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My eBook “Think Like a Scientist: Understanding Weather & Climate” is now available through NSTA Press. Learn more about this and other NSTA ebooks for the K-5 classroom here.
Category Archives: Classroom Activities
Empowering Student Empathy and Risk Taking through “The [Climate] Talk”
Climate change is hard and I don’t just mean teaching the science behind the overwhelming data supporting its existence, or even executing solutions designed to reduce or limit its effect on our global systems. I mean talking about it, like … Continue reading
Posted in 6-8, Classroom Activities, Professional Development
Tagged #innovateinsidethebox, climate, earth science
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Coded Communications Thanks to Teacher Collaboration
Time is tight in the elementary schools to meet all the expectations of our state’s science standards. So when opportunities knocks for collaboration with teachers who have face time with students outside of their allotted science time – I answer! … Continue reading
EcoTarium Exhibit Engineering Challenge!
Before heading out for summer break, my partner Wendy Pavlicek and I put together a pair of videos designed to drive an engineering challenge for our Grade 2 students who will be investigating habitats next year. The challenge is designed … Continue reading
Posted in Classroom Activities, K-2
Tagged ecosystems, engineering, field trips, life science
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Beyond Toothpicks and Marshmallows: Engineering Earthquake Resistant Structures
I’ve been searching high and low for an earthquake engineering design challenge that gave students more control in planning and evaluating their earthquake-resistant constructions than the common “toothpicks and marshmallows” challenge often seen in primary and middle grades. So … Continue reading
Posted in 3-5, Classroom Activities, Digital Tools, NGSS
Tagged earth science, earthquakes, engineering, waves and communication
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Developing an Understanding of Light Energy through PhET Models
“Light moves in the form of waves” and is “reflected, refracted, and absorbed” are all traditional statements of light energy that become staples of assessment for student understanding. But whether students can apply this understanding is a big question. The NGSS … Continue reading
Posted in 3-5, Classroom Activities, Digital Tools, Professional Reflections
Tagged Grades 3-5, light, NGSS, PhET simulation, physical science, technology
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Balancing Bird: The Perfect Stocking Stuffer Science Phenomena!
This year’s holiday giveaway from the Science Center not only makes for a fun stocking stuffer, but is a gateway toward exploring the science phenomena of forces and balance with your kids or students. The “Balancing Bird” is very affordable, a … Continue reading
Snow Day Science
Over the past month I had the pleasure of collaborating with Sarah Pottieger, the “Busy Minds” column writer for Scholastic’s Parent and Child Magazine. Today I received a copy of their December/January issue in the mail including the fruits of our … Continue reading
Engaging Students in SummerSTEM: Programming and Robotics
Today marks the end of a wildly successful pilot of the Burlington Programming/Robotics SummerSTEM camp, spawned after the well received “hour of code” earlier this year by me and Francis Wyman’s IT Specialist, Ben Schersten. With the focus on learning … Continue reading
Explore Light and Color with these iPad Apps
iPads are quickly making their way into the hands of our Burlington students at the elementary grades. There are some great educators across the district putting these devices to work in ways that allow students to capture their understanding and … Continue reading
Posted in 3-5, Classroom Activities
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Musselman / Science 