NDE Science Quarterly Updates
January 2017
2017 Nebraska Science Highlights
Standards Revision Infographic
Joint Math and Science Conference September 7-9
2017 Solar Eclipse
Opportunities for Teachers
CDC Science Ambassador
Applications are open for the 2017 CDC Science Ambassador Fellowship!
The CDC Science Ambassador Fellowship is for teachers and educational leaders interested in bringing public health into middle and high school classrooms. It includes a 5-day summer course (July 10-14, 2017) at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, GA and a 1-year distance-based professional development opportunity. Applications are due February 15, 2017.
For more information, please watch our video and visit our website. We look forward to your application. Please share these materials with other teachers and educational leaders in your network who may be interested.
Missouri River Educator Workshop
Integrating the Missouri River In Your Classroom – May 21st-22nd, Omaha, Nebraska
Connect with the natural and cultural history of the Missouri River through adventure and investigation. Discover the river ecosystems and the natural forces that shaped them. Understand how human choices have affected the river’s rhythm and flow. Experienced instructors will show you how to integrate the Missouri River in your classroom in a way that engages students and strengthens their learning. Learn more at http://www.riverrelief.org/updates/entry/2017-integrating-the-missouri-river-in-your-classroom/
Water Education Leaders for Secondary Science
STEM Education Outreach from the Kennedy Space Center
KOOL Science (Kennedy Online Outreach & Learning) workshops combine distance learning with hands-on activities that involve the students in a multi-sensory learning experience. Because we connect Kennedy Space Center with the classroom via Skype TX web-conference, no special videoconferencing equipment is needed.
Workshop topics currently include Newton’s Laws of Motion, the Earth-Moon-Sun system, maintaining homeostasis in microgravity, luminescence, a virtual guided tour of KSC, and NASA-inspired engineering design challenges. Each 45-minute session includes a Teacher’s Guide with a materials list, student logbook masters, evaluation tools, answer keys, lesson objectives, and national standards. Most lessons are geared toward grades 5-8, but can be adapted for use by older and younger students as well.
Additional information is available at https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/camps-and-education/kennedy-online-outreach-and-learning.
Earn professional development hours or university credit with Population Education this spring!
Population Education is excited to announce that registration is open for our spring 2017 online professional development course for science and social studies educators (grades 6-12). The course runs from March 13th - May 12th, 2017. Discover student-centered learning strategies that use contemporary issues and real-world data to examine the social and environmental impacts of human population growth. If you teach about topics like environmental science, world or human geography, biology or life science, world history, or their AP counterparts, this course is for you! The course is asynchronous, which means students can work at their own leisure and pace. There are online discussion boards, weekly journals, and a final project, all built to provide participants with meaningful feedback and materials to use within their own classrooms. Teachers can choose to earn one hour of graduate education credit from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) or 45 professional development clock hours for successfully completing the full eight weeks.
Class size is capped at 30 participants, so don't wait to sign up. The cost is $80.00 to earn 45 CEU hours or $155.00 (for credit) + $80.00 (for CEUs) to earn credit through UMKC. For more information and to register, visit https://courses.populationeducation.org.
Opportunities for Students
Geosciences BRIDGE PROGRAM: For Juniors and Seniors
The primary aim of the program is to expose high school seniors and juniors who have an interest in science to the Earth and its history. This program will provide college-bound students with an engaging ‘BRIDGE’ into college life with a cohort of other curious learners during a no-cost discovery-based field course; 9 days camping in Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota, and 2 days on the UNL campus. Please share this FLYER with potential students.
Research Science Institute: for Juniors
Apply to the (RSI) program to be held on the MIT campus June 25 - August 5, 2017. RSI is free of cost to students except for travel to and from MIT. Visit the CEE website for RSI application materials. See application information at: http://www.cee.org/apply-rsi
National Youth Science Camp: For Seniors
The National Youth Science Camp is a residential science education program for young STEM enthusiasts the summer after they graduate from high school. Students from around the country (two are selected to represent each state and Washington, D.C.) are challenged academically in exciting lectures and hands-on studies, and have voluntary opportunities to participate in an outdoor adventure program, gain a new and deep appreciation for the great outdoors, and establish friendships that last a lifetime. Visit www.nysc.org to learn more.
Deadline March 1, 2017 http://apply.nysc.org
Resources to Explore
Discovering Farmland
Discovering Farmland is an award-winning documentary directed by Academy Award winning director James Moll. It is designed for grades 9 through 12 and the downloadable lesson plans (available at www.discoveringfarmland.com) are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and agribusiness standards under Advance CTE, formerly the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc). Companion activities are provided to extend the impact of the program's customized lesson plans. I’ve attached a document that has more in-depth information as well!
The Argumentation ToolKit
Ambitious Science Teaching
Great teaching can be learned. This web site provides a vision of ambitious science instruction for elementary, middle school and high school classrooms. Ambitious teaching deliberately aims to support students of all backgrounds to deeply understand science ideas, participate in the activities of the discipline, and solve authentic problems. LOTS of tools for every classroom.
PrepMagic
Interactive tools for teachers to create engaging science lessons and assessments FREE accounts for teachers. https://www.prepmagic.com/connect
Sara Cooper
Science Education Specialist
Location: 301 Centennial Mall South, Lincoln, NE, United States
Twitter: @NDE_Science