As elementary teachers continue to struggle to find time to teach science to their students in an already crowded schedule, particularly as the emphasis on literacy has actually reduced the amount of time designated for science study, authors Jessica Fries-Gaither and Terry Shiverdecker have combined forces and experiences to write Inquiring Scientists, Inquiring Readers: Using Nonfiction to Promote Science Literacy, Grades 3–5.

Using text sets, or collections of multiple genres of nonfiction, can support inquiry-based instruction by assisting students as they pose questions, design investigations, and confirm and extend the knowledge they’ve learned through direct investigation. The seven nonfiction genres recommended by the authors include reference, explanation, narrative expository, how-to, biography, field guide, journal, and poetry.
Literacy instruction has changed in recent years to place a greater emphasis on nonfiction text with students of all ages. A great deal of reading and writing in everyday life is nonfiction.
One challenge that teachers who try to combine science in with their literacy instruction often encounter is that students end up reading about science rather than engaging in any scientific inquiry themselves. With this book, the authors have deftly paired the appropriate readings and text sets with the inquiry-based investigations for your students to engage in.

Inquiry and Literacy

With this book, imagine the possibilities. To name just a few, your students could read:

• Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas and then learn the science process skill of experimenting
• How Tall, How Short, How Far Away and then learn to determine which measuring tools are best for measuring a variety of items
• Ice Cream: The Full Scoop and then learn a tasty example of a phase change as they make ice cream
• Ice Hockey and Curling and then play a game to learn the forces and motion of a sliding object
• The Dance of Life and then learn how the sanderling might be adapted to two very different environments

Throughout the book, the authors replace individual lessons with a learning-cycle format (including hands-on investigations, readings, directed discussion, and problem solving).
Other related resources for combining literacy and science instruction in the elementary grades include NSTA Press® titles:

• Everyday Science Mysteries, Grades K–8
• Language and Literacy in Inquiry-Based Science Classrooms, Grades 3–8
• Picture-Perfect Science Lessons
• Science the “Write” Way
• Once Upon a Life Science Book

Scientists and engineers don’t necessarily start out to innovate, but unexpected things happen! This installment of the “Science of Innovation” video series describes how Dr. Deborah Chung, an expert in composite materials and structural science, was more-or-less “messing around” with materials just to see what would result. What Dr. Chung found could have a dramatic impact on bridge, road, and building construction.

You can set the stage for your students to be similarly inspired by allowing them to “mess around” with materials you have available as they develop and refine their own questions for investigation. Doing so might conjure up scenes of chaos, but teachers who build in a little extra time for students to examine the available materials and fiddle around with them find that it actually conjures up more thoughtful explorations!

The connected lesson plans, loosely based on Brian Hand’s science writing heuristic, allow plenty of leeway for students to put their inspirations to work. This STEMspirational series, developed by the team of NBC Learn, USPTO, NSF, and NSTA, will give you a leg up in incorporating authentic engineering activities into your curriculum. And it will allow students to see how science and math knowledge result in incredible technologies. The series is available cost-free on www.NBCLearn.com, www.science360.gov, and www.uspto.gov/education. Take a look, and then let us know what you think!

–Judy Elgin Jensen

Image of overpass courtesy of Danielle Scott.

Video

SOI: Smart Concrete highlights Dr. Deborah Chung’s innovation that makes concrete able to sense, in real time, the forces to which it is subjected.

Lesson plans

Two versions of the lesson plans help students build background and develop questions they can explore regarding the characteristics of materials. Both include strategies to support students in their own quest for answers and strategies for a more focused approach that helps all students participate in hands-on inquiry.

SOI: Smart Concrete, A Science Perspective models how students might investigate a question about how a composite such as concrete reacts to compressional forces.

SOI: Smart Concrete, An Engineering Perspective shows how students might make and test a composite that models smart concrete.

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

I’m looking for professional development (PD) opportunities. I have a master’s degree, but as part of my PD plan, I’d like to earn additional graduate credits. In my current situation, commuting in the evenings or on weekends to a university is not possible. I’m thinking of trying an online course for the first time. What do I need to know or think about?
—Marti, California
Online and offsite learning is increasingly common, and it’s helpful for classroom teachers to have this experience themselves. Here are some things I’ve learned from being both a student and instructor in online experiences:

• Identify your learning goals. Do you want to develop deeper science content knowledge in your subject area? Expand your knowledge of other subjects? Acquire more classroom strategies?
• Match the course with your goals as you read course descriptions. As you look at university websites, you’ll see many offer online opportunities for credit. Museums and science centers also offer courses, which often can be taken for graduate credits through a partnership with a university. Find out your school or district online PD requirements. As you consider a provider, determine if the coursework and credits will be acceptable and if the institution is an approved one. (The NSTA Learning Center has a list of universities and programs that offer courses, too.)
• Consider your own learning preferences and schedule as you read course descriptions. In synchronous courses, the instructor and students log in at the same time and  follow an established calendar of classes. The instructor often lectures or lead discussions while displaying PowerPoint slides, websites, visuals, or other documents. Students have the opportunity to ask questions or take quizzes with immediate feedback. Depending on the platform used, you can also interact with other students in real time via chat or messaging options. In this type of course, you need to set aside a specific time in your schedule to “attend” the class. In asynchronous courses, the instructor posts materials, tests, study guides, videos, podcasts, reading lists, and assignments that can be accessed any time. Usually there is a timeframe for completing assignments. The instructor checks in periodically to answer questions or provide feedback. This would be similar to an independent study course. As a student you have more flexibility with an asynchronous course; a synchronous one is more scheduled and provides opportunities for more interaction. Many courses are a combination of the two formats, incorporating “live” instruction with subsequent opportunities to participate via collaborative documents, wikis, or chats.

