Look for all the new information below:

Tess Ewart of A.I. Root Middle School in Medina, Ohio is the winner of the 2008 Paul DeHart Hurd Award.. Tess received a check for one thousand dollars and an engraved plaque from a representative of Delta Education who sponsors the award. The presentation was made at the Middle Level Luncheon of the NSTA Convention in Boston. The Hurd Award is the NMLSTA's highest honor. There is still time to apply for the 2009 Award. Deadline for applications is December 15, 2008.

 

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The popular NMLSTA ice cream socials were again be held at the NSTA convention in Boston. Many members attended and enjoyed generous servings of ice cream thanks to our sponsors. Sponsors for this fall were Frey in Denver, and Lab Aids in both Detroit and Birmingham. The Boston Ice Cream Social was sponsored by It's About Time, a company that specializes in developing research-based math and science programs.

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Looking for New Members!

New members will be mailed a $25 Gift Certificate from Science Kit. Returning members will recieve a similar benefit to be announced here soon!

Just connect to the Membership link on the left to join or to get a collegue to join.

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Look at the Great Links Below

Calculator-Controlled Robots Teachers Guide Available
This guide provides activities for using calculator-controlled robots over the course of one semester. Students create programs in TI-BASIC to run Norland Research calculator robots. Missions are built sequentially on the knowledge of previous activities. The first missions have step-by-step programming instructions that gradually lead students to create their own programs in later missions. Students use and apply math and science concepts to direct their robots through a variety of challenges.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Calculator-Controlled_Robots.html

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Here is a fun link for science teachers:

Science Music 24/7 on the Internet: http://live365.com/stations/trappedinlab

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October 31, 2009: 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

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February 12, 2009: Charles Darwin Bicentennial Day.

For more information, please visit:
http://darwinday.org/englishL/assistevent/index.html

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New York Times Editorial Praises Science
Don’t miss this opportunity to read the article by Brian Greene entitled, Put a Little Science in Your Life. It was on the Opinion page of the New York Times on June 1, 2008. He says:
Science is a language of hope and inspiration, providing discoveries that fire the imagination and instill a sense of connection to our lives and our world.
To view this article, please visit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/opinion/01greene.html?ex=1213070400&en=697a9555efb5d2bb&ei=5070&emc=eta1

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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 mentors from 10 states. In 2008, eMSS will be available nationwide.
One-on-one, support in your discipline and grade level:
1. Immediate feedback from an experienced professional
2. Content-focused online support and resources for your classroom
3. Immediate access to a professional learning community of other mentor teachers, professional science educators, and beginning science teachers
4. Access to other new teachers with common challenges
5. 6 quarter units of professional credit (optional)
6. 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

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Become a CDC Science Ambassador

Teachers across the nation are invited to compete in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Science Ambassador Program. The program is an innovative career development opportunity for middle and high school science teachers. Selected teachers will attend an intensive 5-day workshop to collaborate with CDC scientists who lead discussions on the history of public health and current public health concerns. The workshop includes lectures that are based on current research and interventions affecting public health worldwide. Previous topics include HIV/AIDS, teen dating violence, environmental lead exposure, and alcohol abuse. The program provides the training and resources that participants need tointroduce public health topics into the classroom in ways that support state science education and National Science Standards.
Teachers attend Workshop I (June 16-20, 2008), or Workshop II (July 21-25) to work with peers and CDC scientists to create two lesson plans based on topics presented during the workshop. Once these lesson plans have been reviewed and published on the CDC website, teachers will implement and evaluate them in the classroom.
Because you have a connection with science teachers throughout your state, CDC welcomes your assistance in letting others know about Science Ambassador. To help you, we have attached the 2008 Science Ambassador application. Please share it with teachers and other colleagues who might be interested. The application is due to CDC by March 21, 2009, so do not delay.
Science Ambassador is a great opportunity for science teachers to work closely with CDC scientists and bring new and innovative materials to science classrooms in your state. This is a competitive program, so please help get this information to teachers as soon as possible.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Science Ambassador Program at 404-418-7246, or scienceambassador@cdc.gov. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.cdc.gov/excite/ScienceAmbassador/.

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Science Scope is looking for articles.

Science Scope is looking for articles for the following theme issues:

November 2008 - Communication Skills

December 2008 - Using Community Resources

For information about how to submit an article, go to www.nsta.org

 

March 2008 Science Scope: Making Science Relevant
Connecting the classroom to the real world can be a challenge, but making science relevant to students is almost guaranteed to increase their learning, comprehension, and involvement. Use the activities in the March issue of Science Scope to bring science to life for your students.

. Below is a collection of online resources compiled that relate to Making Science Relevant:
In the News: Making Science Relevant
http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2008-03/news_stories_middle.htm
Too busy to sift through the news to find something you need? Click here to read current news stories, collected for you by NSTA staff members.

