Group items tagged

This resource guide from the Middle School Portal 2: Math and Science Pathways project provides insight into how teachers can help middle school science students develop science vocabulary.

This publication is all about developing your middle school students' understandings of earths oceans and the major effect they have on climate. Understanding and interpreting local weather data and understanding the relationship between weather and climate are important first steps to understanding larger-scale global climate changes. Activities that ask students to collect and analyze local weather data as well as analyze global data can be found in the Lessons and Activities section. Analyzing and interpreting data is a major focus of this publication. Numerous data sets can be found in the Sources for Real Data section. The Background Information section and the article Tomorrows Forecast will help reinforce your own content knowledge.

More exemplary resources from the Middle School Portal 2: Math & Science Pathways project.

A website to embed collaborative learning to Science in middle school

"On both the blog and the YouTube channel you will find more than 100 videos demonstrating various science experiments, demonstrations, and middle school science lessons."

Thanks Kimberly. Looks like a great resource.

In this article, we discuss some common misconceptions about light, heat, and the sun. We also provide tools for formative assessment and ideas for teaching the correct scientific concepts. Most of the examples are aimed at elementary students but many are appropriate for middle school students as well.

Students hold lots of misconceptions about the light and heat.

Did it sneak up on you again this year? Kidding aside, Richter Scale Day is April 26, the birthday of Charles Richter (1900-1985), inventor of the Richter scale. Most middle school science curricula include earth science studies in plate tectonics and its related phenomena, including earthquakes. Catastrophic events, such as the recent Italian earthquake, provide teachable moments. What better time to integrate a study of the Richter scale technology with science content?

You didn't miss Richter Scale Day, did you?

With all the news of the Swine flu outbreak and eventhough flu is caused by a virus - here is a really good resource about bacteria on your hands.

This blog post discusses how many bacteria can be found on your hands and that there are differences in men and women. In addition, ideas for integrating these ideas into middle school science classrooms are provided.

This publication gives you a variety of angles to choose from in implementing a study of polar science in the middle school science classroom. Topics covered include visualizing the polar regions, the physical attributes, biology and ecology, research projects and environmental issues, and the associated National Science Education Standards.

Ever thought of integrating polar science into your teaching? Kim

This wiki page provides links to all the Math and Science Explore in Depth wiki pages. Explore in Depth pages provide context to exemplary online math and science resources.

Games, blogs, science history, myths, solar system, the universe - this site provides an amazing number of exemplary resources.

Windows to the Universe is a user-friendly learning system covering the Earth and Space sciences for use by the general public. The site includes a rich array of documents, including images, movies, animations, and data sets, that explore the Earth and Space sciences and the historical and cultural ties between science, exploration, and the human experience. The site is written in three reading levels approximating elementary, middle school and high school reading levels. These levels may be chosen by using the upper button bar of each page of the main site. A Spanish version of the site is available.

Although not middle school friendly, this site gives tremendous detail about the function of the senses and how the brain is involved. Good for your accelerated students.

Density is not typically an easy concept for most middle school students and even more difficult for younger students, but it doesn't need to be!

Ecology

Help integrating science and literacy - here is a nonfiction text for students available in a variety of formats including electronic.

This nonfiction article is written for use with upper-elementary students (grades 4-5) but can also be used with middle school students. Students learn about two of Saturn's moons, albedo, the relationship between heat absorption and temperature, and how decreasing sea ice in the Arctic actually contributes to further melting. Modified versions are available for students in grades K-1 and grades 2-3, or any student needing a simplified version. At each grade level, the article is available in text, printable pdf files allowing you to print the story in either text or a foldable book format, and an electronic version. Reading strategy templates and related activities provide tips for integrating this story with your science and literacy instruction.

Sensor hardware and software for Science in schools

English version