M i d d l e L e v e l E d i t i o n
F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 6
WEATHERAlthough students may be unclear about the relevance of some science subjects, weather is not one of them. Weather is big news. When Jim Cantore of The Weather Channel's Storm Stories spoke at an NSTA conference, he recalled that he was always fascinated by weather, but he never dreamed what the future held for him. "When I was a kid, I couldn't imagine that one day there would be a TV channel devoted to the weather 24 hours a day and that people would watch it!" Today's students have certainly seen the effects of severe weather. The devastating effects of the recent hurricanes have been broadcast in living color for all to observe. Students tend to be interested in learning about the weather—both everyday and severe—and the news stories, journal articles, and new books featured in this issue can help you bring the weather right into your classroom. Weather in the News Article summaries provided by the NSTA WebNews Digest (visit http://www.nsta.org/mainnews for national news for science educators). The three articles selected for this month's issue discuss technologies to track hurricanes, the ways global warming can affect weather, and the weather as a news staple. Visit http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2006-02/news_stories_middle.htm to learn more. Weather on the Web In this month's middle level journal, Science Scope, NSTA members can read "What Happens to Animals During Hurricanes?" The link to that article is http://www.nsta.org/gateway&j=ss&n=51521. For the complete February Science Scope Table of Contents, visit http://www.nsta.org/gateway&j=ss&n=51573. 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 keyword for this issue is Weather: http://www.scilinks.org/retrieve_outside.asp?sl=9263565510221066 NSTA Journal Articles on Weather The archives of Science Scope provide additional articles that deal with weather. Click here to learn more: http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2006-02/middle.htm Books, Books, Books To read about weather in NSTA Press® and NSTA Recommends books, visit http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2006-02/books_middle.htm. To read about the newest titles available from NSTA Press, visit http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2006-02/newbooksmiddle.htm. To receive the latest NSTA catalog for your specific grade level, visit http://ecommerce.nsta.org/catalog_signup. Professional Development Quality Counts at 10, Education Week's newly published report, provides detailed individualized state-by-state reports, assembling key findings in an accessible format that allows readers to examine a particular state’s performance on this year’s indicators and its progress over time. The report is free until February 4; it will then be available for purchase. To read more about the report, visit http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2006/01/05/index.html. Global Science Teaching A recent BBC News article shows how other nations are dealing with teacher shortages, and it reveals that many career changers are choosing to enter the teaching profession. To read more, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4643928.stm. NSTA Opportunities NSTA
Web Seminars The February Web Seminars are scheduled on these dates: February 8: Olaf Jorgenson, co-author
of Doing Good Science in Middle School, looks at inquiry
in the classroom. NSTA
Symposia Schedule
Call for Papers Science Scope (grades 6–9) has issued a Call for Papers on selected topics. Click here to read more: Next Month's Theme Genetics 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
Association
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