On the Web: Making Science Relevant
http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2008-03/web_middle.htm
With so much on the web, it's hard to know what's really useful. In this section, you'll find SciLinks (websites that have been reviewed by NSTA and your peers), links to web seminars, and various other opportunities related to this theme.

Articles from the Science Scope Archives: Making Science Relevant
http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2008-03/journalarticles_middle.htm
Readers tell us again and again how timeless our journal articles are. So in this section, we've compiled theme-related articles from the Science Scope archives.

Books, Books, Books: Making Science Relevant
http://science.nsta.org/enewsletter/2008-03/books_middle.htm
Tired of your textbook? There are lots of alternative resources available. Click here for a list of middle school-level books related to this theme.

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Flinn Fax Offers Middle Level Ideas

Click on the link below for great teaching ideas you can use this semester. You’ll find plenty of activities in this special Middle School edition of Flinn Scientific’s popular Flinn Fax! newsletter.
For example, the free activity “Respiration vs. Photosynthesis” can help your students understand both of these key concepts. The new Stomata and Transpiration Rates kit described on page 2 may strengthen your students’ knowledge of photosynthesis.

Also, demonstrations showing chemical changes are great for capturing your students’ interest and attention. The article “Chem Demo Safety” provides smart guidelines you need to know because safety always comes first. You can introduce your students to the concept of chemical changes using the new Color Change Challenge kit described on page 3.

Another free demonstration your students will definitely enjoy is Balloon in the Bottle, an easy-to-perform demo described on page 5 that shows the power of atmospheric pressure.

Enjoy this edition of Flinn Fax!—one reason science teachers rated Flinn Scientific as the #1 Preferred Science Supplier in the nation! With such dependable service and Flinn’s “Gold Medal” Low Price Guarantee, it makes sense to order all your supplies from Flinn!

You’ll find your issue of Flinn Fax! at:

http://www.flinnsci.com/FlinnFax/MS2008-3.pdf

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Cool Stuff from Arbor Scientific
CoolStuff, the newsletter from Arbor Scientific, is packed with great student activities, lesson ideas, demonstrations, interesting video clips and so much more! Delivered to subscribers via email, you'll have direct access to the experience of award-winning science educators from around the world.
Looking for new ideas for your classroom? The CoolStuff Archive should be your first stop. Here you'll find all the previous issues of CoolStuff were you can browse titles for specific topics you need now.
CoolStuff is hosted on the secure Arborsci.com website, so your privacy is guaranteed, and Arbor Scientific never shares email address information with third parties.
SUBSCRIBE AT: http://www.arborsci.com/CoolStuff

 

http://www.paemst.org

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Do you teach a whale or marine mammal unit?
You can teach about whales and marine mammals “hands-on” no matter where you are located. WhaleNet has free access to data, curriculum units, and research analysis links for grades 1 through 12.
You can build your own life-sized whale, 17 m x 2.5 m, that the students can walk in.
http://whale.wheelock.edu/whalenet-stuff/LucyPage.html
WhaleNet has real-time satellite tracking data on marine mammals and sea turtles, archived data: http://whale.wheelock.edu/whalenet-stuff/stop_cover.html
You can even participate in a hands-on whale conservation effort and learn about populations, migrations, and habitat use:
http://whale.wheelock.edu/OperationHumpback/
WhaleNet is free and offers many unique marine mammal and research resources.
Stories for students to read and learn-
A Day on a Whale Watch: http://whale.wheelock.edu/whalenet-stuff/whalewatchsmyth.html
"Metompkin" Story - "The Right Whale named METOMPKIN: Her Story of Survival":
http://whale.wheelock.edu/books/MetompkinStory/

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National Parks Seek Teacher Rangers

National parks enrich the lives of many in this nation. They provide access to the powerful ideas, values, and meanings associated with the remarkable cultural, natural, and recreational heritage of the United States. The National Park Service (NPS) strives to provide opportunities for all Americans to connect to their national heritage through the national parks. However, these opportunities are lacking for some - often due to a variety of social and economic factors.
The Teacher to Ranger to Teacher (TRT) Program offers a solution, by linking National Park units with teachers from low income school districts. Under this program, selected teachers spend the summer working as park rangers, often living in the park. They perform various duties depending on their interests and the needs of the park, including developing and presenting interpretive programs for the general public, staffing the visitor center desk, developing curriculum-based materials for the park, or taking on special projects.
Then, during the school year, these teacher-rangers bring the parks into the classroom by developing and presenting curriculum-based lesson plans that draw on their summer's experience. In April, during National Park Week, teacher-rangers wear their NPS uniforms to school, discuss their summer as a park ranger, and engage students and other teachers in activities that relate to America's national parks.
For additional information about the Teacher Ranger program go to http://www.nps.gov/wupa/forteachers/trt.htm.

