Engineers Week is February 16–22, 2014. Engineering is in the spotlight right now—and science teachers need to know how to incorporate it into their STEM curriculum, what resources really work, and where to get online PD to stay current. Use this resource collection from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) to find everything you need.
Elementary Resources
Core Ideas of Engineering and Technology
This article from Science and Children addresses Chapter 8 of A Framework for K–12 Science Education, which presents core ideas in technology and engineering at the same level as core ideas in the traditional science fields. (free)
Problem Solvers
This book chapter from Even More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons, K-5: Using Children’s Books to Guide Inquiry presents a lesson that introduces Benjamin Franklin’s timeless inventions to inspire students to use the engineering design process to solve some of their own everyday problems. ($2.79 – NSTA Member Price; $3.49 – Nonmember Price)
Archived Web Seminar: Engineering Practices in the Next Generation Science Standards
Presented by Mariel Milano, P-SELL and STEM Coordinator for Orange County Public Schools, this archived web seminar focuses on the role of technology and engineering in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). (free)
The Crooked Swing
This book chapter from Yet More Everyday Science Mysteries: Stories for Inquiry-Based Science Teaching presents a story that allows the reader to apply what is known about pendulums to a new problem and to use technical skills to solve a problem.  ($2.79 – NSTA Member Price ; $3.49 – Nonmember Price)
Middle School Resources
Web Seminar: Engineering Design Challenge: Spacecraft Structures, February 26, 2014 (mark your calendar!)
This web seminar for educators of students in grades 5–9 features an engineering design challenge called “Spacecraft Structures” where students use the engineering design process to build and test a spacecraft thrust structure that meets the requirements of a scientific mission. Web seminar participants will receive an overview of the design challenge and get information about materials required to implement the lesson in the classroom. Participants will brainstorm ways to modify this challenge to teach the engineering process while covering content. (free)
The Future Scientists and Engineers Conferences: Using Community Resources to Enhance the Science Fair
This Science Scope article portrays students as conference attendees, who arrive at the registration desk at 9:00 a.m. sharp, eager to start their day. While standing in line, they talk excitedly about the sessions they’ve chosen to see, the original investigation they’ll be presenting, off-site field trips for which they’ve registered, and the businesses scheduled to have booths in the Exhibitor’s Hall this year. However, the attendees of this conference are not scientists, educators, or even adults—they are students in grades 4—6! Each year, more than 300 children from three different schools gather for the Future Scientists and Engineers Conference (FSEC). This article describes this memorable opportunity for students to engage in inquiry while interacting with science and math professionals. (free)
Get a Grip! A Middle School Engineering Challenge
This free book chapter from Integrating Engineering and Science in Your Classroom  is a problem-based unit that places middle school students in the role of engineers who are challenged to design and construct prosthetic arms for amputees in a war-torn country. It presents a practical and efficient mode of interdisciplinary instruction meeting state and national standards in science, math, reading, and social studies. (free)
Integrating Engineering and Science in Your Classroom
This compilation of 30 articles from NSTA’s journals will excite students with activities involving everything from light sabers and egg racers to prosthetic arms and potatoes and applies to lessons in life and environmental science, Earth science, and physical science. ($23.96 – NSTA Member Price ; $29.95 – Nonmember Price)
Everyday Engineering: Putting the E in STEM Teaching and Learning, Grades 6-8
Spark students’ fascination with the marvels of engineering with this collection of 14 activities that explore engineering’s role in five areas: the office, the kitchen, the bathroom, electricity, and outdoor recreation.  ($15.96 – NSTA Member Price; $19.95 – Nonmember Price)
High School Resources
Web Seminar: Engineering Design Challenge: Thermal Protection System, February 20, 2014 (mark your calendar!)
This web seminar for educators of students in grades 8-12 features the engineering design challenge “Thermal Protection System” where students use the engineering design process to design a thermal protection system and test it using a propane torch. Web seminar participants will gain strategies for implementing the challenge and learn about research at NASA on a promising new thermal protection system called the Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD), which could be used during spacecraft entry, descent, and landing. (free)
Serving the Community Through STEM
The January 2014 issue of NSTA Reports features educators who are turning to community service projects to not only make science, technology, engineering, and mathematics relevant to students, but to give them hands–on experiences with the engineering process. (free)
The January 2013 issue of The Science Teacher is themed “Scientific and Engineering Practices.” The articles focus on how teaching science has important implications for human society and the future of our planet. All students will need to make ethical decisions about complex socio-scientific issues that arise as a consequence of new science and technology. An emphasis on socio-scientific connections helps students learn important content while developing their ability to make informed decisions about critical issues. This edition of the journal will help you bring the necessary emphasis to your own classroom.
Featured articles (please note, only those marked “free” are available to nonmembers without a fee):

