I am interested in high school engineering projects. I’m looking for fun, engaging, and challenging projects for my honors students.
—T., Rhode Island

There is a vast amount of resources and ideas to help you out with engineering projects. Start with teaching the engineering design process – there are some excellent resources in The Learning Center.

Depending on your budget and access to tools and technology, you can offer a range of projects. Catapults or trebuchets are relatively easy to build and low-tech. These can range from hand-held, popsicle stick affairs all the way to larger ones you can test on the football field!

A friend of mine teaches his entire physics course through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) projects. One student favourite is designing and building headphones. They can listen to music in his class only if they use the ones they construct in class from scratch!

If you want to incorporate computing and coding consider building robots with embedded microprocessors (like Arduino or Raspberry Pi) for specific tasks. A small autonomous robot to find and extinguish a candle is a real challenge. Another option is to build an autonomous greenhouse that monitors humidity, soil moisture and light levels and responds accordingly.

One of the best projects around, in my opinion, is to launch high-altitude balloons with science experiments, cameras, radio equipment. You can check out my collection of resources in The Learning Center on these types of projects: http://bit.ly/2W4Mtbv

These are just a few ideas. TryEngineering.org has an amazing array of resources and ideas.

Hope this helps!

Image by annca from Pixabay

Guest blog post by Paul Orbe

Dear NSTA Members:

I would like to take this opportunity to share my experience with NSTA, our professional organization. Before I embark in storytelling I deem necessary to offer a quick overview in how I became an educator and a proud NSTA member. I feel somewhat obliged to pay it forward. I’m confident there is someone out there who could possibly benefit from my personal story.

After spending several years in healthcare administration and with a nascent family, I made the conscious decision to transition into education. I must admit it was not an easy transition but one somewhat facilitated by my academic background. I received my BS in Biochemistry from Rutgers University in my home state of New Jersey as well as a masters in Administration. I opted to attend an alternate route program to obtain the necessary training to become a certified teacher. After completing the necessary requirements, I received teaching certificates in Biology and in Chemistry. I have been employed with the Union City School District in Union City, NJ since 2012.

Although previous education and work experience provided the necessary tools to excel in my new endeavor, I felt there was something missing. While searching for content for my courses, I stumbled across the NSTA website. Destiny…possibly. My prayers were answered (my doubts subsided) when I learned about the mission of the NSTA. The NSTA’s Guiding Principles and the NSTA’s Strategic Goals offered valuable insights to a newcomer like myself. The decision of becoming a member was a no brainer. Gaining access to a myriad of resources for teachers was certainly a welcomed perk. But the more I learned about the NSTA, the more involved I became.

During my first year as a member of the NSTA, I applied to one of their many professional learning programs. I was beside myself when I was selected to the New Science Teacher Academy sponsored by the Bayer USA Foundation and the NSTA. I was one of nine educators representing NJ. As a New Science Teacher Academy Fellow, I was able to attend my first national conference in Chicago, IL.  The New Science Teacher Academy was a competitive and comprehensive program encompassing a yearlong e-mentoring with the New Teacher Center among other activities. Moreover, my professional network was immediately expanded. NSTA officers and staff were responsive to my questions and concerns. Knowing that someone has your back is certainly comforting. During my attendance to the National Conference, I quickly learned the multitude of workshops, topics, guest speakers and exhibits available. I felt like a kid in a candy store. So many interesting activities to attend…so little time. I was grateful to learn more about our profession.

The following year I received a Maitland P. Simmons Memorial Award for New Teachers. This time I attended the National Conference in Nashville, TN. I also received the 2016 Urban Science Educator Development Award from Shell Oil Company and NSTA. Since, I have presented original research in numerous NSTA Area and National Conferences. These locations include: Minneapolis (2016), LA and Baltimore (2017), and Atlanta (2018). NSTA offers an extensive Awards and Recognition Program. Award recipients attend the black-tie gala at the yearly National Conference and are honored for their accomplishments. But this is not all…

NSTA also offers leadership opportunities. I’m currently serving in the Committee on Research in Science Teaching. There are multiple opportunities to serve in standing committees, advisory boards and panels. So, what are you waiting for?

I would like to thank Dr. Carolyn Hayes. I consider her my mentor. I met Dr. Hayes in my first national conference while she was serving as the President-elect for the NSTA. She was easy going and quick to offer suggestions to increase my profile as an educator.

