So, another year, another set of goals (or resolutions) made. That goes for us at NSTA as well. Over the past few months, we’ve discussed lots of new ideas and projects to support our members and other constituents. I’ve focused on what will benefit our state chapters, associated groups and student chapters.  Resources that will help these leaders set a direction that will move their organizations forward.
During the fall conferences, our team (Howard Wahlberg, Ken Rosenbaum and myself) listened to a lot of teachers; they discussed their challenges both in and outside the classroom.  I know from experience that when you add running a small association (local, state or national) to that mix, those challenges are multiplied.
So, we’re wondering, what can we do to help? Here are a few ideas…some are already in the works; others we’re still batting around.

1. Re-establish quarterly newsletters to the chapter and associated group leaders. This project is actually in the works and we hope to have the first edition in your e-mailbox by March.
2. Frequent conference calls and webinars. In talking to a few chapter leaders in Districts I and II, they asked if we’d create a forum for them to come together more frequently to share ideas and network. We’re certain doing this in targeted regions across the country will help a lot of leaders.
3. Creating a Chapter & Associated Group Resource Center on the NSTA website. As staff, we’re connected in more ways than one.  We receive great ideas from many of you; we also network with other association execs that do what we do.  We’ve collected and have access to content, templates, samples and just general information on an array of topics like membership, programming, social media, board relations and so on.  This knowledge needs to be centrally located and shared among all of you!

We have other ideas percolating as well, but these are just a few.  The main point we want you to remember: NSTA is here to support you!  Having strong, grassroots partner organizations is essential to supporting (and growing) this profession and NSTA is committed to do what we can to help!
What do you think we can do to support your efforts and strengthen your chapter or associated group? Add a comment below or e-mail us at chapters@nsta.org.

Happy New Year! This year I look forward to more conversation in the early childhood community about science education.
The January 2012 Early Years column adapts an activity about making craters from Marie Faust Evitt’s book, Thinking BIG, Learning BIG. Craters on the Moon are visible without a telescope, even in daytime, a time when teachers can point out the Moon to their students. Children enjoy making craters in snow, damp sand, or other fine material, by dropping balls of varying sizes and weights into the material. There are many ways to use imaginative play to allow children to explore the topic of Space, and the ideas they have already learned through media and at home. Some of what we learn as children (Think of “The cow jumped over the Moon”) may lead to misconceptions that, if teachers learn of them through conversation, we can help students replace with accurate information. Simply talking about the accurate information will not correct misconceptions, but through activities and discussion students can discard them.
Learn more about the Moon and its relationship to the Earth and Sun by using some of the resources in the National Science Teachers Association’s Learning Center such as the a collection of resources I created titled “Moon and sky—observations.” Register at no cost, go to Advanced Search and enter Keyword: Moon, Author: Ashbrook, and Type of Learning Resource: User created collections (select in both menus) to see resources in the “Moon and sky—observations” collection. Photos of features of the Moon can be viewed on GeologyRocks site by Dr. Katie Davis and Dr. Jon Hill.
Young children may know the word “gravity” but we don’t expect them to understand yet that it is a force between any two objects and that it pulls the objects together. In the case of the Earth and the objects on it, the gravitational pull of the Earth on the objects is greatest, so objects are pulled down to the Earth (ground). The January 2012 Teaching Through Tradebooks column, “Gravity and Weight”, by Emily Morgan and Karen Ansberry uses the 5E Learning Cycle in activities for grades K-2 and 3-5. These authors are sometimes referred to affectionately as “The Picture-Perfect ladies” because their “Picture-Perfect Science” books are very helpful to elementary teachers (note that the picture trade books they suggest are available through NSTA).
The article “Shadow Play” by Kathy Cabe-Trundle and Margilee P. Hilson is free to all—read about how students can observe shadows to learn about seasonal change. I recommend reading it (even if some of the activities are too advanced for your class) to see the authors’ approach to teaching concepts about which students commonly have misconceptions. I find the articles for older students a useful review of concepts at an elementary level, for myself.
Let me know what your plans are for the New Year, and what you’d like to see discussed on this Early Years blog by commenting below. Best wishes for the new year,
Peggy
 

My students are asking for “extra credit” work. I’m having second thoughts about doing this, especially since it seems that students wait until the end of the marking period to ask. Is there a good rationale for giving (or not giving) extra credit work?
—Wayne, Kansas City, Missouri
“Extra credit” seems to be part of school vocabulary. When students don’t complete assignments, don’t do well on tests, or are seeking a higher grade, they (or their parents) ask the teacher for additional assignments or activities.
I suspect this is more common in classes where the students’ grades are based on accumulating points. Students may view class assignments or tests in terms of earning these points. Teachers may reinforce this notion with statements such as  “You’re 10 points away from a passing grade” or “Three more points and you’ll have an A+!”
Let’s assume your class activities and assignments such as lab reports, notebooks, or projects align with the unit or lesson learning goals and students are evaluated on the extent to which they meet those goals. It doesn’t seem to be productive to have a student who has not achieved the learning goals or who has not met the course requirements do an unrelated task just to “pull up a grade.” These tasks require time on the part of the teacher to create and assess. Ask yourself if activities such as reading and summarizing an article, completing puzzle sheets, or doing an extra book report allow the students the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of a concept.
In previous years, your students may also have been awarded extra points for tasks or behaviors that have little or no relation to learning goals: bringing in classroom supplies, assisting with chores such as cleaning glassware, putting up a teacher-created bulletin board, participating in nonacademic events at school, or their parents attending an open house. These are good activities, but it would be hard to align them with learning goals in science.
The bottom line: Can (or should) students earn a passing grade by doing activities not directly related to the learning goals? Should exemplary grades reflect an advanced level of academic performance or the completion of extra busywork?

