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Reimagining Chemistry: How Familiar Chemistry Topics Are Addressed - OpenSciEd

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Wondering where familiar chemistry topics like naming compounds, stoichiometry, and gas laws fit into OpenSciEd High School Chemistry? This webinar unpacks how and why these “traditional” topics were thoughtfully woven […]

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The Women in STEM eBook series is a series of free educational eBooks for middle school age readers. Designed to highlight the often overlooked role of women in STEM, the eBooks feature biographies of trailblazing women who made history through their scientific discoveries and innovation. Each eBook has a theme or topic that unites the women's stories, such as women in biotechnology. The short biographies highlight different paths, obstacles, and careers of women in STEM to inspire the next generation. Readers learn how women have defied gender and racial stereotypes and overcome structural barriers to advance the science, technology, engineering, and math industry.

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The Women in STEM eBook series is a series of free educational eBooks for middle school age readers. Designed to highlight the often overlooked role of women in STEM, the eBooks feature biographies of trailblazing women who made history through their scientific discoveries and innovation.

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You’ve Heard of Science of Reading? The Nation Needs Science of Teaching Science

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You’ve Heard of Science of Reading? The Nation Needs Science of Teaching Science

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High-quality instructional materials and curriculum-based professional learning are starting points for addressing this education crisis

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You’ve Heard of Science of Reading? The Nation Needs Science of Teaching Science

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Short: High-quality instructional materials and curriculum-based professional learning are starting points for addressing this education crisis

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Emphasizing the latest STEM thinking and the Next Generation Science Standards, ScienceFlix is transforming the way students access science topics, acquire scientific knowledge, and build an abiding interest in science, technology, and engineering. Every school district that subscribes to the CESA 10 IMC has access to ScienceFlix. If you don't know your school's login information, please contact your librarian or Kristin Rosenberg at krosenberg@cesa10.org.

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AT A GLANCE

WHAT

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math

FOR

600 - 1200 Lexile Level Readers

HOW

Web-based, unlimited access, unlimited users

TERMS

One-year subscription

PRICING

Schools: Per Building
Public Libraries: Per Population Served

Offering more than 70 complete units of study with over 20,000 science-related assets in a variety of media, ScienceFlix® provides students with a better understanding of science concepts and ideas through hands-on projects, videos, multiple text types, interactive features and more.

ScienceFlix helps students:

Practice hands-on scientific study

Develop inquiry-based learning skills

Build STEM content knowledge

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Discover our highly engaging, NGSS-aligned science resource that teaches students STEM concepts and ideas through hands-on projects, videos, and more!

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https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfLV759wqv9BSsVA7kSWF5oR5joN1Wp-MAFPsk6ZYEVOOJJYg/viewform

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Sign up Link - WSST and DPI are supporting a book study this year using TJ McKenna's new book, Making Sense of Sensemaking. We'll be meeting from 6:30 to 7:30 pm on third Mondays - Oct 20, Nov 17, Dec 15, Jan 19, and Feb 16, as well as an option in-  person session at the WSST conference on March 13th.

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To maximize your chances of having your request accommodated, please complete the request form at least 6 weeks in advance of your desired field trip date. Your field trip experience is not confirmed until we reach out via email with an itinerary and all the details about your visit to the UW-Madison campus.
Request a field trip for the 2025-26 school year!
This form is for large groups and groups requesting visits to multiple destinations on campus. If you solely want to visit one venue, and you know your desired destination has the capacity for your group size, please contact them directly using the links above.

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UW-Madison Cross-Campus Science Field Trips

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The University of Wisconsin-Madison welcomes K-12 classes, homeschool groups, 4-H, and youth groups for interactive field trips and tours. Please complete the form below if you are interested in bringing your group to campus to explore science. For a full list of offerings and workshop descriptions, see below: In-person experience on UW-Madison campus In-person experience at...

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RenewOurSchools Wisconsin - Resource Central

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K-12 hands on Energy Education in the classroom for teachers and students with an exciting competition component.

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KidWind Educator Workshop - Southwest, WI

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The Wisconsin Energy Institute and Wisconsin’s K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP) are excited to bring the KidWind Educator Workshop to Southwest Wisconsin! Join us and learn how to explore the power of wind and solar with your students!

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Sweepstakes BTS 2025 – Vernier Science Education

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Teaching NGSS Engineering Design Through Media | PBS LearningMedia

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Teaching Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Engineering Design Through Media is a collection of activities and professional development resources drawn from programs such as WGBH’s Design Squad Nation and the Engineering is Elementary® project at the Museum of Science, Boston. These media-based resources illustrate and deepen teachers’ understanding of Next Generation Science Standards and help them bring engineering alive for students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

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How can we make professional learning work better for teachers and their students?

How can we ensure that teachers experience the same kind of inquiry-based learning we expect them to provide for their students?

Teachers' jobs are changing in real time. Over the past decade, new academic standards have dramatically shifted our expectations for student learning. It's no longer enough to raise a hand and give the right answer. Instead, we want students to wrestle with complex problems, collaborate with one another, and investigate and apply information in creative ways.

This is not how most teachers learned when they were in school. It is not how most teacher preparation programs develop adults to lead a classroom. And it looks nothing like the seminars that dominate teachers' professional development experiences. Most often, the emphasis is on creative lesson planning and keeping students engaged. While that can contribute to better teaching, it keeps the focus on the adult in the room.

That focus needs to change. Most teachers have never experienced the sort of inquiry-based learning we expect them to provide for their students. How can teachers, professional learning providers and coaches, and system and school leaders help with this transition and keep pace with new goals for academic success?

The Challenge

School board members, parents, education stakeholders, and all educators have a vested interest in the success of all students. And one thing they have witnessed firsthand is clearly supported by research: curriculum has a direct impact on student engagement and learning. The instructional materials that teachers use with their students can dramatically accelerate or hamper learning.

Perhaps less obvious, yet even more important, is that the way in which teachers use curriculum matters too. This presents a unique opportunity to enhance the efforts of hard-working teachers: provide them with strong, high-quality, standards-aligned curriculum and make sure they know how to take advantage of everything it has to offer. The question is, how?

The Elements and the Essentials

We have identified a core set of actions, approaches, and enabling conditions that effective schools and systems have put in place to reinforce and amplify the power of high-quality curriculum and skillful teaching. We call these the Elements of Curriculum-Based Professional Learning, or simply the Elements.

The Elements encompass actions big and small, from purposefully selecting a strong curriculum to planning efficient teacher meetings wholly focused on instruction. In this paper, we define each of the 10 Elements and show how school and district leaders, curriculum developers, and organizations that support teacher development can apply them in their roles and communities. We also identify foundational conditions that system leaders must establish to ensure that curriculum-based professional learning can thrive. We call these the Essentials.

Taken together, the Elements and the Essentials offer a foundation for practitioners looking to undertake this work. They also serve as a call to action. This powerful approach to curriculum reform and professional learning knits together two influential aspects of a child's education: teachers' skillfulness and the quality of the instructional materials they use. By reshaping current practices with the Elements and the Essentials as a guide, we can help teachers develop the skills, knowledge, and understanding they need to set all students up for success.

What Is Curriculum-Based Professional Learning?

Curriculum-based professional learning invites teachers to participate in the same sort of rich, inquiry-based learning that new academic standards require. Such learning places the focus squarely on curriculum. It is rooted in ongoing, active experiences that prompt teachers to change their instructional practices, expand their content knowledge, and challenge their beliefs. This stands in contrast to traditional teacher training, which typically relays a static mass of information that teachers selectively apply to existing practice.

Instead of a one-time workshop, facilitators guide a series of focused, small-group sessions that are structured like a typical day's lesson, allowing teachers to experience the instruction that their students will receive. Working together, teachers rehearse lessons and address common concerns. They deepen their subject knowledge and fine-tune their instructional approaches, growing fluent in the curriculum's rigorous content and sequence of learning. Over time, both inside and outside their classrooms, teachers see firsthand how their day-to-day choices can enrich or cut short inquiry-based learning. These experiences help reshape their beliefs and assumptions about what their students can achieve.

This vision of professional learning uses curriculum as both a lever and a guide, helping link teachers' actions and ideas to new standards in a concrete, focused way. Done right, it can close the gap between the experiences we provide for teachers and those we want them to provide for students. Given the challenges teachers and students are currently experiencing as they adapt to remote instructional platforms, such learning is especially crucial to their success.

Six Fundamental Shifts

Traditional teacher professional development often takes the form of a lecture-heavy workshop disconnected from the day-to-day lessons that teachers lead. By contrast, curriculum-based professional learning is active, ongoing, and focused on improving the rigor and impact of teachers' lessons. It calls for six major shifts.

The Importance of Teacher Learning

Teachers, unions, schools, and districts all seem to agree on the importance of teacher learning. The United States spends an estimated $18 billion on professional development programs every year, and teachers spend more than a week's worth of time participating in them. From training seminars to coaching and small-group study, professional development entails a major investment of money and time.

Research shows:

Traditional professional development does not achieve substantial positive impacts on teacher performance or student outcomes.

A broad gap exists between the short-term, isolated experiences that typify professional development and the ongoing, content-focused, job-embedded professional learning that can help teachers and their students excel.

Even when learning is focused on a particular content area, it tends to be short-lived, with most teachers participating in less than 16 hours of activities - on the order of a seminar or two in a year.

Just 7 percent of the nation's elementary school reading teachers use at least one standards-aligned instructional tool in classroom instruction.

More than half of U.S. teachers craft curriculum for their students, either by borrowing from multiple sources or creating their own materials.

Using better instructional materials boosts student outcomes just as much as having a better teacher at the front of the room.

When teachers participated in curriculum-based professional learning, their students' test scores improved by 9 percent of a standard deviation - about the same effect caused by replacing an average teacher with a top performer or reducing class size by 15 percent.

A Call to Action

A strong evidence base shows that high-quality instructional materials accelerate student learning and that their impact grows even larger when teachers participate in curriculum-based professional learning. Yet in too many cases, instruction is poorly aligned to the research on learning, and a wide gap remains between traditional teacher professional development and what is needed to teach high-quality instructional materials. These differences are most stark in classrooms serving students of color, who have far less access to rigorous curriculum and inquiry-based instruction than their peers.

High-quality instructional materials and curriculum-based professional learning can help us continue to drive improvements in teaching and learning that reach all students. We can capitalize on the investments that states and systems have already made in adopting new standards by better connecting teachers with curriculum developers and professional learning providers. In providing these supports, we can give teachers what they so clearly want and what research and evidence from the field indicate they - and their students - need.

These won't be quick fixes. Rigorous, inquiry-based teaching and learning require teachers to make fundamental shifts in habits, skills, knowledge, and beliefs. They also require substantial changes in instructional culture and priorities.

To help achieve this foundational transformation in professional learning, download the report's recommendations for teachers, professional learning providers and coaches, and system and school leaders.

