| Author |
Post |
|
|
|
|
Hey Guys!
When planning lesson plans for science where can you look to find interesting and FUN activities and topics for your students while still meeting the common core standards?
Thanks!
Anna Ward
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anna,
You are already in the best possible place to find an endless number of FUN experiments for students. I would suggest an Advanced Search which can be found on your Home page. Choose your subject or topic, grade level and lesson plans to find all kinds of ideas. A lot of the more recent journal articles address common core standards.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anna,
NSTA is offering a short course that would help address your question: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/online_courses/NGSS_ShortCourse.aspx
I have participated in a couple of the Picture Perfect Science Lessons webseminars (same instructors as the short course above), and the presentation of material is based on science standards and sound pedagogical practices. Here is a link to one of the archived webseminars: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/dallas05/PPS/webseminarI.aspx and you can find others by searching through: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/web_seminar_archive_sponsor.aspx
Good luck and Have fun!
|
|
|
|
|
|
I believe the NSTA learning center is very useful and helpful for resources relating to Science. This website has a variety of useful tools from Web Seminars to free lesson plans that can assist you as a future educator and even a student in need of further assistance with different science concepts. Another helpful website is the Discovery Kids Science Center, this website also helps with educational games for students to be engaged in.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apart from the NSTA learning center, which has great resources by the way, you can go to the following places online.
National Geographic Kids http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/activities/funscience/
Science Bob.com http://www.sciencebob.com/experiments/
PBS kids http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/
Spoonful (a Disney website) http://spoonful.com/family-fun/top-15-home-science-experiments-kids
Also, if you search Pinterest, you can find some credible but really fun resources.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Those are so good resources that seem like they will engage the students because they are more fun to look at then a text book. I think having the students use resources on a computer is helpful because most of them are already use to using the internet to find any information that they want to know.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Take part in the longest-running citizen science wildlife census in the world during the 114th Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Join thousands of Americans who will conduct the annual bird survey across the country during December 14 to January 5. Volunteers spend a day counting all the birds they see within a designated area. Some people go outside to do this, while others can track birds visiting feeders in their yards. The data collected is used to assess the health of bird populations and to help guide conservation action.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related to Pamela's suggestion, you could also look into the Great Backyard Bird Count http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc This year's count is Feb. 14-17, 2014. Students and teachers could participate as a class on Friday and Monday and individually on Saturday and Sunday. Don't worry if your school is not in the woods! Common house sparrows, mallards, and rock doves (pigeons) are just as valuable to the count. You can watch in real time as observers submit their counts, noting patterns and exceptions. It's good for students to know that data from their observations become part of a scientific database, which anyone can use to explore migrations, patterns, frequency, etc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I recently discovered this website that provides some really good ideas for teaching science concepts and engineering practices. They work well with many of the Next Generation Science Standards and have a lot of cool, hands-on activities.
https://www.teachengineering.org/
|
|
|
|
|
|
I am quite fond of the NASA website. They have great activities and lessons that connect nicely with standards across the board. https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html
There are links to lesson plans and more!
|
|