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Science Teachers, We Have Digital Academic Liftoff!

Journal Article

Science Teachers, We Have Digital Academic Liftoff!

Discover the world of online astronomy resources available from NSTA and NASA....

Aligning the Stars

Journal Article

Aligning the Stars

A partnership brought a community together for a science night that included a planetarium, telescopes, and science activity centers....

A Winning Competition

Journal Article

A Winning Competition

The author incorporated the ExploraVision competition into the energy unit of her school's physics curriculum with the help of a media specialist....

A Sun-Earth-Moon Activity to Develop Student Understanding of Lunar Phases and Frames of Reference

Journal Article

A Sun-Earth-Moon Activity to Develop Student Understanding of Lunar Phases and Frames of Reference

Lead students through a series of guided questions to explore the phases of the Moon....

Reinventing the Bridge

Journal Article

Reinventing the Bridge

Modifying the family science night concept mimics the engineering design process and connects families to the science curriculum....

The Green Room: Green School Buildings

Journal Article

The Green Room: Green School Buildings

This column focuses on making your teaching more environmentally friendly. This month’s issue discusses steps you can take to ensure a healthy and sustainable learning environment....

Tried and True: Reflecting on Students' Misconceptions About Light

Journal Article

Tried and True: Reflecting on Students' Misconceptions About Light

This column provides classic demonstrations and experiments with a new twist. This month’s issue presents a lesson that begins by eliciting students' preconceptions and then addresses their difficulties in understanding light....

Teacher's Toolkit: Knowing by Doing and Doing by Knowing

Journal Article

Teacher's Toolkit: Knowing by Doing and Doing by Knowing

This column provides how-to strategies and practical advice for the science teacher. This month’s issue discusses developing the metacognition of middle school science teachers....

Safer Science: Safety in the Eye of the Beholder

Journal Article

Safer Science: Safety in the Eye of the Beholder

This column provides best safety practices for the science classroom and laboratory. This month’s issue discusses types of eye protection....

Mendel's Modern Legacy

Journal Article

Mendel's Modern Legacy

The author incorporates engineering into the biology classroom by having students safely design, construct, and analyze engineered biological systems. This article examines a new open-access curriculum designed to teach foundational engineering desig...

Intersections, Molecules, and Homeless Shelters

Journal Article

Intersections, Molecules, and Homeless Shelters

This article describes activities that motivate science students with drama and imagination. The teacher can invent curiosity-provoking scenarios that require students to apply science concepts and processes as integral and indispensable elements....

Never Too Cool for School

Journal Article

Never Too Cool for School

Parent science nights help a teacher connect with parents of upper elementary students while at the same time provide time to present exciting science challenges and problem-solving situations....

Bringing Antarctica Home

Journal Article

Bringing Antarctica Home

A virtual expedition brings polar science to students and parents to school. Students got the opportunity to interact with scientists traveling to Antarctica....

Editor's Corner: Engineering Excellence

Journal Article

Editor's Corner: Engineering Excellence

The Science Teacher’s editor shares thoughts on the current issue....

Formative Assessment Probes: Seeing the Light

Journal Article

Formative Assessment Probes: Seeing the Light

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. This month’s issue discusses students' preconceptions related to the reflection of light....

Editor's Note: Don't Forget Families

Journal Article

Editor's Note: Don't Forget Families

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

Scope on Safety: Extinguishing Safety?

Journal Article

Scope on Safety: Extinguishing Safety?

This column shares safety information for your classroom. This month’s issue discusses how to use a fire extinguisher....

Editor's Roundtable: Exoplanet Explosion

Journal Article

Editor's Roundtable: Exoplanet Explosion

Science Scope’s editor shares thoughts regarding the current issue....

Exploring the  Solar System? Let the Math Teachers Help!

Journal Article

Exploring the Solar System? Let the Math Teachers Help!

Use an interdisciplinary approach to help students develop a true appreciation for the size of the solar system....

The Second Dimension—Crosscutting Concepts: Understanding <i>A Framework for K–12 Science Education</i>

Journal Article

The Second Dimension—Crosscutting Concepts: Understanding <i>A Framework for K–12 Science Education</i>

Learn how patterns, system, structure, and other crosscutting concepts fit into the new Framework....

Patterns In The Sky

Book Chapter

Patterns In The Sky

The question students will answer through this chapter is, What can we discover by observing objects in the sky? Three separate but related investigations reveal patterns in the sky. The inquiry begins with an investigation into the changing shape of...

