NSTA Reports

ScientiSt StereotypeS eroding Among StudentS pg 6

CONTENTS

3 Inclusive Education Inspires Good Student Citizenship

6 NSTA Member Poll: Scientist Stereotypes Eroding Among Students

9 Building Tiny Houses to Teach STEM

10 Videos Enhance Teachers’ Grasp of Standards

GRAB BAGPull-Out Section!

G1 Freebies

G3 What’s New

G4 In Your Pocket

15 ‘Wowing’ Students With Radio Astronomy

17 NSTA Press Free Chapter Excerpt: When the Sun Goes Dark

18 Blick on Flicks: Everything, Everything

21 Ms. Mentor: Finding, and Staying on, Focus

23 Mark Your Calendar, Join the Science and Children Team!

24 Peer Mentors Make a Difference

Summer 2017 Vol. 29 No. 1www.nsta.org

Building Tiny Houses To Teach STEM 9

Zero Waste, pg 5

National Science Teachers Association ‘Wowing’ Students With Radio Astronomy 15

Striving for a Zero-Waste SchoolTaking actions to become a zero-waste school can be “a big pain,” says Brian Shmaefsky, professor of biology and environmental science at Lone Star College in Kingwood, Texas. But he adds, “As an environmental scientist, I typically look at waste reduction be-cause of budget concerns…Now [that] we can provide digital [assignments and tests] at school, it has really made a big difference in reducing paper costs. [We’ve seen a] 95% drop in costs.”

While “budget cuts drive zero-waste efforts,” he allows, “a cost-cutting mentality [must eventually be] re-placed by a sustainability mentality.”

In labs, says Shmaefsky, zero waste “gets tricky. Traditional labs use a lot of reagents, animal specimens, and dis-posables.” He advises, “First try to do as much virtually as possible; students get the same effect without chemical and animal waste. With virtual labs, [students] can make an error and not have to start over. [After the virtual lab,] then do an actual lab, and [you’ll] have less mistakes made by students.”

In his school’s chemistry courses, teachers “took a reduction approach [by using] smaller amounts of reagents per class. Or [they substituted] labs [for ones in which] some chemicals are re-usable, versus [having] waste disposal. In simple procedures, [you can] reuse reagents,” he relates.

Biology teachers found “a vendor that [sold] simple home kits with re-usable, safe materials. Students could buy the kits instead of paying a lab

fee,” Shmaefsky contends. “When students are finished with the kits, as the group project, students could clean them up and donate them to schools that didn’t have the materials. [Schools receiving donations] were particularly elementary schools; we gave them instructions to recycle or reuse the kits. Anything that had to be disposed of was environmentally friend-ly and in small amounts....

“A civic engagement proj-ect made our environmental science class very green. We became a recipient of trash; students collected trash and built their own environ-mental equipment. [For ex-ample, instead of throwing soda bottles in the trash,] they made Berlese funnels out of [the] bottles,” Shmaefsky recalls.

At P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children in New York City, K–5 sci-ence teacher Shakira Provasoli serves as sustainability coordinator and has spearheaded zero-waste efforts. Last year, when a kindergarten class discov-ered their classroom couldn’t achieve zero waste because of the cafeteria food’s packaging, she had the kinder-garteners write letters explaining the problem, and sent them to the city’s Department of Education’s Office of Sustainability. When the city’s departments of sanitation and edu-

cation chose 100 schools to launch a zero-waste pilot program, her school was among them.

“It was the first year my school had a lot of resources and people devoted to zero waste,” says Provasoli. “It was a lot easier to do because I was not the only one to promote sustainability.”

A group of parents found a source of compostable trays to replace plas-tic foam trays, for example. “A waste disposal service agreed to pick up the composted trays for free if the school weighed [the amount of compost] for

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At P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children in New York City, science teacher Shakira Provasoli encourages students to place recyclable materials in the recycle bin.

NSTA Reports

Published nine times a year (Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., May, Summer [July], Sept., Oct., Nov.), NSTA Reports is an award-winning publication of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201.

