Now that we are back in school somewhere between a week and a month depending on where you live and what schedule your district adheres to, I thought it might be a great opportunity for all of us to step back and consider how we set the stage for science learning in our classrooms this year. The Leaders Letter that came out right as the Labor Day holiday hit and school started may still be sitting in your in-boxes and had as its theme Science Engagement on All Levels.  Resources included information on the current Ebola outbreak, resources for parents related to the Next Generation Science Standards, a report titled The Progress of Education Reform: Science in the Early Years, which examines the benefits associated with science education in early learning and includes recommendations for state policymakers. It also provided safety resources and a variety of announcements. Hopefully something was interesting to and engaged the readership of the eNewsletter. So engagement was the topic of the newsletter and of this blog post that will hopefully generate conversation and a sharing of ideas.

How we engage people – whether it be students, peers, or parents requires strategy and thought. A popular commercial for a credit card has various character’s asking “What’s in Your Pocket?” in a whimsical way connects (at least in my mind) to the idea of engagement and ultimately “setting the stage for science.” Considering how we set the stage for science is a way of encouraging educators to consider how we engage students in science or how do we make science engaging.

Within the newsletter, the section of resource for professional development providers offers several websites related to the strategies to engage learners and create an atmosphere for your classroom. It is understandable that a classroom environment to include décor, structure, and management policies is sometimes controlled or limited by administrative policies.  It is also understandable that approaches are often influenced by what a teacher feels comfortable doing.  For example, I am NOT a person who can pull off the criss, cross applesauce and other clapping strategies with any sincerity at all – even when attempting to model them for my pre-service teachers.

Making students feel welcomed to the classroom is part of the role of the classroom teacher as one of the first steps in engaging the learner. The need to develop a classroom culture which represents a community of learners is an important task for the start of the school year, as is the need to begin to model expectations for student work and engagement. Some of the resources included in the leader’s letter provide suggestions and ideas for these tasks. You can continue the conversation by explaining what one strategy you utilize to welcome your students or staff back to the new school year by posting to this blog!

   So, to start the conversation, I’d like to share an activity that I have conducted with upper elementary, middle school and high school students as well as most recently with my college pre-service education majors as shown in the photographs. The idea of creating a science notebook that will serve as a central location for classroom work such as making observations, developing procedures, illustrating two dimensional sketches, completing computations or drawing conclusions is a great way to set the stage for science learning while at the same time getting to know some of your students.

Depending on the age level of your students, this may need to be adapted to providing magazines to find pictures within class time, however having older students allows for some transfer of responsibility. I ask students to bring the following materials to class the first day (and always have extras for those who don’t accept the responsibility even at the college level)

• Bound composition notebook (fully described so they know it is not the spiral type notebook)
• Clear contact paper (again depending on your school district policies this may need to be provided)
• Pictures from magazines or the newspaper that represent the answer of “What does science look like or mean to you?”

The first part of the class asks students to cover their notebook in a collage type format with the pictures they have brought in and then how to cover the notebook with contact paper is modeled. While students are figuring out the arrangement of their pictures, it provides an opportunity for me to walk around and engage individually with students – asking them why they selected a picture; ask table groups if there is any common theme to the pictures selected; or when I have done this at the K-12 level, simply assist students who may need a bit more individual help which often puts them more at ease in the classroom environment. I find it absolutely amazing to see the pictures that represent science – it often demonstrates an interest area students have as well as sometimes providing insight into potential misconceptions based on the type of picture or article title they have chosen. Furthermore having students help students with the covering of the notebook begins to build collaboration within the classroom.  

The second part of the class has students initially engage with the notebook idea. Information about the heading, date etc. is explained and modeled and then students are asked to complete one of several prompts which change based on the level I’m working with. These prompts can be:

• Draw a scientist (check out Barman’s work in the Science and Children archives)
• Explain their definition of what science is and how scientists go about engaging in science
• Provide a paragraph about their absolutely favorite experience in learning something about science and what made them remember it.

Students were asked to design and explain a Rube Goldberg

type of machine after watching the Honda Car Parts Commercial

Any prompt that asks students to draw on their own experiences of science will be helpful for setting the stage for science learning and particularly learning more about the student’s interest in and motivation towards science.

That is just one idea that I have utilized at the beginning of the year to set the stage for science. So my question to you is why not share “what’s in your pocket” and post yours?

Christine Royce

Sample Notebook Covers

NSTA member Todd Hoover, who now teaches preservice science teachers, began his career as an elementary and middle-level science teacher. When starting out, he didn’t know about NSTA. “One of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t become a member sooner,” he says. “I wish that I had joined NSTA when I was teaching K–12 because I missed out on a world of good ideas that I could have used in the classroom.” Hoover says that for busy teachers, NSTA provides a wealth of ideas that educators “can take and almost immediately use in the classroom with students.”

