Read a Good Book Lately?

Sometimes there’s just nothing as cozy as curling up with a good storybook. Whether you prefer turning real pages or virtual pages, you will enjoy the five spacey storybooks on The Space Place. Joining our classic stories inverse “Professor Starr’s Dream Trip” and “Lucy¹s Planet Hunt” are the new ”What’s in Space,” “Supercool Space Tools,” and “The First Annual Planet Awards.” All are available as richly illustrated online “books” with interactive page turning or viewable and printable Adobe Reader files. So settle down with a good and fun book at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/storybooks.

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EOI Calculator Policy Changed

(announced by OSDE, August 27, 2009)

The items on the Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Biology I assessments are designed so that calculators are not required to solve any of the problems.  All tasks can be solved without the use of a calculator.  However, certain tasks are much more difficult if a calculator is not available. Before the first day of the test, students using a calculator for any EOI mathematics or science assessment should be familiar with the use of the specific calculator that will be utilized.  Students must be instructed in the use of calculators or this tool can actually hinder students’ performance on the assessment.  The appropriate calculator will be available for the online version of the EOI mathematics and science tests.

Subject-specific Requirements

Algebra I, Geometry, and Biology I:

• Scientific Calculators meeting general requirements may be used on all/specified sections.

Algebra II:

• Graphing Calculators meeting general requirements may be used on all/specified sections.

General Requirements

• Calculators are permitted but are not required.

• Calculator capabilities described for a specific subject give the maximum capabilities allowed; calculators with less capability are acceptable.

• Students may not share calculators.

• Students may use their own calculators or those provided by the school.

• Calculators that make noise must have the sound feature turned off.

• Calculators that have paper tape must have the tape removed.

• Calculators with power cords must have the cord removed.

• All calculators must have the memory cleared before and after the test session.

• Any programs or applications must be removed prior to the test session.

Prohibited Calculators

• Pocket organizers

• Handheld or laptop computers

• Electronic writing pads or pen-input devices

• Calculators built into cellular phones or other electronic communication devices

• Calculators with a typewriter keypad (QWERTY format)

• Calculators with programs or applications that cannot be removed or disabled (e.g., Polynomial Root-Finder and Simultaneous Equation Solver on TI-86)

• Calculators with built-in computer algebra systems (CAS), such as, but not limited to: Casio: Algebra fx 2.0, ClassPad 300, and all model numbers that begin with CFX-9970G. Texas Instruments: All model numbers that begin with TI-89 or TI-92 Hewlett-Packard: HP-48GII and all model numbers that begin with HP-40G or HP-49G

Test Security and Validity

Using a calculator that does not meet the above requirements invalidates the test results and is a violation of test security and test validity.  Any violation will be reported to the State Superintendent and may result in revocation of teaching and/or administrative certificates.

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INSPIRE application re-opened for a limited time

The Interdisciplinary National Science Project Incorporating Research and Education Experience (INSPIRE) is a multi-tiered year-round program designed for students in ninth- to 12th -grade who are interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, education and careers.

The Online Learning Community is INSPIRE’s centerpiece providing a place for INSPIRE students to interact with their peers, NASA experts and education specialists. Through grade-level-appropriate educational activities, chats and the discussion board, students and their families will be exposed to the many careers and opportunities at NASA. The OLC also provides parents resources designed to help them champion their student’s education and career goals. To ensure all students have an opportunity to participate in the OLC, those who qualify for the National School Lunch Program are eligible to receive a free laptop. Once accepted into the OLC, students and their parents remain participants of the community through the students’ freshmen year of college as long as they stay active participants.

Members of the INSPIRE OLC have the opportunity to compete for a grade-appropriate summer STEM experiences that will be available in 2010.  The summer STEM experience is designed to provide hands-on experiences to investigate education and careers in STEM at a NASA facility or university.  All summer experiences, except the collegiate experience, will take place at the NASA facility within the student’s service area.  Your NASA facility and service area is NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX.

