Pedagogy/Lessons
Last updated: December 12, 2008
Sciencinquirer is a site full of "free stuff for science teachers." Lessons, materials, posters, videos, listservs, and more.
Periodic Table Activity. Download a great lesson idea on teaching the periodic table to middle school students, from CSTA president-elect Sue Pritchard.
SID THE SCIENCE KID is a new educational
animated television series using comedy to promote exploration,
discovery and science readiness among preschoolers. This production
of 40 half-hour episodes, co-produced by The Jim Henson Company
and KCET/Los Angeles for PBS KIDS®, debuts on September 1,
2008, as part of the popular PBS KIDS preschool destination.
The hosted two-hour morning block and online destination features
a practical in-school science curriculum and uses music and
humor to celebrate children's natural curiosity about science
in everyday life. The energetic and inquisitive Sid starts
each episode with a new question ("Why are my shoes shrinking?"
"Why do bananas get mushy?") and embarks on a fun-filled day
of finding answers with the help of family and friends. Find
it at http://pbskids.org/sid/parentsandteachers/.
Let Teachers’ Domain help you supplement
your lesson plans with over 1,000 FREE digital resources in
science, math, language arts and social studies produced by
public television partners. Teachers’ Domain provides teachers
with easy ways to engage students and incorporate technology
in the classroom. Teachers can find videos, activities, online
courses, and more. Register at www.teachersdomain.org.
QUEST, a weekly television and radio program
from KQED public broadcasting in San Francisco, has lesson
plans, a blog, and other resources of great use to science
teachers. Check it out at http://www.kqed.org/quest.
Online
Course: Using Insects in the Classroom (Fall
2007; Ent. 671; 3 credits) Insects' universal presence, their
wonderful colors and unusual body shapes, plus their ability
to fly has always captivated the minds of young children and
naturally stimulates them to ask meaningful questions. Thus,
the first part of any scientific investigation has begun (i.e.,
making an observation and asking a question). This course
will provide you with the essential background information
about insects and their arthropods relatives to help you and
your students find answers to questions. You will finish the
course feeling confident in raising insects in your classroom,
studying them in the outdoors, and directing students to the
appropriate content resources. This course is designed for
individuals planning to become teachers, or individuals who
are already teachers. If you don't fit into this category,
please don't take this course. Part of the M.Ed. in Science
Education program. To view information online, click on the
above link and search under courses or entomology,
then 671. Contact Dr. John Stoffolano for
more information, stoff@ent.umass.edu.
Introduce Your Preservice Students to CSTA and Professional
Enrichment. New and prospective teachers will benefit
by understanding that they are an important part of the larger
science education community and that professional growth in
their career is a lifelong endeavor. Introduce your preservice
students/teachers to the benefits of belonging to their professional
organizations and participating in ongoing professional development
activities. Download activities to use with your preservice
students: Introduction to
CSTA and Other Professional Organizations; Conference Attendance Activity; PowerPoint presentation on CSTA.
The Smithsonian Science Education Academies for
Teachers, through the National Science Resources
Center (NSRC), offers special access for teachers to the resources
behind the scenes at the Smithsonian and other museums and
facilities around Washington, D.C. Contextualized with high-quality
hands-on experiences that can be translated to classroom practice,
these academies provide a powerful professional development
experience. To learn more or to register online, log onto
the site at http://www.nsrconline.org/about_the_nsrc/events.html.
The Exploratorium Institute for Inquiry website offers hard-to-find inquiry science teaching resources for teachers, teacher educators, and professional developers. Includes guides for professional development workshops on science inquiry, a library of recommended inquiry and education books, support materials , such as detailed descriptions of the inquiry process, and access to the "graduate community"—an online association of educators who've attended Institute workshops. To learn more, log onto the site at http://www.exploratorium.edu/ifi.
Teachers and students in K-12 classrooms are invited to participate
this spring in Journey North's 15th annual
global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. A
free Internet-based "citizen science" project, Journey
North enables students in 11,000 schools to watch the wave
of spring as it unfolds. Students monitor migration patterns
of monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, whooping cranes, and
other animals; the blooming of plants; and changing sunlight,
temperatures, and other signs of spring. They share their
local observations with classmates across North America and
beyond, and look for patterns on real-time maps. As they put
local observations into a global context - and connect with
field scientists - participants are better prepared to explore
indicators and implications of a changing climate. Spring
projects begin February 1st! http://www.learner.org/jnorth.
California Learning Resource Network (CLRN)
provides educators with a "one-stop" resource for critical
information needed for the selection of supplemental electronic
learning resources aligned to the state's academic content
standards. California educators with specific content experience
are selected through an application process to act as reviewers
once they have completed a rigorous training program. CLRN's
objectives are to: * Identify and review supplemental electronic
learning resources such as software, video, and Internet resources.
* Identify learning units aligned to resources and the state
academic content standards. * Maintain an interactive web
site to provide information about electronic learning resources
through an online searchable database and links to state education
technology projects and resources. Visit CLRN at http://www.clrn.org/home/.
