E l e m e n t a r y E d i t i o n
F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 7
CREATIVE INTEGRATIONTransforming students into critical thinkers involves teaching them about the connections among the subjects they are learning. If they understand that what they are studying has a context and a connection to other subjects, learning should make more sense to them. Science can be integrated with many other subjects in very natural ways: Science and art, science and music, science and math, science and social studies—the list continues. In this issue, you'll read about how teachers are using creative ways to make these important connections with their students. Creative 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 issue provide examples of how science can be integrated with other disciplines. Visit http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2007-02/news_stories_elementary.htm to read more. Creative Integration on the Web In this month's elementary-level journal, Science and Children, NSTA members can read "Cheep, Chirp, Twitter, and Whistle" at http://www.nsta.org/gateway&j=sc&n=53291. For the complete Science and Children February 2007 Illustrated Table of Contents, visit http://www.nsta.org/gateway&j=sc&n=53305. 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 Teaching Strategies: http://www.scilinks.org/retrieve_outside.asp?sl=92635621102210771011 NSTA Journal Articles on Creative Integration These articles from the NSTA journal archives discuss many ways that other subjects can be integrated with science lessons for effective learning. Click here to read more: http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2007-02/elementary.htm Books, Books, Books To read about Creative Integration in NSTA Press® and NSTA Recommends® books, visit http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2007-02/books_elementary.htm. To read about the newest titles available from NSTA Press, visit http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2007-02/newbookselem.htm. To receive the latest NSTA catalog for your specific grade level, visit http://ecommerce.nsta.org/catalog_signup. Professional Development Teaching Science in the 21st Century: Part 6 in a Series from NSTA Reports The sixth installment in NSTA Reports’ series is titled “Virtual Professional Development: The Good, the Bad, and the Future”. Written by Karen J. Charles and Jane E. Griffin, the piece begins, “Improving science programs for students means improving professional development for their teachers. As curriculum materials and instructional programs evolve, educators need to know how to use new textbooks and materials based on inquiry and on cognitive research. They also need to know how to establish collaborative learning environments in which teachers can learn and grow while studying these new materials (Nelson 2006). What does this mean for professional development? What are the new tools and strategies that can meet the demands of a new workforce, one raised on 24/7 access to technology, to information, and to peers? Most of us are familiar with the term “online professional development,” but we would say that our experiences with it have been less than satisfactory. This series offers opinion pieces by many of the leaders in science education today. To read the sixth installment, visit http://www.nsta.org/main/news/stories/nsta_story.php?news_story_ID=53347. To find out more about the book by the same name that inspired the series, visit http://store.nsta.org/showItem.asp?product=PB195X. NSTA Symposia The following NSTA Symposia will take place at the National Conference on Science Education in St. Louis, Missouri, March 29 – April 1, 2007: Impact
of Polar Climate Change on Living Systems, presented by NSF,
NASA, and NOAA Visit http://institute.nsta.org/default.asp
for registration information.
Global Science Teaching Reading Expert: Don't Forget Fluency In an interview with eSchool News, noted reading expert Jon Bower, CEO of Soliloquy Learning, says 100% reading proficiency for all students is the key to global competitiveness—and "the only way to do that is through technology." To read more, visit http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=6813. NSTA Opportunities 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: Next Month's Theme: Energy If your colleagues would like to subscribe to Science Class, please direct them to http://www.nsta.org/newsletters.
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Science
and Children (S&C) and NSTA have a blog devoted
to early childhood science (see