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Science of natural disasters, for young children

By Peggy Ashbrook

Posted on 2011-09-11

Fungus growing on a fence post

With ten-plus inches of rain, even fenceposts sprout with fungus.


An earthquake (my first ever experienced), the edge of hurricane Irene’s winds, and unending rain (over 10 inches in the last  two weeks) brought flooding, downed trees, and rampant fungus growth—is this an auspicious beginning to fall? One nearby county has already had an “excessive precipitation” day (not due to snow, the roads were flooded). The teachers I work with here in the Washington, D.C. area, like teachers everywhere, are nothing if not resourceful—when a failed sump pump allowed rainwater to seep into the classroom, a preschool teacher took her students to their designated shelter-in-place location, the church building next door. While doing the back-to-school review of emergency plans (what to do in case of tornado, shelter-in-place scenario, and fire) another school realized they now have to add “earthquake plan” to the list.
Never fear, Science and Children is here, with a Teaching Through Tradebooks column on “Earthquake!” a lesson plan pairing a book to read aloud with a science activity. And the NSTA Recommends service, which reviews trade books, came up with over 30 titles when I searched for “disaster.” Jump into Science: Earthquakes by Ellen J. Prager with illustrations by Susan Greenstein (2007, National Geographic Children’s Books) and Earthquakes by Seymour Simon (2006, HarperCollins) are not not on the list but they are written for young children. (Not every good book can be reviewed for NSTA Recommends.) Can you recommend a book about earthquakes for children ages 4-8? Will children be unnecessarily frightened by books with illustrations showing major earthquake damage? In a National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) brochure on helping children cope with natural disasters or violent experiences, Jane M. Farish offers the advice that “More than any other action, avoiding media coverage will protect children from confusing and disturbing images.”
The Martin Luther King Jr. memorial

Diversity in people can be seen in the visitors at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

Today was beautifully sunny, a chance to appreciate the freedom to walk across Memorial Bridge to contemplate the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial, and wave to the President and First Lady in their motorcade as we walked back to the Metro. How are you doing this week?

Peggy

Fungus growing on a fence post

With ten-plus inches of rain, even fenceposts sprout with fungus.

 

Models, and maps, and spatial understanding

By Peggy Ashbrook

Posted on 2011-09-09

Teaching spatial awareness is part of most early childhood standards, such as the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework (Understands directionality, order, and position of objects, such as up, down, in front, behind.), and it is part of national standards for K-12 curriculum such as the National Research Council’s A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas . Joining in a traditional fingerplay teachs positional vocabulary:
Up and down, round and round (draw circles in the air),
Put your fingers on the ground.
Over (hold hands above lap) under, (below legs) in between (hide in between your legs)
Now my fingers can’t be seen!
 Hands in front, hands behind , now my hands I cannot find.
Here’s my left hand , here’s my right,
Hands and fingers back in sight! (wriggle fingers).
How else can preK-grade 2 teachers prepare their students to understand their position in their room, their building, their community, their world, their “place in space”? There are many resources on teaching using representations—models and maps—available through the National Science Teachers Association elementary school journal, Science and Children. Cover of Science and Children, September 2011.The September 2011 issue has many “free” articles for teachers who want resources for teaching science but are not yet members. People who are members can send the link to colleagues to alert them to interesting articles such as the “Guest Editorial: Minds, Models, and Maps” by Kenneth Wesson who says, “The dynamic back-and-forth process of shifting images from the mind’s eye to paper and to tangible models is when children make their most creative and memorable connections.” He offers easy-to-implement strategies for incorporating illustrations, models, and maps. Another free article by NSTA 2001–2002 President and science education consultant Harold Pratt, describes the National Research Council’s new Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas in “Introducing A Framework for K–12 Science Education.”  Children make a really BIG model of a spider.
Children feel empowered and can see details when they make a really big model of a spider and her web. Join Marie Faust Evitt and her class as they hunt for spiders and make BIG connections in “A Web of Learning: Beyond “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” preschool students learn science content naturally”. And in The Early Years column I write about helping children build mental and visual maps of their area by taking walking fieldtrips and documenting their observations on a simple map. Even if your walking fieldtrip is just around the school building, children can look for traffic signs, interesting plants, and signs of animal life. This year the other teachers and I will take walking fieldtrips with the 3-year-olds too!
Peggy