 

Captain Planet Foundation
Scope: The Captain Planet Foundation is accepting applications for funding projects that help students better grasp environmental issues.
Deadline: March 31, June 30, Sept. 30 and Dec. 31.
Funds: Grants range from $250 to $2,500
Eligibility: Tax-exempt organizations and schools.
Areas: Projects must: promote understanding of environmental issues; focus on hands-on activities; involve children and young adults ages 6 to 18; promote interaction and cooperation within a group; help young people develop planning and problem-solving skills; include adult supervision; and commit to follow-up communication with the foundation.
Contact: The foundation requires that applicants submit entries using its online application form.
Web: http://www.captainplanetfdn.org/grants.html

ING Unsung Heroes
Scope: ING, a global financial institution, is accepting applications for its annual teacher content—ING Unsung Heroes. The program helps K-12 teachers implement innovative projects in their classrooms. Awards are given for unique educational programs helping improve student achievement, or an innovative curriculum or program idea that has yet to be implemented.
Deadline: April 30 of each year.
Funds: 100 finalists receive $2,000 each. At least one award will be granted in each of the 50 U.S. states. Additionally, a first-place winner will receive $25,000; second-place winner will receive $10,000; and a third-place winner will receive $5,000.
Eligibility: K-12 education professionals nationwide, who teach in public or private schools. Also, full-time educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals or classified staff with effective projects that improve student learning. Applications must be sent via regular mail.
Contact: ING Unsung Heroes Awards Program, c/o Scholarship America, One Scholarship Way, P.O. Box 297, St. Peter, MN 56082;
(800) 537-4180
E-mail: ing@scholarshipamerica.org
Web: http://www.ing-usa.com/us/stellent2/groups/dc/documents/companylobinformation/001143.pdf

 

Teacher summer internships (NASA)
Scope: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration seeks applications for its Lewis’ Educational and Research Collaborative Internship Program (LERCIP). The program awards summer internship opportunities to secondary school teachers to enhance their academic experience in the classroom. Ten-week internships will be offered to teachers at the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Ohio. GRC’s Educational Programs Office works with the Ohio Aerospace Institute to carry out the program.
Deadline: Jan. 31 of each year.
Funds: Teachers receive a biweekly stipend of $2,000 and travel expenses.
Eligibility: U.S. citizens who are full-time secondary school teachers.
Areas: Teachers are given assignments in science, technology, research and development under the guidance of a NASA staff mentor.
Contact: (440) 962-3170 ext. 5006
E-mail: intern@grc.nasa.gov
Web: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/education/LERCIP_GRC.html

 

Join the Elmer's Teacher's Club

To join, log onto www.elmers.com/teachers

Nutrients for Life Foundation is sponsoring a number of programs and awards for middle level teachers and students.

For more information, visit www.nutrientsforlife.org

 

Are you looking for experiments you can try in your
classroom or science worksheets you can use along withyour textbooks? If so, you've got to check out the
Heartland Science Lab page at kfvs12.com. You can
watch Science Lab video from your computer, vote in
the new online science poll, get science fair experiment ideas for your students, send Jason the
latest news going on in your child's classroom, and be
the first to know about science news coming up ONLY onKFVS.

Here's the link that will take you directly to the
Science Lab page...
http://www.kfvs12.com/Global/category.asp?C=49942

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NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) is dedicated to creating innovative products that enlighten students and educators about the breadth of scientific research, technology, and activities conducted in the oceans and coasts.

Standards-based and teacher-reviewed educational resources are available in many topics of interest to science and mathematics educators. Online tutorials, case studies, activities, and over 50 lesson plans have been developed for educators and students at the high school level, but easily adaptable for students at the middle school or undergraduate levels. Materials are available online at:

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/welcome.html

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Sign up to receive the Expeditioner Newsletter from from Earthwatch. Each issue has loads of information valuable to teachers and students.

Write to news@earthwatch.org with your email address and ask to be added to the mailing list for Expeditioner.

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The Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS)has an exciting web site with a growing collection of materials for teachers and students alike. Plans are being made for celebration 2009 as a Year of Science. Take a look at all the resources at http://www.copusproject.org.

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Wouldn't it be great if we could all take our classes to the Exploratorium in San Fransisco? You can do the next best thing! Go to their web site for loads of links, activities and materials for students and teachers. www.exploratorium.edu

Make sure to try out the Microscope Imaging Station for amazing looks at the tiny world around us. www.exploratorium.edu/imaging_station/index.ph

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NMLSTA President-Elect Dale Rosene has taken groups of his students to Alaska for a three week learning adventure for each of the past 19 years. Visit the project web site to learn more. The web site is the work of his students. I am sure you will enjoy the talented writers and photographers. Look for the daily podcast that the students recorded too! Alaska Great Lakes Project www.aglp.com or contact Dale for more informatio

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It is time to work on your applications for the Paul DeHart Hurd and Marteka Awards. Look for Application information in the links on the left side of the NMLSTA Homepage.