• Free – Career of the Month: An Interview With Ecosystem Scientist Stan Wullschleger
• Classification
• Free – Editor’s Corner: Crosscutting Patterns
• Science Challenge Day
• Science Immersion
• What Makes Us Tick…Tock?
• Free – Where’s That Dolphin?
• Full Table of Contents

General Support for K-12 Educators
“Engineering and Science: Technological Partners”: Featured Strand at NSTA’s 2014 National Conference on Science Education in Boston, MA, April 3–6: This strand explores the thoughtful, effective, and meaningful integration of technologies to increase STEM learning and understanding. Sessions organized around this strand include a featured presentation on Thursday, April 3 3:30–4:30 PM (“Engineering and Science: Strengthening the Partnership”) by Yvonne M. Spicer (Vice President for Advocacy and Educational Partnerships, National Center for Technological Literacy, Museum of Science: Boston, MA).
The American Society of Civil Engineers has a great Engineers Week toolkit, with tips on getting organized, links to resources, free posters, activities, graphics, and more.
Looking for more? Search among more than 6,000 resources, quality professional development opportunities (many of which are free), and management and reporting tools. The NSTA Learning Center can help with your professional development needs. To check out The NSTA Learning Center, click here.

SUPERCOOL! More than just an expression, this state of water figures prominently in snow formation. Find out more about snow and how snow conditions might impact winter Olympians whose gold medals are inextricably linked to this frozen base material. Sarah Konrad—a glaciologist and a former Olympian—gives us a unique perspective on the Science of Snow, from the video series developed by NBC Learn and NSF.
As a northerner who’s been transplanted to mid-Florida, where it’s 85°F as I write, I’m actually quite jealous of those of you who can use the NSTA-developed lesson plans with REAL snow. Get your students designing a way to keep snow frozen until next winter, just as they’ve done at Sochi!
The Science and Engineering of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games is available cost-free on www.NBCLearn.com and www.science360.gov. Download the lesson plans below in editable Word format. It’s just a few more days until the February 7 start of the games, so take a quick look for suggestions of how to pull the games into your instruction.
BTW, you might have experience with supercooled fluids and not realized it. Ever pull your favorite “long-neck” beverage out of the frig, open it, and set it down rather hard on the counter, only to have it completely freeze up? Right. Super cool!
 
Video
Science of Snow discusses the formation of snow, its modification after accumulating on the ground, and how these factors affect conditions for winter sports.
Lesson Plans
Science of Snow Integration Guide spells out the STEM in video and gives you mini-activities and ideas for research, teamwork, projects, and interdisciplinary connections.
Science of Snow Inquiry Guide models a science inquiry into the packability and moisture content of snow AND models an engineering design inquiry in which students design storage systems for maintaining snow over long periods of time.
Image of a snowflake, courtesy of Stuart Williams.
Image of USA Press Officer Doug Haney on a slope at the Rosa Khutor Ski Resort where the alpine skiing events will be held, courtesy of Tom Kelly.
You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans: [contact-form 2 “ChemNow]

