NSTA - National Science Teachers Association

Light: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It By: William C. Robertson, Ph.D. NSTA Press Book Average User Rating: Why is left right and right left in the mirror? Baffled by the basics of reflection and refraction? Wondering just how the eye works? If you have trouble teaching concepts about light that you don’t fully grasp yourself, get help from a book that’s both...  [view full summary] Why is left right and right left in the mirror? Baffled by the basics of reflection and refraction? Wondering just how the eye works? If you have trouble teaching concepts about light that you don’t fully grasp yourself, get help from a book that’s both scientifically accurate and entertaining—with Light. By combining clear explanations, clever drawings, and activities that use easy-to-find materials, this book covers what science teachers and parents need to know to teach about light with confidence. It uses ray, wave, and particle models of light to explain the basics of reflection and refraction, optical instruments, polarization of light, and interference and diffraction. There’s also an entire chapter on how the eye works. Each chapter ends with a Summary and Applications section that reinforces concepts with everyday examples. Whether you need a deeper understanding of how light bends or a good explanation of why the sky is blue, you’ll find Light more illuminating and accessible than a college textbook—and certainly more fun. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $19.96 Nonmember Price: $24.95 Grade Level: Elementary School, Middle School

Sound: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It By: William C. Robertson, Ph.D. NSTA Press Book Average User Rating: Muddled about what makes music? Stuck on the study of harmonics? Dumbfounded by how sound gets around? Now you no longer have to struggle to teach concepts you really don’t grasp yourself. Sound takes an intentionally light touch to help out all those...  [view full summary] Muddled about what makes music? Stuck on the study of harmonics? Dumbfounded by how sound gets around? Now you no longer have to struggle to teach concepts you really don’t grasp yourself. Sound takes an intentionally light touch to help out all those adults—science teachers, parents wanting to help with homework, home-schoolers—seeking necessary scientific background to teach middle school physics with confidence. The book introduces sound waves and uses that model to explain sound-related occurrences. Starting with the basics of what causes sound and how it travels, you’ll learn how musical instruments work, how sound waves add and subtract, how the human ear works, and even why you can sound like a Munchkin when you inhale helium. Sound is the fourth book in the award-winning Stop Faking It! Series, published by NSTA Press. Like the other popular volumes, it is written by irreverent educator Bill Robertson, who offers this Sound recommendation: “One of the coolest activities is whacking a spinning metal rod to create a ‘wah-wah’ effect. It’s a simple activity, the explanation incorporates several interesting properties of sound. This activity is in Chapter 5. I suggest you try it and see!” [hide full abstract] Member Price: $19.96 Nonmember Price: $24.95 Grade Level: Elementary School, Middle School

Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It By: William C. Robertson, Ph.D. NSTA Press Book Average User Rating: Intimidated by inertia? Frightened by forces? Mystified by Newton’s law of motion? You’re not alone—and help is at hand. The stop Faking It! Series is perfect for science teachers, home-schoolers, parents wanting to help with homework—all of you who need...  [view full summary] Intimidated by inertia? Frightened by forces? Mystified by Newton’s law of motion? You’re not alone—and help is at hand. The stop Faking It! Series is perfect for science teachers, home-schoolers, parents wanting to help with homework—all of you who need a jargon-free way to learn the background for teaching middle school physical science with confidence. With Bill Roberton as your friendly, able—but somewhat irreverent—guide, you will discover you CAN come to grips with the basics of force and motion. Combining easy-to-understand explanations with activities using commonly found equipment, this book will lead you through Newton’s laws to the physics of space travel. The book is as entertaining as it is informative. Best of all, the author understands the needs of adults who want concrete examples, hands-on activities, clear language, diagrams—and yes, a certain amount of empathy. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $19.96 Nonmember Price: $24.95 Grade Level: Elementary School, Middle School