If you have students who do not turn in assignments (such as lab reports) and then ask for extra credit, perhaps you should allow them to turn in the original assignments. If a student had a poor test performance, you could offer a retake or an alternative that shows the student has met the learning goals, at least at a minimum level. If projects do not meet the requirements, have the student review the rubric and make revisions.
I know teachers who provide students with a list of the unit’s learning goals and several options or alternatives for each to demonstrate their learning. Having choices can give students more ownership of the learning process and capitalize on their interests. The literature on differentiation has many suggestions, such as choice boards or alternate assessments (NSTA journals have had many articles on the idea of differentiation. Click here to see a few of them. Also check the work of Carol Ann Tomlinson).
Another response would be to put the responsibility back on the students: “These are the learning goals for the lesson/unit. How will you demonstrate you have accomplished them?” If the students give you a blank stare, you could offer suggestions. However, you might be surprised at what some students come up with. Their ideas can become alternative activities in the following year.
Some students who are interested in a topic may ask for opportunities to expand their knowledge, with no thought of earning extra points. (Pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming!) Encourage them to pursue their interests, especially those that relate science to other subjects or personal interests. For example, a student in my life science class was interested in finding words relating to arthropods that had origins in mythologies (e.g., the Luna moth, nymphs, arachnids, the Cyclops copepod). I shared this with the language arts teacher (who did a unit on mythology) and we both encouraged her to pursue this interest. She shared a journal in which she kept her notes on the subject. She had an intrinsic “extra interest” rather than a need for extrinsic bonus points.
 
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/daviddmuir/1410227652/sizes/m/in/photostream/
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1328/1410227652_e0f5cf7f0e.jpg

I recently talked with a high school senior who wants to become an elementary teacher. “Working with younger students, one thing I won’t have to think about is technology,” she said. She certainly has some misconceptions about elementary students! I thought about her as I read this issue of Science and Children and the examples of young students using technology for many tasks and in many contexts.
Space and technology seem to go hand in hand. To the Moon and Back show how students in Grades 2 and 3 used the Starry Night resource to gather data on phases of the moon and look for patterns and develop questions. The article includes a rubric, an example of a student journal entry, and a discussion of other technology application on the topic, including iPad/iPhone apps and online simulations. [SciLinks: Moon Phases]
The authors of Caught on Video use videos to document student projects. Students were both the subjects and the videographers as they demonstrated their work. The article has suggestions for incorporating more local videos in instruction. [SciLinks: Engineering Structures]
“No child left inside” could be the subtitle for Trail Blazers. The article describes a project in which 4^th-graders created field guides (on iPods) for the school’s nature trail. Starting with a site study, they also created kits for teachers to use with students to study weather on the trail. [SciLinks: Identifying Trees, Nature]

What technology (if any) is appropriate for primary students? Harness Your Tech Side includes resources from the NAEYC on technology integration in the younger grades and a lesson plan on using technology to create a class book. Smart Boards Rock has pictures of students (not the teacher) at the board, manipulating objects and words. [SciLinks: Rocks]
Virtual Inquiry Experiences incorporated technology into a study of pond insects. Students shared their specimens with scientists who shared (through videoconferencing) the use of an electron microscope—quite an experience for these young students. Another option for younger students as described in Time for Slime, is a digital microscope connected to a projector. The pictures of students show the benefits of  the large projected images. The formative assessment probe Representing Microscopic Life looks at student conceptions and misconceptions about microscope pond organisms. [SciLinks: Microscopes, Insects, Protozoa]
Classroom communications is changing, too. Not an Unfeasible “Extra” shows how students in 4^th grade are blogging about their science learning. The teacher-author offers suggestions for starting a blogging project and a rubric to assess the blog content. In Turtles and Technology, other 4^th graders took on a challenge to protect and advocate for an endangered species. They raised turtles to release in the wild used a variety of technology (blogging, producing videos, creating webpages, and even developing an online game) to inform the community of threats to the turtles.
After reading and reflecting on these articles, future elementary teachers have a lot to look forward to, with students who are very comfortable with technology. Secondary teachers have a lot to look forward to, also, as younger students become more familiar with technology as a tool for learning, communicating, and creating.
Several other articles have SciLinks connections: One Hungry Dinosaur  [SciLinks: Dinosaurs] and Simple Machines [SciLinks: Simple Machines] And check out more Connections for this issue (December 2011). Even if the article does not quite fit with your lesson agenda, there are ideas for handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, and other resources.