Well…this is my story. I strongly encourage you to become involved. Applying for fellowships and awards is not for the faint of heart, it requires work. Yet, if you love what you do, you will never have to work a day in your life! Give yourself a chance and let your voice be heard. These are transcendental times, respond to my plea for becoming an agent of change and positively alter the future of education.

Paul Orbe, Ed.S.

This week in education news, NEA sees small increase in membership; effective grading practices, classroom technology, and social-emotional competencies among blind spots in teacher professional development; new study finds that 61% of high schools in California do not offer computer science courses; and new survey finds U.S. teachers in grades 7-9 spend more hours teaching and have longer work weeks than most of their counterparts in 48 other education systems.

Why Can’t Everyone Get A’s

For a generation now, school reform has meant top-down mandates for what students must be taught, enforced by high-stakes standardized tests and justified by macho rhetoric — “rigor,” “raising the bar,” “tougher standards.” Here’s a thought experiment. Suppose that next year virtually every student passed the tests. What would the reaction be from politicians, businesspeople, the media? Would these people shake their heads in admiration and say, “Damn, those teachers must be good!”? Read the op-ed featured in the New York Times.

Nation’s Largest Teachers’ Union Sees Slight Upswing in Membership

The National Education Association projected a steep membership decline in the wake of an adverse Supreme Court ruling—but the losses were not as bad as anticipated. The NEA had projected a more than 10 percent membership decline from 2018 to 2020. In response, it cut $50 million from its two-year budget. But the latest figures show that the projected losses did not entirely realize. The NEA recorded about 2.29 million full-time equivalent members (a number that includes teachers, education support professionals, and retirees) for the upcoming budget year of 2019-20. The union had projected dipping down to 2.11 million members. Read the article featured in Education Week.

What Are the Blind Spots in Teacher PD?

Teacher professional development is a multibillion-dollar industry that every educator will participate in over the course of his or her career. But often, it’s a source of teacher frustration. Nearly all educators can name an example of professional development that wasn’t relevant to their work, did not inspire lasting change, or was just plain boring. And according to a 2016 Education Week Research Center and MCH Strategic Data survey of teachers, 42 percent of respondents said they have little to no influence on the professional development available to them. Read the article featured in Education Week.

Study: More than Half of California High Schools Lack Computer Science Courses

California has the highest number of technology workers in the country. But many students in the state lack access to the computer science courses that may set them up for those career opportunities, a new study shows. Read the article featured in EdSource.

STEM Teachers are Most in Need of Additional Pay

Low teacher pay has attracted much attention over the last year in the wave of teacher unrest, even gathering attention among Democratic presidential candidates. A recent report from The Economic Policy Institute shows teachers were paid lower than other college graduates in all states, and the teacher pay penalty in the U.S. is also large by international standards. Yet, most conversations fail to acknowledge that teacher wage penalties differ quite markedly between teachers of different disciplines. Individuals with degrees in STEM fields are hit the hardest when they choose to enter teaching over other careers in their field. Read the article featured on the Brown Center Chalkboard.

Local Firefighters Spark Middle School STEM Lessons

Students learn about emergency services career while also getting to light something on fire. Read the article featured in District Administration.

Survey: Despite Long Working Hours, US Teachers Satisfied with Jobs

The latest Teaching and Learning International Survey also shows U.S. teachers are less likely than peers in 48 other educational systems to express a “high need” for professional development. Read the article featured in Education DIVE.

How A Former Teacher Is Improving STEM Education In America’s Schools

A former teacher, Serene Gallegos leads the Ignite My Future in School (IMFIS) initiative, an educational program designed to help instill computational thinking in American students and expand STEM skills within their curriculums. In her role, Gallegos partners with school districts across the country to bring free, high-quality professional development in computational thinking to teachers. In addition, she uses her personal experience as a teacher to improve educational experiences, opportunities, and outcomes for students from underrepresented communities. Read the article featured in Forbes.

Stay tuned for next week’s top education news stories.

The Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs (CLPA) team strives to keep NSTA members, teachers, science education leaders, and the general public informed about NSTA programs, products, and services and key science education issues and legislation. In the association’s role as the national voice for science education, its CLPA team actively promotes NSTA’s positions on science education issues and communicates key NSTA messages to essential audiences.

