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Cameras in YOUR classroom

By Eric Brunsell

Posted on 2010-12-23

In the November and January issues of The Science Teacher, we wrote about using digital cameras in the classroom. November’s column (read it free) focused on using high speed cameras during inquiry.
Wingspan makes affordable cameras that do just the opposite. With their Plantcam, you can easily make time lapse videos by setting the camera to take an image at specific intervals. Their Birdcam has a built in motion sensor that activates a video camera or time lapse photo setting.
You can win one of these cameras by participating in their Cameras for Classrooms essay competition. All you need to do to enter is write a 500-750 word essay on how you would use one of these cameras in your classroom.
Check out the cool time-lapse video below. Imagine what your students could do if you let them loose with one of these!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0En-_BVbGc[/youtube]
(Note: This video was not taken using a Wingspan camera.)

In the November and January issues of The Science Teacher, we wrote about using digital cameras in the classroom. November’s column (read it free) focused on using high speed cameras during inquiry.

 

What can you do with this?

By Eric Brunsell

Posted on 2010-12-23

December’s Science 2.0 column focused on using rich media to spark questioning and inquiry.  Here is a fully developed example from Dan Meyer’s blog that could work well in a physics classroom.
First, the video:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR3X9hJpbDo[/youtube]
The set – up:
Ask your students what questions they have about the video?
Which of these questions are related to our topic (speed, time, distance)?
What information do we need?
Possible Questions:
How fast is the car going?
How many pictures or frames? OR How long is the vinyl?
The Details:
Read the post at Dan’s blog for background details (car speed, camera frame rate, etc.) and the solution to the length of vinyl.
More:
Check out Meyer’s WCYDWT archive here.
Check out a blog of starter media for WCYDWT Science.

December’s Science 2.0 column focused on using rich media to spark questioning and inquiry.  Here is a fully developed example from Dan Meyer’s blog that could work well in a physics classroom.
First, the video:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR3X9hJpbDo[/youtube]
The set – up:
Ask your students what questions they have about the video?

 

Lesson planning

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2010-12-21

Our middle school science department has started using the BSCS 5E instructional model. We like this framework, but we’re having a hard time fitting in all the components every day. It doesn’t seem possible, given that the class periods are 45 minutes long. Are we missing something? What has been your experience with this model?
—Mary, West Palm Beach, Florida
The 5E Model suggests stages or phases to be included when designing inquiry-based instruction: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate (Extend), and Evaluate. According to BSCS (the developers of the model) this teaching sequence can be used for entire programs, specific units, and individual lessons.
I must admit I’ve not had the opportunity to use 5E in the classroom. But I have used other models and frameworks such as Understanding by Design (by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins) and—I’ll show my age here—the Madeline Hunter model. I’m also familiar with the Art and Science of Teaching (by Robert Marzano). Some teachers suggest models or frameworks are too prescriptive, discourage teacher creativity, and result in cookie-cutter lessons. But, depending on the model, I found quite the opposite could be true. Having some guidelines helped me create purposeful lessons within cohesive units of instruction, rather than collections of activities and laundry lists of content topics to “cover.”
It may be helpful to differentiate among units, lessons, activities, and class periods. A unit of instruction (e.g., stoichiometry, forces, air quality, microorganisms) consists of connected lessons. A lesson incorporates individual or group learning activities (lab investigations, assessments, lecture, demonstrations, reading, writing, discussion, etc.) focused on related objectives or learning goals. Depending on the length of a class period, there may be time for a complete lesson. There might be time for only a few of the activities, or a single activity may take several periods. My big “aha” moment occurred when I realized that a lesson could extend over several class periods, depending on the number and types of learning activities I used to help students achieve the learning goals.

