Students today encounter a flood of images and content from print and online sources. Increasingly, the ability to read, process, and derive meaning from those images and pictures will be central to student success. Authors Jo Anne Vasquez, Michael Comer, and Frankie Troutman have assembled for teachers a thorough overview of this timely topic in [...]
At the beginning of every school year, I had to submit a list of 2–3 professional goals, with an action plan of how I would meet them. Using appropriate instructional technology to improve student engagement and learning was one of my standard goals. If one of your goals is expanding your technology efforts beyond PowerPoint, [...]
I teach applied biology to 10th graders. This year, I have access to a cart of laptops to use in my classroom/lab. I’d like to have the students use the Internet to find information related to science topics as an extension of the textbook, but many of my students are struggling readers. Would Wikipedia be [...]
We’ve added to the list of chapters you can download for free from NSTA Press books! Visit the free chapters page on the NSTA website to browse the newest additions, including selections from Uncovering Student Ideas in Physical Science, Volume 1: Force and Motion, Using Science Notebooks in Middle School, and More Chemistry Basics: Stop [...]
This summer, I attended the Space Academy for Educators at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. I am a K–5 reading specialist, and I also am the Science Power Hour instructor in our afterschool program. Obviously, we will be learning lots and lots about space this year! What concepts should I expect my [...]
One of the advantages of being an NSTA member is getting a hard copy of the journal appropriate to your teaching assignment (Science and Children, Science Scope, or The Science Teacher for those in K–12). Even if you don’t get a hard copy, as a member you have online access to the others, including the [...]
For many of you, the school year is starting soon. Summer certainly flies by quickly! But if you have a little prep time left and are looking for new materials to add to your curriculum, check out SciLinks, NSTA’s online database of vetted web pages. You can access the websites in the database either by [...]
I am a science specialist and I teach students in first through fifth grades. My school is becoming the resource room building in the district. I expect to have large class sizes, 25–30 students, with mixed ability levels. I could have as many as 12 special education students in one class. I’d like to try [...]
I’m getting ready for a camping trip to the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts for some sightseeing and hiking later this month. In addition to attending a concert at Tanglewood and perhaps adding to my birding lifelist, I’m also looking forward to propping up my feet and reading in the fresh air. As I packed my [...]
I know that summer is well underway when I get my July issue of The Science Teacher with suggestions for new books to read, websites to explore, and topics to think about! Call me a dinosaur, but to me there’s nothing better than curling up with a good book on a hot summer day—at the [...]
