Classroom Opportunities

Tennessee Science Teachers Association

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Resources and Opportunities

Check here for classroom resources, free stuff, web links, and free courses.

STEM Think Tank & Conference
“Changing the Paradigm: Lessons Up & Down the Pipeline –
K12 to University to Corporate”

July 18-20, 2012
The Harpeth Hall School
Nashville, Tennessee

The STEM Think Tank and Conference will bring together national leaders in K12 education for girls and young women (independent, public, charter, and parochial), university K12 outreach coordinators and researchers, leaders of successful university STEM programs, girls' informal educators, and members of industry. Please plan to attend if you teach or work with girls and young women in a science, technology, engineering or math field (STEM). Our conference theme will allow us to discuss and learn more from each of these groups, translating lessons learned across the lives of females.

Call For Proposals

The conference organizers are seeking concurrent session presentation proposals. You are invited to submit your proposal no later than February 17, 2012. Abstracts must be 200 words or less. Notifications will be made by March 15, 2012. Presenters will receive a $50 discount in their registration fee.

All sessions will be one-hour in length. You should keep the conference theme in mind when crafting your proposal. You are encouraged, though not required, to match your proposal to one of the conference strands. Your proposed session may serve any target audience. Your session should have an interactive nature and demonstrate ideas or activities with proven effectiveness.

In addition to a presentation or workshop session format, proposers may also choose to propose a “Think Tank” discussion session. The proposer should clearly outline the topics to be discussed in a more classic open-ended Think Tank format, rather than in a presentation or workshop format .

CLICK HERE to submit your proposal.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Stacy Klein-Gardner, Director of the Center for STEM Education for Girls, stem@harpethhall.org.

Washington Youth Summit on the Environment (WYSE) June 24-29, 2012

George Mason University is set to again host the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment (WYSE) June 24-29, 2012. This week-long residential student leadership conference brings together 250 of the nations’ brightest high school juniors and senior (rising sophomores and juniors) for an experiential and intensive conference focusing on leadership, environmental science, energy, sustainability and conservation. The students will reside on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University, while taking advantage of Washington, D.C. and venues such as the National Geographic Society, the Smithsonian National Zoo, and the U.S. Capitol. Detailed program information and a tentative schedule can be found at www.wyse.gmu.edu.

Sustainability Education Concepts & Teaching Methods

This 15 hour online, self-paced professional development course provides K-12 teachers with an engaging introduction to sustainability topics and grade specific student lessons. Upon completion, educators will have the knowledge and skills to proceed with sustainability education and programs in their own classrooms and communities. Green Building Course This one-semester, environmental science elective educates high school students on green building attributes and benefits. The course includes a digital textbook, teachers manual, school audits, and lessons and is available free of charge to your school. If you are interested in providing this course during the January 2012 semester, please respond with your interest to service@greeneducationfoundation.org. Green Energy Challenge This sustainability education curriculum is designed to teach K-12 students the science of energy, non-and renewable resources, and conservation strategies. The challenge is comprised of several hands-on audits and an online library of grade-appropriate, standards-based sustainability curricula. Each participating school is equipped with a free online toolkit. Please enroll here to get started today. http://www.greeneducationfoundation.org/

Inquiry-Based Project on Rainforests

The project uses innovative and immersive media from the perspective of a tropical montane cloud forest to serve as a platform for inquiry-based, K-12 earth and life science education. We are particularly excited to offer over 25 lesson plans on themes such as water, weather, soils, ecology and the process of science focused on 6-8th grades. All materials are normed to national science education standards, peer-reviewed by a team of scientists and educators, and made available free of cost via our website. Funding is provided by the National Geographic Society, National Science Foundation and the Tropical Science Center of Costa Rica. Canopy In The Clouds.

NASA Bilingual Videos Available
NASA and You is a bilingual educational program designed to motivate and inspire young Latinos to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The program consists of 30-second educational video segments, interview clips with Hispanic researchers and educational resources for parents and teachers. The video segments and the website expose students to NASA advances and discoveries through the contribution of Hispanic astronauts, engineers and scientists. Please visit our website at www.nasa.gov/education/nasaandyou or for more information: Ivelisse.r.gilman@nasa.gov

Middle School Chemistry Website
It is a completely free source of activity-based lesson plans for teaching basic chemistry concepts at the middle school level. Any part of a lesson or the entire lesson can be used on its own or in conjunction with the curriculum the teacher is already using. Each lesson also contains integrated animations and video that a teacher can use to help explain student observations on the molecular level. Online professional development will also be available to introduce and familiarize teachers with the demonstrations, activities, and chemistry content in the site. http://middleschoolchemistry.com.