Elementary Science Newsletter
December 9, 2014
Important Dates
- Fund for Teachers Travel Grants- opens October 1
- Ag in the Classroom grants- due January 30
- OERB workshop- February 21
Updates from the Science Curriculum Office
Summer workshop in New orleans- 5th grade teachers
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.
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 textbook samples online
Grade- Username- Password
K- OKgradeK- OKgradeK
1- OKgrade1- OKgrade1
2- OKgrade2- OKgrade2
3- OKgrade3- OKgrade3
4- OKgrade4- OKgrade4
5- OKgrade5- OKgrade5
Preview Discovery Education's digital techbook for adoption
Cool tech tool 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?
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)
- Elementary Science Safety Notebook (R:\01 Elementary Resources\5th Grade\Science\Elementary Science Safety)
- Review all documents in R:\01 Elementary Resources\5th Grade\Science\Elementary Science Safety
If you have any questions at all regarding safety in the science classroom, please contact me.