NSTA - National Science Teachers Association

Featured This Month

• Animal Coloration: Activities on the Evolution of Concealment

  
  A classic resource for teachers is now back in an updated edition! Using an inductive and experimental approach, Animal Coloration aims to increase students’ awareness of the ways wild organisms are adapted to their environments. Even though...  [view full summary]
  A classic resource for teachers is now back in an updated edition! Using an inductive and experimental approach, Animal Coloration aims to increase students’ awareness of the ways wild organisms are adapted to their environments. Even though the activities suggest a specific teaching procedure, each activity is also intended to be an investigation by the students and an opportunity for them to make and test hypotheses based on their observations. Through these activities, students will begin to appreciate how scientific knowledge and understanding are attained.
  
  Each of the activities provides an opportunity to incorporate National Science Education Content Standards, including science and inquiry, life science, and history and nature of science. Also new to this revision is a table summarizing each activity with learning outcomes and relevant content standards.
  
  Originally published in 1966 by the Regents of the University of California (UC), Animal Coloration is the result of over five years of field-testing and experimentation by the Elementary School Science Project at UC Berkeley, funded by the National Science Foundation. This book was difficult to find for far too long (worn copies are a cherished part of many teachers’ libraries), so NSTA Press is especially proud to bring the book to a new generation of teachers and to update the work for its long-time admirers. [hide full summary]
  • Member Price: $15.37
  • Nonmember Price: $15.37

Teaching TechniquesView more in this category

• Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 4: 25 New Formative Assessment Probes

  
  Wouldn't it be helpful to know what your students' ideas are about a science concept before launching into a new lesson or unit? Newly released Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 4, offers 25 more formative assessment probes to help...  [view full summary]
  Wouldn't it be helpful to know what your students' ideas are about a science concept before launching into a new lesson or unit? Newly released Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 4, offers 25 more formative assessment probes to help reveal students' preconceptions of fundamental concepts in science, bringing the total to 100 probes for the popular series by author Page Keeley. Teachers of grades K-12 will find short probes with grade-band specifics that provide easy-to-follow suggestions for addressing students' ideas by promoting learning through conceptual-change instruction. Volume 4 adds to the probes in physical, life, and Earth and space science with a new category called "unifying principles." Also covered is a discussion on balancing formative assessment with summative assessment.
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  • Member Price: $22.36
  • Nonmember Price: $27.95

Activities and Field TripsView more in this category

• Activities Linking Science With Math, K-4

  
  Science does not exist in a vacuum and, therefore, shouldn’t be taught that way. In that spirit, Activities Linking Science With Math, K-4, is a hands-on guide for preservice and inservice elementary school teachers who want to connect science...  [view full summary]
  Science does not exist in a vacuum and, therefore, shouldn’t be taught that way. In that spirit, Activities Linking Science With Math, K-4, is a hands-on guide for preservice and inservice elementary school teachers who want to connect science instruction with other areas of study—including visual arts, social sciences, language arts, and especially math.
  
  The 20 discovery-based and academically rigorous activities provided in this volume enrich students’ awareness of the world around them, encourage their natural curiosity, and promote the development of their problem-solving skills. The lessons—such as Digging Into Soil, Exploring the Mysteries of Fingerprints, and What Makes a Boat Float?—are teacher friendly, too, requiring no advanced expertise in any subject area and using only inexpensive and easily accessible materials. Each includes a list of needed materials, a step-by-step procedure, discussion questions, and assessment techniques.
  
  Activities align with the latest national standards for both science and math and cover topics from all scientific disciplines.
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  • Member Price: $22.36
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InterdisciplinaryView more in this category

• More Everyday Science Mysteries: Stories for Inquiry-Based Science Teaching

  
  Where do rotten apples go after they fall off the tree? Does the temperature of the wood affect the heat of the fire? Can you make water boil faster? How large a mirror do you need to see your whole body? This second volume of 15 mystery stories examines...  [view full summary]
  Where do rotten apples go after they fall off the tree? Does the temperature of the wood affect the heat of the fire? Can you make water boil faster? How large a mirror do you need to see your whole body? This second volume of 15 mystery stories examines more science concepts and reinforces the value of learning science through inquiry. Each mystery presents opportunities for students to create questions, form hypotheses, test their ideas, and come up with explanations. Focused on concepts such as weather and climate, thermodynamics, interdependency of living things, adaptation, life cycles, properties of matter, reflection and refraction, and chemical bonds, these mysteries draw students into the stories by grounding them in experiences students are familiar with, providing them with the foundation for classroom discussion and inquiry.
  