What constrained my thinking was the spiral-bound lesson plan book with a 2×3 inch box in which to describe each class period. The box wasn’t large enough to write much more than a list or agenda, such as Discuss Photosynthesis, Read Chapter 6, or Do the Lab on p. 144. If I taught multiple class periods of the same subject, I could just write “ditto” in the box. There was little room for annotations or reflections, so in the following year, these boxes weren’t helpful to me in terms of improving the lesson.
So I decided to think outside the lesson plan box and file the spiral book. I switched to an electronic template for lesson planning and a 3-ring binder (for ready reference during class). Each lesson was a separate document where I described the learning activities in detail. Lesson plans also included space to record the date(s) of the lesson, how far each section progressed, and other notes for reviewing and refining the lesson. This was a lot of work the first year, but after that I could revise the electronic documents easily.
In the NSTA journals, there have been many articles describing lessons and units of instruction designed with the 5E model, many of which appear to extend over several class periods. So perhaps you’re a little ambitious in trying to use all 5 Es in every class period as a daily checklist rather than as a framework for an entire lesson or unit. Does your current lesson plan format facilitate the 5E model? If not, perhaps a revised template may help.
If a lesson does last for more than one class period, it’s important to recap or summarize the activities at the end of the period and show how they will carry over to the next day. Reviewing the previous activities could be the bell-ringer at the beginning of the next period.
Using the NSTA Learning Center, I created a resource library of articles from NSTA journals (Science Scope and The Science Teacher) and the URLs of a few websites related to the 5E model. Feel free to browse through these to see how other secondary teachers are using this model.

Our middle school science department has started using the BSCS 5E instructional model. We like this framework, but we’re having a hard time fitting in all the components every day. It doesn’t seem possible, given that the class periods are 45 minutes long. Are we missing something? What has been your experience with this model?
—Mary, West Palm Beach, Florida

 

Sulfur + iron + tantalum …

By NSTA Web Director

Posted on 2010-12-20

What on earth could this be a recipe for?
Season's Greeting from NSTA

What on earth could this be a recipe for?
Season's Greeting from NSTA

 

Welcome to the Science 2.0 Blog

By Martin Horejsi

Posted on 2010-12-17

Although blogs (web logs) were once only a reverse chronological diary of thoughts and observations, today’s blogs are so much more. First of all, the vast amount of aggregatible content has brightened a once text-heavy presentation. Images, videos, graphics, links and audio tracks have made the once static blog a living document chronicling a point in time.
Second, the current blogging tools allow for a fairly rich exchange of ideas and feedback. Although we do not have the time to monitor the blog on a daily basis, we will be adding posts throughout the month, answering questions, and engaging in dialog with readers as time permits.
It is our hope that the Science 2.0 blog will expand and enrich the topics of the print article in The Science Teacher as well as provide a venue to link into the worlds of our readers. This is a two-way street and so we encourage the sharing of your wisdom by posting comments.

Although blogs (web logs) were once only a reverse chronological diary of thoughts and observations, today’s blogs are so much more. First of all, the vast amount of aggregatible content has brightened a once text-heavy presentation. Images, videos, graphics, links and audio tracks have made the once static blog a living document chronicling a point in time.

 

NSTA's Book Beat wins 2010 MarCom Award

By Claire Reinburg

Posted on 2010-12-17

NSTA’s Book Beat was honored in November 2010 with a Gold MarCom award for e-newsletters. The MarCom Awards is an international creative competition that recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communications professionals. Each month’s issue of Book Beat brings science teachers news of special offers in the online Science Store, the month’s list of top sellers, and free science lessons drawn from NSTA Press books.  Click here to read archived issues of Book Beat and sign up to receive your own copy in the coming months.

NSTA’s Book Beat was honored in November 2010 with a Gold MarCom award for e-newsletters. The MarCom Awards is an international creative competition that recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communications professionals.

 

Elements, compounds, and mixtures

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2010-12-17

Click here for the Table of Contents


Many students can probably recite or at least recognize definitions of elements, compounds, and mixtures. But the articles in this issue go beyond definitions and examples to show students the application of this knowledge. These activities also engage students with interesting and creative activities in a variety of formats.
One of the misconceptions my students had was that chemicals were things that you mixed together to create explosions, with vapors and odors as byproducts. But several articles in this issue demonstrate how chemical compounds are present in everyday substances that we use and take for granted. Green Beauty has descriptions of ingredients often found in cosmetics and other personal care products and potential risks they pose. At an age where students are interested in these products, examining the list of ingredients could be a relevant activity. The article also has a list of references. Thermal Paper Exposed describes an investigation of materials we take for granted. Literacy for the Digital Generation: Enabling Students to Develop 21st-Century Skills Through Real-World Chemistry also looks at common household substances as students create a blog about poisons. The author includes suggestions for blogging and a rubric. As you consider other activities involving chemicals, be sure to consider safety issues (NSTA’s SciLinks has several collections of websites related to safety, such as Chemical Handling and Safety.

