Author Archives: Mary Bigelow

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The future is here

By Mary Bigelow | Published: May 23, 2013

In addition to NSTA publications, I read many others related to science and education, both in print and online. I usually scan the pages and images, focusing on articles of interest. However, the May 2013 issue of Smithsonian was so compelling, I had to read it cover to cover! The theme was “The Future Is [...]

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Science and families

By Mary Bigelow | Published: May 4, 2013

Communicating with parents and other caregivers is important for student success. The topic of parental involvement has been addressed in NSTA blogs and publications, with ideas for parent conferences, back-to-school nights or open houses, summer activities, and family science events. Here’s a quick look  at some of these ideas: From the Ms. Mentor blog Facilitating [...]

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Biodiversity

By Mary Bigelow | Published: April 26, 2013

Toward the end of the school year, you might be looking for a culminating activity in which students can apply what they’ve learned during the year to new situations or problems. This issue has ideas that help students investigate the big idea of the interrelationships between biodiversity and human activity–how each affects the other. Exploring [...]

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Test make-ups

By Mary Bigelow | Published: April 21, 2013

I am a student teacher in sixth grade earth science. My question is about makeup exams.  I have several ideas, but can you suggest other systems or procedures for allowing students to make up exams? —Dawn, San Jose, California Student absences are a given. It’s frustrating when students miss a class (or two or three) [...]

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The history of our planet

By Mary Bigelow | Published: April 18, 2013

One of the themes in several articles and blogs I’ve read makes the case that the study of earth science should not stop at the end of middle school! Illustrating this, the final version of the Next Generation Science Standards were released last week, and the NSTA journals continue a discussion with The NGSS and [...]

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The last sessions

By Mary Bigelow | Published: April 14, 2013

You’re ecstatic when your conference session proposal is accepted. And then you learn that you have a Sunday morning time slot, in competition with early departures, church services, hotel brunches, and last-minute sightseeing or souvenir-gathering. You predict 2-3 participants at best or an empty room at worst. Is it worth the planning and preparation? But [...]

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Connections

By Mary Bigelow | Published: April 13, 2013

At a session this morning, when the presenters described the agenda it was not exactly what was described in the program. I was already familiar with the topic, so I slipped out. Since other sessions had already started, I decided to use the time on the exhibit floor. As I was browsing, I stopped at [...]

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A great day from start to finish

By Mary Bigelow | Published: April 12, 2013

It’s understandable that conference-goers are tired at the end of the day. The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is huge, and fortunately the schedulers built in some time to trek from one session to another. With the gorgeous weather, it’s not a burden to get to sessions at a neighboring hotel. The downtown is compact [...]

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Conference begins

By Mary Bigelow | Published: April 12, 2013

Someone today asked me if I was enjoying the NSTA annual conference. What’s not to enjoy–a beautiful location (San Antonio), great weather (even though we’re inside most of the day), interesting sessions, and the company of 10,000+ colleagues! It’s an exciting professional development opportunity with sessions on content, teaching strategies, information on a variety of [...]

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Science for all

By Mary Bigelow | Published: April 7, 2013

Sometimes it seems that some students are excluded from an expectation of success in the sciences – those with cognitive or physical disabilities, those who do not speak English, or those who do not appear to have the intellectual or reading levels that were thought to be important. I often wonder at the thinking and [...]

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