In the article CSI for Trees there a quote that sums up the theme of this issue: “An ordinary activity can be transformed into a lesson that includes nature of science themes simply by adding a few key statements and questions throughout a lesson.” But the word simply is a little misleading. Asking the right questions (and encouraging students to ask questions) can be challenging. And the authors of the articles in this issue share many insights into how to accomplish this in elementary science.
The article How Do You Ask Effective Questions? has some suggestions. The author mentions “wait time” as a component of questioning and discussion. This strategy is often overlooked or dismissed in a quest to “cover” material, but the published research (and my own action research), indicates that it is a powerful way to increase participation and higher-level thinking. If you need a review of wait time, refer to Using Think-Time and Wait-Time Skillfully in the Classroom. (I love how the cover of this issue illustrates what happens during wait time!) More problem-finding prompts are featured in the article Problem Solving by Design
Dioramas often get a bad reputation as a project, but look at how the teacher in the article Deer Tracks in the City uses them to get young students to act out their predictions. This article also shows the value of asking questions but not necessarily following a lockstep investigation.
Check out the Connections for each issue. Even if the article does not quite fit with your lesson agenda, this resource has ideas for handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, etc.
And remember that SciLinks can provide more ideas and background information on the topics in this issue. For example, the keyword “dendrochronology” as mentioned in CSI for Trees has several sites targeted for grades 9-12. These sites may be OK for more advanced or interested students – or for your own information.
Use the keyword “wind” for grades 5-8 for other lessons and information related to the topics in Wind Solvers. Even traditional classroom distractions such as paper airplanes can turn into opportunities for questioning, as noted in Use the keyword “wind” for grades 5-8 for other lessons and information related to the topics in Secrets of Flight.
Another aspect of problem solving is collecting and Making Sense of Data. Guiding students through this process is (to me) one of the most interesting parts of problem solving. One of my favorite websites is Create a Graph. There is also a tutorial to help you and your students match your data with an appropriate type of graph. The graphs can be saved and printed to attach into a science notebook, too.

Some of my colleagues in the science department and I would like to start a book group, but we’re not sure how to get started. What books should we read? How often should we meet? Any other suggestions?
—Allison, Lexington, Kentucky
How many times have we said to ourselves “I know I should do more professional reading, but…”? Participating in a book group may provide motivation for reading and an opportunity to discuss the book.
I shared your question with a librarian who has experience with book clubs. She offered several insights:

For books on science content and science teaching, consult the NSTA Reviews column in each journal issue or NSTA Recommends on NSTA’s website (www.nsta.org/recommends). For general books on teaching, I recommend browsing publications on the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) website .
I’ve recently read some books you might want to consider. Science Formative Assessments by Page Keeley and Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms by Michael Klentschy (both from NSTA Press) have many ideas your members could try in their classrooms as you read the book. Rethinking Homework by Cathy Vatterott (available from ASCD) is thought-provoking and has been getting a lot of attention lately. Right now I’m reading Never Work Harder Than Your Students by Robyn Jackson (also from ASCD; the website has a helpful study guide).
Professional books such as these are probably not in your local public library, so you’ll have to consider how your members will get copies. In my school, the professional development committee provided books for the summer reading groups. If finances are an issue, you could use articles from NSTA journals or online readings.
Don’t give up if you have a few glitches as the group starts. If you’re successful, you might find a way to include your book group as a personalized professional development option.
At an NSTA conference session I once attended, members of a book club noted their group has been in existence for more than 15 years. Their members come and go, and some teachers who transferred or retired still participate. I think that’s even longer than Oprah’s book club!

Does it seem to you that this blog needs a place to post about resources such as book and website recommendations, commercial sites for needed early childhood science supplies, and interesting articles that are not necessarily related to a particular post? As a blog it is difficult for readers to begin new threads, but here’s one way we can do it:
Please “Comment” to add your suggestions for resources of interest on this post. Begin your post with a header/title identifying the content: book of science activities, favorite fiction with science theme, great website about seeds, place to buy pipettes, blog on teaching kindergarten, and so on. Readers can use the Search feature to find posts on particular topics (let me know if the feature does not function—scienceissimple at yahoo dot com).
Another forum for members of the National Science Teacher’s Association is NSTA Communities, where you can join a grade-specific group such as the PreK-K Group.  Looking forward to hearing from you,
Peggy

When I shared my copy of the book Early Sprouts: Cultivating Healthy Food Choices in Young Children with a nutritionist friend, she got very excited about the possibilities, but then her job changed and she no longer works directly with children. Did that stop her? Read on…

I am doing Early Sprouts with my neighbor Sydney (4 years old) every Saturday afternoon. We did the initial taste tests and we’ve done five or six of the sessions, with the activity and then the cooking back to back. It takes about an hour. We’ve made couscous castles with green peppers, Chinese green beans, butternut squash pancakes (too wet but yummy), yogurt dip, and pasta with sauce made from cherry tomatoes. I love it. I took photos of the plants in the garden in different stages and made cards out of them and at the beginning of each class, she sorts them into piles by vegetable and then puts the cards for each vegetable in order from sprout to plant to flower to small fruit to large unripe fruit to ripe fruit, or whatever applies to the vegetable. I also took photos of the compost pile.
Wish I could send you some of our raspberries.

What she’s begun with one child she can use to inform her teaching with more, in future years. The materials can be used every year too—each following year will need less set-up time.
Read more about the Early Sprouts program at www.earlysprouts.org.
Thanks for the inspiration, Bonnie!

