K12Science

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 “Editorial” section written by Patty McGinnis. She wrote an article entitled, “Eliciting Student Thinking.”

Eliciting student thinking is a high-leverage practice in which the teacher utilizes questions and tasks that encourage and promote student thinking and sharing of ideas.

I was recently reading a WestEd blog post on the Next Gen Science website, dated January 10, 2024.

In this blog, I read the post “Seeing is Believing: Building a Shared Vision of Quality Science Instruction.” It was written by Vanessa Wolbrink.

In the years following the adoption of new science standards, states and districts must begin to navigate the complexities of transitioning to new learning goals — including updating instructional materials, professional learning, course descriptions and requirements, and assessments. In order to determine what changes are needed and how to enact them effectively, we need to ask the question, “What does it really take to build a shared understanding of the shift in teaching and learning expected in today’s science classrooms?”

I was recently visiting the Cornell Labs website. While visiting the site I was reminded of the upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count.

The Great Backyard Bird Count takes place February 16-19, 2024. During this time you are encouraged to observe birds for at least 15 minutes and then report the data. You can observe for longer than 15 minutes and for more than one day. To learn about how to identify birds and how to submit data, please visit:

https://www.birds.cornell.edu/k12/gbbc/

I was recently reading a community blog post on the GLOBE website, dated January 18, 2024.

In this blog, I read the post “GLOBE Clouds and NGSS (Elementary and Middle School.” It was posted by Marile Colon Robles.

A new resource is now available created by GLOBE educator Mr. Roger Rose as part of his NASA internship in 2023 titled, GLOBE Atmosphere Clouds and NGSS. This document compares portions of the clouds protocol to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for elementary and middle school with tips and resources to use in the classroom. To view this blog post, please visit:

https://www.globe.gov/globe-community/blogs/community-blogs/-/blogs/120484191/maximized

I was recently reading the December 11, 2023 issue of “Forbes” magazine.

In this issue, I read the article “Bright Minds, Big Innovations: Exploring ’Science Fair: The Series’.” It was written by Tony Bradley.

“Science Fair: The Series,” National Geographic’s latest documentary series, is a deep dive into the world of young scientific minds, capturing their journey through the highly competitive International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). It is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+. This documentary series is a must-watch for anyone interested in the power of education, the resilience of youth, and the hopeful future shaped by bright, young minds.

I was recently reading the September-October, 2023 issue of “Connected Science Learning,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the article “40 Years of Inspiring Students to Explore STEM: What has Science Olympiad Learned?” It was written by John F. Loehr and Jenny Kopach.

In May 2024, Science Olympiad will celebrate the 40th Annual Science Olympiad National Tournament at Michigan State University. The Olympiad has been successful over these 40 years because it has demonstrated the following four factors:

• Recognition - Students’ work and efforts are displayed and recognized in a very public fashion.
• Personal Choice - Students have the autonomy to decide how they want to be involved in the program.
• Peer and Professional Networks - Students’ passion and interest in topics is recognized and celebrated by both their peers and STEM professionals.
• Responsiveness - The 23-event structure gives Science Olympiad the flexibility to adapt to changing interests, circumstances, and needs.

K12Science Podcast: International Space Station

I was recently reading the October, 2023 special issue of USA Today, entitled, “NASA at 65.”

In this issue, I read the article “25 Years Up There: International Space Station Operators are Preparing for the Outpost’s Demise.”

25 years ago, the first two elements of the International Space Station were connected by shuttle astronauts. After 2030, NASA will need to bring the space station out of orbit.

I was recently reading the December 7, 2023 issue of “Smithsonian” magazine.

In this issue, I read the article “The Ten Best Science Books of 2023” written by Bridget Alex, Riley Black, Dan Falk, Shi En Kim, Carlyn Kranking, and Joe Spring.

In the article they shared their top nonfiction science titles from the past year, selected by “Smithsonian” magazine’s editors and frequent contributors. In our last podcast, I shared the reviews of two of the top ten books. In today’s podcast, we will look at the reviews of two more books from the list:

Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb

Starborn: How the Stars Made Us (and Who We Would Be Without Them) by Roberto Trotta

I was recently reading the December 7, 2023 issue of “Smithsonian” magazine.

In this issue, I read the article “The Ten Best Science Books of 2023” written by Bridget Alex, Riley Black, Dan Falk, Shi En Kim, Carlyn Kranking, and Joe Spring.

In the article they shared their top nonfiction science titles from the past year, selected by “Smithsonian” magazine’s editors and frequent contributors. In this podcast, we look at two of their selections:

“Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World” by John Vaillant

“Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell” by Sy Montgomery

I was recently reading the Fall, 2023 issue of “The Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the section “Career of the Month” written by Luba Vangelova. In this section, she focused on the career of an acoustician.

An acoustician is an expert in the branch of physics concerned with the properties of sound. Tony Hoover is an acoustician and recommends interested students to have a great understanding of acoustics, which is an interdisciplinary field that involves a lot of physics, math, and engineering.