DPS Secondary Science News
October 26-30, 2015
This week...
Thank goodness for teacher workdays (sorry to those without one today)! Remember when we used to have lots of them in the school calendar? I'm not usually one to pine for the good ole days, but honestly, teacher workdays are like gold.
This week: I will be visiting Brogden, Southern, Githens, and CMA. I will be working this afternoon with 8th grade teachers on Anchor Charts for the upcoming unit (please join us at Brogden at 1:00). I will also be presenting at the Bridging the Gap STEM conference and helping to review Governor's School applications.
Atomic Model 8th Grade Science Performance Task
School: Lowe's Grove Middle School
Jordan High Rocketry Team
School: Jordan High School
Unit Wall Map in Biology
School: Hillside High School
Linda Tugurian
Email: linda.tugurian@dpsnc.net
Website: http://central.dpsnc.net/science-secondary
Phone: 919-560-2647
Twitter: @dps612science
Upcoming Events
- October 26: 1-3:30 @ Informal anchor-chart make and take session at Brogden Middle School. No registration necessary.
- October 27-28 Bridging the Gap Uniting NC K-16 STEM Education
- October 29: 3:30-5 Biology Leadership Team Meeting @ tbd
- November 5, 4-5 Science Resource Team Meeting
- November 10, 4-5:30 Secondary Science Chairs Meeting @ Performance Learning Center
- November 11, NCSLA Meeting (Winston-Salem)
- November 12-13, NCSTA Annual PDI (Winston-Salem)
- November 18, 1:30-4 A Science Fair Primer, @ The Frontier. Register in My Learning Plan. More workshops are planned! Look for details soon!
- November 20, FMA Live! Forces in Motion performances @ Southern High School.
Quick News
- Want to help review science resources for adoption in 2015-16? Each school needs one representative who will be serving on the Science Resource Review Committee. These names are due Friday from you chair. Chairs, you can respond to me directly or in the Google Doc.
- Want a specific publisher at the Secondary Science Resource Fair? The current list of invited publishers is: Wiley, Accelerate Learning,TPS Publishing, Cengage, Carolina Biological (STC), Pearson, Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, Lab-Aids, School Specialty (FOSS), Perfection Learning, McGraw Hill, Bedford, Freeman, and Worth, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, IAT, Discovery, Kendall Hunt, and Scholastic. Let me know if I should extend other invitations.
- Mark your calendars for the Secondary Science Resource Fair on December 9 from 1:30-5:30 at Riverside High School. We will be reviewing materials for possible adoption in 2016-17. This is very exciting news.
- I've been asked to share the frequently asked questions related to NC Final Exams. It is attached.
- The District is supporting NC Science Olympiad Teams by subsidizing registration for one team per school (2 for schools with middle and high school programs) by $100. Register your team, mark pay by check, pay $200 toward your registration, and we will cover the rest.
- Looking for current science news articles your students can read? Check out: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RtCxUaEYbHZiMmLof8NDlx54QHdC1tInQgjOLbp_CBA
- Making purchases? Check out the discounts: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzMODhERQCTzX3pPTzZQTFNma3c
DPS Science Teachers Share
Looking for clickers but can't afford them? Matt Hickson at Neal is using Plickers and loves it!
Jordan teacher Rob Greenberg is organizing an educational trip to Cape Lookout on Saturday, November 7. A flyer is attached. Contact him for details.
Science in the Community
Congressman David Price wishes to inform you about the upcoming Fourth Congressional District 2015-2016 STEM Competition App Challenge.
The STEM Competition allows students from the Fourth District to compete for national recognition by the United States Congress, and also highlights the great work of STEM educators to train the next generation of scientists, engineers, and researchers. Since January of this year our office has engaged high school students from all over the district and have encouraged them to create a video that explains a mobile or web application that they would build. The Congressman wishes to inspire young people to get involved in STEM and have had a wonderful response. In addition to witnessing such youthful creativity, the Congressman wants you to be part of broader group of stakeholders from STEM industry, higher education and secondary schools as we all network to discuss opportunities to strengthen our school-to-industry pipeline.
We are opening up for submissions starting November 9th and will accept until January 15th, 2016.
Minerals specimens for sale! The Central North Carolina Mineral Club is disbanding and is selling its collections. Nearly 200 individual palm-sized mineral specimens, each with known provenance, from throughout the world. All specimens are priced from free to $10.00 each. Give our minerals a new home!
