The cover article “Science on Wheels” in the April 2013 issue of NSTA Reports raises a number of issues which, in our opinion, fly in the face of good judgment. While we recognize there are many schools with inadequate science teaching facilities, using unsafe practices to provide science spaces can be a lawsuit waiting to happen. Recent research reveals how widespread the problem of “floating” science teachers is with more than 1,000 Texas science teachers reporting they have to teach off of a cart (Kennedy, L. and West, S., 2013).

In the NSTA Guide to Planning School Science Facilities, 2nd Edition (hereinafter NSTA Guide), we discuss a number of safety issues which, if not corrected, can lead to accidents and lawsuits. A particularly egregious example of such a safety issue is described in “Science on Wheels” where a teacher states that “mostly what we had to move on a cart were just solutions.” The NSTA Guide mentions just such an activity on page 42 in describing some of the impacts of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on science facilities and instruction. There are numerous reports of cart accidents including cart wheels sticking in a shallow doorway threshold resulting in the cart stopping and a glass jug of acid falling off which produced toxic fumes and students running around corners into and knocking the cart over, subsequently breaking jars of chemicals and equipment. (Laboratory Safety Institute, 2013)

On pages 41 and 42 of the NSTA Guide, under a discussion of tort law, the situation in the schools mentioned in “Science on Wheels” could readily be defined as “misfeasance” (a principal assigning a science class to a non-science classroom), “nonfeasance” (failure to provide an adequate number of science laboratory/classrooms, and “malfeasance” (forcing an employee to assume an unnecessary risk or use unsafe methods.

Billboard near Detroit

As often emphasized in our “Planning and Designing School Science Facilities“ workshops and seminars at NSTA regional and national conferences, and also numerous state conferences, the person who will know about this article (“Science on Wheels”) in the case of a lawsuit resulting from such patently unsafe practices is the plaintiff’s attorney.  NSTA President–Elect Juliana Texley, a former superintendent, describes working with an architect who had no idea of what it was like during class changes in a middle school. The architect was instructed to stand on one tile in the middle of the corridor as classes changed and nearly got swept away. We believe it is a mistake for the NSTA Reports to suggest that it would be safe to move “solutions” around the halls from room to room on a cart.

Science teachers and students are at risk whether the teacher moves from one science room to another science room or is required to teach in non-science rooms. The greater risk is, of course, for science students to have to do science activities in a non-science room lacking required safety equipment such as eyewashes. When a room is used for laboratory activities, it becomes a “science laboratory” and is subject to fire code occupancy load requirements.

Movable teacher’s demo table

Further, leaving science materials in a non-science classroom, supervised primarily by a teacher not trained in safe science instruction, is an invitation to further lawsuits due to students and, possibly, teachers being injured as they move, or otherwise deal with science equipment and materials left in, say, an English classroom. Leaving science materials in a room with a non-science trained teacher is extremely unsafe.

The prep room concept described at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School sounds like a further invitation to a lawsuit if there is not a door which can be locked. Prep rooms must be off limits to students, protected by lockable doors. It is possible to design lockable mobile tables that will fit through a standard 36” wide door but having a large opening into the classroom will invite curious students to explore an area they should not enter.

Some suggest we should recognize that many science teachers are in the same predicament discussed in the NSTA Reports article and we should propose ways to teach science more safely when adequate science teaching facilities are not available. However, we strongly believe that it is not possible to safely teach an effective science program in a general purpose classroom as virtually all such classrooms are unequipped with even the basic safety equipment such as a fire blanket and fire extinguisher. In visiting more than 450 schools, nationally, almost none have a sink, and we have yet to see a safety shower or even portable eyewash in a general purpose classroom. We believe it is our responsibility to emphasize that safe science can only be taught in a properly equipped science classroom and that the practice of using general purpose classrooms for science and transporting chemicals and equipment from room to room, as described in “Science on Wheels,” should be strongly discouraged to district patrons, school boards, administrators, architects and facilities directors.

Constructing an adequate number of safe, spacious and well-equipped science lab/classrooms and appropriately located and designed science storage facilities should be seen as an investment in the future. The alternative is to take the approach discussed in “Science on Wheels” which can result in spending a significant amount of money defending unnecessary lawsuits instead of providing a safe science learning environment.

References:

Motz, L., Biehle, J., and West, S. (2007). NSTA Guide to Planning School Science Facilities, 2^nd Edition. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.

