Tag Archives: classroom strategies

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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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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Comprehending science text

By Mary Bigelow | Published: April 4, 2013

I’m incorporating several strategies this year to help my life science students understand written information. I provide study guides with questions to answer, graphic organizers, and quizzes on the information, but they still don’t seem to comprehend what they read. Do you have any other suggestions? —Mary, Abilene, Texas For many of our students, reading [...]

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It’s a puzzlement

By Mary Bigelow | Published: April 2, 2013

How many of us in the K-12 science environment use word puzzles to help students review concepts and learn vocabulary? I haven’t been convinced of the value of find-a-words or jumble puzzles are effective learning tools, but crossword puzzles and others that ask students to think of words to fit the clues could be useful. [...]

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Are my tests “unfair”?

By Mary Bigelow | Published: March 29, 2013

When I return tests, the students look at their grades, complain the test was unfair, and don’t pay much attention when we go over it. How can I deal with this? I teach ninth grade earth science. —Ava, Lexington, Kentucky Unit assessments can provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate what they’ve learned by asking [...]

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Science, engineering, and technology

By Mary Bigelow | Published: February 23, 2013

To illustrate the interconnectedness of science and engineering, the editor’s note this month is a crossword puzzle. I think I need to review the K-12 Framework in more detail to solve it. Or else I can see this connectedness through the featured articles in this month’s issue. Building on Student’s Knowledge of Solar Cells* illustrates [...]

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Early childhood/Life science

By Mary Bigelow | Published: February 16, 2013

In my volunteer work at a nature center, I get to see young children as they explore the natural world. They seem to have an intense interest in the animals and plants around them. This issue has several ideas to capitalize on this interest with relevant activities and investigations. What do living things do for [...]

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iPad Simple Harmonic Motion with Household Parts

By Martin Horejsi | Published: February 12, 2013

Simple harmonic motion is not only a foundational topic in physical science, but also a major player in many different fields from music to engineering to architecture, to sports. The iPad can be used to generate a real-time visual presentation of harmonic motion, both simple and complex, with just a few household parts and your [...]

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