K12Science

The purpose of K12Science is to share ideas about science teaching for grades K-12 and beyond. K12Science is hosted by David Bydlowski, science educator in Michigan

Technology and Scientific Habits of Mind 04/14/2021

Technology and Scientific Habits of Mind I was recently reading the March/April 2021 issue of “The Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the section “Editor’s Corner” written by Ann Haley Mackenzie. Ann wrote an article entitled “Technology and Scientific Habits of Mind.” The focus of her article was on the importance of curiosity, persistence and perseverance. If we are too busy covering the content instead of providing a place for uncovering the science content with the s /episode/index/show/k12science/id/18726671

Culturally Responsive Teaching 04/07/2021

Culturally Responsive Teaching I was recently reading the March/April 2021 issue of “Science and Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Editor’s Note” section, written by Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn. Elizabeth wrote an article entitled, “Culturally Responsive Teaching.” At the heart of Culturally Responsive and Relevant Teaching is a willingness to listen, reflect, and celebrate the richness that cultural and linguistic diversity has to offer. /episode/index/show/k12science/id/18639995

Best STEM Trade Books for Middle School Students 03/30/2021

Best STEM Trade Books for Middle School Students The National Science Teaching Association in collaboration with the Children’s Book Council released the 2021 list of the Best STEM Trade Books for Students. In this podcast we look at the 7 books recommended for students in grades 6 - 8. • All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team • Beastly Bionics: Rad Robots, Brilliant Biomimicry, and Incredible Inventions Inspired by Nature • Changing the Equation: 50+ US Black Women in STEM • Galileo! Galileo! • Machines That /episode/index/show/k12science/id/18529082

Best STEM Trade Books for Third - Fifth Grade Students 03/24/2021

Best STEM Trade Books for Third - Fifth Grade Students The National Science Teaching Association in collaboration with the Children’s Book Council released the 2021 list of the Best STEM Trade Books for Students. In this podcast we look at the 5 books recommended for students in grades 3 - 5. • Ada Lovelace • Machines in Motion: The Amazing History of Transportation • Marie’s Ocean: Marie Tharp Maps the Mountains Under the Sea • Numbers in Motion: Sophie Kowalevski, Queen of Mathematics • “Smelly” Kelly and His Super Senses • Wood, Wire, Win /episode/index/show/k12science/id/18452384

Best STEM Trade Books for Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Students 03/18/2021

Best STEM Trade Books for Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Students The National Science Teaching Association in collaboration with the Children’s Book Council released the 2021 list of the Best STEM Trade Books for Students. In this podcast we look at the 5 books recommended for K-2 Students. • Gnu and Shrew • Jumbo: The Making of the Boeing 747 • Mission to the Bottom of the Sea • Newton and Curie: The Science Squirrels • The Polio Pioneer /episode/index/show/k12science/id/18380795

River Herring: A Citizen Science Project 03/10/2021

River Herring: A Citizen Science Project I was recently reading the March/April 2021 issue of “Science Scope” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the section “Citizen Science” written by Jill Nugent. Jill wrote an article entitled “The Return of the River Herring.” The Mystic River Herring Education Project is an online citizen science project with a user-friendly website full of information and resources. To engage in the citizen science project, student will visit the project home page an /episode/index/show/k12science/id/18267557

Careers in Entomology 03/03/2021

Careers in Entomology I was recently reading the January/February 2021 issue of “The Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the section “Career of the Month” written by Luba Vangelova. Luba wrote an article entitled “Entomologist Ary Faraji.” Entomologists study insects and may work for educational or research institutions, government agencies, private industry, and consulting. Ary Faraji works as an entomologist in a local government agency in Salt Lake Cit /episode/index/show/k12science/id/18176606

Field Trips Last a Lifetime 02/23/2021

Field Trips Last a Lifetime I was recently reading the January/February 2021 issue of “The Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the section “Current Science Classroom” written by Chris Anderson. Chris wrote an article entitled “Field Trips Last a Lifetime.” Nothing can replace the authenticity and impact of an in-person field experience for kids, however, until the public health and school funding battles are won it’s up to us to get creative and bring the wor /episode/index/show/k12science/id/18061508

Instant Wild: A Citizen Science Project 02/20/2021

Instant Wild: A Citizen Science Project I was recently reading the January/February 2021 issue of “The Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the section “Citizen Science” written by Jill Nugent. She wrote an article entitled “A Window to the Wild.” “Instant Wild” is a Citizen Science project that brings you live images from cameras around the world. Students can tag the animals to help conservation research. You can visit the “Instant Wild” website at: https://inst /episode/index/show/k12science/id/18021593

What is Engineering? 02/16/2021

What is Engineering? I was recently reading the January/February 2021 issue of “Science & Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read an article written by Matt Bobrowsky. His article was entitled “Q: Can a Simple Engineering Project Be Used to Teach Some Science?.” Within the article, the author takes a quick look at the difference between science and engineering. Science increases our knowledge about the universe and our surroundings in a systematic way, while engineerin /episode/index/show/k12science/id/17971259

