used data from classroom activities and computer simulations on electrostatics to construct models of atoms. [SciLinks: Atomic Structure, Rutherford Model of the Atom]
Five strategies for making thinking visible are described in The Modeling Toolkit: small group models that are revised as the unit progresses, whole class consensus models, sticky notes and sentence frames, explanation checklists, and summary tables. The authors provide descriptions of these strategies, strategy for the classroom, and examples of student work.

Many of us remember building models in school—replicas of the solar system, atomic structure, or the double helix of DNA. But in the era of the Next Generation Science Standards, models should not just be built as an arts-and-crafts activity, but as a way to explore and explain phenomena.

Winner of the Distinguished Achievement Award from PreK-12 Learning Group, Association of American Publishers!

What ideas do young children bring to their science learning, and how does their thinking change as they engage in “science talk”? Find out using the 25 field-tested probes in the newest volume of Page Keeley’s bestselling Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series, the first targeted to grades K–2. This teacher-friendly book is:
Winner of the Distinguished Achievement Award from PreK-12 Learning Group, Association of American Publishers!

What ideas do young children bring to their science learning, and how does their thinking change as they engage in “science talk”? Find out using the 25 field-tested probes in the newest volume of Page Keeley’s bestselling Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series, the first targeted to grades K–2. This teacher-friendly book is:
“One of the first activities I ask new science teachers to do in my methods course is to think of a memorable science activity from their past. Whether it’s creating an exploding vinegar and baking soda volcano, dissecting a frog, or building a mousetrap car, new teachers relish their memories from school. Beyond the projects themselves, we also discuss the teachers who facilitated these learning experiences, focusing on how they inspired their students to develop a passion and curiosity for science.
“One of the first activities I ask new science teachers to do in my methods course is to think of a memorable science activity from their past. Whether it’s creating an exploding vinegar and baking soda volcano, dissecting a frog, or building a mousetrap car, new teachers relish their memories from school. Beyond the projects themselves, we also discuss the teachers who facilitated these learning experiences, focusing on how they inspired their students to develop a passion and curiosity for science.

Uncovering Student Ideas in Primary Science, Volume 1: 25 New Formative Assessment Probes for Grades K–2

Winner of the Distinguished Achievement Award from PreK-12 Learning Group, Association of American Publishers!

What ideas do young children bring to their science learning, and how does their thinking change as they engage in “science talk”? Find out using the 25 field-tested probes in the newest volume of Page Keeley’s bestselling Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series, the first targeted to grades K–2. This teacher-friendly book is:
Winner of the Distinguished Achievement Award from PreK-12 Learning Group, Association of American Publishers!

What ideas do young children bring to their science learning, and how does their thinking change as they engage in “science talk”? Find out using the 25 field-tested probes in the newest volume of Page Keeley’s bestselling Uncovering Student Ideas in Science series, the first targeted to grades K–2. This teacher-friendly book is:
“Observing the life cycle of monarch butterflies and following their remarkable migratory journeys between Canada, the United States, and Mexico …
“Tracking climate change by recording the dates of first leaf, flower, and fruit of local trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses ...
“Discovering which bird species migrate, where they go, and when …
“Exploring life cycles and population dynamics of frogs, toads, and other animals in nearby ponds …
“Observing the life cycle of monarch butterflies and following their remarkable migratory journeys between Canada, the United States, and Mexico …
“Tracking climate change by recording the dates of first leaf, flower, and fruit of local trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses ...
“Discovering which bird species migrate, where they go, and when …
“Exploring life cycles and population dynamics of frogs, toads, and other animals in nearby ponds …
 

Learning more about the NGSS (Part 2)

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2013-09-13

In a previous post, I touched on the resources I’m using to familiarize myself with NGSS.  In addition to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) app, I’m finding quite a few additional online resources to assist in bettering my understanding of the NGSS.
The NGSS page on the NSTA website  has lists of resources and professional (PD) opportunities, including online short courses, books and publications, upcoming and archived web seminars, and journal articles.
Have a question? Pick your colleagues brains on NSTA’s members–only NGSS email list or the NGSS discussion forum. I posed a question to the list and within a few minutes had several helpful responses! The forum has 20+ topics so far, and it’s interesting to follow how the conversations evolve.
Also on the NSTA website is the NGSS and Supporting Materials page. This links to documents to guide your reading and understanding of the standards. The matrices are real gems: PDF Matrix of NGSS Organized by Topic, PDF Matrix of NGSS Organized by Disciplinary Core Ideas, PDFs of Individual Standards. These matrices, developed by NSTA, have a K-12 perspective. There is also a one-page matrix of the topics and core ideas by suggested grade level (my personal favorite—I can see how everything fits into the big picture).
Paul Andersen (of Bozeman Science) has created a video series on the NGSS. Check out his collection and learn about the concepts that were originally delineated within A Framework for K–12 Science Education. Andersen’s video series covers eight practices, seven crosscutting concepts, and 44 disciplinary core ideas. Paul presents and illustrates basic content and suggests a progression of teaching for students grades K-12. The series of 60 videos (most between 5 and 10 minutes) are available at the Bozeman Science YouTube channel or the website. (If you’re on the website, take a look at the videos on other science topics for use in the classroom. These well–designed videos could be used as a supplement or as direct instruction in a “flipped” model.)
And I’ve ordered my copy of Translating the NGSS for Classroom Instruction from NSTA Press (available later this Fall). I’m looking forward to seeing how the lessons and units can be aligned to the standards.

