OK, it’s almost October and it’s time to celebrate science. Get ready for Earth Science Week this year (October 12-18, 2008). The theme is “No Child Left Inside.”

If you really are in a celebratory mood, you can move right into National Chemistry Week October 19-25, 2008. The theme is “Having a Ball with Chemistry.”

Both of these websites have lots of resources, and it shouldn’t be hard to find some that align with your curriculum and standards. I did not get any results when I googled National Physics Week or National Biology Week, but please let me know of any nationwide events in these areas!

Astronomy gets into the lineup of October events, too. Check out the Great World Wide Star Count in which your observation data can be uploaded and shared with participants from around the world during the October 20 – November 3 time period.

Don’t forget that October 23 is also the time to celebrate Mole Day.

And then, top off the month by attending the NSTA conference in Charlotte, NC from October 30 – November 1.

With all of these events to celebrate in October, who needs Halloween?

My principal is talking to us about using “formative” assessments. Does this mean taking time away from instruction for more tests? When will I have time to teach?
—W.S., Overland Park, KS
While teaching a lesson, it’s easy to get wrapped up in what we are doing or to “cover” material. But how do we know what students are actually learning? We can wait for the results of state tests, we can give end-of-course exams, or we can create/use unit tests or final projects. These summative assessments help us make decisions about our courses and curriculum (assuming we look at the results), but they don’t tell us much about which students are having problems or have developed misconceptions during our instruction. And by then it could be too late to go back and review or reteach.
Formative assessments are ongoing, classroom-level assessments that are critical to discovering what students are learning during the instructional process, and they help us know if we can move on (if students have learned a topic) or if we need to revisit our instruction to correct any misconceptions or to fill in any gaps. These quick and focused checkups can provide just-in-time information on what students know or can do.
The good news is you probably already use many activities that could be part of a formative assessment process. Quick, frequent thumbs-up/down responses from the students give instant feedback during a discussion. Some teachers use small whiteboards or half sheets of paper on which students write and display short responses. Challenge students to quickly write down their understanding of the topic (as a short summary, graphic organizer, or diagram) in their notebook/journal, share their writing with a partner, and then summarize to the class. These activities could be warm-ups to get your class engaged or bell-ringers to wrap up the day’s lesson.
While students are working together, you can use a checklist of skills, lab behaviors, or quick questions to do “spot checks” while walking around the room. Many schools (including colleges) have clicker systems allowing the students to respond electronically. Vary the methods so they become an integral and enjoyable part of the learning process. Of course, traditional quizzes and lab reports can be used formatively. All of these strategies assume all students are involved, that we provide feedback (more than just a grade or percentage correct), and that we use the results ourselves to improve or validate our instruction. Students should see these activities as part of the learning process, not just as a special event.
Two recent NSTA periodicals focus on assessments: the January 2008 Science Scope and the April 2008 Science and Children (NSTA members can read these online). I’d also recommend the NSTA Press book Science Formative Assessments: 75 Practical Strategies for Linking Assessment, Instruction, and Learning. I showed it to some of my colleagues in other subject areas, and they said quite a few could be adapted to their fields.
I heard once that formative assessment is the tasting a chef does in the kitchen, while summative assessment is the guests celebrating a good meal. If the chef does not do any tasting, he/she is taking a chance on whether the meal will be appetizing for the guests!

One way I like to show the science learning that goes on in school is by posting my photos or children’s work under headings borrowed from, or inspired by, Barbara Lehn in her book What is a Scientist? (1999. Millbrook Press, with photographs by Carol Krauss). Throughout the year the posted pictures change, and gradually fill up each category (some are harder to capture on paper than others). The last category, “Scientists have fun” usually fills first. Children love to look at the photos and reminisce about past activities.
Here are Lehn’s categories and two I added:

• A scientist is a person who asks questions and tries different ways to answer them.
• A scientist learns from her senses.
• A scientist notices details.
• A scientist draws what she sees.
• A scientist writes about what happens.
• A scientist makes comparisons by measuring.
• A scientist must count exactly.
• A scientist looks at objects carefully to decide how to sort.
• A scientist designs experiments to test predictions.
• A scientist experiments by trial and error.
• A scientist thinks logically.
• A scientist keeps trying over and over.
• *A scientist collaborates with others.
• *A scientist lists what she thinks she knows.
• A scientist has fun.

