Cobb Science
February News and Notes
Science Fair Success
Many teachers are heading to the Georgia Science Teachers Association Conference this week (2/4-2/6) to learn from innovative state and national leaders. Cobb has several teachers presenting, most of whom are members of Math Science Partnership cohorts. A major focus of this year's conference are the state's revised science standards and how best to teach them.
Professional Learning Opportunities

Instructional Strategy Focus: Formative Assessment
However, some of the best formative assessment tools are available to teachers online. While Kahoot and Socrative are becoming popular in many classrooms, our new favorite tool is Formative. Formative is as easy to use as Kahoot but offers teachers more options than just multiple-choice quizzes. For instance, teachers can also create short answer questions or open-ended questions in which students can draw and show their own work. Additionally, students can upload pictures or documents as evidence of learning. Tired of taking home a million papers to grade? Just have students take a picture of their Ticket out the Door, upload it to Formative, and you can grade everything digitally and provide instant feedback to students. Just like with Kahoot, students receive a class code that allows them to access their "class" and assignments within the website. Short tutorials walk teachers through how to set up assessments and use all tools to their advantage. Try it out today!

Digital Tools and Resources
Vieyra Software Physics Toolbox These apps are available for Android devices and make data collection in the classroom a snap. There is even a roller coaster app that students can use on field trips to Six Flags. | NSTA SciPacks Online science development activities from NSTA designed to help teachers develop a comprehensive understanding of the content they teach. While some are only available to NSTA members, many are free. Great evidence for TKES Standard 1. | Epic for Educators This growing library offers thousands of picture books, chapter books, early readers, nonfiction books, and graphic novels (including science titles) that elementary teachers can use to compelement the curriculum. Epic! is available for iPads, iPhones, Android devices, and can be used with any web browser. |