JoinA bone to pick
By MsMentorAdmin
Posted on 2009-07-25
I picked up an almost intact dog skeleton from the side of the road. One of my students spotted it from her bus window! I need help with preservation and wiring it together. Any suggestions? I did put the skeleton in a laundry bleach bath for approximately six hours and left it outside to dry. My husband varnished the bones, but now it has a mildew problem. It may be too late for the proper preservation of this skeleton, but you never know what I might find this school year. Thanks for your help.
—Susan, Myrtle Beach, SC
I must admit I haven’t had any experience in preserving and mounting skeletons, but it was a fascinating topic to investigate. I found two websites on the topic of cleaning and bleaching bones, both of which recommend hydrogen peroxide as a bleaching agent: The Boneman and Cleaning and Preserving Animal Skulls.
Mounting the skeleton appears to be a challenge. How to Mount a Small Skeleton has some step-by-step directions. I’m wondering if a museum curator or naturalist at a nature center would have any suggestions for you on how to mount the skeleton for display.
You mentioned the possibility of finding other specimens. I’d suggest you contact your state Game Commission or local animal control agency to learn about any permits or licenses you would need to collect or possess roadkill or other remains of wild animals.
My middle school students were fascinated by skeletons, too. These specimens can provide excellent learning opportunities for observations, comparisons, and classifications. Our school had purchased some smaller ones preserved in blocks of Lucite. The bat and turtle were the most popular ones, and our collection also included a mouse skeleton because many students (as well as some adults) have a misconception that mice have no bones. I usually had a few skeletons and bones on the “museum table” in my classroom, along with other interesting objects for the students to explore. The students would look at them with magnifiers or under a stereomicroscope and were surprised at how vertebrate skeletons are so similar in structure. The high school biology teacher had a nice collection of specimens (legally acquired) he would share with us, too. I also know teachers who tap into the resources and collections of local colleges and wildlife centers. You can expand your collection electronically with sites such as the Skull Site and the eSkeletons Project.
Students like to share what they find themselves, but I’d set some parameters as to what kinds of things can be brought into the classroom. I learned this the hard way when a student brought back a baby shark she found on the beach several hours away from the school. When she opened the cooler—before I knew what was in it—the stench was overpowering! My students were also very eager to bring in baby animals they thought had been abandoned or orphaned, especially rabbits and birds. I would commend them for their concern and then urge them not to remove them from their surroundings. I included these parameters in the syllabus at the beginning of the year so parents would also be aware.
Did you see the article Roadkill Data Analysis: Using Spreadsheets to Integrate Math and Science in the March 2009 issue of Science Scope? It describes a project in which students gather data about roadkill (without removing it) and upload the data to a regional database. They can then pose questions and explore the data.
I picked up an almost intact dog skeleton from the side of the road. One of my students spotted it from her bus window! I need help with preservation and wiring it together. Any suggestions? I did put the skeleton in a laundry bleach bath for approximately six hours and left it outside to dry. My husband varnished the bones, but now it has a mildew problem. It may be too late for the proper preservation of this skeleton, but you never know what I might find this school year. Thanks for your help.
—Susan, Myrtle Beach, SC
Connecting with technology
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2009-07-23
Having been a technology coordinator in a previous career, I saw two different interpretations of the theme.
Several of the articles deal with connecting students to the technology in their lives. For example, Breezy Power–From Wind to Energy and How Do Windmills Generate Power? show how students (and teachers) can learn about this renewable energy source. For more background information and ideas for student activities, enter “wind” as a keyword in SciLinks. The author of the article Designing Payloads describes how an elementary classroom connected with university faculty and their resources to study the atmosphere, using high-tech tools and applications.
I was visiting a class where the students defined the word technology as the “tools and strategies that people use to solve problems.” The teacher posed the questions: Can the tools be simple and non-electronic to be considered technology? Do the strategies have to be brand-new, or can they be tried-and-true ones? If your answer is in the affirmative, then two articles in this issue definitely relate to technology! Larger Than Life: Introducing Magnifiers discusses ways to introduce this essential tool to younger children (or older ones who have never used one before). Older children may be interested in how magnifies work (a great introduction to a unit on optics), so check out these resources on lenses in SciLinks. And studying plants (Flower Power) is a tried-and-true strategy for helping students learn about scientific processes such as observation and classification. Use “plants” as a SciLinks keyword for more ideas.