It’s amazing how much animal life a small patch of ground can sustain. Over the last three weeks in the row house yard there have been Black swallowtail butterfly larvae (caterpillars) on a fennel plant; isopods (roly-polies/pillbugs), slugs, and centipedes under the flower pots; Cabbage white butterfly larvae on the kale, Milkweed Leaf beetles on the milkweed plants; and a Monarch butterfly laying two eggs on a milkweed plant.

Plus many kinds of bees on the flowers, ants between the patio bricks and on the trumpet vine flowers, a few spiders resting in webs, flies buzzing around, and different kinds of birds at a feeder. There are likely to be many other kinds of animals that did not show themselves. 

The first sighting of Monarch butterflies is exciting because they are one of the animals that migrate seasonally so they may not be in your area for very long. Scientists encourage citizen scientists to report their “firsts” data of when and where they first see an adult butterfly, milkweed emerge in the spring, monarch eggs, and monarch larvae (caterpillar).

Journey North, a citizen science program, provides tools on the website for us to record our data, helping scientists understand the monarch’s conservation needs (as well as American Robins, hummingbirds, frogs, and other living organisms). Data recorded year round is helpful!

Read about planting a garden that will sustain butterflies, and all about Monarch biology, rearing, milkweed cultivation, and migration on the Monarch Watch website, another program dedicated to the conservation of Monarch butterflies.

Those two Monarch eggs on a small milkweed plant are now in a “butterfly house” at a preschool with plenty more milkweed for those very hungry caterpillars when they hatch out. The children will maintain the butterfly house, observe the caterpillars as they eat, grow, and pupate before emerging from their chrysalids as adult Monarch butterflies. 

Education Appropriations Part of Four-Bill “Minibus” Being Considered by U.S. House of Representatives

Members of Congress are currently working through a slew of amendments as the House of Representatives considers FY20 appropriations bills in four areas–State-Foreign Operations,  Energy-Water, Defense, and Labor-HHS-Education– that have been combined together into a “minibus” now making its way through the chamber.

The Education portion of the minibus, which would provide a 6 percent increase to the Department of Education, includes $1.3 billion for Title IV/A Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grant and $2.5 billion for the Title IIA grant, an increase of $150 million and $500 million respectively. A previous legislative update on the appropriations for education under consideration is here.

While the bill is expected to pass the Democratic-controlled House, the appropriations process is still very unclear in the Senate due to the lack of a deal to raise the funding caps.

Top Democratic and Republican congressional leaders are also meeting with White House officials to try again to reach a budget deal before the FY20 budget year officially begins on Oct. 1 and automatic spending cuts kick in this year.  Lawmakers also have to come to an agreement to raise the government’s debt ceiling later this year too.

Of particular note (and good news for science and STEM ed advocates): the House report language on the Title IVA grant, which clarifies and signals Congressional intent as to the use of the grant funds, includes specific language on engineering education and computer science:

Engineering Education.—The Committee is aware that among science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) topics, there is a relatively limited focus on engineering education; however, engineering is important in its application of scientific and mathematical principles to innovation, analysis, design, evaluation, and manufacturing processes and systems. Therefore, the Committee is supportive of efforts by LEAs to use SSAE funds to support rigorous academic coursework or educator professional learning in engineering education programs and encourages the expansion of engineering initiatives in elementary and secondary schools through public-private partnerships.

Computer Science.—The Committee notes that States and school districts may use funds available under the SSAE Grant Program to strengthen instruction in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) fields, including computer science, and improve access to Pre-K–12 computer science and STEAM programming for underserved students, such as minorities, girls, and youth from families living at or below the poverty line. The Committee recognizes that supporting education in the STEAM fields, particularly computer science, is critical to ensuring that our nation continues to lead in innovation. As computer science is a basic skill in the 21st century global economy, the Committee intends for investments in Title IV–A to reduce the computer science enrollment and achievement gaps.

Report language on arming teachers also directs the Secretary of Education to issue guidance clarifying that Title IVA funds are not allowed to be used for the purchase of firearms or for firearms training.

Stay tuned.

Senate Committee  Approves STEM Bill

Last month the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee  approved S. 737 (116), a bill that would expand STEM education initiatives at the National Science Foundation for young children. The bill, titled “Building Blocks of STEM Act” was sponsored by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), a former computer programmer. It would also provide  new research grants to help boost girls’ participation in STEM education. Companion legislation has been introduced in the House Science Committee. Read the bill here.

Administration Proposes New Rules on College Accreditation

Last week the Administration proposed a major overhaul of the federal regulations governing college accreditation.