Hoover: I find it extremely important that I share information about NSTA with every one of my preservice teachers because I don’t want them to start their careers and not know about the association. When teachers have a resource that is readily available to them, particularly at their fingertips like the NSTA Learning Center, they save a lot of valuable time in planning and preparation.

NSTA provides a number of resources that range from how to write a grant to content knowledge support. There’s an endless amount of topics to choose from when you go to an NSTA Conference or when you’re using the Learning Center. I find that for me, personally, the part that is most beneficial are the lesson ideas that I can take and use right away.

Every NSTA Conference I attend, both regional and national, is filled with practical, real-world, hands-on, and effective ideas. I use those ideas in my college classrooms, and I teach my preservice students those same ideas so they can implement them in the K–12 system.

During one of the most recent conferences I attended, for example, I went to a session where the presenter showed educational science games that can be used in the classroom. He must have presented 30 or more games in just that one-hour time. I found practically every one of the games to be useful and have shared the games with my preservice teachers so that they can use them in their classrooms.

When I go to the NSTA Conferences, I also find that I leave there with ideas that are able to be implemented in the classroom at little or no cost. All teachers are trying to find ways to do good teaching without breaking the bank.

How else has your NSTA membership helped you in your career?

Hoover: I have served on committees such as the Science and Children Advisory Board and the planning committee for the 2015 NSTA area conference in Philadelphia. The networking opportunities have been huge. I have also gotten involved with NSTA’s state chapter here in Pennsylvania and in two years I’ll be serving as the chapter’s president. Through all of these different connections, I’ve been able to improve my own professional development. I get to network with some of the best science educators in the nation now. There are good ideas that come from that.

 (Note from NSTA: How has NSTA helped you save time on lesson planning? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below. 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.

I’ve heard that there will be a vacancy in the high school science department next year. The position is for three sections of general biology and two sections of environmental science (not AP). I currently teach middle school general science but I’m credentialed in biology and tempted to make a change after 10 years. What culture shock would I experience in high school? How can I handle two different preparations?
—M. fromTexas

I had a similar situation, switching to a high school position after many years at a middle school. I think my middle school experience gave me an off-beat sense of humor and helped me to deal with the high schoolers who needed different instructional approaches. Engaging high school students in spirited discussions and in high-level investigations and projects was intellectually exhilarating, although I must admit I still have a soft spot for middle schoolers. But I don’t regret taking on a rewarding challenge that enabled me to grow professionally and expand my circle of colleagues.

In terms of “culture shock,” you’ll find the students are physically bigger and they have a lot on their plates in addition to their academic classes: extracurriculars, social issues, interactions with their peers, after-school jobs, and concerns about college and post-high school employment. In many places, the high school starts earlier than the other schools. Access to social media can be a distraction during the day. You might not have a high percentage of parents at back-to-school night.

Unless you are already familiar with the school and the faculty, you may feel like a new teacher again. You might not be part of a team as you were at the middle school. Your lessons will have to include investigations and activities that are at a higher level of complexity.

My big “aha” was noticing how high school students have definite ideas of how things are supposed to be in school. If you deviate from that, you might have some pushback at first until they see the benefits. For example, if you require open-ended discussion or non-cookbook investigations, some students may complain “just tell us what to do.” In a fair, firm, and friendly style explain why you expect them to take more responsibility for their learning and how you will help them.

I actually enjoyed teaching more than one course. When I taught six sections of middle school science, I found that by the end of the day, it was hard to remember what we did in each class (I learned how to make quick annotations after each one). I had to draw on my acting and presentation skills to make the last period as interesting as the first, and I had to remember that even if I had heard a question five times already, to a student in the last class it was a new idea. I also appreciated the opportunity to update my own content and skills in more than one specialized area.

Another advantage of teaching more than one course is that—with careful planning—you can schedule tests, projects, student presentations, and notebook reviews at different times, spreading out the work instead of dealing with 150+ assignments at once.

There are many strategies you can use to keep yourself (and the students) organized. Try not to have to set up two different labs on the same day. Divide your bulletin boards and shelves into two separate areas so students in each course know where things are and where to turn in their assignments. I used a different logo for each of the three courses I taught, putting it in the upper right corner of handouts, quizzes, or other documents. I used separate three-ring binders and separate folders (with the same logo) on my laptop for each course to organize lesson plans and other resources. I even had a bag for each course to keep materials from getting mixed up when I took things home.

A huge asset is that you will know many of the students from their middle school years. You know what is and is not part of that curriculum and what most of them should already know or be able to do (with a bit of a refresher).

Some of our colleagues are forced into a change on short notice, so you’re fortunate to have input into this decision and time to think about it, visit the school, and review the curriculum. Good luck!

“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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