Publisher’s Editorial StatementNSTA Reports, the Association’s member newspaper, is a key source of news and information for science teachers, administrators, principals, and educators at all levels of science instruction. This valuable member benefit contains concise, easy-to-read articles that are timely, practical, personal, and thought-provoking. Printed in 4-color format, NSTA Reports features popular regular columns and more:

• Ms. Mentor advises educators on challenges in the science classroom;• Blick on Flicks sorts good science from bad in movies and other media,

helping turn entertainment into engaging teachable science;• In Your Pocket informs about grants and other financial opportunities;• Freebies for Science Teachers provides information on free resources and

materials for educators;• Summer Programs offers details about professional opportunities for science teachers in their “off season;” and• Feature articles focus on science teaching and teachers; and in-depth information about NSTA’s activities and programs

Closing Dates2019 SPACE RESERVATION AD MATERIALISSUES DEADLINE DEADLINE

January November 1, 2018 November 9, 2018February November 30, 2018 December 10, 2018March January 2, 2019 January 10, 2019April February 1, 2019 February 11, 2019May March 1, 2019 March 11, 2019Summer May 1, 2019 May 10, 2019September July 1, 2019 July 10, 2019October August 1, 2019 August 9, 2019November September 2, 2019 September 10, 2019

Where change of copy or insertion order is not received by closing date, advertisement will be inserted as previously rendered.

NSTA Advertising DepartmentFor information or space reservations, contact: Becky Shoemaker

1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201–3092 • Tel: 703-312–9228 • Fax: 703-841–5114 •E-mail: [email protected] our website at: www.nsta.org/exhibitsadv/NSTAReports.aspx

2019 Editorial ProfilE

CirculationTotal circulation of 50,000 with a reading pass-along of three based on the most recent survey. Readership, includes all active NSTA members in the United States and Canada, and can be broken down as follows:

• Elementary—27%; • Middle Level—45%; • High School—48%; • College/University—17%. (Totals greater than 100% as some educators work in more than one level)

A STEM ApproAch To TrAnSforM TEAchEr EducATion pg 3

CONTENTS3 A STEM Approach to

Transform Teacher Education

6 NSTA Member Poll: Some Schools Replacing Science, STEM Fairs

8 Taking STEM Home in a Backpack


G1 Freebies

G3 News Bits

G4 What’s New

G6 In Your Pocket

G8 Summer Programs

11 Ms. Mentor: Making the Most of Prior Experiences

14 NSTA Press Free Chapter Excerpt: Picture-Perfect STEM Lessons, K–2

16 Blick on Flicks: The Princess Bride — 30 Years Later

19 Mark Your Calendar

20 NSTA Needs You!

October 2017 Vol. 29 No. 3www.nsta.org

Some Schools Replacing Science, STEM Fairs 6

STEM Races, pg 5

National Science Teachers Association Taking STEM Home In a Backpack 8

Off to the STEM Races When students build race cars and com-pete in races, they can learn science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts, are more likely to retain what they learned, and have fun in the process, educators have found. Building and racing CO2-powered drag-sters—miniature race cars propelled by a carbon dioxide cartridge—“creates a lot of excitement and anticipation in students. When I tell students that [there] is going to be a competition, that sparks a lot of students to want to try and make the best car possible,” says Matt Hall, a fifth-grade teacher at Manchester Middle School in Manches-ter, Michigan.

The project began two years ago when Amcor, a global supplier of plastic packaging that has a local office, gave the school a $2,500 grant to fund a science project. Hall and the other fifth-grade teachers “decided to do CO2 cars. It lined up with what I was teaching in fifth-grade science, in a forces and mo-tion unit,” Hall explains. “When I was in high school, we built CO2-powered dragsters, and it was a memorable proj-ect for me. I liked designing something and building it and seeing it in 3D.”

The grant paid for “consumables, car parts, a starting gate and finish line with a sensor, equipment, and paint,” Hall relates. The following year, another Amcor grant of “$800 or $900” funded paint and other consumables, he notes.

During the design phase, “we looked at car designs: what made cars faster and more aerodynamic,” he reports. “There was a relationship be-tween what we discussed and building

the cars. It was force and motion prin-ciples in action.” Before designing the cars, he says many students had trou-ble understanding the effects of mass on acceleration. Afterward, “I was very surprised to see some students who were special education or not the best academically come up with some interesting designs,” he observes.