Kennedy, L & West, S. 2013.  Safety in Texas secondary science classrooms: 1990-2007.Proceedings of the 116^th. Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, Kerrville, TX p .42

Laboratory Safety Institute, 2003. Learning by Accident, www.labsafety.org/ Natick, MA

Children can make a model of a neighborhood in sand in a plastic tub or in the sandbox and then make it “rain” to demonstrate erosion.

If indoors, use a tray or baking pan with sides 6-9cm tall, and make a layer of damp sand that halfway fills the pan. Have children shape the sand into a landscape with hills, mesas, valleys, river channels and depressions for ponds. Because sand allows water to flow between the grains, their rivers and ponds will not hold water, but water will flow down towards the low points in their landscape before sinking into the sand. Provide many small objects for children to use to create a scene to represent their community—small blocks for buildings, pieces of bias tape or strips of cardboard for roads, twigs for people, pebbles for animals, and small leaves for trees.

When their set-up is complete, have them draw or photograph it. Change the setting on the spray bottle to a single stream, or provide an empty condiment bottle with a single hole. The children can now spray or pour more water to move the sand and observe how moving (eroding) the sand affects their community. Have them stop and draw or photograph the set-up as it changes. When the children are finished eroding their landscape, pour the water off outside because wet sand can clog a sink.

Have the children use their drawings and photographs as illustrations for a book. Ask them to write or dictate what they saw happening, and add any comments that you wrote down during the activity. This is your class’s book about erosion!

Here are two resources about “dialogic reading,” a way for children to get the most out of storytime.

“Getting the Most Out of Picture Books,” a video series on dialogic reading from the Getting Ready to Read pages of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, Inc.

“Lap Reading with Kindergarteners” by Herman T. Knoph and H. Mac Brown in Young Children September 2009.

Bybee states that, in his experience, discussions regarding STEM education fall into three separate but related goals.

“Education should contribute to:

• a STEM-literate society
• a general workforce with 21st-century competencies, and
• an advanced research and development workforce focused on innovation.

The broader category, which applies to everyone, is STEM literacy,  which refers to an individual’s

• knowledge, attitudes, and skills to identify questions and problems in life situations, explain the natural and designed world, and draw evidence-based conclusions about STEM-related issues;
• understanding of the characteristic features of STEM disciplines as forms of human knowledge, inquiry, and design;
• awareness of how STEM disciplines shape our material, intellectual, and cultural environments; and
• willingness to engage in STEM-related issues and with the ideas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as a constructive, concerned, and reflective citizen.”

Throughout the book, Bybee provides practical guidance and suggestions for STEM reforms that are appropriate for varied contexts. Thought-provoking questions, such as STEM Education Seems to Be the Answer—What Was the Question?; If STEM Is an Opportunity, What is the Federal Government’s Role?; How Can a State, District, or School Develop a Coherent Strategy for STEM Education?; and What Is Your Action Plan for STEM Education? are addressed in the chapters to provide individuals in leadership roles with a better understanding of how to take action on STEM initiatives.

Read a sample chapter:  How Is STEM Education Reform Different From Other Education Reforms?

This book is also available as an e-book.

Science Safety Resources

• The Integral Role of Laboratory Investigations in Science Instruction (NSTA Position Statement)
• NSTA’s Safety Portal, with guidelines and links to a wealth of safety resources, including guidelines from NSTA’s safety advisory board and safety resource lists by grade level. These links are collated from NSTA’s safety advisory board, various states’ departments of education, NSTA affiliates, news publications, and industry leaders. Please note that this resource compilation DOES NOT SUPERCEDE SCHOOL, SCHOOL SYSTEMS, LOCAL, STATE, OR FEDERAL LAWS, REGULATIONS, CODES, AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS. Ultimately it is the responsibility of the science teachers and school administrators to use appropriate legal standards and best professional practices under duty of care to make it safer in the science laboratory.
• Farewell MSDSs; Welcome SDSs! (NSTA Reports; November 2012)
  Revisions to the Hazard Communication Standard by Occupational Safety & Health Administration published in May 2012 impact teachers, schools, and their chemical suppliers. The author notes the changes under the revisions and the training educators will be required to have.

Should your district require in-depth training in the subject, please contact Zipporah Miller (zmiller@nsta.org).

The NSTA Learning Center contains a wealth of resources, which can be searched by grade level, discipline,and so forth. A sampling is below.

