Mar27

NSTA Conference in Boston

Be sure to check out the conference blog this week. Use the tab at the top of the page for first-hand accounts of the sessions, exhibitors, speakers, and the overall impressions of being a national conference!
Published: Mar-27-08 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Mar19

Making Science Relevant

Science Scope Cover Why are we studying this? What good will this do me? I know there are teachers who enjoy the challenge of students' asking questions such as these and others who consider these questions to be disrespectful or distracting (and from some students they may be!). But I must confess that I was a questioner in school. If we were studying a new topic or doing an activity, I needed to know what the point was. It really didn’t matter to me what the teacher said the point was, as long as I could see that there was a point, beyond getting a grade or doing something for a test. And, regardless of the subject, if the point involved anything creative, I was hooked!

Some students find topics in science to be inherently interesting. The teacher could read from a textbook, and these students would still be interested. But for other students, teachers need to help students to see how the content is relevant. And even if students aren't particularly interested in a topic (my own high school economics class comes to mind), the teacher can hook the students with personal anecdotes, interesting questions, cooperative activities, hands-on projects, trade books, or multimedia. The focus of this issue of Science Scope is on how to make science relevant.

The article Volcano Resumes shows how students can be engaged by a new twist on the typical "report." In addition to the websites suggested by the author, the SciLinks keywords volcano or ring of fire can help students get started on their websearch. Students could also use websites to find volcano pictures for the resumes. And if the students would plot the coordinates on a map, they could see the "ring of fire" concept.

Who hasn't an idea for an invention? I saw a quote today that said "If necessity is the mother of invention, laziness is the grandmother." Middle-schoolers may relate to that! Problem Solving with Patents adds another dimension to the topic of inventions by looking at the patent process. Go to SciLinks and enter the keyword inventor to look at the inventive process through websites such as Invention Dimension from MIT with a searchable archive of inventors and a handbook for patenting an invention. You can also use the keywords Alexander Graham Bell or Thomas Edison for sites on these important inventors.

For information related to Bumpy, Sticky, and Shaky: Nanoscale Science and the Curriculum use nanoscience as keyword in SciLinks. Two of sites in this topic could be of interest to students: Introduction to Nanotechnology and Nanokids.

Investigating your own neighborhood and reporting the observations to a national database can be both relevant and authentic (two buzzwords in one sentence!). In addition to the projects described in Wanted: Citizen Scientists (Project Feederwatch, Bird Sleuth, and Monarch Watch), I recently heard of Project BudBurst, in which students, gardeners, and other interested folks observe flowering plants in their gardens, schoolyards, and lawns and then enter the observations into a national database to help scientists study the effects of climate change through the timing of flowers and foliage. The site has lots of ideas and resources (use the "Participate" link to get to the teacher resources).

Going on a Science Trek shows how students can demonstrate what they are learning in creative ways. I've seen a lot of lessons where the objective stated that the "students will be able to create a PowerPoint" (or diorama, poster, report). But in a science course, creating a report or exhibit is not really the objective. The PowerPoint, diorama, report, or poster is a way for students to communicate what science concepts they are learning. And this article makes this point with lots of ideas! What can be more relevant than providing many ways for students to use their creativity to solve a problem and communicate the results?
Published: Mar-19-08 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Mar12

Force and Motion

Science and Children Cover
All of these articles this month reflect Isaac Newton's work on forces and motion and the application of these principles to our daily lives – from seat belts and amusement parks to tools and trains. Check out additional web resources available in SciLinks. Use the keyword "Newton" for sets of websites on Newton's Laws and biographies of Sir Isaac.

Who would think that juggling could be a great way to teach these principles? The article Juggling Makes Physics Fun does just that. I can just see a team-teaching class with the physical education teacher! Wouldn’t it be interesting as a teacher to learn a new skill along with the students? I'm sure that most of my students would be better at this than I would be! But that's OK – I can work with them on the physics. The authors mention inviting a local juggler to class to demonstrate. But if that's not possible, there's always YouTube! Some of the videos there are not what I'd use in class, but here's one on juggling that is appropriate for the classroom. Another good resource is How Juggling Works from the How Stuff Works website. I find the ads on the HSW site to be very distracting, so I've provided this link to the print version, which still includes the graphics and additional resources.

For more resources on roller coasters, in addition to the trade books and activity in Teaching Through Trade Books, check out the Science Teacher posting for this month. These resources may be a little advanced for elementary students, but they have good ideas and background information. And secondary teachers may want to check out this article, especially there are inexperienced students in their classes!

The article Using Simple Machines to Leverage Learning has more than a clever pun in its title! The diagrams that illustrate levers and the activity are terrific, but what really intrigued me was the authors' use of a KLEW chart. I've used KWL graphic organizers (Know, Want to know, Learn), but my students seemed to have trouble with the Want to know segment. Many of them just didn't know enough about a topic to express what else they wanted to learn! But this chart – What do we think we Know, What are we Learning, What is our Evidence, and What else are we Wondering (KLEW) looks like an excellent way to for students to organize their thoughts during a lesson or unit. It looks perfect for science, regardless of grade level! If you're like me and haven't seen these KLEW charts before, they are described in the February 2006 issue of Science and Children.

The article Simple Machines in the Community describes how students in the Philippines found examples of simple machines, and the article has simple activities to investigate each type. For more ideas, go to SciLinks and enter the keyword simple machine. Here are a few of my favorites: Simple Machines takes students on a virtual tour of a house and garage to find examples of simple machines. The site has explanations of why the tools are simple machines, and there is a comprehensive teacher's guide. Inventor's Toolbox has brief descriptions of simple machines and a "Gadget Anatomy" page that shows how simple machines can be combined into more complex ones. Marvelous Machines is a teacher site with many activities geared for third-graders (or third-graders at heart!).

And if your students have more questions about maglev trains after you try the activity in Can Trains Really Float? , go to SciLinks and enter the keyword "maglev" for more resources.
Published: Mar-12-08 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post

Mar05

Science for All

The Science Teacher Cover
Was there ever a time when a one-size-fits-all approach to science instruction was appropriate? In the past, it seems that some students were systematically excluded from an expectation of success in the sciences – those with cognitive or physical disabilities, those who did not speak English, or those who did not appear to have the intellectual or reading levels that were thought to be important. Fortunately for our students, we now have many alternative strategies to help all students learn concepts and skills in science.

Having hands-on, collaborative experiences is essential for all students. The article Increasing the Drive of Your Physics Class describes a project in which novice engineers (i.e., students!) design, build, and test paper cars, not just by trial and error but by developing an understanding of the principles. The article has a SciLinks connection with the topic "Roller Coaster Physics" (use TST030802 as the keyword). Most of these have students design a coaster through online simulations. While this is very enjoyable, most of these sites would require the teacher to help students understand and apply the physical principals of force and motion. Wouldn’t these be great to use with a Smart Board and have teams of students contribute their ideas? In Roller Coaster from the Amusement Park Physics site (does anyone use the term "Amusement" Parks anymore?), students design a coaster via a simulation with explanations of physical principles. The Funderstanding Roller Coaster has a description of some of the physics principles and students must include variables such as gravity in their design. Roller Coaster Physics is an animation showing the physics principles in the various part of a coaster. Roller Coasters and Amusement Park Physics doesn't have a simulation, but it does have an in-depth discussion of physical principles. This would be a good supplement to the other sites, especially to Build Your Own Coaster, which is fun to explore but does not have any explanations or suggestions.

Two other articles this month, "Helping Students with Learning Disabilities Succeed" and "Sounds Like Success: A Framework for Equitable Assessment," address the needs of students with learning disabilities and those who are English language learners. As I looked at the suggestions for assisting these students, I have to wonder why we don't use some of these instruction and assessment strategies with all students? Wouldn't all students benefit from having advance organizers, focused vocabulary, clearly stated assessment items, and themes or explicitly stated goals for a unit of instruction? I'm currently working on another project that is based on the work of Robert Marzano and the book Classsroom Instruction That Works by Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock. (This is available from Amazon or from the bookstore of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. The book describes research-based strategies that have been shown to help all students. On the web, you can find a summary of the strategies or the study guide. I can really recommend this book and the companion handbook if you would like more information on strategies that work.

The assessment article has a SciLinks connection with the topic "Assessment Strategies" (use TST030801 as the keyword). You'll see that many of the websites there also deal with reading and writing in science, which many students need help with.

Published: Mar-05-08 | 0 Comments | 0 Links to this post