Location: Seymour Senior Center auditorium Tuesday, Nov. 3rd from 6:30-9:00 pm. The Seymour Senior Center is located at 2551 Homestead Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Free Kits for Teachers: BirdSleuth K-12 (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) will be giving Habitat Connections curriculum kits with a bird feeder and birdseed to 3rd–8th grade teachers, thanks to sponsor Perky-Pet. Apply by Friday, November 13, 2015. Learn more.
NOAA is conducting a Professional Development Workshop for Educators of grades 5th-12th on Sunday, November 8th from 8 AM – 4 PM hosted by and located at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
An essential component of the NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) mission is to enhance ocean science literacy and to build interest in careers that support ocean-related work. To help fulfill this mission, the Okeanos Explorer education Materials Collection was developed to encourage educators and students to become engaged in real time with the voyages and discoveries of the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer – America’s first Federal ship dedicated to Ocean Exploration. Join NOAA OER Facilitator Conniee Leverett, as you are introduced to Volume 1 of the Okeanos Explorer Education Materials Collection: Why Do We Explore? Participants will learn how to use standards-based lessons and other online resources that guide classroom inquiries into important reasons for ocean exploration including Climate Change, Energy, Ocean Health, and Human Health. This is Part One of a two-part professional development series. Part Two will be offered at a later date.
Registration is required and space is limited. Educators attending the full day will receive Volume 1 of the Okeanos Explorer Education Materials Collection, Why Do We Explore?, other resources, a NOAA Ocean Exploration Certificate of Participation, a continental breakfast and lunch. Those educators attending Part One and Part Two will receive a $100 stipend.
To register, please visit: https://reservations.ncaquariums.com/fortfisher/Info.aspx?EventID=20
There is a $25 registration fee which will be returned upon completion of the workshop.
Science in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Below are all and winter educator workshops in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. All day-long workshops are free; multiple day workshops with lodging are at a greatly reduced rate through generous grant donations received by Friends of the Smokies. All workshops are eligible for CEU and EEC Criteria II and III credits.
Got Elk!: Fall Research in the Smokies
October 30-Nov. 1, 2015 in Cataloochee Valley
Elk abound in Cataloochee Valley so spend the weekend with the recently reintroduced elk and participate in fall research projects that have easy application to your classroom. Participants will receive transportation, lodging and classroom materials. Register through the NC Museum of Natural Science at www.naturalsciences.org. Cost: $75* (includes lodging, some meals and transportation to and from Raleigh)
Mountains, Macros and Mind Pies
November 7, 2015 at Cherokee Middle School, Cherokee, NC
Join us at Cherokee Middle School as we immerse ourselves in creative ways to use STEM in the classroom focusing on the outdoors. Activities will highlight on hands-on learning, authentic assessments, incorporating local cultures into STEM lessons, and ways to use student collected data in the classroom. Includes lunch, classroom materials and door prizes. Register online under “events” atwww.seekingpathsinnature.org
Wild About Elk
November 21, 2015 at Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Cherokee, NC
Participants will learn about the life history and management of elk, as well as how to incorporate activities about elk into the NC Curriculum. This workshop will take place at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from 9:30am - 3pm. To register email tanya.poole@ncwildlife.org
Citizen Science for the Classroom
December 4-6, 2015 at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
Citizen Science is perfect way to bring the scientific method into the classroom. Participate in several projects, some national and some more regionally specific developed to monitor resources in Great Smoky Mountains NP. Learn how you can use these projects to teach students how to ask good scientific questions, analyze datasets and communicate their findings. Meals and lodging included. Register through Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont atwww.gsmit.org. The workshop is offered at the reduced educator rate of $50.
Salamanders and Storms: Climate Change in the Smokies
February 19-21, 2016 at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
Every year we learn more about how climate change is impacting the Smokies and the Southern Appalachian Mountains. We bring in area experts to discuss this complex issue and will showcase several hands-on activities you can use in the classroom. Meals and lodging included. Register through Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont at http://www.gsmit.org/climatechange.html. Ten spaces are available at a reduced educator
rate of $50.
Spring in the Smoky Mountains
April 29 -May 1, 2016 at the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is world-renowned for its diversity of wildflowers and salamanders. Explore cove forests and stream-side habitats for salamanders as well as the blooms of spring. To register, visithttp://www.naturalsciences.org/education/for-educators/educator-workshops/spring-treks. Cost: $75* (includes lodging at Lake Junaluska, some meals and transportation from Raleigh).
