Join Jessica Fries-Gaither and Kim Lightle for a free webinar Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at 3:30pm EST as we discuss global warming and the polar regions. We’re going to highlight resources from the Middle School Portal 2: Math & Science Pathways project, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears online magazine, and the National Science Digital Library […]

This blog post was written by middle school technology, math, and science teacher Tom Jenkins who is also a Teacher Leader for the Middle School Portal 2: Math & Science Pathways social network.
If you were to have walked into my classroom today, you would have seen preteens creating cartoons or even their own videogames. How […]

This article was written by David Hayward and originally published in the April 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.
A social bookmarking web site could change the way you do your job! Bookmarking services […]

We’ve got four free professional development webinars coming up in the month of April. The first two are specifically for middle school math and science teachers. The second two are for elementary teachers but plenty of the content would be appropriate for older students. Librarians and media specialists, science specialists, informal educators, and others will […]

As they have every year since 1973, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children’s Book Council released their list of Outstanding Science Trade Books this month. Reviewers from the two organizations aim to select “high quality, engaging, and scientifically accurate books” from publishers of books for children and young people.
According to NSTA, this […]

This article was originally published in the January 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.
The Middle School Portal Math & Science Pathways project has has its own online social network - check it out!
When […]

This article was written by middle school science teacher Todd Williamson and originally published in the December 2008 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.
Over the past several years, many schools have purchased interactive whiteboards […]

Many students come to school with a fascination for the polar regions. One reason for this might be related to their associating the North Pole with Santa Claus. Another might be the images they have encountered in the media, especially in movies such as March of the Penguins and 8 Below. Thus, student interest may […]

This article first appeared in Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears online magazine April 1, 2008. The article has been modified to include middle school math and science examples. All versions of this article are licensed under a Creative Commons License.
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Collaborative and real-time data projects engage students in collecting and sharing local data; communicating […]

Agriculture is crucial to all societies, yet most middle school students have few opportunities to learn about it, beyond its origin in the Fertile Crescent. Most U.S. students attend urban or suburban schools, isolated from agriculture. Many students have no idea what a potato, tomato, bean or pea plant looks like, let alone what is […]