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E-Blast August 28, 2008
In this E-Blast
- Leadership
- Building a Presence
- MDE Science
- K-12 Science
- Middle and High School Science
- Elementary School Science
- August Contest Winners
- Tools and Resources
- Upcoming Events and Opportunities
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Here are your science education resources and announcements for August 28, 2008 provided by Building a Presence for Science. These science education highlights are emailed to Key Leaders, Points of Contact and State Partners. Please forward them on to other science educators in your school. If you have questions or comments, please forward them to:
David Bydlowski
Michigan Coordinator - Building a Presence
bydlowd@resa.net
http://nsta.org/bap
http://www.msta-mich.org/bap
or
Sue Campbell
MSTA Representative
sue@ucia2.com
http://www.msta-mich.org
1. Leadership
Education is the point at which we decide whether we love the world enough to assume responsibility for it.
Hannah Arendt, Teaching as Leading
Thank you to Herm Boatin, Science consultant and lecturer, University of Michigan-Dearborn, for contributing this leadership quote.
Building a Presence
The Connection Between Michigan BaP and NSTA
Following the significant contributions made by ExxonMobil Foundation to initiate this program beginning in 1996, the Board of Directors of the National Science Teachers Association has reaffirmed Building a Presence for Science's significance as its premier professional development network connecting teachers of science. NSTA's BaP receives support from the Association as well as numerous other corporations and organizations.
Building a Presence for Science is the largest networking initiative of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). This award-winning program has been developed in support of NSTA's mission in promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. Through e-networking, teachers of science become aware of professional development opportunities. These opportunities are intended to help a teacher expand and develop their expertise in teaching science for learning.
Building a Presence for Science has a direct audience of teachers in pre-K through 12th grade in 35 states and the District of Columbia. NSTA is the world's largest organization dedicated to the improvement of science teaching for learning.
MDE Science
Grade 2-6 Vocabulary Help is on the Way
Teachers and students of grades 2-6 will be receiving an exciting free resource to use in their schools. This resource will provide science vocabulary help for students in grades 2-6 by providing the definition of various science words, oral presentation of the words, electronic review tests, and best of all it is aligned to the grade level expectations. Although some words are concepts not found in Michigan's GLCE and some words are not aligned to the MEAP assessable vocabulary, this resource should be a handy tool for all students and teachers.
It will be provided on CD and online. The free resource is called, Science Builder. Shortly, a CD will be mailed to every principal, of a grade 3-5 building. T he CD may be copied and shared with teachers and students. CD's will also be sent to Michigan Math and Science Centers (http://mscenters.org). This resource is provided, free of charge, through the Michigan Department of Education.
Draft K-7 Science Companion Documents are Ready for You to Review
You can now review the new Draft K-7 Science Companion Documents online. They include 4 units for every grade. Units include standards, statements, expectations, clarifications, vocabulary, assessments, instructional ideas, integration to language arts and mathematics, and much, much more. They will only be online until the middle of September. They will then be removed, rewritten and then released in November. If you would like to view them, try them, and then comment on them, you need to visit:
http://mi-k7science.wikispaces.com/
Comments will be taken from August 15 through September 20, 2008 for grades K-4 and from August 22 through September 22, 2008 for grades 5-7.
K-12 Science
World Space Week October 4-10
World Space Week is an international celebration of space and in particular the contributions space makes improving the human conditions on Earth. It was officially declared by the United Nations in 1999. During World Space Week, many public events and many educational programs are held simultaneously around the world, on the Internet, even in space! Think what that can do in your classroom....
It is a great tool for getting students excited about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). But in fact space is very multi-disciplinary, you can use it for any subject! More information can be found in our worldwide invitation to teachers at:
http://www.worldspaceweek.org/Invitation_to_teachers.pdf
or in Word at:
http://www.worldspaceweek.org/Invitation_to_teachers.doc
There are even $500 Educational Awards available. For more information on the awards, please visit:
http://worldspaceweek.org/education.html
Job Opportunity
Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions is seeking part-time teachers to prepare students for admission exams. If you scored well on your admission test and would like to help others do the same, apply today! Their teachers come from diverse backgrounds but share a common goal in their commitment to helping students achieve higher test scores.
Teachers receive paid training and ongoing support to build their teaching, presenting, and mentoring skills. They encourage you to commit as much time to teaching as you have available. Prep and training are paid. You should be a great presenter, a believer in the effectiveness of Kaplan's methods, a caring and compassionate mentor of students, and a responsible employee. Please be prepared to commit to Kaplan for at least 6-12 months.
To learn more about teaching rates, benefits packages including health insurance and course discounts or to apply today to teach, please call 1-800-KAP-TEST (1-800-527-8378) or go to:
http://kaptest.com/teach
You will be invited to audition and interview.
Presenters Needed for School Improvement Conference
Showcase your school improvement successes by presenting at the MDE Fall School I mprovement Conference, November 24-25 in Lansing! Presentations should emphasize hands-on, practical information that is directly related to improving student achievement. National speakers will be featured, along with selected outstanding concurrent sessions conducted by practitioners and featuring what works in schools.