The proposed Education Department regulations are based on language that a negotiated rulemaking panel agreed upon earlier this year after months of debate.

The department will solicit public comments on the proposals over a 30-day period. To view the proposed rule in its entirety, click here.

Presidential Campaigns Kick Off, Many Introduce Education Platforms

Former Vice President and now Presidential Candidate Joe Biden recently released his education agenda; the former vice president wants to triple grants under the Title I program, now funded at nearly $16 billion to ensure teachers in low-income districts receive “competitive” pay, provide 3- and-4-year-olds with access to preschool and ensure districts put in place “rigorous coursework across all their schools.” Read more from Education Week here: Biden, Sanders Lay Out Broad Education Platforms

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), also called for tripling Title I funding for low-income schools and for setting a minimum starting salary for teachers of $60,000. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) proposed spending $315 billion over 10 years to boost teacher pay, while former San Antonio Mayor and HUD Secretary Julian Castro has called for giving teachers a tax credit of up to $10,000.

And the National Education Association has announced it will hold a Presidential Forum on Education on July 5 during their annual meeting in Houston. Confirmed attendees include Julián Castro, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren , (D-Mass.); other candidates are expected to join in coming days.

Toolkit on ESSA Funding for Science and STEM Now Available

The CS3 ESSA Title II and IV Toolkit explains ESSA grant programs and points to actions that state and district leaders and lead teachers can take to use this funding to support high quality science education for educators as well as students.

ESSA Title II (Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High-Quality Teachers, Principals, and Other School Leaders Grants) allow districts and states to fund teacher professional development.  Districts can also use this funding to provide stipends to recruit STEM teachers, and support generalists (like elementary teachers) who integrate more STEM into their classrooms.

ESSA Title IVA (Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants) will allow districts to provide students with a well-rounded education and improve instruction and student engagement in STEM by:

• Expanding high-quality STEM courses;
• Increasing access to STEM for underserved and at risk student populations;
• Supporting the participation of students in STEM nonprofit competitions (such as robotics, science research, invention, mathematics, computer science, and technology competitions);
• Providing hands-on learning opportunities in STEM;
• Integrating other academic subjects, including the arts, into STEM subject programs;
• Creating or enhancing STEM specialty schools;
• Integrating classroom-based and afterschool and informal STEM instruction; and
• Expanding environmental education.

Also check out the resources NSTA has available on ESSA here.

Stay tuned, and watch for more updates in future issues of NSTA Express.

Jodi Peterson is the Assistant Executive Director of Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Chair of the STEM Education Coalition. Reach her via e-mail at jpeterson@nsta.org or via Twitter at @stemedadvocate.

In an elementary science classroom, it’s not incredibly challenging to motivate students to want to do science and engineering. I find that the students at the grade-level I teach (fifth) are excited about school and learning and their attitudes mirror the words of the Framework for K–12 Science Education: The actual doing of science or engineering can also pique students’ curiosity, capture their interest, and motivate their continued study; the insights thus gained help them recognize that the work of scientists and engineers is a creative endeavor [5, 6]–one that has deeply affected the world they live in.” (Framework 2013, 42-43).

Because of this vision for science and engineering education, I recognize that I must capitalize on this incredible interest by building community, the natural glue, to serve as the foundation for our classroom culture of “figuring it out.” Over time, I have realized that this community-building process is slow, yet deliberate, and by doing it thoroughly and thoughtfully, the class gains so much more than ever intended. It not only increases their science knowledge, but also helps students  develop respectful relationships with one another. Students acknowledge the importance of listening meaningfully to one another while respectfully disagreeing with someone else’s ideas.  They also come to value the meaning and importance of consensus. 

First things first. We establish norms early, publicly post them, and revisit them daily. Building classroom community is a work-in-progress for these young students. It’s also a way to ensure that everyone has a voice, that science ideas are built together over time, and that we make sense of what we’re doing in a way that is collaborative, not isolating. We do a lot of “talk science,” moving between statements and questions that encourage us to not only value what someone has said but also try to bring meaning and understanding to their ideas.

For example, the statements “Are you saying…?”; “Say more”; and  “What do you mean by…?” encourage students to recognize that we value what they have to say.  This sense of respect between one another also enables us to accomplish more in the long run because we feel safe and trust one another with our ideas, even if we disagree with them.