Help us meet the challenges of the moment and continue to improve teaching and learning by spreading the word on Twitter.

Recommendations for Teachers

Great teaching with a high-quality curriculum is key to student learning. Download the report's recommendations for teachers who need to experience the instruction their students will receive and transform their instructional practices.

Recommendations for Professional Learning Providers and Coaches

Curriculum-based professional learning is a team effort. Download the report's recommendations for professional learning providers and coaches who are pivotal to connecting high-quality curriculum materials with teachers and students.

Recommendations for System and School Leaders

Leadership is essential to transformative learning for educators and students. Download the report's recommendations for system and school leaders who must provide the foundational conditions for teachers and students to succeed together.

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The Elements: Transforming Teaching through Curriculum-Based Professional Learning | Professional Learning for Educators | Carnegie Corporation of New York

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A new report by Carnegie Corporation of New York calls for transforming teaching and student learning by anchoring professional learning in high-quality curriculum materials

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Four Simple STEM Experiments to Try Indoors

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Uncover new ways to explore STEM indoors with these hands-on activities that your family can enjoy together.

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Embark on a journey through time and space to understand what light really is and how humans use it. From starting fires with sunlight, to sending messages to other planets, to current research in photonics, students will become more curious about light in their daily lives!

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WonderLab Learning Resources is a collection of online activities, learning tools, professional learning modules, and videos inspired by renowned National Geographic Explorer and photographer Anand Varma's work.

Subjects

Biology, Storytelling, Experiential Learning, Photography

Mark Thiessen / National Geographic Society

Anand Varma is a National Geographic Explorer, photographer, and founder of WonderLab, an incubator for ideas and talent that offers mentorship and education opportunities for aspiring scientists and storytellers to cultivate their skills in scientific experimentation and expert storytelling. The resources in this collection allow educators and youth "to slow down, observe, find the mystery of things that hide in plain sight and take the time to explore the wonder of our world" as they develop skills and attitudes of an Explorer such as curiosity, empathy, empowerment, problem-solving, and storytelling.

Activity: Seeing a Tree from Multiple Viewpoints

This is an activity to encourage learners to see and contemplate the role of a single tree from many different viewpoints. It helps learners develop empathy as they consider all the connections to a single tree, and how these different viewpoints influence what they notice.

Learning Tool: Multimodal Storytelling

This tool encourages learners to share a story using different modes of communication. Engaging in multimodal storytelling can help Explorers (and/or learners) stimulate the imagination and be more expansive and creative in the ways they communicate their discoveries and work to different audiences.

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

April 24, 2024

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WonderLab Learning Resources is a collection of online activities, learning tools, professional learning modules, and videos inspired by renowned National Geographic Explorer and photographer Anand Varma's work.

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NSTA Web Seminar Web Seminar: WI25: Lab Safety Considerations for Pre-Service Secondary Science/STEM Teachers, March 10, 2025

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Secondary Pre-service Teachers! Join us on Monday, March 10, 2025, from 7:00 to 8:15 PM ET to learn about safety considerations for the science laboratory.

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The Energy Audit Kit is available on loan and free of charge, thanks to generous sponsorship by WE Energies and WPS. Perfect for discovering energy indoors, the kit includes easy-to-use tools to perform simple energy assessments and behavior investigations in the classroom. Students can monitor plug load, moisture, light, and temperature levels to identify energy loss in any building. This resource not only enhances lessons on energy but also supports the integration of technology into math and science curricula. Further details on finding these kits around the state can be found on this WCEE page. These would pair well with KidWind projects noted below!

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Designing Standards-Aligned Instructional Materials That Connect to Students’ Interests and Community Priorities

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All students should have opportunities to investigate issues related to their personal interests and community priorities. Teachers value these goals but often lack materials that follow students’…

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Science:

Fossil Resource Kit

Call number: MOD 560.9 FOS SCI

Summary: Study authentic fossils. Create a mold, then cast and trace new "fossils." Discover how ice functions as a preservative. Learn how fossils are created and where to find them.

Interest Level: Grades: 3-6

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Engineering Tomorrow is a nonprofit offering interactive virtual engineering labs at no cost to schools, teachers or students.

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Workshop - Citizen Science for Your Classroom with SciStarter

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Learn how to engage students in Citizen Science with a free teacher PD workshop. Discover hands-on projects, like camera traps, to empower students as real-world scientists in the classroom. Sign up now!

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Science:

Picture Perfect Science Lesson; The Changing Moon Kit

Call number: MOD 523.32 CHA

Summary: Picture Perfect Science ClassPack for 28 students to explore the phases of the moon.

Interest level: Elementary

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Notes Page - Storylines Book Study - 2024/25

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storylines

A storyline is a coherent sequence of lessons, in which each step is driven by students' questions that arise from their interactions with phenomena. A student's goal should always be to explain a phenomenon or solve a problem. At each step, students make progress on the classroom's questions through science and engineering practices, to figure out a piece of a science idea. Each piece they figure out adds to the developing explanation, model, or designed solution. Each step may also generate questions that lead to the next step in the storyline. Together, what students figure out helps explain the unit's phenomena or solve the problems they have identified. A storyline provides a coherent path toward building disciplinary core idea and crosscutting concepts, piece by piece, anchored in students' own questions.

What makes a storyline different from just a sequence of lessons?

Often the importance of a particular problem or idea is clear to the teacher, but not to the students. For example, the teacher knows how learning about the cell will help with important biological questions; but for students, they are learning about cells because that's the title of the current chapter in the textbook. The teacher may know how a particular chemistry experiment will teach students something about conservation of matter; but to the students, they are doing the experiment because they are following the directions. In a storyline, students should be involved in co-constructing the question we are working on, and should see the activity as helping make progress on that question. In a storyline, the coherence is from the students' perspective, not just the teacher's.

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What Are Storylines? - Next Generation Science Storylines

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A storyline is a coherent sequence of lessons, in which each step is driven by students' questions that arise from their interactions with phenomena. A student's goal should always be to explain a phenomenon or solve a problem. At each step, students make progress on the classroom's questions through science and engineering practices, to figure out a piece of a science idea.

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Tools for

Ambitious
Science
Teaching

Companion Book available now on Harvard Ed Press

Pressing for evidence- based explanations

Planning for engagement with important science ideas

Supporting on-going changes in thinking

Eliciting students' ideas

What is Ambitious Science Teaching?

Great teaching can be learned. This web site provides a vision of ambitious science instruction for elementary, middle school and high school classrooms. Ambitious teaching deliberately aims to support students of all backgrounds to deeply understand science ideas, participate in the activities of the discipline, and solve authentic problems.

We feature 4 core sets of teaching practices that support these goals. These core sets make up the Ambitious Science Teaching Framework. The framework has been based on classroom research from the past 30 years-research that has asked, "What kinds of talk, tasks, and tools do students need in order to fully engage in meaningful forms of science learning?"

If you are a member of a group of science educators committed to the improvement of teaching, the vision, practices, and tools here will furnish a common language for you about teaching. You will be able to identify "what we will get better at" and how to get started.

Become Part of a Community That Shares a Common Vision of Excellence in Teaching.

Because ambitious science teaching focuses on doing four things really well in the classroom (the core practices), members of our community can speak a common language about how to continually improve instruction and support student learning. We can frame problems together and work towards solutions with help from each other. The expertise of our community comes from our members (teachers, instructional coaches, teacher educators) as well as from extensive empirical classroom research. On this site you can explore how other professionals are using core practices and the tools that go with them.

Explore New Tools That Support Student Learning

This site provides a constantly evolving set of tools to help improve student participation and learning. Some of these tools will help you plan for student engagement with "big" science ideas. Some will help students reason publicly with each other about science ideas. Others will help students engage in scientific modeling, explanation and argument with evidence. Still others will scaffold science-specific writing and talk. We have unique sets of tools for teachers, instructional coaches, and teacher educators.

But here's what is really important about our tools-they belong to the community, meaning that they need to be continually tested under different classroom conditions in order to be improved and diversified.

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Pressing for evidence- based explanations Planning for engagement with important science ideas Supporting on-going changes in thinking Eliciting students' ideas Great teaching can be learned.

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K-12 STEM Education and Workforce Development in Rural Areas(2024)

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K-12 STEM Education and Workforce Development in Rural Areas(2024)

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Copyright Information

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Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

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K-12 STEM Education and Workforce Development in Rural Areas

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Read online, download a free PDF, or order a copy in print.

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Founded by engineer Bill Woodburn, our team of professional engineers develop and lead purpose-driven labs so students gain real-life knowledge to carry with them to their future careers.

Before founding Engineering Tomorrow, Bill served as the CEO of GE Infrastructure. He is currently a Co-Founding Partner of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a leading global, independent fund manager with investments in energy, transport, and water/waste sectors.

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Engineering Tomorrow | No cost virtual labs.

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Founded by engineer Bill Woodburn, our team of professional engineers develop and lead purpose-driven labs so students gain real-life knowledge to carry with them to their future careers. Before founding Engineering Tomorrow, Bill served as the CEO of GE Infrastructure.

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Science is Cool Virtual Fieldtrip with the IIHS

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Explore the science of vehicle safety with a virtual field trip featuring a LIVE car crash test by the IIHS. Join for free on December 12, 2024, and learn about crash tests, safety features, and more.

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Research shows that young students learn STEAM and Computer Science best with hands-on, playful experiences. Meet KIBO, the screen-free robot, where students problem solve, engineer, collaborate, and develop their computational...

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Petra van't Slot, High School Science Teacher

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Content Provided by The National Science Foundation

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eSchool News articles and information on STEM & STEAM Trends

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April 2024 Editor's Pick

Students reinforce their knowledge that DNA is the genetic material for all living things by modeling it using toothpicks and gumdrops that represent the four biochemicals (adenine, thiamine, guanine, and cytosine) that pair with each other in a specific pattern, making ...

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Ignite STEM learning in K-12 - TeachEngineering

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Free, K-12, NGSS standards-aligned STEM lessons and hands-on activities for teaching elementary, middle and high school science, engineering design and math. Search by concepts or specific Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to Ignite STEM learning in K-12.

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April 2024 Editor's Pick

Students reinforce their knowledge that DNA is the genetic material for all living things by modeling it using toothpicks and gumdrops that represent the four biochemicals (adenine, thiamine, guanine, and cytosine) that pair with each other in a specific pattern, making ...

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Ignite STEM learning in K-12 - TeachEngineering

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Free, K-12, NGSS standards-aligned STEM lessons and hands-on activities for teaching elementary, middle and high school science, engineering design and math. Search by concepts or specific Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to Ignite STEM learning in K-12.

