31 Jan	World leprosy day (last Sun Jan). Link here
1-28 Feb	Bikewise month https://can.org.nz/article/february-is-bikewise-month
1-28 Feb	Heart Awareness Month www.heartfoundation.org.nz/for-women
1 Feb	Chinese New Year begins for 16 days (year of tiger) https://chinesenewyear.net/
2 Feb	World Wetlands Day DoC’s wetland page
4 Feb	World Cancer Day http://www.worldcancerday.org/
7 Feb	National Periodic Table day http://www.periodictableday.org/
11 Feb	Kohia PLD for new secondary teachers. Info here.
11 Feb	International Day of Women and Girls in Science http://bit.ly/UNESCO2Rp0zpr
12 Feb	International Charles Darwin Day www.darwinday.org/index.php
15 Feb	RASNZ webinar series on Exploring the Solar System. Info here.
25 Feb	Science is Cool 8 – online conference. Info here
Moon	NM Feb 1    1Q Feb 9    FM Feb 17    3Q Feb 24

1. Mars Day is a mission to explore Mars with ESA (the European Space Agency), UK STEM Ambassadors and international guests. This free virtual event with speakers and activities is being held from 10:15pm Mar 14 to 8:30am Mar 15 NZDT!

Info

1. Culturally Responsive & Relational Pedagogy:
   • Lab signage in te reo Māori from Emma Mahesvary
   • A Dec 13 Gazette story about a te ao Māori class that partnered with a kaumatua from the local marae and the impact it has had on the students.
2. Mātauranga Māori
   • Te Haerenga o Tama rāua ko Kōtiro – How it’s going is a resource developed by Maui Studios, to tell the story of energy and bring the characters to life through Te Ao Māori. https://www.energyacademy.co.nz/news/te-haerenga
3. Pedagogy:
   • The story of a teacher realising the importance of relationships to re-engage learners http://theflippedscientist.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-currency-of-teaching.html
4. Student opportunities:
   • A competition to design a poster about the environmental breakdown caused by ongoing climate change. Entries close 1 March https://www.greatkiwiposter.com/
5. Revision (worth sharing at the start of the year):
   • May 2021 School Journal article on memory and how to learn
   • A summary on how to study [Ian Torrie]
6. HoD:
   • Dealing with toxic behaviour from adults https://www.edweek.org/leadership/how-principals-can-banish-toxic-adult-behavior/2018/10
7. Science Careers:
   • Career profile of Rosemary Barnes, a wind energy engineer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9Me_Lbuk9Y
8. Some start of the year, get-to-know-you activities
   • Ask students to make a flipgrid presentation to introduce themselves. Share with the class. Then ask each to find 3 others who they have something in common with.
9. The Te Awamutu Space Centre (in Kihikihi) is worth a visit or you can book an online session with Space Dave for your class https://www.spacecentre.nz/education/

Resources

1. Biology:
   • Marine metre squared (mm2) online resources to remotely collect your own mm2 survey data https://www.mm2.net.nz/resources/interactive-resources
   • A Massive Open Online Course on Human Evolution
2. Agricultural and Horticultural Science:
   • A School Journal article about a scientist & farmer working together to protect a stream.
3. Earth & Space Science:
   • Ngā Whetū astronomy resources https://ngawhetu.nz/index.php/menu-slides
   • An activity investigating air currents within the classroom
   • Video on why the fossil record is incomplete.
4.  Chemistry:
   • Diet and sugared cans of soft drink can be shown to float or sink. In this activity students calculate the density first to predict the behaviour
   • A virtual lab to demonstrate different types of reactions
5. Physics::
   • Video of the science of static electricity https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-science-of-static-electricity-anuradha-bhagwat
   • Activity to measure the speed of light with a microwave
6. Primary & intermediate:
   • An activity identifying a river’s source, course and mouth
   • Students make a toothpaste and design an ad for it https://igws.indiana.edu/outreach/ToothpasteTwist.pdf
7. Nature of Science:
   • Sequence of lessons on media literacy in the age of COVID and Climate Change https://www.nsta.org/science-teacher/science-teacher-julyaugust-2021-0/media-literacy-age-covid-and-climate-change
8. Science of COVID:
   • Infographic about COVID variants https://www.compoundchem.com/2021/12/17/variant-tracking/
9.  EfS:
   • A climate change unit (US) https://ncse.ngo/supporting-teachers/classroom-resources
   • Webinar and summary about measures we use to protect kaimoana. https://www.seaweek.org.nz/news/preserving-kaimoana-nga-korero-webinar-recap
10.  Science:
    • Article about the history of CT scans
    • See the carbon cycle in action https://www.sciencelessonsthatrock.com/blog/carbon-cycle-lab-photosynthesis-and-respiration
11.  STEM:
    • STEM activities on the theme of Christmas https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhgK74tFscGV6qY_ZF_rYR8BDqFErtnQ2
    • A practical guide for running STEM clubs

Professional Learning & Development (PLD) Opportunities

1. Share My Lesson webinar on strategies to integrate student photography projects into multiple subject areas including science. https://sharemylesson.com/teaching-resource/student-voice-k-12-photography-history-and-memory-during-covid-19-329577
2. Natural History Museum (USA) webcast on the Earliest Human Ancestors, Feb 17 11:30 am ET (5:30 am Fri Feb 18 NZT). You need to give a US state & zip code to register.

Cheers, Mike

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