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One student in the class I currently teach has only been present one day out of four weeks. How should I keep this student up to date with the work that he is missing? Any tips and advice are greatly appreciated! — O., Ohio...
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
Curiosity and non-conformity are two traits that have served science educator and eBooks+ Kids author Martha Harney very well throughout her professional life. Harney, an elementary science specialist for the Northeast Elementary School in Waltham, M...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Reimagining STEM for English Learners
Science, engineering, technology, and math (STEM) learning is for all students. STEM learning is essential in today’s classrooms because it arms our students with the knowledge and skills to process information, uncover problems, design solutions, ...
By Kate Falk
Blog Post
Early childhood science education at conferences
When a conference has plenty of sessions about science and engineering learning in early childhood—so many that each time slot has 2 or more such sessions—it shows that preschool, kindergarten, and first and second grade teachers are inter...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
What is the most important part of teaching to remember when teaching science? – C., Iowa I would ask all my student teachers, “What do you teach?” Without hesitation, they would answer science, biology, chemistry, or another disc...
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
How to Properly Dispose Chemical Hazardous Waste
Most middle and high school science laboratories produce chemical hazardous waste, but what exactly is it, and how do you dispose of it appropriately?...
By Kenneth Roy
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The #NSTA18 Charlotte Exhibit Hall: A Science Teacher’s Playground
Do the twist! With the Dynamic DNA kit from 3D Molecular Designs, that is. Or if you’re really brave, face off against the Zombie Apocalypse with Texas Instruments. The Exhibit Hall at NSTA conferences has been called “The Science Teachers’ Pla...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
What are some hands-on ideas of how to integrate science into music and art classes? – A., Iowa I believe that teachers should try to integrate subjects! Here are just a few ideas; search the NSTA Learning Center and NGSS@NSTA for more....
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
Investigations that Engage Learners in Science Performances
The release of the consensus study report Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12: Investigation and Design at the Center from The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine provides teachers of science with a structure to engage studen...
By Kate Falk
Blog Post
Teaching Visually-impaired Students
I am writing to ask for suggestions to teach visually-impaired students science. How do you suggest to teach such students? — M., Iowa ...
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
One District’s Path to Improving Student Discourse
If you’ve spent any time exploring the shifts in NGSS instructional practices you will understand the call for “less sage on the stage and more guide on the side.” While such a metaphor can be applied to a variety of science classroom settings,...
By Sean Musselman
Blog Post
Science Class: A Place Where Children Should Be Seen and Heard
I recently observed a lesson about how shadows change throughout the day, and I was fascinated by the amount of time the teacher and the class took to listen to and watch one another as they discussed the data. The careful structuring of time for ana...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Center Your Learning in the NSTA Learning Center
Are you looking for a professional learning community specifically for K-16 science teachers? The NSTA Learning Center is stocked with resources, customized lesson plans, online modules, and community forums, and will change the ways you access and l...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Introducing the NSTA Elementary Science Position Statement
Jennifer Thompson, early elementary teacher and former chair of the NSTA Preschool and Elementary Committee, is the ideal person to introduce the updated NSTA Elementary Science Position Statement. Welcome Jennifer!...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Why Attend? | #NSTA18 in Charlotte, North Carolina
Known as the “Queen City,” Charlotte, North Carolina, is the third-fastest-growing major city in the United States. It is easy to understand what makes the city so popular thanks to its bustling and diverse restaurant and art scene, fabulous weat...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Ideas and inspiration from NSTA’s November 2018 K-12 journals
Regardless of what grade level or subject you teach, check out all three K-12 journals. As you skim through titles and descriptions of the articles, you may find ideas for lessons that would be interesting for your students, the inspiration to adapt ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Key Midterm Election Results & What’s Ahead for Education and Science
As widely reported, the Democrats won the majority of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives which means some key changes ahead. Education: House committee leadership positions will switch over at the start of the 116th Congress on January 3. ...