It’s ELEMENTary, My Dear Watson combines a forensic investigation to show characteristics of materials such as pH, conductivity, and density. The activity also includes Google maps and science notebooks. Check out other resources for forensic science in SciLinks. (As a fan of Sherlock Holmes, I don’t think he ever used this phrase in the original stories, but the title is a clever play on words.)
No study of elements would be complete without the Periodic Table. Deal Me In: Using Playing Cards to Model the Period Table of Elements has some ideas (using the 5E model to help students to understand patterns and infer the properties of “missing” elements. The Romance of the Atoms: Animated Atomic Attractions has a new twist on the element reports that many teachers assign: cartoons created with the computer animation software Scratch from MIT, which is free and downloadable. The article has screen shots of some of the projects. (I tinkered with Scratch, and it looks like fun! And I suspect that students will catch on quickly.) SciLinks has more on the periodic table as well as collections of sites on individual elements (see Manganese, for example).
SciLinks has resources on these topics related to articles in this issue:

NSTA Recommends has a review of the book Exploratorium Science Snackbook: Cook Up Over 100 Hands-On Science Exhibits from Everyday Materials. The Exploratorium in San Francisco is a wonderful, hands-on place to explore science (if you’re going to the NSTA convention in March, put it on your list of places to visit). In addition to the book, the “snacks” are also available on Exploratorium’s Snack website.

Click here for the Table of Contents

 

Online communities

By Teshia Birts, CAE

Posted on 2010-12-16

As NSTA expands its efforts to develop Communities of Practice—particularly with its web presence—I thought I would share a few tips on how chapter or associated group leaders can engage and foster communication online.
If your chapter or associated group has an online community (using public networks like Facebook or Twitter or custom built systems) all of your work will be in vain unless your members and other constituents join the community and contribute to the discussion.
Here are a few tips from one of my fellow association executive colleagues, Paul Schneider:

  1. Use expert bloggers.  Someone in the industry who may be willing to post blogs weekly or monthly (maybe with some incentive like free membership or a small stipend).
  2. Ask a question about a hot topic. Everyone likes to offer their opinion and that generates conversation!
  3. Post a survey… And have the results available to participants in the community.
  4. What’s on the horizon? Send regular reminders about activities coming up soon.
  5. Feature a “Member of the Week.” Highlight that person’s accomplishments in science education.
  6. Staff blogs. If your organization has an executive staff person, have them provide a weekly blog highlighting their activities.

Above all else, the most important factor is that there is a full commitment to building these communities from your association’s leadership and those running the day-to-day operations.
Does your chapter or associated group have an online community?  Leave a comment and let us know how it’s going!

As NSTA expands its efforts to develop Communities of Practice—particularly with its web presence—I thought I would share a few tips on how chapter or associated group leaders can engage and foster communication online.
If your chapter or associated group has an online community (using public networks like Facebook or Twitter or custom built systems) all of your work will be in vain unless your members and other constituents join the community and contribute to the discussion.

 

Exploring sound and music as part of science learning

By Peggy Ashbrook

Posted on 2010-12-15

Children feeling the vibration made by a music triangle when struck.Exploring how sound is made is one way music is used in early childhood classrooms. I like to use a triangle to focus children’s attention on the tiny movement that generates the sound. They touch the still triangle and then remove their hand. I strike the triangle to make the sound and they touch it again (and shiver or giggle as the vibration tickles their fingers).

