NSTA - National Science Teachers Association

Featured This Month

• NSTA Guide to Planning School Science Facilities, Second Edition

  
  Science-learning spaces are different from general-purpose classrooms. So if your school is planning to build or renovate, you need the fully updated NSTA Guide to Planning School Science Facilities. It’s the definitive resource for...  [view full summary]
  Science-learning spaces are different from general-purpose classrooms. So if your school is planning to build or renovate, you need the fully updated NSTA Guide to Planning School Science Facilities. It’s the definitive resource for every K-12 school that seeks safe, effective science space without costly, time-consuming mistakes.
  
  New to this edition is a chapter on “green” schools, including how to think outside the traditional walls and use the entire grounds to encourage environmental responsibility in students. The revised guide also provides essential up-to-date coverage such as:
  
  • Practical information on laboratory and general room design, budget priorities, space considerations, and furnishings.
  • Stages of the planning process for new and renovated science facilities.
  • Current trends and future directions in science education and safety, accessibility, and legal guidelines.
  • Detailed appendices about equipment-needs planning, classroom dimensions, and new safety research, plus an updated science facilities audit.
  
  NSTA Guide to Planning School Science Facilities will help science teachers, district coordinators, school administrators, boards of education, and schoolhouse architects understand those differences and develop science facilities that will serve students for years to come.
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  • Member Price: $27.96
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Teaching TechniquesView more in this category

• Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 4: 25 New Formative Assessment Probes

  
  Wouldn't it be helpful to know what your students' ideas are about a science concept before launching into a new lesson or unit? Newly released Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 4, offers 25 more formative assessment probes to help...  [view full summary]
  Wouldn't it be helpful to know what your students' ideas are about a science concept before launching into a new lesson or unit? Newly released Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 4, offers 25 more formative assessment probes to help reveal students' preconceptions of fundamental concepts in science, bringing the total to 100 probes for the popular series by author Page Keeley. Teachers of grades K-12 will find short probes with grade-band specifics that provide easy-to-follow suggestions for addressing students' ideas by promoting learning through conceptual-change instruction. Volume 4 adds to the probes in physical, life, and Earth and space science with a new category called "unifying principles." Also covered is a discussion on balancing formative assessment with summative assessment.
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  • Member Price: $22.36
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Activities and Field TripsView more in this category

• Activities Linking Science With Math, K-4

  
  Science does not exist in a vacuum and, therefore, shouldn’t be taught that way. In that spirit, Activities Linking Science With Math, K-4, is a hands-on guide for preservice and inservice elementary school teachers who want to connect science...  [view full summary]
  Science does not exist in a vacuum and, therefore, shouldn’t be taught that way. In that spirit, Activities Linking Science With Math, K-4, is a hands-on guide for preservice and inservice elementary school teachers who want to connect science instruction with other areas of study—including visual arts, social sciences, language arts, and especially math.
  
  The 20 discovery-based and academically rigorous activities provided in this volume enrich students’ awareness of the world around them, encourage their natural curiosity, and promote the development of their problem-solving skills. The lessons—such as Digging Into Soil, Exploring the Mysteries of Fingerprints, and What Makes a Boat Float?—are teacher friendly, too, requiring no advanced expertise in any subject area and using only inexpensive and easily accessible materials. Each includes a list of needed materials, a step-by-step procedure, discussion questions, and assessment techniques.
  
  Activities align with the latest national standards for both science and math and cover topics from all scientific disciplines.
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InterdisciplinaryView more in this category

• Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms

  
  Elementary teachers know that learning science involves both the process of thinking and the ability to communicate those thoughts. One of the most effective ways of demonstrating this is through the use of student science notebooks. The earlier students...  [view full summary]
  Elementary teachers know that learning science involves both the process of thinking and the ability to communicate those thoughts. One of the most effective ways of demonstrating this is through the use of student science notebooks. The earlier students learn to keep records, the better they will be prepared to make this a natural part of their science activities.
  
  Classroom teachers who want to begin using or who are currently including science notebooks as part of their instruction will find that Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms is a “must-have” resource for the development of scientific inquiry, literacy, and reasoning skills. This book makes the case for using science notebooks strategically—promoting hands-on observing, recording, and reflecting—and demonstrates how best to do so.
  
  Connecting language arts to science through expository writing, the book presents proven techniques such as scaffolds, sentence starters, discussion starters, and other writing prompts to encourage students to build on current knowledge. Every step of the process is examined: introducing notebook writing to the class, creating questions to explore, making predictions, recording observations, making and defending claims, and using the notebooks to provide targeted student feedback. Also included are chapters on the specialized needs of English language learners, offering specific strategies to increase proficiency and fluency in both science and language.
  