• Be sure you have the appropriate technology. At a minimum, you’ll need a computer and an Internet connection (the faster the better for synchronous courses or ones that use a lot of videos). Some course platforms require a microphone and camera for your audio and video input. If written assignments are required, you’ll need to upload them electronically (it’s typically the same as attaching a file to an e-mail). Most institutions have a “check-up” module to help you determine if you have what you need. They also should have a technician on duty to assist you.
• Develop a timetable that works for you. With an asynchronous course, it’s easy to put things off. I found it helpful to schedule time for the coursework and stick to the schedule (late night worked best for me). I know teachers who do the course work after school hours when things are quiet and before they go home to other responsibilities. If you do work at home, set aside a time and a place where you can work undisturbed.

If you’d like to try online learning before you invest in credit courses, NSTA has free opportunities via the Learning Center:

• Web Seminars are 90-minute synchronous experiences on a variety of topics. There are several scheduled each month.
• Science Objects are two-hour online interactive content modules on a variety of topics. These are completed asynchronously.

 
Photo:   http://www.flickr.com/photos/cristic/3297941286/
 

The fall of what is unofficially named the Chelyabinsk Meteor (soon to be meteorite) has produced a staggering number of videos. Whether police dashboard camera, cell phone, ATM camera, traffic camera, parking lot, or just one of hundreds of security cameras, clear video of the event from multiple perspectives, angles, and capture methods has packed YouTube with a never-seen-before collection of amazing footage.
On October 9, 1992, a meteor flew across the eastern half of the United States. No less than 16 video cameras were pointed at the light blazing across the sky (it helped that it was a Friday night and high school football was in full swing). Although multiple pieces are clearly seen flying through the air, only one piece was recovered. And that piece just happened to have smashed in the back end of a 1980 Chevy Malibu. Named the Peekskill Meteorite, the bread loaf-sized rock was one of the best photographed meteorite falls ever.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B17TmSSb5aI[/youtube]
Then in 2003, a meteorite fell in Park Forest, Illinois. Although it was near midnight, there were plenty of active cameras rolling including police dashboard cameras, and a TV crew filming the fire department working on a blaze.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFKCDpow3ls[/youtube]
And now, once again a the photons from a meteor and its left over smoke trail have been captured with updated technology. And it doesn’t end there. By combining some creative problem solving, a little math, plus Google Earth, and photoshop, some rather sophisticated results have emerged. One such person who took on the challenge is Stefan Geens who posted his work on the Ogle Earth blog.
Here is one of his creations described by Stefan as, “Using all this information, I was able to do some image analysis in Photoshop on the lengths and angles of the shadows as the meteor streaked across the sky.” The inclusion of this animated image is used with his permission.

The post in its entirety can be read here: http://ogleearth.com/2013/02/reconstructing-the-chelyabinsk-meteors-path-with-google-earth-youtube-and-high-school-math/

As we approach President’s Day, which comes on the heels of Abraham Lincoln’s actual birthday, thoughts turn to … patents. Yes, patents! Those of us on the development team for the Science of Innovation video series were certainly surprised to learn that Honest Abe is the only U.S. president to hold a patent—Patent No. 6,469, was granted on May 22, 1849, for a device for “Buoying Vessels Over Shoals,” which was a flotation system for lifting riverboats stuck on sandbars.

Not surprising is that the inventive spirit has been around a very long time and in unexpected sources. The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) is spearheading a tool to spark the inventive spirit in your students. The USPTO, along with NBC Learn, NSF, and NSTA have put together a series of videos and connected lesson plans that highlight innovative patented technologies and emphasize STEM in action. The series is available cost-free on www.NBCLearn.com, http://www.science360.gov, and www.uspto.gov/education.

The lesson plans are based loosely on the research of Brian Hand at the University of Iowa, whose science writing heuristic fosters within students a more complete understanding of science concepts. The lesson plans use the videos as springboards to help you involve your students in developing their own questions to explore with liberal use of prompts to keep students focused during their investigations. The depth and complexity of the inquiry falls out of the grade level, background knowledge, and creativity of your students. Although the strategy can be used with elementary students through college-level, the videos and lesson plans are expected to be most successful with middle- and high-school students. A quick search in the NSTA Science Store will give you additional resources on the science writing heuristic.

You may not need another hands-on strategy, but take a look at the lesson plans anyway. Included are ideas for how to incorporate the videos into your own lessons as well as background and timing on the video segments. Then, be sure to let us know how they work for you in real classroom situations. And if you had to make significant changes to a lesson, we’d love to see what you did differently, as well as why you made the changes. Leave a comment, and we’ll get in touch with you with submission information.

And while you’re on the Internet, take a look at Lincoln’s actual patent. Walk through a recurring activity in the lesson plans that gives students search terms related to the video topic to use at google.com/patents. For Lincoln’s, all you have to do is search on Abraham Lincoln. It’s the first one in the list!

–Judy Elgin Jensen

Image of Flexible nanocircuits courtesy of Gabriel Walsh.

Video

SOI: Electronic Tattoo highlights the collaboration involved in the development of ultra-thin, flexible, elastic membranes capable of detecting and recording electrical signals from the heart, brain, and various other muscles and organs by simply adhering to a person’s skin.

Lesson plans

Two versions of the lesson plans help students build background and develop questions they can explore regarding nanocircuits and their use in health monitoring. Both include strategies to support students in their own quest for answers and strategies for a more focused approach that helps all students participate in hands-on inquiry.

SOI: Electronic Tattoo, A Science Perspective models how students might investigate a question about how temperature might affect a semiconducting material.

SOI: Electronic Tattoo, An Engineering Perspective models how students might design an electronic membrane within a given set of constraints.

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