Resources for Science
Table of Contents
Science Newsletter
Science Newsletter The Ohio Science Education newsletter provides timely information to science educators regarding important news from the Ohio Department of Education professional development opportunities and classroom resources.
Sign up to receive the Ohio Science Education newsletter.
The resources in the newsletters are free and are reviewed using the Department’s Science resource filter against established criteria. Copies of the completed filter forms are available upon request. Inclusion in this newsletter does not represent a recommendation to use a resource. Many quality resources are available beyond those included here. Educators should use their professional expertise to determine the suitability of any particular resources for use in their districts, schools or classrooms.
The focus of the Virtual Meetups in Science for the 2021-2022 academic year will be on High Quality Materials, Instruction and Assessment. The Science Team will be partnering with Amplify Science to bring a series of sessions designed to support educators in each of these 3 key areas of student engagement. All sessions will run from 4PM-5PM EST. The meeting link is the same for all meetings, but does require one registration for all sessions in the series. Please Register Here
| Meetup Resources |
The 5E model/Do, Talk, Read, Write,Visualize with Amplify Learning Recording |
| Session Recording |
Open Forum - OutSCIder Classroom |
| Session Recording |
Eye of Integration:
Creating Cross Curricular Units |
| Session Recording |
Teaching Science is Teaching Literacy! with Amplify Learning |
Session Recording
Resources |
Probing for Understanding and High Quality Student Data in Science |
| February 8, 2022 |
Assessments in 3D learning with Amplify Learning |
| March 1, 2022 |
Open Forum |
| April 26, 2022 |
Educator Panel with Amplify Learning |
For Virtual Meetups for other content areas on the
Office of Learning and Instructional Strategies Virtual Meetup Page.
Video recordings and resources; including powerpoint presentations and supplemental materials for each of the Nature of Science series may be found by clicking the links below. Districts are encouraged to use these with their Science faculty as part of their professional learning during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Districts and other educational organizations utilizing this material in their facilitation, please provide your feedback by completing this Evauation Form.
*Districts interested in conducting a live Q & A session for faculty with the Science Team upon completion of the video series, please contact Robin Deems.
- Understanding Science – The University of Berkeley provides resources to understand the nature of science.
Science Explorations To Do at Home
These investigations are designed to be completed in a home setting and are specifically targeted to each of
Ohio’s Learning Standards for Science. These activities use easy to find, familiar household items. The projects are intended to be used by parents to supplement instruction in the classroom or for teachers to assign during remote learning, particularly for students who do not have access to online resources. Be sure to follow pertinent safety considerations.
Safety During At-Home Science Explorations
Resources Created by Outside Organizations
These resources were created by other professional organizations, many of which are outside Ohio, and are not guaranteed to fully align to the
Ohio Learning Standards and Model Curriculum for Science. When reviewing these resources, educators can use the standards, content elaborations and expectations for learning contained in the Model Curriculum to help make determinations on whether to use the materials with their instruction.
- cK-12 - The cK-12 Foundation provides a library of free online textbooks, videos, exercises, flashcards, and real world applications for over 5000 concepts from arithmetic to anatomy. cK12 integrates with many Learning Management Systems including Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas and Edmodo
- Concord Consortium – Virtual guided STEM lessons to engage students in scientifically accurate models and activities.
- The Cornell Lab – Citizen Science Projects to connect students to the world of birds.
- FLINN Scientific has created FREE At-Home Activities and At-Home Labs for students; including student and teacher guides.
- Ohio Department of Education STEM Resources - Resources and activities for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math integration
- Ohio Division of Wildlife - Part of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, this Ohio agency provides current information and data on Ohio's wildlife species, as well as classroom resources for teaching about Ohio wildlife; including activity guides, field guides, guidance on developing a WILDSchool Site, Project WILD Curriculum Resources, Project Based Learning resources, and their Chat with a Biologist program.
- NSTA has created a collection of at-home activities titled the Daily Do. These Daily Do activities are useful for classroom teachers as well as parents to keep their students engaged in meaningful science lessons and experimentation. NSTA members have unlimited access to the Daily Do activities. Non-members of NSTA are also granted access to these activities, however individuals are limited in the number of times they may access within each month.
Science Laboratory Safety
As Ohio students return to school for the 2020-2021 school year, it is imperative to ensure that student safety and well-being are accounted for in all learning environments. The Ohio Learning Standards for Science recognize the importance of providing opportunities for students to engage in inquiry-based activities, which focus on the science and engineering practices and the nature of science. These opportunities provide equitable learning experiences that enhance student performance. To provide for opportunities for students to engage in these activities in a safe manner, the Vermont Agency of Education has issued guidance and suggested protocols pertaining to
laboratory safety for science classrooms. This document details a risk assessment, as well as protocols for social distancing in the science classroom, student and staff hygiene and appropriate disinfection of equipment and work stations. This guidance is also congruent with what is necessary for Ohio science classrooms and educators to provide safe spaces for students to engage in scientific inquiry and investigations as well.
NSTA has also created a
science classroom safety page which includes a position statement on the liability of classroom teachers, a position statement on safety and school science instructions, and other resources for science classrooms.
Speaking Up for Elementary Social Studies and Science, YouTube presentation by Nell Duke, Universtiy of Michigan, about the importance of teaching Social Studies and Science in the elementary grades.
Choice boards
To learn more about Choice Boards and explore how the faculty at Genoa Area Local Schools have successfully utilized Choice Boards in their K-12 curriculum, access the Recording of the Ohio Department of Education's Virtual Meetup for Science: Choice Boards. Examine the templates and slides offered by Genoa Area Local teachers, to inspire your efforts to incorporate choice boards into your classroom curriculum. There are many examples provided for implementation across the curriculum and in all grade levels.
Vertical Alignment Example
The vertical alignment document provides one example of an overview of the K-8 progression within each topic area. This document is a high-level view and cannot serve as a substitute for the breadth of information provided in Ohio's Learning Standards and Model Curriculum for Science. The information provided is not sufficient to adequately plan instructional details of lessons or units. Please refer to the intended uses in the introduction to this document.
Environmental Education Council of Ohio
Science Education Council (SECO)
National Science Teaching Association
Teaching Students About COVID-19
The Smithsonian Science Education Center, in collaboration with the InterAcademy Partnership and the World Health Organization, has created a free guide for youth called, “COVID-19! How can I protect myself and others?” The purpose of this 7-lesson module is to help youth engage in hands-on activities that they can do at home with simple materials to help them understand the underlying science (and social science) of COVID-19.
Supporting Students’ Science Learning During School Closures
Supporting Students’ Science Learning During School Closures – Council of State Science Supervisors created a guide to provide guidance around how to support student science learning during these unique circumstances. Here is the link to these documents translated to other languages.
Last Modified: 5/25/2022 3:39:06 PM