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All Science and Engineering Practices resources

NSTA Press Book

Swing Set Makeover, Grade 3: STEM Road Map for Elementary School

What if you could challenge your third graders to design a swing set that’s safe but still lots of fun? With this volume in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series, you can!Swing Set Makeover outlines a journey that will steer your students toward auth...

Elementary Informal Education Engineering Mathematics Physical Science STEM Assessment Curriculum Multilingual Learners Instructional Materials Inquiry Lesson Plans NGSS Pedagogy Science and Engineering Practices Teaching Strategies Three-Dimensional Learning Equity Inclusion Interdisciplinary Literacy New Science Teachers Preservice Science Education Teacher Preparation

The Early Years: Creating a Possibility-Rich Classroom Environment

Journal Article

The Early Years: Creating a Possibility-Rich Classroom Environment

This column discusses resources and science topics related to students in grades preK to 2. This issue describes an activity that creates a “possibility-rich” environment or experience for children to have firsthand experience with phenomena or d...

Early Childhood Elementary Pre-service Teachers Preschool General Science Inquiry NGSS Pedagogy Science and Engineering Practices Teaching Strategies Literacy

Scientists and Engineers Are CURIOUS

Book Chapter

Scientists and Engineers Are CURIOUS

In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are curious. They read about Mary Anning in the book The Fossil Girl: Mary Anning’s Dinosaur Discovery, by Catherine Brighton. After reading, students will learn about the history of Eart...

Elementary Pre-service Teachers Preschool Earth & Space Science Science and Engineering Practices Literacy

Scientists and Engineers Are INSPIRING

Book Chapter

Scientists and Engineers Are INSPIRING

In this lesson, students learn that scientists and engineers are inspiring. They read about Thomas Edison in the book Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives, by Gene Barretta. After reading, students will observe vibrations and provide ...

Elementary Pre-service Teachers Preschool Physics Science and Engineering Practices Literacy

First Graders Become Corn Experts: Using Questions to Drive Instruction

Blog Post

First Graders Become Corn Experts: Using Questions to Drive Instruction

First graders love when fall comes to Kansas. It’s a magical time when lots of events are occurring in their environment, and I take full advantage of their natural curiosity. We begin the school year with a mini science unit featuring corn and agr...

By Cindy Workosky

Elementary Life Science Science and Engineering Practices

Scaffolding the Practice of Asking Questions and Defining Problems

Blog Post

Scaffolding the Practice of Asking Questions and Defining Problems

With the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), teachers are wondering how to teach their students to do the science and engineering practices (SEPs). Some SEPs, such as carrying out investigations and analyzing data, are a natural...

By Cindy Workosky

Middle School Elementary NGSS Science and Engineering Practices

NSTA Press Book

Reading Nature: Engaging Biology Students With Evidence From the Living World

By making room for this book in your curriculum, you’ll have a fresh way to motivate your students to look at the living world and ask not only “Why?” but also “How do we know?” Unique in both its structure and approach, Reading Nature is a...

By Matthew Kloser, Sophia Grathwol

High School Middle School Biology Evolution Life Science Crosscutting Concepts Disciplinary Core Ideas Instructional Materials Inquiry Science and Engineering Practices Interdisciplinary Literacy Teacher Preparation

The Early Years: Begin With Open Exploration

Journal Article

The Early Years: Begin With Open Exploration

This column discusses resources and science topics related to students in grades preK to 2. This issue discusses ways to encourage children to engage in open exploration to learn about living organisms....

Early Childhood Elementary Pre-service Teachers Preschool General Science Life Science Instructional Materials Inquiry NGSS Pedagogy Phenomena Science and Engineering Practices Teaching Strategies

First-Graders Modeling Day and Night: Making Sense of a Phenomenon

Blog Post

First-Graders Modeling Day and Night: Making Sense of a Phenomenon

As a first-grade teacher in Detroit with predominantly Latinx students and English language learners, I worked for several weeks at the end of last school year with a doctoral candidate in science education and former elementary teacher, Christa Have...

By Cindy Workosky

Elementary Assessment Astronomy Earth & Space Science Multilingual Learners NGSS Phenomena Science and Engineering Practices Teaching Strategies Three-Dimensional Learning

What Is Your Model For?

Blog Post

What Is Your Model For?

Recently, my colleagues and I had an exchange with some teachers in one of our professional development programs. One teacher said, “I think I do a lot of modeling in my class. I have my kids draw pictures of the science ideas they are learning all...

Early Childhood Elementary High School Informal Education Preschool NGSS Phenomena Science and Engineering Practices Teaching Strategies Three-Dimensional Learning

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