iExploreScience: STEM in Elem

The Science and Engineering Practice of Engaging in an Argument from Evidence is often tricky for students to master.  Here are five easy ways to that you can scaffold science arguments for your students. 

Get More Help With 3D Teaching

• The Secrets of CER: Your Step-by-Step Guide
• Teaching Science in 3D on Instagram & Facebook
• Submit a Question
• Explore phenomenon-based, discovery-centered learning with iExploreScience
• Get more information about the NGSS with Sadler Science.
• Get Erin's new 3D lesson self-assessment tool by signing up for her email list.  Click here to join. 

📬 Stay Connected

• 📰 Substack: https://iexplorescience.substack.com/
• 🛍️ TpT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/iexplorescience
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• 💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolevantassel/

We know we're supposed to be using phenomena, but what kind? How often? What's an anchor and how is it different from other phenomena? We know that anchoring phenomena can be confusing for science teachers when you're just getting started. In this episode, Erin and Nicole discuss what anchors are and how they can be used. Then, they share a few common mistakes they've made that you can hopefully avoid!

More Resources For Anchoring Phenomena:

• How to Use Student Questions to Build Storylines - Podcast Episode 17
• Are you making the most out of your demos?
• Anchoring Phenomena: Three Common Mistakes - iExplore Science Blog Post
• Using a Notice and Wonder Activity to Introduce Phenomena - Sadler Science Blog Post
• Why This?: Creating Anchored Science Experiences - Free Workshop Registration
• Anchor Freebie: Spark Subscription Wait List

Get More Help With 3D Teaching

• Teaching Science in 3D on Instagram & Facebook
• Submit a Question
• Explore phenomenon-based, discovery-centered learning with iExploreScience
• Get more information about the NGSS with Sadler Science.
• Get Erin's new 3D lesson self-assessment tool by signing up for her email list.  Click here to join.  

📬 Stay Connected

• 📰 Substack: https://iexplorescience.substack.com/
• 🛍️ TpT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/iexplorescience
• 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iexplorescience/
• 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iexplorescience/
• 💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolevantassel/

In this episode, Nicole VanTassel (iExploreScience) discusses two ways to bundle your NGSS. What are the pros and cons of the Topic Model versus the Phenomenon Model? Which one might be right for you? How can you use the way you bundle your standards to support three dimensional teaching and learning? If you’ve been thinking ahead to changing up how you organize your units, this episode is for you. And even if you haven’t thought of it yet, you may find some inspiration to do so!

Additional Resources
Bundling The NGSS
Be Curious Community Cohorts

Get More Help With 3D Teaching

• Teaching Science in 3D on Instagram & Facebook
• Submit a Question
• Explore phenomenon-based, discovery-centered learning with iExploreScience
• Get more information about the NGSS with Sadler Science.
• Get Erin's new 3D lesson self-assessment tool by signing up for her email list.  Click here to join.  
• Get on the wait list for the next Be Curious Community Cohort now! 

📬 Stay Connected

• 📰 Substack: https://iexplorescience.substack.com/
• 🛍️ TpT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/iexplorescience
• 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iexplorescience/
• 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iexplorescience/
• 💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolevantassel/

We tend to think about learning as a "steady stream," an incremental progress forward. But how often does learning *really* happen that way? In this week's Thursday Thought, let's take a minute to consider how learning really plays out for our students and what that might mean for our approach in the classroom. If you're feeling like you aren't making the "progress you should be," this episode is for you.

And if you're ready to make a more concentrated "leap forward," be sure to check out the Be Curious Community Cohorts. Enrollment is open for the Summer 2021 Session.

Additional Resources
Be Curious Community Cohorts

Get More Help With 3D Teaching

• Teaching Science in 3D on Instagram & Facebook
• Submit a Question
• Explore phenomenon-based, discovery-centered learning with iExploreScience
• Get more information about the NGSS with Sadler Science.
• Get Erin's new 3D lesson self-assessment tool by signing up for her email list.  Click here to join.  
• Get on the wait list for the next Be Curious Community Cohort now! 

📬 Stay Connected

• 📰 Substack: https://iexplorescience.substack.com/
• 🛍️ TpT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/iexplorescience
• 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iexplorescience/
• 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iexplorescience/
• 💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolevantassel/

In this episode, Erin and Nicole share a few concrete strategies for elevating engineering in your science class -- no matter what level you're currently at. They review the four stages that many teachers move through as they integrate engineering and provide a few actionable items to go one step further.

If you didn't listen to last week's episode, be sure to head over to 72 How Well Are You Integrating Engineering? first and identify where you are in terms of integrating engineering. Then, discover a few ideas designed to inspire you to take another step on your NGSS journey.


Additional Resources
Engineering In Science: Why You Should Be Teaching It
TeachEngineering
Engineering @ STEMTeachingTools

Get More Help With 3D Teaching

• Teaching Science in 3D on Instagram & Facebook
• Submit a Question
• Explore phenomenon-based, discovery-centered learning with iExploreScience
• Get more information about the NGSS with Sadler Science.
• Get Erin's new 3D lesson self-assessment tool by signing up for her email list.  Click here to join.  
• Get on the wait list for the next Be Curious Community Cohort now! 