Elementary

Setting the Scene
A chapter from Exploring Safely: A Guide for Elementary Teachers

Investigative science provides the opportunity for students to learn new skills. But it also means more work and responsibility for everyone. An active science program requires the distribution, use, and care of much more material and equipment than a textbook/workbook program. Classroom management is the first key to a safe learning environment—and to satisfaction for the teacher. This free selection includes the Table of Contents and Preface.

Imaginative Inventions
A chapter from More Picture-Perfect SCIENCE Lessons: Using Children’s Books to Guide Inquiry, K–4

Learners explore the invention process by learning about inventions throughout history and how inventions fill needs or wants, by improving existing inventions, and by keeping a toy invention journal. They further their understandings of the risks and benefits of inventions by testing toys and comparing the fun rating and the safety rating of each toy. This free selection includes the Table of Contents, Foreword, Preface, sections About the Authors and About the Picture-Perfect
Program, and reproducible instructional materials.

Middle Level

Setting the Scene: Basic Rules for a Safer Science Classroom
A chapter from Inquiring Safely: A Guide for Middle School Teachers

Six classes, six teachers—just navigating middle school is a voyage of discovery for early adolescents. Students are offered a confusing array of choices, many in science. Sometimes it seems teachers spend too much science class time teaching organization, caution, and control. But these skills—critical to making science experiences exciting and safe—are also important science processes. These years offer wonderful opportunities to capture students’ energy and channel it toward the excitement of scientific exploration. But everything teachers do in middle school science classrooms must recognize the developmental level of our young scientists and their penchant for risk-taking that we must temper sufficiently to promote safety. This free selection includes the Table of Contents, Foreword, Introduction, and References.

High School

Introduction to Safety in Science
A chapter from The NSTA Ready-Reference Guide to Safer Science, Volume 3

This chapter provides an overview of general safety practices for the classroom. Topics discussed are Making Adjustments for Mobility- Impaired Students, Laboratory Safety: Welcome Aboard!, Good-Bye MSDS, Hello SDS! Yes, NSTA’s Portal Into the Safety Zone, and Getting Students in the Safety Zone.

Safer Science: Personal Protective Equipment—It’s the Law!
Article from The Science Teacher

In addition to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) personal protective equipment (PPE) standard—OSHA Laboratory Standard 29CFR 1910.132—and other professional prudent practices, many states have protective eye devise statutes. PPE is third in the hierarchy approach to dealing with safety. In this priority list, the employer must first evaluate the feasibility of engineering controls and administrative procedures before considering the use of PPE. This month’s Safer Science column includes components that reflect the body of the PPE assessment that should be addressed by teachers, students, and supervisors in science laboratories or field experiences.

College

Setting the Scene: Safer Science in a Drive-Through Learning Community
A chapter from Science Safety in the Community College

Developing a responsible and safe introductory community college laboratory science program is a challenge. The subject matter is complex, requiring cerebral, technical, and mechanical skills. The prior knowledge and experiences of students are diverse—they range from retired professionals returning for intellectual stimulation to high school dropouts who have discovered the need for education and just passed their General Educational Development exams. The authors hope this book provides some of that guidance and that, more important, it reminds all involved that specific attention must be paid to safety for all laboratory science instruction. This free selection includes the Table of Contents and an Introduction.

Beacon Award Finalist

NSTA Recommends Catalog
NSTA Press
(Catalogs)

Periodicals/Editorial Finalists

“Career of the Month”
By Luba Vangelova
The Science Teacher
(Department/Column, Adult)

“Drawing Out the Artist in Science Students”
By Al Camacho, Gary Benenson, and Carmen Patricia Rosas-Colin
Science and Children
(Feature Article, Adult)

“Sweetgrass Science”
By William Veal and Steven Nagy
Science and Children
(Feature Article, Adult)

“The Structure and Assessment of a Unique and Popular Interdisciplinary Science Course for Nonmajors”
By Tonya Laakko Train and David E. Gammon
Journal of College Science Teaching
(Learned Article, Adult)

Professional Development Finalist

Rise and Shine: A Practical Guide for the Beginning Science Teacher
By Linda Froschauer and Mary L. Bigelow
NSTA Press
(Methodology)