Pinterest 02/09/2021

Pinterest I was recently reading the January/February 2021 issue of “Science & Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read an article written by Ryan S. Nixon, Shannon L. Navy, Sarah Barnett, Marissa Johnson, and Delaney Larson. Their article was entitled “Pinning and Planning: Five Tips for Using Pinterest to Teach Science.” Pinterest is an online resource that teachers seem to enjoy and find useful. Pinterest is a social media website where individuals can boo /episode/index/show/k12science/id/17887436

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Third -- Fifth Grade Students 02/02/2021

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Third -- Fifth Grade Students The National Science Teaching Association in collaboration with the Children’s Book Council released the 2021 list of the Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students. In this podcast we look at the 12 books recommended for Third through Fifth Grade Students. • The Kitchen Pantry Scientist: Chemistry for Kids: Homemade Science Experiments and Activities Inspired by Awesome Chemists Past and Present • Animal Homes • Audubon Birding Adventures for Kids: Activities and Ideas for Watching, Feeding, and /episode/index/show/k12science/id/17791322

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Kindergarten - Second Grade Students 01/27/2021

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Kindergarten - Second Grade Students The National Science Teaching Association in collaboration with the Children’s Book Council released the 2021 list of the Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students. In this podcast we look at the 9 books recommended for K-2 Students. • Nesting • The Polio Pioneer: Dr. Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine • If You Take Away the Otter • Marjory Saves the Everglades: The Story of Marjory Stoneman Douglas • Packs: Strength in Numbers • What Do You Do If You Work at the Zoo? • Dinosaur Lady: The D /episode/index/show/k12science/id/17713154

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Middle School Students 01/26/2021

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Middle School Students The National Science Teaching Association in collaboration with the Children’s Book Council released the 2021 list of the Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students. In this podcast we look at the 12 books recommended for Middle School Students. • Condor Comeback • Exploring the Elements: A Complete Guide to the Periodic Table • Old Enough to Save the Planet • Darwin’s Rival: Alfred Russel Wallace and the Search for Evolution • Return From Extinction: The Triumph of the Elephant Seal • Sea /episode/index/show/k12science/id/17700866

Learning for All 01/19/2021

Learning for All I was recently reading the January/February 2021 issue of “Science Scope” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “From the Editor’s Desk“ column written by Patty McGinnis. Her article was entitled “Learning for All.” The changing demographics of our classrooms require differentiation strategies to ensure all students are working toward the performance expectations outlined in the NGSS. One resource that you may find useful is the Universal Design /episode/index/show/k12science/id/17610866

Meteorologist 01/12/2021

Meteorologist I was recently reading the November/December 2020 issue of “The Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Career of the Month“ column written by Luba Vangelova. Her article was entitled “Meteorologist.” Meteorology is a branch of atmospheric science. It emphasizes the study of atmospheric chemistry and physics, with the aim of forecasting weather. Maureen McCann is the featured meteorologist in this podcast. She is a meteorologist at /episode/index/show/k12science/id/17523206

Interdisciplinary Science 01/07/2021

Interdisciplinary Science K12Science Podcast: Interdisciplinary Science I was recently reading the November/December 2020 issue of “The Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Editor’s Corner“ column written by Ann Haley Mackenzie. Her article was entitled “Why Science Teachers Must Employ Interdisciplinary Science Methods to Save the World.” Interdisciplinary science is when two disciplines come together to broaden the portrait of the concepts being unc /episode/index/show/k12science/id/17464706

The Day-Night Cycle 12/29/2020

The Day-Night Cycle K12Science Podcast: The Day-Night Cycle I was recently reading the November/December 2020 issue of “Science & Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Formative Assessment Probes“ column written by Page Keeley. Her article was entitled “The Day-Night Cycle: Adding Models to Probe Explanations.” As you select formative assessment probes to use with your lessons, consider ways to have students use a model to support their explanation. In th /episode/index/show/k12science/id/17361839

What a Year 12/23/2020

What a Year K12Science Podcast: What a Year I was recently reading the November/December 2020 issue of “Science and Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Editor’s Note” column written by Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn. Her article was entitled “What a Year.” As we move toward the early winter of 2020 we look back at schools following a patchwork of face-to-face, hybrid, and virtual models of instruction. All teachers, at whatever grade-level, have been re /episode/index/show/k12science/id/17302016

Count Birds for Science This Winter with Project FeederWatch 12/17/2020

Count Birds for Science This Winter with Project FeederWatch I was recently reading the November/December 2020 issue of “Science Scope” a publication for middle school teachers from the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Citizen Science” column written by Jill Nugent. Her article was entitled “Count Birds for Science This Winter with Project FeederWatch.” You can feed birds from the comfort of your classroom or your home this winter and contribute to real world scientific discovery with Project FeederWatch! For more informat /episode/index/show/k12science/id/17236016