*My additions.

The importance of being scientifically literate, that is, being able to sift through the information and decide what seems likely to be true, was brought home (literally) to me this month when I discovered a “colony” of bed bugs in our house. Colony sounds so much nicer, more David Attenborough, than the word “infestation”. While fascinated with the thought that these small animals had been sharing a family member’s bed for at least a month without disturbing the sleeper (what a good system in which the blood-sucker feeds without harming the host!), I immediately went into search-the-bedrooms, search-the-Internet, and destroy-the-insects mode.
And there was a lot of information about bed bugs to find. Many pest control companies had primers about this invertebrate which looks something like a small, very flat, lentil shaped roach with a pointy head. Entomology departments of universities were also helpful as was an Australian government document. All sites agreed that bed bugs are rebounding after being controlled with the pesticide DDT. (My mother said that they just used a one-time fumigation “bomb” for their apartment back in the day.) I also learned that the initial clean-up we had done in the colonized bedroom had probably spread the surviving animals to other parts of the house because the pesticide we used repels them. Sure enough, a few days later I woke up on several mornings with really itchy bites that have lasted for more than a week. If only I had read further before acting!
My information search resolved into two questions: How did we get them (and not make the same mistake again), and how do we get rid of them now? The bed bugs probably came in on some luggage or a yard-sale stuffed animal, brought by someone who is not sensitive to the bed bug bite and didn’t know they were bringing them. Maybe the bed bugs were still babies, instars who were just a few millimeters of cream-colored exoskeleton looking for a blood meal so they could progress to the next level, that is, molt and move up a nymphal growth stage. The answer to the second question depends on knowing more than most people would like to know about the bed bug life-cycle, and the acceptance of pesticides, and a whole lot of laundering at 60°C. After all my reading I’m still not sure I’m using the correct entomological terms but I do have a plan of action. Because adult bed bugs can survive for 6-7 months without a blood meal, waiting for them to die was not an option.
Even the non-commercial internet sites agreed that it is very difficult to eradicate bed bugs from your home without using a knowledgeable pest control service. Some pest control companies I contacted promised to do the job in one day. Here’s where being able to understand the amazing adaptations of bed bugs to their environment was important. The bed bugs can squeeze through outlet and light switch plates into the space between walls, far away from the household spray we had applied. The eggs they lay in the walls and cracks will hatch after the initial pesticide has broken down and is no longer lethal, so a one-time spray is not likely to end the colony. We are using a combination of techniques to kill all the bed bugs in our house beginning with  a whole-house inspection and application of different pesticides on the beds, mattresses, furniture, baseboards, and inside the walls, by a pest control company. We are hot laundering or dry-cleaning all our fabrics and rugs, especially the bedding and things stored near beds, the drive-in fast food stop for bedbugs. Every day we change and wash our sheets to eliminate any eggs that may have been laid by a surviving adult. I just read about using a diatomaceous earth powder as a long-term protection against survivors or newly hatched or surviving bedbugs—apparently it cuts into their exoskeleton and they dry out and die—so it’s back to the internet to see if this method has any research behind it.
Before the pest control company treatment I had to take my box of Tenebrio (mealworm) beetles out of the house. Odd how depending on the setting, one insect is a valued educational tool and another is a dreaded invader that turns the house upside down. That’s the silver lining: accomplishing the long-delayed deep clean and de-cluttering.

