The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. -Ellen Parr

Transcription

1 The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. -Ellen Parr January/February 2007 Table of Contents Cover Story 1 Calendar of Events 2 Student Contest 3 Projects 3 Internet Links 4 CREEC 5 Other Opportunities 6-7 Please visit the wikispaces site to answer these questions: 1) What does RCOE do that you find very valuable? 2) What do you wish RCOE would start doing? Michael Horton Science Coordinator mhorton@rcoe.us As this is the first edition of the Science Inquirer in Riverside County, I would like to introduce myself. I am the new Science Coordinator for RCOE, replacing Nancy Pavelsky who was promoted to director. After spending a year and a half as the Science Coordinator for the Orange County Department of Education, I am back home in Riverside County where I taught for 12 years; 10 in Perris and 2 in Temecula. My background is in Physics and Chemistry. If I had to choose my specialty areas, I would say hands-on activities, technology, and science misconceptions. I have combined the last two into a podcast about science misconceptions at I have written two books about hands-on activities which will soon be published. As I begin my work at RCOE, I will make it my mission to meet as many educators and supporters of science education as possible. I would like to attend department meetings, PLC meetings, district curriculum meetings, and informal educator board meetings as much as I can fit into my schedule. Please let me know when and where you are meeting and I will do my best to attend. I will publish this newsletter every other month and I invite you to send in ideas for topics, your favorite websites, items for the calendar of events, or other items of interest. I have set up a discussion area to answer survey questions, discuss articles, and find more information about items. You can access this site at Here, you can also find a list of free stuff for science teachers. There are presently 60 links to free videos, posters, lesson plans, and more. If you register with the site, you can add your own links or discuss the existing links. You can see past versions of this newsletter from Orange County to read cover articles pertaining to PLC, Data-Driven dialogue, technology, educational games, and more by clicking on Science Inquirer at the top of the discussion page noted above. Please feel free to use the contact information to the left to contact me at any time. is usually the best way to get in touch with me. I look forward to working together with you to ensure the best science education for the students of Riverside County. Note: If you are reading this pdf file on your computer, all of the links are clickable. On a Mac, be sure that you are using acrobat reader, not the viewer.

2 Page 2 January February Comet McNaught is visible to the naked eye in the morning and evening skies. click here Saturn rises in the eastern sky at around 8:30 throughout January. click here IASTA Quartzite Field Study Orion is high in the eastern sky at sunset during February. Turn around and face west after sundown and see Venus and Mercury. click here for sky map 5 th - Web Design Workshop, Discovery Science Center 4:30-6:30 pm CREEC Conference, 17 th - California Science Safety Workshop See page 6 for more details or Rick_Hall@sbcss.k12.ca.us 18 th - IASTA Dinner Meeting, RCOE or fryedl@office.fusd.net 24 th - Educator s Evening of Science, Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana From 4:30 7:00 p.m. enjoy an evening of relaxation, science and special treatment! This free event includes hors d'oeuvres, treats, program previews, and a tour of our newest exhibit - Dino Quest, the world's first interactive dinosaur adventure. Sign up to win valuable prizes! Call ext 5103 or rsvp@discoverycube.org 24 th - Guest Lecture, Ron Burgess Hydroelectric Power, 7:30 pm San Bernardino County Museum, (909) & 26- Mars Rover Lecture Series JPL, Pasadena 7:00 pm Science Instructional Materials Adoption Workshop See page 7 for more information or Rick_Hall@sbcss.k12.ca.us 22 nd - IASTA Dinner Meeting or fryedl@office.fusd.net 22 & 23- Dawn Mission to the Asteroid Belt Lectures JPL, Pasadena 7:00 pm 28 th - Guest Lecture, Marline Zuk - Penguin Sexual Politics, 7:30 pm San Bernardino County Museum, (909) Plan ahead for JPL s Open House, Saturday and Sunday, May 19th and 20th, 2007 from 9 am to 5 pm both days. JPL is in Pasadena and Open House is a FREE, fun, and educational experience for children too, with special hands-on activities designed for kids. Food and beverages will be available, along with space souvenirs and NASA and JPL merchandise. If you would like to have an event included in a future newsletter, it at least 4 weeks prior to the release of that issue (Summer, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec, Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/June) to mhorton@rcoe.us. This calendar of events is not a complete list. Many events are not RCOE events and RCOE cannot verify their content.

3 Student Art/Science Contest: Design the Science Inquirer Logo Page 3 Who: Any K-12 student in Riverside County What: Design the logo for the Science Inquirer newsletter Prize: The winning classroom will receive a copy of Dr. Art s Guide to Science and accompanying DVD (elementary/middle) or a TI-73 Explorer graphing calculator (middle/high). Rules: Logos should be designed by students either by hand or on a computer and should be no larger than a business card (2 inches tall by 3½ inches wide). Logos should be color and clean enough to be scanned and inserted into the newsletter. Computer-generated logos should not include any copyrighted materials. When: Logos must be submitted by February 9 th. Winners will be announced in the March/April edition and notable entries will be featured in that issue. How: Either mail or (.jpg,.psd, or.pdf format) to Michael Horton, Student Art/Science Contest th Street, Riverside, CA or mhorton@rcoe.us. Please fill out the form below or enter the information into an and send it in with your entry. Student Art Contest Entry Form Student Name Teacher Name School Name School Address Elementary School Middle School High School Is permission granted to use student name, teacher name, and school name in the next newsletter? Yes No Teacher Signature