  “These stories are bound to reveal the wonderful ideas all students have, give them the confidence to explore their own thinking, and provide opportunities for them to ‘do’ science rather than have science ‘done’ to them.” —Page Keeley, NSTA President 2008–09 [hide full summary]
  • Member Price: $19.96
  • Nonmember Price: $24.95

BiologyView more in this category

• The Biology Teacher's Handbook, 4th Edition

  
  Biology teachers, you’re in luck—BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study) presents a wealth of current information in this new, updated edition of the classic The Biology Teacher’s Handbook.
  
  No matter the depth of your experience,...  [view full summary]
  Biology teachers, you’re in luck—BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study) presents a wealth of current information in this new, updated edition of the classic The Biology Teacher’s Handbook.
  
  No matter the depth of your experience, gain insight into what constitutes good teaching, how to guide students through inquiry at varying levels, and how to create a culture of inquiry in your classroom using science notebooks and other strategies. In addition, learn tactics for including controversial subjects in your courses, promoting scientific discussion, and choosing the right materials—information that would benefit the teacher of any subject.
  
  BSCS experts have packed this volume with the latest, most valuable teaching ideas and guidelines. Their suggestions include designing your courses around five questions—all answered in the book’s five sections: What are the goals of the program for my students and me? How can I help students understand the nature of science? How do I teach controversial topics? How can I create a culture of scientific inquiry in my classroom? Where has biology teaching been, and where is it going?
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  • Member Price: $23.96
  • Nonmember Price: $29.95

ChemistryView more in this category

• Chemistry Basics: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach it

  
  Do the words “periodic table” send chills down your spine? Are you anxious about atomic structure? Confounded by chemical equations? Relax! The cure for chemistry confusion is within reach, courtesy of this newly available book in the Stop Faking It!...  [view full summary]
  Do the words “periodic table” send chills down your spine? Are you anxious about atomic structure? Confounded by chemical equations? Relax! The cure for chemistry confusion is within reach, courtesy of this newly available book in the Stop Faking It! series.
  
  Best-selling author Bill Robertson takes a fresh approach to chemistry fundamentals by helping you understand them from the ground up. Instead of hounding you to memorize the characteristics of atoms and the periodic table, Chemistry Basics will help you see those characteristics as a natural consequence of our understanding of atomic structure.
  
  You will learn not just that atoms behave in certain ways, but why they behave in that way. You will learn not just how to balance chemical equations, but why in the world you would want to! You will also learn not just that carbon is a building block of thousands of organic compounds, but why carbon is suited for this purpose.[hide full summary]
  • Member Price: $19.16
  • Nonmember Price: $23.95

Earth & Space ScienceView more in this category

• Earth Science Success: 50 Lesson Plans for Grades 6–9

  
  Designed as a ready-to-use survival guide for middle school Earth science teachers, this title is an invaluable resource that provides an entire year’s worth of inquiry-based and discovery-oriented Earth science lessons, including 33 investigations or...  [view full summary]
  Designed as a ready-to-use survival guide for middle school Earth science teachers, this title is an invaluable resource that provides an entire year’s worth of inquiry-based and discovery-oriented Earth science lessons, including 33 investigations or labs, and 17 detailed projects.
  
  This unique collection of astronomy, geology, meteorology, and physical oceanography lessons promotes deeper understanding of science concepts through a hands-on approach that identifies and dispels student misconceptions and expands student understanding and knowledge.
  
  In addition, this field-tested and standards-based volume is ideal for university-level methodology courses in science education. [hide full summary]
  • Member Price: $22.36
  • Nonmember Price: $27.95

Physical ScienceView more in this category

• Take-Home Physics: 65 High-Impact, Low-Cost Labs

  
  Available June 2009.
  
  Take-Home Physics is an excellent resource for high school physics teachers who want to devote more classroom time to complex concepts while challenging their students with hands-on homework assignments. This volume...  [view full summary]
  Available June 2009.
  
  Take-Home Physics is an excellent resource for high school physics teachers who want to devote more classroom time to complex concepts while challenging their students with hands-on homework assignments. This volume presents 65 take-home physics labs that use ordinary household items or other inexpensive materials to tackle motion and kinematics; forces and energy; waves, sound, and light; and electricity and magnetism. The result: Students learn background knowledge, reinforce basic process skills, practice discovery, and bridge classroom learning with real-world application—all while getting excited about homework. Teachers can also integrate science and literacy by requiring the use of lab notebooks with formal write-ups. Materials lists and safety notes, as well as both student activity pages and teacher notes are included.[hide full summary]
  • Member Price: $19.96
  • Nonmember Price: $24.95