Another interpretation of the theme can be using technology to connect students with each other and the world around them. If you’ve never tried Wonderful Wikis and Internet Forums, read about how a fourth-grade teacher uses these to engage students in thinking and writing, to foster writing skills, and as a formative assessment of learning. If your district does not allow the use of these tools, show this article! Likewise for YouTube in the Science Classroom. (This author shows how to access and use the videos, even if the site is blocked in your school.)
For more info on using the newest technologies in the classroom, check out the website of the EdTech Innovators, two science teachers with lots to share.
Science and technology are human endeavors. So be sure to wrap up your reading with Teaching the Human Dimension of Science and Finding a Place for Girls in Science. I love the cover of this issue–forty years after a teacher told me that “little girls” did not belong in science. But I’m curious as to why–in 2009–we’re still trying to find a place for girls.
Having been a technology coordinator in a previous career, I saw two different interpretations of the theme.
Summer science fun
By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2009-07-22
From The Early Years photo cache (click the pic for more).
The summer science activities for my children that I remember as working best (that is, holding their interest and not requiring an enormous amount of time to set-up or clean up) include mixing baking soda and vinegar and watching the resulting bubbles foam (get the big box and at least a gallon), playing “Pooh Sticks” (watching bits of sticks float under a creek bridge and out the other side), digging a (relatively) deep hole over a period of days, and making a rainbow with the sprinkler. Being able to work outside opens up many possibilities. On hot afternoons, the public library was the perfect place to regain our energy for dinner by reading and resting.
How about activities such as mixing colors, floating eggs, testing magnetic strength, making bubbles, or generating static electricity? Science NetLinks offers detailed directions for those hands-on activities for summer fun. Join other teachers in sharing your ideas for summer break science activities by clicking on the word “Comments” below. Don’t be discouraged if the CAPTCHA device takes two tries before accepting your comment. It is really good at stopping automatic spam so it’s worth the difficulty it causes.
Peggy
From The Early Years photo cache (click the pic for more).
Classroom management
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2009-07-17
“Would you like to be a student in your classroom?” This month’s guest editorial says it all when it comes to classroom management. A well-organized science lab with students that are engaged and enthusiastic—it doesn’t get any better than that! But it takes a lot of planning, effort, and reflection to make it so. The articles in this issue have variety of suggestions from many perspectives. I would encourage teachers at the upper elementary and high school levels to browse the contents, too.
The best way to solve discipline problems is to prevent them from happening. We science teachers have an advantage—interesting content and hands-on investigations to keep students focused and engaged. In Managing Inquiry-Based Classrooms, Classroom Management and Inquiry-Based Learning, and Classroom Management, Rules, Consequences, and Rewards! Oh, My!, the authors share their teacher-tested strategies for making the science classroom an engaging and safe place for learning. Classroom Management: Setting Up the Classroom for Learning illustrates several ways to configure a classroom for various learning activities. For information on laboratory safety, I’d recommend the NSTA publication Inquiring Safely: A Guide for Middle School Teachers and the NSTA Guide to Planning School Science Facilities.
In addition to the resources suggested at the end of the articles, check out SciLinks for more information on classroom management. I’d also recommend the work of Robert Marzano and his book Classroom Management That Works, in which he synthesizes current research on the topic and provides practical suggestions based on this research. If you or any of your colleagues are members of ASCD, you can read the book and the companion handbook online for free!
When students are off-task, our first question should be “what’s the task?” Most middle school students are motivated by interesting assignments and being able to work with each other. Science Scope always has suggestions for interesting and challenging activities and assessments, such as Cartooning Your Way to Student Motivation (I’ve also seen teachers ask students to respond in a haiku format or as a tweet.)
