https://nagt.org/nagt/teaching_resources/index.

html

(everything is in this site, have time to visit visit )

Teaching Strategies

Teaching with research based methods increases student engagement and understanding of
material. For each teaching method find information about what makes the method effective
and a collection of example lessons.

Note: the list of teaching strategies below have been chosen for their application in K-12
classrooms from a larger list of research-based pedagogies on the SERC site.

Jump down to Conducting Science with Students | Group Work Methods | Innovative Methods
for Application and Analysis | Making Lecture Interactive | Teaching in Urban Settings
Conducting Science with Students

The following methods take different approaches to assisting educators in conducting science
with students. In some methods, students collect data and analyze it following a series of guided
questions. In another, students are made aware of how they can conduct science outside the
classroom. Whichever method is used, students learn how scientific knowledge is gained and
learn to interpret data.

×
Indoor Labs - Indoor labs are a staple of K-12 education. This teaching strategy encourages
cooperation in small groups and participation in doing science. This resource gives tips for
making individuals accountable during group work, making handouts, and structuring lab time.
Also, many examples of indoor labs are given.

×
Field Labs- Field labs are engaging to students because they can experience the science that they
have been taught in the classroom. This resource has information on safety and how to choose
field locations on your school grounds. Specific lesson examples are given.

×
Process of Science- Teaching the process of science means taking the aspects of how science is
conducted and making these ideas explicit for students, allowing them to discover how scientific
knowledge is gained.
×
Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning - In this approach, groups of students work
together through data and questions to discover a scientific concept. A similar resource is titled
Classroom Experiments.

×
Guided Discovery Problems - Guided Discovery Problems lead students through a progression
of questions with supporting diagrams from simple to complex to build student's understanding
of a concept as they discover it themselves.

×
Campus Based Learning - Campus-based projects can provide hands-on, real-world projects
that can be accomplished without a field trip budget or transportation by using buildings and
grounds as teaching tools.

×
Teaching with Data- Data can be observations, raw data, or processed data and can be collected
by or presented to students. Several examples of how data can be used and sources for finding
data to present to students are included. A second related resource, Using Data in the Classroom,
has information regarding research supporting the use of data in the classroom and nearly 200
lesson examples.

×
Teaching Students to Write Quantitatively - This resource teaches students how to use and
interpret data in their writing. Assignments are presented that utilize a variety of formats ranging
from formal essays to informal reports and posters.

Group Work Methods

Group work is a way of getting students to work together to solve a problem or learn new
information. By using group work, educators teach students how to learn from one another's
ideas. Since scientists do not work in isolation, using group work in a structured way can teach
students skills in collaboration and accountability, similar to skills scientists must have.

×
Cooperative Learning - Cooperative Learning involves structuring classes around small groups
that work together so that each group member's success is dependent on the group's success.

×
Jigsaws - In a jigsaw, teams of students prepare separate but related assignments. Teams regroup
and peers then teach each other about their prepared portion of the learning.
×
Gallery Walks - In a Gallery Walk, questions are posted at stations around the room. Teams of
students rotate around the classroom, composing answers to questions while reflecting upon the
answers given by other groups.

Innovative Methods for Application and Analysis

Students ability to respond to higher order questioning demonstrates the degree to which they
understand a particular topic. In the following methods, students are required to justify answers,
apply information, or analyze ideas. These methods are very useful for eliciting student's
understanding of what they have been taught and also for identifying any remaining
misconceptions students may hold.

×
Direct Measurement Videos - These short, high-quality videos of real events that students can
use to explore and apply physics concepts. The videos can be used for labs, homework,
assessments, or open-ended problems. Several of the videos are paired with classroom-ready
activities that integrate videos into the introductory mechanics curriculum. What sets these
videos apart from others is that students can measure distances, time, angles, and other variables
right from the videos, allowing for a wide variety of quantitative and theoretical exploration.

×
Documented Problem Solving- This process requires students to record their thought process as
they solve a problem. Instead of simply presenting a solution, students must explain their
reasoning for arriving at their solution.

×
Game Based Learning - In game based learning, students compete to learn material. Included in
this resource are tips for making a meaningful game, making rules fair, and grading.

