Category Archives: Uncategorized

Sounds of the Forest is a map of sound files from forests around the world.

I can imagine multiple ways that educators might use Sounds of the Forest;

• Maybe students just listen to a random location as a moment of focus and wellness…there is something soothing about these sounds.
• Maybe as students are learning about different ecosystems they can add research on the sounds…something we don’t typically consider when learning about a place.
• Maybe students listen to some of the music created with sounds from the forest.
• Maybe students are learning about sound and use this as an example of natural sounds and consider how these sounds are made.

Acapella Science is back with a brand new video titled Leukocyte. By the way, if you aren’t aware of Acapella Science then you need to check out some of the classic science parody videos below. Pure genius by Tim Blais.

EarthGen is providing a series of climate related professional learning opportunities for WA educators this spring.

There are three different asynchronous courses (I signed up for a couple of them so hope to “see” some of you there.) and also four STEM seminars. See the flyer below for titles, dates, and links.

I am a Scientist is a wonderful site that promotes the diversity of working scientists. The vision of the project is that “everyone deserves to see themselves in science.” The clear objective is to share the stories of a diverse group of STEM professionals in strategic ways that get the stories into classrooms.

One of my favorite resources provided is a set of posters. You can purchase a set of posters to support the project or download and print your own set. The posters are nicely designed, concise, and clear.

You will also find an Educator Portal which links you to a variety of digital toolkits, lesson plans, slide presentations, etc.

I highly recommend checking out this project and site!

You probably will not be surprised to know that a building principal is a major key to successful professional learning of science teachers. Dr. Kate McNeil and her team have done lots of great work studying professional development for building principals and also in developing tools for this specific type of professional learning. See Instructional Leadership for Science Practices.

You can also find a FREE article from the Journal of Research in Science Teaching titled Professional Development to Support Principals’ Vision of Science Instruction. This article nicely describes how principals initially engage with observing science lessons and how to connect those initial strategies to reform efforts in science instruction.

One of my favorite quotes is below. I appreciate this quote because I feel like my personal experiences working with multiple middle school and high school principals aligns with this finding.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I have a deep love of all things picture books. I used picture books as an elementary teacher to teach multiple content areas and I’ve continued to use picture books in my work with preservice and inservice teachers.

Here are my Top 10 Science Picture books for 2022. To be clear, some of these books were not published in 2022 but I “discovered” all of these in 2022. I hope you enjoy the list. Let me know what you might add in the comments.

Animal Allies: 15 Amazing Women in Wildlife Research by Elizabeth Pagel- Hogan

This book describes 15 women and their outdoor research on biodiversity and conservation.

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Adapted by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt)

I have been a huge fan of the original Braiding Sweetgrass for several years. I use excerpts from the book in professional development and in courses I teach. So when I learned that the book had been adapted for youth- I was thrilled. This book is a gift from Dr. Kimmerer that shares stories of Indigenous ways of thinking and Indigenous relationships with the natural world. Maybe not technically a “picture book”…but I felt it was more than worthy of sharing here. If you have never read the original Braiding Sweetgrass this might actually be a great entry point.

The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet by David L. Harrison, illustrated by Kate Cosgrove

Some people I work with are surprised to learn how much I love poetry. (I guess “science” people aren’t supposed to appreciate literacy?) This fabulous little book uses 15 poems to describe soil and the living things that thrive within the soil. Excellent book for primary students.

Disasters by the Numbers: A Book of Infographics by Steve Jenkins

There are a lot of reasons why I love this book- but the primary reason is that it provides a great way for students to engage with the science practice of Analyzing and Interpreting Data. This practice tends to be a challenge for students at all levels and having a set of infographics on a compelling topic is highly useful. The book provides multiple ways of representing data and helps make the case that representing data doesn’t have to be boring and static- but that thoughtful data representation helps tell a story.

Inside In: X-Rays of Nature’s Hidden World by Jan Paul Schutten, illustrated by Arie ‘t Riet

This is a wonderful book that shows how art and science can be combined. The beautiful and haunting x-ray images provide an invitation to consider structure and function (on of our Crosscutting Concepts) in the natural world.

Wonder Women of Science: Twelve Geniuses Who Are Currently Rocking Science, Technology, And the World by Tiera Fletcher; Ginger Rue, illustrated by Sally Wern Comport

It is no coincidence that there is another book on this list to feature women in science. One of my goals is to always promote and elevate the work of women in science. And this book does just that by sharing about 12 current women in STEM fields. This book also provides ideas for how to get involved with STEM.

The Mystery of the Monarchs: How Kids, Teachers, and Butterfly Fans Helped Fred and Norah Urquhart Track the Great Monarch Migration by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Erika Meza

I was listening to a story about monarch butterflies on NPR a few months ago and really got captured by the story. I thought that I knew a bit about monarchs and their migrations…but I realized I only knew a bit. This book not only provides information about monarchs but also tells a “citizen science” story of how school children collaborated with scientists to learn about butterflies. Great stuff!

Narwhal: The Arctic Unicorn by Justin Anderson, illustrated by Jo Weaver

I mean, what more do I need to say besides narwhal…the arctic unicorn? Lovely book.

Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin

Watercress is a book that many people might not see as a “science” book- but it is a beautiful book about culture and the natural world and plants. If you don’t know about this award winning book then I highly recommend you check it out.

The Vanishing Lake by Paddy Donnelly

This final book is another that might not be considered a true science trade book, but I would argue that this story poses a phenomenon (a vanishing lake) and describes the everyday ideas that a grandfather and granddaughter have about the phenomenon.

I hope you enjoyed this list and discovered at least one book that might be useful for your work with students or for you personally.

Leave a comment for other books that you would nominate. Thanks.

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I have had the pleasure of learning with the talented folks at Pacific Education Institute (PEI) for several years now. I’ve even had the honor of collaborating with them on developing materials and delivering professional development. So I wanted to take the opportunity to push out information for a FREE workshop series from PEI on Designing High Impact Field Experiences. I highly recommend any professional learning from PEI. Unfortunately I’m already booked on one of these evenings, otherwise I would see you there.

Information:

• Online via Zoom
• March 16th and March 29th via Zoom with 2 hours of asynchronous work
• Zoom sessions 4-6pm
• 6 STEM Clock Hours
• Click HERE for more information and to register

The Climate Teacher Ed Collaborative (@ClimateEdTools) is hosting multiple monthly FREE online webinars. The first is titled Pedagogical Commitments for Climate Justice Education on February 11th, 2022 from 11am-noon PST. Dr. Fikile Nuxalmo and Pablo Montes will be sharing about their NSTA publication on Pedagogical Commitments for Climate Justice Education. I just signed up and hope to see other colleagues there too.

If you are interested you can register HERE.