The Infinite Thinking Machine (ITM) is designed to help teachers and students thrive in the 21st century. Through an active blog, an Internet TV show, and other media resources, the ITM shares a "bazillion practical ideas" for turning the infinite universe of information into knowledge. We showcase examples of innovative instructional methods, talk with leading experts, and share real stories from the classroom to improve how we think, learn, teach, and live. And we try to have a little fun along the way. http://www.infinitethinking.org/.
The UCLA GK-12 program has developed dozens of free, field-tested, inquiry-based lessons. The lessons are posted by grade level and standards. http://www.nslc.ucla.edu/STEP/GK12/inquiry_lesson_plans.htm.
The Futures Channel produces and distributes documentary videos connecting the mathematics, science, technology and art that students are learning to exciting real world careers. For years, teachers across the country have relied on the Futures Channel’s videos to help answer that famous question: “When will I ever use this?” Movies connect the math and science students are learning to the real world and feature professionals who couldn't do their jobs without the math and science they learned in school. http://www.thefutureschannel.com.
How do teachers make a cohesive story out of the science content standards so that students really "get" the concepts being taught? Using a spiraling approach, the K-5 Standards Spiral for the California Standards Science Test starts with the fourth and fifth grade standards on which students are tested in the fifth grade. It looks at the standards in the grade levels in a backwards-sequential order and shows the standards in earlier grade levels that are connected to the standard that is being tested. Download here.
The Akron Global Polymer Academy (AGPA) site includes fully developed lesson plans and videos of sample lectures, as well as links to science standards, best teaching practices and polymer resource materials. The academy is part of The University of Akron¹s College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering.
http://agpa.uakron.edu
The NSTA Learning Center (http://learningcenter.nsta.org/)
is a state-of-the-art web portal that contains thousands of
standards-based learning resources for science teachers. Resources
include web seminars, e-book chapters, journal articles, Science
Objects, SciGuides, SciPacks, and more. It is customized to
allow teachers to assess their content knowledge and design
a path specifically for their needs and preferences. Teachers
are able to manage their own professional development plan,
track their experiences, and earn a certificate of completion
for their successful achievement. There are opportunities
for administrator support of e-professional learning communities.
Contact Deborah Tucker (deborahlt@aol.com)
if your school is interested and for other questions about
the programs.
Making the Standards Work: Are you interested in a free, easy way to locate the latest information on standards, assessment, and NCLB for use within your district or organization? The Center for Performance Assessment is pleased to offer reproducible articles from our newsletters to meet that need. http://www.leadandlearn.com/resource-services
Score Science has "scores" of online science resources for teachers and students, including lessons tied to the California science standards and an "ask-a-scientist" feature. Visit the Score Science site at: http://scorescience.humboldt.k12.ca.us/.
Science teaching resources, including worksheets for movies,
such as October Sky, are available on the Science
Teacher Association of New York State website.
The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse offers resources tied to national science standards, plus professional development strategies for teachers. The ENC online K-12 math and science teacher center is www.goENC.com.
Bill Powell offers free to elementary school teachers and students several sample science project sheets designed for K-6 students from our published Resource and Activity books, along with a complete listing of over 630 project sheets. Send $1.00 or three loose first-class stamps for postage and handling along with a name/address sticker to Bill Powell the Science Pal, P.O. Box 50182, Knoxville, TN 37950-0182.
Teacher kit from Scientific American magazine. Contact Scientific American, Dept. TK, 415 Madison Ave., New York, NY 1017-01111; fax 212-355-0408; e-mail MMoser@sciam.com. (Visit the publication on the web at www.sciam.com.) Teachers can also sign up for the free school program from Scientific American Frontiers, the popular television program hosted by Alan Alda, by accessing the program's website: www.pbs.org/saf.
Free Weekley Science Puzzlers. Each week,
share with your students a FREE thought-provoking science
puzzler, drawn from the award-winning Cogno science board
games. You'll receive a weekly e-mail with a fully illustrated
one-page puzzler about astronomy, forces & motion and/or life
sciences, ready to be photocopied for students. The e-mail
message includes the answer and explanation, allowing you
to facilitate as much or as little discussion as you like.
Recommended for grades 3-8. For information, samples, and
to register, see http://www.cogno.com/puzzlers.
LHS Student and Family Programs
Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley offers a wide range of programs for school groups and individuals in astronomy, biology, physics, math, and chemistry. Various programs are presented as assemblies, festivals, workshops, courses, and theater. http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org
LHS is also home to a number of specialized programs with classroom and teacher resources, such as:
MARE (Marine Activities, Resources & Education for grades K-8). http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu/MARE/
GEMS (Great Explorations in Math and Science for preschool-grade 8). http://lhsgems.org/
SEPUP (Science Education for Public Understanding Program for elementary and secondary schools and the community). http://www.sepuplhs.org/
FOSS (Full Option Science System for K-8). http://lhsfoss.org/
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