Science

Monthly
District NGSS and Science News

JANUARY 2019

Website of the YouTube Channel

Month: Of the Month: Citizen Science:
Phenomena for NGSS Veritasium Science is Everywhere
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Website of the Month: Phenomena for NGSS

https://www.ngssphenomena.com

PBL is an acronym often found in science classrooms. First PBL

can be found in a room utilizing PROJECT based learning, where
students learn through the act of developing and then
constructing a project rather than around a traditional lecture
based lesson. As science teachers, we have been on the leading
edge of project based learning since many of our units naturally
lend themselves to experiments or research projects. The new
PBL acronym being passed around in science education now
though stands for Phenomena Based Learning. A phenomenon is
simply something that happens in the world, be it a photo, video,

or model of something that happens. Students explore

this phenomenon and hopefully it sparks the natural
curiosity in our students, getting them to create their
own questions. When students have the opportunity to
research their own questions, they have a personal
drive to learn more. The old phrase goes “you can bring
a horse to water but you can’t make it drink,” but using
phenomena based learning can really make students
thirsty for more!

Phenomena for NGSS is a digital library of phenomena

to use in your classroom. For those of you using
STEMscopes, you may find that a photo or video is
provided to get the kids hooked, but perhaps you need more examples to choose from. With a couple of key words, you
can search for videos, gifs, and photos that align with your lessons. Another great thing about this site is it is always
being updated, requesting phenomena from visitors to the website. If you have some great photos or videos of
something happening that demonstrates a principle of science, submit it to see if it is accepted and added to the
library.
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Something important to remember is that

phenomena based learning is simply using the
tool of phenomena to get the students talking
about the content. A chosen phenomenon is just
a tool to initiate critical thinking; here is an
excerpt from the “Why Use Phenomena” page on
the Phenomena for NGSS website.
“Phenomena is only as effective as the
unit it is embedded within. The questions that
students raise should be directly connected with
the core ideas that you want the students to
engage with using the science and engineering
practices. For example, we all love seeing a
volcano model explode - but this does nothing to
connect students with the real world
phenomenon that helps us to understand the
natural and geologic mechanisms that cause the
formation of landforms due to volcanic activity.”
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YouTube Channel of the Month: Veritasium

Veritas (Latin for truth) + “ium” (common ending for periodic
elements) = Veritasium: An element of truth.

Finish the question: “Have you ever wondered_____________?”

What have you ever wondered? We ask our students to “wonder” when sharing phenomena with them, we encourage
them to ponder on something to come up with questions that will drive their own learning. It seems to be a challenge to
get students to build that intrinsic desire to want to learn more about the unit you are moving into, so we ask the
students “what do you wonder?”

The YouTube channel Veritasium is hosted by Canadian-Australian, science filmmaker, and Physics Education PhD Derek
Muller who explores a variety of science and engineering
topics that model the inquiry process. While there are
various YouTube videos claiming to “tell the truth” about
phenomena in the world, it is handy to have a few channels
bookmarked that come from actual scientists with real
degrees. A good lesson in evaluating resources is having
students just read the about sections of a given YouTube
channel and verify the credibility of the sources for the
video content. Many Veritasium videos start with a question
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or phenomena and follow a logical research process that often includes interviews from scientific researchers and
professors.

Another fun feature of the Veritasium channel is the selection of songs that cover various science topics. Many studies
have shown that people can memorize something better if it has a tune to it which is why I can still rattle off the
quadratic formula to the tune of Pop Goes the Weasel. Often it is easier to get elementary students to sing along than
secondary students, at least in public, but a few of these songs are parodies of popular radio songs that might inspire
some of the older kids. Learn a song for a test, or have students write their own using Muller’s songs as models.

For more about Veritasium, visit the YouTube channel listed below or you can go directly to the Veritasium website-
https://veritasium.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHnyfMqiRRG1u-2MsSQLbXA?disable_polymer=true
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Citizen Science: Science is Everywhere!

Showing our students that anyone can collect valuable research.

