Skip to main content
  • Changing positions

    Blog Post |

    Next year there will be an opening in the middle school science department. Although I love teaching high school chemistry (my current assignment), I’m tempted by the opportunity to try something different. What…

  • Activities and investigations

    Blog Post |

    I was facilitating a workshop once, and I overhead these statements from two science teachers: My students are so busy, they don’t have time to think and We have so much fun, the students don’t know that they’re…

  • Light and mirrors

    Blog Post |

    Give children tools for exploring a concept and they almost always show me a new way to teach it. In a session of flashlight and mirror exploration, Walter began building by putting a flashlight on top of a single-…

  • Overcoming socioeconomic hurdles

    Blog Post |

    Do you have any advice for working with students in a low-income school? This is my first year in this school, teaching 9th grade environmental science. Classroom management is not an issue and I have a good rapport…

  • Science and winter

    Blog Post |

    I was in a school once where the teachers did a “winter” unit on penguins with activities that included trade books, puzzles, writing activities, and the showing of several popular films. But there was not a lot of…

  • Common cold blues

    Blog Post |

    I would like to curl up in a cave until this sore throat and runny nose goes away. And I would like to know exactly how to prevent the spread of cold viruses—me and every other early childhood teacher! Here are…

  • Air is matter

    Blog Post |

    A classic activity to show that air is matter and takes up space is to tuck a piece of tissue into a small clear jar, up end the jar and lower it into a larger container of water. When the small jar is pulled out (still…

  • Mentoring mentors

    Blog Post |

    I’m mentoring a new science teacher. I’ve never done this before, so I’m asking teachers, “What’s the best advice your mentor ever gave you?” -Frank, Clarksville, Tennessee…

  • Invertebrates in the classroom

    Blog Post |

    Children often do not think of invertebrates as animals. If we can train ourselves to talk about insects and other invertebrates not as “bugs” but as “small animals” we’ll help children make that connection. Visiting…

  • Playing with magnets and learning about the property of materials

    Blog Post |

    Playing with magnets is a useful science activity in early childhood classrooms because it fosters conversation, exploration of materials, and learning to make predictions. Making a prediction means focusing on what you…

  • States of matter

    Blog Post |

    It’s one thing to get students to recite definitions for the states of matter. But what do they really understand? For instance, the word “gas” is confusing. My students had to stop and think whether the word was…

  • Cincinnati Wednesday

    Blog Post |

    Setup day for NSTA staff here in Cincinnati and all is going smoothly. We’re looking forward to thousands of attendees engaging in outstanding professional development and returning to their classrooms full of…

  • Conference highlights

    Blog Post |

    One of the many rich workshops I attended at the NSTA Portland Area Conference was the Family Science Day Session presented by the Foundation for Family Science. The specific goals of Family Science include: To get…

  • Literacy skills

    Blog Post |

    With the emphasis on literacy since the onset of No Child Left Behind, there seems to be two schools of thought. One emphasizes instruction in reading and math to the point that instruction in science, social studies,…

  • New teacher faces a dilemma

    Blog Post |

    I am a new teacher, and my supervisor asked me to write a letter recommending a student for an award. I don’t think he is qualified. What should I do? Nancy, No City Please Teachers are often asked to…

Asset 2