In a previous post, I touched on the resources I’m using to familiarize myself with NGSS.  In addition to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) app, I’m finding quite a few additional online re

 

Bridging to the Next Generation Science Standards—What's in It for Me?: Featured Strand at NSTA Conference in Portland, OR, October 24-26, 2013

By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director

Posted on 2013-09-13

This October, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) will feature a special strand “Bridging to the Next Generation Science Standards—What’s in It for Me?” at our Conference on Science Education in Portland, OR, October 24-26, 2013. NSTA recognizes that we are at a pivotal point in science education with the release of the NRC Framework and the Next Generation Science Standards. This strand is intended to move educators along the continuum from awareness to an understanding of the NRC Framework and NGSS to implement instructional strategies that help students acquire the skills and knowledge to thrive in a global economy.

Sessions organized around this strand include a featured presentation on Thursday, October 24, 2:00–3:00 p.m. (“Implementing the NGSS: Shifts in Classroom Practice”) by Stephen L. Pruitt, Senior Vice President, Achieve, Inc., Washington, D.C. More sessions on Bridging to the Next Generation Science Standards—What’s in It for Me? include the following:

  • Meeting the Next Generation Science Standards Through Engineering Contexts
  • MY NASA DATA: Incorporating SciencePractices in the Classroom
  • The NGSS—Make Your Lessons 3-D!
  • Engineering Practices: Constructing Ideas for Elementary Teachers
  • Using a Patterns Approach to Meet the NGSS in Physics
  • Using Picture Books for Professional Development on the Next Generation Science Standards
  • Elementary Science Teaching: A Path Toward Content Mastery, Confidence, and Competence

Want more? Check out more than 400 sessions and other events with the Portland Session Browser/Personal Scheduler at http://www.nsta.org/conferences/2013por/.

This October, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) will feature a special strand “Bridging to the Next Generation Science Standards—What’s in It for Me?” at our Conference on Science Education in Portland, OR, October 24-26, 2013. NSTA recognizes that we are at a pivotal point in science education with the release of the NRC Framework and the Next Generation Science Standards.

 

Bridging Elementary and Secondary Science and the Common Core: Featured Strand at NSTA Conference in Portland, OR, October 24-26, 2013

By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director

Posted on 2013-09-12

This October, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) will feature a special strand “Bridging Elementary and Secondary Science and the Common Core” at our Conference on Science Education in Portland, OR, October 24-26, 2013. Adopted by most states, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) must be supported by all content areas, and NSTA recognizes how important this is. Science is a valuable tool for moving forward with Common Core instruction. Science requires the use of strong communication and mathematical skills and will help students improve within these areas. This strand will increase participants’ understanding and ability to link science with the CCSS.

Sessions organized around this strand include a featured presentation on Friday, October 25 9:30–10:30 a.m. (“Implementing Dynamic and Interactive Science Instruction to Meet the Common Core”) by Jill Castek, Research Assistant Professor, Literacy, Language, & Technology Research Group, Portland State University: Portland, OR. More sessions on Bridging Elementary and Secondary Science and the Common Core include the following:

  • Tsunami in a Box
  • College Ready with Mathematics and Physics
  • The Pictures Aren’t There Just to Take Up Space—Getting Kids Good at Reading in Science
  • What! We Have to Teach English, Too?
  • Bridging Elementary Science for English Learners
  • Energy Debates Can Fuel the Common Core!
  • What Does Science Have to Do with Math? Interdisciplinary Team Teaching FUN!
  • Authentic Writing with Children’s Books: Learning Science from Mr. Fluffy Mittens!

Want more? Check out more than 400 sessions and other events with the Portland Session Browser/Personal Scheduler at http://www.nsta.org/conferences/2013por/.

This October, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) will feature a special strand “Bridging Elementary and Secondary Science and the Common Core” at our Conference on Science Education in Portland, OR, October 24-26, 2013. Adopted by most states, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) must be supported by all content areas, and NSTA recognizes how important this is. Science is a valuable tool for moving forward with Common Core instruction.

 

Science of Golf: friction and spin

By admin

Posted on 2013-09-11

It’s the Sunday round on TV and the leader lands short of the green. He (or she) pulls out a wedge and gives the ball a mighty whack. The ball lands well past the pin, then suddenly starts spinning backwards! Before you know it, the ball has snugged up to the hole. How do they do that???

In a word—grooves. Find out more about the role of grooves in the Science of Golf: Friction and Spin. This NBC Learn video series, produced in partnership with the United States Golf Association (USGA) and Chevron, will fill you in on the science behind both amazing (and errant) golf shots. The series will also give you a leg up on the technology, engineering, and math associated with the sport for real-world, engaging STEM activities.

Like other NBC Learn video series, the Science of Golf is available cost-free on www.NBCLearn.com. The companion NSTA-developed lesson plans give you a lot of ideas for how to use the videos as a centerpiece, or simply incorporate them into what you already do. This particular one includes guidance for both a hands-on inquiry and investigation using media resources.

We really look forward to hearing about how they worked for you in real-world classrooms. Just leave a comment.

–Judy Elgin Jensen

Image of grooves on a Cleveland wedge courtesy of dennisborn.

Video

SOG: Friction and Spin discusses the importance of being able to impart spin to a golf ball and how friction with the club head is the force that makes this possible.

STEM Lesson Plan—Adaptable for Grades 7–12

The lesson plan provides ideas for STEM exploration plus strategies to support students in their own quest for answers and as well as a more focused approach that helps all students participate in hands-on inquiry.

The SOG: Friction and Spin lesson plan describes how students might investigate a question about how one might design a way to impart backspin and use this backspin to control the motion of the ball after it lands on a surface. A media research option guides students in exploring how groove technology became a point of controversy after a USGA ruling.

 

You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans: [contact-form 2 “ChemNow]

 

It’s the Sunday round on TV and the leader lands short of the green. He (or she) pulls out a wedge and gives the ball a mighty whack. The ball lands well past the pin, then suddenly starts spinning backwards! Before you know it, the ball has snugged up to the hole. How do they do that???

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