Next, Hall and co-teacher Cindy Karapas “set up different stations [for activities like] prototyping, cutting [car bodies from balsa wood], drilling, sanding, and painting,” he explains. They ensured safety by having stu-dents wear eye protection and aprons to protect their clothes, roll up long

sleeves, and tie back long hair. In addi-tion, “I spent most of the time supervis-ing [the cutting and drilling stations],” he asserts. Parent vol-unteers also staffed the stations to pre-vent injuries.

Students then raced their cars in the tour nament. About 100 f i f th graders participat-ed in the race each year, Hall recalls. Ex-citement about the event has made stu-dents “more likely to talk about the project and the sci-ence,” he contends.

“Some students do worry that if their car loses in the first round of racing, is that going to affect their grade? I tell [them] their grade on their car project is not depen-dent on how well they do in the race. They are graded on thoughtful design of their car, taking into consideration all that we have learned about forces and motion,” he points out.

For 10 years, Kara Gelinas—grades 5–6 science teacher at Edgartown School in Edgartown, Massachusetts—has run annual solar car races for fifth and sixth graders at schools on Martha’s Vineyard. Energy services organization

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Building race cars made of food and powered by potential energy stored in a rubber band is one of the hands-on, inquiry-based activities in the Roads, Rails, and Race Cars after-school program, held in schools around Nebraska.

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Sharing EnthuSiaSm to incrEaSE StEm intErESt pg 3

CONTENTS3 Sharing Enthusiasm to

Increase STEM Interest

6 53 Children’s Science Trade Books Recognized as ‘Outstanding’

8 Teaching Challenges Vary Across Urban, Rural, and Suburban Schools

10 NSTA Member Poll: Benefits of Allowing Make-Up Work Outweigh Drawbacks


G1 Freebies

G3 News Bits

G4 What’s New

G6 In Your Pocket

G8 Summer Programs

12 Blick on Flicks: Science and Engineering on the Orient Express

15 Ask a Mentor: Advice on Technology, Assessments, Efficient Grading, and Sub Plans

17 NSTA Press Free Chapter Excerpt: Problem-Based Learning in the Earth and Space Science Classroom K–12


20 Vote for NSTA’s Board and Council

January 2018 Vol. 29 No. 5www.nsta.org

NSTA Member Poll: Benefits of Allowing Make-Up Work Outweigh Drawbacks 10

NASA Grants, pg 4

National Science Teachers Association Teaching Challenges Vary Across Urban, Rural, and Suburban Schools 8

NASA Grants Rocket Informal Ed Ahead Grants from NASA’s Competitive Program for Science Museums, Plan-etariums, and NASA Visitor Centers (CP4SMPVC) enable the agency to partner with informal education venues to enhance their space science related–programs and engage teachers and students in NASA’s mission. But the CP4SMPVC hasn’t awarded new grants since early 2017. Why should science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers care about this?

Teachers and students partnering with Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gar-den in Coral Gables, Florida, on the Growing Beyond Earth (GBE) STEM education program care because in the first two years of Fairchild’s $1.25 million, four-year CP4SMPVC grant for the program, middle and high school students identified 91 varieties of edible plants suitable for zero-gravity growth in the International Space Station’s plant growth facility. GBE students have tested 106 varieties of plants so far as part of the Fairchild Challenge, a Miami-based environmental science competition, according to Amy Padolf, Fairchild’s director of education. Padolf and Carl Lewis, Fairchild’s director, de-signed GBE with researchers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

According to Padolf, 136 classrooms in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe counties participate, and GBE will expand to “another 15 in Palm Beach County” and be tested at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gar-dens in Columbus, Ohio.

With the grant funding, which be-gan in 2016 and will last until 2020, “we give schools all the equipment neces-sary to conduct the research, along with rigid research pro-tocols from NASA scientists, and pro-vide training for the teachers,” Pa-dolf explains. The schools grow the plants, collect data, and “input it into spreadsheets that are shared with NASA research-ers…It’s one of the few NASA grant projects that is feed-ing their research,” she points out.

Students are get-ting real-world expe-rience “working with plant research, statistics, and data collection; writing proposals; and presenting research posters that NASA will review,” Padolf relates, “and NASA scientists are com-municating with students regularly via Twitter [@GrowBeyondEarth].”

Teachers report that “students have a greater interest in plant science and STEM careers…Kids who have never grown anything are [feeling] empow-ered,” she contends.