By Jodi Peterson
Blog Post
I am hoping to have “word walls” in my classroom for subject areas. What would be some beneficial words no matter the age level for the science classroom? — H., Iowa Great idea! I have always maintained that teaching science is also...
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
This month’s blogs feature questions sent to me by students of Michael D. Bechtel, EdD, assistant professor of science education, Biology Department of Wartburg College, Iowa. As part of their coursework they were asked to connect to professional l...
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
NSTA’s 2018 National Harbor Conference: Personalize Your Schedule Based on Content Area
Happening right outside the nation’s capital, NSTA’s 2018 National Harbor conference on science education will take place November 15–17....
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Beginner, as well as veteran, middle school science educators will find what they need to reimagine the teaching of physical science in Patrick Brown’s new NSTA Press book Instructional Sequence Matters, Grades 6-8: Structuring Lesson...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
How Did an Ordinary Science Teacher Win an Award?
Dear NSTA Colleagues, As a proud 18-year veteran of a Kindergarten classroom, applying for one of the NSTA awards in 2014 became “LIFE CHANGING.” I am excited to share my story as an NSTA member whose passion for teaching Kindergarteners and sc...
By Korei Martin
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Evidence, claims, and Media Literacy Week
As the author of the NSTA Press book Exemplary Evidence: Scientists and Their Data, elementary science educator and gu...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Supporting Students With Disabilities in STEM
Jason, is this big enough?” My seventh-grade teacher asked me about the text on the whiteboard, in front of the entire class. Much to my horror, she continued to ask this repeatedly for what felt like the rest of the year. As a middle school studen...
By Kate Falk
Blog Post
Chinquapin oak acorns, also spelled “Chinkapin.”...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Helping Students Develop Perseverance
Tom Meagher, district STEM education coordinator for Owatonna Public Schools in Owatonna, Minnesota, shows students how to hold a Monarch butterfly before releasing it....
By Debra Shapiro
Blog Post
NSTA’s E-mail List Server: A Gold Mine of Help at Your Fingertips
One of the most popular and accessible ways for members to get quick professional development advice and stay abreast of education trends is through the free NSTA’s E-Mail List Server....
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Simple Ways to Make the Best Schedule for Your Grade Level at #NSTA18 Charlotte
NSTA’s 2018 Charlotte conference on science education is right around the corner (November 29–December 1)....
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Spiders and other small creatures—do we want children to be afraid?
Huge anatomically incorrect ‘spiders’ with legs as long as a Daddy Longlegs’ took over the neighborhood these past weeks, crawling up webs ‘spun’ on the sides of houses. Dropping out of trees are others with more fuzzy hair than a troll dol...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Education and the November Election, What You Need to Know
It’s trick or treat time, and I’m not talking Halloween. This important election will happen in 8 days and NSTA will still be working on your behalf in 8+1 days. The most important thing for you to do is to vote. We need to ma...
By Jodi Peterson
Blog Post
How to Use the Power of Assessing in Your Classroom
Authors Lisa M. Nyberg and Julie V. McGough have done it again....
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Bringing the outdoors indoors.
How do you achieve the full concept of bringing the outdoors, indoors? How do you make sure your students are getting the most out of it? How do you transition smoothly where you do not lose any student’s attention? — K., Louisiana ...
By Gabe Kraljevic
Blog Post
How a Dog’s Paws Support K-5 In-the-Moment Assessment
What special features of plants and animals can inspire solutions to human problems?...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Shoes! Beaks! They’re All About Structure and Function
As we watch students arrive for class, we notice that Alejandra hangs her jacket on a coat hook, while Calder reaches for scissors to make a fringe on his picture. Tessa replaces her rain boots with the sneakers from her cubby, and Nick searches for ...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Exploring Structure and Function in Insects
As an entomologist, one of my greatest challenges is trying to overcome my students’ feelings of fear and disgust regarding insects. Insects often have negative images in society. Walk through any toy store, and you will likely find plastic insects...
By Cindy Workosky