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

Phenomena in the Classroom 07/24/2024

Phenomena in the Classroom I was recently reading the July-August 2024 issue of Science Scope, a journal published by the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read an article entitled “Phenomena in the Classroom,” written by Patty McGinnis. An engaging phenomena is determined more by how the students generate compelling lines of inquiry that create real opportunities for learning. Paul Anderson’s “Wonder of Science” website has an extensive list of phenomena organized by grade level and standard. It is available at: /episode/index/show/k12science/id/32275892

Why Teach Science? 07/14/2024

Why Teach Science? I was recently reading the book, “Transformative Science Teaching: A Catalyst for Justice and Sustainability,” written by Daniel Morales-Doyle. In this book, Daniel looks at two questions: "Why teach science?" "How does my teaching reflect the world in which my students live and project the world they would like to see?" /episode/index/show/k12science/id/32132037

Goal of Science Education 07/11/2024

Goal of Science Education I was recently reading the book, “Transformative Science Teaching: A Catalyst for Justice and Sustainability,” written by Daniel Morales-Doyle. In this book, Daniel challenges the goal of science education. /episode/index/show/k12science/id/32098132

AI: Friend of Foe? 07/04/2024

AI: Friend of Foe? I was recently reading the March/April 2024 issue of “The Science Teacher,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read “Editor’s Corner” written by Ann Haley Mackenzie. She wrote an article entitled, “Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe?” Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here, in a big way. Do you see it as a friend or foe in your science classroom? The possibilities for AI are endless. Do you feel comfortable with AI developing further? Are you skeptical of AI? Do you see the many possibilities of AI for your science teaching? Should we fear AI? These are all questions being considered by users and developers. /episode/index/show/k12science/id/32015617

Field Trips to Zoos and Aquariums 06/25/2024

Field Trips to Zoos and Aquariums I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “Connected Science Learning” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read an article written by Benjamin Krause Recchia and T.J. McKenna. The article was entitled, “Field Trips to Zoos and Aquariums: Solving Pedagogical Challenges Using the Next Generation Science Standards.” Though zoos and aquariums have become increasingly focused on conservation education, their unique and diverse learning opportunities have been underused. Active learning pedagogy aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards can facilitate expansion of education at zoos and aquariums beyond their conservation education niche. /episode/index/show/k12science/id/31882572

National Parks 06/21/2024

National Parks I was recently reading the May/June 2024 issue of “The Science Teacher” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Right to the Source” section written by Danna Bell. This section included an article entitled, “See America and Its National Parks.” Today over 300 million people annually visit the 429 individual designated properties that are managed by the National Park Service, covering 85 million acres in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories. /episode/index/show/k12science/id/31831737

The Importance of Math in Science 06/11/2024

The Importance of Math in Science I was recently reading the May/June 2024 issue of “Science & Children” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Science 101” section written by Matt Bobrowsky. He wrote an article entitled, “What Activity Can I Use to Illustrate the Importance of Math in Science?” Matt summarized 7 ways in which math is not only useful but essential in science: 1. Being Clear and Precise 2. Measuring 3. Modeling and Simulation 4. Problem-Solving 5. Discovery of Patterns and Relationships 6. Verification of Results 7. Predictive Power /episode/index/show/k12science/id/31704127

Caterpillars Count 06/05/2024

Caterpillars Count I was recently reading the May/June 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Citizen Science” section written by Jill Nugent. She wrote an article entitled, “Caterpillars Count.” Caterpillars Count is a citizen science project to monitor the seasonality and abundance of arthropods (including caterpillars) on foliage. To learn more about this citizen science project visit their website at: https://caterpillarscount.unc.edu /episode/index/show/k12science/id/31616812

Voices for Change 05/16/2024

Voices for Change I was recently reading the May/June 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Editorial” section written by Patty McGinnis. She wrote an article entitled, “Raising a Voice for Change.” Our students can act as change agents. Involving students in community outreach in which they educate, encourage, and assist families in organizing carpools, planning for weekly meatless meals, and limiting food waste are all actionable things that help the planet. /episode/index/show/k12science/id/31340822

Climate Justice 05/01/2024

Climate Justice I was recently reading the March/April 2024 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. She wrote an article entitled, “Climate Justice.” Education is a critical agent in addressing the issue of climate change. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change assigns responsibility to Parties of the Convention to undertake educational and public awareness campaigns on climate-change, and to ensure public participation in programs and information access on the issue. /episode/index/show/k12science/id/31068913

