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 for grades 5–10 teachers. Check out some of the creative lessons in these four resource books as well as additional lessons from NSTA Press books in the December issue of NSTA’s Book Beat.  One timely lesson offered for free in this Book Beat issue is “Habitable Zone: How Distance and Temperature Are Related.” In this lesson, you can investigate with your students how distance from a light source and temperature help us understand why Earth is “just right” in its ability to support life.  A recent New York Times article focused on findings from NASA’s Kepler satellite telescope that suggest astronomers may soon announce progress in the search for other habitable planets. Imagine other Earth-like planets that we might soon be studying in the lab and the classroom!  The Project Earth Science Series includes individual books on Astronomy, Geology, Meteorology, and Physical Oceanography chock full of activities on a wide range of Earth and space topics.

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 their work. Students can reap the same benefits that scientists do from writing, including connecting prior knowledge to new findings, organizing their ideas, and uncovering questions for further study. The November issue of NSTA’s Book Beat offers numerous resources for broadening your approach to incorporating writing in your classroom.

In this issue of Book Beat, you’ll find freebie chapters from How to Write to Learn Science, 2nd Edition; Science the “Write” Way; and Lecture-Free Teaching. Strategies and tips for teachers of English learners are included in free-chapter downloads from Science for English Language Learners and Teaching Science to English Language Learners.

Steve Rich’s early morning NSTA Press Session in New Orleans “Bringing Outdoor Science Into Your Classroom” drew teachers eager to explore strategies to incorporate more of the outdoors into their science lessons. Rich presented dozens of ideas for activities linked to nature, and the participants brainstormed about “what can we bring indoors to study?” Some of the ideas included samples of soil, seeds, leaves, seashells, and branches. When collecting specimens like this, Rich stresses always following safety precautions like placing caterpillars or bugs into a critter container and then releasing them outdoors again later in the day. Teachers also should be sure to research federal and state regulations on collecting specimens in the wild to be sure they follow the rules in their local area.  A survey of the schoolyard with students is a simple activity that can yield wonderful objects for study, such as seeds for measuring and comparing or artifacts such as insect wings lying beneath spider webs that students can draw and record their observations about in a journal. The teachers present used Rich’s own collection of artifacts as inspiration for a brief writing activity that yielded fascinating read-alouds such as a short poem and a CSI-type case summary. Steve Rich is the author of Outdoor Science: A Practical Guide. His forthcoming book on bringing outdoor science in will be published by NSTA Press in spring 2012. Rich shared the following web links with workshop participants seeking new ideas for outdoor or indoor science activities:

• www.learner.org/jnorth
• www.kidsgardening.org
• www.globe.gov
• www.monarchwatch.org
• www.birds.cornell.edu
• www.amnh.org/ology

This year, K–5 teachers from the Baltimore City (Maryland) Public Schools went from thinking they couldn’t teach STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and their students couldn’t learn it to expressing confidence in their skills and in their students’ abilities. This sea change resulted from an Elementary STEM Teacher Clinic held by STEM Master Teachers for teachers from struggling elementary schools with many high-poverty students and a predominantly African American population. The clinic provided 130 teachers from 22 schools with hands-on professional development during the summer and also with equipment, supplies, and books from the NSTA Picture-Perfect Science Lessons book collection, which contains standards-based science content and ready-to-teach lessons.

This morning in New Orleans, as part of the Urban Science Education Leadership (USEL) session, presenters from Baltimore City Public Schools described the clinic and how it transformed the teachers. One key to its success was “every teacher had a coach…having that coach is the most critical component,” said presenter Katya Denisova. When the teachers returned to school in the fall, they had the coach available in their school to help them operate software and equipment and answer their questions. Most of these teachers “had not been exposed to teaching rigorous STEM,” she pointed out. By the end of the clinic, however, their self-assessments showed they greatly increased their knowledge of and skills in scientific inquiry.

Presenter Linda Evans declared, “How great is it to see the kids actually touching things and doing things [in class]!” She said the curriculum was based on Common Core state standards, “infusing literature and using [Picture-Perfect Science Lessons] as the anchor” to “push in STEM, touch on all those content areas.”

