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Editor's Note: The “Fundamental Tools” of Science

Journal Article

Editor's Note: The “Fundamental Tools” of Science

Science and Children’s editor shares thoughts regarding the current issue....

Elementary General Science Mathematics STEM Science and Engineering Practices

The Early Years: Taking Math Outside

Journal Article

The Early Years: Taking Math Outside

This column discusses resources and science topics related to students in grades preK to 2. This month’s issue uses children’s interest in collecting outdoor objects to develop their number sense and to build their understanding of math concepts...

Early Childhood Elementary Pre-service Teachers Preschool Environmental Science Mathematics Crosscutting Concepts Inquiry Science and Engineering Practices Teaching Strategies

Teaching Through Trade Books: Becoming a Citizen Scientist

Journal Article

Teaching Through Trade Books: Becoming a Citizen Scientist

This column includes activities inspired by children’s literature. Both of this month’s activities focus on students identifying potential citizen science topics and contributing to actual research....

Elementary

The Poetry of Science: The Math of Science

Journal Article

The Poetry of Science: The Math of Science

Building literacy in playful, meaningful ways. Use this poem to point out that scientists use clocks, timers, and stopwatches to collect and record information....

Elementary General Science Mathematics Lesson Plans Teaching Strategies Literacy

Science 101: Q: How Do Self-Driving Cars Work?

Journal Article

Science 101: Q: How Do Self-Driving Cars Work?

This column provides background science information for elementary teachers. This month’s issue discusses the science behind self-driving cars....

Elementary Middle School Engineering Physical Science Technology Professional Learning old

Science 102: Match Magic

Journal Article

Science 102: Match Magic

This column shares exercises to challenge content knowledge. This month's issue presents a new challenge and answers The Sound of One Hand Clapping challenge from last month....

Elementary High School Middle School Physical Science Inquiry Phenomena Labs

Methods and Strategies: Ask the Right Question

Journal Article

Methods and Strategies: Ask the Right Question

This column provides ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. This month’s issue shows how teachers can use literature and higher-level thinking questions to enhance science instruction....

Elementary General Science Assessment Inquiry NGSS Pedagogy Teaching Strategies Interdisciplinary Literacy New Science Teachers Preservice Science Education

Engineering Encounters: The Internet of Things for Kids

Journal Article

Engineering Encounters: The Internet of Things for Kids

This column presents ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. In the “Talking Window Garden” project, students create “smart” plant pots that use sensors to collect and analyze data on the health of their plants....

Elementary Engineering Life Science STEM Technology

NSTA Press Book

Picture-Perfect STEM Lessons, 3-5: Using Children’s Books to Inspire STEM Learning

"Teachers in our district have been fans of Picture-Perfect Science for years, and it’s made a huge impact on how they fit science into their school day. We are so excited to do more of the same with these Picture-Perfect STEM books!"—Chris Gible...

By Emily Morgan, Karen Ansberry

Postsecondary Elementary Informal Education STEM Assessment Curriculum Instructional Materials Inquiry Lesson Plans Teaching Strategies Interdisciplinary Literacy New Science Teachers Preservice Science Education Teacher Preparation

Using the Crosscutting Concepts to Scaffold Student Thinking

Blog Post

Using the Crosscutting Concepts to Scaffold Student Thinking

At the recent NSTA National Conference in Los Angeles, three-dimensional learning was, of course, a major topic of discussion. When those discussions focus on classroom instruction, though, the crosscutting concepts are often the forgotten dimension....

By Cindy Workosky

Middle School Elementary High School Chemistry Crosscutting Concepts Curriculum Engineering Equity Inquiry Literacy New Science Teachers Physical Science Physics Preservice Science Education Professional Learning old STEM Teacher Preparation Teaching Strategies Technology Three-Dimensional Learning

Introducing Crosscutting Concepts in the Elementary Grades

Blog Post

Introducing Crosscutting Concepts in the Elementary Grades

Four years ago, I moved from teaching middle school science to teaching grades 2–5 STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) labs. One of the biggest challenges I faced was limited lab time in our elementary school. Because we ...

By Cindy Workosky

Early Childhood Elementary Preschool Biology Crosscutting Concepts Disciplinary Core Ideas Multilingual Learners Equity General Science Inquiry Labs Learning Progression Lesson Plans Life Science Literacy New Science Teachers NGSS Phenomena Preservice Science Education Science and Engineering Practices Teacher Preparation Teaching Strategies Three-Dimensional Learning

Investigating Weather and Climate

Interactive E-book Kids

Investigating Weather and Climate

Clear patterns emerge from weather data collected over time. These patterns are the foundation of what we understand as a location’s climate. By investigating the data of different climates for long-term patterns, students begin to notice that not ...

Elementary Climate Change Earth & Space Science General Science STEM Technology 5E Assessment Crosscutting Concepts Curriculum Disciplinary Core Ideas Instructional Materials Inquiry Learning Progression Lesson Plans NGSS Pedagogy Performance Expectations Phenomena Science and Engineering Practices Three-Dimensional Learning Interdisciplinary Literacy

Sound All Around

Interactive E-book Kids

Sound All Around

The Sound All Around interactive e-book uses a variety of everyday events to introduce the concept of sound. Students explore how to make sounds, how sound travels, and how sounds are used. Characters Molly and Juan guide students to explore as they ...

Early Childhood Elementary Pre-service Teachers Preschool General Science Physical Science STEM Technology 5E Assessment Crosscutting Concepts Curriculum Disciplinary Core Ideas Instructional Materials Inquiry Learning Progression Lesson Plans NGSS Pedagogy Performance Expectations Phenomena Science and Engineering Practices Three-Dimensional Learning Interdisciplinary Literacy

I Live Where I Live Because...

Interactive E-book Kids

I Live Where I Live Because...

In order to survive in an environment, organisms have many different physical characteristics that help regulate their temperature, move, find food, and protect themselves. The students’ first analyze data from a case study on the peppered moth, le...

Elementary Biology Environmental Science Evolution Life Science STEM Technology 5E Assessment Crosscutting Concepts Curriculum Disciplinary Core Ideas Multilingual Learners Inquiry Learning Progression NGSS Pedagogy Performance Expectations Phenomena Science and Engineering Practices Three-Dimensional Learning

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