×
Interactive Lecture Demonstrations- This resource provides formatting for scaffolding
learning from demonstrations. Students predict an outcome, observe the demonstration and
reflect on their previous assumptions of the outcome.

×
Socratic Questioning - Educators present thoughtful questions for students to discuss which
cause them to think critically about a topic or issue. The educator then requires students to justify
their responses.
×
Experience based Environmental projects - Experience-based environmental projects offer a
way for students to apply classroom topics like energy use, global warming, water quality and
land use to their own lives, and to realize that although these issues may be global or regional,
they ultimately have roots at the individual level.

×
Civic Engagement and Service Learning - Connecting students with community members to
conduct science in areas similar to what you are teaching in the classroom can be a very
powerful lesson to students that what they are learning is relevant and useful to their future
careers and lives as informed citizens. This resource provides more information about this
approach and offers many examples you can use in your class.

×
Service Learning - When students link a learning project with community service, they are
conducting service learning. This resource presents information on why service learning is
valuable, tips on how to start a service learning component in your classroom, and how to assess
students' learning and get students to reflect on their work.

Making Lecture Interactive

×
Interactive Lecture Demonstrations- This resource provides formatting for scaffolding
learning from demonstrations. Students predict an outcome, observe the demonstration and
reflect on their previous assumptions of the outcome.

×
Lecture Tutorials - This resource offers suggestions and rationale for creating worksheets for
students to complete as they listen to lecture presentations. These worksheets make lectures more
interactive and help students understand what information is most important from lectures.

Teaching in Urban Settings

×
Teaching Urban Students - Urban students may experience the natural world differently than
students from rural backgrounds. Urban students also may have cultural and ethnic backgrounds
that may benefit from teaching in non-traditional ways. This resource presents methods for
engaging urban students in science classes.

Back to top

« Previous Page      Next Page »

Educator's Toolbox
On this page, find innovative tools that can be used to teach content in your class. For example,
find information, suggestions, and tips for how to teach students about a topic with the use of
visualizations or Google Earth.

Jump down to Visualizations | Videos | Simulations | Satellite Imagery | Quantitative Skills

Visualizations

Teaching with Visualizations - Many students identify themselves as being visual learners. Using
graphs, maps, and animations helps students to understand concepts. Of particular interest are
the phases of the moon animations and global warming graphs.
Hazard Events - Provides a collection of visualizations for a number of recent hazard events that
have captured the public's attention. These events provide teachable moments in classrooms
and help students understand the relevance of what they are learning. Each event page has
information that describes the scientific concepts behind the event and includes visualizations
to help students understand the phenomenon.

Videos

Using Direct Measurement Videos to Teach Physics Direct Measurement Videos show situations that
students can use to learn and apply physics concepts. Grids, rulers, and frame-counters are
added as overlays on the video allowing students to make precise measurements of quantities
such as position and time, without needing additional video analysis software.

Simulations

A Civil Action - The Woburn Toxic Trial- This landmark case is presented through the award-
winning book A Civil Action and the movie of the same name. This project includes several
different modules to teach the case including science experiments and a mock trial.

Satellite Imagery

Teaching with Google Earth- This resource offers information about how to incorporate Google
Earth into your class. The resource presents a collection of materials that use Google Earth
along with specific examples of how you might use Google Earth in your class.

Teaching with GIS - This resource provides descriptions of work that can be accomplished
through the use of analysis of printed and electronic maps to teach about GIS concepts without
requiring students to use software that is not accessible to most high school students.

GeoMapApp activities provide a way for educators to use geoscience data and imagery in the
classroom. The site contains data-driven geoscience learning modules aimed at the K-12,
Community College and Introductory university levels.

Mars for Earthlings seeks to expose undergraduate students to planetary study through Mars
remote sensing data and Earth-based analogs.

Quantitative Skills
Two resources exist to help science educators incorporate math into their curricula to build
number sense and math confidence in students.
The Math You Need, When You Need It resource addresses incorporating math into introductory
Geoscience classes and can apply to high school level science courses.

The National Numeracy Network offers ideas and lessons to help students think quantitatively.

Back to top

« Previous Page      Next Page »

Curriculum and Assessment

Learn about alternative and traditional assessments by reading practical tips provided from
research based strategies. Also, learn about course design (particularly useful for introducing a
new course to a school or district) and tips for planning an engaging first day of class.