Performance-Based Assessment 04/23/2024

Performance-Based Assessment I was recently reading the March/April 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Interdisciplinary Ideas” section written by Katie Coppens. She wrote an article entitled, “Designing Performance-Based Assessments That Engage!” Rather than stressful, an assessment should feel like a celebration of learning for students. Performance-based assessments allow students to demonstrate their understanding of one or more standards by accomplishing tasks that are engaging and flexible in how students approach them. In addition to seeing students’ scientific knowledge, teachers get a better sense of their students’ interests and strengths that they bring to each open-ended assignment. The author then shared an example of a performance-based assignment based on the Flint Water Crisis. /episode/index/show/k12science/id/30956868

3D Assessment 04/12/2024

3D Assessment I was recently reading the March/April 2024 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. She wrote an article entitled, “3D Assessment.” In the article she shared ideas about writing assessments aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. The National Research Council recommends that teachers utilize a combination of constructed response, selected response, and projects to assess three-dimensional learning. She recommended two resources that provide tips for writing assessments. They are: “STEM Teaching Tool #30: Integrating Science Practices in Assessment Tasks” and “The NGSS Evidence Statements” /episode/index/show/k12science/id/30798808

Making Thinking Visible 04/04/2024

Making Thinking Visible I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “The Science Teacher,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the “Editor’s Corner” written by Ann Haley MacKenzie. She wrote an article entitled, “How Can We Make Our Students’ Thinking Visible?” In the article she shared three strategies for making thinking visible. The strategies were taken from the books, “Making Thinking Visible” and “The Power of Making Thinking Visible.” The strategies are: “See-Think-Wonder” “Connect-Extend-Challenge” “CSI: Color, Symbol, Image” /episode/index/show/k12science/id/30680693

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Early Elementary School Students - Part 2 04/02/2024

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Early Elementary School Students - Part 2 I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “Science and Children,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association, for elementary school science teachers. In this issue, I read the section on the “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students.” The selections are a collaboration of the National Science Teaching Association and the Children’s Book Council. In part 2 of this two-part podcast series, I share eight books that were selected for early elementary students. The books are: “Whale Fall” by Melissa Stewart “Find Out About Animal Camouflage” by Martin Jenkins “The Bone Wars: The True Story of an Epic Battle to Find Dinosaur Fossils” by Jane Kurtz “The Clues are in the Poo: The Story of Dinosaur Scientist Karen Chin” by Jane Kurtz and Karen Chin “Masked Hero: Who Wu Lien-teh Invented the Mask that Ended an Epidemic” by Dr. Shan Woo Liu “Tell Me About Space” by Lisa Varchol Perron “If the Rivers Run Free” by Andrea Debink “Zero Waste: How One Community is Leading a World Recycling Revolution” by Allan Drummond /episode/index/show/k12science/id/30646963

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Early Elementary School Students - Part 1 03/28/2024

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Early Elementary School Students - Part 1 I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “Science and Children,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association, for elementary school science teachers. In this issue, I read the section on the “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students.” The selections are a collaboration of the National Science Teaching Association and the Children’s Book Council. In part 1 of this two-part podcast series, I share nine books that were selected for early elementary students. The books are: “We are Branches” by Joyce Sidman “How Birds Sleep” by David Obuchowski “Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider” by Jessica Lanan “The Pie That Molly Grew” by Sue Heavenrich “Santiago Saw Things Differently: Santiago Ramon y Cajal, Artist, Doctor, Father of Neuroscience” by Christine Iverson “We are Starlings” by Robert Furrow and Donna Jo Napoli “At Home with the Prairie Dog: The Story of a Keystone Specie” bu Dorothy Hinshaw Patent “Creep, Leap, Crunch: A Food Chain Story” by Jody Jensen Shaffer “Queen of Leaves: The Story of Botanist Ynes Mexia” by Stephen Briseno /episode/index/show/k12science/id/30581238

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Middle School Students - Part 2 03/26/2024

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Middle School Students - Part 2 I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association, for middle school science teachers. In this issue, I read the section on the “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students.” The selections are a collaboration of the National Science Teaching Association and the Children’s Book Council. In part 2 of this podcast series, I share seven more books that were selected for middle-school students. The books are: “A Star Explodes: The Story of Supernova 1054” by James Gladstone “Old Enough to Make a Difference: Be Inspired by Real-Life Children Building a More Sustainable Future” by Rebecca Hul “Becoming Bionic” by Heather Camlot “Extra Life (Young Readers Adaptation) by Steven Johnson “Hidden Systems” by Dan Nott “Sisters in Science” by Linda Elovitz Marshall “The Woman in the Moon” by Richard Maurer /episode/index/show/k12science/id/30550853