Traditional Christmas Songs and Science 12/08/2020

Traditional Christmas Songs and Science As the holiday season approaches, I am reminded of some of the songs that I recorded with the group, Science Explosion. All of the songs that we sang were written by group member Fred Ribits. Many of the songs were written to familiar tunes and some of them were written to the tunes of traditional Christmas songs. In this podcast I will share three of the songs. If you enjoy them and want to share them with others, just visit: http://k12science.net/scienceexplosion/songs There you will be able to listen to /episode/index/show/k12science/id/17115755

Conducting Science Labs in a Virtual World, Part 3 12/02/2020

Conducting Science Labs in a Virtual World, Part 3 I was recently reading the November/December 2020 issue of “Science Scope” a publication for middle school teachers from the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read “The Online Teacher“ column written by Denise Wright. Her article was entitled “Conducting Science Labs in a Virtual World.” This is the third in a three-part series on the three strategies for conducting science labs in the virtual world. Part 1 — Virtual Simulations Part 2 — Science at Home Part 3 — Use o /episode/index/show/k12science/id/17035259

Conducting Science Labs in a Virtual World, Part 2 11/27/2020

Conducting Science Labs in a Virtual World, Part 2 I was recently reading the November/December 2020 issue of “Science Scope” a publication for middle school teachers from the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read “The Online Teacher“ column written by Denise Wright. Her article was entitled “Conducting Science Labs in a Virtual World.” This is the second in a three-part series on the three strategies for conducting science labs in the virtual world. Part 1 — Virtual Simulations Part 2 — Science at Home Part 3 — Use /episode/index/show/k12science/id/16975907

Conducting Science Labs in a Virtual World, Part 1 11/19/2020

Conducting Science Labs in a Virtual World, Part 1 I was recently reading the November/December 2020 issue of “Science Scope” a publication for middle school teachers from the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read “The Online Teacher“ column written by Denise Wright. Her article was entitled “Conducting Science Labs in a Virtual World.” This is the first in a three-part series on the three strategies for conducting science labs in the virtual world. Part 1 — Virtual Simulations Part 2 — Science at Home Part 3 — Use /episode/index/show/k12science/id/16878350

Using Literature in the Science Classroom 11/19/2020

Using Literature in the Science Classroom I was recently reading the November/December 2020 issue of “Science Scope” a publication for middle school teachers from the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “From the Editor’s Desk“ column written by Patty McGinnis. Her article was entitled “Using Literature in the Science Classroom.” The Next Generation Science Standards contain numerous connections to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts as verification of the supporting role that liter /episode/index/show/k12science/id/16878260

Formative Assessment Probes 11/19/2020

Formative Assessment Probes I was recently reading the September/October 2020 issue of “Science & Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Formative Assessment Probes“ column written by Page Keeley. Her article was entitled “Using Formative Assessment Probes with Real or Virtual Field Trips.” Using a formative assessment probe prior to a real-time or virtual field trip activates students’ thinking about the concepts and phenomena they will be learning about during /episode/index/show/k12science/id/16878188

The New Normal 11/19/2020

The New Normal I was recently reading the September/October 2020 issue of “Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Current Science Classroom“ column written by Chris Anderson. Her article was entitled “The New Normal.” What can we do, as educators, in the face of the worst pandemic in the last 100 years.? It can seem like an insurmountable problem, but in this podcast we share six things that are within our control that can have a positive impac /episode/index/show/k12science/id/16878050

Online Science Educator 11/19/2020

Online Science Educator I was recently reading the September/October 2020 issue of “Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Career of the Month“ column written by Luba Vangelova. Her article was entitled “Online Science Educator.” Online educators present courses on a broad range of topics, to children or adults. Course lengths and formats vary to — they can be live or asynchronous, interactive or lecture based, or any combination thereof. Julia Brodsk /episode/index/show/k12science/id/16877966

Science and Art 11/19/2020

Science and Art I was recently reading the July/August, 2020 issue of “Science and Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Science 101“ column written by Matt Bobrowsky. His article was entitled “What’s a Fun Activity that Combines Science with Art?” There are many connections between science and art, and one of the easiest to investigate, in school or at home, has to do with color. The investigation works with coffee filter strips labeled with a blac /episode/index/show/k12science/id/16877771

Citizen Scientists 11/19/2020

Citizen Scientists I was recently reading the July/August, 2020 issue of “Science and Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Methods and Strategies “ column written by Meredith Hayes, P. Sean Smith, and W. Robert Midden. Their article was entitled “Students as Citizen Scientists.” Citizen Science involves individuals who are not professional scientists in authentic scietific endeavors, typically in collaboration with or supervised by professional scientis /episode/index/show/k12science/id/16877627

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