Elementary Science Classroom

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screenshot of S&C e-journalScience and Children is now available to NSTA members in a digital version. Same great content, but now NSTA members can read it on the computer as well as the Kindle Fire, Android tablet/phone, and Apple devices. For more information, please go to our digital journals page. Questions? e-mail us at digitaljournals@nsta.org.

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Earth science has always been an engaging topic for young learners. In this issue find out how to use this fascination to your advantage as you create memorable lessons on rock formation, erosion, and more.

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Resources and Opportunities

Guidelines for Classroom Safety

This four-page document should be given to students at the beginning of the school year to help them understand their role in ensuring a safe and productive science experience.

Download Safety in the Science Classroom

A Year of Inquiry

All issues of Science and Children include inquiry, but we took it a step further with this volume—an entire year devoted to inquiry! Follow along as we explore what scientists do and then progress through process skills, notebooking, posing questions, collecting data, choosing investigations, and sharing and assessing the results of inquiry.

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Reward Yourself!

You could win a trip to the NSTA National Conference on Science Education. Apply for NSTA Teacher Awards to showcase your hard work! At the elementary level, Delta Education, SeaWorld, Shell, Vernier, and Zula sponsor awards. In addition, the Sylvia Shugrue Award, the new Aerospace Award, and the Maitland P. Simmons scholarships have niches for the elementary science educator.

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Early Years Blog

The Early Years Blog offers resources and conversation on PreK to 2 science. Topic areas include Activity Ideas, Classroom Management, Integrating Science, and more!

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Award-winning Lesson Plans

The Sylvia Shugrue Award for Elementary School Teachers honors one elementary school teacher who creates and makes use of interdisciplinary, inquiry-based lesson plans. To qualify, teachers submit a lesson plan with fully referenced sources of information and any relevant National Science Education Standards and benchmarks found in The Atlas of Science Literacy. Since the award's debut in 2007, NSTA has recognized six teachers (we made two awards the first year … the submissions were that good). Please follow the link below to read the award winners' lesson plan ideas.

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Need Help Selecting Resources?

NSTA Recommends®

Our panel of top-flight teachers and other outstanding science educators has designated the best available supplements for your science teaching.

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Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12

Since 1973, NSTA and the Children's Book Council have compiled a yearly list of outstanding children's science trade books. The results from 1996 on are available online.

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Events

  • 5/1/2013 - 5/31/2013
    American Wetlands Month  More »
  • 5/1/2013 - 5/4/2013
    Best Out Of School Time (BOOST) Conference  More »
  • 5/1/2013 - 5/1/2013
    Discovery Network Series Premiere of 'The Big Brain Theory'  More »
  • 5/1/2013 - 5/31/2013
    National Eye Institute’s Healthy Vision Month  More »

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