My students are asking for “extra credit” work. I’m having second thoughts about doing this, especially since it seems that students wait until the end of the marking period to ask. Is there a good rationale for giving (or not giving) extra credit work?
—Wayne, Kansas City, Missouri

“Extra credit” seems to be part of school vocabulary. When students don’t complete assignments, don’t do well on tests, or are seeking a higher grade, they (or their parents) ask the teacher for additional assignments or activities.

I suspect this is more common in classes where the students’ grades are based on accumulating points. Students may view class assignments or tests in terms of earning these points. Teachers may reinforce this notion with statements such as  “You’re 10 points away from a passing grade” or “Three more points and you’ll have an A+!”

Let’s assume your class activities and assignments such as lab reports, notebooks, or projects align with the unit or lesson learning goals and students are evaluated on the extent to which they meet those goals. It doesn’t seem to be productive to have a student who has not achieved the learning goals or who has not met the course requirements do an unrelated task just to “pull up a grade.” These tasks require time on the part of the teacher to create and assess. Ask yourself if activities such as reading and summarizing an article, completing puzzle sheets, or doing an extra book report allow the students the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of a concept.

In previous years, your students may also have been awarded extra points for tasks or behaviors that have little or no relation to learning goals: bringing in classroom supplies, assisting with chores such as cleaning glassware, putting up a teacher-created bulletin board, participating in nonacademic events at school, or their parents attending an open house. These are good activities, but it would be hard to align them with learning goals in science.

The bottom line: Can (or should) students earn a passing grade by doing activities not directly related to the learning goals? Should exemplary grades reflect an advanced level of academic performance or the completion of extra busywork?

If you have students who do not turn in assignments (such as lab reports) and then ask for extra credit, perhaps you should allow them to turn in the original assignments. If a student had a poor test performance, you could offer a retake or an alternative that shows the student has met the learning goals, at least at a minimum level. If projects do not meet the requirements, have the student review the rubric and make revisions.

I know teachers who provide students with a list of the unit’s learning goals and several options or alternatives for each to demonstrate their learning. Having choices can give students more ownership of the learning process and capitalize on their interests. The literature on differentiation has many suggestions, such as choice boards or alternate assessments (NSTA journals have had many articles on the idea of differentiation. Click here to see a few of them. Also check the work of Carol Ann Tomlinson).

Another response would be to put the responsibility back on the students: “These are the learning goals for the lesson/unit. How will you demonstrate you have accomplished them?” If the students give you a blank stare, you could offer suggestions. However, you might be surprised at what some students come up with. Their ideas can become alternative activities in the following year.

Some students who are interested in a topic may ask for opportunities to expand their knowledge, with no thought of earning extra points. (Pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming!) Encourage them to pursue their interests, especially those that relate science to other subjects or personal interests. For example, a student in my life science class was interested in finding words relating to arthropods that had origins in mythologies (e.g., the Luna moth, nymphs, arachnids, the Cyclops copepod). I shared this with the language arts teacher (who did a unit on mythology) and we both encouraged her to pursue this interest. She shared a journal in which she kept her notes on the subject. She had an intrinsic “extra interest” rather than a need for extrinsic bonus points.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/daviddmuir/1410227652/sizes/m/in/photostream/

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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 more about these powerful tools and how to use them in the classroom to delve deeper into student thinking. Keeley began her session, “What Were They Thinking?” by pointing out that teachers realize “students don’t come to us as empty vessels; they have preconceptions about science.”  A teacher who brings those student ideas to the surface can challenge students’ existing ideas and encourage them to think more deeply about a science concept. As Keeley noted, lab equipment like Vernier probes can help us see below the surface and collect additional information, thereby deepening our knowledge. The formative assessment probe is a specific type of question that similarly can help us look beneath the surface to learn more about student thinking.

The probes in Uncovering Student Ideas in Science are engaging questions that promote a lot of talk, argumentation, and thought among students. Teachers who use probes at the beginning of a lesson or unit help make students’ thinking visible to the teacher, the class, and sometimes to the students themselves, who might not have realized their ideas until they were brought to the surface in a probe activity. One probe that Keeley highlighted is “Can It Reflect Light?” Students are given a list of items such as water, soil, mirror, rusty nail, and red apple and asked to sort them into items that reflect light and items that do not. The second part of these activity is the most powerful part, Keeley said, because students are then asked to explain their reasoning for the sorted lists they created. The student explanations give teachers rich insights into preconceptions or gaps in students’ knowledge, thereby guiding the teacher in how to structure an ensuing lesson. Several common ideas students have about light and reflection include the assumption that only light-colored or shiny objects reflect light, for example. A teacher might structure a lesson that offers numerous opportunities for students to explore light and reflectivity to gain first-hand understanding that “if you can see it, it is reflecting light.”

