Interesting Science Objects for Your Lab
In a previous post (DIY CO2 Trough) we mentioned one of the destination points that will be available when our Science 7-8 landing page launches. This Science 7-8 landing page will be a great resource...
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When Your Brain Can’t Believe Your Eyes
Glance at the image above–which vertical line is longer? If you said “the one on the right,” you are in good company as that is what the majority of casual observers would say. However, a measurement...
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Are Your Students Learning to the Very Last Day?
Have you ever had an ex-student come up to you and tell you that the year he or she was in your class was the best year ever? Or maybe the student will ask you if you remember when the class did such...
View ArticleSecrets of the AIMS Studio
Work began on the AIMS Studio a year ago this month, back in May 2012. Staff Artists Dawn McAndrews and Reneè Mason came up with some incredible designs and then brought the designs into reality by...
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Dynamic Math and Science Workshops: Tell Us Your Story
Workshops? Staff Developments? Trainings? What do you call them? I call them “opportunities.” One of the best things about my job here at AIMS is that I have the opportunity to work with teachers as...
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Interesting Science Objects for Your Science Lab
With the new school year starting soon we would like to share two interesting science objects that members of the middle school science team have found useful in the classroom. Interesting Science...
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How Do You Picture the New School Year?
It’s that time of year when the stores are loaded with back-to-school bargains. Hair salons are filled with kids getting their back-to-school haircuts. Charitable organizations are distributing filled...
View ArticleTwo for One! Converting Your First Class Lever into a Second Class Lever
The First Class lever you built (see the Do It Yourself Science: How to Build a First Class Lever post) lifts 4330 gram-force with an effort force of 100 gram-force. In this video, Mike shows you just...
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Come to the Room Where Science and Technology “Meet”
Try this. Cut out a strip of paper that is 3 cm wide and the length of the paper. Snip halfway through the width on one end of the paper and then make another snip going the opposite direction through...
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Economical, Efficient, Engaging Equipment
While there are indeed many teachers/schools/districts that have stellar programs, science in the elementary classroom is often relegated to Friday afternoons or it may be taught alternating with...
View ArticleThe Eyes Have It
As I grabbed a hot cup of coffee and headed out the door for my early morning walk I was aware of several simultaneous sensations: the sight of dark clouds looming overhead, the sound of leaves...
View ArticleAnimal Eyes
Of our five senses, vision is probably most important in terms of both survival and enjoyment of life. Sight is not only our most prized sense but also the most complex. In our previous post, we took a...
View ArticleSeeing in the Dark
The previous post in our series on the eye took a look (no pun intended) at a variety of different animal eyes. We mentioned animals with the simplest of eyes, with compound eyes, with the largest...
View ArticleFresno County Science Olympiad
Fresno County’s Science Olympiad for Middle School students was Saturday, March 2 and AIMS was there! The ABC30 stated that the Science Olympiad “was held at the Clovis North Education Center. Both...
View ArticleDo It Yourself Science: How To Build a First Class Lever
In this video Mike shows you how easy it is to build a large First Class lever using inexpensive and easy-to-obtain materials. The lever demonstrates how a 100 gram-force weight easily lifts two bricks...
View ArticleCreate a Dynamic Classroom
Teaching is such a dynamic career. No year is ever the same. No day is ever the same. Most days as a classroom teacher I relished that fact. As Oscar Wilde said, “Consistency is the last refuge of the...
View ArticleDo It Yourself Science: Turning Your First and Second Class Lever into a...
In this video Mike shows you how to modify your first and second class lever (see Two for One! Converting Your First Class Lever into a Second Class Lever, August 21, 2013, and Do It Yourself Science:...
View ArticleRole-play an Astronaut Saving Moonbase Alpha
The American space program has once again landed astronauts on the lunar surface with the goal of colonization and scientific research. NASA has established a small outpost on the south pole of the...
View ArticlePrimary Trade Books and Related AIMS Activities
Every year the National Science Teachers’ Association (NSTA) publishes a list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12. The list was just published. Click here for the link. I often get...
View ArticleDebbie Investigates Math and Science Education News
Each week Debbie Osborne scours the web for the best math and science educational news and opportunities for teachers. Science is Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year WWBT-TV NBC 12 We need a scientific...
View ArticleIntermediate Grade Trade Books and Related AIMS Activities
In my last post, I reported that every year the National Science Teachers’ Association (NSTA) publishes a list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12. I also provided links to several...
View ArticleCan Math Tell Me Why Regular Cola Sinks and Diet Cola Floats?
My students are always asking, “How are we ever going to use this math?” I’m always asking, “Where are contexts that use the math standards they say are suppose to be taught?” We’re all asking, “What...
View ArticleEasy To Do Electrolysis Experiment Your Students Will Enjoy
There are 92 naturally occurring elements, such as hydrogen, oxygen, iron, mercury, gold, silver, and lead. Chemistry is about the structure of each element and the myriad number of chemical compounds...
View ArticleMiddle School Trade Books and Related AIMS Activities
In my last post, I reported that every year the National Science Teachers’ Association (NSTA) publishes a list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12. I also provided links to several...
View ArticleUsing the Olympics as a Context for Math, Science, and More
There is so much news about the Winter Olympics in Sochi. High-level sport competitions like these are packed with science, technology, engineering, and math. And they’re real-world, highly motivating...
View ArticleFresno’s First Annual Mini-Maker’s Faire
I will be the first to admit that I am a self-professed tinker. There I said it out loud; confession is good for the soul. Growing up without cell phones or video games, I could often be found outside...
View ArticleWhat’s Your Professional Development Plan?
Are webinars in your professional development plan? How many have you attended? AIMS will host its third webinar on Thursday, June 5, 2014 at 4:00 PM (PST). We have been facilitating math and science...
View ArticleBuilding Sandcastles and Science Education Together
Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about science education in the formal classroom setting related to the Common Core (CC) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). My research has...
View ArticleIn Search of a Summer Camp?
I always wanted to go to “Space Camp” when I was a school age child. That never happened, but a camps of some sort were always part of my summer break. Have your students mentioned their summer plans?...
View ArticleCard Stock as an Inexpensive Material for Making STEM Models
Historically, looking back to Archimedes and Leonardo da Vinci, the mechanical engineering side of STEM begins with the six basic simple machines; lever, wedge, pulley, inclined plane, wheel and axle,...
View ArticleThe Science Involved in a World Cup Soccer Ball
There are few things in sports that I look forward to more than the several weeks of World Cup Soccer every four years. Currently thirty-two of the best soccer teams in the world have been brought...
View ArticleProfessional Development in an Education World of Accountability
The AIMS Center for Math and Science Education is prepared to help. We are available to collaborate and build an effective Professional Development Plan for your school or district. We know that...
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