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CSTA News

Last updated: February 22, 2010

Purdue zipTrips™ - Electronic Field Trips

Do you want to take your middle-school science students on a field trip without breaking the budget? Wish you had an alternative? Purdue zipTrips™ is the answer!! These electronic field trips will bring a new experience in science education directly to your school. Registration is free! When you register, you'll also receive access to the "Week of Scientists" and "Disease Detective" online videos for classroom use. These short video profiles feature real-world scientists who share their work and explain how they got interested in science.
Complete details can be found at: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/zipTrips/

Entomological Foundation Interactive Web Site

The Entomological Foundation has created its first interactive, youth web site for children and educators. The site is a self-guided educational site for children, which contains learning activities designed to help children in grades 3 and 4 understand primary areas of entomology relating to the characteristics of organisms, life cycles, and the relationship of organisms to their environment. The site consists of three main sections, which correspond to the knowledge level of the user. Each section contains a set of activities and objectives with an assessment (in game format) of what the user learned from the activities. The site also contains a section for educators, which lists the names of the activities, their objectives, and the national science standard and entomology benchmark addressed by that activity. The site is located at http://www.cipm.info/entfnd/

PBS Free Educational Outreach Materials

PBS has long been a supporter of science education, offering high quality television for children and adults alike as well as FREE educational materials. You may find the following materials especially relevant for the upcoming Earth Day on 4/22/09. THE GREENS Activity Guide encourages kids age 9-12 to explore sustainability and take action whenever they can. How-to information in the guide pairs hands-on activities to deepen kids understanding of topics like recycling and global warming with campaigns to reduce junk mail and get drivers to stop idling cars. The guide can be downloaded at http://meetthegreens.pbskids.org/features/ and free print copies may be ordered by putting THE GREENS in the subject line of an e-mail to wgbhmaterialsreq@wgbh.org New activities from CURIOUS GEORGE focus on earth science for PreK-2 children and can be downloaded at pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/parentsteachers/activities/ A related episode from CURIOUS GEORGE which will help introduce the topic of earth science to children, can be ordered free by contacting gay_mohrbacher@wgbh.org

Track Spring's Journey North: Migrations, Mystery Schools, Climate, More

Teachers and students in K-12 classrooms are invited to participate this spring in Journey Norths 16th 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 how climate and other factors affect living things.

Each Journey North study features many entry points and resources that address learning standards: Journey North for Kids reading booklets and lessons, stunning photos and video clips, weekly migration updates, interactive maps, instructional units, and compelling migration stories.

Thanks to Annenberg Media, Journey North Web site access and participation is free. Take a glimpse at the spring projects here: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/season/spring2009. Home page: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/. Plan now; these begin on February 1st!

What2Learn

What2Learn is a free interactive educational resource. It contains literally hundreds of learning games and exam drills for Science based on the requirements of the California State Board of Education's content standards. Students can create accounts for content suitable for Grades
6-8 (see http://www.what2learn.com/grades-6-8-usa/ for details) and Grades
9-12 (see http://www.what2learn.com/grades-9-12-usa/ for details). All student attainment in the activities is automatically calculated and recorded, making it quick and easy for parents and teachers to monitor progress. The fun way in which the learning content is presented, along with in-built rewards within the system (such as the ability to further personalize their online portfolio) encourages students to play and replay activities to build their knowledge. What2Learn has been tried and tested and proven to be very effective with all kinds of students, from those with learning difficulties such as ADHD to gifted and talented students keen to work independently to develop their knowledge. http://www.what2learn.com/

Northern California Chapter of the American Vacuum Society

The Education Committee of the Northern California Chapter of the American Vacuum Society (AVS is a member group of the American Physics Society) is pleased to announce a new free program for Northern California Science Teachers.

This free program is a set of classroom experiments or demos of Vacuum Science in Physics and Chemistry. One or more of our committee members will bring in the vacuum apparatus to present the program in your classroom, with full student participation.

The program can be modified to fit into the class’s work and the California Standards on pressure, etc. It’s length can be reduced or expanded from the ~40 minutes average, as required.