Imagine locking both feet onto a board, hurtling down a vertical face and up the opposing one before becoming airborne, where you twist and flip with near abandon. Now, imagine doing that with the equivalent weight of five people clinging to your back! If you can (and you have fiery red hair) then you might be channeling Shaun White—the former gold medalist competing in the 2014 Olympic halfpipe event on February 11. To prep yourself, take a look at Shaun White & Engineering the Halfpipe, one of ten videos from NBC Learn/NSF focused on the science of and engineering behind the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
Connected STEM lesson plans from NSTA complete the prep work, giving you a head start on incorporating real-world events into your instruction. Download them at the links below. One of the things you’ll notice about the Inquiry Guide, based loosely on the research of Brian Hand at the University of Iowa, is that the traditional investigative framework of scientific methods is replaced by a more student-driven approach fueled by your prompts. The idea of students making claims based on their own investigative evidence gives students more ownership of their results, which generally results in greater depth of understanding. This structure also gives a lot of leeway for tailoring the inquiries to your students. The lessons target middle school, but you’re teaching fourth grade? No worries. Your fourth-graders’ responses to the prompts naturally adjust the level of the inquiry while still building understanding. Ditto for the other end of the scale where students with more sophisticated math and science backgrounds will naturally ramp up the level of the inquiry. Use the “Grades 4–12” or “Grades 7–12” label at the top of each lesson plan as a guide.
Get started today! The series is available cost-free on www.NBCLearn.com and www.science360.gov. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to dye your hair fiery red!
Image of Shaun White in a 2009 competition, courtesy of Eric Magnuson.
Video
Shaun White & Engineering the Halfpipe highlights the challenges of designing and engineering the halfpipe, a skiing and snowboarding venue, and Shaun White, a 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics gold medalist in the snowboard halfpipe event.
Lesson Plans
Engineering the Halfpipe Integration Guide spells out the STEM in the video and gives you mini-activities and ideas for research, teamwork, projects, and interdisciplinary connections.
Engineering the Halfpipe Inquiry Guide models a science inquiry into the factors determining centripetal acceleration AND models an engineering design inquiry in which students design a model snowboarder and venue that gives the snowboard the most “air time.”
You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans: [contact-form 2 “ChemNow]

This April, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) will feature a special strand “Engineering and Science: Technological Partners” at our 2014 National Conference on Science Education, in Boston, April 3–6.
Science teachers who are integrating science and engineering practices into their instruction won’t want to miss this. With the NRC Framework and the Next Generation Science Standards defining science and engineering as intertwined, teachers are expected to integrate both within the science curriculum. And with the explosion of technology available, many teachers are hungry for tried-and-true advice from their peers about the latest tools and resources that will truly enrich their classrooms. This strand explores the thoughtful, effective, and meaningful integration of technologies to increase STEM learning and understanding.
Sessions organized around this strand include a featured presentation on Thursday, April 3 3:30–4:30 PM (“Engineering and Science: Strengthening the Partnership”) by Yvonne M. Spicer (Vice President for Advocacy and Educational Partnerships, National Center for Technological Literacy, Museum of Science: Boston, MA). More sessions on Engineering and Science: Technological Partners include the following:

• A PBL Involving Coffee Temperature
• sTem: Merging Technology with Engineering
• Science 2.0: Putting Web 2.0 into the Science Classroom
• iPads in Science
• The World of Google in Science
• Using Evernote, Wikis, and Blogs to Create a Science Diary
• Digitizing the Learning Experience and Taking IT Mobile
• How-To Workshop on Organizing a STEM Design Challenge Day
• Going Beyond Data Collection—Sharing in a Science Classroom
• Google Me This: How to Make Collaboration Work in a Wiki World
• Engage Students by Writing Your Own Science Book
• Engineering Practices in Early Childhood: Designing Mechanisms with Mech-a-Blocks
• Bridging Engineering and Science
• Supporting Students in Optimizing Engineering Design Solutions with Modeling and Mathematics
• Advancing Science Learning: Teaching Elementary Life Science Through Engineering Problems
• Bioengineering Challenges and Middle School Life Science
• The Science of Solubility: Using Reverse Engineering to Brew a Perfect Cup of Coffee
• 3-2-1 Blastoff!
• Slingshot Physics: An Authentic Application of Work, Energy, Friction, and Newton’s First Law of Motion
• Burps and Chirps: Using Bioacoustics to Encourage Inquiry-based Learning in STEM

Want more? Check out more sessions and other events with the Boston Session Browser/Personal Scheduler.

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has adopted a new position statement, the Early Childhood Science Position Statement. This thoughtful document was inspired by the clamor of early childhood educators looking for guidance informed by research on how to approach science teaching in the preschool years (ages 3–5) before kindergarten.