From the Ms. Mentor blog

• Facilitating Parental Support: My school wants to encourage more parental involvement. Any suggestions?
• Meet the Parents: I’m a new middle school science teacher, and the thought of back-to-school night is already making menervous. What should I expect? What should I do?
• Intergenerational Science Activities: My school is planning an Intergenerational Day, in which students invite grandparents or other guests to attend school for part of the day. We’re also inviting residents of a local retirement community. I’d like to participate with my fifth grade science classes, but I want our guests to be more than spectators. Do you have any suggestions for appropriate activities?
• Take-home projects: I’m thinking of requiring some “take-home” projects for students this year. (I teach at the elementary level). I think these would provide a good opportunity for students and parents to work together on science topics. Do you have any suggestions or guidelines?
• Vacation Activities for Students: How do you get families and students to participate in science in the summer? I’m looking for ideas to engage upper elementary students.

From the Early Years blog

• Involving families in early childhood science education
• Family Science: Ideas and Resources for Activities

From other NSTA publications

• Getting Families Involved: From February 2012 Science & Children
• Making a Night of Science: From February 2011 NSTA Reports 

The iGo scope talks wirelessly to the iPad

A medical tricorder would, in theory, allow the placement of a probe upon various parts of an injured subject in order to collect the data necessary for a proper diagnosis. Of course later iterations of the Enterprise’s wanderings utilized scanning tools that completely circumvented both the need for probes, and the interpretation of data. But that is a topic for another blog-perhaps one about the Standoff Patient Triage Tool.

The SmartScope iGo wireless microscope is a substantial push forward flattening the access to the microscopic world in the classroom. iPads and other tablets are rapidly becoming the digital hubs of powerful portable science laboratories that operate independent of power outlets, the greater internet, and often wires in general. SmartSchool’s iGo microscope opens many new inquiry avenues previously barred by wired network connections, power requirements, prohibitive costs, and complex user interfaces.

The iGo scope is easy to use, and quickly generates highly magnified images on a tablet screen where they can be captured into the tablet’s photo database.

Priced about the same as one base model iPad Mini, the iGo Microscope boasts an intuitive interface complete with large focus wheel, adjustable LED lighting, and picture button all running on three rechargeable AA batteries (included). But the real thrill of iGo is found in combination with the free App named Wi-Viewer. The iOS Wi-Viewer app / Android app to shows, captures, and plays back the visual magic of the microscopic world.

The minimalist interface of Wi-Viewer includes just four buttons: one to turn on or off the real-time images from the iGo, one to capture a still image, one to start and stop video recording, and one to playback the captured content. At first launch the Wi-Viewer will ask if it can connect to the photo database on the tablet. If agreed to, then the images snapped with the iGo land in a familiar home on the tablet. And in case you didn’t know, if two iPads are connected using a sync cable and the camera connection kit USB dongle, the photos on the sync-cabled iPad will appear as importable images on the camera connection dongled iPad.

The published specifications of the iGo include a 3.5 hours of runtime per triad of AA batteries (YMMV), a maximum of 200x magnification (depending on device screen size), and a 10 meter wireless range which all seems about right in my tests.

What isn’t a promoted spec of this scope its 640×480 resolution. On the surface, the sub-megapixel number seems old school. However, the Smart Scope iGo is designed for tablet use and, in fact, has no interactivity with any device outside iPads and compatible Android tablets (equal to or greater than iOS 4.1 and Android 2.3). In other words, the apparent low resolution makes little difference since the visual output of the scope is within reasonable limits for tablet screens. Printing is another story. But three important issues must be considered beyond pure resolution numbers and they are 1) the video signal is being transmitted wirelessly from a 2) reasonably inexpensive digital microscope 3) fueled by 4.5v of rechargeable AA power. And note that an iGo with batteries masses out at not much over 200g.

Regarding the first generation iPad, (aka iPad 1, non-camera iPad), this scope works fine as long as you are running an updated version of iOS. So the iGo scope will breathe new life into an old iPad!

Where the iGo does preform off the charts is with its flexibility, simplicity, and speed of operation. For years I have professed the seeming heretical point of view that learning to use a microscope is a physics activity while the studying microscopic imagery is the actual purpose of a microscope. What I mean by this is the microscope, although necessary given the limitations of human eyesight, is actually an impediment to macroscopic inspections. The fewer barriers one places between the small object and the ability to view it, the better. The iGo makes macroscopic observations so intuitive that students will explore the world of the small with reckless abandon, and overt curiosity!

