All Blog Posts
Blog Post
Going Public: Revealing Student Thinking in Science by Missy Holzer
Our classrooms are dynamic places where young learners gather to figure out the natural world. How can we be sure they are all making sense of the phenomena during this process? How do we know what they are thinking?...
By Kate Falk
Blog Post
Making Students’ Thinking Visible Through Discussion by Dana McCusker and Marisa Miller
As the assistant director of science for Mastery Charter Schools I have had the pleasure of working with Dana McCusker and seeing her excellent teaching in action. As a science teacher leader, she has been at the forefront of utilizing discussion res...
By Kate Falk
Blog Post
Explore Before Explain to Engage More Students
A new addition to the Instructional Sequence Matters series has arrived!...
By Carole Hayward
Blog Post
Go Green This Spring, Apply for a Green Ribbon School Award by Jim Elder
Is your school a green school? Is it doing amazing work in reducing environmental impacts, such as waste, water, energy, and transportation? Does your school work to improve the health and wellness of students and faculty with coordinated schoo...
By Kate Falk
Blog Post
Multicultural Scientific Contributions Matter Every Day
February is designated as Black History Month. Why is this the only time that black inventors and scientists are recognized? —Tammy, Alabama...
By Sharon Delesbore
Blog Post
Using rain to manipulate art media, and modeling rain
A day where the rain had lasted so long that the playground became soupy led to an investigation of the properties of art media—tempera paint and oil pastels. As a science investigation we (most of us) followed my procedure of using tempera paint o...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
President Releases Education Budget for FY21 Programs
The Trump Administration released its education budget for FY2021 last week, and it was immediately and rounded criticized by education advocates and denounced by Democratic lawmakers. The president is proposing a 7.8 percent cut to U.S. Departmen...
By Jodi Peterson
Blog Post
Fact or phony? Scientifically evaluating data
From information about the novel coronavirus to viral posts on social media, it can be a challenge to sort out fact from fiction in what we read on the web. Students face this challenge in their daily reading, too, and these featured resources can he...
By Claire Reinburg
Blog Post
As I continue to teach my science class, I often wonder throughout my unit if the students are really grasping the concepts. How do I know my students are getting it? Don, New York...
By Sharon Delesbore
Blog Post
Novel Coronavirus: What’s the Real Story?
Author: William Reed, High School STEM Teacher at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep, Chicago, IL Grade Level: Secondary Lesson Overview In this lesson, students will generate and prioritize questions about the novel COVID-19 and evaluate scienti...
By Korei Martin
Blog Post
Enhancing STEM in PreK-3 Education by Kevin Anderson
In September of 2019, Education Commission of the States (ECS) brought together a group of experts in early childhood and/or STEM education to discuss policies and actions a state might implement to support STEM programming for preschool through thir...
By Kate Falk
Blog Post
I love science fair but is it still practical? Rosa, TX...
By Sharon Delesbore
Blog Post
I use social media but I am not sure of the best way to incorporate it into teaching. Do the rules for student confidentiality vary from school to school, and is it best to create a page focused entirely for teaching and teaching resources only? —H...
By Gabe Kraljevic