Second, we build our classroom community together by recognizing that as a community of scientists and engineers, we design our learning together.  As the teacher, I am not the giver of information, but rather a facilitator who is also “figuring out” science ideas alongside students. This means that as we engage with phenomena, the investigation ideas are chosen by the students. If the class agrees on an idea to investigate that they think will hopefully answer class questions, these ideas are publicly posted alongside the norms.  These investigation ideas remind students that they are the ones who not only have to do the “figuring out,” but they also depend upon one another to build the ideas over time.  

Finally, a big idea that emerges from student-led investigations is that sometimes the classroom community’s investigations bring us somewhere, and at other times, they don’t. Either way, our class celebrates the roads we’ve traveled in this process, and we accept failure and success together.

For example, in a fifth-grade unit designed to show where our clean water comes from and where it goes after use, we wanted to discover which way treated water flowed once it left a wastewater treatment plant. Thinking that boat traffic or wind had something to do with it, we tried putting wind-up toy boats in containers of water and running fans over those same containers. To no avail, the water didn’t flow. But when we tilted the containers, water came rushing out, demonstrating how elevation plays a role in flowing water. Without the “failed” investigations, we never would have learned to what we needed to figure out, and missed out on a success story for our class!  From here, we could then uncover where treated water ended up in our city.

Each year, as a new group of students walks in, or I loop with another group of students, I am excited to build community with them, either by starting new, or picking up where we left off.  My excitement for building community in science inspires my students, and we hit the ground running…with one another, working together.

Gretchen Brinza is a fifth- and sixth-grade science teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. She is NGSX trained and an author and pilot teacher for both NextGen Storylines and PAGES curriculum development. She is the 2016 PAEMST Awardee for K-6 Science in Illinois and was honored as the 2017 Illinois STEM Educator of the Year. She is always willing to learn more about three-dimensional learning and the positive impact it has on student learning in science.

Note: This article is featured in the June issue of Next Gen Navigator, a monthly e-newsletter from NSTA delivering information, insights, resources, and professional learning opportunities for science educators by science educators on the Next Generation Science Standards and three-dimensional instruction.  Click here to sign up to receive the Navigator every month.

Visit NSTA’s NGSS@NSTA Hub for hundreds of vetted classroom resources, professional learning opportunities, publications, ebooks and more; connect with your teacher colleagues on the NGSS listservs (members can sign up here); and join us for discussions around NGSS at an upcoming conference.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

Future NSTA Conferences

2019 National Conference

• St. Louis, April 11-14, 2019

STEM Forum & Expo

• San Francisco, July 24–26, 2019

2019 Fall Conferences

• Salt Lake City,  Oct. 24–26, 2019
• Cincinnati, Nov. 14–16, 2019
• Seattle, Dec. 12–14, 2019

As I reflect on the end of this school year, I think about how successful I was in building a classroom community. A key aspect of transitioning my classroom to three-dimensional teaching and learning was discussion. Knowing this, I spent a lot of time at the beginning of the year building my classroom community.

One way I accomplished this was to give students with a list of classroom discussion norms, including those from the “green sheet” featured in “Establishing Classroom Discussion Norms” by Cathy O’Connor. Because I teach several different groups of students throughout the day, I decided to use the same norms rather than have students develop their own. I used those listed on the “green sheet” and developed a Classroom Discussion Norms sheet for students.

To help students to clearly understand the rights and responsibilities, I created an activity around the sheet. First, I put students into small groups and had them brainstorm what the three guidelines would look like during a discussion. We had a whole-group discussion to share their ideas and create an indicator list. Then, I had them return to their small groups, read the norms and student rights sections, and identify which of the three guidelines they relate to and why. Finally, each group shared their ideas and I recorded the group’s consensus.

Not only did they explore how a discussion should look in the classroom, they also modeled this as we worked through the activity. This helped students begin working with one another in small groups to discuss, and learn how to respect one another’s ideas, even if they don’t agree. Spending time on this at the beginning of the year begins to build a sense of community with the group because they have taken time to build an understanding around the classroom norms, rather than just hearing about them.

A second strategy I use to help build a classroom community is to change it up! I have students work in groups quite often. Instead of letting them pick their own groups, which typically results with them being with the same people every time, I choose the groups and change them up every few lessons. This helps build community because students become comfortable working with everyone in the class. By strategically putting people in different groups, sometimes encourages the quieter students to find their voice. Because they have been able to talk to everyone in a small-group setting, they feel less pressure and anxiety to speak to the large group. Another skill that can be improved by strategic grouping is listening. Students who struggle with listening to others can be grouped together, which encourages them to listen rather than talk over one another.

