Archive for the 'Quick Takes' Category

Teaching Climate Survey

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 […]

Posted in Topics: Climate, Quick Takes, Science

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Math Competitions: Go, Team!

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

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Citizen Science, Real Data, and Web 2.0 Combine in Snowtweets Project

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

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Let’s Go to a Math Fair!

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

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Pandemics and Their Numbers

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

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Investigating Cell Size

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

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Join the MSP2 Book Club

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

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Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers

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

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Keeping Current With Science Research

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 […]

Posted in Topics: Earth Sciences, Environmental Issues, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Quick Takes, Science, Science News, Science and Technology, Scientific Research, Space Sciences

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Reading in the Content Areas

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

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