Focusing from infinity to the scope’s surface in less than one turn of the focus wheel brings the entire world into clear view through a natural motion of one opposable thumb that also points the scope.  There has been a bit of convergent evolution with handheld microscope designs with my prediction of something of stylus shape in the not-too-distant future. An interesting repository for design trajectories might be to mine an auto mechanic’s toolbox rather than a science laboratory from last century. Often, initial digital device designs are steeped in traditional morphology. One early school-based digital microscope, the Intel QX3 had more than a passing resemblance to a compound light microscope so it also inherited many of the limitations of the centuries-old design.  Therefore it is especially rewarding to have the latest digital microscope designs push function over familiar form. An FYI for those with geek leanings, the groundbreaking Intel QX3 had a resolution of 320×240 and an operation familiar to traditional microscopes.

The Intel QX3 microscope was groundbreaking in its time (discontinued in 2002), but still maintained a strong relationship to conventional microscope designs complete with stage, rotating (compound) magnification settings, lighting, and much too big to fit into a computer bag pocket.

The iGo is a 2.4GHz wireless device using the 802.11b/g/n protocols encouraging an interesting and welcome twist to multiple connections. Up to three compatible devices (iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, Android of any flavor can simultaneously tap into the video stream from the iGo meaning that the tablet’s user can control what video (MPEG4) and images (jpeg) are captured and when; all completely independent of the other two devices!

Click here to view the embedded video.

The 802.11 wireless connection is a double-edged sword, however. Since a device can only log into one wireless network at a time, using the iGo with a classroom-projected image is limited to a hardwire connection through the dock port. Both Apple TV and most screen-throughput Apps running on projector-connected computers are off limits due to the single wireless channel connectivity. Since the iGo has a fairly robust 10m range (roughly line-of-sight), a projector-connected tablet can be stationary while the teacher and students use the scope to project objects of interest from anywhere in the classroom.

Anything we place between our retinas and the microscopic world can be considered a limitation. For the tablet ecosystem, the iGo Microscope just pushes those limitations down the road for later technology to solve. And some of that later tech might already be here…

Exploring Biodiversity’s Big Ideas in Your School shows students that there’s more to studying biodiversity than reading about the rain forest or other exotic places. The activities focus on the plants, microorganisms, and invertebrates that are often overlooked in traditional activities. The authors include a simple survey, graphic organizers, and activities. [SciLinks: Biodiversity]

Testing for Toxins: Using Daphnia spp. and Table Salt integrates skills in measurement and observation with content knowledge of invertebrates and experimental design. Students use water fleas as indicators of the level of toxins in water. The authors include detailed procedures illustrated with photographs, a sample data table, a student handout, and background information. [SciLinks: Bioassay, Daphnia]

Sometimes it’s difficult in the classroom to conduct a long-term study. The authors of Ecological Investigations Within an Interactive Plant Community Simulation show how simulations can be used to “experiment” with factors that affect the growth of plants. They describe a particular simulation using screen shots and its system requirements. They also describe three experiments that reflect different student roles in inquiry activities: student as research assistants, students as co-researchers, and students as lead researchers. [SciLinks: Plant Growth]

Having pHun With Soils shows a practical application for learning about acids, bases, and pH. With the context of planning and developing a wetlands restoration project, the 5E lesson guides students through a soil analysis. [SciLinks: pH Scale]

When I taught middle school science, I worked closely with our art teachers. He would have enjoyed Science Meets the Arts. This article shows that with guidance students can go beyond the traditional diorama to create realistic wildlife art. Several photographs show the finished work, which I’m sure scored high on the included rubric.

Looking for ideas for field trips? The authors of Our Watery World: Teaching Middle School Students About Biodiversity share their experiences in planning a study of a water restoration site. The 5E lesson includes a student activity sheet. Even if you live in a different type of surroundings, the lesson is very adaptable. [SciLinks: Wetlands]

Cold Scat Creamery: Using Ice-Cream-Parlor Tricks to Create Fake Scat sounds like it would be interesting to middle school “scatologists”! Using indirect evidence (the simulate scat) students explore heribivores, carnivores, and omnivores.   [SciLinks: Food Chains and Food Webs]

The Human Impact on Biodiversity: A Case Study With Corn examines issues related to biodiversity and agriculture, including economics and health. For students who are not familiar with agricultural practices, this could be an interesting look at this important crop.[SciLinks: Corn, Sustainable Agriculture]

Studying animal behavior requires more than just watching animals. Using Mathematics to Conduct Social Analyses of Bottlenose Dolphins in Science Classrooms shows how technology and mathematics are integral parts of these behavioral studies. Students use real data in their analysis and learn that mathematics is essential to biologists. The article includes a rubric and additional resources can be found in this month’s Connections. [SciLinks: Animal Behavior, Behavior and Adaptations]

This is exciting news! I’ve been a fan of the Everyday Science Mysteries for a long time, but it took time to cull through each volume to get the discipline-specific activities I wanted. In response to teacher demand, NSTA recently published the books for separate content areas: Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth and Space Science.