Teaching spatial awareness is part of most early childhood standards, such as the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework (Understands directionality, order, and position of objects, such as up, down, in front, behind.), and it is part of national standards for K-12 curriculum such as the National Research Council’s A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscut

 

Feeling overwhelmed

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2011-09-09

I just started my first teaching position (middle school Earth science) and already I feel overwhelmed. It seems like I need 36 hours in a day. What can I do to get everything done? Does it get any easier?
—Ted, Fargo, North Dakota
Congratulation on your new position! I’ll answer your last question first. Yes, things do get a little easier after your first year when you’ve established routines, developed your basic lesson plans, and organized your lab/classroom. But even veteran teachers wish for more time. After students are dismissed, the teacher’s job continues with planning and preparation, evaluating assessments, faculty or department meetings, and professional development programs. So take a deep breath, celebrate your successes, and permit yourself to make (and learn from) a few mistakes.
Transition time is important. Some teachers like to arrive very early. They use this quiet time to get materials ready for class, catch up on reading, enjoy a cup of coffee, chat with colleagues, and prepare mentally for the day. Other teachers stay late to organize the classroom, prepare for the following day’s activities, review student work, contact parents, answer emails, and reflect on the day’s lessons. I often found myself doing both—but I always left with a clean lab prepped for the following day.
In the frenzy to get everything done, don’t neglect your physical and mental health:

  • Make time for exercise on your schedule and stick with it.
  • Depending on the quality of your school’s cafeteria, you might consider packing your own lunch to include healthy foods. It might be tempting to eat at your desk, but eating in a lab is not advisable, and it’s important to socialize with other adults, even if only for a few minutes.
  • During your first year, you might not be immune to the school’s “germs.” Overall good health will help, as will lots of hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and boxes of tissues for you and the students. If you do get sick, stay home and recuperate (see a previous column on “Plans for a substitute“)
  • Spend some time in the evenings or weekends with family and friends on non-school related activities. Get as much rest as you can.
  • Keep up with your hobbies and interests for your own peace of mind: reading, sports, outdoor activities, arts and crafts, games, music, gardening, or community organizations and events.

As a science teacher, your most important focus is on instruction: lesson planning, implementing inquiry-based activities, designing or selecting appropriate assessments, and using technology appropriately. You’ll also have 100+ students to get to know. To accomplish this, prioritize your planning time with a focus on what enhances your instruction and interactions with students:

  • You don’t need to spend a lot of time on elaborate bulletin boards. A previous column had some suggestions for “Displaying science on classroom bulletin boards.”
  • You may be asked to take on an extracurricular activity or serve on a faculty committee. This can be an enjoyable opportunity to get to know the students and your colleagues. But if you’re feeling overwhelmed as a new teacher, you might offer to accept a role as a co-advisor or assistant. It’s also okay to respectfully decline requests: “No, thank you. I don’t think I’m ready to take on that additional responsibility just yet. I hope I can participate next year when I’ve had a little more experience.”
  • Establish classroom routines for activities such as handing in assignments, accessing notebooks and other materials, cleaning up after a lab activity, and taking attendance while students do a bellringer activity to prepare for class. Don’t dismiss a class until the room is tidy and organized for the next class.
  • Reviewing and grading student assignments can be overwhelming. The column “Struggling with paperwork”  has suggestions for managing paperwork.

Above all, don’t be shy about asking your mentor, other science teachers, or your principal for advice and suggestions on time management and classroom organization. You’ll soon learn who the go-to people are in your school (including the school secretary and custodian). We all want you to learn and be successful!
 
Photo:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/tnm-photography/5745534007/

I just started my first teaching position (middle school Earth science) and already I feel overwhelmed. It seems like I need 36 hours in a day. What can I do to get everything done? Does it get any easier?
—Ted, Fargo, North Dakota

 

How will you implement your professional development learning this year?

By Peggy Ashbrook

Posted on 2011-09-07

Teachers work together in professional development small groups.

Professional development strengthens teaching skills and introduces the latest research about learning.


For early childhood teachers professional development can range from first aid to interactive reading to integrating science inquiry with literacy and mathematics learning. We hope we never have to use the first aid training but everything else is a boost to our teaching. This summer I got to participate in a training on science inquiry held at the University of Northern Iowa Regents’ Center. The development of this work by their Center for Early Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (CEESTEM) is supported by the National Science Foundation and by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Research in early childhood education supports the practice of teachers engaging in science inquiry in preparation for teaching science to their students.
One very important tip (no, not the “one weird tip that really works” as so many web ads claim) that I learned was to make time for children to get deeply into the process of asking questions as they explore phenomena through direct exploration. Researchers found that when there are too many transitions, it interrupts children’s investigations and problem solving.
Use counting and writing with a tally chart to document science observations.