I’m interested in your opinions on what should be included in early childhood science standards. We don’t want to underestimate the abilities of young children to understand relationships in natural systems, nor overestimate their ability to understand the concepts of a “fair” test or the importance of collecting data. Many states have early learning standards, and the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996) begin in kindergarten.
Is anyone very satisfied with their state or program content standards for preK-grade 2 science?
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards describes a rigorous delivery of science curriculum that is the mark of an “accomplished” early childhood teacher: “This NBPTS Standards document describes in observable form what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do.” It sounds wonderful to me, but perhaps out of reach for the majority of early childhood teachers who have not studied science in college. Read the Early Childhood/Generalist Standards, for teachers of students ages 3–8, Second Edition (2001) by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards  (science on pages 35-37).
A sample of the expectations that are part of Standard V: Knowledge of Integrated Curriculum, science content:

[Accomplished early childhood teachers] understand that discussions can transform a class from a collection of individuals into a community of learners sharing their interpretations of the natural world with their peers. Such experiences help children reform and refine their theories and explanations—to learn how to think through their ideas, to pose additional questions, and to reconsider their ideas on the basis of others’ views.
They realize that science is everywhere and that it can be integrated into the curriculum in a variety of ways. They provide sufficient time to develop a deep understanding of essential scientific ideas rather than a superficial acquaintance with many isolated facts.They show a love for science and generate in children curiosity and wonder about the world around them. The importance of having ongoing exploration, investigation, and inquiry in science is clearly understood by accomplished teachers.
Teachers design learning experiences that will help children build their knowledge and understanding of science and uncover for themselves the counterintuitive nature of many scientific principles. They incorporate a variety of experiences from each of the three major categories of science. They realize the importance of safety, environment, and conservation. They understand the scientific method and provide experiences in which the children can explore the scientific method and document what they observe.

If you have become Board Certified as an Early Childhood/Generalist, please let us know about your experiences and your favorite science standards. Anyone who is very satisfied with their state or program content standards for preK-grade 2 science, please let us hear from you too!
Peggy

Many NSTA journal articles refer to working in “Outdoor Classrooms.” I teach in a neighborhood school with no grass or trees in the schoolyard, so I’m thinking of bringing the outdoors indoors by adding some plants and live animals to my classroom. I’ve never had animals before. Do you have any recommendations?
—Jack, St. Paul, Minnesota
Live plants and animals in the classroom can be a wonderful learning opportunity for students. More than just decorations, these live plants and animals can turn a classroom into a center for observing, questioning, data collecting, and developing a respect for living things.
Before you start, check out district or school policies or guidelines on live plants and animals. Look up Ken Roy’s article on the Responsible Use of Live Animals in the Classroom in July 2004 issue of Science Scope (you can access it online in NSTA’s Science Store if you don’t have your own journal archive). Take a look at the Principles and Guidelines for the Use of Animals in Precollege Education from the National Academies. Also review NSTA’s position statement, Responsible Use of Live Animals and Dissection in the Science Classroom, for some recommendations. I’ll elaborate on a few.
Consider your curriculum and standards. What learning goals are supported by having plants and animals in your classroom? Rather than relegating the animals to the back of the classroom and the plants to the windowsill, creating a learning center can focus students’ attention with questions (especially student-generated ones) and related resources. For example, in two elementary classrooms I visited, I saw very different approaches using butterfly chrysalises. In one classroom, the container was on a table surrounded by papers, books, and other miscellaneous materials. The other classroom had the same kind of container and chrysalis, but the container was the focal point of a learning center titled “How (and Why) Do Butterflies Change?” The teacher had posted students’ questions about the topic. She had insect field guides for students to look at, pictures of other kinds chrysalises and cocoons, and a magnifying glass. There was a chart on which students recorded their observations each day. In their journals, students included their questions, observations, and drawings. The students were tracking butterfly migrations on the Journey North website. All of these activities were part of a larger theme on “Changes” which incorporated topics in scientific processes, insects, and life cycles.
Choose animals carefully. You do not want venomous animals, ones that make distracting amounts of noise, or ones requiring controlled environments (as some reptiles do). Before you make any decisions, find out if any students have allergies to hair, fur, or feathers. Wild animals such as chipmunks or songbirds do not belong in the classroom (and possessing them may be in violation of state or local game laws). Small rodents such as guinea pigs, mice, or hamsters are popular classroom residents. (Of these, I personally preferred gerbils—being desert animals, their containers did not need as much cleaning.) Teachers also recommend hissing cockroaches, snakes (such as ball pythons or corn snakes), and other “herps” (such as bearded dragons, iguanas, turtles, or tree frogs). Get animals from a reputable pet shop or other provider (including rescue organizations) who can advise you and the students on their housing and care.
Aquariums are also popular in classrooms. Students (and teachers) find them relaxing and interesting to observe. If you’ve never set one up before, try a small “starter kit” and some inexpensive tropical fish. It would be a great experience for you and your students to learn together.
There are some practical and logistical issues, too. Will someone be able to get in to feed the animals or water the plants on weekends or holiday breaks? How much does the temperature fluctuate in your classroom? Do the custodians use potentially harmful cleaning chemicals or pesticides? What happens to the animals over the summer break? I never sent animals home with students, unless I was personally acquainted with the parents and knew they would be properly cared for.
There are many opportunities for inquiry with plants, especially if students start them from seeds or clippings. Choose plants that do not have poisonous leaves or berries. I know an elementary teacher who has a small houseplant for each student in his class. The students decorate the pots and take them home at the end of the year if they wish.
Your neighborhood might be a living laboratory, too. Take a look at the resources provided by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, including Project PigeonWatch and Celebrate Urban Birds.
Be ready for the impromptu “teachable moments” live animals can provide. During a standardized testing session in my homeroom, a student returning from the pencil sharpener remarked, “One of the gerbils is having babies!” I don’t remember what our test scores were that year, but it was an exciting live lesson in mammalian reproduction.