Teaching Students About FlightTeachers and students who visit the Flight aerospace exhibit at EdVenture, an educational museum in Columbia, South Carolina, would care if EdVen-ture hadn’t received its three-year, $893,224 CP4SMPVC grant. The grant provided funds to design and build the exhibit—including a real Boeing 757 cockpit attached to the museum—and

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What Is the Policy If Students Do Not Turn in Assignments on Time?

The assignment is not accepted andstudents do not receive any points 3%

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Points are not given for assignments, sothere is no direct effect on student grades

The assignment is acceptedlate, but points are deducted

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Students aren’t permitted to take the test or completethe final project until all assignments are turned in

Any assignment not turned in during class may still besubmitted by the end of the school day without penalty

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As part of a NASA CP4SMPVC grant to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Florida, middle and high school students have identified 91 varieties of edible plants suitable for zero-gravity growth.

Context Makes sCienCe More aCCessible pg 14

CONTENTS3 What Is Educational

Research? Why Should You Care?

6 Strategies for Engaging Students in STEM

8 NSTA Member Poll: Science Educators Share Views on Parent Volunteers

10 Money 101: 403(b) + 401(k) + 457 ≠ An Algebra Equation


G1 Freebies

G3 News Bits

G4 What’s New

G6 In Your Pocket

G8 Summer Programs

14 Context Makes Science More Accessible

16 Blick on Flicks: Leap–ing Into Science

19 NSTA Press Free Chapter Excerpt: Eureka! Grade 3–5 Science Activities and Stories

20 Ask a Mentor: Starting Clubs, Creating Tests, Surviving the First Year


24 NSTA Awards Seek Exceptional Science Educators

November 2017 Vol. 29 No. 4www.nsta.org

Ask a Mentor: Starting Clubs, Creating Tests, Surviving the First Year 20

Veterinary Science, pg 4

National Science Teachers Association Strategies for Engaging Students in STEM 6

Educating Students About Veterinary ScienceVeterinary schools at universities around the country are offering pro-grams for students interested in vet-erinary medicine and informing them about careers in the field. Oregon State University’s (OSU) Summer Veterinary Experience, for example, lets academi-cally talented high school students from underrepresented populations “see the diversity of experiences you can have as a veterinarian; [there are] more options than just private practice,” says Tess Collins, admissions coordinator for OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “Veterinarians are dentists, surgeons, anesthesiologists,” and students par-ticipating in the six-day program learn about “the complexity and variety of veterinary research,” she relates. “It’s a more immersive experience than what they have in school, typically.”

The program also provides a way for students to experience “what being a veterinary student [at OSU’s Cor-vallis campus] would be like,” Collins explains. In its first year, 10 Oregon students participated; last year, 24 stu-dents—including several from outside Oregon—were chosen from nearly 100 applicants. “Most students have pretty good grades and are motivated to do well in science courses,” she adds.

“We want the program to be hands-on and have a small-group feel,” Collins observes. Veterinary student mentors choose the program’s activ-ities, which this year included doing electrocardiograms and physical exam-inations on dogs, she explains.

The students spend three to four days conducting lab research with OSU’s biomedical research staff, exploring “intense topics, such as the immune responses of cheetah and elk, feline injection site sarcomas, and examining the genotypes of litters of mice and determining [those of] the parents us-ing [polymerase chain reaction],” says Collins. They also practice 21st-century skills such as “how to work together, communicate, and make presentations.”

To ascertain the program’s success, Collins says she does “an e-mail check-in every year, and typically those who

respond [comprise] about half of the group.” A recent check-in showed “100% were pursuing undergraduate education; 90% were still interested in veterinary medicine; and the rest were still science-minded,” she reports.

Strong Student InterestPurdue University’s week-long summer residential Junior and Senior Boiler Vet Camps draw about 500 applicants for the two camps, including students from outside Indiana and from Europe,

Oregon State University’s Summer Veterinary Experience informs academically talented high school students from underrepresented populations about diverse career options in veterinary medicine.

