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To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth (February 12), the Science Section of the New York Times (February 10, 2009) has several fascinating articles. Even if you don’t teach biology, they’re worth…
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Learning about motion and appropriate restraints
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Some children chafe at any restriction, including car seat straps. Doing an activity about force and motion may not make them any happier to be strapped in but it may help them understand what could happen if they weren…
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Planting peas—who will help students record the growth?
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I’m wondering what crops your class grows—Peas? Collards? Cilantro? Zinnias? Marigolds? Planting peas on President’s Day has been the first item on my planting list for many years, and is the topic of the Early…
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Must haves—flashlights, mirrors, and sunshine
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Sometimes as a teacher leads an activity, a student verbalizes all the observations and new questions that were hoped for, making one think, “Was this child coached to say these things, or am I really eliciting all this…
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Count the birds you see on February 13–16 for just 15 minutes!
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I’ve never taken part in the Great Backyard Bird Count but it sounds like an interesting way to learn about collecting data and become part of a greater group contributing to knowledge about bird population trends. The…
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I have to attend a workshop on teaching reading in the content areas. Is it really the job of a secondary science teacher to teach students how to read? —Sofia, Visalia, California Short answer—Yes, it is…
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How does cartoonist Richard Thompson do such a splendid job of channeling the thoughts of preschoolers with their questions about the order of the world? In the world of Cul de Sac, Blisshaven Preschool reminds me of…
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As mentioned in NSTA Reports, the new year has been designated Year of Science 2009 The website has many suggestions for YoS events and ideas for building interest in science. January’s theme is the Process…
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Remembering a snow from 1/3 of a lifetime ago
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Finding a covering of the season’s first snow on their car, my 3-year-old neighbor helpfully suggested, “Use that tool, that small brush,” to her father. Was she recalling last winter? It is possible that she had seen…
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I have always loved science – earth and space sciences especially. Although I’ve had a variety of jobs, since I began home schooling, I’ve discovered I absolutely love teaching. I’m thinking about…
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I’ve worked with several schools that are framing their curriculum and units of instruction around big ideas, key understandings, generative topics, or themes (the terminology depends on which model is being used). The…
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In this Year of Science, this early childhood science teacher is excited to have a President who says, “When it comes to science, elevating science once again, and having lectures in the White House where people are…
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Dinosaurs—a reason to draw and write
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Dinosaurs! This high-interest subject is a focus for questions relating to how animals live in many different environmental niches. What evidence do we have for what we think we know about dinosaurs? How do we know how…
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With the theme of “record keeping,” we might have expected the cover photo to show children writing in a notebook or typing on a computer. Instead, the editor chose a photo of a child looking through binoculars with an…
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Vote and participate in your NSTA
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Voting may not be a scientific way of answering a question but it’s the way members of the National Science Teachers Association choose among the dedicated professionals who are interested in serving on the Board of…