Secondary Science Newsletter
December 7, 2014
Important Dates
- National Middle Level Science Teacher Association award application- due December 31
- Ag in the Classroom grants- due January 30
- OERB workshop- February 21
- High school benchmark dates: December 5, March 11, May 6 (except biology)
- Middle school benchmark dates: December 19, March 11, May 13 (except 8th grade)
Updates from the Science Curriculum Office
Nominate yourself or a colleague for the nation's highest science education honor
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are the nation's highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science (including computer science). Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education.
Nominations are now open: The 2015 Awards will honor mathematics and science (including computer science) teachers working in grades 7-12. Nominations close on April 1, 2015.
More information is available at https://www.paemst.org/.
Summer workshop- New Orleans
Summer Teaching Seminar:
The National WWII Museum is excited to announce a week-long professional development opportunity to take place in the summer of 2015 for middle school (5-8th grade) science teachers. Twenty eight teachers from across the country will come to New Orleans to experience hands-on how necessity, knowledge, perseverance and skill lead to inventions, innovation, and careers in STEM—just like in World War II.
This seminary is supported by a grant from the Northrop Grumman Foundation. Teachers will receive free room and board in New Orleans, a travel stipend, and all seminar materials free of charge.
We are looking for great young teachers nationwide, and the application period begins January 5th2015. Please visit http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-teachers/summer-teacher-seminar.html for more information and to signup for email updates.
PD opportunities from American Physiological Association
SIX STAR SCIENCE ONLINE TEACHER (OT) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM is a 10-month online professional development program that focuses on the three Dimensions in the Next Generation Science Standards: Scientific Practices; Cross Cutting Concepts (especially “Cause and Effect” and “Structure and Function”), and Core Ideas (Life Sciences) and on expanding teacher skills in three major areas: 1) Updating Teacher Content and Pedagogy Knowledge; 2) Understanding the Research Process; and 3) Applying Six Star Science in the Classroom. Online Teacher (OT) Fellows participate in a dynamic and interactive virtual learning community that focuses on exploring effective teaching strategies, understanding the research process, and enhancing classroom materials. Fellows receive a stipend for completion of their online work. Application deadline: January 20, 2015
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP provides teachers an opportunity to work with a physiologist and develop critical leadership skills. Teachers experience biomedical research first-hand by working for 7-8 weeks in the summer in a research lab with an APS member in their geographic area, working online with fellow teachers to develop leadership skills, and learning how to share what they know with other teachers, students, researchers, and policymakers in both live and online settings. Like the OT program, the RCL program will include all three K-12 Standards Dimensions and the three major teacher skills areas outlined in the OT program, but in greater depth. Fellows receive a stipend for completion of their online work and graduate credit will be available. Application deadline: January 20, 2015.
More info on both programs can be found at: www.frontiersinphys.org
NEA Grants
Student Achievement Grants- The NEA Foundation provides grants to improve the academic achievement of students in U.S. public schools and public higher education institutions in any subject area(s). The proposed work should engage students in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen their knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students’ habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection.
Learning and Leadership Grants- Learning & Leadership grants support public school teachers, public education support professionals, and/or faculty and staff in public institutions of higher education for one of the following two purposes:Grants to individuals fund participation in high-quality professional development experiences, such as summer institutes or action research; or grants to groups fund collegial study, including study groups, action research, lesson study, or mentoring experiences for faculty or staff new to an assignment.
Preview the McGraw Hill Textbook adoption offerings
Complete access for all of their digital books, Cyber Science and Brain Pops on their Oklahoma Sample site:
http://connected.mcgraw-hill.com/connected/login.do
username: Oklahoma2015
password: okdemo2015
Preview the Carolina textbook adoption offerings
Grade- Username- Password
6- OKgrade6- OKgrade6
7- OKgrade7- OKgrade7
8- OKgrade8- OKgrade8
Preview the Discovery Education digital techbook
Cool Tech Tool/Site of the Week: The Ultimate STEM Guide for Kids: 239 Cool Sites About Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
Instructional Strategy of the Week: Team Builders and Class Builders
Research shows that student improvement increases when students feel safe. One component of safety in school relates to the classroom environment. Team builders and class builders can promote a sense of classroom community and improve the sense of safety and security in the classroom environment. For team building and class building ideas, check out http://www.pearltrees.com/brandiwilliams/team-builders-class/id11634968.
Click here for more instructional strategies.
Need Resources?
And please send me awesome lessons or ideas so that I can share those across the district.
Safety Reminder
Please review the following documents before beginning any activity that may pose a risk to students (directions for locating these resources are in parentheses).
- Science Class Safety Information Sheet (R:\Safety Information\Internal Policies)
- Secondary Science Safety Notebook (R:\03 High School Resources\Science\Secondary Science Safety)
- Review all documents in R:\03 High School Resources\Science\Secondary Science Safety
If you have any questions at all regarding safety in the science classroom, please contact me.