JoinAll Blog Posts
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Guest blog post by Valeria Rodriguez Walking into the Moscone West Center in San Francisco on Wednesday afternoon, I had a few personal issues I was tackling, when I overheard a teacher saying: ...
By Korei Martin
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Guest posters Claire Christensen, Corinne Singleton, Kea Anderson, and Danae Kamdar share their work investigating approaches to school-community organization partnering, perceived benefits to participating organizations and local children and famil...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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Preschool Science at Home: The PEEP Family Science Apps
Guest blog post authors, Michelle Cerrone, Gay Mohrbacher, and Megan Silander write about using digital media to support children’s interest in science topics, and discuss tips educators can use to support families using media to explore science wi...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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I start my first teaching position this fall sharing a fourth grade class with a veteran teacher. I will be teaching science, math, and art. Do you have any suggestions for a new teacher? —V., Manitoba Congratulations!...
By Gabe Kraljevic
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Guest blog post by Anne Lowry As teachers, we know how important family engagement is for student success. How can we improve upon last year’s family engagement and how do we do so while maintaining respect for each family’s unique cult...
By Korei Martin
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Sand play engages children in many of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) disciplinary core ideas, practices, and crosscutting concepts. Explorations with sand also involve natural phenomena of flow and adhesion, and math concepts of scale ...
By Peggy Ashbrook
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I had a hard time figuring out a way to get my second-grade students involved with recycling or something with the 3Rs. So, I was just wondering if you had any suggestions on something better? — N., Massachusetts...
By Gabe Kraljevic
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Reflective questions for choosing resources or shaping your practice
Asking myself about my teaching practice and looking for evidence to answer reflective questions (see Resources) that support my growth as an educator means considering how I collect data when working with children or adults. ...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
How Safe Are Biological Stains?
In middle and high school science labs, biological stains, such as basic fuchsin, crystal violet, and Congo red, are used to enhance properties of microscopic plant and animal cells/tissues. Fortunately, Safety Data Sheets (SDS) note that some of the...
By Kenneth Roy
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Two NSTA Books Encourage Young Readers to Keep Questioning, Searching, and Expressing Wonder
NSTA Press author Emily Morgan wants young readers of her books to be filled with a sense of wonder about ordinary objects or phenomena—like bees—and to never stop exploring the “whys” of our natural world. ...
By Carole Hayward
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I want to demonstrate different states of matter and need activities for third graders for gases. — D., Georgia It’s hard to teach about something we can’t see! Here are a few ideas: Perfumes: Open a bottle of cologne in the room. Students ...
By Gabe Kraljevic
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Helping Students Take Control of Their Learning
I am responsible for teaching my students how to think, learn, solve problems, and make informed decisions. I firmly believe that science is everywhere and affects all aspects of our daily lives, from the food we eat to the way we communica...
By Cindy Abel
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A Physics Teaching Approach That Supports Real-World Science by Matt Holsten
Traditional physics education can leave many students confused, bored, or without the conceptual understanding of the equations they are required to memorize. I prefer an approach that allows students to use evidence to express, clarify, and justify ...
By Cindy Workosky
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Modeling How Students Can Share Ideas and Make Sense of Phenomena by Aaron Mueller
One of the most important steps I take to elicit student ideas in the classroom is to establish a classroom culture that makes students feel comfortable sharing their ideas. I take the time to develop a strong, receptive culture at the beginning of t...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Finding Partners for Elementary Science
Guest blog post by Wendi Laurence and Laura Cotter One of my favorite things is discovering new people who can become partners in elementary science programming. While sometimes it is very hard to find those amazing partners; this is a short stor...
By Korei Martin