Energy: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It By: William C. Robertson, Ph.D. NSTA Press Book Average User Rating: Confounded by kinetic energy? Suspect that teaching about simple machines isn’t really so simple? Exasperated by electricity? If you fear the study of energy is beyond you, this entertaining book will do more than introduce you to the topic. It will...  [view full summary] Confounded by kinetic energy? Suspect that teaching about simple machines isn’t really so simple? Exasperated by electricity? If you fear the study of energy is beyond you, this entertaining book will do more than introduce you to the topic. It will help you actually understand it. At the book’s heart are easy-to-grasp explanations of energy basics—work, kinetic energy, potential energy, and the transformation of energy—and energy as it relates to simple machines, heat energy, temperature, and heat transfer. Irreverent author Bill Robertson suggests activities that bring the basic concepts of energy to life with common household objects. Each chapter ends with a summary and an applications section that uses practical examples such as roller coasters and home heating systems to explain energy transformations and convection cells. The final chapter brings together key concepts in an easy-to-grasp explanation of how electricity is generated. Energy is the second book in the Stop Faking It! series published by NSTA Press. Titles in the series are written with clarity, creative flair, and special empathy for science teachers and parents in search of a stress-free way to learn the basics. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $19.96 Nonmember Price: $24.95 Grade Level: Elementary School, Middle School

Quantoons By: Arthur Eisenkraft and Larry D. Kirkpatrick NSTA Press Book Average User Rating: Do you crave both physics problems and captivating illustrations? If your answer is "yes", look no further! Quantoons combines challenging problems and provocative quotes with intricate drawings that mix Isaac Newton and Marie Antoinette with...  [view full summary] Do you crave both physics problems and captivating illustrations? If your answer is "yes", look no further! Quantoons combines challenging problems and provocative quotes with intricate drawings that mix Isaac Newton and Marie Antoinette with Romeo, Juliet, and Einstein. The book is a compilation of 58 contest problems that ran between 1991 and 2001 in Quantum magazine; a collaboration between U.S. and Russian scientists that was published by NSTA. In addition to serving as a reader- involvement device, the problems and cartoons were intended to make inquiring minds think about physics and art in new ways—and have fun doing it. When you open Quantoons, you’ll be instantly attracted to the colorful cartoons, densely populated with quirky characters that look like something out of MAD magazine. And no wonder: Illustrator Tomas Bunk is a regular contributor to that publication! But when you pull yourself away from the drawings, you’ll find that they work with the text to give new context to interesting physics concepts. For example, a Quantoon that explores the classic physics problem of crossing a raging river and determining where you’ll land on the opposite shore is accompanied by a funny/sad metaphorical cartoon about traversing the river of life from birth to death. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $23.96 Nonmember Price: $29.95 Grade Level: High School

Radioactive Waste: Resources for Environmental Literacy By: Environmental Literacy Council and National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) NSTA Press Book Average User Rating: Since World War II, hundreds of thousands of tons of radioactive materials have been produced in the United States. How we will dispose of nuclear waste is a controversial issue with a large technical component. This book provides a useful resource...  [view full summary] Since World War II, hundreds of thousands of tons of radioactive materials have been produced in the United States. How we will dispose of nuclear waste is a controversial issue with a large technical component. This book provides a useful resource for enhancing student understanding of the physics of radioactivity as well as the storage and disposal of radioactive waste. It encourages students to discuss these complex environmental issues using arguments based on the science behind issues related to radioactivity, technology, risk assessment, and tradeoffs. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $5.56 Nonmember Price: $6.95 Grade Level: High School

Inquiry in Action, Third Edition Acquired Book Average User Rating: Inquiry in Action provides a selection of activities that will help to enhance your physical science curriculum. This guide includes valuable tips on classroom instruction. As a resource, it also offers content-related material along with assessment...  [view full summary] Inquiry in Action provides a selection of activities that will help to enhance your physical science curriculum. This guide includes valuable tips on classroom instruction. As a resource, it also offers content-related material along with assessment strategies. Inquiry will guide you through the school year with ease as your class journeys into science investigation. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $24.26 Nonmember Price: $26.95 Grade Level: Elementary School, Middle School

