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Va-cation, stay-cation, and edu-cation
But you only work 9 months a year! How many times do teachers hear that? Those who make that comment obviously have never been a teacher or a family member or friend of a teacher. (And I’m not sure where the 3 months off idea comes from. My cla...
By Mary Bigelow
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Chemistry Now, week 14: flower color
In a sea of green vegetation, you’ll find reds, yellows, oranges, blues, and purples—a beautiful range of colors that pop out, saying to insects and other pollinators, “visit me, visit me, no, not that one…....
By admin
Blog Post
I teach seventh grade science and am currently putting together my wish list for next year. I’m looking for information on data collection devices such as Vernier, RED (Really Easy Data) or Log It. In particular, I would like to use the devices...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
NSTA Press author Bill Robertson has extended his popular Stop Faking It! series with the new teacher resource Companion Classroom Activities for Stop Faking It! Force and Motion (Grades 5–9)....
By Claire Reinburg
Blog Post
1st and 2nd grade students collecting and analyzing data, 7th graders too!
Collecting and analyzing data follows observational steps in science inquiry. To get inspired about expanding your students’ science experiences, read about the data collection by first and second grader teams who are National Elementary School Win...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
I recently graduated from a teaching program with a biology certification. With the current economic situation, I’m not sure I’ll get a full-time teaching position. What should I know about substituting? —Alex, Chattanooga, TN...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Last weekend, I did volunteer work at a county park nature center. Many people were taking advantage of the beautiful weather: walking the trails, birdwatching, biking, running, and picnicking. When a family came in to the building to see the display...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Cell phones and cancer? A modern science debate
Do cell phones cause cancer? Those five words have been floating around for over a decade, but only recently has it caught the attention of mainstream cell phone users, some of whom out of fear have changed their usage habits....
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
“Though wholly fabricated from such common raw materials as coal, water and air, nylon can be fashioned into filaments as strong as steel, as fine as the spider’s web, yet more elastic than any of the common natural fibers and possessing ...
By admin
Blog Post
"Distractions" in the classroom
I’m having some classroom management problems in my middle school science classes. I think the classroom itself provides many distractions and contributes to the problem. My middle-school students sit at lab tables, facing each other. Their c...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
A wise professor once told us, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, pretty soon everything starts to look like a nail.” My takeaway from that class was that teachers need a variety of tools, from basic strategies to more specialized on...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Student blogs replace worksheets
Blogs provide a great way to extend the classroom beyond your 45 minute class period. They can be used in a variety of ways to spark discussion and student research. Chris Ludwig, a high school science teacher in Colorado, wrote this blog post to...
By Eric Brunsell
Blog Post
“I know what I mean but I can’t ‘splain it.” I used to hear that from my middle school students in physical science, especially on essay questions. Sometimes the concepts are indeed hard to ‘splain in words. Visuals and ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Spring bird sightings bring reflection on conference sessions
If children bring a downed and abandoned nest to school, have them return it to the same location....
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
On being a "cooperating" teacher: The greatest lesson ever
In a previous blog on student teaching, Christina Atton reflected on her student teaching in science. Her cooperating teacher, Ms. Chevin Stone (from Donald E. Gavit MS/HS in Hammond, IN), shares her experiences as Christina’s cooperating teach...
By Mary Bigelow