I was surprised by the content of the article Teaching: A Reflective Process. After using an asseement probe, the teachers developed an an interesting activity to model the water cycle and address the students’ misconceptions. SciLinks has more activities and information on the water cycle.
“Would you like to be a student in your classroom?” This month’s guest editorial says it all when it comes to classroom management.
"I had a carrot for breakfast"
By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2009-07-17
From The Early Years photo cache (click the pic for more).
“I had a carrot for breakfast.” No, not me, this was a young child, a participant in the Early Sprouts program. Young children’s connection between growing food and appreciating it at the table is explored in the article “’Early Sprouts’: Establishing Healthy Food Choices for Young Children” by Karrie A. Kalich, Dottie Bauer, and Deirdre McPartlin in the July 2009 issue of NAEYC’s Young Children. This article serves as an introduction for early childhood teachers who want to do a similar “from garden-to-table” project and link it to nutrition education. I’m going to get the book Early Sprouts: Cultivating Healthy Food Choices in Young Children from Red Leaf Press, where the ideas are further developed and try the recipes! Sample recipes are available at the Early Sprouts website.
The author says that they teach children that taste preferences can change. They say “I like it a lot!” “I like it a little bit,” and “I don’t like it yet” to indicate strong positive, neutral, and negative or unfamiliar reactions to foods. And their students pick up and use these expressions.
Here’s my taste preference change story:
Once upon a time a friend brought me some spring rolls she made in the Vietnamese tradition, heavy on cilantro (an herb I had not yet eaten). My first bite I spit out, thinking that some non-food item had gotten mixed up in the spring rolls because I was tasting some kind of petroleum flavor. I soon had many more tastes of the cilantro leaf in Indian, Latin American, and more Vietnamese cooking–although I pushed it aside, I got small tastes. At some unnoted point I began thinking of it as a food flavor and now I love it and use it often. What exactly happened in my brain?
The Early Sprouts program is on-going, collecting scientific data on how growing food can enhance young children’s health through changing food preferences.For more help in gardening with young children, the online newsletter Kids Gardening News from the National Gardening Association has tips for gardening, grant searches, and workshops. Find out what is happening in your area!
I’m going to try again to garden with the children and teachers in the programs where I’m a science teacher. This time I’ll try using a container with a water reservoir and plant peas and greens in September.
Peggy
From The Early Years photo cache (click the pic for more).
Students and cheating
By MsMentorAdmin
Posted on 2009-07-17
With all of the technology that students have (e.g., cell phones, laptops), I’m concerned about “cheating” on tests and writing assignments.
—Anne, Rochester, New York
This is a very timely question, in light of a recent report Hi-Tech Cheating: What Every Parent Should Know from Common Sense Media.
In the old days, students tried to get away with not studying or doing original assignments: turning in a “report” copied from an encyclopedia; writing notes on a shirt cuff or a piece of paper to use during a test; spreading the word about pop quizzes; discussing the content of a test; copying homework on the bus; sharing copies of old tests; forging parents’ signatures; paraphrasing information without citing sources; reading summaries of books rather than the originals.
I suspect this is a high-profile issue today because high-tech applications make it easier: copying and pasting, texting, downloading from online term paper factories, accessing online answers and solutions to textbook review questions and problems, getting online homework help, taking pictures of a test with a cellphone camera, storing information on an iPod. So is the solution to ban all electronic devices in the schools? The study indicates students still use them even in schools that do so. But there are many creative and legitimate uses of these tools in learning environments. The study suggests we need to discuss the appropriate uses of these devices in terms of “digital literacy.”
From the survey, it appears many students don’t know what cheating really means, especially in terms of these newer media, and they assume helping (or being helped by) a friend is acceptable in every situation. (The incidence of cheating was the same with honors and non-honors students.)
It might be helpful to discuss the topic as a faculty and develop a school-wide policy about academic integrity. What is your school’s definition of cheating (including examples)? What are the consequences? Is the policy published in the student handbook, on the school’s website, and in course syllabi? How will parents (who, according to the survey, are aware of cheating but not by their own children) be informed of the policy?
