Archives
“Cell-brating” Even When Things Go Wrong
This spring, I had the pleasure of teaching an elementary science methods course for the first time. Typically, I work with middle and high school credential candidates, so I was a bit nervous as I prepared to teach the class. While I taught…
Cell-ebrating What We Notice: From Classroom Wins to Collective Growth
As the school year winds down, many middle school science teachers find themselves thinking about what they didn't quite get to: the unit they had to shorten, the investigation that needed one more day, or the assessment they wanted to revise but…
Learning the Ways of the JEDI: Justice in Action
A group of students huddles over a map of their city. They are not just locating temperature variations—they are layering tree canopy data, income levels, and historic redlining maps that contributed to segregation in the first half of the 20th…
DEEP DIVE: STEM Nonfiction Books to Spark Curiosity and Inquiry
Discover how our “idea factory” workshop at the 2024 CASE conference explored engaging STEM nonfiction children’s books, hands-on activities, and strategies to build NGSS-aligned, cross-curricular lessons.
The Leaf Detective: A CASE Book Report
As an educator, I am forever looking for the perfect attention-grabbing hook for my lesson. How do I enthrall my students, encourage them to ask questions, and evoke curiosity? The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets in the…
Hurricanes!
Hurricanes just keep coming! This is hurricane season, so hurricanes will be in the news for the next couple months. Kids in California have likely never experienced a hurricane, but they all have stories to tell about big storms they’ve experienced…
Science Fair Family Academy
Getting middle school students to participate in the annual science fair has always been challenging. And the fact that it’s a virtual science fair meant that we knew we had to do something new to support our students. Our plan: a Science Fair Family…
Calling all K-8 teachers of science!
WestEd is conducting cutting edge new research on the impact of the COVID-19 school closures. They need teachers to share their experiences with teaching science through distance learning.
Making Choices and Making Messes: What student agency looks like in science classrooms
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) encourage students to not just “know about science,” but to actively engage in “doing science.” Rather than carrying out pre-designed investigations, students should have “epistemic agency,” or ownership…
Introducing Middle School Students to the Crosscutting Concepts
The crosscutting concepts are one of the three pillars upon which the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are built. The other two are the Science and Engineering Practices and the Disciplinary Core Ideas.