Outstanding Science Trade Books for High School Students 03/24/2024

Outstanding Science Trade Books for High School Students I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “The Science Teacher,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association, for high school science teachers. In this issue, I read the section on the “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students.” The selections are a collaboration of the National Science Teaching Association and the Children’s Book Council. In this podcast, I share the two books that were selected for high school students. The books are: “Hidden Systems” by Dan Nott “The Woman in the Moon” by Richard Maurer /episode/index/show/k12science/id/30515993

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Middle School Students - Part 1 03/22/2024

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Middle School Students - Part 1 I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association, for middle school science teachers. In this issue, I read the section on the “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students. The selections are a collaboration of the National Science Teaching Association and the Children’s Book Council. In this first of two podcasts, I share six of the twelve books that were selected for middle school students. The books are: “My Indigo World” by Rosa Chang “Before Colors: Where Do Pigments and Dyes Come From” by Annette Bay Pimental “Grizzly Bears: Guardians of the Wilderness” by Frances Backhouse “Mission Arctic: A Scientific Adventure to a Changing North Pole” by Katharina Weiss-Tuider “We Need to Talk About Vaginas” by Dr. Allison K. Rodgers “Evolution” by Sarah Darwin and Eva-Maria Sadowski /episode/index/show/k12science/id/30497468

Growing Beyond Earth 03/14/2024

Growing Beyond Earth I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association for middle school science teachers. In this issue, I read the “Citizen Science” section written by Jill Nugent. She wrote an article entitled, “Growing Beyond Earth: Cultivating 21st-Century Science Exploration.” The Growing Beyond Earth citizen science project, in partnership with NASA and the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, partners with classrooms and identifies edible plant varieties that are well suited for beyond Earth growing conditions. For more information, visit: /episode/index/show/k12science/id/30377983

Eliciting Student Thinking 02/23/2024

Eliciting Student Thinking I was recently reading the January/February 2024 issue of “Science Scope,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association, for middle school science teachers. In this issue, I read the “Editorial” section written by Patty McGinnis. She wrote an article entitled, “Eliciting Student Thinking.” Eliciting student thinking is a high-leverage practice in which the teacher utilizes questions and tasks that encourage and promote student thinking and sharing of ideas. /episode/index/show/k12science/id/30073883

Building Quality Science Instruction 02/14/2024

Building Quality Science Instruction I was recently reading a WestEd blog post on the Next Gen Science website, dated January 10, 2024. In this blog, I read the post “Seeing is Believing: Building a Shared Vision of Quality Science Instruction.” It was written by Vanessa Wolbrink. In the years following the adoption of new science standards, states and districts must begin to navigate the complexities of transitioning to new learning goals — including updating instructional materials, professional learning, course descriptions and requirements, and assessments. In order to determine what changes are needed and how to enact them effectively, we need to ask the question, “What does it really take to build a shared understanding of the shift in teaching and learning expected in today’s science classrooms?” /episode/index/show/k12science/id/29954328

Great Backyard Bird Count 2024 02/08/2024

Great Backyard Bird Count 2024 I was recently visiting the Cornell Labs website. While visiting the site I was reminded of the upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count. The Great Backyard Bird Count takes place February 16-19, 2024. During this time you are encouraged to observe birds for at least 15 minutes and then report the data. You can observe for longer than 15 minutes and for more than one day. To learn about how to identify birds and how to submit data, please visit: /episode/index/show/k12science/id/29858968

Clouds and the Middle School NGSS 02/01/2024

Clouds and the Middle School NGSS I was recently reading a community blog post on the GLOBE website, dated January 18, 2024. In this blog, I read the post “GLOBE Clouds and NGSS (Elementary and Middle School.” It was posted by Marile Colon Robles. A new resource is now available created by GLOBE educator Mr. Roger Rose as part of his NASA internship in 2023 titled, GLOBE Atmosphere Clouds and NGSS. This document compares portions of the clouds protocol to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for elementary and middle school with tips and resources to use in the classroom. To view this blog post, please visit: /episode/index/show/k12science/id/29753518

