20Jun-15Jul	Matariki Festival www.matarikifestival.org.nz/
27Jun-5Jul	NZ Garden Bird Survey. http://gardenbirdsurvey.landcareresearch.co.nz/
11 Jul	World Population Day  www.stats.govt.nz, Schools Corner
Moon	FM 5 Jul          3Q 13 Jul             NM 21 Jul             1Q 28 Jul

1. As part of the NZ international Science Festival in Dunedin, there are 2 performances of the Big Science Show, 2pm Sat 4 Jul & Sun 5 July at College of Education Auditorium, Otago uni, 145 Union St E. Tickets here.
2. Nanogirl’s Lab School Holiday club for 7-10 year olds is an online program. Download student & parent guides, tune in to Nanogirl’s instructional videos daily, then do your own expt. https://nanogirlslab.com/pages/nanogirls-lab-school-holiday-club
3. #scichatNZ is looking for a conversation on Tuesday night 8:30pm to talk through, ponder, debate, problem solve and unpick the proposed changes to L1 NCEA science standards.

Info

1. Culturally Responsive & Relational Pedagogy:
   • Story of Tupaia, navigator and explorer. https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/tupaia
   • Free online te reo courses starting Jul 20. https://www.wananga.com/News/87/Online-te-reo-courses-starting-20-July-2020
2.  Pedagogy:
   • Reducing student reliance on teacher explanations https://www.edutopia.org/article/talk-less-so-students-learn-more
3. Professional reading:
   • Passion projects are about students having the choice to explore a topic they want to learn more about or a skill they want to improve upon at their own pace. More here http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol15/num17/passion-projects-fuel-student-driven-learning.aspx
4.  Literacy:
   • A poster showing key aspects recommended for focusing on literacy across the school.
5. Digital support
   • Primary Science Teaching Trust is developing practical activities for students to do at home – using easy-to-obtain resources, linked to topics and with suggestions for 3 different age groups. The 1st 2 are based on foil & playdough.
   • STELR has produced Wind Turbine Investigations for remote learning. The 3 videos show an investigation being performed with results data – students can analyse the results by completing the relevant page in the student booklet. Videos & workbook here
6. Auckland uni offers secondary students FREE 1-1 physics tutoring via Zoom with current engineering students & an info evening for girls & their whānau to learn more about the many options in Engineering. https://womeninengineering.auckland.ac.nz/wie-high-schools
7. LenScience is looking for primary & secondary teachers to provide feedback on draft tools for exploring the glycaemic index in the classroom. Please register if you are interested in being involved in a focus group meeting either face to face or online. You will see a short demonstration followed by a chance to discuss how you see this tool working in the class-room. https://www.lenscience.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/our-research/shed-light-on-gi.html

Resources

1. Biology:
   • An expt kids can do at home on decomposing materials https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1549-biodegradability-experiment
   • Alison Campbell works through the answer to a schol bio question on midas cichlid https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nSxV03jFkHIRwA3SqXvWORIUkI4j5C8X/

2. Agricultural and Horticultural Science:
   • Detailed composting article https://blog.korukai.co.nz/2020/05/26/thermal-composting/
   • A TEDEd video about breeding new apple cultivars https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-are-there-so-many-types-of-apples-theresa-doud

3. Earth & Space Science
   • NASA plans to launch Perseverance Mars Rover from USA 20 July. Cosmos article https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/exploration/perseverance-is-just-about-ready-to-launch
   • A GNS article on Te-Riu-a-Māui/Zealandia + lots of images & links to interactive maps https://data.gns.cri.nz/tez/index.html?content=/mapservice/Content/Zealandia/science/8cont.html

4. Chemistry:
   • TEDEd lesson on plastic pollution https://ed.ted.com/on/DX347wMx?theme_id=earth-school&mc_cid=acd68418d5&mc_eid=26fb9886fe
   • A TEDEd video on Rachel Carson and her crusade against DDT https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-one-scientist-took-on-the-chemical-industry-mark-lytle

5. Physics:
   • PhET simulation on forces & motion https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/legacy/forces-and-motion
   • a lovely little folk song by Dr. Brian May, ex of Queen, and a professional astronomer in his own right about Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity. Below the lyrics is a more detailed explanation on this page: https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/103404/

6. Primary
   • TEDEd video on 3 different ways mammals give birth (how mammals are classified) https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-three-different-ways-mammals-give-birth-kate-slabosky
   • Good info on making water rockets https://www.npl.co.uk/water-rockets

MoE/NZQA

1. The MoE survey about L1 science closes 20 July. Do we want 1, 3 or 5 science subjects? https://consultation.education.govt.nz/ncea/options-for-ncea-l1-science/

Professional Learning & Development (PLD) Opportunities

1. U-Learn is going online, 7-8 Oct. $200 + GST https://www.core-ed.org/events/ulearn
2. ESSE is asking for (anonymous) feedback on what PLD teachers would like, and be able to participate in, for the rest of this year. Please fill in this form before the end of term 2.
3. ASCD virtual conference Jul 16-17 http://www.ascd.org/virtual-conference-respond-reimagine-restart.aspx
4. Free online conference, The Remote Summit, will bring together teachers from uni’s and colleges worldwide to discuss pedagogy, blended learning and how to deliver engaging and effective experiences for students. 13-14 July  https://www.theremotesummit.org/
5. UK’s Royal Society is offering a Summer Science Exhibition online – a week of talks e.g. on the science of pets, doping in sports, Antarctica exploration. Full programme online or Subscribe to their YouTube channel where activities will be streamed for free 13 – 17 July.

Cheers, Mike