A final strategy I use to build a classroom community is to be honest with my students and ask for their feedback. Part of the transition to a three-dimensional classroom means my classroom is often “ground zero” to try out new things. If I sense that something went well, or didn’t go so well, we talk about it! I am open with my students and will often tell them, “you’re guinea pigs today” when we are trying out something I’ve never done before.

We work together, sometimes on the fly, to improve a lesson when things aren’t working so well. Sometimes this means that we take a step back and re-do a portion of the lesson, especially when productive struggle becomes just struggling. Other times, we alter an activity sheet we are working with, either changing a data table or creating a digital, collaborative one using Google Sheets.

Sometimes we take longer than expected to complete a lesson, but I reassure my students that it’s okay if we do. Letting them know we are all in this together and that they have a voice in how a lesson is presented continues to build that community.

Using these three strategies, as well as building relationships with my students, helps to build a classroom community for the time that I have my students. Since using these strategies, I have found that student engagement has increased and students have grown in their ability to make sense of phenomena. And, looking forward to next year, I am always thinking about ways we can improve the process, because it’s not perfect! Like classroom lessons, some classes are more successful than others.

My most meaningful reflection on this school year is that teaching on a trimester schedule has added new challenges to maintaining a classroom culture because I gain and lose students at the start of each new trimester. Next year, I plan to spend time at the beginning of each trimester establishing, or reestablishing, my classroom community. 

Nicole Vick is a 16-year veteran high school science teacher and has taught a wide variety of science courses. She currently serves as District XII Director for NSTA and is a Regional Director for the Illinois Science Teachers Association. Vick has helped develop curriculum and provide professional development for teachers. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and taking her daughter to concerts and musicals.

Note: This article is featured in the June issue of Next Gen Navigator, a monthly e-newsletter from NSTA delivering information, insights, resources, and professional learning opportunities for science educators by science educators on the Next Generation Science Standards and three-dimensional instruction.  Click here to sign up to receive the Navigator every month.

Visit NSTA’s NGSS@NSTA Hub for hundreds of vetted classroom resources, professional learning opportunities, publications, ebooks and more; connect with your teacher colleagues on the NGSS listservs (members can sign up here); and join us for discussions around NGSS at an upcoming conference.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

Future NSTA Conferences

2019 National Conference

• St. Louis, April 11-14, 2019

STEM Forum & Expo

• San Francisco, July 24–26, 2019

2019 Fall Conferences

• Salt Lake City,  Oct. 24–26, 2019
• Cincinnati, Nov. 14–16, 2019
• Seattle, Dec. 12–14, 2019

When the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were first released, I struggled with how to create opportunities that allowed the students to investigate and question. These standards ask alot of our students and require more planning and instructional finesse in the classroom. After attending a two-week modeling camp held by the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA), I felt I knew all the moving parts of the NGSS, but I did not know how to establish the foundation of instruction to support the transition. 

At the beginning of this school year, my department received the mother lode of professional development that helped me change how my classroom functions. Our principal had arranged to participate in a NSTA coach/mentee pilot. We had already started to shift to phenomena-led units using storylines, but we wanted our students to productively participate in scientific processes, similar to Strand 4 from A Framework of K-12 Science Education.

Scientists work in communities; they start with phenomena or problems to solve, then investigate, discuss, design, and work to find the answers. For this to happen we needed to build a classroom community that encouraged collaboration and discourse. As a team, we crafted lessons that created an inviting place for students to share their questions and ideas then brainstorm and discuss possible solutions.

The first major change to improve engagement was to start each unit with a phenomenon that was interesting, multifaceted, and not “Google-able.” We had been using phenomena to start lessons in the past, but having an anchoring phenomenon with supporting smaller phenomena created a greater scaffold for student learning. We observed this phenomenon together, then every student was encouraged to write down and share their questions. This provided a common shared experience for all students to brainstorm together and share ideas. We used their questions and ideas throughout the unit as our guide for learning. We returned to these questions or groups of questions as they were answered, and decided where to go next. This process validated student ideas, helped build our classroom community by sharing a common purpose, and increased student engagement. Students were definitely challenged by phenomenon-based instruction. They initially did not like it when I answered  their questions with,  “I don’t know” or “That’s a good question; let’s figure it out”; they wanted me to give them the answers. My hope was that using phenomena in this way would provide the time and space for my students to work together to make sense of what they were exploring and to ask more questions that would lead to next steps. 