4 Page 4 This issue s focus on internet links is Science Games used for fun and learning at the same time. Sites are listed in no particular order. has elementary-level games on The Periodic Table, weather, space, and geography. has elementary and middle school science, math, and reading games with a focus on elements. The Who Wants to Win $1,000,000 game is fun. has middle school life science, physical science, and earth/space science games. is an MIT site with a high school conceptual physics game. click on Education and Learning Games to get a long list of excellent games for all levels of science students. has middle school and high school games on physics, physiology, and chemistry. has a racing game used to teach velocity, acceleration, and position calculations. The game is addicting online. has science games for elementary students. There are trivia games, quiz games, and more. There are some advertisements in some of the games. has games about space for elementary students. There are matching games for lower elementary to quiz games for upper elementary. has word search, memory, matching, and coloring pages for elementary students. has chemical elements and astronomy games for elementary and middle school students. has links to games on other sites. Some are science-themed, but not educational. There are some advertisements on the site.

5 Page 5 Environmental Education News CREEC Network ( is an educational project whose mission is, To develop a communication network which provides educators with access to high quality environmental education resources to enhance the environmental literacy of California students. The CREEC network is the best source for Environmental Education resources in California. The online, searchable Resource Directory includes over 1,000 environmental Education providers and over 2,000 programs/resources available to educators in California. Through the CREEC Network, you will also find calendars, funding opportunities, and professional development. The annual CREEC Conference will be held February 5-9, 2007 in Berkeley, CA. AB Instructional School Gardens Project is a grant for schools and districts over 3 years to develop and maintain a school garden program. Grants are available for materials and/or professional development. Schools with less than 1,000 students may apply for $2,500 or with more than 1,000 students, $5,000. Applications will be available January 30 th from Applications will be due March 29, AB Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI) California is actively engaged in the implementation of landmark laws mandating the development of a Unified Education Strategy to bring environmental education into California s primary and secondary schools. Key elements of EEI include: - Development of Environmental Principles & Concepts (EP&Cs); - Alignment of the EP&Cs to California s existing science content standards; - Development of Model Curriculum; - Incorporation of the EP&Cs into the Instructional Materials adoptions in science, social science, language arts, and mathematics; and - Alignment of the state s diverse environmental education programs and materials with the EP&Cs.

6 Superintendent William M. Habermehl Page 6 On the following pages are opportunities for trainings, workshops, and other events offered by Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and other supporters of science education. This issue features one very important upcoming workshop: Science Instructional Materials Adoption K-8 or Science Textbook Selection 9-12 is intended to help districts select the best textbooks and materials during this, the science materials adoption year. Attendees will be able to preview and be trained to use the Science Adoption Toolkit designed by the Science Subcommittee of CISC to use a data-based approach to analysis of instructional materials. This online tool will compile all of your analyses into reports to be presented to the school board and guide you to choose the materials most appropriate for your student body. This year, districts are receiving textbook money to adopt science and art materials. Normally, this textbook money and lottery money are used to purchase textbooks. Many districts will evaluate and/or pilot materials this year and purchase for next year. All of the publishers on the list will be at this event to answer questions, arrange presentations, and provide sample copies. Elementary and middle schools must choose materials from the list approved by the state ( There is no such list for high schools. Because of a hard-fought battle last year, the K-8 materials must include at least 25% of the time spent on handson activities. As such, some of the companies are including the materials to perform these hands-on activities in the price of the textbook.

7 Riverside County Office of Education and The San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools present RIVERSIDE COUNT Y OFFICE OF EDUCATION DR. DAVID LONG Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Science Instructional Materials Adoption K-8 Or Science Textbook Selection 9-12 This 2-day workshop prepares administrators and teachers to lead or participate in the 2007 Science Adoption for their district. Day One provides an opportunity to see the material and hear from a representative of each of the publishers on the state approved science adoption list. Day Two is the rollout of the CISC Science Adoption Toolkit. Participants can return to their districts and lead their selection committees in the use of the Toolkit. This Toolkit uses district needs to help committees make the most appropriate recommendation for science adoption or selection. Who should attend: District office administrators, site administrators, teachers of science, and textbook adoption teams. DATE: Wednesday, February 21 LOCATION: Ontario Airport Marriott Thursday, February 22, 2200 E. Holt Boulevard 2007 Ontario, CA TIME: 8:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m. LIMIT: 200 REGISTRATION FEE: $180 DEADLINE: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 (Includes materials and meals) *No refunds after deadline date ONLINE REGISTRATION: For additional information contact: Michael Horton, Coordinator, Riverside County Office of Education (951) Rick Hall, Ed.S. Coordinator, San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (909) Science Instructional Materials Adoption K-8 or Science Textbook Selection 9-12 Wednesday, February 21 - Thursday, February 22, 2007 Name: School: Address: Phone: District: Registration Fee: $180 Limit: 200 Deadline: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 Make payment payable to: Mail or fax to: San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Attn: Rick Hall, Coordinator 601 North E Street San Bernardino, CA Fax: