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 […]
Archive for the 'Quick Takes' Category
Teaching Climate Survey
Monday, November 16th, 2009 5:32 pm
Written by: Kimberly Lightle
Math Competitions: Go, Team!
Monday, November 16th, 2009 5:26 pm
Written by: Terese Herrera
If you want to encourage your middle school students to” be the best they can be,” here are two competitions for you to consider. Both are national and aimed at promoting high achievement through regular math meetings. At least one person on staff will have to head the program, teach the high standard mathematics required […]
Posted in Topics: Competitions, Education Issues, Math, Quick Takes
Citizen Science, Real Data, and Web 2.0 Combine in Snowtweets Project
Thursday, November 12th, 2009 12:13 pm
Written by: Jessica Fries-Gaither
Real data and citizen science projects are wonderful ways to engage students, but they often are best conducted during the fall and spring. What’s a teacher to do in the colder months of winter?
The new Snowtweets Project from the University of Waterloo has one answer. The Snowtweets Project provides a way for people interested in […]
Posted in Topics: Data, Data Analysis, Integrating Technology, Quick Takes, Real Data, Science
Let’s Go to a Math Fair!
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 4:08 pm
Written by: Terese Herrera
How could we organize a math fair? And what kinds of projects would our students present? I’m not thinking here of projects that would be judged, as in a science fair, but rather investigations and activities that would engage middle school students and be presented for the whole school as well as parents. One idea comes from […]
Posted in Topics: Algebra, Geometry, Integrating Math and Science, Math, Patterns, Quick Takes, Real Data, Statistics, Triangles
Pandemics and Their Numbers
Friday, October 9th, 2009 7:02 am
Written by: Terese Herrera
Everywhere our students are hearing about the HINI influenza. Their interest offers an opportunity to co-teach with a science teacher in an investigation of what we know and don’t know about this pandemic. The New York Times has created an interdisciplinary lesson Pandemic Panic: Researching the 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic that asks students to […]
Posted in Topics: Graphs, Health, Math, Quick Takes, Real Data, Representation, Science, Statistics
Investigating Cell Size
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 7:07 pm
Written by: Jessica Fries-Gaither
How big are cells? Ask most middle school students that question, and they’ll tell you that cells are very small - even microscopic! But what if you asked them to compare the size of cells in a whale and a shrew?
That’s the engaging scenario laid out in “Whale and Shrew,” a formative assessment probe from […]
Posted in Topics: Cells, Life Sciences, Quick Takes, Ratio, Science, Science as Inquiry
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






Posted in Topics: Climate, Quick Takes, Science
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