“Don’t smile until Thanksgiving.” When I started teaching, that was the advice from a few veterans on the staff. Fortunately for my students, I disregarded that advice and followed the example of my advisor: “Be fair, firm, and friendly.”
For getting an academic year started, I’d recommend the work of Harry and Rosemary Wong, whose book The First Days of School you may be familiar with but which is worth a reread. It’s impossible to redo the first day of school, but it’s not too late to establish routines in the classroom. These routines are different from lists of rules or from teacher-directed or lockstep regimentation. Check out How to Start a Class Effectively by the Wongs for some ideas for these routines. One that I found effective was to post an agenda so that when the students came into the room, they knew what the main of the lesson was, what activities they were going to work on in class (or for homework), what needed to be turned in, what materials they needed (pencil, notebook, paper, textbook, etc.), and perhaps a bellringer activity. I’d also establish routines for the end of class (so that students just don’t race out of the classroom) and for transitioning between activities during class. These routines may take some time and modeling until they become automatic, but it’s worth it.
The featured articles in the September issue of The Science Teacher have some even better advice for getting started: using concept maps, implementing inquiry assessments, and fostering creativity.
The article Mapping for Conceptual Change describes the use of concept maps before and during instruction and also as an assessment. Some other resources for concept maps include Graphic.org’s description of Concept Maps, the Cmap Tools mentioned in the article, a Concept Mapping explanation from the Study Guides and Strategies web site, and Concept Maps on the website of the Inspiration mapping tool. To see lots of examples, google “concept map” and search the Images.
You can see the value of routines in the article Whole-Class Inquiry Assessments. The authors describe how to scaffold this type of activity so that students learn how to engage in inquiry. If you want some examples of inquiry-type assessments use the Performance Assessments Links in Science site (one of my favorites). You can also go to SciLinks and enter the code TST090801 (or click the code). This set of websites also addresses reading issues in science.
Creativity in science is not just about drawing diagrams or making arts-and-crafts models! The authors of article Creativity in the Science Classroom describe how to get students thinking and problem solving “outside of the box,” reminding me of Einstein’s statement that “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
I suspect there are teachers who are not smiling yet and who think that their students are not “ready” for conceptual, higher-order, creative thinking (and tell them so, with their words or choice of assignments). But don’t give up if the students don’t “get it” at first. It’s been my experience that most students (with modeling, scaffolding, and encouragement) will surprise us with what they really can do, even at the beginning of the year.

Scoring objective tests is easy: the answer is either correct or incorrect. But with essay questions, lab techniques, writing assignments, reports, cooperative or group work, presentations, or other projects (including multimedia ones), it gets more complicated. Some students (intuitively or through prior experience) just seem to know how to do things well. Others, however, need some guidance as to what the teacher would consider quality work. And facing a pile of reports or a roomful of projects to evaluate can be a daunting task. Sometimes the evaluation boils down to factors such as length, neatness, and spelling/grammar (and whether it’s completed on time). While these criteria are certainly important, it’s easy to concentrate on these without an in-depth consideration of the actual content, demonstrated skills, or creativity of a science project or activity.
This is where rubrics can be useful. A rubric is a summary of desired criteria for student work, including descriptions of levels of achievement for each criterion. A rubric can range from a simple checklist (where the levels are “present” and “not present”) to more detailed, analytic rubrics, written in the form of a table with levels such as excellent, proficient, basic, or beginning. Sharing the rubric with the students ahead of time shows them the criteria on which their work will be evaluated and eliminates the “guess what the teacher thinks is important” frustration that many of us have felt ourselves as students.
With a rubric, I found that after looking at a few papers or projects, I had internalized the criteria and I could focus more on the quality and individuality of the students’ work. I could give feedback that was more focused than just the phrase “good job” or “needs work.” Creating rubrics can be a challenging task, but fortunately the Internet can come to the rescue. In the June-July issue of Learning and Leading with Technology, there was a guide to online Rubrics and Rubric Generators (which you can download and read for free). As I read this, I looked at the resources that did not require a subscription or purchase (FREE is an important word in my vocabulary). In examining each of these, I focused on how the resource could be useful in a science class. Here are some of the ones that were mentioned in the article:

• Ideas and Rubrics: This resource from the Chicago Public Schools has lots of information on rubrics in general and a 22-page download with ideas for science-related rubrics. I would re-format them into a more student-friendly style, but this is an excellent resource.
• Assessment Rubrics: Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators has been around for a long time, and this is one of many resources on this site. Look under the heading Subject Specific Rubrics for ideas for rubrics on reports, presentations (although there are dozens of other resources here on graphic organizers, report cards, etc.).
• Rubistar: This site can be used without the free registration, but the advantage of registering is that you can save and edit your customized rubrics online.
• Rubrics for Assessment: This collection of rubrics from a variety of sources is provided by the University of Wisconsin.
• Rubric Maker: I found this from the Tech4Learning a link in one of the sites mentioned above. You don’t have to sign in to use the generator, and you can save and print your rubrics.

I’m currently working on a rubric project with a group of educators. It’s not easy to put the criteria and levels into words, but the discussions we’ve had about effective classroom practice and student learning have been enlightening and enjoyable.

So many times I wish I had everything I need to do an activity with my five classes of two to five-year-olds—all in a kit. Managing materials in a way that doesn’t distract from the concept being explored, but keeps it foremost in the children’s attention, can be tricky. Because young children won’t wait for the teacher to find the bag of cotton balls or some other piece of equipment, I try to have everything in a box or on the table. Planning over a period of years, gathering materials for one kit at a time, is less daunting than feeling I have to have it all this year. If the preschools had a bigger science budget I would be interested in buying pre-made kits. Any suggestions from those of you who have used kits?
Note in the photo, that baby food containers are handy to re-use as small animal observation boxes.
Peggy

Each chapter in my science textbook is loaded with new vocabulary. How can I help students to deal with this specialized vocabulary?
—Dan, Ramapo, New Jersey
This task can be overwhelming. High school texts may have more than 3,000 specialized terms! We want our students to understand and use this vocabulary to communicate their comprehension of science concepts, but the sheer number of words plus the lack of background knowledge in younger or less experienced students makes it a challenge. Vocabulary is also a key component of reading comprehension.
Traditionally, students were required to copy definitions of words. They may have been challenged to put the definitions “in their own words.” Their vocabulary knowledge was assessed by objective tests. The students’ superficial knowledge of the words was soon replaced by blank stares when they encountered the words again.
We may think all terms are important, but based on the work of researchers such as Marzano and Pickering (in their book Building Academic Vocabulary), I’d suggest for each unit, you distill the list in the textbook to words that are critical: those important to understanding the unit’s essential concepts, those applicable to other units, and those specifically mentioned in your state’s standards. You could have a supplemental list of “nice to know” words and words students should already know. For example, in a unit on plants at the upper elementary level, photosynthesis may be an essential term. At the secondary level, it could be on the review list. Ideally and for consistency, these lists would be agreed upon by all teachers of a given subject or grade level. Students should be able to see these words on a designated wall in the classroom or a page in their notebooks. In addition to formal “definitions,” ask students to create a graphic representation of the word. To explain jet propulsion, for instance, one of my students drew a picture of a squid taking in water through a siphon and squirting it back out. I think he got it!
Graphic organizers can also be an effective way for students to become familiar with words. For descriptions, see the Graphic Organizers and Frayer Model websites.
We often assume students know how to use context clues in the text to figure out a word’s meaning, but many may need some assistance. I often showed students how knowing some common affixes and root/base words can help in figuring out what a word means. When my students first encountered the word “unicellular,” I pointed out that “uni-” means “one,” and we brainstormed other words that started with “uni” and were related to “one.” (The website Prefixes and Suffixes can help you identify some relevant ones to share).
I found students need to hear and say the words, not only read and write them. I had students repeat the words several times aloud, emphasizing the syllables by tapping them out.
Many students enjoy word games, which can help them explore and review vocabulary. Creating metaphors and analogies and playing games based on Jeopardy, Password, or Pictionary are enjoyable ways to explore and review words. (This Vocabulary website has ideas for word games and strategies.) However, I would question the value of word searches or word scrambles in helping students use words or understand their meaning.
Rather than relying on an objective test, you can assess students’ knowledge and use of vocabulary in other interesting ways. One of my favorites is a “word splash.” Using a prepared word list or one the students generate, have them write sentences including two or more of the words they’re exploring. In “word sorts,” give groups of students lists of words to categorize. The discussions they have are interesting and informative.