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Smithsonian Science for the Classroom - Smithsonian Science

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Smithsonian Science for the Classroom Experience Quality. Achieve Results. The only elementary science curriculum proven to raise student test scores in science, reading, and math through hands-on, phenomenon-driven activities built around coherent storylines that engage learners in exploring real scientific phenomena. Rated All Green by EdReports for meeting the highest standards of quality and alignment.

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Science is Cool Virtual Fieldtrip with the IIHS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore the science of vehicle safety with a virtual field trip featuring a LIVE car crash test by the IIHS. Join for free on December 12, 2024, and learn about crash tests, safety features, and more.

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How To: Create and Access an Authoring Account in Argos
Unlike instructor accounts, authoring accounts require a quick one-time setup. We are working to streamline this process in the future for new users, but once you create your account, you won't need to use these steps again.

Here you will find a step-by-step guide or a video tutorial to walk you through this one-time process.

Logging In and Enabling Educator Mode: To get started, make sure you're logged into your Infiniscope account . Once you're in, enable educator mode. This step is crucial because it grants you access to essential features.

Accessing Educator Resources: Enabling educator mode will unlock the option to view educator resources on lesson cards. Click Educator Info , then View Resources . Clicking here will take you to the lesson landing page.

Start Your First Project or Close out: To start a new lesson, click " Projects " on the left panel, then " New Project " to get started.

Once you close out of Argos, you'll need to access your authoring account. Below are instructions and a quick video to get you back to projects.

Accessing Your Authoring Account : To access your newly minted authoring account once you've closed out of Argos, ensure you're logged into the Infiniscope website with educator mode enabled. This step allows you to see the tools menu. From this menu, select "Argos."

Congratulations! You've successfully created your authoring account and regained access from the Infiniscope website.

We're thrilled to have you on board and look forward to the content you'll create. If you have any questions or need further assistance, !

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Infiniscope | Transforming Earth & Space Science Education

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Providing educators with standards-based digital lessons, creative tools and professional development with connections to NASA science.

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A couple weeks ago, I participated in a workshop session led by Professor Rosemary Russ of UW-Madison. She shared a story of a mystifying event: her dog tends to sniff around more on walks after it rains. She broke us into small groups, gave us some chart paper, and asked us to discuss why that may be happening. Our group gradually dug in, shared ideas, and started drawing out our thinking (we were modeling, though she never used that term). After a while groups shared their thoughts, and she asked questions. In particular, she repeatedly pushed us to explain our thinking, our "why," our understanding of concepts, how our ideas compared with others' ideas... When I shared, she didn't let me get away with using the term "volatile" - she made me explain what I meant!

Professor Russ then emphasized that students too often hide a lack of full understanding behind memorized vocabulary words and definitions. In this Illusion of Explanatory Depth, students repeat ideas without fully understanding what they mean. They can't use these ideas to help make sense of a phenomenon, because they've never truly understood them. Often, in a typical class discussion, assignment, and assessment, students are able to throw around these words and regurgitate ideas, and they appear to really get it. They pass the test but aren't pressed. They sound capable but aren't challenged. The concepts are not retained.

Worksheets, questions at the end of a chapter, and taking notes in class do not constitute strong pillars of instruction. Effective science learning happens when students engage in dialogue about phenomena, revise models, and evaluate whether the evidence they have is sufficient to support one explanation over another. It comes when they have to do the work to make sense of the world, not when the figuring out has really already been done for them.

In the conversation with Professor Russ, someone brought up a concern that student explanations might contain " misconceptions" that other students will pick up on. As she noted, that's an essential part of the scientific process. We hear things all the time in life that are unfounded and not based in accurate or sufficient evidence. In the classroom, it's critical that students don't stop after this first stage of sensemaking, just like it's essential that all people don't stop thinking about and looking for further evidence after reading some random "scientific" article online. Students will work together to engage in further investigation and evidence gathering after this initial process. They figure out why a particular explanation doesn't pass muster. They must figure that out themselves if it's going to stick; for conceptual change, it does not work to have the teacher jump in and counter an idea.

Importantly, this Illusion of Explanatory Depth does not only happen in science. Students in math can hide behind the algorithm (the formula, the typical problem, etc.) to mask their lack of sensemaking and of conceptual understanding. Students in economics, history, or psychology might throw out terms such as "supply and demand" or "culture," or note theories such as "institutional determinism" or "behaviorism." As noted in the previous blog post, students should be wrestling with phenomena across subject areas to develop deep understanding and use these ideas as part of their efforts to make sense of various aspects of their world.

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Students Using Proper Science Vocabulary Can Mask Authentic Understanding

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Implementation ideas for Wisconsin Science Standards and NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)

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Antarctica is a special place for science, governance and exploring climate! Where is is the land managed by a treaty among countries, with peacekeeping and science as the top priorities, and where else is the environment as fragile and so harsh? The answer to all of this is nowhere else! We are sharing an upcoming opportunity to learn more about current Antarctic research and work that is being done to better understand climate change and the overall implications and impacts for that region as well as here in our communities. This is being organized as part of Antarctic Week 2024.

We have collected a set of resources that include video talks, activities, web interactives and more!

The event is brought to you by the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration!

We hope you will join us!

Margie Turrin, Betsy Sheffield, and Athena Dinar

Questions? Please reach out to Margie Turrin mkt@ldeo.columbia.edu

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Engineering Tomorrow....Get your lab scheduled today!

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Engineering Tomorrow....Get your lab scheduled today!

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Good morning!  To those of you who have scheduled labs, thank you for trusting us as an educational partner.  If you have not scheduled yet, now is the time! Get your lab request in to secure your lab for this semester or for labs next semester.  Also, take a look at the two new labs we have this year!

Starting on Black Friday, we are again offering the $100 Amazon gift cards for recruitment of new teachers. So talk with your colleagues and get them on board with Engineering Tomorrow. They need to register for a lab by December 19, 2024, for you to earn your gift card.  There is no limit to how many gift cards you can earn.

We hope to see you again using ET labs to enhance your curriculum!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Lisa Peck

Program Coordinator

Engineering Tomorrow

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Founded by engineer Bill Woodburn, our team of professional engineers develop and lead purpose-driven labs so students gain real-life knowledge to carry with them to their future careers.

Before founding Engineering Tomorrow, Bill served as the CEO of GE Infrastructure. He is currently a Co-Founding Partner of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a leading global, independent fund manager with investments in energy, transport, and water/waste sectors.

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Engineering Tomorrow | No cost virtual labs.

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Founded by engineer Bill Woodburn, our team of professional engineers develop and lead purpose-driven labs so students gain real-life knowledge to carry with them to their future careers. Before founding Engineering Tomorrow, Bill served as the CEO of GE Infrastructure.

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Do you and/or other colleagues in your district have experience teaching STEM/STEAM? The Department of Public Instruction is looking to hire 15 STEAM fellows (PK-12) who will engage in professional development, collaborate with regional and statewide partners, and implement STEAM-related initiatives in their schools and communities. Fellows will participate in collaborative learning experiences, curate educational resources, develop a plan to locally engage underrepresented students in STEAM education, and share their learning with others. The fellowship aims to foster innovation, equity, and excellence in STEAM education across Wisconsin.

Fellowships highlights:

$2,000 stipend

Grow your own practice with free professional learning

Support others to grow their practice by sharing what you’ve learned

Click here to learn more and apply (Applications due November 8)DPI STEAM Education Fellows Application

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Google Forms - create and analyze surveys, for free.

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Science of CAR CRASH virtual field trips

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Science of CAR CRASH virtual field trips

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Science is Cool Virtual Fieldtrip with the IIHS

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Explore the science of vehicle safety with a virtual field trip featuring a LIVE car crash test by the IIHS. Join for free on December 12, 2024, and learn about crash tests, safety features, and more.

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Join the Storytelling for Social Change Virtual Exchange Program – Spring 2025 Cohort!

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Join the Storytelling for Social Change Virtual Exchange Program – Spring 2025 Cohort!

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iEARN-USA is now recruiting high school classes for the Spring 2025 cohort of Storytelling for Social Change, a fully-funded international virtual exchange program. This unique opportunity connects students from Algeria, Tunisia, and the United States to explore the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and reflect on how they relate to their own lives and communities.

Through media analysis and project-based learning, students will gain valuable storytelling, communication, and technical skills. The program integrates seamlessly into a variety of subjects, including social studies, Arabic, and data science, enriching your classroom experience.

Why Participate?

Completely free, thanks to generous funding.

Minimal prep required—curriculum and materials are provided.

Expert facilitators guide you and your students every step of the way.

Comprehensive support and training for teachers, ensuring smooth participation.

Equip your students with global awareness and key 21st-century skills.

Interested?

Join our Virtual Info Session on Monday, November 4, 2024, from 5:30 - 6:30 PM ET to learn more about how your class can get involved! For more details, check the attached flyer or click here to register.

Have questions? Feel free to contact Program Manager Christen Maguire at christen@us.iearn.org.

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TinkRworks promotes cross-curricular connections to ELA, math, science, coding, computer science, data analysis, design, and engineering.

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Wisconsin Elementary School Science Standards - The Wonder of Science

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Wisconsin High School Science Standards — The Wonder of Science

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The Wonder of Science website aggregates the work of Paul Andersen around the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)

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For Girls to Succeed in STEM, Confidence Matters as Much as Competence - EdSurge News

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Girls are doing better academically than their male peers in many respects. They’re more likely to graduate on time and get a bachelor’s degree. So why…

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Courses Offered: Online Grad Program | Seminars on Science

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Explore our list of upcoming, six-week courses, in the Earth, life and physical sciences.

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PBS-NC Science Educational Resources | PBS LearningMedia

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PBS NC Science Educational Resources is a comprehensive collection of open educational resources (OERs) and lesson plans aligned to state and national standards. Though the most direct alignments occur at the middle school level, the lessons also touch on high school alignments, and are appropriate for students at both levels, as well as for some 4th and 5th graders.

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Moss campion is a hearty tundra plant that lives over a wide range of latitudes from New Mexico all the way up to Alaska. For more than twenty years, ecologists have been tracking the vital rates (survival, growth, and reproduction) of moss campion from four study sites.

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Wi Sci Ed Leadership Assoc (WSELA) Meeting - Oct 15, Madison 

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Wi Sci Ed Leadership Assoc (WSELA) Meeting - Oct 15, Madison 

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All are welcome to attend the Wisconsin Science Education Leadership Association meetings! The next one, on October 15th, will be at the McKenzie Regional Workforce Center, 5215 Verona Rd, Fitchburg (just outside of Madison). Networking and a light breakfast will begin at 8:30, with the meeting lasting from 9 to 3. Lunch will be served. Send Kevin (me) an RSVP by email by Sept 30th with ideas for agenda topics - you can just reply to this newsletter email. Current topics include ACT Science, science standards, Act 20 efforts related to science, grading practices, and instructional coaching. Cost is $20 for returnees or $0 for new attendees.