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  • Member Price: $19.96
  • Nonmember Price: $24.95

BiologyView more in this category

• The Biology Teacher's Handbook, 4th Edition

  
  Biology teachers, you’re in luck—BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study) presents a wealth of current information in this new, updated edition of the classic The Biology Teacher’s Handbook.
  
  No matter the depth of your experience,...  [view full summary]
  Biology teachers, you’re in luck—BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study) presents a wealth of current information in this new, updated edition of the classic The Biology Teacher’s Handbook.
  
  No matter the depth of your experience, gain insight into what constitutes good teaching, how to guide students through inquiry at varying levels, and how to create a culture of inquiry in your classroom using science notebooks and other strategies. In addition, learn tactics for including controversial subjects in your courses, promoting scientific discussion, and choosing the right materials—information that would benefit the teacher of any subject.
  
  BSCS experts have packed this volume with the latest, most valuable teaching ideas and guidelines. Their suggestions include designing your courses around five questions—all answered in the book’s five sections: What are the goals of the program for my students and me? How can I help students understand the nature of science? How do I teach controversial topics? How can I create a culture of scientific inquiry in my classroom? Where has biology teaching been, and where is it going?
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  • Member Price: $23.96
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ChemistryView more in this category

• Chemistry Basics: Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach it

  
  Do the words “periodic table” send chills down your spine? Are you anxious about atomic structure? Confounded by chemical equations? Relax! The cure for chemistry confusion is within reach, courtesy of this newly available book in the Stop Faking It!...  [view full summary]
  Do the words “periodic table” send chills down your spine? Are you anxious about atomic structure? Confounded by chemical equations? Relax! The cure for chemistry confusion is within reach, courtesy of this newly available book in the Stop Faking It! series.
  
  Best-selling author Bill Robertson takes a fresh approach to chemistry fundamentals by helping you understand them from the ground up. Instead of hounding you to memorize the characteristics of atoms and the periodic table, Chemistry Basics will help you see those characteristics as a natural consequence of our understanding of atomic structure.
  
  You will learn not just that atoms behave in certain ways, but why they behave in that way. You will learn not just how to balance chemical equations, but why in the world you would want to! You will also learn not just that carbon is a building block of thousands of organic compounds, but why carbon is suited for this purpose.[hide full summary]
  • Member Price: $19.16
  • Nonmember Price: $23.95

Earth & Space ScienceView more in this category

• Earth Science Success: 50 Lesson Plans for Grades 6–9

  
  Designed as a ready-to-use survival guide for middle school Earth science teachers, this title is an invaluable resource that provides an entire year’s worth of inquiry-based and discovery-oriented Earth science lessons, including 33 investigations or...  [view full summary]
  Designed as a ready-to-use survival guide for middle school Earth science teachers, this title is an invaluable resource that provides an entire year’s worth of inquiry-based and discovery-oriented Earth science lessons, including 33 investigations or labs, and 17 detailed projects.
  
  This unique collection of astronomy, geology, meteorology, and physical oceanography lessons promotes deeper understanding of science concepts through a hands-on approach that identifies and dispels student misconceptions and expands student understanding and knowledge.
  
  In addition, this field-tested and standards-based volume is ideal for university-level methodology courses in science education. [hide full summary]
  • Member Price: $22.36
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Physical ScienceView more in this category

• Take-Home Physics: 65 High-Impact, Low-Cost Labs

  
  Take-Home Physics is an excellent resource for high school physics teachers who want to devote more classroom time to complex concepts while challenging their students with hands-on homework assignments. This volume presents 65 take-home physics...  [view full summary]
  Take-Home Physics is an excellent resource for high school physics teachers who want to devote more classroom time to complex concepts while challenging their students with hands-on homework assignments. This volume presents 65 take-home physics labs that use ordinary household items or other inexpensive materials to tackle motion and kinematics; forces and energy; waves, sound, and light; and electricity and magnetism. The result: Students learn background knowledge, reinforce basic process skills, practice discovery, and bridge classroom learning with real-world application—all while getting excited about homework. Teachers can also integrate science and literacy by requiring the use of lab notebooks with formal write-ups. Materials lists and safety notes, as well as both student activity pages and teacher notes are included.[hide full summary]
  • Member Price: $19.96
  • Nonmember Price: $24.95