E l e m e n t a r y E d i t i o n
S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 5
ART AND SCIENCE INTEGRATIONBoth scientists and artists find the world a wondrous place. They carefully observe the world and try to make sense of it from their perspective. Some teachers are reaping the benefits of blending art and science in the classroom. You can help your students develop critical observational skills by integrating art into your lessons. If you inspire their inquisitive natures, you just might lead them to deeper levels of understanding of the world around them. Art and Science Integration in the News Article summaries provided by the NSTA WebNews Digest (visit http://www.nsta.org/mainnews for national news for science educators). News stories selected for this month’s theme discuss how training programs and grants can help students integrate art and science. Visit http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2005-09/news_stories_elementary.htm to learn more. Art and Science on the Web In this month's elementary journal, Science and Children, NSTA members can read "Biome Is Where the Art Is." The link to that article is http://www.nsta.org/gateway&j=sc&n=50915. NSTA knows how busy you are, so the editors of Science and Children have put all of the links from the September issue in one place. To access the links, visit http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2005-09/elemlinks.htm. NSTA Journal Articles on Art and Science Integration Click here to read more: http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2005-09/elementary.htm Books, Books, Books To read about the newest titles available from NSTA Press, visit http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2005-09/newbookselem.htm To receive the latest NSTA catalog for your specific grade level, visit http://ecommerce.nsta.org/catalog_signup Professional Development The U.S. Department of Education recently launched "Teachers Ask the Secretary," a new feature of its website (http://www.ed.gov). According to U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, "This easy-to-use page will help teachers learn answers on a wide range of subjects: teacher quality, professional development, state academic standards, and more. We will share best practices and success stories under the No Child Left Behind Act. And we will listen to your concerns." To ask a question or to view what other teachers are asking, go directly to http://www.ed.gov/teachersask. Global Science Teaching Americans and Chinese Differ in Their World View—Literally "Richard E. Nisbett of the University of Michigan and his colleagues conducted a series of experiments in which Chinese and American students were shown a number of images, each depicting a single subject against a realistic and complex background. The participants—who wore an eye-movement tracker during the tests—were then shown pictures containing the same subjects on either old or new backgrounds and asked to judge whether they had seen the subjects before." This article from the August 23 issue of Scientific American examines the results of these experiments and their bearing on differences in socialization and teaching. To read the rest of the article, visit http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=00087E7F-7EC8-130A-AB283414B7F4945 NSTA Opportunities New York Hall of Science Exhibit This unique exhibit of Quantoons, illustrations of physics concepts from Quantum magazine by noted cartoonist Tomas Bunk of MAD Magazine and Garbage Pail Kids trading cards, will be on display from September 17 to November 30, 2005. For more information, visit http://www.nyhallsci.org/nyhs-pressroom/nyhs-upcomingevents/pr-publicevents.html#gallery. To order the new NSTA Press book Quantoons, visit http://store.nsta.org/showItem.asp?product=PB198X. The Early Years
Call for Papers Science and Children (grades preK–5) has issued a Call for Papers on specific topics. Click here to find out more: http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2005-09/sccall.htm Looking for Evening Skies? Regrettably, Science and Children will no longer include
Evening Skies Monthly Star Map and Sky Calendar in the journal.
However, yearly subscriptions to the map and calendar are available
from the Abrams Planetarium for $11 and can begin at any point in
the year. To subscribe, visit http://www.pa.msu.edu/abrams/SkyCalendar/Index.html.
Subscribers will be mailed hard copies of three star maps and calendars
four times a year to cover the entire calendar year. Or, check out
http://skymaps.com/downloads.html
for free star map downloads from StarMaps.com (permission
is required for multiple copies for classroom or science club use).
Last, Skywatcher's Diary http://www.pa.msu.edu/abrams/diary.html
posts a monthly detailing of sky happenings. Happy Stargazing! Next Month's Theme Nature of Science If your colleagues would like to subscribe to Science Class, please direct them to http://www.nsta.org/newsletters.
THE FINE PRINTThis
e-newsletter is brought to you by the National Science Teachers
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Science
and Children (S&C) and NSTA have established a
blog devoted to early childhood science (see