Author Archives: SERC Blog

Teacher Workshop: Celebrating National Chemistry Week 2013: Energy – Now and Forever

Celebrating National Chemistry Week 2013:  Energy – Now and Forever
Saturday, October 5, 2013, 9am – 3pm
Mission College, Santa Clara, CA (Science Building)
 
Join the American Chemical Society (ACS) to celebrate National Chemistry Week 2013 on the theme: “Energy – Now and Forever!” Learn about some of the ways in which energy is made and what scientists and engineers are doing to supply the world’s energy. This hands-on workshop will take place at Mission College in Santa Clara, CA in conjunction with the 44th Western Regional ACS Meeting. Breakfast, lunch, standards-based curriculum materials, and supplies to replicate the activities in your classroom will be provided.
 
TARGET AUDIENCE: 3rd through 6th grade teachers; all educators welcome.
COST: There is no cost to attend, but enrollment is limited. Registrations must be received by September 28 to secure a space. Register at: www.raftbayarea.org/workshops.
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Common Core Standards for Science have not been finalized. These are the current California Science Content Standards that will be addressed through hands-on activities during the workshop:
Third Grade
01. Energy and matter have multiple forms and can be changed from one form to another.
04. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.
Fourth Grade
01. Electricity and magnetism are related effects that have many useful applications in everyday life.
02. All organisms need energy and matter to live and grow.
04. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.
Fifth Grade
03. Energy from the sun heats the earth unevenly, causing air movements resulting in changing weather patterns.
04. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.
Sixth Grade
04. Many phenomena on Earth’s surface are affected by the transfer of energy through radiation and convection currents.
05. Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with the environment.
06. Sources of energy and materials differ in amounts, distribution, usefulness, and the time required for their formation.
07. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.

Bill Nye The Science Guy App – Free

Check out the newly released Bill Nye the Science Guy free app at

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bill-nye-the-science-guy/id652548755?mt=8

Requirements are:  Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 6.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

iPhone Screenshot 1

 

Great Opportunity for Teachers in July…..

 

Teach Astronomy Through Storytelling and in the Context of the Next Generation Science Standards!

Galileo Looks Beyond to Other Worlds
A Hands-on Workshop on Astronomy and Space Science for Teachers in Grades 3-12 from the Galileo Teacher Training Program

Saturday, July 20 and Sunday, July 21, 8:30am – 5:00pm both days
Location: Clark Hall on the campus of San Jose State University, San Jose, California

Featured Presenters:
Lynn Moroney, StarTeller, noted author and storyteller
Dr. Steve Howell, NASA Ames Research Center, Project Scientist on NASA’s Kepler Mission

Explore the Universe near and far through classroom-tested, standards-based, hands-on astronomy activities.  Discover investigations and techniques to help teach earth and space science in the context of the Next Generation Science Standards.  Learn how you can teach astronomy through storytelling and engage your students from diverse and underserved populations in science through their astronomical heritage.  And find out about the latest discoveries by NASA’s Kepler mission and the search for planets around distant stars.  Participants receive a wealth of teaching resources, including The Universe at Your Fingertips 2.0 DVD-ROM (retail value $30), a large collection of resources for teaching astronomy.

Target Audience: Teachers in grades 3 – 12; and those who work with them
Cost: $75 until May 15 / $95 from May 16 – July 5 / $125 on site July 20
*** A limited number of scholarships for this workshop are available for California teachers ***

For more information and a link to register, go to: http://astrosociety.org/education/k12-educators/galileo-teacher-training-program/

Calling All Citizen Scientists!

Phenology – The Science of the Seasons

Sunday, April 21 from 1:30 to 3:00 PM
Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum
21350 Almaden Road, San Jose 95120

or

Sunday, June 9 from 1:30 to 3:00
Hellyer Park Visitor Center
985 Hellyer Ave, San Jose 95111

Phenology is the study of seasonal or periodic bio­logical events such as plant leaf-out and flowering, insect emer­gence, and animal migration. Come learn how you and your students could become involved in a citizen science project that encourages people to watch how native plants respond to the changing seasons. Phenology monitoring sites have been set up at a few public areas throughout the region where volunteers can monitor the seasonal changes of native plants, but we will also talk about setting up monitoring sites at home or school. Learn how you can incorporate phenology into your science curriculum. Appropriate for all age levels, K-12 and beyond.

The California Phenology Project is organized by the University of California, Santa Barbara, the National Parks Service, and several other organizations. Both the California Phenology Project https://www.usanpn.org/cpp/ and the National Phenology Network https://www.usanpn.org have lots of curriculum materials for K-12 teachers.

Science Education Masters Program Mixer!

When:  Friday, March 15, 2013
Time:  4:30pm – 7:00pm
Location:  Duncan Hall 246

This Master’s Program is designed to provide K-12 teachers the opportunity to enhance their understanding of science teaching and learning, and in accordance with the Secondary Education Program.  Come find out more and meet some fun people!

See Attached image with more information