Meadowscaping Guides for Kids
 
Explore the benefits of meadowscaping—the art of creating havens for pollinators and other wildlife using flowers and native plants—with two guides from KidsGardening and American Meadows. Targeted for K–8 audiences, the guides provide information and activities for teachers and students. Meadowscaping with Kids presents background information for teachers on the benefits of meadowscaping and includes suggestions for engaging students in a meadow planting adventure. The second guide, Meadowscaping Makes It Better, presents step-by-step information on Planting a Meadow along with activities to incorporate the use of the meadow into science lessons. For example, students can observe nature through journaling, create sensory boxes using natural materials from the meadow, make seed balls to help sow meadow flowers, or go on a pollinator scavenger hunt.   

uBEATS Interactive Online STEM Modules

Building Excellence in Academics Through STEM (BEATS) is a series of online science, technology, engineering, and math learning modules for grades 6–12 exploring topics in genetics, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology, public health, and health science careers. Developed by the University of Nebraska Omaha and University of Nebraska Medical Center, the modules support the Next Generation Science Standards and are designed to supplement existing curriculum and be completed online in about 15–30 minutes. Teachers can browse sample modules (e.g., Mendelian Genetics; Climate Change and Health; Careers in Pharmacy; and Viruses: Are They Living?) to get a sense of the modules’ level and content, then register their e-mail address to access more than 70 modules on various health and science topics. Each module includes a teachers’ guide and a built-in quiz to assess students’ understanding. 

Minute Physics Video: The True Science of Parallel Universes 

Everyone loves the idea of parallel universes: Maybe it’s the appeal of an ideal world where you have second chances and things turn out differently. But is there really a place in science for such wistful speculation? This short (about five minutes) video clip from TED-Ed’s Minute Physics series digs into the science of parallel universes. Targeted for high school audiences, the clip breaks down three different theories of multiple observable universes, or multiverses. Accompanying teacher support materials provide questions for students to Think about while watching the video, resources to Dig Deeper into the topic, and guided and open-ended questions to Discuss as a class after viewing the video content.

Give an Hour for Earth: World Water Day Art Gallery
 
In celebration of World Water Day on March 22, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) invites all young artists to participate in its Give an Hour for Earth campaign by creating unique artistic interpretations of why we need water and why water needs us. Submit your artwork by April 22, Earth Day, for a chance to have it featured on WWF’s website and receive an education goodie bag. (Artists should be younger than age 18; a teacher or guardian must submit their artwork on their behalf.)

Beavers Are Superheroes: Find Out Why! Student Livestream

Join World Wildlife Fund’s Wild Classroom on Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants in celebration of World Water Day to learn about a freshwater hero: the American beaver. The livestream will take place at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on March 18. Advance registration is required.

Effective Writing Practices in Secondary Math and Science

A group of researchers from three U.S. universities is working on a meta-analysis to identify effective writing practices in secondary math and science. This meta-analysis is a three-year project funded by the National Science Foundation, and a summary of the project can be found at https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2404864&HistoricalAwards=false. To conduct the most comprehensive literature review possible, the researchers are asking experts who are conducting research related to secondary writing in math or science to contact them. If you have any unpublished or recently published work (including journal articles, conference proceedings or posters, book chapters, dissertations, research reports, manuscripts under review, etc.), and/or if you know a researcher who has material related to the use of writing in a secondary (grades 6–12) math or science classroom, contact Dr. Hannah Carter at hcarter@boisestate.edu.

Astronomical Society of the Pacific’s Thomas J. Brennan Award

This award from Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) recognizes excellence in the teaching of astronomy at the high school level in North America. The recipients must demonstrate exceptional commitment to classroom or planetarium education, as well as to training other teachers. This award honors the practicing high school astronomy teacher. Occasionally, an individual outside of the secondary classroom, judged to have had a significant impact on high school astronomy teaching, will be selected. Nominators should consider both practicing secondary astronomy teachers and those who have been involved in projects that have had widespread impact on high school astronomy teaching. 

The awardee will receive a $500 cash award, a  plaque, and travel expenses to attend the ASP Awards Gala. Nominate an educator or apply by March 24.