Have you all seen the studies illustrating what kids think a scientist is? Last month my building hosted a "Career Day" where every teacher in the building was asked to have a speaker from any career they wanted during their class time, so students would have the opportunity to meet with people doing jobs they … Continue reading Scientists in my Classroom
Evolution of the Scientific Method in the Classroom
I asked a simple question on my Facebook page: "Are there any science education topics you would like to see more blog posts about?" A IRL (in real life) friend of mine responded, "The scientific method... Is it used? What are contemporary thoughts on this? Relevancy to teaching?" We probably all know the scientific method … Continue reading Evolution of the Scientific Method in the Classroom
Quick Start Guide for Science Notebooks
Want to do interactive science notebooks? Not sure where to start? No problem! Really. really. When you want to use scientific notebooks with your students, for notetaking, assessment, recordkeeping, whatever... all your problems have been solved by someone else. That's right, as we teachers know, you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Teaching Science with Interactive … Continue reading Quick Start Guide for Science Notebooks
The Mighty Titans
What is good for an ESL student, is good for all learners. This is something I have fixed in my mind from my teacher education program. I was required to take a course called, "Critical Reading in the Content Areas", and I didn't look forward to it. I have a PhD! Of course I know … Continue reading The Mighty Titans
CCSS and NGSS: A Venn Diagram
What's not to love about this? This might get hung over my desk this year. Seriously. Click on the image to get the original PDF from Tina Cheuk.
Never Work Harder Than Your Students
by Robyn R. Jackson Summer just feels like the right time to take a sit back and enjoy a good book. Am I right? I was enthusiastically encouraged to take a look at this book, "Never Work Harder Than Your Students" by a close friend, (who happens to be a teacher). She loved this book … Continue reading Never Work Harder Than Your Students
Project S.T.O.N.E.
Here is a great opportunity (from my alma-mater) for ALL teachers who are interested in learning more about science, particularly geology and chemistry. Science Teaching for Ohio’s New Economy (S.T.O.N.E.) Get ready for the New Generation Science Standards! Wright State University announces a summer and academic year science professional development opportunity for teachers of grades 4-12 to … Continue reading Project S.T.O.N.E.
Let’s put the Earth back in Earth Day
Story time! Last year I taught plate tectonics to about 140 high school upperclassmen. Before I started, I wanted to know what their knowledge of world geography was so that when I referred to the continents, I would know if they knew what I was talking about. I made a quiz with a map of … Continue reading Let’s put the Earth back in Earth Day
Famous Science Notebooks
Science Notebooks are quite the fad these days. I have to admit, I loved them as a student. However back then, before the internet was what it is now, I wondered what famous scientists had in their notebooks. How about Charles Darwin? He sailed around the world as a "Naturalist", looking at ... Nature. A … Continue reading Famous Science Notebooks
Nature Study for Young Learners
The NSTA position statement on science learning for elementary students states that learning is best if its hands on, inquiry based, and thematic. Nature studies are one way to meet these requirements for young learners. Nature studies can, of course, be formal. But they don't have to be. Right now here in the Midwest, it … Continue reading Nature Study for Young Learners
Better Science Teaching 