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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.
Tag Archives: Grades 3-5
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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Kinesthetic Astronomy 2.0
Dating back to my years as an 8th grade earth & space science teacher, one of my favorite lessons with students has been the kinesthetic astronomy investigation from the Space Science Institute. A wonderful interactive model for students: it puts the learners front … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 2: Developing and using models, astronomy, Grade 5, Grades 3-5
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Modeling a 5E Lesson Sequence through Sound Energy
With a “Next Generation Science Methods” course in full swing, Wendy Pavlicek and I wanted to tackle what a “Next Generation Classroom” feels like and looks like early on by modeling a 5E experience for our PD cohort of K-5 teachers. … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Development
Tagged 5E lesson sequence, Grades 3-5, Grades K-2, Grades K-5, sound
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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
NSTA 2015 “MusselmanScience” Workshops
This year I’ll be participating in two workshops at the 2015 NSTA National Conference in Chicago. On Saturday, from 9:30 to 10:30 join me and many of my fellow NGSS@NSTA curators at the NGSS Share-a-Thon. With over 30 presenters sharing … Continue reading
Posted in NGSS, Professional Development
Tagged earth systems, Grades 3-5, NGSS, NSTA
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Engineering Animal Enclosures
An introduction to classification has long been a staple of the fifth-grade curriculum in Burlington. But with a traditional classification test feeling a bit stale the teachers at Fox Hill looked to the Science Center for a way to spice … 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
Mirrors and Mazes (and Maps!)
The classroom was shrouded in darkness except for beams of light criss-crossing the room. All around students were abuzz with excitement. “Aim the mirror this way! Put the flashlight over here! Do you think it will work backwards?” With students … Continue reading
Musselman / Science 