Adren Kornegay of Baltimore’s Garrett Heights Elementary Middle School said the curriculum “hit all four of the types of science,” and engaged students as young as kindergarteners in engineering design challenges. Kindergarteners developed a recycling program; second graders designed habitats for hermit crabs and worms; fifth graders created wind turbines. Terrell Davis of Montebello Elementary Junior Academy said even the fifth graders enjoyed the curriculum’s picture books, which helped them “relate to the [STEM] concepts.”

Then the presenters gave the attendees some supplies and turned them loose to explore a motion-and-force activity related to the book Sheep in a Jeep. Groups of three teachers created ramps and rolled a tiny plastic sheep in a plastic jeep down them, then measured how far the sheep traveled. Just as their students would do, they varied the heights and lengths of the ramps and tried using sandpaper to see how it would affect the jeep’s motion. This “inquiry allows students to think for themselves,” observed presenter Evelyn Tolliver. Her students “connected all the ramps and were rolling cars across the classroom,” she said, smiling.

Denisova mentioned that the attendees and other K–5 teachers around the country could take advantage of the clinic’s curriculum, even though they won’t be in the next cohort. “We want you to be STEM advocates,” said Evans. “A lot of our elementary teachers are not comfortable with the content…They really do need support.”

The NSTA Science Store at the conferences is a popular meeting spot where teachers can browse new teaching resources and NSTA gear while catching up with colleagues. A few of the popular books at the Store in New Orleans include Science the “Write” Way, Picture-Perfect Science Lessons, 2nd Edition; Celebrating Cultural Diversity: Science for All; Companion Classroom Activities for Stop Faking It! Force and Motion; and STEM Student Research Handbook. Authors like John Eichinger, the guru of Activities Linking Science With Math, K–4, and 5–8, also stop by to visit and talk about their books after sessions conclude. It’s fun to see science teachers sporting NSTA gear items like “I Love Science” hoodies and t-shirts while rushing to their next workshop session.  A cool new item debuting at the New Orleans Store, inspired by Sarah Young’s Gourmet Lab book, is an apron declaring “My Other Lab Is My Kitchen.” All the books displayed at the Store and many of the gear items are available through the online Science Store, too.

Trade books are an important way for young children to learn about the wonders of the natural world outside of their neighborhood, and the details of the natural world at their doorstep. From giant squids to the day’s weather, from craters on the Moon to craters made by ant lions in the backyard dust, trade books both whet and satiate children’s appetite for information through words and illustrations. Teachers rely on the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC) to guide book choices. NSTA and CBC will announce the Outstanding Science Trade Books 2012 Awards at a reception on Friday November 11, 2011 at 3:30-4:30pm at the area conference in New Orleans at the New Orleans Marriott, 555 Canal Street, Suite 4022, New Orleans, LA. (Please RSVP by October 31 to ebrady@nsta.org ) The books are chosen by a book review panel appointed by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and assembled in cooperation with the Children’s Book Council (CBC). The criteria are listed on a NSTA website products and publications page (scroll down). Thank you to the book selection panel–it’s a tough job but someone has to do it.

Some of my favorites among last year award winners are:

How to Clean a Hippopotamus by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Just One Bite by Lola M. Schaefer. 2010. Chronicle Books.

S is for Scientists by Larry Verstraete. 2010. Sleeping Bear Press

These award winners are listed in the NSTA Recommends data base along with other fine trade books. Do you have any personal or award-winning favorite books that you would like to recommend?