Drawing on research from the National Research Council, the National Association for the Education of Young Children and others, the NSTA Position Statement on Early Childhood Science Education “… affirms that learning science and engineering practices in the early years can foster children’s curiosity and enjoyment in exploring the world around them and lay the foundation for a progression of science learning in K–12 settings and throughout their entire lives.”
The position statement supports early childhood educators who seek to honor young children’s “capacity for constructing conceptual learning and the ability to use the practices of reasoning and inquiry” at a developmentally appropriate level. Early childhood educators are urged to “take advantage of what children do as part of their everyday life prior to entering formal school settings [because] these skills and abilities can provide helpful starting points for developing scientific reasoning.” The Early Childhood Science position statement complements the position statement on elementary science education adopted by the NSTA Board of Directors in July 2002.


NSTA identifies six key principals to guide the learning of science by young children. In addition, declarations and recommendations further identify the following, among others, as critical for high quality science learning environments: the nurturing of young children’s curiosity; the understanding that everyday play is part of science learning; and supportive educators who are prepared to carefully plan open-ended, inquiry-based explorations.
I am grateful to Cindy Workosky, NSTA Communications Specialist, who spearheaded the effort and the NSTA panel members who wrote the Early Childhood Science position statement, Susan Catapano (Chair), Peggy Carlisle, Christine Chaille, Ingrid Chalufour, Linda Froschauer, Rochel Gelman, Julie McGough, William C. Ritz, Jennifer S. Thompson, and Karen Worth. (See the full list of panel members below.) I thank the NSTA Board of Directors for their forward-thinking action in adopting the work of the panel, and all those educators who commented on the first draft.
The position statement is a document that will inform my teaching practice and writing. It reminds me to intentionally prepare the environment and experiences to allow children to fully engage with the materials and provide time to talk about those experiences. I can share it with the program directors and school principals I work with to help them understand that science and engineering learning begins in the early years before kindergarten, when children are given multiple opportunities to engage in science exploration and experiences through inquiry. It will guide programs, school districts and states as they write new early childhood science standards and curriculum.
Take a look at the newly issued Early Childhood Science Education Position Statement online or in the February 2013 issue of Science and Children, print out a copy to share with your colleagues and the families of your students, and talk about how it will support and possibly change your teaching.

Panel, NSTA Early Childhood Science Position StatementSusan Catapano, ChairChair and Professor, International CoordinatorWatson College of Education, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC Peggy Carlisle (NSTA Board) NSTA Director, Preschool/Elementary Div. Gifted Education Teacher, Pecan Park Elementary, Jackson, MS  Christine Chaille Professor and Chair, Curriculum and Instruction Portland State University, Portland, OR Ingrid Chalufour Education Consultant Brunswick, ME Linda Froschauer Field Editor, Science and Children NSTA Past President Westport, CT Rochel Gelman Distinguished Professor Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science and the Psychology Department Rutgers University, Busch Campus, Piscataway, NJ Julie McGough K-3 Primary Teacher, Valley Oak Elementary Adjunct Faculty, Science Education California State University, Fresno, Fresno, CA William C. Ritz Professor Emeritus, Science Education Director, “A Head Start on Science” California State University at Long Beach, Long Beach, CA    Jennifer S. Thompson (NSTA Council) NSTA Director, District XVII K-1 Primary Teacher, Harborview Elementary Adjunct Faculty, Education University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, AK Karen Worth Instructor, Elementary Education Department & Department Chair Wheelock College, Boston, MA

 
 

My colleague and I are early–career science teachers at a middle school. Rather than our reinventing the wheel, do you have any suggestions how to make lab days run more smoothly, especially at the beginning and end of the class?
–Sean, Oakland, California
To ensure lab periods run smoothly (and safely), planning and preparation are essential. Every activity should relate to your learning goals and be appropriate for your students’ experience level.
Review the activities or investigations thoroughly to determine if you have the proper facilities, time, and materials to conduct them safely. Put yourself in the role of a student. What could possibly go wrong? How much guidance and support will students need? Never have the students perform a procedure that you have not tried or are familiar with yourself.
Plan activities for the amount of time you have. If you have a single period, choose investigations that can be completed (including the introduction and cleanup) within that time or that can be paused and continued at another time.
Assemble materials and equipment in advance. Have extra supplies on hand, so you don’t have to leave the room to get something. Assemble trays or boxes with materials for each group (I numbered the boxes to match each team). An “inventory” card in the box or note on board helps students know what should be in the box. Assign a student on each team the role of equipment manager to get the materials and alert the teacher if anything is missing.
Prepare students for the activity by reviewing the purpose, procedures, and safety issues. If students designed the procedure, check their ideas by having them show you their proposal before they start.