In addition to having consequences, it’s also important to be proactive with the students. Have a frank discussion about what is or is not acceptable. For example, in a cooperative learning situation, helping each other is desirable; in other situations, individual accountability is necessary. Review the differences between copying, paraphrasing, summarizing, and original thoughts. Set interim due dates for parts of a longer projects to help students organize their time instead of waiting until the last minute when the temptation to copy is greater. It’s easy to say “we shouldn’t have to do this” or “why didn’t they learn this in an earlier grade,” but the technology and the online resources change rapidly along with student access to them. We assume students know the boundaries, but the study suggests they do not.
Does how assignments are graded affect the temptation to cheat? Do we evaluate the process as well as the correctness of a response? Do we demand perfection on even practice assignments or is it permissible for students to make mistakes during practice exercises without a fear of failing the unit? Do we encourage students to submit interim drafts of important writing assignments for our feedback? (I realize this is time-consuming, but I’d rather have students submit original writing in need of a little tweaking rather than a perfect report simply downloaded from another source.) Do we give students interesting, meaningful assignments rather than busywork? Do students understand the purpose of these assignments?
In a practical sense, be aware or “with it” in the classroom. Resist the temptation to sit in the front of the classroom and grade papers while students take a test or work on an assignment. Use formative assessments during the lesson to check student understanding on-the-spot. There are lots of tools for creating multiple versions of an objective test (same questions but rearranged). Give different essay questions to each class—you’ll also get a broader view of what students learned. Some teachers encourage students to use their science notebooks during a test.
Model appropriate behavior yourself. Be sure to cite any sources you use for a handout or worksheet (and credit yourself if it’s original). Model how to cite direct quotes and paraphrased or summarized information. Review and model note-taking and study skills useful for your class. Resist the temptation to check your own e-mail or text messages during class. And learn more about the very positive and creative applications of these technologies that are part of our students’ everyday lives.
With all of the technology that students have (e.g., cell phones, laptops), I’m concerned about “cheating” on tests and writing assignments.
—Anne, Rochester, New York
This is a very timely question, in light of a recent report Hi-Tech Cheating: What Every Parent Should Know from Common Sense Media.
Summer reading
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2009-07-08
As I head off to the beach next week, along with a few mystery novels, I’m going to pack some of the books I ordered at the NSTA conference last spring, a few back issues of NSTA journals I want to review, and several of the resources listed in Current Research: Summer Reading Suggestions in this issue. It will be a full bag, but armed with my highlighter and sticky notes, I’m looking forward to catching up on my reading!
The connection between reading and science is a professional interest of mine, so I was especially interested in the article Reading Aloud: A Springboard to Inquiry. The author makes a compelling case for the value of reading trade books aloud in the classroom, especially if the class has many struggling readers. She provides a list of suggested titles of content-rich books that are written for students through grade 9 (or age 15). She also has suggestions for how (and when) to use the read-aloud strategy.
I was visiting a high school science class where, rather than using a “round robin” style of oral reading by students, the teacher read aloud sections of the textbook. The class had many struggling readers in it, and the advantage was that the students heard the text read fluently as they followed along. The teacher modeled what a good reader would do – stop and reflect, make connections to the graphics on the page, note the text clues, and highlight or add questions to the margin. When I asked the students what they thought, one said “It’s like a live podcast.” The teacher did not read aloud the entire chapter, just those sections with essential concepts or that were vocabulary-dense. For more information on think-alouds and other content reading strategies, check out the SciLinks Reading and Writing in Science websites.
Some research suggests that the quality of a mentoring program can affect teacher retention. The article Helping New Science Teachers has practical suggestions for mentoring teachers, beyond helping them with paperwork and school routines. These suggestions are directly related to science instruction. This article would also be helpful to new teachers whose mentor is not another science teacher (NSTA’s MsMentor is ready to assist with questions and there is a forum for new teachers on the NSTA Community site. New high school teachers could also benefit from reading Science Scope, the NSTA journal for middle school, especially if they are teaching students whose experiences in science have been minimal. And more ideas can be found in SciLinks’ New Teacher Resources list of websites.
