-
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: Curriculum
Designing Family Investigations for Remote Science Learning
It has been eight weeks since our Burlington Schools were closed due to the spread of coronavirus through our community. What was once a temporary inconvenience as turned into a remote learning trial by fire for school district’s across the … Continue reading
Better Integrating “Keys to Literacy” Scaffolds and Strategies Across the Science Curriculum
Over the past several years our Burlington elementary educators have been inundated with changes. Besides the upending of our K-5 science and engineering curriculum classroom educators were introduced to “Keys to Literacy” a K-12 ranging program designed to boost student … Continue reading
Posted in 3-5, Curriculum, K-2, Professional Development
Tagged Keys to Literacy, writing
Leave a comment
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
Community Building through Curriculum Mapping
“It takes a village” can be used in several contexts, particularly when it comes to education. While overhauling the Burlington elementary science curriculum the saying has only been reinforced as Wendy Pavlicek and I have leaned on classroom teachers, curriculum … Continue reading
Posted in 6-8, Curriculum, Professional Development, Professional Reflections
Tagged curriculum development
Leave a comment
Incremental Improvement through Student Discourse
Over the summer I took in a rebroadcast of the Freakonomics podcast episode titled, “In Praise of Incrementalism”. The featured authors, economists, and guests of the show touted the power of incremental changes in a world where our attention is … Continue reading
Using PhET Simulations to Explore the Cause and Effect Relationship between Forces and Motion
One of my goals this year is to develop a third grade forces and motion curriculum with a team of Burlington elementary teachers. While this work is only in its infancy I am optimistic then at least one of the … Continue reading
Implementing Elementary Science Standards: The Burlington Approach
With the next generation of Science, Technology, and Engineering standards for Massachusetts adopted this past week by the MA Board of Education, a great deal of buzz was in the Grandview ballroom in Burlington, the site of Cambridge College’s … Continue reading
Posted in Curriculum, NGSS, Professional Reflections
Tagged curriculum development, NGSS
Leave a comment
Mapping Burlington’s Next Generation of Science Curriculum
Even the untrained eye can look across the NGSS elementary science standards, (and the adapted version Massachusetts) to see that there are several connections between what have traditionally been taught as separate disciplines of Earth, Life, and Physical Science. To … Continue reading
Considering Changes to Your K-5 Science Curriculum?
I recently received an email from a colleague in Randolph wondering about how the Burlington Public Schools and the Burlington Science Center intend to implement new NGSS-adapted state standards across grades K-12. After our initial meetings with the superintendent and all … Continue reading
Great Lesson Design: The Next Generation
What makes a great lesson? How do we develop the best possible lessons for our classrooms?These two essential questions were at the crux of interaction between me and elementary educators at Saint Joseph’s University taking a science methods with their … Continue reading
Posted in Curriculum, NGSS, Professional Reflections
Leave a comment
Musselman / Science 