19 Feb | 4pm PLD for AHS1.1 Life Processes: Teaching and Learning. Link |
20 Feb | 4pm PLD for AHS piloteers panel. Link |
20 Feb | 7pm PLD for PES 1.1 Human Induced changes: course outlines. Link |
20 Feb | 7:30pm PLD for CB1.1 Microbes: assessment. Link |
20 Feb | 7:30pm PLD for CB1.2 Reactions: assessment. Link |
21 Feb | 7:30pm PLD for PES1.2 Investigations: learning outcomes. Link to register. |
21 Feb | International Mother Language Day link |
21 Feb | Deadline to apply for Wgtn Zoo’s small grants for conservation. Info here. |
22 Feb | 4pm PLD for SCI1.1 Science-informed response: assessment. Link |
22 Feb | 7pm PLD for PES1.3 SME interactions: course outlines. Link. |
22 Feb | Massey Uni PD day for AgHort teachers at Mt Albert Grammar. Register here. |
23 Feb | Deadline to apply for regionally allocated PLD |
27 Feb | Deadline to submit ideas for Zoo play space |
29 Feb | Deadline for yr 13 students to apply for Elaine P. Snowden Astronomy school |
1-31 Mar | Melanoma March www.melanoma.org.nz/news-events/recent-news |
1-31 Mar | Hearing Awareness Month |
1-31 Mar | Whio Awareness month https://www.doc.govt.nz/whioforever |
2-10 Mar | Sea week http://seaweek.org.nz/ |
3 Mar | World Wildlife Day http://wildlifeday.org/ |
3 Mar | World Hearing Day https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-hearing-day |
4 Mar | World Engineering day https://worldengineeringday.net/ |
Moon | FM Feb 25 3Q Mar 4 NM Mar 10 1Q Mar 17 |
- Seaweek 2-10 Mar. Resources:
- Find out about SeaWeek events near you https://seaweek.org.nz/whats-on
- Order a Sea Creatures poster from Warehouse Stationery https://wsprint.co.nz/seaweek-poster/
Info
- Mātauranga Māori:
- Georgina Stewart’s 2024 paper on Kaupapa Māori stories of animals of Aotearoa
- Pedagogy:
- James Heneghan shares what LBC has learnt about lesson observation https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/activity:7132429241580744705
- Student opportunities:
- If you are encouraging butterflies at school you can enter for the School Butterfly Habitat award. Education Gazette article
- Podcasts:
- a paper from ACS about the ins and outs of making a podcast (ACS is free to join) https://pubs.acs.org/doi/epdf/10.1021/acs.orglett.3c04181
- The Science Bug interviews NZ scientists about the idiosyncrasies of some of our insects https://accessmedia.nz/ProgrammePage.aspx?PID=1f15abcb-23a0-4a89-bb69-6e9c6a423c74
Resources
- Biology:
- Activity building a food web from fossil evidence
- Thinkets for Evolution are tasks to get students thinking critically. (freebie from Getting Nerdy)
- Agricultural and Horticultural Science:
- Recording of PLD from Science Learning Hub about their AgHort resources https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/2106-agriculture-and-horticulture
- A reading on the research into easy care sheep and a 3 Level reading guide to use with it.
- Earth & Space Science:
- Findings from JWST confirm process of planet formation
- virtual science teachers activity on measuring atmospheric CO2
- Research about expected earthquake hazards in NZ
- Chemistry:
- Physics:
- Virtual science interactive on magnetism https://virtualscienceteachers.org/magnetism/
- A freebie from Teachers Pay Teachers on nuclear decay (Join TpT to access)
- Primary & intermediate:
- A nature scavenger hunt in English and te reo Māori.
- Join STEM Learning for free to access Brian Cox’s school experiments for Primary.
- Middle School:
- Join STEM Learning for free to access Brian Cox experiments for 11-14 year olds. These videos explore new technologies with a classroom expt, an industrial application & current research.
- Science:
- A Google slide notebook for students to record their investigation
- Photographs of well camouflaged animals https://www.livescience.com/animals/camouflaged-animals-are-hiding-in-every-one-of-these-photos-can-you-spot-them-all
- New standards
- For SCI1.3, an interactive on the history of our understanding of atomic structure https://view.genial.ly/610b87f62ac9b70dad1ea3a1
- MoE has published new resources for 2 of the big ideas behind the Science standards. Some great teaching ideas here https://ncea.education.govt.nz/teacher-subject-resources
Can you help?
- House of Science is looking for a driver to deliver to and collect boxes from schools in Rotorua. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=373848632073975&set=g.144591922894729
Professional Learning and Development
- Science Learning Hub webinar Th 28 Mar features Rosemary Hipkins and Pauline Waiti exploring the learning benefits of a knowledge systems approach to science. Primary and secondary teachers can register here .
- Hivemind free online PLD for primary teachers is running a session on Foaming and Fizzing 4pm on 22 Feb.
Technician
- STANZ is collecting data on the process of lab design and building in schools to take to MoE so that this process becomes more aligned with laboratory safety & user requirements. Any Science Technician who had had a lab built or refurbished in the past 10 years please fill out this survey.
Cheers, Mike
Mike’s News is brought to you with the generous support of Warp Computers