Read. Write. Science!
from the desk of Jodi Wheeler-Toppen
Three Great Things to Know:
Students Love Baby Birds! A Carolina wren nested in my daughter's bike helmet, so we haven't been biking for a couple of weeks. Instead, we have been entering our data into The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's NestWatch project. And suddenly we're spotting nests everywhere. The website is chock-full of information, including a search feature for what birds might be in your area and where they would be likely to nest. | Here's a Fun Summer Project: Win an award! If you have some down time this summer, consider applying for a teaching award. You could apply for a Fulbright Fellowship and travel the world, or apply for one of many NSTA awards. I'll especially point out the Shugrue Award for Elementary Teachers. This award is based on submitting one remarkable lesson plan. | Great Phys. Sci./ Chem. Resource The American Chemical Society has put together an entire, free, course for middle school chemistry. This course walks step-by-step through activities, readings, and videos (some of which are also in Spanish). It's excellent. In my research, failure to grasp the "particulate nature of matter" was a huge problems for students struggling to read about topics from osmosis to convection currents to reactions. Try this. |
Students Love Baby Birds!
Here's a Fun Summer Project: Win an award!
Great Phys. Sci./ Chem. Resource

Finally! Finally! Once Upon an Earth Science Book: 12 Interdisciplinary lessons to create confident readers
My editor just informed me that the link is live for ordering Once Upon an Earth Science Book: 12 interdisciplinary activities to create confident readers. This book is the companion to Once Upon a Life Science Book. Each lesson includes a learning cycle built around an activity, a text, and a writing assignment and includes specific reading skills that can be taught at the same time that you address important content goals. Available from NSTA Press, Amazon, and other book sellers.
Reading and Writing in Science
If your school is looking for staff development to implement the Once Upon books or simply to improve reading and writing in the content areas (without using the books), please get in touch! I help teachers use literacy to support their science (or social studies) instruction, and vice versa. I also address scientific argumentation (making claims and supporting them with evidence).