Some of you may remember the pre-Internet days when if you didn’t subscribe to a mailed publication, you had to trek to a public or university library to catch up on your reading on science topics. I must confess that for me back then, it was difficult to find the time to spend a few hours in the library (plus travel time) to find the publications and to read them right there and then.
But now, it’s easy to bring selected resources right to your computer. Many organizations, institutions, and agencies have elecronic resources that they share, free of charge, just for signing up. The subscriptions give you options for the format (newsletters delivered via e-mail, notices that are linked to a website with the information, RSS feeds, and/or podcasts). Check the sites of your favorite museum, university or college science departments, or scientific agencies to see if they offer newsletters or RSS feeds.
Here are some e-mail based newsletters that I subscribe to and that you may want to take a look at:

• Edutopia News and Technology in Education are both from the George Lucas Educational Foundation’s Edutopia website. This is one of my favorites for seeing teachers and students in action. Click on the E-newsletters or RSS links at the top of the page to get started.
• If you’re a member, of NSTA, you already get the newsletters. If you’re not, you can still sign up for them. There is also a link for you to check the e-mail address that is on file for you. This is also where you sign up for the NSTA listserves.
• I also like SmartBrief from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development ASCD). It has educational news on a variety of topics from newspapers and professional publications. You don’t have to be a member to subscribe to this service!
• Get updates from the National Science Foundation via e-mail and/podcsts or RSS feeds. You can select specific topics (e.g., Biology, Geosciences, Education) and you can indicate how often you want the updates (immediately, daily, weekly, monthly – I selected daily so that my inbox is not cluttered up). The link to sign up is right on their home page.
• Depending on your interest level, in-depth report, daily summaries, weekly summaries, and category-specific reports are among the options from Scientific American.
• Sign up for Breaking News from NASA. There are options for immediate, daily, weekly or weekly updates plus options to get podcasts, images, and other agency newsletters.

How do you handle this information? If you don’t want to clog up your school e-mail account or the one you share with others at home, you can set up a yahoo, hotmail, or gmail account (for free) just for these these messages. All of your reading materials will be in one place! However, some schools do not let teachers check e-mails other than the school one, so you may need to check if you can access these other mail sites at school. If you do sign up for a resource, be sure to read the fine print, especially if it is from a commercial entity. On some, you must opt out of receiving other materials or of having your email “shared” with others.
Do I read everything in these newsletters? No, I’ve leared to be a gourmet rather than a glutton! I scroll down and look at those whose title or summary sounds interesting or relevant. And sometimes I look at articles on topics I know little about, just to sample a new topic to learn more.

Science Notebooks can be useful tools, even with young students who are just learning to read and write. See how kindergarten teacher Kathryn Kaatz incorporated science writing and drawing as she took her students on “A Walk in the ‘Tall, Tall Grass'” after being inspired by Denise Fleming’s book entitled, In the Tall, Tall Grass (1991).
In his book Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms, author Michael P. Klentschy offers gives useful suggestions for sentence starters and writing prompts that can be used with young children.
What are your best ideas for incorporating science writing and drawing with your young observers?