These are great open-ended stories for your students that can lead them right into hands-on science demonstrations. In addition to the many stories included in the book are detailed explanations for how to use them and why you should. Each volume presents the following:

• Theory Behind the Book
• Using the Book and the Stories
• Using this Book in Different Ways
• Science and Literacy

But what will keep you coming back to these books time and again are the engaging stories and the science concepts they illustrate. Consider these examples:

Everyday Physical Science Mysteries

• Grandfather’s Clock (Periodic motion and experimental design)
• The Crooked Swing (Engineering application of pendulums, improving a product)
• The Magic Balloon (Gas and temperature laws)

Read the free chapter: How Cold is Cold?

Everyday Life Science Mysteries

• Flowers: More than Just Pretty (Botany)
• What Did That Owl Eat? (Zoology)
• The Trouble with Bubble Gum (Health, nutrition)

Read the free chapter: Seedlings in a Jar

Everyday Earth and Space Science Mysteries 

• What’s the Moon Like Around the World? (Astronomy)
• Where Did the Puddles Go? (Evaporation)
• Here’s the Crusher (Atmosphere)

Read the free chapter: The Little Tent That Cried

One of the primary purposes of these books is to relieve the overburdened teacher from the exhausting work of designing inquiry lessons from scratch. Another stems from the idea that the use of open-ended stories challenge students to engage in real experimentation about real science content. With those goals in mind, enjoy these activities right along with your students.

As a participant at the National Conference on Science Education which was held in San Antonio earlier this month, there was much excitement and enthusiasm around the release of the NGSS which occurred the day before the conference started.  Prior to the conference, the Council for State Science Supervisors held their annual meeting and were having ongoing discussions about the standards, the National Science Education Leadership Association had a day long Professional Development Institute dedicated to the NGSS, and other organizations and associations, as well as commercial companies were buzzing about the release of the document.

The excitement was obvious and the enthusiasm contagious.  Conversations in sessions and throughout the different venues could be overheard as science educators were discussing the release of the document, the changes made since the previous draft, and the inevitable question of “what next?”

Which brings us to the question – “what next?” Now that the standards have been released, it is only the beginning of the journey. Dare I say this is where all leaders in all schools need to look directly into the faces of the educators they work with and say “engage” (sorry needed to go there with the whole Next Generation thing)?

But even with the bad reference, it is a good question – how do we engage all science educators and other school leaders in the discussion and implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards.  Everyone in the school district, corporation, business or informal setting can find a stake in and participate in the development and dissemination of resources as well as the implementation of this document.

An example of such connections that can be made from the NGSS to the English Language Arts and Mathematics Common Core Documents is shown in a Venn Diagram developed by Tina Cheuk of Stanford and focused on Relationships and Convergences Found in NGSS and CCSS ELA and Math.  This PDF was included as one of the recommended resources in the most recent issue of the Leaders Letter.  I personally plan to utilize this document in my methods classes next fall and also share it with colleagues who teach math methods and language arts methods classes.  We work on the idea of integration of subject areas already, assign a project for all seniors that requires the development of a cross curricular unit and discuss how integration can help topics be relevant and maximize instructional time.  Therefore it is my belief that this graphic is a great way to help my college students and colleagues see the connections.

NSTA has also begun to engage science educators with resources for the NGSS and has been for several months.  They have developed a guide to help science educators lead study groups to review the draft standards. Take a look at the slides from this session and download our guide. See also the

• NSTA Reports article “NSTA Stepping Stones to Help You Prepare for New Science Standards.”
• NSTA Journal Series: Exploring the Science Framework and Preparing for NGSS
• NSTA Resources: Preparing for Next Generation Science Standards

So back to the question, posed, what will you as a science educator do to engage all of your colleagues in the implantation of the NGSS?