Need Additional NGSS Science Resources? Start Here

Need Additional NGSS Science Resources? Start Here

If you are starting NGSS and finding it overwhelming, don’t be overwhelmed. It’s really not completely different than good science teaching practice has always been. We already teach students about thinking like a scientist, using evidence, problem-solving, and basic inquiry processes. Many of us are already using engagement activities or a discrepant event (not so different than a phenomenon). A discussion of the similarities and differences between inquiry and storylines is given here. They do differ, but there is overlap,

Yes, the curriculum and assessments might change, and your day to day teaching may change because of that, but it may not be as dramatic of a change as you may be afraid of!

As you are looking to build lessons that support NGSS, here are a few links and resources that could help: 

NGSS Lessons

NGSS Lesson screener - this is a tool to check if your lesson is aligned to NGSS. A lot of your prior lessons might just need tweaking in one or two areas to fulfill the requirements. This is a very in-depth evaluation tool. They state that “a lesson is defined as a coherent set of instructional activities and assessments that may extend over several class periods or days; it is not just a single activity”

If you find that you need some additional tweaks, storylines, phenomena, or other resources to get you started, here is a shortlist of places to start:

Tweaks, storylines, & phenomena

• NSTA NGSS Hub - a hub of resources created by NSTA, and organized by topic
• Next Generation Science Standards - The standards themselves but searchable by grade level, topic, crosscutting concept, etc. If you are getting ready to teach a particular topic, it can be really helpful to see where it connects with other topics, or what exactly the students are required to know.
• NGSS Phenomena - one part of NGSS that I really like, personally, is that it asks students to look at phenomena from the real world and to examine what is happening. As I mentioned, these are a lot like discrepant events or engagement activities, but they can also be used in other ways. This is a searchable database of pictures, videos and other phenomena. It also includes some pages on “How to Use Phenomena” and examples.
• The Wonder of Science - This is a treasure trove! Of course, not all topics are present, but it is searchable by standard, and then includes examples of complete units with storylines, phenomena, etc. I would definitely start here to get your brain going!
• Next Generation Science Storylines describes themselves as a project dedicated to providing tools that support teachers in developing, adapting, and teaching with strongly aligned NGSS materials in classrooms around the country. A storyline is basically a series of coherent lessons (coherent to students) that focuses on solving a problem. The steps should be driven by students’ questions. Again, for the topics that are covered, there are examples of complete units, with teacher handbooks and supporting materials.
• Science Buddies NGSS Lesson Plans - Lastly, if you are looking for something a little briefer, that will let you get right into the lesson plans, this is a good place to search.

I also wrote about NGSS here. New York seems to be a bit behind, so I am not an expert, but I’m trying to share it with you as I learn. I’d love to hear from some of you who are ahead of the curve!

Four Unusual Subjects Your Class Could Study!

Four Unusual Subjects Your Class Could Study!

Children love to learn - that’s not a secret. They are small sponges right up until adulthood jades them a little, taking in every single tidbit of information that they are given. Those of us who were privileged enough to go to school and get a formal education all had a favorite subject at one time or another. The interesting classes that piqued our interest and got our creative and intelligent juices flowing seemed to fly by at school, whereas the other classes that we were least interested in dragged on by.

Education authorities across the globe are always doing research to ensure that they are offering the best possible educational opportunities for children. The system we have around the world isn’t the same as it was 20-30 years ago; it’s all changed now, with more on offer than ever before. Learning is supposed to be an interesting and pleasurable experience, and that means offering more interesting and fun subjects. Below, we’re going to talk about four subjects that are happening right now around the world that are a little different, but could spice up your educational offerings! These would be great additions for a filler kind of day, a class that is ahead, after a test, the day before a break, as an introduction, or just to get your brain thinking in a different way about your class. They could even be a jumping-off point for perhaps an elective, or a mini-unit.

Image Source: Pexels

Admiration for Nature - Taught In Japan

In Japan, there are always subjects that are a little different, but Admiration for Nature is a subject designed to teach young children to value the aesthetics of the world around them. Modern kids are so caught up in technology nowadays that they often fail to see the world around them, so this subject forces the screens down and eyes up for a moment to just see. Pupils still have to receive grades and take exams at the end of the year to show their knowledge and appreciation of the natural world.

Cyber Security - Taught In Israel

With a world moving to use cloud services more and more, cybersecurity is paramount. Our world is a digital one and it’s now a vital area of knowledge as the internet permeates more and more of our daily life. Cybersecurity and data security are important, and while schools everywhere are now introducing Coding and Computing to their students, cybersecurity is a big part of the lesson. Children are being taught how to move around cyberspace and how to deal with negativity online. These lessons are important for the future of our society and it’s an interesting lesson to learn!

Surfing - Taught In Australia & Hawaii

Countries that have the privilege of having some of the most beautiful beaches around the world also recognize the importance of teaching children how to respect the ocean and ocean life. Surfing just happens to be a great Physics lesson waiting to happen. You can see some examples here and here. Australians are teaching their best sport to their youngest minds, and these lessons ensure that children are burning some energy while also indulging in some much-needed fun!

Beekeeping - Taught In Bashkiria

There are more than 100 schools in Bashkiria that are running their own apiaries. The bees are integral to our world continuing, and kids are learning to tend beehives, respect the work that bees do and harvest honey!

What creative and unique topics have you taught in your classroom? How do your students react?  Feel free to comment or jump in the Facebook Group.

Students are so used to being taught curriculum out of a book or taught to a test, that its a great chance to have them spend some time on something different, and then even better if we can connect it back to science or STEM.

Free Character and Social Emotional Learning Lesson Plans

I know many of you help your students, and teach many other things than science.  We all know that to be successful in school, students need to have their social and emotional needs met, and be ready to learn.  As teachers, aren't we all so much more than just teachers of our content area?! Some of you teach these other life skills indirectly, or embedded in content lessons, and some of you teach topics other than science in actual homeroom/advisement course, etc. I was offered a this exclusive free resource for you for character development and social emotional learning to you, my subscribers.

The CharacterStrong blog and podcast provides curricula and training for K-12 schools internationally. There will find inspiring and practical stories of educators implementing character development & social-emotional learning in their classrooms, CharacterStrong resources, case studies, and more.  It also includes many resources to help educators take care of themselves, and support the whole teacher.  There is an accompanying podcast as well. 

3 Days of Free Character Development Lesson Plans  

(NOTE: THE LINK I WAS GIVEN AS AN EXCLUSIVE READER FREEBIE IS NOT WORKING AT THE MOMENT. I HAVE CONTACTED THE COMPANY FOR AN UPDATED LINK).  

HOWEVER, AT THE WEBSITE THERE ARE STILL FREE SAMPLES AVAILABLE FOR ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL, AVAILABLE FOR LEAVING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. 

I WILL UPDATE THIS POST AS SOON AS I HAVE AN UPDATED LINK.

How can I use these free social and emotional learning lesson plans? 

Although many of you are science teachers, we all know that sometimes social and emotional learning and needs have to come first. Students may not be ready to learn science if their social and emotional needs are not met first.

Even if we can't always do this FIRST, per se, we can use sub days, extra class days because of assemblies or field trips, or times such as advisement to work on some of these skills. 

As it is not our main content area, many of us may not feel adept at teaching these types of social and emotional skills.  These 3 days of free lesson plans are a great place to start!

Please feel free to comment below if you use these how they go, or what you use to teach social and emotional learning in your classroom.