Documenting observations is one way to integrate literacy and mathematics with science.


This is tough to do if I set aside time “just for science” so I’m going to focus on integrating science inquiry with opportunities for early literacy and mathematics learning. After working with tools to move water with pushes and pulls, children used a tally chart to document which tool they liked the best.
Tell us about the professional development pointers you will be using this year in a comment below.
Peggy
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Teachers work together in professional development small groups.

Professional development strengthens teaching skills and introduces the latest research about learning.

 

Website Wednesday!

By Eric Brunsell

Posted on 2011-09-07

— The Scientific Process
Berkeley’s Understanding Science website is a great resource for learning more about the process of science.  The resource goes much deeper than the standard “PHEOC” model of the scientific method by emphasizing peer review, the testing of ideas, a science flowchart, and “what is science?” checklist. http://undsci.berkeley.edu/
Understanding Science also provides a variety of teaching resources including case studies of scientific discoveries and lesson plans for every grade level. http://undsci.berkeley.edu/teaching/index.php
— From AAAS Science NetLinks
Science Netlinks provides hundreds of reviewed lessons and other resources keyed to science topics.  Many of the lessons use engaging news stories about current science discoveries.  This month’s Science NetLinks newsletter highlights resources for UNESCO’s International Literacy Day (9/8), United Nations’ Ozone Day (9/16), and the World Heart Federation’s World Heart Day (9/28). http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/news/news_sept2011.php

— Science Spotlight
“In an effort to help preserve endangered rhinos and primates, biologists have converted skin cells taken from the animals into pluripotent stem cells, which can grow into nearly anything, given the right conditions. They might even grow into egg and sperm cells, eventually, the researchers think, suggesting a cell biological route to conservation.” http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/09/06/stem-cells-from-skin-suggest-a-way-save-endangered-rhinos-and-primates/

— The Scientific Process
Berkeley’s Understanding Science website is a great resource for learning more about the process of science.  The resource goes much deeper than the standard “PHEOC” model of the scientific method by emphasizing peer review, the testing of ideas, a science flowchart, and “what is science?” checklist. http://undsci.berkeley.edu/

 

Welcome back for the 2011–2012 school year!

By Francis Eberle

Posted on 2011-09-06

NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle

NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle


I know this is a really busy time for teachers, but before we slide further into the fall, I wanted to focus on an exciting new competition we announced earlier this summer.
NSTA has partnered with the Department of Energy and is challenging students in grades 3–8, together with their teachers and parents, to compete in a friendly nationwide competition will help them learn about energy efficiencies, reduce home energy use–and save money.
There are two ways to participate in America’s Home Energy Education Challenge (AHEEC).  Students and teachers who register (by October 7) for the Home Energy Challenge will collect three consecutive months of individual home energy use during the challenge period of September to December 2011, and compare it to the baseline data for the same three-month period of 2010.  Teachers will work with students to collect and analyze the data, and use the resources available on the AHEEC website to learn about energy conservation and reducing energy use.
Students will be asked to create an energy use savings plan for their own homes. Participants must collect actual (not estimated) energy use data from their utility records for the periods listed above.
Competing schools and classes in the Home Energy Challenge will compete within 11 regions for more than $200,000 in prizes that will be distributed at the regional and national levels of the competition.
The first place regional award winners will qualify for the national competition. Winning projects will be judged on student participation rates, energy savings, and the overall creativity and quality of the participating local competition.
Students who are unable to monitor their individual home energy can compete for $48,000 in cash prizes in the Energy Conservation Plan and Poster Contest.
The online Energy Fitness Award, the second segment of the Challenge, is a separate educational gaming activity where students can participate at any time and can return to play multiple times. Each student who successfully completes the Energy Fitness Award quiz will receive an Energy Fitness Badge.  Schools and/or classrooms with exemplary participation in this activity will earn additional prizes.
In addition to learning about energy and saving money, the best part of this competition could possibly be the ton of resources available at the AHEEC site and other energy sites.  Many teachers are telling us they are now incorporating AHEEC into their energy curriculum!
We are excited about this competition and I invite you to learn more about AHEEC at HomeEnergyChallenge.org or at the Energy Savers website, or visit the Energy Savers Blog.
 

NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle

NSTA Executive Director Francis Eberle

 

Benefitting from undergrad research experience

By Debra Shapiro

Posted on 2011-09-02

Derrick Wood and his chemistry students

photo by Karolis Panavas


Derrick Wood, who teaches chemistry at Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, created a chemistry curriculum that received a prestigious award. As a student at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, Wood conducted rigorous research with a fellow from Drew’s Research Institute for Scientists Emeriti (RISE) program, which pairs undergraduates with retired scientists. Find out why Wood credits RISE for his success as a chemistry teacher in this NSTA Reports story.
Derrick Wood and his chemistry students

photo by Karolis Panavas

STEM Student Research Handbook

This comprehensive resource for STEM teachers and students, outlines the various stages of large-scale research projects, enabling teachers to coach their students through the research process. This handbook provides enough detail to embolden all teachers—even those who have never designed an experiment on their own—to support student-researchers through the entire process of conducting experiments. Early chapters—research design, background research, hypothesis writing, and proposal writing—help students design and implement their research projects.
This comprehensive resource for STEM teachers and students, outlines the various stages of large-scale research projects, enabling teachers to coach their students through the research process. This handbook provides enough detail to embolden all teachers—even those who have never designed an experiment on their own—to support student-researchers through the entire process of conducting experiments. Early chapters—research design, background research, hypothesis writing, and proposal writing—help students design and implement their research projects.
 

Preparing for the Praxis

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2011-08-31

I’m an elementary teacher and I’m thinking of taking the Praxis test to be certified to teach science in middle school. It has been many years since I was in high school and college, and I only took the basic science classes. Could you suggest resources to help me prepare for the test?
—Twyla, Mississippi
I shared your question with a colleague who had been an elementary math department chair, but decided to make the switch to middle school when she was ready for a new challenge. She said preparing for the math test was a good professional development experience. (Her school district awarded her professional development hours for her independent study). She had a few suggestions.
First of all, familiarize yourself with the test. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) website has a section on the middle school science exam with a test blueprint, a list of topics, and sample questions. You can download a PDF so you can add notes as you prepare. Prioritize the list of topics into those you’re most familiar with, those you need to review, and those you’re unfamiliar with.
For this last category, you could go to NSTA’s Learning Center online and look at the list of Science Objects. These are online content modules for elementary, middle, and high school topics (they take about two hours to complete and they’re free). Use the middle or high school ones to review the content on the Praxis list. For example, for the Praxis topic Electricity and Magnetism, there are three Science Objects on Electric Charges, Electrostatics and Current Electricity, and Electromagnetism. NSTA’s SciLinks has collections of webpages on a variety of topics, too.
I personally have never taken a Praxis exam, so I posed your question via social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, the NSTA Listserve, and the Middle School Portal 2). Our colleagues have other suggestions for you:

  • “Use the Sciencesaurus Handbook (the green version is for middle school)”—George, who teaches a science methods course, via the NSTA Listserve
  • “I used the ETS books as more of a topic guide—I went through the book looking for topics I thought I should brush up on and then studied those topics via online websites.” -—Cheryl via the Middle School Portal 2.
  • “I went to the library and reviewed Basic Chemistry for Dummies, Basic Physics for Dummies, and Basic Biology for Dummies for about 10 hours and passed the test.” —Helene via the NSTA Listserve.
  • “When I recently took this Praxis, I downloaded the online materials that were available to practice released questions. I practiced these questions often so that I was familiar with the types of questions that may be asked. I also borrowed middle grades science books and thumbed through them to refresh any topics that I felt weak in because my strength was in biology. If time permits, make your own questions to practice modeling the released ones.” —Donna via the NSTA Listserve
  • “From the Praxis site you can print practice tests and advice for free. I found it useful to review the written short essay questions where they give you examples of answers that got full credit compared to answers that did not.” —Kathleen from the NSTA Listserve
  • “What are your long-term goals? If you would ever consider teaching a high school science course, you might want to take that Praxis, assuming that a high school credential would also allow you to teach at the middle school level. That way, you would be credentialed at both levels.” —Jessica via the NSTA Listserve
  • “Read all three of the constructed-response (essay) questions first and choose the shortest ones first so you don’t run out of time. Also, the online info suggests 90 minutes for the multiple choice and 30 minutes for the essay questions. I used 60 min for the MC and needed all 60 min for the three essays.” —Anonymous from the NSTA Listserve

From my experiences in graduate school, having a study group can be very helpful. Go online via NSTA’s social media sites or the Middle School Portal 2 to ask if any one else is studying for the test and form an online study group. Or check around to see if any local colleges or other school districts have Praxis prep courses.
Keep a journal of how you prepared. When you pass (notice I said “when” not “if ”), I’d be glad to post your advice on the blog site. Good luck!
 