Several different types of questions are used in the probes, including one Keeley called “Familiar Phenomena Probes.” These probes are designed to get at students’ thinking about familiar events. Examples are “Wet Jeans,” in which students ponder where the water has “gone” from a pair of wet jeans that dried while hanging on a clothesline, and “What’s in the Bubbles?”, in which students discuss what they think is in the bubbles that form in boiling water. The probes “What’s in the Bubbles?” and “Can It Reflect Light?” are available for download in the NSTA Science Store. Keeley’s session prompted a lively discussion among the teachers present about commonly held misconceptions and how strongly held they can become among students. Formative assessment probes like those in Uncovering Student Ideas in Science can be just the tool for teachers to employ when urging students to reexamine their existing ideas and deepen their understanding about important concepts in science.

Making connections

Emily Morgan and Karen Ansberry, authors of the popular Picture-Perfect Science Lessons Series, led a lively group of teachers in exploring classroom strategies and lessons that combine science with reading in the elementary grades. The Picture-Perfect Science

Roller coaster activity

Preconference Workshop at the New Orleans NSTA Area Conference included activities highlighting reading strategies like making connections, questioning, visualizing, determining importance, and synthesizing. Morgan and Ansberry focused also on the powerful BSCS 5E lesson model, which Morgan credited with transforming her science teaching. In the engage phase of one lesson, workshop participants heard Morgan read Marla Frazee’s children’s book Roller Coaster and shared their own experiences with riding a roller coaster. During the explore phase, they tested ways to change the speed and direction of a rolling object by building roller coasters out of pipe insulation. From exploring mystery objects inside small film canisters, to configuring a loop-to-loop for a model roller coaster and utilizing key reading strategies, the workshop participants shared some laughs while learning new ways to combine reading and science in engaging lessons for students in grades 3-6.  On a picture-perfect day in New Orleans, these workshop participants and their facilitators departed the session with new insights and strategies for transforming their own classrooms for science learning. To read more about Picture-Perfect Science and clever ways to combine science learning with reading, download the PDF “Why Read Picture Books in Science Class?”, a free e-book containing the introductory five chapters of Picture-Perfect Science Lessons, 2nd Edition.

My middle school students this year are very scatterbrained. It seems to take forever for them to get focused at the beginning of class and to find the materials they need when I ask for them during class. When it’s time to get into groups for a lab activity, there is a lot of commotion. Then they have lots of questions about what they’re supposed to be doing. Last year’s classes weren’t like this at all. What can I do?
—Margaret, North Carolina

It’s a common topic in the faculty room: “My classes last year were _____. This year they are so _____.” Teachers fill in the blanks with words such as cooperative, talkative, immature, energetic, needy, noisy, or inquisitive. It sounds like you would use disorganized to describe this year’s students.

For these students, you may need to establish routines to help them get and stay organized. Established routines free up time for more important topics and activities than dealing with logistical issues.

Visualize what a class activity should “look like.” In your mind, go through the activity in slow motion and focus on what the students should do to accomplish the task in an orderly and timely fashion. For example, you might establish routines for students to get their notebooks, access lab equipment, or enter/leave the room. Here are some routines that worked for me.

The beginning of a class period can be hectic as one group leaves, another enters, and the teacher takes attendance and performs other duties. Try posting an “agenda” that students see as they come in. Set aside a section of the board or project the agenda onto the interactive board. The agenda could include the purpose or big idea of the lesson, the activities for the class period, assignments they should have ready for you to check or turn in, and what they need to have ready at their seats (laptop, notebook, paper, pencil, textbook, etc.).

It may take a few days for students to get used to the routine of reading the agenda and getting things ready at their seats. I found that combining the agenda with a brief warm-up activity helped students focus for the rest of the period.

Rather than students selecting different teammates for each activity, use the same lab groups for a while. Assign students to groups, with a promise that you’ll change them in the future. Designate a space for each team to work on lab activities. Appoint one student in each group as the “coordinator” whose job is to get the materials for the activity. He or she should be the only one from the group who needs to move around the room. But you can minimize that movement by having all of the materials for each group in a box or tray. Designate another student in each group to be the “liaison.” This student is the group’s spokesperson and is allowed to ask you questions about the activity on the group’s behalf.

Routines at the end of the class period can help students organize their thinking before going on to the next class. For example, ask the students to complete a brief exit activity before departing.  This can be a written summary in their notebooks about the day’s activities, thoughts about an upcoming lesson, or a reminder of due dates for tests, projects, or other assignments.

When students are learning your routines, you’ll need to demonstrate and model them and provide opportunities for practice. Since the school year has already started, it may take a while for students to catch on to them, but the effort is worth it.

Click here for the Table of Contents

“The most engaging tool of all is an enthusiastic teacher who provides high, clear expectations and connects with students on a personal level. Good teaching is good teaching, even today.” This quote from the Editor’s Corner sums up what has always been true, regardless of the current distractions and free-time options that students have. Who remembers the discussions in the mid-20^th century about the (negative) effects of television on learning? Or had parents who couldn’t understand how kids could do homework with music playing on the radio or (gasp!) record player? So the 2011 student on the cover with a laptop and smart phone has technology that’s been kicked up quite a few notches, but there have always been perceived distractions.