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Engaging All StudEntS in SciEncE pg 16

CONTENTS3 Defining‘Success’for

InclusiveSTEMSchools

6 Money101:ShouldYouBeWorriedAboutRetirement?

8 TeachingSTEMWithaFoodComputer

10 NSTAAreaConferencesMakeProfessionalDevelopmentAccessible

12 STEMCampsShowcasePBL


G1 Freebies

G3 NewsBits

G4 What’sNew

G6 InYourPocket

G8 SummerPrograms

16 EngagingAllStudentsinScience

19 NSTAMemberPoll:ScienceEducators’TopFinancialChallenge?Retirement

20 BlickonFlicks:Wonder Woman AppliesEnergyandPressuretoSavetheWorld

22 Ms.Mentor:MovingForwardProfessionally

24 NSTAPressFreeChapterExcerpt:Notable Notebooks; NSTA,NCTMName2017STEMTeacherAmbassadors

26 MarkYourCalendar;TaketheLeadatNSTA!

28 SpaceOutWithNSTAKidsBooks

September 2017 Vol. 29 No. 2www.nsta.org

Teaching STEM With a Food Computer 8

ScientistPartners,pg5

National Science Teachers Association STEM Camps Showcase PBL 12

Partnering With ScientistsWhile it’s common for many teachers to have a scientist visit their classroom once or twice a year, some teachers have formed long-term partnerships that enable scientists to spend signif-icant time with their students. Cindy Hopkins, science teacher at Kaffie Middle School in Corpus Christi, Texas, met one of her scientist part-ners—Janel Ortiz, a graduate student from Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK)—at a professional develop-ment session on quail that Ortiz led at TAMUK. “There is no extra money for field trips, so I actively seek science professionals to come to my class and connect students with real-world sci-ence,” Hopkins explains.

“This past spring, I had Janel come to my class [twice a week for two months] and teach a unit about quail (her area of expertise)…Researchers and scientists are another voice for my students, and they pay more attention [to them],” Hopkins contends.

“Janel brought good binoculars, and my students used them...to [examine] bird bands...She asked students to give her evidence, and taught them how to do it…When [scientists do] this, stu-dents make connections from the class-room to the field,” Hopkins maintains.

“I did activities alongside the stu-dents. They got to see me as a learner. I asked questions to help students con-nect her material with what I’ve taught them,” she relates. Having Ortiz teach the unit also “allowed me to sit down with students that need one-on-one attention and connect with them,” she notes.

David Lockett, middle-level sci-ence, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teacher at Edward W. Bok Academy in Lake Wales, Florida, benefitted when Principal Damien Moses helped bring Keith Young, CEO of Detroit-based Ecotek—a research organization promoting science edu-cation and careers for students ages 10 to 17 (www.ecotek-us.com)—to the city’s charter school system for two semes-ters. Young co-taught “and deliver[ed] lessons on citrus greening and alterna-tive battery and fuel options with our STEM classes,” says Lockett. “We had a community need because a plant and tree disease was affecting citrus crops.”

Young even took some middle school and high school students to the U.S. Department of Agriculture

National Lab for Genetic Research Preservation in Fort Collins, Colorado. “Students made bactericide and did directional drone studies of infected trees. [The trip] showed students how something in Florida could also affect the rest of the country and the world,” Lockett reports.

“In grad school, one of my friends was working on his thesis and was required to do outreach as part of his own graduate work. That school year, Dr. J. P. Trasatti ( J.P.) came to my classroom to share his research with the students,” recalls Nichole Mantas, a biology teacher in New York, “then he and I designed a hands-on activity to simulate his research. He had been

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A Vanderbilt University Scientist in the Classroom Partnership fellow helps middle school students in the Nashville, Tennessee, area test their car design for speed.