Please see our NASA INSPIRE website: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/descriptions/INSPIRE_Project.html

The application is open: August 27, 2009

The application closes: September 10, 2009 at 12:00 AM (EST)

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MyScience: Connecting With 21st Century Students

OSTA 2009 Fall Staff Development Conference

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Howell Hall, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond

It’s Not Too Early to Register!

Register now and avoid the rush.  Pre-conference registration is only $35 and includes the OSTA Awards Luncheon and membership renewal for the next year.  Pre-service science teachers can attend for $20 (lunch and membership included).  Download the OSTA Fall Conference Registration form.

Introducing the OSTA Carpool Special…

Primary Registrants who register three (3) additional Full Conference or Pre-service participants on the second page of the conference registration form will receive a waiver of their registration fee. Think about it! Sign up three more paid registrations on this form and you can attend the OSTA Fall Conference, plus enjoy lunch and renew your 2010 membership at no cost!

So round up three colleagues and fill up your car and save with the OSTA Carpool Special.

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August Janagram

Science News from OSDE Science Director Jana Rowland

Field Trip Grants Available

The Target Corporation has announced that it will award 5,000 field trip grants of up to $800 each for the coming K-12 school year.

Managed by Scholarship America, the program is open to education professionals who are at least 18 years old and employed by an accredited K-12 public, private, or charter school in the United States that maintains 501(c)(3) or 509(a)(1) tax-exempt status. Educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, or classified staff of these institutions must be willing to plan and execute a field trip that will provide a demonstrable learning experience for students.

Grant funds may be used for visits to art, science, and cultural museums; community service or civics projects; career enrichment opportunities; and other events or activities away from the school facility. Funds may also be used to cover field trip-related costs such as transportation, ticket fees, resource materials, and supplies.

Grants will be awarded in February 2010.

Applications can be completed online anytime between August 5 and November 3, 2009.Complete program information is available at the Target Web site at http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-031880.

Destinations Oklahoma lessons, grades 4-11 (geology)

Destinations Oklahoma encompasses geography, geology and tourism education for grades 4 through 11. Your students will gain incredible and interesting knowledge and skills as you travel with them through each of the state’s six tourism regions. Download the program registration form! This program is generously sponsored by CareerTech, the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education, and the Oklahoma Geological Survey. Download application at: http://s3.amazonaws.com/content.newsok.com/newsok/images/NIE/Destinations-b.pdf

DonorsChoose funds classroom projects
DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. Here’s how it works: public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. Requests range from pencils for a poetry writing unit, to violins for a school recital, to microscope slides for a biology class.
Visit www.donorschoose.org for more information or to register a classroom project request.

Sonic and DonorsChoose.org classroom funding
Sonic is partnering with DonorsChoose.org to support public school teachers through funding of classroom projects.  Order any drink* at Sonic during September and visit the web site www.limeadesforlearning.com to vote for your favorite teacher’s project.  Sonic will donate more than a half a million dollars to the projects that receive the most votes.

Windows to the Universe’s new “Poles in Space” section features information and images from NASA missions of poles around the Solar System.  Pictures and information links are listed by planet and the Sun. Visit http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/our_solar_system/solar_system_poles.html

“What is a Planet?” Student Activity
In this activity, targeted for grades 9-12, students debate whether “Pandora,” a fictional solar system object discovered by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, is a planet.  Information at http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/9-12/features/what-is-a-planet.html .

Tool to Observe and Measure Changes in Sea Ice
SEAICEBOX lets users view and measure changes in monthly sea ice concentration since 1979 in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, through a Web browser. Users can view the latest daily image of sea ice concentration and compare changes in sea ice over time. See http://iceplanetearth.org/resources.jsp

Earth Science resource
This site provides earth science lesson plans, state specific maps, pictures, current events articles, and satellite images.  Great site for classroom use.
See http://geology.com/.

Guide to using Science Articles in the classroom

Here is a website that has a guide for reading and analyzing science articles.  Keely Cox, Biology teacher at Lawton High School, shared this web site.  There are very good questions to use with your students to help them learn to think critically about science research and information.  See
<http://www.yukoncollege.yk.ca/~agraham/guides/guidec.shtml>.

“I am an Engineer” Video from OK Department of Commerce

Oklahoma industries have a voracious appetite for engineers, with the demand projected to grow well into the future. With that in mind, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce recently created a short video to inspire Oklahoma’s middle school students to enter the field of engineering. This video uses colorful, animated graphics to capture the aspirations of a new generation. What were seen as sticky equations are now viewed as tangible objects and an opportunity to create and stretch the limits of invention. By bridging the gap between art and science, more Oklahoma students will say, “I am an engineer.”

Video is available at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_ejjdLcrXw>.

NASA Drop Tower Competitions Announced

DIME & WING are components of a NASA competition program which allows teams to design and build a science experiment which will then be operated in a NASA microgravity drop tower facility. This program is a project-oriented activity which lasts one school year for the selected teams. A DIME team will be comprised of high-school-aged students while a WING team will be comprised of students in grades 6-9. Teams may be formed from (for example) a science class, a group of classes, a science club, a Scout troop, or simply a bunch of friends. A team (whether DIME or WING) must have an adult advisor, such as a teacher, parent, or technical consultant.

Find information at: http://spaceflightsystems.grc.nasa.gov/DIME.html.

National Engineering Design Challenge Registration Opens September 1st!

The NEDC is an annual engineering design competition for students in grades 9–12. Teams of students design and build an assistive technology device to help a person with a disability.

NEDC is a cross-curricular and service learning program that:

- educates young people about careers in engineering,

- increases disability awareness, promotes community involvement,
- inspires a spirit of engagement and a willingness to help others.
NEDC teams can win prizes, including a trip to Washington, DC, and cash for their schools.

Visit http://www.jets.org/programs/nedc/index.cfm.

Lab Write

Lab Write is a resource that science teachers can use to enhance in-class lab assignments. The site, which is a project developed by North Carolina State University and sponsored by the National Science Foundation, trains students to think like scientists. The site’s layout takes a step-by-step approach to lab projects, prompting students to think critically before, during, and after the assignment. While the teacher is busy overseeing the class or working with small groups, Lab Write gives students individualized attention through activities that require their own observations and analyses. Each exercise can be completed by students either as a printed handout or through a Web-based tutor application. Thanks to Trina Menzie from Lawton for sharing this resource. Visit http://www.ncsu.edu/labwrite/ for more information.

SIEMENS COMPETITION DEADLINE APPROACHING

Less than two months remain for students to enter the 2009 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology. A signature program of the Siemens Foundation, this annual competition for high school students awards college scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $100,000 for original research projects in both individual and team categories. Established in 1999, the Siemens Foundation has granted more than 800 scholarships through the Siemens Competition in support of our nation’s future scientists and engineers. The Siemens Competition continues to attract the nation’s brightest minds and innovators of tomorrow.

For the 2009 competition, entries must be received by October 1, 2009. The Siemens Foundation provides more than $7 million annually in support of educational initiatives in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math in the United States. Its signature programs, the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology and Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement, reward exceptional achievement in science, math, and technology. The newest program, The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, encourages K – 12 students to develop innovative green solutions for environmental issues. For more information, visit www.siemensfoundation.org.

It was developed with an National Science Foundation grant, so it should be free.
Disney’s Planet Challenge for 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th graders

Get your district’s 4th, 5th and 6th graders involved in an exciting project-based learning adventure that will empower them to make a difference in their schools, homes and communities with Disney’s Planet Challenge. For the first time, students in all 50 states are eligible to participate in this environmental learning competition.

Until now, Disney’s Planet Challenge was available in the United States only to schools in California and Florida, but the program has been expanded to school districts nationwide this year to address growing demand.

Disney’s Planet Challenge gets students working on an environmental issue of their choice with a hands-on and collaborative approach. And thanks to the program’s curricular collaborators, the National Science Teachers Association and K-12 Alliance, it provides teachers with the tools they need to meet state-specific content standards in science, language arts, math, social studies and visual and performing arts.  The challenge begins September, 2009.

Visit the web site at http://disney.go.com/planetchallenge/.

Solar Activity & Potential Impact on Climate

This National Geographic News article, by Anne Minard, discusses astrophysicists study of the activity, or inactivity of the sun and its potential impact on the Earth’s climate.

See http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090504-sun-global-cooling.html

ING Foundation Educational Grants

As part of their commitment to educators, ING honors excellence in education through a series of programs and sponsorships.

Program Areas: Arts, Community Involvement/Volunteerism, General Education, Health/PE, Math, Reading, Science/Environment, Social Studies

Recipients: Public Schools, Private/Charter Schools, Higher Education

Proposal Deadline:

9/5/09

Average amount:

$200 – $400,000

Website:

http://www. ing-usa.com/us/aboutING/CorporateCitizenship/index.htm

Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams Grants

InvenTeams composed of high school students, teachers, and mentors are asked to collaboratively identify a problem that they want to solve, research the problem, and then develop a prototype invention as an in-class or extracurricular project. Up to 23 grants of up to $10,000 each will be awarded to selected teams. Grant funding is intended for research, materials, and learning experiences related to developing the team’s invention. High school science, mathematics, and technology teachers — or teams of teachers — at public, private, and vocational schools are eligible to apply. Program Areas: Math, Science/Environmental, Technology

Recipients: Public Schools, Private/Charter Schools

Proposal Deadline:

9/11/09

Average Amount:

$100 – $10,000

Website:

http://web.mit.edu/inventeams/apply.html

Kinder Morgan Foundation Education Grants

Grants are primarily directed to educational programs for youth in grades K-12. Funding is provided to local, state, provincial and regional educational institutions, libraries, and programs that provide ongoing support such as Junior Achievement. The foundation also supports youth programs provided by local arts organizations, symphony orchestras, museums, and others. Initial approach is to contact the foundation for application form, which is required.

Program Areas: Arts, Community Involvement/Volunteerism, General Education, Library, Math, Reading, Science/ Environmental, Social Studies

Recipients:Public School

Proposal Deadline:

9/10/09

Average Amount:

$3,500 – $5,000

Website:

http://www.kindermorgan.com/community/km_foundation.cfm

Vernier Teacher Awards

Each year, Triangle Coalition members Vernier Software & Technology and the National Science Teacher’s Association (NSTA) present the most innovative science teachers in the country with the Vernier Software & Technology/NSTA Technology Award. The awards, valued at $3000 each, are given to up to seven educators judged to have created the best inquiry-based, hands-on learning activities using data-collection technology interfaced with computers, graphing calculators, and other handheld devices such as the Vernier LabQuest. Up to one elementary teacher, two middle school teachers, three high school teachers and one college-level educator will receive the technology awards. Each award consists of $1000 in cash, $1000 in Vernier equipment, and up to $1000 toward travel and expenses for attending NSTA’s 2009 National Convention. Winning ideas have included using a LabQuest to monitor environmental conditions in aquatic tanks and the effects of nano-sized particles on aquatic species, as well as to monitor water quality in various water sheds that feed into large lakes. Winning educators have also collected and used data by attaching a microphone probe to a LabQuest to capture a graphical representation of notes to teach students how to apply what they have learned when designing a musical instrument and had students investigate green house gas emissions during Atlanta’s rush hour, the fourth busiest in the country. Students then compared the relationship between the amount of CO2 emitted and the corresponding outside temperatures.

Applications should include an application form, an abstract of the program in 250 words or less, a program description, a copy of an actual lab activity, a nominee’s Vita, three letters of support, plus a completed and signed application checklist. Entries are due by November 30, 2009 and will be judged by a panel of experts appointed by NSTA. Educators can be nominated or self-nominate for the awards. Access the application at http://www.nsta.org/about/awards.aspx#vernier .