If your school has experience with any school improvement topic that supports Data Driven Decision Making That Supports School Improvement Planning, and you want to share your experiences with others, please contact Diane Dick at:
ddick@gomasa.org
or
517-327-0771
The deadline for your proposal is October 3, 2008.
Free Teaching Tools to Help Educators Meet State Science Education Standards
A series of curriculum supplements from the National Institutes of Health aim ed at promoting science education achievement is now aligned to individual state education standards in science, math, health and English language arts for grades K-12. This cross-curricular alignment, unique to each state, shows educators how the NIH curriculum supplements will help them meet specific learning goals for students and spells out the usefulness of the series nationwide. This series is free to educators upon request.
The ongoing series promotes inquiry-based, interdisciplinary learning. The series currently includes 16 supplements on such topics as genetics, infectious diseases and cell biology. The supplements -- consistent with the National Science Education Standards -- combine cutting-edge science research discoveries and real scientific data from NIH with state of the art instructional materials for grades K-12. The National Institutes of Health is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
To request free supplements or learn about how they are aligned with individual state standards, visit the NIH Office of Science Education Web site at http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements
If you have any questions about these materials, please e-mail ose@science.education.nih.gov
Toyota Tapestry Grants for Science Teachers
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., and National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) are pleased to announce the 19th annual Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program. This year Toyota will award $550,000 in grants to K-12 teachers of science. A total of 50 large grants of up to $10,000 each, along with 20-30 mini-grants of up to $2,500 each, will be awarded. Categories include environmental science, integrating literacy and science, and physical science. Toyota has awarded 986 grants tota ling over $8 million in this premiere nationwide grant program.
For further information and to begin the application process online, please visit the Toyota TAPESTRY website, http://www.nsta.org/pd/tapestry/
The online applications are now available. All 50 large grant winners receive an all-expenses paid trip to the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in New Orleans. The deadline for submission of online entries is Jan. 21, 2009.
New Educational Materials Available from NASA
The Educational Materials section of NASA's Web site offers classroom activities, educator guides, posters and other types of resources that are available for use in the classroom. Materials are listed by type, grade level and subject. The following items are now available for downloading at:
http://www.nasa.gov/education
- Getting Dirty on Mars for Grades 5-12
- Exploring Space Through Algebra for Grades 7-12
- Space Exploration AP for Grades 11-12
- The Courage to Soar Educator Guide for Grades 3-5
- New Video Learning Clips have been added for Grades K-8
Middle and High School Science
Invitation for New Science Teachers
Applications are now being accepted to participate in the online science-mentoring program, e-Mentoring for Student Success (eMSS). The deadline to apply is September 30, but space is limited. eMSS is becoming one of the nation's largest mentoring networks of secondary science teachers. Since its inception in 2002, the eMSS professional learning community has grown to over 300 mentees and mento rs from 10 states. In 2008, eMSS will be available nationwide.
One-on-one, support in your discipline and grade level:
- Immediate feedback from an experienced professional
- Content-focused online support and resources for your classroom
- Immediate access to a professional learning community of other mentor teachers, professional science educators, and beginning science teachers
- Access to other new teachers with common challenges
- 6 quarter units of professional credit (optional)
- Up to 110 hours of professional development credit
Applications are currently being accepted from new science teachers in their first through third year of teaching in grades 6-12. In order to apply you must visit:
http://www.emss.nsta.org
Click on Beginning Science Teachers
and use the enrollment code: MI1S
Then you fill out the online application.
Great Lakes Environmental Film Festival
The 2009 Great Lakes Environmental Film Festival is a showcase for middle, high school and college students. Students will share their completed environmental CD/DVD or photography project with GLEFF judges who will select winners. The first place winner in each Feature video category will receive $1000 and in the PSA category $500 award and will be able to show their work at the Film Festival at the Bay City State Theatre. The first place winners in the photographic competition will receive a $500 award. Recognition will be awarded in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd Categories. Entries will be judged according to the Judging Criteria for the production type with customized rubrics. The 1st place winner receives a plaque at the awards ceremony; all winners will receive a certificate.
Questions about this competition can be directed to Executive Producer Ziggy Kozicki at zigpsych@sbcglobal.net
You can also visit the website:
http://gleff.org
for more information.
Elementary School Science
Art Contest for Grades 2-4 Trees: Making a World of Difference
Imagine if you could fly above the treetops. Think of all the amazing things you might see. Mighty redwoods soaring high into the sky. Snow-covered pines and spruces with needle-like leaves. Weeping willows with drooping branches. Trees that thrive in the dry, hot desert. And trees in the rain forest that are home to colorful parrots and monkeys. These are just a few of the many trees you might see. But trees are much mor e than their beauty. We couldn't live without them! Each and every tree helps to create a healthy environment.