Front-Page Science: Engaging Teens in Science Literacy (e-book)

eBook

Front-Page Science: Engaging Teens in Science Literacy (e-book)

“The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force issued new guidelines for mammograms in 2009. What does this mean for someone with a family history of breast cancer? Congress periodically votes on a piece of legislation called the Farm Bill. What does i...

Science Literacy: The Big Picture

Book Chapter

Science Literacy: The Big Picture

In this opening chapter of Front-Page Science , the authors give an over view of science literacy and the layout of the book. ...

Going the Write Way

Book Chapter

Going the Write Way

Certainly a class can learn a lot by just engaging in activities described in the previous chapters in this book and not actually writing an article. The authors believe, however, that writing moves the student to a deeper level of understanding and ...

It’s All About Revising: Moving Toward Publication

Book Chapter

It’s All About Revising: Moving Toward Publication

In this chapter, the authors present different ways to give students feedback on their writing, including conferences, peer feedback, and other assessment strategies....

Beyond Words

Book Chapter

Beyond Words

For reluctant writers or tech-savvy teens, engaging in alternative approaches to creating stories is an attractive approach. Creating podcast and videos can also provide opportunities for students to work in teams and learn the type of 21st-century s...

Science Journalism Goes To School

Book Chapter

Science Journalism Goes To School

What exactly is a science news article? To understand that, it is important to differentiate journalistic writing from other forms of expression. This chapter provides a detailed description of what the authors mean by a science news article and give...

Can I Do This? Frequently Asked Questions

Book Chapter

Can I Do This? Frequently Asked Questions

Teachers and administrators have expressed certain practical concerns, the answers to which help them decide if SciJourn is possible given the realities of their own school. In these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) the authors seek to address so...

Science Journalism Standards

Book Chapter

Science Journalism Standards

In this chapter, the authors briefly outline the process used to create the SciJourn standards, and then describe each in some detail, furnishing the reader with real student examples. As you seek to “sell” the project to your schools, parents, a...

Setting the Stage By Modeling

Book Chapter

Setting the Stage By Modeling

Literacy professionals often think about the connection between reading and writing. How does reading impact the ability to write and think? What do competent writers notice when they read? In this chapter, the authors suggest a systematic approach, ...

Finding and Keeping Track of Sources

Book Chapter

Finding and Keeping Track of Sources

Scientifically literate people seek credible sources, knowing that they cannot always depend on firsthand encounters. Several credible sources are typically needed to assess the value of new findings or commercial product in order to confirm informat...

“What’s Your Angle?”

Book Chapter

“What’s Your Angle?”

In this chapter, the qualities of a good topic, how to “pitch” stories in the classroom (slow and fast), and a list of dos and don’ts for teachers when helping students refine topics and angles are discussed....

Original Reporting: Interviews And Surveys

Book Chapter

Original Reporting: Interviews And Surveys

In this chapter, the authors discuss interviews and surveys from a science literacy standpoint; provides hints for how to conduct both and what to do with the results....

Channeling Your Inner Science Teacher: Considering Context and Accuracy

Book Chapter

Channeling Your Inner Science Teacher: Considering Context and Accuracy

This chapter includes ideas for helping students put information into context (Standard IV) and fact-checking their own and classmates’ articles (Standard V). Up to this point, as we discussed the creation of a news story, you as a science teacher ...

NSTA Press Book

Front-Page Science: Engaging Teens in Science Literacy

“The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force issued new guidelines for mammograms in 2009. What does this mean for someone with a family history of breast cancer? Congress periodically votes on a piece of legislation called the Farm Bill. What does i...

By Angela Kohnen, Alan Newman, Laura Pearce, Wendy Saul

High School Disciplinary Core Ideas Teaching Strategies Teacher Preparation

Getting Past "Just Because": Teaching Writing in Science Class

Journal Article

Getting Past "Just Because": Teaching Writing in Science Class

Over the past two years this seventh-grade team of teachers has taught writing across the curriculum, used common terminology, and assessed writing using a shared rubric, providing students with a basic writing structure that helps support writing ac...

Is a Mealworm Really a Worm?

Journal Article

Is a Mealworm Really a Worm?

The IMSCI model for scaffolding writing in language arts can be used with a science notebook. To illustrate how this model can be used in an early elementary classroom, the authors descirbe a six-week unit for first graders on insect life cycles....

Idea Bank: Reading, Writing, and Physics

Journal Article

Idea Bank: Reading, Writing, and Physics

The Idea Bank provides tips and techniques for creative teaching, in about 1,000 words. This month’s Idea Bank discusses an assignment in which students read, write, and study current physics topics without diverting class time from the curriculum....

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