Author Archives: Claire Reinburg

‘Tis the season for science

Festive holidays and winter weather can be disruptive for the classroom schedule at this time of year but can also provide inspiration for appealing science activities. Take advantage of cooking themes to teach some chemistry or take a cue from weather reports to delve into a lesson about frost. The December 2012 issue of NSTA’s [...]

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You say derecho, I say “what?”

Like many other residents of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states, I learned a new weather term this week: derecho.  After scrambling to the dictionary and Wikipedia, I learned that the word is pronounced deh-RAY-cho and comes from the Spanish word for “straight.”  A derecho is a rapidly-moving line of storms that has been referred to [...]

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What are science teachers reading in June?

Science teachers are reading an eclectic selection of teaching resources this month, judging by the top content on NSTA’s website. You can look inside these books by downloading a free sample chapter at the NSTA Science Store.  Post a comment or tweet using the hashtag #nstareading to tell us what you’ve been reading and what [...]

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Addressing misconceptions in science

A significant challenge that science teachers face is how to help students successfully navigate the bridge from their existing ideas about science concepts to scientifically accepted views. A teacher who uncovers students’ preconceptions about key concepts can use that knowledge to provide learning experiences that support students as they develop richer conceptual understanding. The March [...]

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February’s most-popular resources in the NSTA Science Store

Most Popular NSTA Press Books Science the “Write” Way Doing Good Science in Middle School: A Practical Guide to Inquiry-Based Instruction Picture-Perfect Science Lessons, Expanded 2nd Edition: Using Children’s Books to Guide Inquiry, 3-6 STEM Student Research Handbook Science Stories: Using Case Studies to Teach Critical Thinking Most Popular NSTA Press e-Books and e-Chapters The [...]

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Connecting science lessons to real life

Rather than rolling your eyes at the common student query, “Why do I need to know this?”, use it to your advantage! Yale astrophysicist Priya Natarajan wrote in the Washington Post, “if we want more Americans to pursue careers in STEM professions, we have to intervene much earlier than we imagined” to help them see [...]

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Earth science topics that grab students’ interest

From news that scientists have discovered the biggest black holes yet to dramatic video footage of volcanic eruptions, the new information science gleans about Earth and space grabs students’ attention. To help teachers capitalize on student curiosity and interest in Earth science, NSTA Press recently launched updated editions of the popular Project Earth Science Series [...]

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“Can It Reflect Light?” and other probing questions

Can it reflect light? Is it a plant? Is it made of cells? These questions are among more than 100 formative assessment probes developed by Page Keeley and her colleagues to help teachers elicit information about what students think about key science concepts. A capacity crowd at Keeley’s Seattle conference session turned out to learn [...]

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Science the “write” way

Why write in science class? As Jodi Wheeler-Toppen, editor of the new NSTA Press book Science the “Write” Way, notes in her Introduction, “there are many reasons to have our students write, but the one that is most powerful for me is simple: Writing helps students learn.” Scientists write their observations and analyses and publish [...]

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Science and engineering that helped win a war: Reflections on Veterans Day

Being part of a military family, Veterans Day holds special significance for me. Members of my family have served in the Coast Guard, Navy, and Army. Wherever I am on Veterans Day, I seek out a way to reflect on the sacrifices and accomplishments of the men and women who serve in our armed forces. [...]

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