Science by Design: Construct a … Boat, Catapult, Glove, and Greenhouse By: TERC NSTA Press Book Launch a new generation of students into catapult- and boat-building—plus glove- and greenhouse-making—with this newly refreshed resource. Four sets of well-loved activities have been repackaged in one convenient volume that seamlessly combines hands-on...  [view full summary] Launch a new generation of students into catapult- and boat-building—plus glove- and greenhouse-making—with this newly refreshed resource. Four sets of well-loved activities have been repackaged in one convenient volume that seamlessly combines hands-on experience with intriguing engineering concepts. Perfect for inspiring interest in STEM topics, the activities encourage high school classes to learn by doing. The activities will get your students fully engaged in meaningful explorations of concepts such as • buoyancy and friction (through boats); • torsion and elasticity (catapults); • heat transfer and insulation (gloves); and • plant biology, thermodynamics, and energy transfer (greenhouses). Best of all, Science By Design is written with the needs of time-starved teachers like you in mind. Each of the four units provides thorough explanations, materials lists, cost and timing estimates, and teaching suggestions. You also get ideas for assessment and student portfolios, plus lists of connections to national standards. And if those aren’t enough, don’t miss the bonus resources called “side roads”—off-the-beaten-path investigations that let you and your students delve further into the links between inquiry and design. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $30.36  $21.25 Nonmember Price: $37.96  $26.57 Sale Price: $26.57 Grade Level: High School

Companion Classroom Activities for Stop Faking It! Force and Motion By: William C. Robertson, Ph.D. NSTA Press Book Never has it been so easy for educators to learn to teach physical science with confidence. Award-winning author Bill Robertson launched his bestselling Stop Faking It! series in 2002 with Force and Motion—offering elementary and middle...  [view full summary] Never has it been so easy for educators to learn to teach physical science with confidence. Award-winning author Bill Robertson launched his bestselling Stop Faking It! series in 2002 with Force and Motion—offering elementary and middle school teachers a jargon-free way to learn the background for teaching physical science with confidence. Combining easy-to-understand—if irreverent—explanations and quirky diagrams, Stop Faking It! Force and Motion helped thousands of teachers, parents, and homeschoolers conquer topics from Newton’s laws to the physics of space travel. Now Companion Classroom Activities for Stop Faking It! Force and Motion proves an ideal supplement to the original book—or a valuable resource of its own. The hands-on activities and highly readable explanations allow students to first investigate concepts, then discuss learned concepts, and finally apply the concepts to everyday situations. Robertson’s wit and humor are sure to keep students and teachers entertained while they tackle topics such as acceleration, speed, and gravity. Each activity includes an objective, materials list, National Science Education Standards addressed, approximate completion time, and detailed step-by-step instructions. Student pages for recording observations and student evaluation questionnaires to help assess understanding are also provided. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $20.76 Nonmember Price: $25.95 Grade Level: Middle School, High School

You Want Me to Teach What? Sure-Fire Methods for Teaching Physical Science and Math By: Norman LaFave NSTA Press Book Problem: You feel shaky about being assigned to teach upper-level science and math and need to get up to speed—fast. Solution: Follow this concise book’s tried-and-true methods, which you can integrate into your classroom and lesson plans starting from...  [view full summary] Problem: You feel shaky about being assigned to teach upper-level science and math and need to get up to speed—fast. Solution: Follow this concise book’s tried-and-true methods, which you can integrate into your classroom and lesson plans starting from the first day of class. You Want Me to Teach What? avoids long discussions of education theory and specific lesson plans. Instead, it concentrates on general techniques for approaching a variety of problems and enhancing your teaching skills in science and math. It covers student psychology, classroom management, planning, instruction, problem-solving techniques, laboratory methods and reporting, assessment, and professional development. Without feeling inundated, you’ll find a wealth of sensible guidance—whether you’re a preservice education major wanting to teach physical science or mathematics, a new teacher looking for practical methods to integrate into your instruction, or an experienced teacher in search of fresh ways to improve in the classroom. [hide full abstract] Member Price: $19.96 Nonmember Price: $24.95 Grade Level: High School