Learning Unit on Conservation and Snow Leopards

Facing the Future, in collaboration with the Snow Leopard Trust, has just released Engaging Students in Conservation: Protecting the Endangered Snow Leopard, an interdisciplinary 1-2 week unit that includes five dynamic lessons and culminates with a service learning project. The unit is designed for 5-8^th grade students in science and social studies. Though the lessons are designed as a comprehensive unit, each lesson can stand alone. Engaging Students in Conservation: Protecting the Endangered Snow Leopard includes:

•       Five hands-on lessons

•        An introduction to snow leopards and their ecosystem

•        An exploration of the human-wildlife conflicts that exist where people and snow leopards overlap

Opportunities to develop 21^st century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and global perspective

An examination of community-based conservation

A service learning project related to the protection of snow leopards in Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan

These lessons were developed and piloted by teachers and conservation experts including the Snow Leopard Trust, the world’s leading authority on the study and protection of the endangered snow leopard.

To download this unit today, visit <http://www.facingthefuture.org/Home/CurriculumDetails/tabid/131/Default.aspx?ItemID=ESC>.

Youth Garden Grants

National Gardening Association (NGA) and Home Depot  award Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered garden programs. In evaluating grant applications, priority will be given to programs that emphasize one or more of these elements:

• educational focus or curricular/program integration
• nutrition or plant-to-food connections
• environmental awareness/education
• entrepreneurship
• social aspects of gardening such as leadership development, team building, community support, or service-learning.

Who should apply: Schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities, and intergenerational groups throughout the United States are eligible. Applicants must plan to garden with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18 years. Previous Youth Garden Grant winners who wish to reapply may do so, but must wait one year (e.g., if you won in 2009, you can apply again in 2011) and have significantly expanded their garden programs.

Application deadline (postmark date): November 2, 2009.

For the 2010 grant cycle, 100 grants are available. Packages are as follows:

• Five (5) programs will receive gift cards valued at $1000 (a $500 gift card* to The Home Depot and a $500 gift card to the Gardening with Kids catalog and educational materials from NGA
• Ninety-five (95) programs will receive a $500 gift card* to The Home Depot and educational materials from NGA

A guide for planning an edible school garden can be found here: http://www.deq.state.ok.us/mainlinks/ediblegardens.htm

******************************************************************************

Jana Rowland, Science Director
Standards and Curriculum
Oklahoma State Department of Education
2500 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 522-3524
FAX (405) 521-2971
Jana_Rowland@sde.state.ok.us

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OSDE Student Assessment Documents Update

From State  Science  Director Jana Rowland:

Please see the very important information listed below from the OSDE Assessment Office.  Be sure to download the Blueprints for the assessed science grades/content and also download the new performance level descriptors.

These documents will be very valuable as you plan your school year. You can find the documents at the SDE web site, click the Teachers link (top of the page), Click the Accountability and Assessment link.  If you have any problems finding the documents or if you have questions, please contact Gaile Loving or me (Jana).

—————————–

The following Accountability and Assessments homepage documents have been updated.

Academic Performance Index:

Letter to Superintendents Regarding Cut Scores – June 2009

General Assessments:

All tests Blueprints

OSTP Math Blueprints effective 2010 – 2011 school year – grades 3 – 8, and ACE EOI Geometry

Performance Level Descriptors, Grades 3 – 8 Math and Reading, Biology I, English II, and U.S. History

OMAAP Assessments:

Test Blueprint – U.S. History

Performance Level Descriptor, U.S. History

Testing Dates:

Testing calendars for the next five years (2009 through 2014) have been posted.

Presentations:

Oklahoma’s Accountability System Moving Forward With Academic Performance Index (API)  and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

Oklahoma State Testing Program (OSTP) and Achieving Classroom Excellence (ACE) Update

OK PASS Graphing Tool, and Making A Difference: Interpreting and Using Data Results and Resources

Resources for Test Administrators and Coordinators

Letter to Superintendents Regarding Cut Scores – June 2009

OK PASS Graphing Tool

Making A Difference: Interpreting and Using Data Results and Resources

Videoconference Schedule – Test Interpretation Videoconference Dates set

Achieving Classroom Excellence ACE – links to several documents related to assessment and ACE, including; Cumulative Record, EOI Alternate Assessment, EOI Flowchart for Alternate Assessments, Notification of OAC 210:10-13-16

Test Interpretation Manuals, Grades 3 – 8 and EOI

8th Grade Reading Proficiency:

Test Sites:  This is an updated list of alternate sites offering a reading test in order for students who did not pass the grade 8 OCCT Reading Test and need to prove reading proficiency in order to obtain a Driver’s License.

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EVOLVING STANDARDS (from NCSE Education Update)

How is evolution faring in state science education standards? NCSE’s Louise S. Mead and Anton Mates pored over the latest standards in all fifty states. In a new study forthcoming in the journal Evolution: Education and Outreach, they report, “The treatment of biological evolution in state science standards has improved dramatically over the last ten years.” Forty states received satisfactory grades for the treatment of evolution in their state science standards in Mead and Mates’s study, as opposed to only thirty-one in Lawrence S. Lerner’s
2000 study Good Science, Bad Science, conducted for the Fordham Foundation.

But the news is not all rosy. Five states — Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia — received the grade of F, and a further six states — Alaska, Connecticut, Kentucky, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Wyoming — receive the grade of D. Moreover, the “treatment of human evolution is abysmal,” Mead and Mates lament, with only seven states (and the District of Columbia) providing a comprehensive treatment. Many states “do not reference the Big Bang as the current scientific theory for the origin of the universe,” they add, and only 17 states provide a comprehensive treatment of the connections among biological, geological, and cosmological systems.

Mead and Mates also consider a few states that furnish “excellent examples of the successes and failures of the standards-setting process.” The grades for Florida and Kansas have vaulted from F to A, although not without controversy: “the Kansas standards have seesawed between abysmal and excellent no fewer than four times in the last decade.” In Louisiana, however, the passage of the so-called Louisiana Science Education Act undermined the treatment of evolution in the standards, which now receive the grade of F. And in Texas, the state board of education’s revisions in March 2009 served to undermine the treatment of evolution in the standards to the point where they, too, receive a failing grade.

In a companion article introducing the study, NCSE’s executive director Eugenie C. Scott commented, “On the basis of Mead and Mates’s results, there is reason to be pleased by the progress over the last ten years in the inclusion of evolution in state science education standards. That the treatment of evolution is inadequate in almost one in five states still suggests that there is considerable room for improvement, but we should be optimistic that teachers, scientists, and others who care about science education will continue — as science standards continue to be periodically revised — to work for the appropriate inclusion of evolution in state science education standards.”

For Mead and Mates’s article, visit:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/9u0610162rn51432/fulltext.html

For Lerner’s study, visit:
http://www.fordhamfoundation.org/detail/news.cfm?news_id=42

For Scott’s article, visit:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/e41527271423814p/fulltext.html

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Conference on “Best Practices in ESD”

Invitation for Nominations/Applications

Fulbright Japan is pleased to announce a conference to be held in Portland, Oregon during the period November 1-6, 2009 on the theme “Best Practices in ESD (Education for Sustainable Development).”  The conference will be the inaugural event for a new Japan-U.S. ESD Teacher Exchange Program administered by Fulbright Japan. ESD is “a vision of education that seeks to balance human and economic well-being with cultural traditions and respect for the earth’s natural resources,” according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Designed to bring together innovative teachers from Japan and the United States, representing K-12 schools in each country with focused ESD-oriented projects or programs, the bi-nationally fully-funded conference will entail presentations, workshops, and site visits to Portland area ESD-focused schools.

