M i d d l e L e v e l E d i t i o n
S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 5
MEASUREMENTHow do your students' measurement skills measure up by today's standards? While many science teachers in the United States use the metric system in their classrooms, many students still haven't realized that the metric system has uses outside the science classroom. This issue is filled with interesting ideas from other teachers for helping your students master metric measurement. Measurement in the News Article summaries provided by the NSTA WebNews Digest (visit http://www.nsta.org/mainnews for national news for science educators). Scientists Say It’s Time to Redefine the Kilogram (MSNBC.com) Scientists argue that the kilogram is an archaic artifact that should be redefined. Click here to read more: Measurement on the Net In this month's middle level journal, Science Scope, NSTA members can read the entire Sampler section by clicking on the following links: Inquiry Into Measuring: http://www.nsta.org/gateway&j=ss&n=50862 Project Weigh-In: Learning About Mass and Weight http://www.nsta.org/gateway&j=ss&n=50864 Mastering Metrics http://www.nsta.org/gateway&j=ss&n=50867 Forensic Metrics http://www.nsta.org/gateway&j=ss&n=50868 Pick-A-Number http://www.nsta.org/gateway&j=ss&n=50870 Metacognition in Science http://www.nsta.org/gateway&j=ss&n=50871 SciLinks® is a web-based service from NSTA that provides online content chosen to augment printed articles and books. It does so through keywords; the keywords for this issue are Units of Measurement: http://www.scilinks.org/retrieve_outside.asp?sl=92635655109910551011 NSTA Journal Articles on Measurement Click here to learn more: http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2005-09/middle.htm Books, Books, Books To read about the newest titles available from NSTA Press, visit http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2005-09/newbooksmiddle.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 Call for Papers Science Scope (grades 6–9) has issued a Call for Papers on selected topics. Click here to read more: http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2005-09/sscall.htm Next Month's Theme Earth Science If your colleagues would like to subscribe to Science Class, please direct them to http://www.nsta.org/newsletters. THE FINE PRINTThis
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