InspIre problem solvers WIth purposeful stem projects pg 3

CONTENTS3 Inspire Problem Solvers

With Purposeful STEM Projects

4 Bringing Seismic Data to the Classroom

6 NSTA Member Poll: Soft Skills Essential for Student Success

8 Money 101: What Teachers Can Do About Health Care Costs


G1 Freebies

G3 News Bits

G4 What’s New

G7 In Your Pocket

G8 Summer Programs

13 Ask a Mentor: Inquiry, Class Discussion, Homework, and Motivation

14 Blick on Flicks: Science in the Backyard Wilderness

16 NSTA Press Free Chapter Excerpt: A Head Start on Life Science: Encouraging a Sense of Wonder


20 Join NSTA’s Journals Team!

May 2018 Vol. 29 No. 9www.nsta.org

Money 101: What Teachers Can Do About Health Care Costs 8

See Electric Cars, pg 2

National Science Teachers Association Bringing Seismic Data To the Classroom 4

Students around the country are learn-ing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by designing, build-ing, and racing electric cars. Mario Molina, eighth-grade science teacher at Dr. Juliet V. Garcia Middle School in Brownsville, Texas, co-coached (with a seventh-grade math teacher) a team of 3 seventh graders and 10 eighth graders who built a single-seat electric-powered racecar and competed in the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley HESTEC (Hispanic Engineering, Science, and Technology Week) GreenPowerUSA South Texas Electric Car Competition, held at the Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport on April 6–7 (see www.greenpowerusa.net). They competed to see which car could drive the farthest in 90 minutes with one set of batteries. “It was a good opportunity for students to look at a vehicle and see the components from start to end, and work on a project in a group setting,” Molina contends.

Brownsville Independent School District paid for 10 car kits from Green-powerUSA for its 10 middle schools. The kits cost about $5,000 each and consisted of “a body, a motor, and batteries,” says Molina. “The students had to design the outside body panels, choose their own design and colors... The skeleton of the car had two pieces and had to be put together with the motor and wiring,” he explains. The kits arrived in February 2018, giving the students two months to build them before the race.

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Brownsville (Texas) Independent School District’s top three Middle School Division cars that competed in the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) HESTEC (Hispanic Engineering, Science, and Technology Week) GreenPowerUSA South Texas Electric Car Competition included the second-place winning car from Garcia Middle School (center car).

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Building Electric Cars Enhances STEM Learning

As they built the car’s interior, Mo-lina says students learned about engi-neering and electrical work, as well as using hand tools and safety equipment, reading a blueprint, and “problem solving—why is the car making this noise?” Students designed the car’s exterior “on their own as homework, and they brought their ideas to school. There was a lot of homework with this project,” he reports.

Though the district funded the car kits, tools, and teacher training ($6,500 per school), the students had to find additional donors. Garcia’s teachers donated three sets of driving suits and gloves for the drivers, and a local busi-

ness donated a sheet of corrugated plas-tic for the car’s body, says Molina. The students collected $800 in donations.

Molina’s team placed second in the race’s Middle School Division. It also had High School and College divisions, and “it was very impressive when the students got to see the high school and college students’ cars and what advanced things they did with their cars,” which further inspired them, Molina observes.

Though Jack Rosenthal’s high school students at Lennox Mathemat-ics, Science, and Technology Academy

PD, Materials, tiMe: Key to teaching science eDucation pg 6

CONTENTS3 Not Your Mother’s

Nonfiction

6 PD,Materials,Time:KeytoTeachingScienceEducation

8 HelpingSpecialNeedsStudentsSucceedinSTEM

10 NSTAMemberPoll:PlanningStrategicallyforSummerPD

12 DiggingIntoSTEAMinanARSandbox


G1 Freebies

G4 What’s New

G6 NewsBits

G7 InYourPocket

G8 SummerPrograms

16 AskaMentor:AdviceonScienceFairBlues,AssessmentforLearning,HostingaScienceNight

18 BlickonFlicks:Coco: MusicandMemory

22 TeachingStudentstoCritiquePeers

24 NSTAPressFreeChapterExcerpt:Beyond the Egg Drop

27 MarkYourCalendar;SpecialGrade-LevelEventsatNSTA’sAtlantaConference

28 SchatzElectedNSTA2019–2020President

March 2018 Vol. 29 No. 7www.nsta.org

Special Grade-Level Events At NSTA’s Atlanta Conference 27

StudentChapters,pg4

National Science Teachers Association Digging Into STEAM In an AR Sandbox 12

NSTA Student Chapters Cultivate Professional, Community TiesWhether they’re helping to judge a regional science fair; conducting fam-ily science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) nights; or learning about professional norms from an inservice teacher, members of NSTA Student Chapters are laying the foundations for their professional lives.

At Stony Brook University, New York, all science teacher preparation students are strongly encouraged to join NSTA and the Science Teachers Association of New York State. “This is the beginning of their professional preparation; we encourage them to become part of the larger science teacher community. We try to set [our students] off on a path that will shape their professional careers” by encour-aging membership in professional organizations, explains Linda Padwa, associate director of Stony Brook’s Science Teacher Preparation Program. The students, typically either seniors or graduate students, interact with inser-vice teachers and secondary school stu-dents through volunteer work with the Science Olympiad and regional science fairs. They also work as assistants in the university’s Institute for STEM Educa-tion after-school program and teaching labs taught by faculty members.

“These are genuine interactions with students. [Stony Brook preser-vice teachers] demonstrate how to use equipment and guide [the grades 7–12] students through the lab pro-tocols. Our students who participate in teaching labs are really ready for student teaching: They’re comfortable;

they’re ready to go when they get into the classroom,” Padwa asserts. “When our students participate, they meet inservice teachers…they frequently make connections that lead to place-ments for student teaching and even future employment.”

She likes to remind her students of the importance of creating a pro-fessional network, telling them, “You never know where it can lead. There are no guarantees, but if you’re out there, you stand a chance.”

The NSTA Student Chapter at Central Michigan University (CMU), formed in 2002, was the seventh in the country, according to Jim McDonald,

professor of science education and the chapter’s faculty advisor. The group currently runs three programs to bring more science to local schools: Family Science Nights, STEM Involvement Nights, and Science Hours.

“The students organize three family science nights a semester,” explains McDonald, who also serves as the president of the Council for Elemen-tary Science International. The events feature six or seven activities for parents and children to do together and often include handouts if they want to con-tinue at home. The STEM Involvement

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Coryn Cange, a member of the NSTA Student Chapter at Stony Brook University, guides high school students as they study water filtration in a chemistry teaching lab.

Money 101: A CheAt Sheet on tAx RefoRM pg 4

CONTENTS3 Is Research Worth

Reading?

4 Money 101: A Cheat Sheet on Tax Reform

8 NSTA Member Poll: Educators Reflect on Their Science Methods Courses

10 Learn and Connect at NSTA’s Atlanta Conference


G1 Freebies

G3 News Bits

G4 What’s New

G7 In Your Pocket

G8 Summer Programs

12 Ask a Mentor: Advice on Considering Relocations, Discipline, Differentiation, and Scaffolding Lessons

15 Blick on Flicks: Downsizing: Global Thinking on a Small Scale

17 NSTA Press Free Chapter Excerpt: Creating a STEM Culture for Teaching and Learning

19 Mark Your Calendar, NSTA’s New Engineering E-Mail List

20 3-D Printing Copies Properties of Human Tissues

February 2018 Vol. 29 No. 6www.nsta.org

Learn and Connect At NSTA’s Atlanta Conference 10

Breakout Boxes, pg 6

National Science Teachers Association NSTA Press Excerpt: Creating a STEM Culture for Teaching and Learning 17

Unlocking Science in Breakout GamesThe popularity of escape rooms— physical adventure games in which players solve a series of puzzles to break out of a locked room—has carried over into science classrooms nationwide. “I have used [science-themed] breakout boxes, [games in which] the students have to break into a box by answering questions to get the right combination to a series of locks,” says Dean Good-win, upper-school science teacher at The Tatnall School in Wilmington, Delaware. His high school juniors and seniors “work together as a team to problem-solve and reinforce what they’ve learned in class…The ques-tions have to be discussed among themselves,” he explains.

In his climate change–themed game, for example, Goodwin says he gives his students the clue “in 2016, the level of carbon dioxide hit which number?” Students then use that number to either unlock a lock or solve the next prob-lem. “They have a sense of achieve-ment when they manage to figure out a clue and take a lock off,” he relates.

“I have my students develop their own games to share and field-test with their classmates,” says Goodwin. He points teachers to the BreakoutEDU immersive learning games platform (www.breakoutedu.com), which has free resources for teachers to create and share breakout games, along with breakout boxes, locks and other sup-plies, and games for purchase.

“A few years ago, a former colleague [Matt Buckley, director of educational

technology at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Maryland] and I created a BreakoutEDU game related to 2D projectile motion for my high school freshman conceptual physics classes. The storyline is the mystery of D.B. Cooper [who hijacked a Boeing 727 aircraft in 1971, escaped with $1 million, and has never been found], and students are asked to do 1D and 2D motion calculations [to break into the box],” says Samantha Reich, who now teaches physics and chem-istry at Boston’s Beaver Country Day School. “We played [BreakoutEDU’s] team-building games as faculty and thought it would be a good game to re-

view content and a good team-building activity for students. Students didn’t forget the game, so I was able to refer to it later in the year.”