As students became more comfortable with our classroom community, we used whiteboards, incorporated group-thinking, and engaged in more peer collaboration throughout the year. On any given day groups of 3-4 students would be at the whiteboards discussing data, arguing from evidence, creating models, and explaining the phenomena. As the classroom shifted to a discourse model, norms were being followed regularly without prompting, which naturally encouraged more students to be actively engaged in our community of student scientists. 

With any new approach there has been some trial and error. As we became more comfortable with the changes, I assumed that students would be able to continue to work in groups effectively without too much direction. However, after some timely student surveys and observations I found that the most driven students were doing all the work while others hung back. I returned to the practice of assigning student roles and discussed with the students how these roles made the group work better. The roles alternated from member to member so no one person was stuck doing the work. I also switched the type of whiteboard activities (an idea fromAMTA) to increase everyone’s chance to share their ideas. One strategy I used was a science version of the game Four Square. We invited each student to write their ideas on the whiteboard in a quadrant then we spun the board, and they would add more ideas to the quadrant that landed in front of them. We used peer review and feedback with sticky notes and gallery walks to keep one another accountable, which prompted me to ask them more probing questions.

I learned that guiding the students through their learning and allowing them to drive the classroom activities would ignite many students’ desire to participate. However, this was not an easy shift for me, and it took time and practice. I had to learn to embrace my new role as facilitator and get out of the mindset that teaching in this way seemed like I was being lazy. Facilitating a learning experience for my students still required a good amount of prep work and planning. 

Watching these student scientists discuss, diagram, erase, redraw, and finalize their ideas on whiteboards throughout the year has been such a pleasure. Even this late in the year, they continue to hold one another accountable in their discussions, and it makes me very proud of the work they have done. It has definitely required a lot of work to ensure that no matter how hard the science is, we worked on it together in a classroom community that allows for failure and questions…and lots of questions and whiteboard markers.

Resources

American Modeling Teachers Association. How effective is modeling instruction? Transforming STEM Education.2018. https://modelinginstruction.org/effective.  Dec. 13.

Bacolor, R., et al. How can I get my students to learn science by productively talking with each other? StemTeachingTools. http://stemteachingtools.org/brief/6.

Morrison, D., and A. Rhinehart. 2017. How can teachers guide classroom conversations to support students’ science learning?” StemTeachingTools. http://stemteachingtools.org/brief/48.

National Research Council. 2012. A framework for K–12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13165.

Megan Rowlands Elmore is a 13-year veteran science teacher at Glenn Westlake Middle School in Lombard, Illinois. Elmore has a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Drake University. Her experiences have ranged from a Fermilab internship to outdoor education in Wyoming, and from leading student trips to Washington, D.C., to zero-gravity training in airplanes, and she loves to foster discussion and interest in all types of scientific and life endeavors. 

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What are some ways to improve my students’ understanding of the phases of the moon? Are there more inquiry-based activities for grade 2 students?
—S., West Virginia

Popular activities like labelling handouts, cutting out paper or cardboard, and the popular (and tasty) turning cream-filled cookies into the different shapes only demonstrate that students can tell you what a waning gibbous or waxing crescent moon looks like. I add that these two-dimensional, hands-on activities may actually reinforce some children’s misconception that the moon could be flat!

Ask your students to observe the moon. What’s its shape, color, placement in the sky? Does it change during the day? Have them take photos or draw on calendars over a few weeks or months. The great thing: observe the moon during the day in your own school yard. Can they create a model that explains what they observe? [ Don’t worry if they don’t – western cultures didn’t really figure it out until Copernicus and Galileo came along.]

Conduct a demonstration by putting a projector at one end of a darkened classroom or, better yet, a large space like a library or gym. Have the students stand in a cluster in the middle with a large ball (Earth) and face the projector. Spinning in place they should discern how day and night occurs. With the students still in the middle, you walk counter-clockwise around the periphery with a ball representing the moon. They should observe and record the “Moon’s” lit and unlit portions at different points in your orbit. Change a variable—walk clockwise; create eclipses; spin the moon at different rates—and have discuss the effect.

Your students should understand that the phases of the moon are caused by it’s spherical shape reflecting sunlight as it orbits around the Earth.

Hope this helps!

Image by andrasgs from Pixabay