Next we pass the triangle and striker around the circle and one child holds the triangle while the other uses the striker. This way no one person can monopolize the equipment and we all get to feel the vibrations again. Sometimes in passing the triangle a child will hold the side of the instrument rather than the string and the resulting “thunk” (rather than a musical note) opens a discussion of how to change sounds.
Early childhood advocate and musician Miss Jackie lists many other reasons for using music in her November 11, 2010, blog posting, Music belongs in early childhood classrooms:

  • Encourages taking turns. Partner songs and playing instruments teach sharing and respect for others.
  • Builds self confidence. Singing songs and doing actions give children a feeling of power and control. These feelings of self esteem transfer to other aspects of life.
  • Builds friendships. Group interaction is a positive way to develop relationships.
  • Develops coordination. Actions with songs and movement are important for large and small muscle growth.
  • Develops rhythm. Rhythm is necessary for understanding ourselves and the world.
  • Inspires imagination. Music encourages children to use their imagination.
  • Develops concentration and ability to focus. Memorizing words, listening for certain sounds are all part of this experience.

The skills of taking turns, building friendships, and ability to focus all contribute to learning science concepts. I use songs passed on to me by other teachers for transitions—to clean up or to gather the children in a circle for group time. “Take a seat on the floor, take a seat on the floor, all my friends come and take a seat on the floor. Not on the ceiling, not on the door, all my friends come and take a seat on the floor.” After a few weeks I do not sing the words “ceiling” and “door” but just point to them while the children sing. This transition song is effective because the humor and small act of participating helps them disengage from their previous activities. (In the best tradition of folk music, the tune I learned is not “Shortening Bread” as most online sites report, but has changed a bit.) See online versions of this song at:  www.songsforteaching.com/b/everybodyhaveaseat.htm and
http://www.preschooleducation.com/stransition.shtml
Where does music fit into your science teaching?
Peggy

Children feeling the vibration made by a music triangle when struck.Exploring how sound is made is one way music is used in early childhood classrooms. I like to use a triangle to focus children’s attention on the tiny movement that generates the sound. They touch the still triangle and then remove their hand.

 

What can a new teacher contribute?

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2010-12-14

My principal recently invited me to serve on the school improvement committee; both my mentor and the high school science department chair have urged me to accept. I’m just in my second year of teaching, so I’m not sure I would have anything to offer.
—Joseph, Columbia, South Carolina
Participating in a school-wide committee could be great opportunity for you to grow as a professional and develop as a teacher-leader. You can learn more about how science education fits into larger issues such as initiatives in other departments, school district policies, or state mandates. You’ll also have opportunities to work with administrators and teachers in different departments. In some schools, committee members and other teacher-leaders have priority for professional development opportunities including seminars and conferences.
What you can offer is a fresh view of situations and issues, as well as the perspective of newer teachers. You may have useful skills in technology, writing, or presenting. You can also be a voice for science teaching and learning.

You most likely would have to commit to after-school meetings, so you should consider other demands on your time (lesson planning, extracurricular activities, graduate classes, and other personal responsibilities) as you make your decision.
Assuming you accept, as the “newbie” on the committee, you would be wise to begin by observing the personal dynamics and listening to the conversations. How do the members interact with each other and with the committee chairperson? Do certain members (or the principal) dominate the conversations while others stay in the background? Are the conversations positive, focusing on identifying problems and solutions, or do the meetings become gripe sessions? How do the members react to different ideas or suggestions? Who are the thoughtful, reflective members? Who seems most resistant to change?
You can also use your status as new kid on the block to ask questions during the meetings: Why do we…? What would happen if…? Have we ever tried…? What is the purpose of …? If you get responses such as “We’ve always done things this way” or “We tried that years ago, and it didn’t work,” ask for clarification if necessary. I’ve been in meetings where these questions have lead to interesting discussions. Sometimes the discussions lead to changes in school practices; other times, the discussions centered on valid reasons for keeping a practice. Asking the right questions can be just as much of a contribution as having the answers.
It’s also important for science to be represented during discussions on curriculum development, scheduling, assessments, grading, professional development, budgeting, and strategic planning. You can provide background information on the importance of inquiry, safety concerns, laboratory space and storage requirements, technology issues, or problems faced by “floating” science teachers and their students.
Some veteran teachers may question your presence based on your experience level. I suspect, though, that others may be delighted that a newer member of the faculty is willing to become involved. Your principal, mentor, and department chair apparently see your potential for leadership.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsbrennan/4222955364/

My principal recently invited me to serve on the school improvement committee; both my mentor and the high school science department chair have urged me to accept. I’m just in my second year of teaching, so I’m not sure I would have anything to offer.
—Joseph, Columbia, South Carolina

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