Assessments - Find all the resources available on assessing student learning at the SERC
Assessment Site Guide. Of particular importance is the assessment module that outlines
different types of assessments and presents information on creating and grading traditional
and alternative assessments. Within this module, there is also a section on exam writing tips.
Course Design- Educators may find themselves in a position of having to create a new course or
having to redesign an existing course. This resource offers insightful information to help
educators choose course goals and design a course to meet those goals. There is also a tutorial
to walk educators through the process of creating a course.

Engaging Students on the First Day of Class- The first day of class sets the tone for the rest of the
school year. Engaging students on the first day sends the message that your course will be
engaging and interesting for the rest of the term. Many example lessons are presented that
effectively engage students on the first day of class.

Professional Development Resources

Professional development opportunities range from joining an association to taking workshops

or courses for inservice teachers to obtaining an advanced degree in education.
 National Association of Geoscience Teachers - NAGT is a professional society for earth science
educators at all levels. The organization maintains robust regional sections where educators
gather to share ideas and materials. There are also a number of award and professional
development programs open to K-12 educators. NAGT also publishes the Journal of Geoscience
Education, one of the premier publications in geoscience education.

Preparing Teachers to Teach Earth Science: Professional Development Programs - This program,
developed under the DLESE Community Services project, has profiled a number of programs
across the country where k-12 teachers can engage in professional development and
continuing education.

K-12 Web Resources

Skip to search results Skip to search facet filtersSkip to text search formSkip to pagination

Refine the Results↓

Subject
 Biology 41 matches
 Chemistry 17 matches
 Education 9 matches
 Environmental Science 74 matches
 Geography 22 matches
 Geoscience 129 matches
 Health Sciences 4 matches
 Mathematics 7 matches
 Physics 15 matches
 Grade Level
 Primary (K-2) 32 matches
 Intermediate (3-5) 42 matches
 Middle (6-8) 80 matches
 High School (9-12) 111 matches
 College Lower (13-14) 61 matches
 College Upper (15-16) 18 matches
 Graduate/Professional 7 matches
 Informal 1 match
 General Public 8 matches
Resource Type
 Activities 121 matches
 Assessments 1 match
 Course Information 2 matches
 Datasets and Tools 14 matches
 Audio/Visual 18 matches
 Computer Applications 23 matches
 Pedagogic Resources 18 matches
 Scientific Resources 11 matches

search

Help

Results 1 - 20 of 156 matches

Discovering Plate Boundaries part of NAGT:Teaching Resources:Teaching Materials Collection

Students work collaboratively using data maps to discover plate tectonic boundary processes.
Data sets used are earthquakes, volcanos, seafloor age, and topography. The authors below
have submitted variations of ...
Mt. Pinatubo and the Atmosphere part of SERC Web Resource Collection
http://challenger.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Pinatub...

In this lesson, students explore several facets of the impact of volcanic eruptions on the
atmosphere. Students analyze three types of visual information: a graph of aerosol optical
depth v. global ...

Investigating Weather and Climate with Google Earth part of CLEAN Collection
http://www.ei.lehigh.edu/eli/cc/sequence/day2.html

In this activity, students use Google Earth to explore global temperature changes during a
recent 50 - 58 year period. They also explore, analyze, and interpret climate patterns of 13
different ...

Climographs: Temperature, Precipitation, and the Human Condition part of SERC Web Resource Collection
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/15/...
In this activity, students learn how to read, analyze, and construct climographs. These
climographs are a graphic way of displaying monthly average temperature and precipitation.
Students also ...

Aerial Photography and Mapping Lesson Plan: Images of Katrina part of CLEAN Collection
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/lessons/katrina.html

This activity from NOAA Ocean Service is about using aerial photographs to assess the impact
of extreme weather events such as Hurricane Katrina. The activity features aerial views of Biloxi,
MS ...

Energy For You part of CLEAN Collection

http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/energy-for-you/

In this activity, students explore what types of energy resources exist in their state by
examining a state map and data from the Energy Information Administration. Students identify
the different ...

