Safety and School Science Experiments
A serious lab safety incident at a high school in Manhattan last week has had members talking on NSTA’s social networks. Their many questions about safety spurred us to reach out to our safety consultant, Dr. Ken Roy. In response, his recent blog post provides insights and suggestions about making school science labs safer. Read his blog post: Lab Incident at a Manhattan High School: Another Hard Safety Lesson to Learn.
NSTA Hosts January 14 Web Seminar on NRC Report: Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards
The National Research Council (NRC) recently released a report on assessment for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This report recommends strategies for developing new assessments to accurately measure students’ proficiency with the new standards. In a web seminar on Jan. 14 at 6:30 pm ET, two members of the committee that developed the report (Joan Herman and Nancy Butler Songer) will review the findings and share advice on how K–12 science educators can make use of the report’s recommendations in their own work. Register here. Read the NRC report.
Winter Reading for Young Minds
What better way could there be to encourage our youngest students to learn science than by reading a great book? NSTA Kids books ask intriguing questions, enthrall children with amazing answers, and impart sound science. Whether you’re a teacher or a parent, you’ll find that the bright graphics catch kids’ eyes while the vivid narratives hold their attention.
Take a look at the recent releases in our two series of kids’ books. Also, you’ll find more books available for purchase in each series on our website.
Web Seminars Feature STEM Lessons and Tips for the Classroom
If you haven’t logged on to an NSTA web seminar, January is the time to check one out! Each 90-minute session is full of practical ideas and useful resources for science educators. You can ask questions of the presenters and discuss classroom application with other teachers from around the country. Log on to one of these web seminars coming up soon:
- January 7: How to Avoid Disqualification in ExploraVision
- January 8: Engineering Design: Forces and Motion – Balloon Aerodynamics Challenge
- January 9: Heat Transfer: MESSENGER—My Angle on Cooling
- January 13: Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber
- January 16: Meteorology: How Clouds Form
Visit the NSTA Learning Center to register and access more than 500 web seminar archives.
How to Avoid Disqualification in the ExploraVision STEM Competition
You and your students have come a long way on your Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision project—make sure you finish strong. Join us for our web seminar, How to Avoid Disqualification in ExploraVision, on Tuesday, January 7 from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM ET. (New users: Log in at 6:15 PM ET for an introduction to NSTA web seminars.) You’ll get an insider’s view from ExploraVision Ambassadors who have competed in the past and learn the most common causes of disqualification. Find out how you can prevent ineligibility and lead your team to victory. Remember: The teacher who submits the most projects in each grade category will win a Toshiba tablet, and the school that submits the largest number of eligible projects will win $1,000 worth of Toshiba technology. If you haven’t registered your team it’s not too late—register today!
Online Courses from the American Museum of Natural History
Are you interested in learning about evolution? Do you want to know more about climate change or genetics? Are you looking for graduate or professional development credit? If so, check out the Seminars on Science program from the American Museum of Natural History! Online courses run from January 27 to March 9 and include: Earth: Inside and Out; Climate Change; Evolution; Genetic, Genomics, Genethics; Space, Time, and Motion; The Ocean System; and The Solar System. Each course is available for graduate credit and is co-taught by an experienced educator and a scientist. For more information, or to register, visit http://www.amnh.org/learn/ or contact AMNH directly. Registration deadline: January 13th Registration: http://www.amnh.org/learn/Register Phone: 800-649-6715 E-mail: seminfo@amnh.org