The sharing of “Best Practices” from both countries is designed to raise awareness of ESD-oriented school programs, enhance ESD-related curricula in both countries, and deepen a sense of global interconnectedness between teachers in Japan and the United States in four vital areas of ESD focus: food and sustainable nutrition; environment; energy and resources; and international understanding and cooperation. The conference seeks a maximum of 15 teacher participants competitively selected from a broad cross-section of the American primary and secondary educational community in order to reflect the rich cultural, institutional, and regional diversity of the United States. Fifteen teachers from throughout Japan will also be selected to take part in this innovative event.

Applicants for the “Best Practices in ESD” conference must meet the following qualifications:

1. Be employed full-time as teachers or administrators at primary or secondary levels (grades K-12); please note that auxiliary personnel (nurses, social workers, guidance counselors, speech pathologists) and university professors are not eligible.

2. Be a U.S. citizen, and resident in the United States or its territories.

3. Be involved in ESD activities in a U.S. school and/or be engaged in ESD curriculum development.

Applicants should demonstrate the following attributes:

1. Experience implementing school activities related to Education for Sustainable Development.

2. Experience implementing or participating in activities related to international exchange.

3. Serious academic/professional interest in curriculum development, teaching methodologies and/or projects and activities related to ESD.

4. Serious interest in international exchange, including Japan-U.S. exchange, as a component of ESD activities.

5. Personal adaptability and flexibility, sensitivity to group dynamics, and the ability to be a team player as demonstrated by the applicant’s recommendations from supervisor(s) and other education professionals.

The Japan-U.S. ESD Teacher Exchange Program administered by Fulbright Japan is jointly funded by the Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau of the U.S. Department of State and the Japanese Government’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

For more information on the Japan-U.S. ESD Teacher Exchange Program please contact:

Institute of International Education

Ms. Susan Gundersen

Tel 1-888-527-2636Email ESDteacher@iie.org

To access the online application, please visit our website at www.iie.org/ESDteacher .

Applications for the Conference on “Best Practices in ESD” must be completed online and submitted no later than September 14, 2009.

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Resources For The Generations: A Workshop For K-12 Earth Science Teachers

Sponsored By The University Of Tulsa Geosciences Department
October 10, 2009

For The AAPG Midcontinent Meeting

Hosted By The Tulsa Geological Society and Celebrating Earth Science Week

Description: This workshop will present two topics and a short field trip in the Tulsa area. Topic one is “Geology of Oklahoma & Oklahoma Resources” and topic two is “History of Life”. The Field Trip is “Pennsylvanian Pro-deltaic and Marine Bank Environments.”

Time: Saturday October 10, 2009, 8:30 am to 3:00 pm

Place: University of Tulsa Keplinger Hall – 5^th Place and South Gary Place

Cost: Free for K-12 teachers (sponsored by the University of Tulsa).

Credits: Three hours

Schedule:

8:30-9:00 AM        Registration

9:00-10:15 AM       First session – Geology of Oklahoma & Oklahoma Resources

10:15-10:30 AM     Break

10:30-11:45 AM     Second session – History of Life

11:45-12:45 PM      Lunch

1:00-3:00 PM         Field Trip: “Pennsylvanian Pro-deltaic and Marine Bank Environments.”

Stops are at Labette Formation, E. 163^rd St. & Bird Creek and at Oologah Formation on N. 46^th St.

To register click here. and follow the <Register for the 2009 MSSM> link

Click button next to the event: <K-12 Teacher Workshop  ONLY> and fill in the required information and <Submit>.

Teachers who register only for the Saturday workshop do not have to register for the Midcontinent meeting.

for information contact  Dr. R. W. Scott

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BioBlitz! 2009, September 18-19

BioBlitz! 2009, September 18-19

Robbers Cave State Park and Wildlife Management Area

Online Registration Now Open!

Information for Volunteer Scientists

Schedule of Events

Nestled in the wooded hills of eastern Oklahoma, Robbers Cave was once the hideout for bandits. But this year, biologists of all ages and affinities will be scouring the hillsides, not to flush out criminals, but to find as many different organisms as possible. Join these dedicated scientists in our annual inventory of Oklahoma’s biodiversity.

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