📬 Stay Connected

• 📰 Substack: https://iexplorescience.substack.com/
• 🛍️ TpT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/iexplorescience
• 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iexplorescience/
• 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iexplorescience/
• 💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolevantassel/

Erin discusses a science activity that her daughter brought home that wasn't exactly developmentally appropriate.  She discusses the concept of Too Much, Too Soon and encourages you to ask yourself if you can think of any examples from your own lessons.  

Summer Course - Student-Led Investigations 
The waitlist is now live for Erin's summer course on student-led investigations.  Click here to sign up for the waitlist. 

Get More Help With 3D Teaching

• Teaching Science in 3D on Instagram & Facebook
• Submit a Question
• Explore phenomenon-based, discovery-centered learning with iExploreScience
• Get more information about the NGSS with Sadler Science.
• Get Erin's new 3D lesson self-assessment tool by signing up for her email list.  Click here to join.  
• Enroll in a Be Curious Community Cohort now.

📬 Stay Connected

• 📰 Substack: https://iexplorescience.substack.com/
• 🛍️ TpT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/iexplorescience
• 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iexplorescience/
• 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iexplorescience/
• 💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolevantassel/

In this episode, Erin and Nicole discuss four stages many teachers move through as they integrate engineering into their science classes. If you aren't yet sold on "engineering" in science, they outline why it's an important  aspect of science that we should be including and provide a framework to consider how you might make the shift toward a more balanced approach to science and engineering. Where are YOU on the progression? Listen to find out!


Additional Resources
Engineering In Science: Why You Should Be Teaching It


Get More Help With 3D Teaching

• Teaching Science in 3D on Instagram & Facebook
• Submit a Question
• Explore phenomenon-based, discovery-centered learning with iExploreScience
• Get more information about the NGSS with Sadler Science.
• Get Erin's new 3D lesson self-assessment tool by signing up for her email list.  Click here to join.  
• Enroll in a Be Curious Community Cohort now.

📬 Stay Connected

• 📰 Substack: https://iexplorescience.substack.com/
• 🛍️ TpT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/iexplorescience
• 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iexplorescience/
• 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iexplorescience/
• 💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolevantassel/

"My students just aren't curious!" I get it - I hear it all the time, and I do agree, oftentimes middle and high school students don't seem very curious. But here's a thought: are your students "not curious" or are they just not curious about *your content*? And if it's the latter, what can we do?

Make space for "social learning" -- because that's what matters to our students. How can our content and our instruction bring in this "social experience"? How can we better connect what's relevant to our students to what needs to be the focus of our classroom?

In this episode, Nicole VanTassel shares some thoughts and strategies to capitalize on our adolescents' social drives (and desire to find their place in society!) to move their science learning forward.


Get More Help With 3D Teaching

• Teaching Science in 3D on Instagram & Facebook
• Submit a Question
• Explore phenomenon-based, discovery-centered learning with iExploreScience
• Get more information about the NGSS with Sadler Science.
• Get Erin's new 3D lesson self-assessment tool by signing up for her email list.  Click here to join.  
• Enroll in a Be Curious Community Cohort now.

📬 Stay Connected

• 📰 Substack: https://iexplorescience.substack.com/
• 🛍️ TpT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/iexplorescience
• 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iexplorescience/
• 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iexplorescience/
• 💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolevantassel/

In this episode, Nicole interviews high school Earth Science Teacher Alyssa Weisenstein. Alyssa is the creator behind Teacher On A Trip, a blog about using national parks as phenomena. Alyssa loves to travel and brings this enthusiasm into her science classes. She weaves the amazing geographic resources we have here in the United States into her Earth Science storylines.

View the episode recap here.


Additional Resources
Teacher On A Trip
NGSS Earth Science Storylines On Facebook
Alyssa Weisenstein on Instagram


Get More Help With 3D Teaching

• Teaching Science in 3D on Instagram & Facebook
• Submit a Question
• Explore phenomenon-based, discovery-centered learning with iExploreScience
• Get more information about the NGSS with Sadler Science.
• Get Erin's new 3D lesson self-assessment tool by signing up for her email list.  Click here to join.  
• Enroll in a Be Curious Community Cohort now.

📬 Stay Connected

• 📰 Substack: https://iexplorescience.substack.com/
• 🛍️ TpT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/iexplorescience
• 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iexplorescience/
• 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iexplorescience/
• 💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolevantassel/

In this episode, Erin discusses a simple self-evaluation strategy.  Simply write down what you are already doing in your classroom and how it connects to phenomena and each of the three dimensions.  Then, come up with one next step that you can take to improve your lesson sequences moving forward. 

To sign up for Erin's newsletter and receive her free template, click here. 

Get More Help With 3D Teaching

• Teaching Science in 3D on Instagram & Facebook
• Submit a Question
• Explore phenomenon-based, discovery-centered learning with iExploreScience
• Get more information about the NGSS with Sadler Science.
• Get Erin's new 3D lesson self-assessment tool by signing up for her email list.  Click here to join.  
• Enroll in a Be Curious Community Cohort now.

📬 Stay Connected

• 📰 Substack: https://iexplorescience.substack.com/
• 🛍️ TpT Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/iexplorescience
• 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iexplorescience/
• 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iexplorescience/
• 💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolevantassel/