K12Science

I was recently reading the March/April 2023 issue of "Science Scope" a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the "Scope on the Skies" column, written by Bob Riddle. He wrote an article entitled, "Castles in the Sky."

Bob jokingly talks about people suffering from Pareidolia, a human condition that has us seeing familiar patterns or images as we look around us. This, of course, is not a serious condition, but helps to explain the things we see when looking at puffy cumulus clouds. This provided a lead into the citizen science project of studying clouds using the GLOBE Observer app, provided by the GLOBE Program. To learn more about the GLOBE Observer app, visit:

https://observer.globe.gov

I was recently reading the March/April 2023 issue of "Science Scope" a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the "Practical Research" column, written by Alison Betz Seymour. She wrote an article entitled, ""But, I'm Not Done Yet!" Time Management in the Science Classroom."

Here are some practical, simple suggestions to develop time management skills:

1. Explicitly talk about time management.

2. Prompts such as "Check in with your time, there are about 10 minutes left for this task."

3. Scaffold students' ability to visualize time by using an analog clock with time intervals marked with dry-erase pens.

I was recently reading the March/April 2023 issue of "Science Scope" a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the "Citizen Science" column, written by Jill Nugent. She wrote an article entitled, "Become a Salt Watcher in Your Community."

When students think of salt, they typically think of table salt, which is sodium chloride. Road salt, also known as rock salt, is often sodium chloride or magnesium chloride. The goal of the Izaak Walton League of America Salt Watch project is to monitor chloride levels in local streams and creeks. For more information, please visit:

http://iwla.org

K12Science Podcast: 8 Billion Humans

I was recently reading the March/April 2023 issue of "Science Scope" a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the "From the Editor's Desk" column, written by Patty McGinnis. She wrote an article entitled, "8 Billion and Counting."

Human population is increasing rapidly. More humans on the planet equates to more stress on the planet and its resources.

2022 — 8 Billion Humans

2010 — 7 Billion Humans

1950 — 2.5 Billion Humans

1804 — 1 Billion Humans

I was recently reading the March/April 2023 issue of "The Science Teacher" a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the "Career of the Month" column, written by Luba Vangelova. She wrote an article entitled, "Systems Technology Engineer."

Systems technology engineers design, develop, test, and/or manage the software, hardware, and firmware that comprise information technology systems. Rebecca Herold of Des Moines, Iowa is the featured Systems Technology Engineer.

I was recently reading the January/February 2023 issue of "Science and Children" a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read an article on the Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students in 2023.

Here are the 13 books selected as outstanding for elementary school students:

Luminous: Living Things That Light Up the Night (K-5)

Moving Words About a Flower (K-2)

The Mystery of the Monarchs (K-2)

Animal Sidekicks: Amazing Stories of Symbiosis in Animals and Plants (3-5)

Building (K-2)

Hidden Habitats: Earth (3-5)

A Journey Under the Sea (K-2)

Life in Hot Water: Wildlife at the Bottom of the Sea (3-5)

Over and Under the Waves (K-2)

A Walk Through the Rain Forest (3-5)

Narwhal: The Arctic Unicorn (K-2)

The Whale Who Swam Through Time: A 200 Year Journey in the Arctic (K-2)

Lion Lights: My Invention That Made Peace with Lions (K-5)

I was recently reading the January/February 2023 issue of "The Science Teacher" a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the "Editor's Corner" column, written by Ann Haley MacKenzie. She wrote an article entitled, "Did the Pandemic Impact the Brains of Our Science Students?"

A recent study in the Journal, "Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science," found that teen brains aged prematurely during the pandemic. The paper states that teenagers' brains aged several years in just a few months during the isolation and stress of the pandemic lockdown. For more information on this study, please visit:

https://www.bpsgos.org/article/S2667-1743(22)00142-2/fulltext

I was recently reading the January/February 2023 issue of "Science & Children" a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the "Science 101" column, written by Matthew Bobrowsky. He wrote a Q and A article entitled, "How Does the Sun's Heat Get to Us Here on Earth?"

Heat is the flow of energy from one object to another object because of their difference in temperature. That energy, thermal energy, results from the random motion of atoms and molecules. The molecules move around, bouncing off of each other and bouncing off anything with which the object comes into contact. The hotter the object, the faster the molecules are moving.

I was recently reading the January/February 2023 issue of "Science Scope" a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read the "Citizen Science" column, written by Jill Nugent. She wrote an article entitled, "Iguanas from Above."

"Iguanas from Above' is a citizen science project designed to answer questions about marine iguanas, their population, and their habitat. The project will help to determine the current population size of marine iguanas and their locations within the archipelagos. For more information, visit:

https://www.iguanasfromabove.com

I was recently reading the January/February 2023 issue of "The Science Teacher" a publication of the National Science Teaching Association. In this issue, I read an article on the Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students in 2023.

Here are the 8 books selected as outstanding for high school students:

American Murderer: The Parasite That Haunted the South

Oceanarium: Welcome to the Museum

Salmon: Swimming for Survival

The Code Breaker — Young Readers Edition: Jennifer Doudna and the Race to Understand Our Genetic Code

Queer Ducks (And Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants

Urgent Message from a Hot Planet: Navigating the Climate Crisis

The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Meitner