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Tag Archives: activity ideas
Peering into students’ “private universe”
In the award-winning documentary A Private Universe, education researchers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics sought to answer this question: Why don’t even the brightest students truly grasp basic science concepts? Teachers and teacher educators alike continue to search for ways to overcome students’ science misconceptions and to determine how they develop in the first [...]
Posted in Conferences Also tagged assessment, astronomy, chemistry, classroom strategies, data, early childhood, Philadelphia, physics, professional development, resources, scientist, sessions, standards, video Leave a comment
Preschool STEM
Science, technology, engineering and math are linked together in what is called “STEM” curriculum. If we break down this (possibly unfamiliar) term into it’s parts, we see that much of it is already happening in early childhood programs. Science can be planting seeds, mixing materials together to make a change, rolling objects down a ramp, sorting [...]
Outdoor Science
The melting snow piles outside NSTA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, provide daily reminders of the D.C. area’s record 2010 snowfall (locally dubbed Snowmageddon). Like many teachers in other parts of the country, we’re watching for green shoots and planning for spring. What better way to spend the remaining days of winter than planning how to [...]
Posted in NSTA Press Books Also tagged elementary, environmental science, lesson plans, life science, middle school, nature, NSTA Press, outdoors, reading, writing 1 comment
A strand of pearls
Are you an urban or rural educator seeking pearls of wisdom for engaging your students? Plan to attend the NSTA National Conference in Philadelphia. The conference will give you those “pearls” through a strand of sessions entitled Meeting the Unique Needs of Urban and Rural Learners.
High school teachers, pick up some classroom and field activities and [...]
Posted in Conferences Also tagged chemistry, classroom strategies, featured speaker, integrated, Philadelphia, professional development, resources, sessions, weather Leave a comment
The Great Backyard Bird Count: Community science in your backyard or schoolyard
Bird counts involve children in citizen science projects where a greater community contributes to the data used by scientists to understand bird behavior and more. The Great Backyard Bird Count is happening now and counting can take place through Monday, February 15th, so there is still time for your students to participate.
Footprints in the snow—books to extend learning
With 18 inches on the ground, and another 2–4 inches of snow due Tuesday, is it any wonder I’m thinking of how to make the most of this unique material in school? When we get back to school we’ll look for signs of animal activity and read to learn how animals live in the snow.
Earlier in [...]
The Frugal Science Teacher, PreK–5
When the going gets tough, the tough get creative. Challenging times mean lean budgets in many schools, but science teachers have a knack for stretching resources to keep students engaged in lively educational activities even in a pinch. Editor Linda Froschauer presents a timely compendium of resources from NSTA Press books and NSTA journals in [...]
Exploring form and function with hats: books about firefighters
In the February 2010 Early Years column (Science and Children) I wrote about exploring form and function using hats, and testing them for how water flows off of them. Children might think, “Of course a firefighter’s hat works well to keep dripping water off their face and head! It’s made to do that!” And what [...]
Two-year-olds explore transparent, translucent, and opaque materials
Science activities with two-year-olds may not last very long but sometimes the children surprise me. One group of four children spent about 15 minutes exploring a set of cardboard tubes with ends covered with either clear plastic wrap, wax paper, or a double layer of black plastic (black construction paper would also work). We looked [...]
Seasonal scavenger hunt