Reich’s game included both physical and digital clues. “Students were given a fake flight manifesto and had to cal-culate where D.B. Cooper landed [to open locks]. At the end, they had to walk [virtually via Google Cardboard] into a restaurant and figure out where D.B. Cooper is,” she explains. “We gave them a lot of information, but some of it was extra and not needed [to solve the problems]. There were

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Dean Goodwin, upper-school science teacher at The Tatnall School in Wilmington, Delaware, uses breakout box games that allow his students to collaborate and solve problems to get the combinations to a series of locks.

Dean Goodwin, upper-school science teacher at The Tatnall School in Wilmington, Delaware, uses breakout box games that allow his students to collaborate and solve problems to get the combinations to a series of locks.

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Government PartnershiPs suPPort science education pg 3

CONTENTS3 Government Partnerships

Support Science Education

6 NSTA Member Poll: Educators Evaluate Homework

8 Putting STEM Into Earth Day


G1 Freebies

G3 News Bits

G4 What’s New

G6 In Your Pocket

G8 Summer Programs

11 Ask a Mentor: Advice on Motion, Inclusion, and More

14 Blick on Flicks: A Wrinkle in Time

16 NSTA Press Free Chapter Excerpt: Adventures With Arthropods: Eco-Friendly Lessons for Middle School


20 Highlights From 2018 National Conference on Science Education

April 2018 Vol. 29 No. 8www.nsta.org

NSTA Member Poll: Educators Evaluate Homework 6

See Breakerspaces, pg 4

National Science Teachers Association Putting STEM Into Earth Day 8

Building STEM Knowledge in a BreakerspaceA breakerspace—a makerspace work-station where students can disassemble toys, electronics, and appliances— engages students “in the ‘how does this work,’ ‘what makes things work,’ ‘I wonder,’ and tinkering phases of in-vestigating the world around them. In the age of touch screens, cell phones, headphones, etc., it is important to stress engaging with others and the world around them and to foster [students’] curiosity,” says Cynthia Crockett, science education specialist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Cen-ter for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “This is not a new phenomenon—the ‘take-apart table’ [dates back to] the 90’s—but…[it] has seen a resurgence [recently] with the advent of makerspaces.”

Crockett emphasizes that “no smashing or wanton destruction [is] permitted; that defeats the very purpose.” Instead, teachers should encourage students to “explore and move toward understanding the work-ings,” which happens when students study objects “to figure out how to ‘get inside,’ see how it is put togeth-er…‘undo’ it, then…[re-examine it].” Students can further their learning by reassembling the item, she adds.

When Janet Sweat of Lake City, Florida, taught middle school, her students “would take apart broken toys to create cars that run. We would re-purpose motors and create circuits…A broken PlayStation became a car with a pop-up top and headlights,” she

recalls. “The students were extremely creative.”

Sweat had students sketch their cre-ations beforehand. “The art piece was necessary [to show] what will the thing look like? What is the energy source? How will the circuit be designed?”

Afterward, the students “remem-bered those circuits and did well on tests,” she asserts.

Lucas Carr, technology teacher at Sullivan North High School in King-sport, Tennessee, says his breakerspace “is a large part of my classroom...I have had students run through labs [in which] we took older/inoperable computers apart; students have brought in old elec-tronic toys to repurpose parts; and we also compete in robotics competitions, which have involved many disassemblies

of completed robots. In all, I believe these activities offer increased student motivation, and an opportunity for educators to present the knowledge and skills that students need to work with 21st-century concepts and equipment.”

Carr has a closet designated for stor-age of items to be dismantled. “One of the biggest challenges is having enough space so you can keep a good supply and give students a range [of items] to choose from,” he reports.

While Carr’s students are most focused on electronics, he suggests teachers who want to establish a break-erspace “start with what you’re most familiar with.” Some teachers and students might be more comfortable

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First Grade

Kindergarten

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Janet Sweat’s middle school students in Lake City, Florida, disassembled broken toys to create cars, some that would run with remote controls and others without them.

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