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Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is an interesting competition where there are at least 5 winners from Wisconsin who receive $2500 in technology

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Applications are in!

The application phase of the competition is now closed. Judges
are reviewing all applications. Tune back in on or around Dec. 5ᵗʰ to find out which schools will advance to the next phase of
the competition as State Finalists!

Five tech hacks to ace school work

After a year of uncertainty and change, we have some helpful advice on how to return to the classroom with renewed focus and even better tools.

Check out Samsung Solve for Tomorrow at our US Newsroom to learn more about the program
and to contact us for media opportunities.

No purchase necessary to enter or win in the Samsung "Solve for Tomorrow" Education Contest. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, 21 or older & currently employed at a public school teacher, grades 6-12. Contest begins 8/29/23. For Official Rules and judging criteria, click here.
Sponsor: Samsung Electronics America, Inc. Samsung is registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. All other product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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Solve for Tomorrow | Investing in Students | Samsung US

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Samsung's annual competition for public schools grades 6 - 12 encourages students to share their STEM project ideas for a chance to win prize money and mentorship.

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JB Systems LLC Eau Claire Website Design www.jbsystemsllc.com

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Grants|AnnMarie Foundation|Apply for a Grant

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Submit your application today for a grant for your school or business. AnnMarie Foundation has a variety of grants available.

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No matter the weather, the season, or your skin tone, it's always important to be sun safe! Help your students soak up sun protection knowledge (instead of harmful UV rays) with this free educational program that explores UV rays, the UV Index, and sun-safety tips.

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No matter the weather, the season, or your skin tone, it's always important to be sun safe! Help your students soak up sun protection knowledge (instead of harmful UV rays) with this free educational program that explores UV rays, the UV Index, and sun-safety tips.

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Download the 2024 Female Students and STEM Report today.

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Mark your calendar for our exciting new Science Symposium on Sept. 18, 2024! This FREE, virtual professional development event will give you all the tools you need to strengthen science instruction and build critical thinkers ready to tackle future challenges.

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What captures the interest of students? FOOD! Yes, food can be used to engage students in inquiry-based science - really!

The Science and Our Food Supply Teacher Guides are challenging hands-on, minds-on activities that link food safety and nutrition to students' everyday lives. They are crafted in a teacher-friendly modular format that easily fit into science, health, and other classes.

Choose from these topics: Food Safety | Nutrition

Food Safety

Science and Our Food Supply: Investigating Food Safety from Farm to Table (2014 Edition)

FDA, in collaboration with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), created Science and Our Food Supply: Investigating Food Safety from Farm to Table, an innovative, interactive supplementary curriculum for use in middle level and high school science classes. An advisory board of experienced teachers just like you developed and tested the materials.

Food safety has become an important national focus. Each year, approximately one sixth of the U. S. population has mild to severe illnesses caused by pathogens in food - and more than 3,000 people die from them. Learning food safety science will enable your students to better understand decisions and practices that may affect their personal health. It will encourage them to step up to the plate and take an active role in preventing foodborne illness.

This curriculum is linked to current education standards.

In each guide you'll find in-depth activities and labs covering this broad range of topics:

Bacteria, including Foodborne Pathogens

Proper food storage and handling

Pasteurization Technology

The Science of Cooking a Hamburger

DNA Fingerprinting

Outbreak Analysis

Food Safety Middle Level Guide (PDF 8MB) Food Safety High School Guide (PDF: 8MB)

Survey
Please complete this survey AFTER you have used this curriculum in your classroom. Begin Survey Dr. X and the Quest for Food Safety Interactive Video
Additional Program Components
Food Safety A to Z Reference Guide

Features a savvy food scientist (Dr. X) and student (Tracy) who introduce and reinforce the science concepts in the activities and experiments

Students will get the inside scoop on emerging microbes: how they live, grow, and s-p-r-e-a-d!

Explores behind-the-scenes research in laboratories and the latest food safety technologies that affect the foods we eat

Meet real-life scientists working in a variety of food science careers

Careers in Food Science

The most current, comprehensive food science information in an easy-to-use alphabetical format

Need-to-know practices for handling, preparing, cooking, and serving food

Insider interviews with real-life scientists

Tips, fun facts, and answers to your most frequently asked food safety questions

Lose a Million (Bacteria) Game
So you want to be a scientist? Learn all about what it takes to make it happen by checking out these exciting interviews! Professionals working in a variety of food safety careers tell all about their jobs and scientific discoveries, and reveal their secrets for success.

"Lose a Million (Bacteria)" is a fun game based on the popular TV game show, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." The game begins with a million bacteria. The object of the game is to lose bacteria.

Nutrition

Science and Our Food Supply: Using the Nutrition Facts Label to Make Healthy Food Choices (2017 Edition)

When it comes to making science, consumer sciences, and health relevant for your students, what better way than to apply it to something that's part of their everyday lives? Food gives you an ideal springboard for introducing the science that is at the heart of nutrition and exploring the impact that daily food and beverage choices can have on overall health.

This nutrition-based curriculum introduces students to the fundamentals of healthy food choices, using the Nutrition Facts label as the starting point, and may be used separately or in conjunction with the food safety curriculum. With engaging hands-on activities, students will become aware of calories, serving size, and the nutrients to get "more of" and "less of." Designed for use by middle level and high school teachers, the emphasis is on an inquiry approach that is customizable to science, health, and/or family and consumer science classes, aligning with current education standards in these curriculum areas.

Your students will learn about:

Using the Nutrition Facts Label

Serving Size and Calories

Sugar in Beverages

Sodium in Snack Foods

Meal Planning

Healthy Eating Away from Home

Nutrition Middle Level Guide (PDF: 5MB) Nutrition High School Guide (PDF: 5MB)

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What captures the interest of students? FOOD! Yes, food can be used to engage students in inquiry-based science - really! The Science and Our Food Supply Teacher Guides are challenging hands-on, minds-on activities that link food safety and nutrition to students' everyday lives.

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Tools for

Ambitious
Science
Teaching

Companion Book available now on Harvard Ed Press

Pressing for evidence- based explanations

Planning for engagement with important science ideas

Supporting on-going changes in thinking

Eliciting students' ideas

What is Ambitious Science Teaching?

Great teaching can be learned. This web site provides a vision of ambitious science instruction for elementary, middle school and high school classrooms. Ambitious teaching deliberately aims to support students of all backgrounds to deeply understand science ideas, participate in the activities of the discipline, and solve authentic problems.

We feature 4 core sets of teaching practices that support these goals. These core sets make up the Ambitious Science Teaching Framework. The framework has been based on classroom research from the past 30 years-research that has asked, "What kinds of talk, tasks, and tools do students need in order to fully engage in meaningful forms of science learning?"

If you are a member of a group of science educators committed to the improvement of teaching, the vision, practices, and tools here will furnish a common language for you about teaching. You will be able to identify "what we will get better at" and how to get started.

Become Part of a Community That Shares a Common Vision of Excellence in Teaching.

Because ambitious science teaching focuses on doing four things really well in the classroom (the core practices), members of our community can speak a common language about how to continually improve instruction and support student learning. We can frame problems together and work towards solutions with help from each other. The expertise of our community comes from our members (teachers, instructional coaches, teacher educators) as well as from extensive empirical classroom research. On this site you can explore how other professionals are using core practices and the tools that go with them.

Explore New Tools That Support Student Learning

This site provides a constantly evolving set of tools to help improve student participation and learning. Some of these tools will help you plan for student engagement with "big" science ideas. Some will help students reason publicly with each other about science ideas. Others will help students engage in scientific modeling, explanation and argument with evidence. Still others will scaffold science-specific writing and talk. We have unique sets of tools for teachers, instructional coaches, and teacher educators.

But here's what is really important about our tools-they belong to the community, meaning that they need to be continually tested under different classroom conditions in order to be improved and diversified.

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Pressing for evidence- based explanations Planning for engagement with important science ideas Supporting on-going changes in thinking Eliciting students' ideas Great teaching can be learned.

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Wisconsin Elementary School Science Standards - The Wonder of Science

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Sprocket is a no-cost online portal for teachers to access full year project-based learning courses.

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Founded by engineer Bill Woodburn, our team of professional engineers develop and lead purpose-driven labs so students gain real-life knowledge to carry with them to their future careers.

Before founding Engineering Tomorrow, Bill served as the CEO of GE Infrastructure. He is currently a Co-Founding Partner of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a leading global, independent fund manager with investments in energy, transport, and water/waste sectors.

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Engineering Tomorrow | No cost virtual labs.

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Founded by engineer Bill Woodburn, our team of professional engineers develop and lead purpose-driven labs so students gain real-life knowledge to carry with them to their future careers. Before founding Engineering Tomorrow, Bill served as the CEO of GE Infrastructure.

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Great Lakes Educator Research for Teachers

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Great Lakes Educator Research for Teachers

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Ta da! Applications are now open for a shipboard experience aboard the R/V Lake Guardian - July 7 -13, 2024

Through a partnership with the US EPA Great Lakes National Program Office, and funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through NOAA, educators will spend a full week alongside researchers aboard the US EPA R/V (Research Vessel) Lake Guardian. Facilitated by Great Lakes Sea Grant Network educators, the Shipboard Science Workshops, one per year, rotate among the five Great Lakes and are designed to promote Great Lakes sciences while forging lasting relationships between Great Lakes researchers and educators. Past participants have described the experience as a “once-in-a-lifetime, professional learning opportunity.”

These shipboard workshops provide a unique opportunity that cannot be duplicated by any other educational entity in the basin. The week-long scientific exploration of Lake Erie will take place July 7-13, 2024, providing educators with a hands-on opportunity to explore microplastics, phytoplankton, benthic organisms, sediment, and other Lake Erie-specific topics while living and working alongside Great Lakes scientists on a vessel conducting critical research. This is truly an amazing opportunity for educators.

Beyond participating in the shipboard science workshop, educators also receive a stipend to support integration of Great Lakes Literacy through experiential learning and stewardship with their learners. Apply now to be considered for the 2024 workshop

Application and recommendation letter due by 11:59 PM EST on Monday, February 19, 2024.

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2024 Shipboard Science Workshop on Lake Erie

July 7 -13, 2024

Through a partnership with the US EPA Great Lakes National Program Office, and funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through NOAA, educators will spend a full week alongside researchers aboard the US EPA R/V (Research Vessel) Lake Guardian. Facilitated by Great Lakes Sea Grant Network educators, the Shipboard Science Workshops, one per year, rotate among the five Great Lakes and are designed to promote Great Lakes sciences while forging lasting relationships between Great Lakes researchers and educators. Past participants have described the experience as a " once-in-a-lifetime, professional learning opportunity."

