CCJH Science

If you think Google Earth is great, then Google Sky is going to blow your mind. It lets you search the heavens and see images of stars, planets and galaxies taken from telescopes, probes and satellites. It includes infrared and microwave images as well as a historic map of the stars made by Giovanni Maria Cassini in 1792. If you don't know where to start, the site has some suggestions that you'll love.

Scroll down for middle school science - Reading passages for students (STEM) -- with Teacher Guide (click on links to see) for Common Core

The Teacher Guide shows the types of Common Core questions being asked.

Science Middle School Teacher thinks of herself more as a coach to lead students to inquiry and high level thinking ... increasing rigor... This post gives an example of what that looks like in the classroom

"Japan got just a little bit bigger this week, as a volcano created a brand new island about 600 miles (970 kilometers) south of Tokyo."

Cool video by science class... DOK L3 Discussion Question: If your class was to make a similar video (hypothetical unless you want to actually do it), what different examples could they use?

This is a PDF that has several formative assessment activities, but the last few pages (beginning with p.24 of the PDF) it has a neat tool for getting higher level questions/tasks (using Bloom's) embedded within a lesson. This might be good to use/introduce with teams, departments, etc.

This is a PDF that has several formative assessment activities, but the last few pages (beginning with p.24 of the PDF) it has a neat tool for getting higher level questions/tasks (using Bloom's) embedded within a lesson. This might be good to use/introduce with teams, departments, etc.

This would be a fab starting place for departments to discuss and possibly enhance or adapt for their upcoming unit/lesson.

Lionfish infestation in Atlantic escalates "Lionfish are not native to the Atlantic Ocean. The venomous, fast reproducing fish are aggressive eaters and will consume anything and everything, gorging so much they are actually getting liver disease. With no known predators -- except human beings -- they can wipe out 90% of a reef. "The lionfish invasion is probably the worst environmental disaster the Atlantic will ever face," said Graham Maddocks, president and founder of Ocean Support Foundation, which works with the government and research agencies to help reduce the lionfish population in Bermuda."

Description: A cross-curriculum unit of work was developed for Year 8 students, combining elements of the Mathematics and Science Australian Curriculum. The eight-week unit used a Project-Based Learning approach, in which students investigated a fictitious "cold case". The unit was divided into three phases. In the initial phase, students were introduced to skills and understandings which would assist them in completing the learning tasks. However, these were not explicitly linked to the upcoming tasks, requiring that students made connections themselves through a guided discovery process. In the second phase students were presented with a bare bones case file, from which some broad conclusions could be drawn and leads discussed. As students worked through the case, additional packets of evidence were released, as required. The design allowed for students to work at different paces, and in a non-linear manner. Students needed to combine their science understandings with mathematical skills and reasoning to analyze the evidence. For example, previous experiments on rusting were quantified to determine a rate equation, which, by analysis of physical evidence at the crime scene, could be used to determine approximate time of death. During this phase, students kept an ongoing series of Case File Notes, to record their predictions, calculations, analyses and conclusions. In the final phase, students completed their Case File Notes with a briefing for the prosecution lawyer, outlining the case they had built against their chosen suspect. Stepping outside the role play, they also wrote a Research Investigation on the role of science in the criminal justice system and a Reflection, evaluating what they had learned throughout the unit.

I listened to him present this and was absolutely amazed. He's willing to share any and all his ideas/resources.

How does the Earth's gravity help keep satellites in orbit? Great short video on satellites and gravity.

"National Science Bowl - The National Department of Energy offers this unique experience." The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Science Bowl® is a nationwide academic competition that tests students' knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics. Middle and high school student teams from diverse backgrounds are comprised of four students, one alternate, and a teacher who serves as an advisor and coach. These teams face-off in a fast-paced question-and-answer format, being tested on a range of science disciplines including biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, energy, and math. A featured event at the National Finals for middle school students, the Electric Car Competition, invites students to design, build, and race battery-powered model cars. This competition tests the creative engineering skills of many of the brightest math and science students in the nation as they gain hands-on experience in the automotive design process and with electric battery technology.

As the world population continues to grow and become more connected than ever, The DuPont Challenge asks students to consider our most important challenges by researching and writing a 700-1,000-word science essay in one of the four categories: Together, we can feed the world. Together, we can build a secure energy future. Together, we can protect people and the environment. Together, we can be innovative anywhere. The first three categories reflect the global challenges on which DuPont as a company focuses its efforts. The fourth category opens up possibilities for students to address other important topics, using scientific research to solve issues that can range from medicine and health to mathematical computation to any science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) topic that students are passionate about. For 7th-12th grades

Become Agents of Change! The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge is the premier national environmental sustainability competition for grades K-12 students. Through project-based learning, students learn about science and conservation while creating solutions that impact their planet. Beginning August 13, 2013 through March 4, 2014, teams from across the country will be challenged to create sustainable, reproducible environmental improvements in their local communities.

"All students and educators participating in the challenge will have their name flown on the Exploration Flight Test-I mission as a member of the virtual crew. This mission will be unmanned and will launch in late 2014. So, kids can be a "virtual explorer." There are 4 challenges, age appropriate, to help design protective radiation protection for astronauts. We need to get students interest in space travel for a variety of reasons. This is a lovely real world project for students to join. "The goal of the Exploration Design Challenge is for students to research and design ways to protect astronauts from space radiation. NASA and Lockheed Martin are developing the Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts beyond low Earth orbit and on to an asteroid or Mars. Protecting astronauts from radiation on these distant travels is an important -- and very real -- problem that needs solving. NASA would like your help!"

Video Conference with NASA

LOVE this! "This infographic includes a great activity for students of any age. Hand out Oreos to each student, and have them create each moon phase as depicted at the top of the infographic, assigning one phase per student. Then create a sun (a lamp), facing the Earth, and have students place themselves at each phase, as they believe theirs lays between the Earth and sun (as explained at the bottom of the diagram). Have students think about why they believe they belong where they belong, and ask a few to explain."

Engineering projects 

Life On Mars PBL. Students create a realistic world on Mars that could sustain life.