Susan Sachs
Education Coordinator, Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
PO Box 357
Lake Junaluska, NC 28745
(828) 926-6251
OPPORTUNITIES for EDUCATORS
Renew your passion for teaching while gaining information, ideas, and insights to take back to your classroom by joining the Museum for an educator workshop!
Educator Treks...
These professional development workshops provide opportunities for educators to increase their content knowledge, gain ideas to use in the classroom, and network with other educators. Participants receive a certificate for CEUs and credit for North Carolina's Environmental Education Certification Program.
To register for Educator Treks, please fill out and mail a registration form and deposit. The registration form can be found on this website!
GOT ELK?
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Haywood County, NC
Friday, October 30 (depart Raleigh at 3:45 p.m.) - Sunday, November 1, 2015
Fee: $85* (includes transportation, lodging, most meals)
CEUs: 20 contact hours
Join us as we search for the majestic elk, reintroduced to the Smokies after an absence of more than 200 years. Sample activities used to document the biodiversity of the park. Discover how you can bring the excitement of field research into your classroom.
*The cost of this Trek is reduced due to a generous gift through the Friends of the Smokies. Due to this reduction of costs, Friends of the Museum discounts are unavailable.
WHERE SWANS FLY AND BEARS WALK
Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Plymouth, NC
Friday, January 8 (depart Raleigh at 3:45 p.m.) - Saturday, January 9, 2016
Fee: $90 (includes transportation, lodging, breakfast and lunch)
CEUs: 12 contact hours
Experience one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in North Carolina - thousands of tundra swans, snow geese, and other waterfowl over-wintering in an area rich in wildlife such as black bears, bobcats, and red wolves. Learn winter bird identification, tips on preserving tracks and signs, and ideas for incorporating wild creatures into your teaching.
GRADING WITHOUT GRADES: FUN ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES
NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC
Thursday, January 28, 2016
6 - 8 pm
Fee: $10
CEUs: 2 contact hours
You need to know what your students are understanding and retaining, but grading daily homework is a chore and you feel exhausted thinking about yet another poster project or in-class presentation. What to do? Join us to discover tons of fun strategies for assessing learning, swap ideas for what works, and test out a few activities. From 1-minute check-ins to semester-long group projects, we have ideas for blending assessment with team-building, self-reflection, and group learning.
PELAGIC BIRDING
Offered as an outing for educators and the general public
Off the coast of Hatteras, NC
Friday, February 5 (depart Raleigh at 3:30 p.m.) - Saturday, February 6, 2016
Fee: $280 (includes transportation, lodging, and all day boat charter)
North Carolina has a huge variety of birds that visit the waters off our coast. Join Museum educators and ornithologists as we travel offshore toward the Gulf Stream and we learn about and observe some of our amazing pelagic birds. Winter is also a great time to spot migrating marine mammals, and we hope to encounter these as well!
Due to the unpredictability of winter weather and seas, please reserve Sunday, February 7 on your calendar as well! If the weather looks bad, we may hold the trip Saturday to Sunday (instead of Friday to Saturday). We will let you know as soon as possible if we need to shift the trip.
Science Grants
Apply now for an Ignite the Power of STEM grant from the Biogen Foundation.
In commemoration of the Bridging the Gap STEM Education Conference, the Biogen Foundation will award $125,000 in grants to support science education programs and projects in North Carolina public and charter elementary, middle and high schools.
· Teachers may apply for up to $2,000.
· Schools and non-profits may apply for up to $5,000.
For application and guidelines, visit: www.biogen.com/igniteNC. The deadline to apply is Nov. 10, 2015.
Attached is an application for an AG in the Classroom Grant offered by Sigma Alpha Sorority. For additional information, contact Whitney Ratliff at: wlratlif@ncsu.edu.
Science in the News
A new study suggests that Yersinia pestis, which causes plague, infected people as long as 5,000 years ago.
Two respected medical voices urged caution on the leading candidate for a malaria vaccine, Mosquirix, while two other expert panels recommended going ahead with pilot projects.
About 250 members of the species live on the island of Santa Cruz, and genetic evidence indicates that the species has occasionally mated with the other species there.
Scientific organizations around the world are turning to digital technology to reveal collections that have long been hidden.
The immediate cause of the record-breaking warmth is a strong El Niño weather pattern, in which the ocean releases immense amounts of heat into the atmosphere.
A study in the Netherlands backs up a long-held claim of quantum theory, one that Einstein refused to accept, that objects separated by great distance could affect each other’s behavior.