These shipboard workshops provide a unique opportunity that cannot be duplicated by any other educational entity in the basin. The week-long scientific exploration of Lake Erie will take place July 7-13, 2024, providing educators with a hands-on opportunity to explore microplastics, phytoplankton, benthic organisms, sediment, and other Lake Erie-specific topics while living and working alongside Great Lakes scientists on a vessel conducting critical research. This is truly an amazing opportunity for educators.

Beyond participating in the shipboard science workshop, educators also receive a stipend to support integration of Great Lakes Literacy through experiential learning and stewardship with their learners.

Apply now to be considered for the 2024 workshop

Application and recommendation letter due by 11:59 PM EST on Monday, February 19, 2024.

Before beginning the application, read these instructions!

NOTE: You will need to be logged into Google (i.e., have a Gmail account) to access the application Google Form. If you do not have a Gmail account, please contact Lyndsey Manzo at manzol@wcsoh.org for assistance.

Before completing this application, you will need to have the following information ready and available:

Name and email address of the person providing your letter of recommendation ( See instructions in LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION section);

Your work contact information;

Your fields of certification/licensure and years of experience;

Subjects and/or grade levels of your learners/audiences;

Work demographics (number of learners; percentages who are English language learners, economically disadvantaged; school population diversity percentages); and

PERSONAL STATEMENT (See prompts in PERSONAL STATEMENT section; upload as a PDF to the application form linked below under "Applications being accepted").

For your PERSONAL STATEMENT (not to exceed 2 pages total), please address each of the following prompts, keeping in mind how our research focus on microplastics, phytoplankton, benthic organisms, and sediment might benefit you as a professional.

Share your experience integrating Great Lakes, ocean, and/or general aquatic science into your educational setting.

Discuss any experience engaging students in stewardship and/or community science activities.

Describe any experience incorporating scientific data into your educational setting.

Share your leadership experience and/or involvement in science/environmental education outside of the classroom.

Describe past experiences demonstrating your enthusiasm and commitment for professional learning.

Describe briefly how you plan to share/integrate your new knowledge to increase Great Lakes literacy in YOUR classroom or educational setting.

Describe briefly how you plan to share/integrate your new knowledge to increase Great Lakes literacy BEYOND your classroom or educational setting.

Letter of recommendation

This letter should be from your principal, supervisor, or another person in a leadership position in your school, district, or nonformal education institution who is familiar with your teaching and previous participation in professional learning opportunities. You will need to input the name and email address of the person writing this letter into this application.

NOTE: The person writing this letter will need to be logged into Google (i.e., have a Gmail account) to access the application Google Form. If they do not have a Gmail account, please ask them to contact Lyndsey Manzo at manzol@wcsoh.org for assistance.

The writer should:

Describe your quality of work with students/learners;

Detail your experience collaborating with colleagues; and

Highlight your role as an educational leader.

Recommendation letter must be uploaded as a PDF to https://forms.gle/chaXajm14kkPrNup6

For questions or accessibility concerns, please contact Lyndsey Manzo at manzol@wcsoh.org.

Applications being accepted

NOTE: You will need to be logged into Google (i.e., have a Gmail account) to access the application Google Form. If you do not have a Gmail account, please contact Lyndsey Manzo at manzol@wcsoh.org for assistance.

R/V Lake Guardian Shipboard Science Workshop Schedule

2023: Lake Ontario
15 teachers and educators from across the Great Lakes spent a week aboard the US EPA R/V Lake Guardian on Lake Ontario from July 6-12, 2023. Learn more about their experience in this story map.

2024: Lake Erie
The next voyage of R/V Lake Guardian is scheduled for July 7-13, 2024 on Lake Erie. The application process will open early in January 2024. Deadline to apply is Feb. 19, 2024.

2025: Lake Michigan

2026: Lake Superior

2027: Lake Huron

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2024 Shipboard Science Workshop on Lake Erie July 7 -13, 2024 Through a partnership with the US EPA Great Lakes National Program Office, and funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through NOAA, educators will spend a full week alongside researchers aboard the US EPA R/V (Research Vessel) Lake Guardian.

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AP Physics

In this project-based learning approach to AP Physics topics, students work both collaboratively and alone to develop knowledge and skills through extended inquiry structured around complex, authentic challenges. Wherever possible, these projects include learning activities that are student-directed and involve student decision-making, having students generate and share their thoughts about a problem.

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Sprocket is a no-cost online portal for teachers to access full year project-based learning courses.

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Program Description

Big beyond belief, sauropod dinosaurs are amongst the largest animals to have ever walked the planet, living over 200 million years ago. While today their fossilized bones remain massive, they are not nearly as strong as they were while in use during their dino-heyday. Over time, dinosaur bones become fragile and require lots of special care. This is where Museum scientists come in! Join us virtually behind-the-scenes of the Museum and visit with the scientists working to stabilize and study these fabulous fossils. Student questions will help guide this paleo-themed adventure. Register today; dino-mite!

Grandes más allá de lo creíble, los dinosaurios saurópodos están entre los animales más grandes que jamás hayan caminado sobre el planeta, viviendo hace más de 200 millones de años. Aunque hoy en día sus huesos fosilizados siguen siendo masivos, no son ni de cerca tan fuertes como cuando estaban en uso durante su apogeo. Con el tiempo, los huesos de dinosaurios se vuelven frágiles y requieren mucho cuidado especial. ¡Aquí es donde entran los científicos de los museos! Únete a nosotros virtualmente detrás de las escenas del Museo y visita a los científicos que trabajan para estabilizar y estudiar estos fabulosos fósiles. Las preguntas de los estudiantes ayudarán a guiar esta aventura temática paleontológica. ¡Regístrate hoy!

Date and Times

Thursday, February 22, 2024
9 a.m., 10 a.m., and 1 p.m. Mountain Time, English only.
11 a.m. Mountain time, Spanish only. Created for grades 4-12, but all are welcome.

Jueves, 22 de Febrero de 2024
9 a.m., 10 a.m. y 1 p.m. sesiones solo en INGLÉS.
11 a.m. sesión solo en ESPAÑOL. Creado para los grados 4-12, pero todos son bienvenidos.

Equipment requirements

Computer connected to the internet with a webcam, external microphone, and external speakers.

Scientists in Action productions use Zoom videoconferencing software, downloadable at https://zoom.us/download.

About Scientists in Action

Scientists in Action is a monthly broadcast series that connects learners everywhere with real scientists where they work, and is driven by audience Q&A. Each event is a live, two-way interactive webcast with multiple schools, organizations, homeschools, pods, and families participating.

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Premier natural history and science Museum in Denver, Colorado and the western United States. Exhibitions, planetarium and lectures that explore the wonders of science, Colorado, Earth and the universe. Awarded the Denver Business Journal's 2019 Top Tourist Attraction, nonprofit Denver.

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Program Description

Big beyond belief, sauropod dinosaurs are amongst the largest animals to have ever walked the planet, living over 200 million years ago. While today their fossilized bones remain massive, they are not nearly as strong as they were while in use during their dino-heyday. Over time, dinosaur bones become fragile and require lots of special care. This is where Museum scientists come in! Join us virtually behind-the-scenes of the Museum and visit with the scientists working to stabilize and study these fabulous fossils. Student questions will help guide this paleo-themed adventure. Register today; dino-mite!

Grandes más allá de lo creíble, los dinosaurios saurópodos están entre los animales más grandes que jamás hayan caminado sobre el planeta, viviendo hace más de 200 millones de años. Aunque hoy en día sus huesos fosilizados siguen siendo masivos, no son ni de cerca tan fuertes como cuando estaban en uso durante su apogeo. Con el tiempo, los huesos de dinosaurios se vuelven frágiles y requieren mucho cuidado especial. ¡Aquí es donde entran los científicos de los museos! Únete a nosotros virtualmente detrás de las escenas del Museo y visita a los científicos que trabajan para estabilizar y estudiar estos fabulosos fósiles. Las preguntas de los estudiantes ayudarán a guiar esta aventura temática paleontológica. ¡Regístrate hoy!

Date and Times

Thursday, February 22, 2024
9 a.m., 10 a.m., and 1 p.m. Mountain Time, English only.
11 a.m. Mountain time, Spanish only. Created for grades 4-12, but all are welcome.

Jueves, 22 de Febrero de 2024
9 a.m., 10 a.m. y 1 p.m. sesiones solo en INGLÉS.
11 a.m. sesión solo en ESPAÑOL. Creado para los grados 4-12, pero todos son bienvenidos.

Equipment requirements

Computer connected to the internet with a webcam, external microphone, and external speakers.

Scientists in Action productions use Zoom videoconferencing software, downloadable at https://zoom.us/download.

About Scientists in Action

Scientists in Action is a monthly broadcast series that connects learners everywhere with real scientists where they work, and is driven by audience Q&A. Each event is a live, two-way interactive webcast with multiple schools, organizations, homeschools, pods, and families participating.

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Premier natural history and science Museum in Denver, Colorado and the western United States. Exhibitions, planetarium and lectures that explore the wonders of science, Colorado, Earth and the universe. Awarded the Denver Business Journal's 2019 Top Tourist Attraction, nonprofit Denver.

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Program Description

No spaceship? No problem. Space scientist Dr. Ka Chun Yu will be your students' guide on a virtual adventure through space, starting with our home planet and voyaging into the solar system and beyond with the assistance of stunning scientific visualizations. Learn about our place in the universe, how we fit in the solar system, and how we are integrally connected to space! This is a fully interactive program where participants direct their questions to Dr. Yu and vote to guide our voyage through the universe.

Date and Times

Thursday, January 18, 2024
9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. Mountain Time.
Created for grades 4-12, but all are welcome.

Equipment requirements

Computer connected to the internet with a webcam, external microphone, and external speakers.

Scientists in Action productions use Zoom videoconferencing software, downloadable at https://zoom.us/download.

About Scientists in Action

Scientists in Action is a monthly broadcast series that connects learners everywhere with real scientists where they work, and is driven by audience Q&A. Each event is a live, two-way interactive webcast with multiple schools, organizations, homeschools, pods, and families participating.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Premier natural history and science Museum in Denver, Colorado and the western United States. Exhibitions, planetarium and lectures that explore the wonders of science, Colorado, Earth and the universe. Awarded the Denver Business Journal's 2019 Top Tourist Attraction, nonprofit Denver.

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We led our first expedition in 1999 in the rugged North Cascades mountains of Washington state. Since then, we have grown into an international community with branches and expeditions in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Central Asia, and New Zealand. From sketching the patterns of a melting glacier to climbing a rock wall for the first time, we empower our participants to lead and succeed through science, art, and outdoor exploration.

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STEM Kits & Robotics for Kids | Inspire STEM Education with Sphero

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As a leading STEM learning company with interactive robotics & STEM education kits, Sphero teaches kids to code at home & in classrooms. Order online now!

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EiE Connects to Standards

We've developed each EiE unit with careful attention to educational standards in both science and technology/engineering. EiE units are also designed to integrate with the most popular elementary science curricula. See how EiE connects to state and national standards and elementary science curricula.

