15-22 Apr	International Dark Sky Week
22 Apr	Earth day www.earthday.net
24Apr-5May	A Teacher Only day in these two weeks https://ncea.education.govt.nz/teacher-only-days
25 Apr	World Penguin day https://www.calendarr.com/united-kingdom/world-penguin-day/
25 Apr	World malaria Day http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/annual/malaria/en/index.html
26Apr1986	Anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster Link here.
28 Apr	Save the frogs day www.savethefrogs.com/day/ www.nzfrogs.org/
1 May	Deadline for students to register for CrisisLab Challenge. Info here
5 May	Peak of Eta Aquariids meteor shower (dust from Halley’s Comet) visible from NZ
Moon	FM Apr 24      3Q May 1      NM May 8      1Q May 15

1. Talks that may be relevant for us
   • Rising Seas, Resilient Coasts. Drivers and consequences of rising sea levels & adaptation strategies to protect coasts. Wed 24 Apr 7:30 pm ET (Th 25 Ap 11:30am NZT)
   • In Search of Denisovans in the Altai Mountains. Th 25 Apr 11:30am – 12:30pm EDT (Fri 26 Apr 3:30am NZT). Archaeologist Samantha Brown discusses the techniques used.

Info

1. Mātauranga Māori:
   • Video from recent hui of Tangata whenua from Aotearoa & Australia’s First Nations gathered to share notes on battling exotic invader myrtle rust.
2.  Pedagogy:
   • In Considering the assessment landscape in 2024 Darr and Cosslett identify some possible changes to assessment the new govt may be considering and make some brief comments.
3. Teacher Opportunities:
   • A NZ Total eclipse is due in a swathe over Southland/Queenstown/Otago 22 July 2028. Likely to be a big drawcard, you may want to book accommodation early. Read about it here.
   • ASTA also provides grants for ChemEd/BioLive, $250 each paid as reimbursements.  Paid up ASTA members send name, school, contact details to astasec16@gmail.com
4.  Podcasts:
   • Squiz Kids is a daily news podcast for kids. There are associated resources for teachers and students that support media literacy and are aligned to the Australian curriculum

Resources

1. Biology:
   • A video on how to dissect a pluck (STEM UK is free to join). https://community.stem.org.uk/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread
   • Data analysis activity on tuatara and nest temperature https://datanuggets.org/2016/11/when-a-species-cant-stand-the-heat/
2. Agricultural and Horticultural Science:
   • Data analysis exercise on perennial plants removing nitrates from the soil https://datanuggets.org/2022/08/kernza-nitrate/
   • Quiz matching farm equipment to function https://play.howstuffworks.com/quiz/can-you-match-the-farm-equipment-to-its-function
3. Earth & Space Science:
   • Why distant galaxies look red https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=283674454659894
   • Activity modelling flow of hot & cold currents (atmospheric and oceanic) https://www.earthlearningidea.com/PDF/Atmosphere_ocean_tank.pdf
   • A video of Bruce Hayward explaining the geological features of Auckland’s Māngere Mountain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VON_Quak1A
4.  Chemistry:
   • How a humidifier works https://home.howstuffworks.com/humidifier.htm
   • A data analysis activity on nitrates: good for plants bad for drinking water https://datanuggets.org/2022/08/kernza-nitrate/
5. Physics:
   • Make & test pinwheels to model wind turbines https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_earth_lesson04_activity2
   • Video showing an F-35 stealthy radar is due to 2-source wave interference. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Dr-HlIR481I
6. Primary & intermediate:
   • An article about the safety of Ak zoo’s aerial ropeway for orangutans – above visitors!
   • A video using models to show different aspects of solar and lunar eclipses. (Free trial)
7.  Science:
   • Article about a yachting NZ program for schools in the Wgtn area.
8. Education for Sustainability (EfS)
   • Student Activism: Learning through doing explores the benefits and challenges associated with in-school activism. Download the full text here.
   • Earth day lessons: for primary, and for year 7 upwards
9. New standards
   • These Real, LOLZ, Oops or Fake interactives provide a fun way for students to test their hoax-detecting skills (S1.4).
   • For S1.4, Arepa video and bottle labels: Arepa 1, Arepa 2, Arepa 3

MoE/NZQA

1. National Moderator’s Reports for 2023 have recently been published providing feedback to assessors of the L3 internal standards for AgH, Bio, Chem, EfS, ESS, and Px.

Cheers, Mike

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