K12Science

I was recently reading the March/April 2024 issue of “Science and Children,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Editor’s Note” section written by Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn. She wrote an article entitled, “Climate Justice.”

Education is a critical agent in addressing the issue of climate change. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change assigns responsibility to Parties of the Convention to undertake educational and public awareness campaigns on climate-change, and to ensure public participation in programs and information access on the issue.

I was recently reading the March/April 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Interdisciplinary Ideas” section written by Katie Coppens. She wrote an article entitled, “Designing Performance-Based Assessments That Engage!”

Rather than stressful, an assessment should feel like a celebration of learning for students. Performance-based assessments allow students to demonstrate their understanding of one or more standards by accomplishing tasks that are engaging and flexible in how students approach them. In addition to seeing students’ scientific knowledge, teachers get a better sense of their students’ interests and strengths that they bring to each open-ended assignment. The author then shared an example of a performance-based assignment based on the Flint Water Crisis.

I was recently reading the March/April 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “From the Editor’s Desk” column written by Patty McGinnis. She wrote an article entitled, “3D Assessment.”

In the article she shared ideas about writing assessments aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. The National Research Council recommends that teachers utilize a combination of constructed response, selected response, and projects to assess three-dimensional learning. She recommended two resources that provide tips for writing assessments. They are:

“STEM Teaching Tool #30: Integrating Science Practices in Assessment Tasks”

and

“The NGSS Evidence Statements”

I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “The Science Teacher,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Editor’s Corner” written by Ann Haley MacKenzie. She wrote an article entitled, “How Can We Make Our Students’ Thinking Visible?”

In the article she shared three strategies for making thinking visible. The strategies were taken from the books, “Making Thinking Visible” and “The Power of Making Thinking Visible.”

The strategies are:

“See-Think-Wonder”

“Connect-Extend-Challenge”

“CSI: Color, Symbol, Image”

I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “Science and Children,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association, for elementary school science teachers.

In this issue, I read the section on the “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students.” The selections are a collaboration of the National Science Teaching Association and the Children’s Book Council.

In part 2 of this two-part podcast series, I share eight books that were selected for early elementary students. The books are:

“Whale Fall” by Melissa Stewart

“Find Out About Animal Camouflage” by Martin Jenkins

“The Bone Wars: The True Story of an Epic Battle to Find Dinosaur Fossils” by Jane Kurtz

“The Clues are in the Poo: The Story of Dinosaur Scientist Karen Chin” by Jane Kurtz and Karen Chin

“Masked Hero: Who Wu Lien-teh Invented the Mask that Ended an Epidemic” by Dr. Shan Woo Liu

“Tell Me About Space” by Lisa Varchol Perron

“If the Rivers Run Free” by Andrea Debink

“Zero Waste: How One Community is Leading a World Recycling Revolution” by Allan Drummond

I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “Science and Children,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association, for elementary school science teachers.

In this issue, I read the section on the “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students.” The selections are a collaboration of the National Science Teaching Association and the Children’s Book Council.

In part 1 of this two-part podcast series, I share nine books that were selected for early elementary students. The books are:

“We are Branches” by Joyce Sidman

“How Birds Sleep” by David Obuchowski

“Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider” by Jessica Lanan

“The Pie That Molly Grew” by Sue Heavenrich

“Santiago Saw Things Differently: Santiago Ramon y Cajal, Artist, Doctor, Father of Neuroscience” by Christine Iverson

“We are Starlings” by Robert Furrow and Donna Jo Napoli

“At Home with the Prairie Dog: The Story of a Keystone Specie” bu Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

“Creep, Leap, Crunch: A Food Chain Story” by Jody Jensen Shaffer

“Queen of Leaves: The Story of Botanist Ynes Mexia” by Stephen Briseno

I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association, for middle school science teachers.

In this issue, I read the section on the “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students.” The selections are a collaboration of the National Science Teaching Association and the Children’s Book Council.

In part 2 of this podcast series, I share seven more books that were selected for middle-school students. The books are:

“A Star Explodes: The Story of Supernova 1054” by James Gladstone

“Old Enough to Make a Difference: Be Inspired by Real-Life Children Building a More Sustainable Future” by Rebecca Hul

“Becoming Bionic” by Heather Camlot

“Extra Life (Young Readers Adaptation) by Steven Johnson

“Hidden Systems” by Dan Nott

“Sisters in Science” by Linda Elovitz Marshall

“The Woman in the Moon” by Richard Maurer

I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “The Science Teacher,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association, for high school science teachers.

In this issue, I read the section on the “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students.” The selections are a collaboration of the National Science Teaching Association and the Children’s Book Council.

In this podcast, I share the two books that were selected for high school students. The books are:

“Hidden Systems” by Dan Nott

“The Woman in the Moon” by Richard Maurer

I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association, for middle school science teachers.

In this issue, I read the section on the “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students. The selections are a collaboration of the National Science Teaching Association and the Children’s Book Council.

In this first of two podcasts, I share six of the twelve books that were selected for middle school students. The books are:

“My Indigo World” by Rosa Chang

“Before Colors: Where Do Pigments and Dyes Come From” by Annette Bay Pimental

“Grizzly Bears: Guardians of the Wilderness” by Frances Backhouse

“Mission Arctic: A Scientific Adventure to a Changing North Pole” by Katharina Weiss-Tuider

“We Need to Talk About Vaginas” by Dr. Allison K. Rodgers

“Evolution” by Sarah Darwin and Eva-Maria Sadowski

I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association for middle school science teachers.

In this issue, I read the “Citizen Science” section written by Jill Nugent. She wrote an article entitled, “Growing Beyond Earth: Cultivating 21st-Century Science Exploration.”

The Growing Beyond Earth citizen science project, in partnership with NASA and the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, partners with classrooms and identifies edible plant varieties that are well suited for beyond Earth growing conditions. For more information, visit:

https://fairchildgarden.org/gbe