Monitor your students as they work. In addition to looking for safety issues or off-task behaviors, this is an opportunity for formative assessment. You can ask or answer questions, guide their thinking, and eavesdrop on their conversations as they work. You can have a list of lab skills and check off students as they demonstrate them. Also note anything you want to change for the next class or the next time you do this activity.
Even your best class can run into difficulties. Never leave the room or be distracted with emails or phone calls while students are doing an activity. Accidents can and do happen, but you don’t want students to hide broken glass or clean up a spill with a sleeve. Deal with the situation right away in a matter-of-fact style.
If a student is engaging in potentially dangerous behavior and does not respond to your guidelines, remove him/her from the situation immediately, stopping the entire class if necessary.
Time flies during an activity, and if the bell rings while students are still working, they’ll want to rush on to their next class. Students must assume responsibility for cleaning up at the end of the period so everything is in place for the next class. Set an alarm or timer so there’s enough time to clean the workstations and debrief on the activity.
Have a sign at each lab station with a list of cleanup tasks. The equipment manager on each team should make sure group members complete tasks such as returning the materials to the boxes, wiping the tabletop, cleaning the glassware, turning off or resetting probes and other instruments, discarding any trash in the proper receptacle, and following other directions you may have (such as sterilizing and storing eyewear).
Boxes should be returned to a designated place where you can see the contents. Pay attention to forceps, calculators, scissors, and other items that may “disappear.” Note if anything is broken. Establish a routine in which students wait until you are satisfied things are in order for the next class before leaving. (This should be the routine on non-lab days, too!)
At the end of the day, return materials and equipment to their proper places if the activity is completed. If you’re continuing the activity, put the boxes in a secure place.  Annotate your lesson plan with any concerns or ideas for next time. Update the inventory with how much of a material was used or if anything was broken or discarded.
This was an area in which I struggled at first. But with organizational strategies and routines, I found lab days were enjoyable and challenging for both the students and the teacher!
 
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40964293@N07/4018106328/

Each month, columns on safety in the science lab are featured in NSTA’s Science Scope (Scope on Safety) and The Science Teacher (Safer Science). These columns are written by Ken Roy, Director of Environmental Health and Safety for Glastonbury Public Schools in Glastonbury, CT, and NSTA’s Science Safety Compliance Consultant.
These are must-reads for science teachers and school administrators, regardless of what grade level or science course you teach. And NSTA members have access to them, regardless of which print journal you receive.
Here is a list of topics that have appeared so far this year:

• Eating in the Lab: A Recipe for Disaster – To summarize–Don’t.
• Pregnant and Safe in the Lab – Suggestions for teachers and students
• Anger Management – What to do with unacceptable student behavior in the lab.
• Safety in Videos – What to do with a video clip in which participants are usually potentially dangerous practices (such as not wearing appropriate eyewear)?
• Acknowledging Safety in Physics — Safety acknowledgment forms alert students and their parents or guardians that the lab is a dangerous place in which they must follow safety protocols (and not just physics!)
• Safety to the Wind – Are your science labs properly ventilated?
• Choosing Biological Stains Carefully – Some traditional stains should be reevaluated for safety and health issues.
• Shining a Light on Laser Safety – Check your local and state regulations, too.
• Earth Science Safety: It’s All in Your Form – Safety issues apply to all classes.
• Wave Warnings – Suggestions for classes studying light, sound, and wave energy.

If you’re looking for a science department discussion topic, take your pick! For more on safety topics, go to NSTA’s SciLinks and use “safety” as the keyword.
Graphic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/epicfireworks/3646350410