If you are interested in having a free program in your classroom, please contact our chapter office, listed below. One of our committee members will contact you to set up a date. We look forward to being of service to you and your students.

The web site for Northern California Chapter of AVS is www.nccavs.org. The office e-mail is della@avs.org and telephone is (530) 896-0477.

USA Biology Olympiad (USABO)

The USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) is the premier competition in biology in the United States. The objectives of the USABO are to stimulate young scholars' intellectual curiosity and develop their critical thinking skills in biological reasoning. www.cee.org

Findings

Findings, a publication of the National Institutes of Health can be used in the classroom to enhance knowledge provided in text books and lecture materials for high school science courses, including introductory biology, honors/advanced placement biology, anatomy, science/technology, chemistry, health, and others. Many educators have found Findings to be a useful career planning resource for students, as well as a valuable teacher resource for staying current in the fast-changing world of 21st century science. http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/findings/.

Science Buddies

Science Buddies is a non-profit organization empowering students from all walks of life to help themselves and each other develop a love of science and an understanding of the scientific method. With the help of their Mentors and Advisors, they help students improve their science skills and literacy, and inspire them to consider additional study or careers in science. Check out Science Buddies' How-To Guides, Teacher Resources, Ask An Expert, and more at http://www.sciencebuddies.org.

eCYBERMISSION

eCYBERMISSION is a free, web-based science, math and technology competition open to all students attending a U.S. or Department of Defense Education Activity School in the sixth through ninth grades. In the competition, student teams identify a problem that is related to health and safety, arts and entertainment, sports and recreation or the environment. Selecting a real-life Mission Challenge encourages self-discovery and illustrates how science, math and technology apply to everyday life. www.ecybermission.com.

Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students (LiMPETS)

LiMPETS is an environmental monitoring and education program for students, educators, and volunteer groups throughout California. This hands-on program was developed to monitor the ocean and coastal ecosystems of California's national marine sanctuaries to increase awareness and stewardship of these important areas. Through research-based monitoring and standardized protocols, students develop their problem solving skills, gain experience using tools and methods employed by field scientists, and learn to analyze data. Approximately 3,500 teachers and students along the coast of California are collecting rocky intertidal and sandy beach data as part of the LiMPETS network. Find out how to join this free environmental monitoring program at http://limpetsmonitoring.org.

Ocean Guardian Programs

The purpose of the NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries Ocean Guardian Programs are to encourage teachers and students to explore their natural surroundings to form a sense of personal connection to the ocean and/or watersheds in which they live. • Students can make a difference by becoming a member of our Ocean Guardian Kids Club. • Teachers can get their classroom involved in environmental conservation at their school or in their community to be an Ocean Guardian Classroom. • Everyone can download a free copy of the Ocean Guardian Activity Book to learn more about the ocean and why its important through word searches, games, and coloring pages. Find out more about the Ocean Guardian Programs at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/ocean_guardian_prog.html.

Science Fair Projects

Hundreds of free science fair projects are categorized under biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, and engineering and can be sorted alphabetically or by their level of difficulty. http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/.

Science Fair Project Ideas

Science fair project ideas searchable by grade level and subject matter: http://www.education.com/science-fair/all-grades/

Harry Potter Science Club

Every four to six weeks, students who enroll in the Harry Potter Science Club, available exclusively from Troll at Home Book Clubs, receive a new Harry Potter's Spells and Potions Activity Kit developed by Delta Education. The Troll at Home Club is available only through school programs. Parents or guardians enroll their children in the club using forms provided by schools. For information, call 1-888-998-7655.

HowStuffWorks

Designed for grades 5-8, HowStuffWorks hooks students with cool subjects, superior graphics, and striking photography. The mysteries of the world are addressed in a fun, engaging format that kids love. http://express.howstuffworks.com/.

Dragonfly TV

Dragonfly TV is the national science series for kids on PBS. They have several educator guides available on their website. Download the DragonflyTV Educator's Guides to get kids started on their own inquiry investigations. The activities are developed with the National Science Teacher's Association. They're aligned with today's science standards, and they're ideal for the classroom or for after-school programs. http://kids.pbs.org/dragonflytv/parentsteachers/index.html.

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