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We've developed each EiE unit with careful attention to educational standards in both science and technology/engineering. EiE units are also designed to integrate with the most popular elementary science curricula. See how EiE connects to state and national standards and elementary science curricula.

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AP Physics

In this project-based learning approach to AP Physics topics, students work both collaboratively and alone to develop knowledge and skills through extended inquiry structured around complex, authentic challenges. Wherever possible, these projects include learning activities that are student-directed and involve student decision-making, having students generate and share their thoughts about a problem.

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Sprocket is a no-cost online portal for teachers to access full year project-based learning courses.

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April 2024 Editor's Pick

Students reinforce their knowledge that DNA is the genetic material for all living things by modeling it using toothpicks and gumdrops that represent the four biochemicals (adenine, thiamine, guanine, and cytosine) that pair with each other in a specific pattern, making ...

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Ignite STEM learning in K-12 - TeachEngineering

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Free, K-12, NGSS standards-aligned STEM lessons and hands-on activities for teaching elementary, middle and high school science, engineering design and math. Search by concepts or specific Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to Ignite STEM learning in K-12.

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The Wonder of Science website aggregates the work of Paul Andersen around the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)

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feature

How Can DNA Help Exonerate Those Wrongly Convicted?
Flipping a traditional DNA crime lab to center issues of social justice

Increasingly, science teachers are seeking phenomena that will allow them to explore both scientific content and socially relevant issues. We describe a series of lessons that (1) model the exoneration of wrongly convicted individuals using the science of DNA analysis and (2) contextualize individual cases within a larger system where Black people and other people of color are disproportionately incarcerated. By simply flipping a popular forensics scenario from establishing guilt to proving the innocence of someone wrongfully convicted, teachers can situate student learning in a contemporary social justice phenomenon that fosters critical analysis and that is also academically rigorous ( Mackenzie 2020; Morrison, Bell, and Rhinehart 2019).

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and imprisons more than 2.2 million people ( Wilkerson 2020). If the U.S. incarcerated population was a city, it would be the fifth largest in the nation and would have three times as many Black people as compared to the rest of the nation ( Wilkerson 2020). These lessons explore the reasons for this disparity. They provide students with information to understand not only how science can be used in the service of social justice, but also presents an opportunity to create an action plan to disrupt racist practices that are systemic in the US criminal legal system.

This work was inspired by an anti-racist biology course created and taught by Jason Foster ( Foster 2020). The Science Education Team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center adapted and expanded these lessons in collaboration with Mr. Foster. Our stance-consistent with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) (see Nature of Science standards, Appendix H)-is that the process of science is a human endeavor and cannot be isolated from the social, historical, and political contexts in which it unfolds ( NGSS Lead States 2013). The canonical framework of science assumes science to be neutral and apolitical, but it is not; racist scientific and medical research has a long history (see Washington 2006 for examples). Therefore, it is important that educators discuss how science can be used in anti-racist ways. Our intent with this set of lessons is to provide teachers with a way to address socio-political dimensions of race-related topics in the biology or biotechnology classroom while also providing students with a solid understanding of the science behind forensic analysis.

Lesson overview

We describe a seven-lesson, two-week sequence designed for high school biology or biotechnology courses that incorporates concepts related to DNA and genetics and which encourages sense-making about a social justice-related phenomenon (see Figure 1). Before beginning this unit, students should ideally have a basic background in DNA and genetics, although the introductory lessons can be used to introduce these topics. Throughout the lessons students work to answer three questions:

These questions drive three-dimensional learning of science standards from NGSS as well as build toward social justice standards set by Learning for Justice ( NGSS Lead States 2013; Learning for Justice 2018).

What's going on with the U.S. criminal legal system? (Lesson 1)

Students begin this lesson sequence by analyzing graphs that show the many inequities across the U.S. criminal legal system. First, the whole class collaboratively examines a graph of the U.S. incarcerated population over time and explores why such a sharp increase in incarceration has been documented in the last few decades. This helps model the process of analyzing such data. Next, students break into smaller groups. Each group receives a new graph to discuss. Groups look for patterns in the data to make claims based on evidence presented in their graph. Then, the groups come back together to present their findings to each other and to look for broader patterns across all graphs. A student worksheet helps scaffold analysis and discussion, and the graphs are available on the worksheet as well as on a PowerPoint deck that the teacher can use to facilitate conversation. Finally, students analyze one last graph together as a class and are pointed toward two inequities in particular that surfaced from this last data visualization: the proportional overrepresentation of Black people in both incarcerated and exonerated populations (see Figure 2). This proportional overrepresentation in the exonerated as compared to the incarcerated population calls into question claims of "inherent" criminality in Black communities and also provides an example of an injustice (wrongful conviction) that students can investigate in subsequent lessons.

How does DNA technology allow us to compare an individual's DNA to crime scene evidence? (Lessons 2-4)

Over the next three lessons, the classroom can be conceived of as a larger social justice organization working to use DNA technology to help establish the innocence of those wrongly convicted (e.g., The Innocence Project or Equal Justice Initiative). In Lesson 2, students read one of five case studies included with the lesson in small groups. The case studies are based on real profiles from the National Registry of Exonerations (see Figure 3). Teachers can use the case studies provided or use the registry to make their own. The featured individuals are appealing for post-conviction DNA testing to overturn their wrongful convictions. Students analyze the evidence that was part of the original case and was used to convict these individuals.

In Lesson 3, students are introduced to DNA forensics and learn about Short Tandem Repeats (STRs). These hypervariable DNA regions can be used to create a "fingerprint" of an individual and accurately identify them. At each repeat site (locus), an individual has a unique number of these three to five base pair sequences, which results in fragments of DNA of different lengths (see Figure 4). After many copies of these fragments are made (i.e., amplified by PCR), they can be visualized using gel electrophoresis and compared to determine if DNA left at a crime scene matches an individual's DNA. Students practice this method of analysis in a paper STR activity. They read a simulated gel and interpret the results as STR genotypes before running their own gel electrophoresis analysis.

Figure 4

Flanking region example diagram.
The diagram shows one STR locus in an individual's genome. In Copy 1, there are 5 repeats in Copy 2 there are 7 repeats. These differences can be analyzed using DNA analysis.

In Lesson 4, students model the process of conducting post-conviction DNA testing by running various fragments of DNA (representing post-PCR samples) in a gel (see Figure 5). They analyze their fragment patterns using a mock database to determine the genotype of their samples. Teachers can use the same reagents/materials they have used previously for crime labs and simply change the scenario for this lab. It is important to provide personal protective equipment to students if doing the lab face-to-face and to consider other safety precautions (see NSTA's Minimum Safety Practices and Regulations as a guide). Students, including those in a remote learning context, can alternatively analyze images of pre-run gels that are provided in the curriculum.

Figure 5

Gel electrophoresis picture.
From left to right: DNA Ladder, case study individual's DNA sample, crime scene samples 1-4.

Students analyze their gel electrophoresis results using DNA fragment lengths, STR genotype information, and a simulated STR database. They determine the genotypes of the two STR loci to create an STR profile for each sample. Students then decide if the STR profile from their case study individual matches that of the DNA from the original crime scene ( Figure 6A). Students use a second database to calculate the statistical probability of the profile match to calculate the significance of their results (Figure 6B). This process offers students a chance to engage with computational thinking and provides a math connection. Using this evidence, each group writes a recommendation to the courts on behalf of their individual, appealing to overturn their wrongful conviction.

Figure 6

Example student STR analysis (2 loci).
(6a) Example student STR profile genotyping from a simulated gel, (6b) Example student STR profile probability
calculations.

Students present their case studies and their findings to each other in a postlab discussion. Through these presentations, students learn about other case studies and the variety of different injustices that lead to each person's wrongful convictions. The five case studies were chosen to represent the most common proximal factors contributing to wrongful convictions ( National Registry of Exonerations 2012).

Why are people of color overrepresented in the criminal legal system? (Lessons 5-6)

In Lesson 5 students read "John Lewis and Bryan Stevenson on The Presumption of Guilt" to explore the authors' arguments about the presumption of guilt placed on Black men by society ( Lewis and Stevenson 2013). Students use a Discussion Diamond ( Colley 2016) format for small-group discussion to explore how the presumption of guilt is an underlying proximal cause of the contributing factors identified in the case studies ( Figure 7). Students explore how this systemic bias of the presumption of guilt can cause many of the other disparities outside those seen in the wrongfully convicted. In Lesson 1 students saw disparities in all parts of the criminal legal system-from pretrial populations to those who are frequently incarcerated. The bias is clearly there and pervasive, but where did it come from?

Throughout Lesson 6 students look at the role that systemic racism has on creating and enforcing implicit biases such as the presumption of guilt. Students explore three levels of racism (internalized, interpersonal, and systemic) and the biological reasons biases can arise. Racial implicit biases arise when cognitive shortcuts used by our brain to make decisions quickly are primed by racist cultural messaging to result in false assumptions about entire communities of people ( Jones 2000). These implicit biases (alongside explicit ones) are often enacted violently by the criminal legal system.

How can DNA technology be used in service of social justice? (Lesson 7)

Finally, groups of students create action plans, choosing a key concept from the lessons and applying it to a problem within the criminal legal system in their communities as a final assessment. Students choose a problem within the criminal legal system that they want to focus on and after some research and a stakeholders organization analysis, propose an intervention. This proposed intervention is their action plan that they will enact and share with the rest of the class in a gallery walk. The lesson includes a scaffold that supports students in developing a plan as well as a rubric for the teacher. This assessment allows students to apply their new scientific knowledge and argumentation skills to real-world problems while also learning how to advocate for change ( Mackenzie 2020). Collaborating educators have also incorporated poetry and art into their assessment to scaffold students' social and emotional processing of the material ( Kraig-Turner 2020).

Classroom experience

These lessons have been piloted by teachers in both face-to-face and virtual classroom settings. One teacher taught the sequence in two consecutive biotech/forensics classes, and four additional teachers taught lessons in introductory biology and biotech classes. Science teachers who used these lessons reported this was a welcome opportunity to reorient their DNA unit around a socially relevant topic. One teacher who used this curriculum after the murder of George Floyd and during the peak of Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 noted that students were able to make connections between the social injustices happening in the news and their work in the science classroom ( Figure 8).

We collected survey data from students who piloted the curriculum materials ( N = 47 presurvey, N = 46 postsurvey. Results from students in three public school biotech and biology classes are presented in Figures 9 and 10. For the statement, "Science can help address social issues," the presurvey average score was 3.6 (Between Neutral/Agree), whereas the postsurvey average was 3.9 (Agree) on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 = Strongly Disagree and 5 = Strongly Agree). In the presurvey, no students strongly agreed that science can help address social issues, while in the postsurvey, nine students did. For the statement, "Talking about social issues related to biology helps me understand biology better," the presurvey average score was 3.3 (Neutral), whereas the postsurvey average was 3.7 (Agree).