As I head off to the beach next week, along with a few mystery novels, I’m going to pack some of the books I ordered at the NSTA conference last spring, a few back issues of NSTA journals I want to review, and several of the resources listed in Current Research: Summer Re
Getting (and staying) organized
By MsMentorAdmin
Posted on 2009-07-08
For the first time, I’ll be teaching two different subjects (biology and environmental science). Do you have any suggestions for how to organize my unit plans, lesson plans, and other resources?
—Don, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
I’m not an organized person by nature. So when I taught four different courses in two different labs, I had to force myself to create a system to coordinate four sets of resources and documents and archive them from one year to the next. It was a struggle, but eventually I was able to use my time to revisit and revise lessons rather than recreating them.
My colleagues used to call me the binder queen of unit plans (I’ve since progressed to electronic files). My school had a written curriculum for each course. Rather than storing the curriculum tome in the file cabinet, I took it apart and put each unit plan in a separate binder. I also inserted my lesson plans for that unit as well as copies of the assessments, handouts, and other notes.
For lesson plans, the best thing I ever did was to get rid of the spiral “Plan Book” with its 2×3 inch block for each class period. There wasn’t enough room to record the plan for an entire lesson, other than a cryptic “pp. 52-56 #1-5” or “Algae Lab” which was not much help the following year.
Does your school have an official lesson plan format? If you’re using a framework such as Understanding by Design or 5E, there may be sample lesson plans posted on the project’s website. If you don’t have a suggested template (and there are schools that don’t require teachers to have written plans) here are some features I would include (keeping in mind that a lesson may span several class periods):
- Lesson title and dates
- The unit goals (or themes, essential questions, big ideas) supported by the lesson
- Lesson objectives
- Materials needed (web resources, supplemental texts, technology, PowerPoints, handouts, assessments, lab materials, notebooks, office supplies)
- Introduction to activate prior knowledge (e.g., an advance organizer; warm-up activity; recap of previous lesson; Know, Want To Know, Learned, or KWL, chart; an interesting anecdote or story)
- Description of the lesson content (concepts, discussions, lab investigations, cooperative learning activities, informal assessments, vocabulary, opportunities for practice or application)
- Lesson assessment (quiz, group presentation, lab report, notebook entry)
- Homework related to the lesson objectives
- Closure or bell-ringer
- Adaptations for students with special needs or extensions for students beyond the basic objectives
Annotate the lesson and unit plan, either on the document or with a sticky note. Reflect on what went well as well as what did not work (and what you did to fix it). Describe in detail any modifications to activities or assessments. Correct any typos or other errors right away.
A colleague suggests color coding course materials and finding a clip art logo for each course (e.g., a microscope for biology, a tree for ecology). Put this in the upper right hand corner of any printed page and use it as you sort through the papers on your desk.
Ask your technology coordinator if your school already has any online organizational tools and take advantage of the organizational features on your computer. You can color code the folders and files on your computer or change the folder icon to your course logo. Have a folder for each course and a subfolder for each unit. With an electronic system you can archive PowerPoints, photos, podcasts, and video clips as well as hard copies of lessons, handouts, and assessments.
In addition to backups on the school’s server, invest in a flash drive, and backup to both regularly. Flash drives are especially helpful if you use different computers at home and in school. As an alternative, you could store your files in a file sharing site, such as Google Docs, which would enable you to access and edit the files from any computer. Files stored there also maintain a version history, so you can go back to earlier versions of lessons as needed.
In addition to electronic files, I still like the concept of binders, where I can flip through an entire unit or workshop without opening lots of files. Once a binder queen, always a binder queen!
Creating a system is time-consuming at first, and you’ll modify it as you discover what works best for you. This investment will pay off the next time you teach the courses. Good luck!
For the first time, I’ll be teaching two different subjects (biology and environmental science). Do you have any suggestions for how to organize my unit plans, lesson plans, and other resources?
—Don, Cedar Rapids, Iowa