The National Science Education Standards is more than a document for reference when state or local content standards are written or revised. The book, available online and in print, contains a wealth of supporting information for you and other educators in addition to the K-12 standards for science education content.
Professional Development Standards
If you are […]

With the increasing emphasis on hands-on instruction, it becomes more important than ever before for science teachers to be knowledgeable about laboratory safety issues. The National Science Education Standards say that students should have frequent opportunities to use a wide range of equipment, materials, supplies, and other resources for experimentation and direct investigation of phenomena. […]

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 […]

Days and weeks designated to recognize advances or current issues in science are often accompanied by web sites that can be useful to teachers and students year-round.
Sun-Earth Day - on or near the Spring Equinox
NASA maintains this site with lesson plans, space weather centers, stunning images, an online book about observers of the skies from […]

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 […]

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 […]

As students investigate such national and global issues as climate change, water shortages, deforestation, endangered species, or shifting tectonic plates, online thematic maps can connect the issues to locations. Often these maps provide supporting data. Here are some sources of thematic maps that can be useful in the science classroom.
The Map Guide
Here is a […]