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mhcseattle/1111568504/

I’m an elementary teacher and I’m thinking of taking the Praxis test to be certified to teach science in middle school. It has been many years since I was in high school and college, and I only took the basic science classes. Could you suggest resources to help me prepare for the test?
—Twyla, Mississippi

 

More authentic experiences

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2011-08-29

It’s a challenge for science teachers to design activities and investigations that fit into the time periods we have. But science research and investigation doesn’t always fit neatly into 45- or 60- or even 90-minute packages. (One of my challenges was a class split in half by a lunch period!). Even a full-day field trip may not often be long enough.
Much has been written in NSTA blogs and listserves about citizen science projects in which students collect, share, and analyze data as part of a larger nationwide study. Students can participate according to your schedule. These ongoing projects illustrate how real studies are longitudinal, extending over weeks, months, and years. NSTA blogs and journals have featured citizen science projects that are appropriate for students. (For example, see Citizen science: collaborative projects for teachers and their class and The Great Backyard Bird Count)
I’ve just learned of another citizen science project, this one from the North Carolina State University: School of Ants. Students use the provided kits to collect ants and send to the lab. After the entomologists there analyze the samples, the students can study maps showing the species collected. The project site has descriptions of ant species and interesting questions. The project is accepting registration for kits starting on September 1. (The kits are free, and who doesn’t have ants in the neighborhood?)
The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) describes the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program opportunity on the International Space Station (ISS). Each team will be provided an experiment slot in a real microgravity research mini-laboratory scheduled to fly on the ISS in the spring of 2012. According to the website, letters of commitment are due in mid-September.

Sometimes in the classroom, we have the opposite situation—small pockets of time, such as when a student says “I’m finished with [fill in the name of an activity or assignment]. What do I do now?” Or leftover time at the end of the period. Or the day before a holiday break.
If the teacher gives free time or tells the students to get busy on something, what students find to do on their own is often distracting and not related to science learning. This time is too precious to waste, so teachers provide  collections of magazine articles to read, online resources to examine (such as those found in SciLinks), or additional worksheets or vocabulary puzzles.
Some citizen science projects enlist volunteers to sift through mountains of data. These projects use bits and pieces of time (I multitask and work on some while watching late-night TV or riding the train). Here’s a new one if your students have access to a computer, tablet, or smart phone. The latest project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is described on their Round Robin blog  What Color Is This Bird (Help make bird ID smarter).  The Lab is engaged in developing artificial intelligence to create a bird identification tool. But to create this, input from human intelligence is needed. Some of the data will come from bird occurrence studies, but the Lab is requesting input on how people perceive colors in birds.
In the Merlin challenge,  the user is presented with a photograph of a bird and given a few seconds to study it. The photo disappears, and you’re asked to choose up to three dominant colors you observed in the bird. Then, you get a followup screen with the photo, the name of the bird, and a pie chart showing how other people responded. I’ve tried it several times (on both a laptop and a smartphone), and the birds are presented in a random order each time. I learned a few new birds, too. If you’re looking for an activity for students to practice their observation skills, this could be a good one (and they’re contributing to a real project, not just doing a worksheet). This is somewhat similar to Galaxy Zoo in which volunteers log in and classify images of galaxies.
Use the Network for Citizen Science Projects to find authentic citizen science projects to match your curriculum and the interests of your students. These range from international projects to localized ones. NASA also has many citizen science projects. Perhaps participating in one will turn on a student to a potential career!
Phot0: http://www.flickr.com/photos/glaciernps/4427417055/in/photostream/

It’s a challenge for science teachers to design activities and investigations that fit into the time periods we have. But science research and investigation doesn’t always fit neatly into 45- or 60- or even 90-minute packages. (One of my challenges was a class split in half by a lunch period!). Even a full-day field trip may not often be long enough.

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