Take an online survey about your needs around teaching about climate and earn a $5 gift certificate for your time!
This survey will help the CIRES Education and Outreach Group at the University of Colorado at Boulder design a set of NASA-funded professional development experiences for teachers about climate and climate change. GLOBE and the National […]
Author Archive
Teaching Climate Survey
Monday, November 16th, 2009 5:32 pm
Written by: Kimberly Lightle
Join the MSP2 Book Club
Friday, September 11th, 2009 10:00 am
Written by: Kimberly Lightle
The Middle School Portal 2: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2) project is starting an online book club. Our first selection is The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. In it, Michael Pollan writes about how our food is grown - what it is, in fact, that we are eating. Pollan looks at industrial […]
Posted in Topics: Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecosystems, Environmental Issues, Ethics, Fossil Fuels, Gardening, Math, Nutrition, Personal and Social Issues, Plants, Quick Takes, Real Data, Science
Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers
Friday, August 21st, 2009 8:16 am
Written by: Kimberly Lightle
Do you have an innovative idea to enhance your school or district’s science education program? Consider applying for a Toyota TAPESTRY grant!
The Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program, sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., and administered by NSTA, is now accepting entries for the 2009–2010 competition. Now in its 20th year, the […]
Posted in Topics: Grants, Quick Takes, Science
Keeping Current With Science Research
Monday, August 17th, 2009 5:11 pm
Written by: Kimberly Lightle
Keeping up with the latest research in science is getting easier - wonderful science blogs and news services can inform and engage both you and your students. Depending on the blog or service, you can have the content delivered to your inbox or show up on your browser homepage. Look for the RSS symbol on […]
Reading in the Content Areas
Friday, August 7th, 2009 3:06 pm
Written by: Kimberly Lightle
Do your middle school students not complete reading assignments or not comprehend them when they do? Is student motivation an issue you struggle with? Do you feel that your students need assistance comprehending the textbook?
We’ve got two new Explore in Depth resource guides that will help - Reading and Writing Mathematics and Reading Comprehension Strategies […]
Posted in Topics: Education Issues, Math, Quick Takes, Reading, Science
Free Professional Development: Tech Tools
Monday, July 27th, 2009 1:12 pm
Written by: Kimberly Lightle
The Middle School Portal 2: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2) project will be hosting a series of free webinars over the next few months. The first four are all about integrating technology - Interactive Notebooks (7/25), Moodle for Middle School (8/5), Digital Storytelling (8/12), and Wikis for the Classroom (8/19) - Wednesdays at 2-2:45pm EST. […]
Posted in Topics: Integrating Technology, Math, Professional Development, Quick Takes, Science
Dynamic Math and Science Learning With Simulations
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 4:15 pm
Written by: Kimberly Lightle
Bob Panoff, executive director of Shodor and CSERD: Computational Science Education Reference Desk is passionate about using computational science teaching methods to stimulate student engagement in learning math and science from grades K to gray!
In a recent article for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) entitled “Simulations Deepen Scientific Learning,” he explains the […]
Posted in Topics: Algebra, Factors, Fractals, Geometry, Health, Integrating Technology, Life Sciences, Math, Modeling, Patterns, Probability, Problem Solving, Quick Takes, Science
Forensic Science: A Hit in Middle School, Maggots and All
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 1:32 pm
Written by: Kimberly Lightle
The latest online publication from the Middle School Portal is now available - Forensic Science: Middle School. We’ve searched the web for the best resources associated with this topic but I’m sure we haven’t found all the great ones. We’d like your help - do you know of other resources we should include? If you […]
Posted in Topics: Genetics, Insects, Life Sciences, Quick Takes, Real Data, Science, Scientific Method
Podcast Tools for Students and Teachers
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 12:55 pm
Written by: Kimberly Lightle
This article was written by Stephanie Chasteen and originally published in the May 2009 Integrating Technology column of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, an online magazine for elementary teachers. All versions of this article are licensed under a Creative Commons License. Stephanie is a science teaching fellow at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She […]
Posted in Topics: Integrating Technology, Math, Quick Takes, Science
What’s the Difference Between Viruses and Bacteria?
Monday, May 18th, 2009 3:43 pm
Written by: Kimberly Lightle
Many people think that germs are what make us sick but scientifically speaking, germs are microbes that can be both harmful or helpful and come in four varieties - bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. We’ll leave the discussion of fungi and protozoa for another post and focus on bacteria and viruses in this one. Microbeworld […]
Posted in Topics: Health, Life Sciences, Microorganisms, Quick Takes, Science






Posted in Topics: Climate, Quick Takes, Science
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