Join
Menu Search Join
 

Summer reading

By Mary Bigelow

Posted on 2009-07-08

The Science Teacher cover, Summer 2009As 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.

The Science Teacher cover, Summer 2009As 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

As a science educator, you know the importance of using best safety practices to protect your students physically during hands-on science instruction. But do you also know how to protect yourself legally even in aging facilities and crowded labs? Learn the regulations and how to apply them with this clear, easy-to-use guide to both safety practices and legal standards.
As a science educator, you know the importance of using best safety practices to protect your students physically during hands-on science instruction. But do you also know how to protect yourself legally even in aging facilities and crowded labs? Learn the regulations and how to apply them with this clear, easy-to-use guide to both safety practices and legal standards.
This must-have tool for applying the Standards in real classrooms has been fully revised for 21st century high schools. Of course, the best parts haven’t changed! Our top-selling practical guide still demonstrates how you can bring to life the vision of the Standards for teaching, professional development, assessment, content, programs, and school systems. Throughout the book you’ll learn ways to form productive partnerships for reform, inside and outside your building, with other education stakeholders.
This must-have tool for applying the Standards in real classrooms has been fully revised for 21st century high schools. Of course, the best parts haven’t changed! Our top-selling practical guide still demonstrates how you can bring to life the vision of the Standards for teaching, professional development, assessment, content, programs, and school systems. Throughout the book you’ll learn ways to form productive partnerships for reform, inside and outside your building, with other education stakeholders.
Focus on frequent, accurate feedback with this newly expanded guide to understanding assessment. Field-tested and classroom ready, it's designed to help you reinforce productive learning habits while gauging your lessons' effectiveness. The book opens with an up-to-date discussion of assessment theory, research, and uses. Then comes a wealth of sample assessment activities (nearly 50 in all, including 15 new ones) in biology, chemistry, physics, and Earth science. You'll like the activities' flexibility.
Focus on frequent, accurate feedback with this newly expanded guide to understanding assessment. Field-tested and classroom ready, it's designed to help you reinforce productive learning habits while gauging your lessons' effectiveness. The book opens with an up-to-date discussion of assessment theory, research, and uses. Then comes a wealth of sample assessment activities (nearly 50 in all, including 15 new ones) in biology, chemistry, physics, and Earth science. You'll like the activities' flexibility.
Throughout the pages of NSTA Pathways to the Science Standards: Guidelines for Moving the Vision into Practice, we demonstrate how you can bring the "vision" of the National Science Education Standards into the middle school curriculum. It encompasses all aspects of teaching, assessment, content, professional development, and the science program. By following this “pathway,” you will bring real-world context into your school and classroom.
Throughout the pages of NSTA Pathways to the Science Standards: Guidelines for Moving the Vision into Practice, we demonstrate how you can bring the "vision" of the National Science Education Standards into the middle school curriculum. It encompasses all aspects of teaching, assessment, content, professional development, and the science program. By following this “pathway,” you will bring real-world context into your school and classroom.
Your job: taking lofty educational goals and achieving them in the real world. Your best source of help: The Pathways books--one for elementary, middle, and high school--are brimming with practical guidance for putting the Standards into action. Packed with specific teaching suggestions, great for both seasoned educators and novice teachers. What's more, all three books show you how to convert administrators, school boards, and other decision-makers into strong allies for science education reform.
Your job: taking lofty educational goals and achieving them in the real world. Your best source of help: The Pathways books--one for elementary, middle, and high school--are brimming with practical guidance for putting the Standards into action. Packed with specific teaching suggestions, great for both seasoned educators and novice teachers. What's more, all three books show you how to convert administrators, school boards, and other decision-makers into strong allies for science education reform.
This book—a compilation of 25 practical articles from NSTA’s elementary school journal, Science & Children—offers a wealth of lesson plans and idea starters using interdisciplinary, integrated, and thematic approaches. Discover how a language arts unit on survival can include student inquiry into properties of ice, ways to improve students’ observational skills as they write haiku about nature, how to use data collection and math in mapping the ocean floor, and more.
This book—a compilation of 25 practical articles from NSTA’s elementary school journal, Science & Children—offers a wealth of lesson plans and idea starters using interdisciplinary, integrated, and thematic approaches. Discover how a language arts unit on survival can include student inquiry into properties of ice, ways to improve students’ observational skills as they write haiku about nature, how to use data collection and math in mapping the ocean floor, and more.
Give students the dirt on soil with a practical book that brings new meaning to the term "hands-on." Using these 12 activities and two original stories as guides, kids will soon be up to their elbows in the study of soil formation, habitats and land use, animals that depend on soil, plants that grow in soil, soil science, and soil conservation. Each teacher-tested lesson plan offers helpful background, assessment methods, and suggestions for further exploration.
Give students the dirt on soil with a practical book that brings new meaning to the term "hands-on." Using these 12 activities and two original stories as guides, kids will soon be up to their elbows in the study of soil formation, habitats and land use, animals that depend on soil, plants that grow in soil, soil science, and soil conservation. Each teacher-tested lesson plan offers helpful background, assessment methods, and suggestions for further exploration.
Stepping Up to Science and Math invites you to step back and rethink the way you teach both of these essential subjects. Then it illustrates how you can step up the pace with Standards-based activities that make learning more effective and efficient.
Stepping Up to Science and Math invites you to step back and rethink the way you teach both of these essential subjects. Then it illustrates how you can step up the pace with Standards-based activities that make learning more effective and efficient.
Subscribe to
Asset 2