After completing this unit, students reported feeling empowered by their knowledge to educate others and use scientific data to support their conclusions. They recognized that bias and structural factors contribute to differences in the frequency of wrongful convictions between racial groups. One student noted, "We have started to recognize the injustice and exonerate more [Black people] for crimes they either have not committed or were charged more harshly for than a non-person-of-color but this is hardly a start to fixing a broken, outdated system."

Most students emerged from the first six lessons feeling strongly that the current criminal legal system was deeply flawed. They were then able to channel this energy into designing their action plan. Action plans and recommendations varied among the test classes and included strategies such as revamping interrogation techniques (including recording all interrogations), examining ways to reduce incarceration rates for nonviolent drug crimes and starting a social media campaign aimed at raising awareness among future jurors. Upon learning about the "presumption of guilt" attributed to Black people (Lesson 5), one student developed a plan related to changing school disciplinary policies.

Conclusion

The simple act of flipping the scenario of the traditional CSI or forensics lab to an exonerations lab allows science teachers to contextualize the use of DNA technology and connect it to the racialization present in mass incarceration practices. This small change "makes present and problematizes" the current state of the criminal legal system, and also makes space for "legitimized discussions of the racialized dimensions of forensic science towards a more rightful presence..." for Black and other students from backgrounds disproportionately impacted by such disparities ( Calabrese Barton and Tan 2020). The ability to apply scientific practices (such as analyzing and interpreting incarceration data/statistics and engaging in evidence-based argument based on DNA analysis) can help students understand the context of wrongful convictions more deeply and prepare them to combat the biases, racism, and systemic inequities that have led to our current state of mass incarceration and overpolicing of Black and other marginalized communities. This pedagogical strategy provides one example of how DNA technology and social justice can be integrated into science classrooms.

We acknowledge that no one set of lessons or curriculum will be enough to help make science education spaces more anti-racist and just. Such an effort requires teachers, curriculum designers, administrators, and education leaders to commit to continuously examining their own biases and privileges, and to strive to learn, grow, and do better. It is especially important that schools cease harsh and inequitable disciplinary practices that are disproportionately enacted against students of color, which result in feeding the "school to prison pipeline" and play a pivotal role in the injustices that these lessons highlight. We aspire to classroom environments that elevate the brilliance of each learner, make visible and support the varied forms of sense-making they bring to the classroom, provide opportunities for transformative agency, and build trusting relationships and community.

Hanako Osuga is Program Coordinator of the Science Education Partnership and Dr. Jeanne Ting Chowning ( chowning@fredhutch.org ) is Senior Director of Science Education at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA. Jason Foster, NBCT Biology, is a Science Educator at Evanston Township High School, Evanston, IL.

References

Alexander, M. 2012. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York, NY: The New Press.

Calabrese Barton, A., and E. Tan. 2020. Beyond Equity as Inclusion: A Framework of "Rightful Presence" for Guiding Justice-Oriented Studies in Teaching and Learning. Educational Researcher 49 (6): 433-440. doi:10.3102/0013189X20927363

Camara, J.P. 2000. Levels of racism: A theoretic framework and a gardener's tale. American Journal of Public Health 90 (8): 1212-1215. doi:10.2105/ajph.90.8.1212

Colley, C. 2016. Discussion Diamond. Tools for Ambitious Science Teaching. https://ambitiousscienceteaching.org/discussion-diamond/

Foster, J. 2020. Investigating Environmental Racism in the High School Biology Classroom. NSTA Next Gen Navigator. https://www.nsta.org/blog/investigating-environmental-racism-high-school-biology-classroom.

Kraig-Turner, G. 2020. Honoring exonerees: Poetry and art as a background activity for a DNA electrophoresis lab. Rethinking Schools 35 (2). https://rethinkingschools.org/articles/honoring-exonerees/

Learning for Justice. 2018. Social Justice Standards-The Teaching Tolerance Anti-Bias Framework. Southern Poverty Law Center. https://www.learningforjustice.org/frameworks/social-justice-standards

Lewis, J., and B. Stevenson. 2013. John Lewis and Bryan Stevenson on the Presumption of Guilt. Equal Justice Initiative. https://eji.org/news/john-lewis-presumption-of-guilt/

Mackenzie, A. 2020. Social Justice in the Science Classroom. The Science Teacher 87 (7). https://www.nsta.org/science-teacher/science-teacher-march-2020/social-justice-science-classroom

Morrison, D., P. Bell, and A. Rhinehart. 2019. STEM Teaching Tools Practice Brief 67: Focusing Science and Engineering Learning on Justice-Centered Phenomena across PK-12. University of Washington Institute for Science + Math Education. http://stemteachingtools.org/brief/67

National Registry of Exonerations. 2012. The National Registry of Exonerations- Glossary. University of California Irvine Newkirk Center for Science and Society, University of Michigan Law School, and Michigan State University College of Law. https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/glossary.aspx#FMFE

NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For states, by states. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://www.nextgenscience.org/resources/ngss-appendices

Washington, H. 2006. Medical Apartheid: The dark history of medical experimentation on black Americans from colonial times to the present. New York, NY: Random House.

Wilkerson, I. 2020. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. New York, NY: Random House.

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How Can DNA Help Exonerate Those Wrongly Convicted?

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feature Flipping a traditional DNA crime lab to center issues of social justice Increasingly, science teachers are seeking phenomena that will allow them to explore both scientific content and socially relevant issues.

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Multiple Literacies in Project-Based Learning - Lucas Education Research

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Multiple Literacies in Project-Based Learning is a 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade science program developed by the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. The curriculum takes a cross disciplinary approach to sciences, integrating science ideas and practices with lessons in language literacy, mathematical thinking, and technology.

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Great Minds® is offering Levels K–2 of PhD Science curriculum as a free PDF open educational resource of high quality teacher and student materials.

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Ask 20 teachers what scientific inquiry is and it's possible you'll receive 20 different answers. From a series of proscribed steps to a lab-based free-for-all, conceptions have shifted over time. In the National Research Council's (NRC) 1996 National Science Education Standards (NSES), inquiry held a prominent position as its own content area, but the term rarely comes up in its 2012 Framework for K-12 Science Education (Framework). A report by the Midwest Comprehensive Center and myself (image above) details how notions of inquiry have changed in recent history, particularly as seen within the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). A further section of the report that won't be described here analyzes how the science standards of upper Midwest states describe inquiry.

In preparing this report, we reviewed articles about science inquiry from both current and historical perspectives, analyzed national science standards and related documents, and interviewed national science education experts.

Historical beginnings

In the early 20th century, John Dewey proposed a list of five steps scientists use in their work, intending to emphasize their reflective work practices, but educators instead interpreted those ideas as the five linear steps to doing science. Pedagogy and curricula through the 20th century showed the increasing popularity of labs with proscribed procedures and the idea of a set "scientific method."

Standards era shift

In 1993, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Benchmarks of Science Literacy clearly pushed on this idea of a set method and discussed inquiry as a "habit of mind." The 1996 NSES attempted to further clarify notions of inquiry with the five big ideas of inquiry in its own section of the content standards. With a follow-up report, Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (2000), the NRC stated that, "Students do not come to understand inquiry simply by learning words such as 'hypothesis' and 'inference' or by memorizing procedures such as 'the steps of the scientific method.'". In the NSES, inquiry instead described the way scientists study the world and build explanations based on evidence.

Teachers nevertheless continued to use the scientific method as a convenient way to organize scientific investigations and what it means to think like a scientist, and instructional materials supported this approach. Textbooks today continue to include separate chapters on a scientific method. According to Dr. Joe Krajcik, a member of the NGSS writing team, "While well intentioned, when the National Science [Education] Standards assigned inquiry to its own separate content area, it meant that inquiry remained separate from other science learning." And, thus, got its own chapter in the textbook! Therefore, as noted by Dr. Melissa Braaten, a professor at the University of Colorado-Boulder, "In schools, inquiry had come to mean one narrow image of doing formulaic, defined experiments. Teachers would refer to it as 'the scientific method' like it was a titled thing."

Framework and the NGSS

The writers of the Framework and consequent NGSS aimed to clarify ideas of scientific practice, moving away from varying ideas of "inquiry." As emphasized by Dr. Helen Quinn, a researcher with the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and chair of the NRC Framework committee, "While it is what we do-we inquire-scientists do not use the term inquiry."

To summarize, in this report we emphasize four big ideas from the Framework and NGSS that take the place of some traditional conceptions of inquiry:

1) Inquiry is a means for constructing scientific understanding; it's not a content area

Students should be involved in asking questions and investigating natural phenomena in the world around them. Instead of learning steps of a scientific method, they're doing science.

2) Inquiry is a fluid set of practices that scientists use

As Dr. Krajcik notes, "Having the eight practices doesn't mean that you start with a question, then move on to the next practice... There is no linearity implied. The practices are tied together and any one of them could lead to another." Further, when working with the practices or discussing their use as a class, they shouldn't be numbered.

3) Inquiry involves three-dimensional learning

The science and engineering practices are the means to gain scientific knowledge while investigating phenomena with a lens of the crosscutting concepts. Or, in other words from Matt Krehbiel, assistant director of science at Achieve, Inc., inquiry is "woven into science learning throughout the year, where practices are exercised and integrated with learning of the crosscutting concepts and disciplinary core ideas."

4) Inquiry is independent from science pedagogy

Inquiry-based teaching is essential, but it's not the only appropriate type of instruction. Varying instructional practices based on student learning needs make sense.

Final thoughts

I'm certainly not suggesting that you shouldn't do inquiry-based lessons; however, I would suggest that you rip out the chapter of your textbook on the scientific method and consider ways to structure labs beyond hypothesis testing. There are as many ways to "do science" as there are scientists, so allow the practices to infuse your instruction where they naturally and logically fit rather than in any prescribed way.

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Implementation ideas for Wisconsin Science Standards and NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)

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Resources For Lesson Plan For Science | PBS LearningMedia

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Discover free resources designed for your lesson plan for science. Explore natural phenomena and scientific practices with videos, games, and activities for all grades.

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Written by: Holly Cook

Science isn't just a subject we have to study in school: It's all around us, and it can be really fun to learn about! You can do lots of experiments at home on your own, and you can also play all sorts of games that can help you learn about different types of science, like biology, astronomy, and zoology. There are lots of fun, free games online that can help you learn about science. Try playing a few and you might even start getting better grades in school!

Science isn't just a subject we have to study in school: It's all around us, and it can be really fun to learn about! You can do lots of experiments at home on your own, and you can also play all sorts of games that can help you learn about different types of science, like biology, astronomy, and zoology. There are lots of fun, free games online that can help you learn about science. Try playing a few and you might even start getting better grades in school!

