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Blog Post
Participation "rubric"?
At our next department meeting we’re going to discuss the idea of using a rubric to evaluate students’ class participation. In many of my college classes, participation was a factor in the final grade. I’m wondering about using this mea...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
This winter has had more than “teachable moments”—it’s been a teachable season (at least on those days when school was in session). No matter what winter looks like in your neck of the woods, it’s an interesting time for sci...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Once again, a late evening was spent on earth science worksheets. This time, however, it was not memorizing terms that presented the challenge, but rather something that caused great consternation in science in general leading up to a discovery that ...
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
Chemistry Now, week 4: chemical bonds
What makes nutmeg and cloves smell like Christmas, while polyurethane-based adhesive smells like, well, glue?...
By admin
Blog Post
Join NSTA and find an early childhood science community
Dear Early Childhood Teacher (of science and everything else) and teacher educators: We invite you to join NSTA! The National Science Teachers Association has lowered new membership dues to $65 for a limited time only, until February 15th, 2011. So...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Using data to get the big picture
I’m a new teacher at a new school. I’m applying for a spot on the principal’s cabinet. One of the questions he’s asking is “What data should we review when we are planning and checking in on existing plans?” I can ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
No good news from the Nation's Report Card on Science
The 2009 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) Science scores were released last week, and NSTA was fortunate to have a number of journalists calling and asking our thoughts about the results. We sent a statement that began:...
By Francis Eberle
Blog Post
There is an old physics joke about a professor who gave a test that included a question that required to the student to explain how to measure the height of a tall building using a barometer. In essence, the punch line is found in a humorous exchange...
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
Data collection and representation
Click here for the Table of Contents...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Each January, NASA’s Day of Remembrance honors the crew members of Apollo 1, space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, and others who have given their lives in the cause of exploration. This event is especially poignant today, the 25th anniversar...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Chemistry Now, week 3: molecule structure, properties
As part of the weekly, online, video series “Chemistry Now,” NSTA and NBC Learn have teamed up with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create lessons related to common, physical objects in our world ...
By admin
Blog Post
I’ve been following Qwiki in its beta form, and now it’s available to all. Qwiki is a multimedia resource with more than two million entries (so far). The entries are narrated (the text appears also) with illustrations and links to other ...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
The limits of molecular learning
As the evening wore down and the hour hand moved north of the seven, my sixth grade daughter informed me she had a big science test the next day and needed help studying. She admitted confusion about some of the concepts, but half the assessment was ...
By Martin Horejsi
Blog Post
*Great Backyard Bird Count, February 18-21, 2011...
By Peggy Ashbrook