A Bird's Eye View: Exploring Your Region part of EarthLabs for Educators:Earth System Science

The lab activity described here was adapted by Erin Bardar of TERC for the EarthLabs project.
Summary and Learning Objectives In this Lab students focus their attention on an area
significantly larger than their ...
Climate Change and Arctic Ecosystems part of CLEAN Collection
https://apps.iclimate.org/ccc/Files/cc_arctic.pdf

In this activity, students learn about how climate change is affecting the Arctic ecosystem and
then investigate how this change is impacting polar bear populations. Students analyze maps of
Arctic ...

Ocean Currents and Sea Surface Temperature part of CLEAN Collection

https://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/201...

In this classroom activity, students access sea surface temperature and wind speed data from a
NASA site, plot and compare data, draw conclusions about surface current and sea surface
temperature, ...

Tropical Atlantic Aerosols part of CLEAN Collection

https://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/201...

Students use real satellite data to determine 1) where the greatest concentrations of aerosols
are located during the course of a year in the tropical Atlantic region and 2) their source of
origin. ...

Impacts of Topography on Sea Level Change part of CLEAN Collection

https://web.archive.org/web/20170104034100/http://www.te...

This lesson is comprised of three activities (three class periods). Students use web-based
animations to explore the impacts of ice melt and changes to sea level. Students are introduced
to ...
Mapping Sea Level Rise part of CLEAN Collection
http://www.arcticclimatemodeling.org/lessons/acmp/acmp_9...

In this activity, students will learn the difference between sea ice and glaciers in relation to sea
level rise. They will create and explore topographic maps as a means of studying sea level
rise ...

How do seasonal temperature patterns vary among different regions of the world? part of CLEAN
Collection
http://www.globe.gov/documents/348614/de815d37-79f7-4f97...

In this activity, students use the GLOBE Student Data Archive and visualizations to explore
changes in regional and seasonal temperature patterns.

Exploring NCAR Climate Change Data Using GIS part of Earth Exploration Toolbook:NCAR Climate Change Data with
GIS

DATA: NCAR Climate Change Scenarios. TOOL: ArcGIS. SUMMARY: Calculate summer average
temperatures during the growing season (June, July, and August) using simulated, present-day,
climate-modeled output and compare these to temperatures calculated using projected, future,
climate-modeled output. Create a temperature anomaly map to summarize the analysis.
How Cities Affect Their Local Climate part of Earth Exploration Toolbook:Are Our Cities Warming the Earth?

DATA: GLOBE Program Surface Temperature. TOOL: My World GIS. SUMMARY: Explore the urban
heat island effect using student collected surface temperature data. Subset large datasets,
buffer others, examine spatial relationships, and gather statistics to investigate temperature
differences in urban and rural school sites.
Using NASA NEO and ImageJ to Explore the Role of Snow Cover in Shaping Climate part of Earth
Exploration Toolbook:Exploring Albedo with NASA NEO

DATA: NASA Satellite Images. TOOLS: ImageJ and Image Composite Explorer (ICE) of NASA Earth
Observations (NEO). SUMMARY: Explore and animate satellite images of reflected short wave
radiation, snow cover, and land surface temperature downloaded. Then observe, graph, and
analyze the relationship between these three variables.
Lab 2: What's a Watershed? part of EarthLabs for Educators:Drought

The lab activity described here was created by Betsy Youngman of Phoenix Country Day School
and LuAnn Dahlman of TERC for the EarthLabs project. The hands-on activity in Part A is
adapted from similar lessons by ...
Lab 3: Normal Climate Patterns part of EarthLabs for Educators:Drought

The lab activity described here was created by Betsy Youngman of Phoenix Country Day School
and LuAnn Dahlman of TERC for the EarthLabs project. Summary and Learning Objectives
Students generate and explore a ...
Mapping Local Data in a GIS part of Earth Exploration Toolbook:MyMap

DATA: Student-collected GPS data and site characterizations TOOLS: MyWorld GIS, spreadsheet
program SUMMARY: Follow a study of Urban Heat Islands as an example of map-based science
research projects.
Detecting El Niño in Sea Surface Temperature Data part of Earth Exploration Toolbook:PMEL

DATA: Sea Surface Temperature (SST). TOOL: My World GIS. SUMMARY: Examine 15 years of SST
data from the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. Create and analyze average SST maps to
identify El Nino and La Nina events.