Elementary Science Safety and Lab Guidelines
Dr. Irene Cesa, retired Director of Technical Services for Flinn Scientific, addresses specific safety issues and concerns to help current and prospective teachers safely and effectively use hands-on inquiry-based science activities in the elementary classroom. This presentation details procedures for not only creating safe activities but also for establishing a "culture of safety" in the classroom. It also describes how to identify and minimize hazards and risks, and provides general safety rules and guidelines especially useful at the elementary level.
To the Stars and Back: Empowering Students with Project-Based Learning
Throughout history, people have always looked to space as a source of awe and wonder. We have strived to not only better understand our universe but also our place in it. Nettleton STEAM, a unique third through sixth-grade school in Jonesboro, Arkansas, continues this time-honored tradition of exploration and discovery by infusing STEAM and project-based learning into everything they do.
STEM education is critical to developing innovative problem solvers and strengthening community partnerships. Nettleton STEAM is a Cognia STEM certified school where twenty-first century skills, service learning, and the arts are explored through project-based learning and makerspaces. Nettleton STEAM was granted the extraordinary opportunity to participate in a downlink with astronauts aboard the International Space Station in December of 2020. In this course you will learn how educators at Nettleton STEAM use project-based learning through the lens of the International Space Station themed projects created around this event.
Journey North: Introduction
The Journey North program is a free resource for elementary and middle school classes that is comprised of a variety of topics, lessons, and activities. Each thirty-minute professional development workshop provides an opportunity to see Journey North classrooms in action while exploring science inquiry and other standards-based teaching and learning practices.
This introductory Journey North workshop explores the three sets of investigations that make up the Journey North program. Using the video as a springboard, the workshop looks at some of the basic concepts behind the Journey North investigations and explores topics that are important to middle- and elementary-level science teachers.
Journey North: Seasonal Migrations - Monarch Butterflies
The Journey North program is a free resource for elementary and middle school classes that is comprised of a variety of topics, lessons, and activities. Each thirty-minute professional development workshop provides an opportunity to see Journey North classrooms in action while exploring science inquiry and other standards-based teaching and learning practices.
While the Journey North program provides opportunities for exploring dozens of different animal migrations, this workshop focuses on the most popular migration--that of monarch butterflies. Participants use some of the lessons from Journey North resources to study migration while using prediction as an inquiry tool, exploring the Journey North website, and correlating the Journey North investigations with life science curriculum.
Journey North: Plants and the Seasons - Tulip Gardens
The Journey North program is a free resource for elementary and middle school classes that is comprised of a variety of topics, lessons, and activities. Each thirty-minute professional development workshop provides an opportunity to see Journey North classrooms in action while exploring science inquiry and other standards-based teaching and learning practices.
This workshop follows several classes around the country as they explore plant growth and seasonal change through individual student investigations and through Journey North's International Tulip Study. Participants learn the importance of experimental protocols, as well as how Journey North integrates process skills into inquiry-based activities.
Journey North: Sunlight and the Seasons - Mystery Class
The Journey North program is a free resource for elementary and middle school classes that is comprised of a variety of topics, lessons, and activities. Each thirty-minute professional development workshop provides an opportunity to see Journey North classrooms in action while exploring science inquiry and other standards-based teaching and learning practices.
Journey North's investigation into sunlight's seasonal changes takes students on an eleven-week-long investigative hunt known as Mystery Class. This workshop presentation chronicles the students' adventures as they track and analyze changes in sunlight north and south of the equator and follow a series of clues to locate the ten Journey North Mystery Classes around the world.
Learning Science Through Inquiry: What Is Inquiry and Why Do It?
This introductory workshop presents an overview of why inquiry is such a powerful approach to teaching and learning science-how it enables you to assess and meet the needs of a wide range of learners, how it taps children's natural curiosity, and how it deepens their understanding of science.
Learning Science Through Inquiry: Setting the Stage - Creating a Learning Community
At the heart of inquiry teaching and learning is a positive environment that encourages and supports students on their learning paths. This course looks at what is needed for building that foundation and preparing your students for inquiry investigations.
Learning Science Through Inquiry: The Process Begins - Launching the Inquiry
To inquire into specific scientific phenomena, students need to draw upon a foundation of experience. This course shows how you can encourage students to share and discuss what they already know, and to explore the materials and phenomena in an open-ended manner.
Learning Science Through Inquiry: Focus the Inquiry - Designing the Exploration
Students' open exploration leads to a range of interests and questions that lead in turn to deeper investigation. This course looks at the design process-how you can guide students to plan and begin their investigations.