Science Fair: The Series 01/25/2024

Science Fair: The Series I was recently reading the December 11, 2023 issue of “Forbes” magazine. In this issue, I read the article “Bright Minds, Big Innovations: Exploring ’Science Fair: The Series’.” It was written by Tony Bradley. “Science Fair: The Series,” National Geographic’s latest documentary series, is a deep dive into the world of young scientific minds, capturing their journey through the highly competitive International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). It is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+. This documentary series is a must-watch for anyone interested in the power of education, the resilience of youth, and the hopeful future shaped by bright, young minds. /episode/index/show/k12science/id/29650548

Science Olympiad 01/17/2024

Science Olympiad I was recently reading the September-October, 2023 issue of “Connected Science Learning,” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the article “40 Years of Inspiring Students to Explore STEM: What has Science Olympiad Learned?” It was written by John F. Loehr and Jenny Kopach. In May 2024, Science Olympiad will celebrate the 40th Annual Science Olympiad National Tournament at Michigan State University. The Olympiad has been successful over these 40 years because it has demonstrated the following four factors: Recognition - Students’ work and efforts are displayed and recognized in a very public fashion. Personal Choice - Students have the autonomy to decide how they want to be involved in the program. Peer and Professional Networks - Students’ passion and interest in topics is recognized and celebrated by both their peers and STEM professionals. Responsiveness - The 23-event structure gives Science Olympiad the flexibility to adapt to changing interests, circumstances, and needs. /episode/index/show/k12science/id/29523118

International Space Station 01/03/2024

International Space Station K12Science Podcast: International Space Station I was recently reading the October, 2023 special issue of USA Today, entitled, “NASA at 65.” In this issue, I read the article “25 Years Up There: International Space Station Operators are Preparing for the Outpost’s Demise.” 25 years ago, the first two elements of the International Space Station were connected by shuttle astronauts. After 2030, NASA will need to bring the space station out of orbit. /episode/index/show/k12science/id/29329228

Two More of the Best Science Books of 2023 12/19/2023

Two More of the Best Science Books of 2023 I was recently reading the December 7, 2023 issue of “Smithsonian” magazine. In this issue, I read the article “The Ten Best Science Books of 2023” written by Bridget Alex, Riley Black, Dan Falk, Shi En Kim, Carlyn Kranking, and Joe Spring. In the article they shared their top nonfiction science titles from the past year, selected by “Smithsonian” magazine’s editors and frequent contributors. In our last podcast, I shared the reviews of two of the top ten books. In today’s podcast, we will look at the reviews of two more books from the list: Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb Starborn: How the Stars Made Us (and Who We Would Be Without Them) by Roberto Trotta /episode/index/show/k12science/id/29150563

The Best Science Books of 2023 12/12/2023

The Best Science Books of 2023 I was recently reading the December 7, 2023 issue of “Smithsonian” magazine. In this issue, I read the article “The Ten Best Science Books of 2023” written by Bridget Alex, Riley Black, Dan Falk, Shi En Kim, Carlyn Kranking, and Joe Spring. In the article they shared their top nonfiction science titles from the past year, selected by “Smithsonian” magazine’s editors and frequent contributors. In this podcast, we look at two of their selections: “Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World” by John Vaillant “Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell” by Sy Montgomery /episode/index/show/k12science/id/29044593

Acoustician 12/05/2023

Acoustician I was recently reading the Fall, 2023 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. In this section, she focused on the career of an acoustician. An acoustician is an expert in the branch of physics concerned with the properties of sound. Tony Hoover is an acoustician and recommends interested students to have a great understanding of acoustics, which is an interdisciplinary field that involves a lot of physics, math, and engineering. /episode/index/show/k12science/id/28945798

Teaching Outdoors 12/01/2023

Teaching Outdoors I was recently reading the Fall, 2023 issue of “Science Scope” a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the section, “Practical Research” written by Samantha Lindgren, Meghan McCleary, Susan Gasper, Amanda Nieves, Kara Stengren, and Amira Shabana. They wrote an article entitled, “Outdoor Teaching and Learning in Natural Spaces and Outdoor Classrooms.” When we consider topics like climate change and the complex impacts it has on our students’ futures, learning in outdoor spaces and using the natural environment as a primary learning resource becomes an important and timely approach to science education. This type of learning draws on the fields of outdoor and environmental education, which emphasize place-based and experiential pedagogies, interdisciplinary, and the relationships between people and nature. /episode/index/show/k12science/id/28887583

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