Archives
Region 1 Dec 2019/Jan 2020 Update
Here is a list of resources and events happening in the Region 1. (Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra,…
Follow the Moon and Naked-Eye Planets in December 2019 and January 2020
Venus becomes ever more prominent in the evening, while Jupiter, and then Saturn, disappears into the southwest twilight glow in December. Mars, very slowly brightening, appears in the southeast morning sky, with bright Mercury below it in the first…
Just a Teacher
“I am just a teacher, there is only so much I can do.” How many times have you heard a colleague say this? Have you said it yourself? For me, the phrase became “I am just a Teacher Specialist.” It wasn’t until I had an opportunity to hear Dr. Stephen…
We’ve Only Just Begun
CA NGSS adopted! California Science Framework written! Instructional materials State approved! California Science Test (CAST) Assessment results are on their way! We are done! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that combination of reality and pixie dust…
Region 4 Update
Here we are already at the end of 2019! It has been a busy year and I have been happy to see more and more teachers embrace the shifts of the NGSS, teaching more science in their classrooms, and continuing to pressure their administrations to…
Science Teachers in Love!
If you missed the Member's Only reception at the CSTA conference in San Jose, Oct. 19, 2019, you missed a good time. But you missed something more exciting than just food, drink, camaraderie, and a chance to explore the Tech Interactive. You missed…
If You Give a Teacher a Flyer...
I was fortunate enough to attend the Climate Summit pre-conference day at the 2019 CSTA Conference in San Jose. In addition to wonderful speakers, the pre-summit offered participants an opportunity to sit in on roundtable sessions to learn about the…
Grading NGSS in the K-2 Classroom
Grading can be an indecisive process, to begin with. Add in new standards, new curriculum and science notebooks, and it becomes a whole new ballgame.
Reviewing NGSS Instructional Materials with a Lens for Equity
There’s a lot of discussion around instructional materials and what materials adoption you should be going through right now. In my opinion, the best part of an adoption process is the professional learning around the standards as seen with the CA…
How I Teach Science in Three 25 Minute Sessions
I have a passion for science. However, even with my dedication to my favorite subject, I find it difficult to find the time to teach science at the elementary level with a mountain of subjects piled on my desk.