Fall 2023 California Classroom Science – Vol. 36 Issue 1
President's Message
Who's in Your Circle?
Look around you. Who do you see in your circle? Expand your circle. Now who do you see? Does the Kindergarten teacher down the hall teach her students about pushes and pulls? Does your best friend lead hikes for students in the nearby nature preserve? Is your son or daughter preparing to be a high school biology teacher? Are they CASE members?
FYI
The Importance of Community
[Originally published on October 3, 2019 - President's Message]
Recently, I signed up for a two-day introductory training focused on Restorative Practices. I have had previous experiences with restorative circles and, as a result, I can honestly say a part of me was dreading the training and potential emotionally charged environment.
Equitable Grading Practices: Empowering K-12 Teachers for Inclusive Assessment
What is a good learner? What evidence would show this? How do you know when students are learning? How do students know when they are learning? Five years ago, at our then principal 's encouragement, my “Physics of the Universe'' professional learning community (PLC) started exploring the inequities that existed in a traditional grading system…
How I Got my Second Wind
In 2013, my mother handed me an issue of USA Today. In it was an article titled ‘U.S. Students Still Only Average on Tests.’ I had been teaching sixth and seventh grade science for fourteen years at this point, and remember feeling frustrated as I was about to read about how poorly schools in the United States were performing in comparison with…
Psychological Safety: A Necessary Condition of Equitable & Inclusive Science Classrooms
Even before I became the co-chair of the CASE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, I’ve been digging into aspects of equity, identity, and belonging in the science classroom. At some point in my journey, I stumbled upon the idea of “psychological safety”. Of course, the learner in me went digging for more information.
Science Without Borders - Collaborating to Connect Students to Africa through a Culturally Responsive 3D5E Lesson Plan
[Originally published on December 12, 2022]
During the Omicron chapter of COVID-19, teachers faced the difficulty of increased absenteeism and decreased motivation. While this situation may hopefully be a thing of the past, student learning is still recovering from the effects of the pandemic.
Phenomenal Science Notebooks
[Originally published on March 15, 2023]
It was a packed house at the CASE conference for my two sessions! Over 250 teachers came to learn about phenomenal science notebooks. The first session focused on sketchnoting in science. Taking lecture notes plays an important role in what students do to learn content in their science class.
Region 1 Events
Region 1 Update: Fall 2023
The Durham Ferry Outdoor Education Center's 'Let's Play Outside' Summer Camp, is a unique program partially funded by the CA Natural Resources Agency and district contributions. This collaborative effort with local community partners offers students in grades 4-8 an exciting blend of outdoor adventures, including hiking, kayaking, fishing, archery,…
Region 4 Events
Region 4 Update: Fall 2023
We are excited to share that the CA Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC) Network will be hosting professional learning for TK-8 Teachers in a variety of locations in SoCal this year. We will be at the UC James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve in Idyllwild September 26, in San Diego at the Coastal Roots Farm in January, and at the Owens…
Science Education Conference
Get Excited for the Poolside Engineering Challenge
Where do you want to be on October 20? Working on your engineering education skills of course! Trying to apply Archimedes Principle and your best thinking about structure and function.
Conference Memories and Looking Forward
Reliving some of our favorite memories from conference and we don't want you to miss out! Join us October 20-22, 2023 in sunny Palm Springs, California where we connect with new and old friends, generate new ideas, energize your teaching, and grow as professionals.
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California Classroom Science
CASE's signature publication, is an electronic publication that is produced bimonthly. The publication consists of mostly original content produced by CASE members and provides information of interest to California science educators.
CCS is packed with information, news, resources, ideas, and activities of current interest to science educators. CCS is delivered to CASE members electronically via e-mail and is available on our website for all to enjoy.
Science Classroom Move
CASE’s newsletter, California Classroom Science, has always had great articles about resources, lessons, planning tools, and issues in science education. But sometimes the things that help us the most are the little things: A classroom move. This is a new interactive column that allows you to share those little moves. We’d love to hear from all of you!