JoinAll Blog Posts
Blog Post
Recess: Outdoors and sometimes indoors
When the children and I leave the school building for playground time or recess, I feel a sense of relaxation and heightened awareness. We can see farther and the input from the surrounding environment to our senses changes every minute as the wind b...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
Preventing Overcrowding in K–12 Science Labs
Of all the safety concerns expressed by science teachers, class size is high on the list. Thus, occupancy loads in science laboratories should be restricted to create and maintain a safer learning environment....
By Kenneth Roy
Blog Post
NSTA Back-to-School Science Resources For Parents
Keshia Gardner via Today.com...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Engineering activities for students
If you’re concerned about how to teach engineering concepts in a K-12 environment, here are two resources that may be helpful....
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
I meet with more than 100 students per day in my Earth science classes. As a relatively new teacher, I need suggestions on how to get to know them better including learning their names and interests in a timely manner. – L., Connecticut...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Tips for the First Days of School...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
Upon reflection on last year’s practice of taking children on “nature walks” outside, I see how much they enjoyed nature, made gains in vocabulary and became familiar with diversity in plants. In June, at the end of the school y...
By Peggy Ashbrook
Blog Post
What Can NSTA Do for You This New School Year?
Turning the calendar to the month of August signifies the excitement of another school year. Early on in my teaching career, a colleague jokingly stated when the date stamped on the breakfast orange juice container read August 15 it was a reminder t...
By Guest Blogger
Blog Post
Career of the Month: Paleoseismologist
Based on Interviews With Professionals Using Science in the Workplace Paleoseismologists study geologic records to learn about earthquakes that happened thousands of years ago and then use that data to create models to forecast the probability of fut...
By sstuckey
Blog Post
Right to the Source: Sketching the Double Helix
Exploring Science and History With the Library of Congress. In 1869, 25-year-old Swiss physician Friedrich Miescher first identified and isolated deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), calling it nuclein. Decades later, scientists identified the DNA molecule�...
By sstuckey
Blog Post
I just took a fifth-grade position, and the principal showed me the classroom I’ll have. It’s a brand-new building, and there’s nothing in the classroom—just the student tables, bare bulletin boards, a few empty bookshelves, and a...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
Starting the New School Year: Seven Safer Science Strategies
Before starting the new school year, in terms of safety, a little planning can go a long way. Science teachers, supervisors, and administrators should check out the Safer Seven checklist below for strategies that improve laboratory safety. Know...
By Kenneth Roy
Blog Post
Could a Species Like Bigfoot Have Evolved? 17 Mysteries Revealed at #STEMforum Last Week
2016 STEM Forum and Expo Denver, Colorado, July 27–29 As Seen on Twitter...
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director
Blog Post
I’m moving to a different state to take a teaching position. I don’t know anyone there, so where can I look for guidance on state standards and other resources that would be helpful in my new job? —W., Pennsylvania Congratulations on fi...
By Mary Bigelow
Blog Post
The Anatomy of the STEM Pipeline: Dissecting Misconceptions at the 2016 #STEMforum
Anatomy: The subject tend to make teachers freeze up, or make the obligatory “gross” puns. But it’s a great topic for STEM, and a career field more students need to know about....
By Lauren Jonas, NSTA Assistant Executive Director