Insights on topics from our experts
5…4…3…2…1! Hands up! The room fills with claps, hugs and high fives. Is it a hockey game? A basketball game? A wrestling match? No, it is a Paper Roller Coaster competition. Wait, what? For the past two...
Teachers are aware that the new science standards are three-dimensional in nature. Each standard is made up of a disciplinary core idea, a science and engineering practice, and a crosscutting concept. The disciplinary core idea (DCI) is...
Elementary teachers are likely familiar with the use of mentor texts with their students to help strength and deepen understanding within a variety of ELA standards. But, have you considered how those same mentor texts can be...
As we embark on another academic year – this year takes on a new perspective as this is the year full implementation of the new Iowa Science standards is expected in our schools. (remembering that middle school...
We’ve all been there – we desperately want our students to be successful and so we have become masters at “being helpful” in the science classroom. We see students forgetting directions, not recording data correctly, getting the...
With so many resources to look through and little to no time to actually peruse them, it is easy to overlook some valuable websites that can assist teachers in the implementation of the new science standards. One...
You have probably heard the time-management parable regarding “filling the jar.” For those who have not, the story goes something like this: a man fills a jar with golf balls and asks “Is the jar full?” To...
The Iowa Science standards, with their foundation in the Next Generation Science Standards, bring not only new standards but also require teachers begin to utilize an inquiry-based approach to science education. Many teachers will cite inquiry science...
While visiting an elementary classroom to observe a wonderful inquiry-based science activity, I could easily hear all the science that was being discovered. Yes, that’s right – I could HEAR the science. Science is not a quiet...