I’ve found that motivation comes from within an individual. As a teacher I could threaten, reward, or plead with students for compliance, but the ultimate decision to participate was up to the student. The article What Students Really Want in Science Class describes a study in which students “want” the following: hands-on activities, active and interactive learning, being treated as people, and “stories” (narratives that connect content and show its relevance). This article dovetails with Teaching and Assessing the Nature of Science—these would make interesting reading at a department meeting or inservice event. (And I’d second the suggestion for the Understanding Science website  for more on the nature of science.)

In a focus group that I conducted with high school students, they said the worst thing they did  in class is copy notes from the board. They felt they learned best from class discussions, working together, and projects that allowed them to use their problem-solving skills and creativity. One student noted “We might moan about doing a project or having a discussion, but don’t take us seriously…we like them.” I also asked if they ever thought a topic in science was going to be boring, only to find that it was really interesting. The all said yes, and I asked what changed their minds. Virtually every student said it was something the teacher did that made the topic or the activity compelling for them.

The students also noted that they liked to work together. They may need some modeling and guidance on how to do that, and technology described in Science 2.0: Science Teaching and “the Cloud” could facilitate collaboration across geography and time. Many of the Web 2.0 tools foster online collaboration—the article describes Drop Box and Google Docs for sharing files collaboratively. No need to paste and download versions in emails.

Students also like to show their creativity with interesting projects. Adopt-a-Dino capitalizes on the interest students have in these animals (the topic of paleontology is not must just for  elementary students) with examples of student projects and presentations (the photos, handouts, and rubrics are very helpful). [SciLinks: Dinosaurs]

Rather than competing with popular culture, I’ll Bring the Popcorn has ideas for analyzing popular move clips for the science (or lack of science) in them. The author describes several movie scenes and offers suggestions for the appropriate use of these in class. I suspect that once students start looking at films through a science lens, they’ll be able to suggest additional examples. Avatar in the Science Classroom gets even more specific—designing a dream ecosystem. The authors include suggestions for this creative project as well as rubrics for assessing what students are learning. [SciLinks: Ecosystems]

Don’t forget to look at the Connections for this issue (September 2011). Even if the article does not quite fit with your lesson agenda, this resource has ideas for handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, etc.

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.

Click here for the Table of Contents

Many of us can appreciate the theme of this issue. As a science teacher, I often wondered what it would be like to have a substantial budget for science equipment and materials. But as the authors of these articles show, science isn’t  just about how much “stuff” students use, but rather how they think using whatever is available.

I was reading this issue at the beach, so when I came to the article A Scientific World in a Grain of Sand I had a laboratory right at my feet! The article has some great suggestions for getting started on investigations of this material that is found just about everywhere, incorporating concepts from geology, physics, and chemistry. The website Sand from Pasadena City College has more ideas. If you want to see how an interest in sand turned into a long-term classroom project and lifelong hobby, see the website Communities of Sand. Perhaps you have a sample to include? If you start your own collection, try putting a small sample on a piece of clear contact paper and seal the sample with another piece. Students can examine the samples with hand lenses, sort them, or do other activities without spilling the sand into the crevices of your desks or lab tables!

On another beach/pool thread, Chromonoodles demonstrates how simple materials can be used in making models to help students with difficult concepts. The photographs are very helpful, too.  (SciLinks: Chromosomes/Chromatids)

The article It’s Elemental describes an interactive periodic table and activities to guide students through exploring elements and their properties, using 3-D graphics. This would be a terrific resource for students to use on laptops or other devices, as an alternative to print-based periodic tables. (SciLinks: The Periodic Table.  You can also search SciLinks for information on individual elements by name.)

In keeping with the theme of this issue, the authors of Simulating Science show how authentic science can be learned using simple materials (a list is provided) and microscale techniques. With these activities, the title could also be “Stimulating” Science. (SciLinks: Diabetes, Kidneys, Kidney Disease, Pathogens)

By the time students get to high school, they may have already done cookbook activities related to making slime. But Hydrogel Beads: The New Slime Lab shows how to extend the activity into an inquiry-based one in which students explore the properties of the material, which I learned has very practical uses. (SciLinks: Polymers)

The “Headline Science” department is not included in the online version of TST, but there are several topics this month that have related topics in SciLinks:

• High-Protein Breakfast (SciLinks: Nutrition)
• Giant Kelp (SciLinks: Kelp Beds, Kelp Forests, Algae)
• New Class of Planets (SciLinks: Tenth Planet, Planets, Galaxies)
• A Better Mouse Model (SciLinks: Depression)
• Gene Packaging (SciLinks: Chromosome, DNA)
• Frozen Helium (SciLinks:Helium, States of Matter)

Be sure to look at the Connections  for this issue (July 2011). Even if the article does not quite fit with your lesson agenda, this resource has ideas for handouts, background information sheets, data sheets, rubrics, etc.

And follow TST on Facebook  and Twitter @NSTA