Top News and Resources for Science Teachers
E-mail not displaying properly? Click here to view it in your browser.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Join NSTA and feel the love! | | Classroom Assessment for the NGSS: Seeing Students Learn Science | | On June 15, join Heidi Schweingruber and Peter McLaren for a one-hour webinar on the new National Academies Press book, Seeing Students Learn Science. This publication helps teachers improve their understanding of new approaches to science education and adapt instruction and assessment accordingly. Register here. | |
|
| | What's Hot Now in the NSTA Learning Center? | | STEM, the NGSS, force and motion, lab safety, engineering practices, outdoor activities, science notebooks, Pluto, weather and climate, and genetics: These are the hottest topics in the NSTA Learning Center. Join us there to scoop up lesson plans, ask you peers questions, and weigh in on discussions about these. | |
|
| | | Using Crosscutting Concepts to Scaffold Student Thinking | | Some educators argue that crosscutting concepts should develop in students' minds organically, and others see the value in making them explicit for students. Is one or the other better, and could graphic organizers be your answer? Read more from science educators Jeremy and Amy Peacock. | |
|
| | | | | | | How Strong Is Spaghetti? | | Grab a box of spaghetti, some plastic foam board, and a few books and blocks, and you are set for a STEM challenge that lets elementary students explore ideas about materials strength. |
|
|
| | | | Monstrous Mutations Role Play | | This hands-on life science role play lets high school students explore the effects of random biological mutation on animals' survival skills and understand how animal adaptations evolve over time. |
|
|
| | | | Understanding Ocean Acidification | | The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary has educational resources for learning about the effects of increased acidity in the oceans. Students can watch video lectures or demonstrations on ocean acidification or do hands-on activities to explore the topic. Find more Freebies online at NSTA |
|
|
| | | | Water Filters and Space: A Glimpse Into a Next-Generation Science Classroom | | Sometimes showing is easier than telling. That's certainly the case in trying to capture the Next Generation Science Standards—the K–12 learning benchmarks that 18 states and the District of Columbia have adopted and are now using in classrooms. Unlike some previous science standards that focused on the facts, these standards emphasize action. They ask students to construct models, interpret data, design structures, and make arguments. Read the article featured in Education Week. |
|
| | Thinking Like a Computer Brings Wide Learning Benefits | | A large gap between the number of computer science graduates and available jobs has led an increasing number of districts to boost instruction in computational thinking. The concept refers to the thought process of expressing a solution to a problem with a series of sequenced steps. It's a critical part of computer programming and it can assist learning in all disciplines. Read the article featured in District Administration. |
|
| | New Guide on Undergraduate STEM Education | | The Association of American Universities, which works, in part, to improve math, science, engineering and technology education for undergraduates, released a report on "Essential Questions and Data Sources for Continuous Improvement of Undergraduate STEM Teaching and Learning." It includes questions to aid faculty discussions on STEM education at the course, department, division and campus level on pedagogy, scaffolding and cultural change. Read the article featured in Inside Higher Ed. Check out the Education News Roundup for a selection of the week's top education news stories. |
|
| | | | | | |
|