Periodic Table Battleship: The periodic table of elements is a chart that people use to learn about the different elements that everything is made of. It can seem pretty complicated at first, but you can learn more about it by playing a game of Battleship that uses the periodic table.

Outer Space Molecule Chase: Help Linus the rat to escape from a space station, create molecules that he needs to get past obstacles, and save the world.

Balancing Chemical Equations: When you work with chemical equations, they always need to balance out, so that every particle on one side is accounted for on the other. This game has three levels that can help you learn about and practice balancing chemical equations.

Element Hangman: Figure out which element the computer has chosen before the atom man completely decays!

Periodic Table Bingo: Print out these bingo cards and play with your friends to learn about the different elements in the periodic table.

Chemistry Crossword Puzzle: Learning about science includes learning new words to help you explain and understand what you're learning. Try this crossword puzzle to learn some words about chemistry.

Respiratory Journey: Go on a journey with oxygen and carbon dioxide to see what happens to the air you breathe in this game.

Learn About Bone Anatomy: Bones might seem like just hard, solid things, similar to rocks, but they're actually living tissue. Find out about the skeletal system and how bones work while playing this game.

DNA, RNA, and Protein Synthesis Hangman: Practice using words about biology in this game and keep the pirate from walking off of the plank into the ocean.

Biosphere Puzzle: Sort parts of a biome and see how they all work together in this game.

Mission: Taxonomy: Plants and animals are sorted into different categories and subcategories to help us see how they're all related to each other. In this game, you'll need to copy this process on another planet, helping aliens to learn about the types of life that come from Earth.

Healthy Heart Anatomy: Can you identify the different parts of a human heart?

Abiotic vs. Biotic Memory Game: Test your memory and your knowledge of biology by playing this matching game about living and non-living things.

Helios: A Game About How the Sun Makes Energy! NASA designed this game that can help you learn about the sun.

Solar System Explorer: Help Paxi the alien land on different planets and learn about our solar system.

Ready, Set, Grow: Learn about how plants grow with Elmo and Abby Cadabby!

Rover Coder: Explore Mars by piloting a rover around the planet's surface.

Stop Disasters! Natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes can't be stopped, but people can do a lot to protect themselves so that people aren't hurt when these things happen.

Morphy: The Smithsonian made this space exploration game to help people learn about life science.

Zoology Games: Try these activities to share what you know about animals and learn more.

Build a Biome: Players choose the plants, animals, precipitation, and temperatures to build a biome in this game.

Medical Marvels: Skeletons for Kids: Explore the skeletal system in this fun interactive game.

Eterna: Discover the Cure: Learn about the parts that make up RNA, then build molecules to help cure diseases.

Get started today!

Or call toll-free to learn more.

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Educational Science Games | Online Degree Programs - USCI

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Educational Science Games | Online Degree Programs. 100% Online - Study at Home with U.S. Career Institute. Contact U.S. Career Institute to start your new career Today! Request Info or call 866.250.6851.

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Ignite the maker spirit in your classroom! Access digital resources like Career Profiles and Classroom Activities that get to the heart of STEAM learning and power student success inside & outside of the classroom.

Bring STEAM to Life!

Explore resources to show students the possibilities of STEAM with classroom activities anchored in real-world problems and career profiles featuring professionals from Stanley Black & Decker.

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Classroom Tools for Educators | Innovation Generation

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Innovation Generation - Making an Impact ignites, engages, and empowers the makers in your classroom with digital resources created to cultivate collaboration, problem solving and STEAM skillsets in your students through real-world explorations.

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Best STEM Books winners explore problems and possible solutions in the scientific world and, where applicable, in the lives of the protagonists. Instead of focusing on specific content, the Best STEM Books emphasize real-world issues that cross disciplinary boundaries.

We have chosen titles that provoke readers to examine the "thinking stance" of characters-not simply to look at actions and results.

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Best STEM Books winners explore problems and possible solutions in the scientific world and, where applicable, in the lives of the protagonists. Instead of focusing on specific content, the Best STEM Books emphasize real-world issues that cross disciplinary boundaries. We have chosen titles that provoke readers to examine the "thinking stance" of characters-not simply to look at actions and results.

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STEM Lesson Plans | Arizona STEM Acceleration Project (ASAP)

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K-12 educators are invited to apply to attend our 2024 STEM Innovations Summer Teacher Workshop. Classroom teachers, building master teachers, curriculum specialists, and administrators are welcome!

Topic:
World War II, Women, and STEM

Objectives:
By the end of this week, educators will have a deeper understanding of World War II and will be able to implement the use of the STEM Innovations Curriculum (Little Engineers, Real World Science, and STEM Corps Live!) into their own classrooms. This includes learning about the role women played in STEM during the war.

Additionally, educators will gain pedagogical tools and strategies to not only strengthen their teaching of STEM subjects but also to integrate literacy practices and social studies into science investigations with students.

Details:
Educators will spend time in whole groups sessions as well as in cohorts based on the grade band in which they teach (Little Engineers K-4, Real World Science 5-8, STEM Corps Live! 9-12). There will be time to explore the Museum's galleries as well as field trips to support STEM/WWII learning. Free time can be spent exploring the great city of New Orleans.
Educators will receive:

Arranged airfare OR a reimbursement for travel if within driving distance

Transportation from and to the airport if flying/paid parking if driving

Double-occupancy rooming at The Higgins Hotel (across the street from the Museum) *If educators would like a single-occupancy room, they may pay for half.

All breakfasts, lunches, and two dinners

Two excursions/field trips

Curriculum, books, and materials

Certificate of completion

Educators who complete the workshop will be required to design and facilitate one professional development session on their own within the 2024-2025 school year. More information will be given to those who are accepted.
For questions, please email LaToya Williams, Director of Teaching and Learning, at latoya.williams@nationalww2museum.org. latoya.williams@nationalww2museum.org.

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STEM Innovations Summer Teacher Workshop | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans

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This year the Museum will host two weeks of seminars for teachers of science and STEM on-site at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans.

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Monterey Bay Aquarium Education Programs

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Explore Like a Scientist (3rd-6th)

Have you ever wanted know more about what scientists do? In this course you will practice observing and thinking like a scientist. Then try out different scientists' roles by exploring ocean habitats.

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Have you ever wanted to know more about what scientists do? Practice observing and thinking like a scientist. Then try out different scientists' roles by exploring ocean habitats. For 3rd- through 6th-graders.

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Adapted from The Radish Party by Jeff Piotrowski, Tammy Mildenstein, Kathy Dungan, and Carol Brewer
Science & Children | October 2007 | Vol 45, Issue 2

Students learn that stem strength and color, in addition to growth, are indicative of a healthy plant and healthy soil

1. Prepare the three types of soil (sand, sand plus nutrients, and potting soil) for the investigations. Put half the sand in a bucket labeled 'sand.' Next, place the potting soil in a bucket labeled 'soil.' Finally, thoroughly mix a dry granular fertilizer with the remaining half bag of sand in a bucket labeled 'sand + nutrients.'

2. To get students excited about the investigation, discuss what students know about soil as each type is passed around. Explain to students that they are about to become both farmers and scientists, and that they are going to test which of these three soil types is best for growing radishes.

3. Once students have seen the soils and some radishes and understand the investigation, ask them to predict which soil will grow the biggest radish by drawing a picture of the radishes growing in each soil type. Have students draw a big radish in the soil they think will grow the best and a small radish in the soil in which they think it will grow the least. If they think soil type will not make a difference, they should draw all radishes the same size. Have students carefully label their drawings with the type of soil each radish is growing in and include in the drawings the basic parts of the radish: stem, leaves, roots, radish tuber.

4. Next, gather the students in a circle and have students describe their pictures, predictions, and rationales for predictions. Students should write the reasons for their predictions on their pictures. After students have made their predictions, pass out the supplies so students can plant their own radishes.

5. Start with a supply box containing one six-chambered seed-starting pot, six Popsicle sticks, a spoon, and 20 radish seeds. Fill two chambers of the seedling tray with each of the three soil types, for a total of six filled chambers. Label Popsicle sticks with the soil types and the date of planting. Each chamber should have one clearly labeled stick. Plant three radish seeds in each chamber, leaving a little space between the seeds to avoid crowding. Plant the seeds at least 1.25 cm deep, and make sure they are covered. Place all the pots in a large garden tray that does not leak, and put the tray under grow lights or in a sunny window. Water each pot carefully with an agreed-upon volume of water between 50mL and 100 mL. Allow the plants to grow for several weeks to a month, watering every two or three days with the same amount of water. Have students make observations every week: When do seedlings first emerge? Which ones are growing faster, taller, slower?

Depending on the grade level, assessing plant growth and health can be done in several ways. For the youngest of students, simply looking at how tall the seedlings are and gently counting the number of leaves can be a good measure. Older students should be encouraged to measure plant height, stem thickness, and number of leaves. Advanced students may be able to graph plant height, stem thickness, and leaf number through time to determine quantitatively which plants are growing fastest.

When the set investigation time is up, bring students together to compare their earlier predictions to the actual plants grown. Ask the students to make observations and look for differences (advanced students may even make a few measurements). Sample questions include: What differences do you see? Which soil yielded the largest plants? The most healthy looking plants? Is the tallest plant always the healthiest? Were your predictions met? Why or why not?

The students' drawings should reveal whether or not they learned basic plant form, understand why plants may differ in growth, and what the reasons for differences in growth are. Follow-up class discussions help clear up any misconceptions that were evident in their predictions.

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Adapted from The Radish Party by Jeff Piotrowski, Tammy Mildenstein, Kathy Dungan, and Carol Brewer Science & Children | October 2007 | Vol 45, Issue 2 Students learn that stem strength and color, in addition to growth, are indicative of a healthy plant and healthy soil Prepare the three types of soil (sand, sand plus nutrients, and potting soil) for the investigations.

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NSTA, along with Mobile CSP and MIT App Inventor, partnered with Amazon Future Engineer on the Alexa for Astronauts program. The new STEM curriculums designed for the program allows high school educators to dive deeper into computer science learning and the Artemis I mission with their students.

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NSTA, along with Mobile CSP and MIT App Inventor, partnered with Amazon Future Engineer on the Alexa for Astronauts program. The new STEM curriculums designed for the program allows high school educators to dive deeper into computer science learning and the Artemis I mission with their students.

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Middle School Weightlessness Teacher Experience

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Middle School Weightlessness Teacher Experience

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Embedded Teacher Program, parabolic flight, STEM, school space projects, space for teachers, microgravity

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Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

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Calling All Elementary Teachers Who Love Teaching Math or Science!

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Nominations are now open for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST)! PAEMST are the highest honors bestowed by the United States government specifically for mathematics, science, or STEM teaching. The award recognizes those teachers who use their deep con…