Recently, a reader asked for ideas on teaching about solar-powered lights. She wrote:

I would like to find an activity that utilizes the solar panels from garden solar lights. I know that I could probably find many broken solar lights and was wondering if anyone has any ideas? Electricity and solar panels are not my […]

Communication is a science process skill found within the Science as Inquiry section of the National Science Education Standards. The resources here point to methods and references science teachers can use to assist students in continual honing of this important skill.
Writing with Scientists
In this workshop students will use their own notes and research to write […]

The National Science Teachers Association’s Position Statement on Scientific Inquiry says:
Scientific inquiry reflects how scientists come to understand the natural world, and it is at the heart of how students learn. From a very early age, children interact with their environment, ask questions, and seek ways to answer those questions. Understanding science content is significantly […]

A well-designed WebQuest allows students to increase their computer technology skills, do research, discover what they didn’t know, and construct new understandings of mathematics and science concepts. WebQuests can be done solo, with a partner, or in small groups. Small groups can jigsaw and gather an even wider breadth and depth of information for teaching […]

Here are some great resources to help you add variety to your assessment techniques. Assessment Standard C of the National Science Education Standards implies a need for multiple forms of assessment and recommends the following: (a)The feature that is claimed to be measured is actually measured, (b) Assessment tasks are authentic, (c) An individual student’s […]

The National Middle School Association is holding its Middle Level Essentials Conference this week, April 3-5, 2008 in Minneapolis. The Middle School Portal will be presenting Friday, April 4, from 10:30-11:45 AM in ballroom C. The title of the presentation is Science Standards, Curricula, and Assessment: What, When, and How. The goals are to discuss […]

In June 2007, the National Science Teachers Association adopted its official position statement on professionalism. Teachers, like all other working adults, are expected to conduct their work professionally and ethically. But when exactly would they have learned proper ethics? Ethics is sometimes perceived as a sensitive issue and is not explicitly taught in the K-12 […]

Chances are your middle school students are already talking about what they want to be when they grow up. Without firsthand knowledge of careers, they may not be aware of the role science plays in highly desirable and interesting fields. The resources described below will give middle schoolers a preview of diverse careers that require […]

Most kids are familiar with the migration patterns of monarch butterflies and Canada geese, but do they know that many more animals are seasonal movers too? The National Science Education Standards point out that middle school students are capable of broadening their understanding of how many different species interact, compete, and coexist in the same […]

Teaching science can feel like a never-ending-catch-up game. The pace of science-related findings makes it impossible for a person to stay fully informed. Don’t despair, help is here! We’ve listed five web sites whose purpose is to bring recent science findings to the public’s attention. One click and you’re sure to find attention-grabbing, amazing news […]