NASA’s January 7th news headline reads “Citizen Scientists Find New World with NASA Telescope.” Astrophysics and
other realms of science are surprisingly open to the contributions of non-scientists all around the world. In the case of
this newfound planet, NASA published data through a project called Exoplanet Explorers where anyone with internet
access can examine the data and images themselves from the Kepler space telescope and it was through this data that
regular, every-day people helped identify a previously unknown planet.
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With the free sharing of information in the internet revolution, scientists have begun calling on the everyday person to
help collect valuable information. A scientist can only be in one place at a time (so far) and cameras can only be
planted in so many places, so people from around the globe are being asked to help collect and share real data. Often
times students think that science can only be done in a lab with expensive equipment by someone with an advanced
college degree, but there is plenty of value to just observing the world around us. Simply by taking students outside to
the playground, you can collect weather data or information on local birds. If you take students on a field trip to a local
stream or forest, you can gather plenty of information that scientists need and thusly the students become a very
important part of real scientific studies.

While there are many programs out there, here are a few apps and websites that you can consider integrating into
your curriculum:

NASA Citizen Scientists Home Page: https://science.nasa.gov/citizenscientists

Air Quality Citizen Science: https://aqcitizenscience.rti.org/#/

Globe Observer Environmental Phenomena Tracker and App: https://observer.globe.gov/

NASA’s Students’ Cloud Obsrevations On-line (S’COOL): https://scool.larc.nasa.gov/

Zooniverse: https://www.zooniverse.org/

This site is a database of citizen science projects from multiple research institutions and once you register with a free
account you can start participating in different studies. Categories include traditional sciences like biology and climate
studies, but there are also projects in other academic areas such as the arts and language.
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Science Fair Season: School and District Events

De Anza Elementary: Jan. 17

5pm-5:45pm

Park Hill Elementary: Jan. 22

5pm-6pm

Record Elementary: Jan. 22

5pm-6pm

Monte Vista Middle School: Jan. 23

5pm-6pm

San Jacinto Elementary: Jan. 24

4:30pm-5:30pm

Hyatt Elementary: Jan. 24 5pm-6pm

Estudillo Elementary: Jan. 25 5pm-6:30pm

Cope Elementary: Jan. 28 5:30pm-7:30pm

San Jacinto High School: Feb. 5 3:30-5:30

North Mountain Middle School: Feb. 8 5:30pm-6:30pm

San Jacinto Leadership Academy: Feb. 13 1pm-3pm

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S.T.E.A.M. Explosion Art Contest Teacher Instructions

Thank you for encouraging your students to participate in this year’s first annual S.T.E.A.M. Art Contest. Students are asked to create a 2D
piece of art that is no bigger than a regular size piece of paper (8.5x11). Please make sure all entries have the student’s information written
on the back so that we can return the work to the proper classroom after the event.

Entry Requirements:

- Must be on a paper no larger than 8.5”X11”.

- The back of each entry should have the student’s full name, grade, school, and room or science teacher.

- Should follow the theme for your designated grade level.

- May not contain inappropriate images, slogans, or content.

- Entries are due to teachers no later than Tuesday, January 29th, 2019.

Every elementary grade level has a different theme for their entries but middle and high school have one theme for their grade levels to
share.

Grade Level Themes:

K- Where Animals Live

1- Plants Around Us

2- Where Water Meets Land

3- Wonderful Weather

4- The Powerful Earth

5- Changes and Transformations

MS- Imaginative Inventors

HS- Laboratory Life

Judging Criteria for the District Winners: Representation of the theme (1-10 points) and visual appeal (1-10 points)

We are asking that the students turn the entries in to their teachers by 1/30 so that each grade level can pick the TOP 3 entries. Please
leave your top entries with the front office by Friday 2/1 and Jackie Gardner, the NGSS TOSA, will pick them up for final judging.
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Essays are now being accepted for NASA’s Scientist for a Day contest. If you choose to have the
whole class write an essay, choose your top 3 to mail in but send in the whole list of students who
participated and NASA will send everyone a certificate of participation.

Jackie Gardner: SJUSD NGSS TOSA jgardner@sanjacinto.k12.ca.us

Contact and Website: https://thefishnerd.weebly.com Phone: (951) 929 - 7700 ext. 4252
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