An art contest for grades 2-4 challenges students to explore trees and their importance to the world by reading stories and books, searching Web sites and watching movies, and then draw a picture showing what they learned. This is the 13th annual art contest held by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in Arlington, Va. The contest supports national education standards in science and geography for grades 2-4.
The first-place artist will receive a $100 gift certificate to Crayola.com or Amazon.com, and his or her artwork will be used as IGES's holiday e-card. Second-place and third-place winners will receive $75 and $50 gift certificates, respectively.
New this year, certificates of participation will be available online as PDF files for teachers or parents to download and print. They've also made other changes to the contest based on feedback from parents and teachers (e.g., the option to have student artwork returned). Be sure to check out the 2008 contest website to see what's new.
Entries are due Oct. 24, 2008.
For more information, including detailed contest instructions, information for teachers and parents, a list of educational resources, and to view artwork of past winners, please visit:
http://www.strategies.org/ArtContest
August Contest Winners
This month we gave away some great flashdrives, which are being mailed out to the winners next week.
Here is a list of the winners:
- Mandy Springer, Lansing Public Schools
- Sharon Kollar, Garden City Public Schools
- Darlene Roche, Clarkston Community Schools
- Dave Grimes, Benzie County Central Schools
- Judith Grigg, Harbor Beach Community Schools
- Ginger Vander Beek, Wyoming Public Schools
- Tom Waclawski, Traverse City
- Erin McNamara, Tahquamenon Area Schools
Congratulations to all of the winners. If you did not win, keep trying. Next month may be your lucky month.
Tools and Resources
Free ACT Prep:
http://www.mivhs.org/content.cfm?id=667
Archived Michigan BaP e-Blasts:
http://msta-mich.org/bap
Grants:
http://sciguides.nsta.org/internet/grants.aspx
http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html
http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/grants/index.html
High School Companion Documents:
http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-28753_38684_28760-171474--,00.html
High School Science Expectations:
http://mi.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-42814---,00.html
K-6 Inquiry PD Resources:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI
K-7 Science Content Expectations:
http://mi.gov/documents/mde/Complete_Science_GLCE_12-12-07_218314_7.pdf
K-12 Science Content Expectations Podcasts:
http://k12science.net
K-12 Online Science Assessment Tool:
http://www.macombschools.org/scienceassessment
Internet Resources Correlated to the MCF and the MMC:
http://www.svsu.edu/mathsci-center/uploads/science
Michigan Merit High School Graduation Requirements FAQ for Science:
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/faq15_178607_7.pdf
NASA Educator Resources online:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/index.html
Science Music 24/7 on the Internet:
http://live365.com/stations/trappedinlab
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
- September 22, 2008: Deadline to review the Draft K-7 Science Companion Documents. To review the documents, please visit: http://mi-k7science.wikispaces.com/
- October 3, 2008: Deadline for presentation proposals for the Michigan School Improvement Conference to be held November 24-25 in Lansing. For information, please contact Diane Dick at: ddick@gomasa.org
- October 4-10, 2008: World Space Week. For more information, please visit: http://worldspaceweek.org
- October 12-18, 2008: Earth Science Week. For more information, please visit: http://www.earthsciweek.org
- October 18, 2008: MDSTA Fall Conference at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, MI. For more information, please visit: http://mdsta.org
- October 23, 2008: Science MEAP Test for 5th and 8th Grade Students in Michigan.
- October 24, 2008: Deadline for Students in Grades 2-4 to enter the Art Contest: Trees Making a Difference. For entry information, please visit: http://www.strategies.org/ArtContest
- October 28, 2008: Science MEAP Test Make-Up for 5th and 8th Grade Students in Michigan.
- October 31, 2008: Deadline to nominate teachers for the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy. This is for teachers of grades 3-5. For more information, please visit: http://www.sendmyteacher.com
- November 20, 2008: MichBio Expo Career Day at the Lansing Center in Lansing, MI. For more information, please contact Jennifer Dickie at: 737-677-0503 or Jennifer@michbio.org
- January 15, 2009: Deadline to enter the International Children's Painting Competition on the Environment. For more information, please visit: http://www.unep.org/tunza/children/inner.asp?ct=competitions&comp=int_comp&int_comp=18th
- January 21, 2009: Deadline to apply for the Toyota TAPESTY Grants. For more information, please visit: http://www.nsta.org/pd/tapestry/
- February 12, 2009: Charles Darwin Bicentennial Day. For more information, please visit: http://darwinday.org/englishL/assistevent/index.html
- March 5-7, 2009: Michigan Science Teachers Association Annual Conference in Detroit. For more information, please visit: http://msta-mich.org/conference
- March 19-22, 2009: National Science Teachers Association Annual Conference in New Orleans. For more information please visit: http://www.nsta.org/conferences/2009new/
To subscribe to the Building a Presence Science e-blast, please visit: http://nsta.org/bap
To unsubscribe from the Building a Presence Science e-blast, please contact your Key Leader or email David Bydlowski, Michigan Coordinator for the Building a Presence Science Network, at bydlowd@resa.net.