Peggy

The July 2011 release of the Framework for K-12 Science Education, from the National Academies, places new emphasis on the topic of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the discussion of K–12 education priorities. The Framework recommends building science education in grades K–12 around three major dimensions: scientific and engineering practices; cross-cutting concepts that unify the study of science and engineering; and core ideas in four disciplinary areas (physical sciences; life sciences; Earth and space sciences; and engineering, technology, and the application of science). The September 2011 issue of NSTA’s Book Beat anticipates this growing emphasis on STEM education by highlighting lessons that can help science teachers demonstrate to students—in ways both fun and enlightening—the strong connections among science, technology, and engineering.  Included in the issue are links to free lessons like “Imaginative Inventions” from More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons (grades K–4), which helps students explore the invention process and then test toys with both fun and safety in mind. Middle and high school students can delve into the intriguing study of science at the nanoscale through the free lesson “Nanomedicine” from Nanoscale Science: Activities for Grades 6-12, by Gail Jones and colleagues. Nanotechnology has opened the door for medical applications that work at the molecular level to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. In the “Nanomedicine” activity, students investigate through the use of gelatin-based cell models how nanotechnology is being used to treat cancer without harming the surrounding tissue. There’s also a free e-book offer and a preview chapter of the new NSTA Press book STEM Student Research Handbook. Read this month’s issue of NSTA’s Book Beat to download these STEM-related resources and more.

The first days of school offer teachers an opportunity to set a positive tone and convey to students that their classrooms are supportive learning environments for all. Free chapter excerpts offered in the August 2011 issue of NSTA’s Book Beat include helpful tips from NSTA Press authors. Consider adding several of them to your classroom toolkit this fall.

Jill Swango and Sally Steward open Help! I’’m Teaching Middle School Science (grades 6–8) with a wonderful collection of ideas, games, and activities designed to captivate students’ enthusiasm for science and problem solving. Book Beat offers the free chapter “The First Day,” which provides clever icebreaker activities like The Simplest Quiz and Just Read the Directions. These opening activities can help create a comfortable, lively, and active atmosphere for learning. Elementary teachers can use author John Eichinger’s activity “What Do You See? Visual Observation” (from Activities Linking Science With Math, K-4) to boost students’ observation skills; students observe closely and then sketch familiar and unfamiliar objects, honing key science process skills as they go. High school teachers will find a wealth of ideas in Lynn Bell and John Park’s chapter “Digital Images and Video for Teaching Science” from Technology in the Secondary Science Classroom (grades 6–12). The chapter includes suggestions for using images or video to introduce just about any science topic and then following up with creative questioning to capture students’ attention and set the context for later comprehension of the topic being investigated. As Yogi Berra once said, “You can observe a lot just by watching.” Check out the August issue of NSTA’s Book Beat for these resources plus tips on how to ask the right questions and one resource that might address that question “when we will use this in real life?” Best wishes for the new school year!

Summer can be a time of rest and renewal and an opportunity for teachers to fit in professional pursuits like reading that new book, taking a workshop, or conducting an in-depth study. In the July 2011 issue of NSTA’s Book Beat, we invite readers to take a step back to reflect and reconnect with a few of the many reasons to love science and science teaching. Click over to read the full July issue, where you can also download this month’s free lessons and chapters.

1. Science Has Stories

Stories can be wonderful teaching tools, and science has stories galore—from children’s books about science to case studies by scientists. Children’s trade books linked to science have the power to draw students in to explore, question, discuss, and investigate. Karen Ansberry and Emily Morgan’s Picture-Perfect Science Lessons (grades 3–6) presents powerful strategies for connecting reading and science in a natural way in the elementary classroom. “Dr. Xargle’s Book of Earthlets” engages students through reading a children’s book that has memorable and sometimes hilarious examples of inferences versus observations. Students then practice those skills through several hands-on activities. For grades K–8, Richard Konicek-Moran’s Everyday Science Mysteries presents students with stories about a mystery from everyday life that science can help them solve. “The Little Tent That Cried” helps students see the water cycle in a natural situation and then suggests activities to give them a deeper understanding of evaporation, condensation, and humidity. Start With a Story: The Case Study Method of Teaching College Science, edited by Clyde Herreid, is chock full of case stories that will engross college students, including “Of Mammoths and Men: A Case Study in Extinction.”

2. Science Has Mysteries

Students of science often start delving into a topic after encountering a puzzling or confusing event. Everyday Science Mysteries books use perplexing everyday events to engage students and invite them to investigate what’s going on in the “story.” The baffling and the unfamiliar can intrigue students and spur them to take on the role of investigators. In “Exploring the Mysteries of Fingerprints” from John Eichinger’s Activities Linking Science With Math, K–4, students use investigative techniques to identify and classify their fingerprints based on shape before they collect and classify fingerprints from classroom surfaces after predicting likely locations. A biology mystery from Thomas O’Brien’s Even More Brain-Powered Science titled “Resurrection Plant: Making Science Come Alive!” has students observing and studying a “resurrection plant” to investigate why these dry-looking, fernlike plants appear to come back to life when placed in water. The discrepant events in all three books of the Brain-Powered Science Series are sure to motivate the sleuths in your class.

3. Science Can Make Us Laugh

Using humor in science teaching can be a good way to lighten up the classroom atmosphere while still keeping the focus on learning goals. Take a cue from NSTA Press author Bill Robertson, who artfully weaves humor and serious science content in his Stop Faking It! Series. You’re always in for a treat with a Stop Faking It! book, and now there are nine to choose from.  From Robertson’s irreverent humor interspersed among the solid science explanations and activities to clever cartoons by illustrator Brian Diskin, you can laugh your way to better understanding of physics from Force and Motion to Chemistry Basics. Check out “Round and Round and Round in the Circle Game” from Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! for text and illustrations sure to give you a chuckle or two. Or explore the ingenious “Metaphysical Illustrations” by award-winning artist Tomas Bunk in Quantoons (grades 9–12), by Arthur Eisenkraft, and Larry Kirkpatrick. The book combines challenging physics questions with intricate drawings in a collection of problems that ran in Quantum magazine. Feast your eyes on the clever text and art in “Fun With Liquid Nitrogen” and “Laser Levitation.” It’s good to laugh while you learn!

4. Science Challenges Us

Science teachers love the challenge that studying science brings, from exploring a nearby stream to pondering the significance of the latest fossil finds from Colorado or China. Crafting just the right lesson for the group of students in your classroom is another challenge that science teachers take on every day. For an inspirational read on how one talented teacher approaches this challenge, read Cary Sneider’s chapter on “Examining Students’ Work” from J Myron Atkin and Janet Coffey’s Everyday Assessment in the Science Classroom. You’ll come away from this thoughtful piece with new insights about course adjustments you could make that will enhance you and your students’ learning experiences.

5. Science Is Everywhere

In her classic teacher resource Ten-Minute Field Trips, Helen Ross Russell writes that “youngsters who learn to ask questions, observe, set up possible answers, experiment, keep records, and think independently will grow up finding life challenging and worthwhile. They will also have the ability to adapt to a changing world.” Science teachers help children see that science is all around them and that even the smallest patch of grass or pavement can reveal volumes about their world. To reconnect with your inner explorer and consider new ways to use the school grounds as a teaching laboratory for young scientists, read Russell’s chapter “Of the Value of Saying ‘I Don’t Know.’” Check out the free sample chapters of Schoolyard Science, Inside-Out, and Outdoor Science for more practical ways you could incorporate brief outdoor treks into your science lessons.

NSTA Press author Bill Robertson has extended his popular Stop Faking It! series with the new teacher resource Companion Classroom Activities for Stop Faking It! Force and Motion (Grades 5–9). Teachers have responded enthusiastically to the lively mix of clear explanations and irreverent humor that are the hallmarks of Robertson’s original series. In the new book, Robertson presents 23 classroom activities in which students investigate, discuss, and apply new concepts to everyday situations. Robertson’s wit and illustrator Brian Diskin’s clever illustrations will keep students and teachers entertained while they tackle motion basics, vectors, acceleration, Newton’s laws, net or unbalanced forces, gravitational forces, and mass and weight. Browse the June 2011 issue of NSTA’s Book Beat and download the free chapter “Acceleration,” which includes activities that will help students describe and demonstrate methods for changing the speed and/or direction of a moving object. If you’re in search of more physics resources, these NSTA Press books are also rich in activities (each has a free chapter posted): Force and Motion: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It; Predict, Observe, Explain: Activities Enhancing Scientific Understanding (Grades 7–12); Uncovering Student Ideas in Physical Science, Volume 1: Force and Motion (Grades K–12); and Take-Home Physics: 65 High-Impact, Low-Cost Labs (Grades 9–12).