15-17 Nov | NZ Association for Research in Education (NZARE) is holding a conference in Wgtn |
17 Nov | Peak of Leonid meteor shower https://www.rasnz.org.nz/in-the-sky/meteor-showers |
18 Nov | 5 pm Zoom for schools entering IYPT |
18 Nov | international day of LGBT people in STEM. https://prideinstem.org/lgbtstemday/ |
18-24 Nov | Antibiotic Resistance www.who.int/campaigns/world-antibiotic-awareness-week/en/ |
19 Nov | Partial lunar eclipse (maximum visible from NZ) |
20 Nov | Physics teacher day online https://sites.google.com/view/uoaptd2017/2021s-day-info |
22Nov-14Dec | NZQA exams |
29 Nov | Ocean Observers online workshop focuses on educational activities. |
Moon | FM 19 Nov 3Q 28 Nov NM 4 Dec 1Q 11 Dec |
- Primary Schools Supporters of Tiritiri Conservation 2021 Award. Who in your primary school is an eco-champion who has embraced the kaitiakitanga role and inspired others in their school and community? Nominate them forntthis award by 8 Dec. The winner will enjoy a free trip to Tiritiri Matangi Island with their family. Info here. Queries here.
- ChemEd Biolive webinar on mātauranga Maori recorded 13 Nov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQp186gb8l
Info
- Culturally Responsive & Relational Pedagogy:
- LEARNZ field trip: Map your maunga, awa .. https://www.learnz.org.nz/mapping183
- Revision:
- Online pre-NCEA tutorials for students – all science subjects, all levels – organised by Doug Walker, St Pat’s. The doc is live so will be updated as more are added. Please give students this link. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sDxBUoayOT-26Z9HnOGarr1DvR3qWf0TvYTMMkxOVN4/edit?usp=sharing
- Digital support:
- Don’t forget the Assessment Resource Banks for online (and paper) assessments. As well as students tasks they include educator guides for the assessment and for teaching. These videos introduce the NZCER site, show how to view and save items & how to share it for students to complete. Register for a password here.
- Determine the health of a virtual stream https://concord.org/newsletter/2021-fall/determine-stream-health/
- New videos released by the Royal Meteorological Society (UK) explore some of the careers in climate change students could do with qualifications in STEM subjects.
- Australia’s chief scientist, Alan Finkel, responds to a letter from a Year 10 student struggling to make a decision about her subject choices.
- Two year 13 PNGHS students won a Gold CREST award for developing an app to help new students navigate their school, for 5 different schools. Find out more about CREST.
- This week’s NZASE newsletter has an article on Hikurangi trench and funding science projects for everyone and Yr 11 Eels unit and searching critically for members only as well as 2 more Māori scientist profiles. Anyone can sign up for the newsletter or find articles here https://nzase.org.nz/. Join NZASE here https://nzase.org.nz/membership/ .
Resources
- Biology:
- Alice in Typhoidland is an animated film about the spread and prevention of disease in the style of a quirky (scientific) fairy tale.
- New Scientist article on the Denisovans, available via their newsletter (sign up here).
- Agricultural and Horticultural Science:
- LEARNZ field trip: mussel, sheep, timber industries https://www.learnz.org.nz/primaryindustries172
- Earth & Space Science:
- Videos about the James Webb space telescope, due to launch Dec 18: from How Stuff Works ; from Smarter Every Day
- LEARNZ field trip: Argo floats https://www.learnz.org.nz/argofloats142/argo-floats-tracking-pulse-world-oceans
- Latest issue of NZ Geographic (3 free issues a month) has an article about tsunami at the Hikurangi subduction zone https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/force-of-nature/
- Chemistry:
- A reading about the decomposition of sodium azide in car airbags.
- Shelly Robson came across this simulation of neutralisation reactions https://javalab.org/en/neutralization_reaction_en
- Mere Manning used a post from FB in her acids & bases lesson – “Gwyneth Paltrow starts every day with a refreshing glass of alkaline water + a spritz of lemon.”(nonsense!) then students investigated how much lemon would make such a solution acidic.
- Physics:
- Talk by Prof Barry Barish on gravitational waves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_jgyL8CtHg
- Teach Engineering activity: Students make, adapt and use liquid crystal thermometers
- Primary & intermediate:
- To model the water cycle and revise states of matter, heat a beaker of water with a glass dish of ice sitting on the top.
- A reading about the properties of bamboo and its potential use in cricket bats with relevant investigations.
- Nature of Science:
- Set of lessons on NoS https://ncse.ngo/supporting-teachers/classroom-resources
- Science of COVID:
- While remdesivir is not that effective as an antiviral drug, other nucleoside analogues are looking promising https://www.compoundchem.com/2021/10/22/covid-antivirals/
- A series of videos with Dr Michelle Dickinson covering the ‘big questions’ some may have about the COVID-19 vaccine. https://www.education.govt.nz/covid-19/nanogirl-dr-michelle-dickinson-vaccine-videos/
- EfS:
- Teach Engineering video & activity – learn the difference between global, prevailing, and local winds; make wind vanes and use them to measure wind direction over time; analyse data to draw conclusions about the local prevailing winds.
- FAQ about climate change https://insideclimatenews.org/climate-101/
- Science:
- The Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey is a 14-part TV series hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson that explains the key science we know & some of its history. The content in each episode is described here. Excerpts may be very useful in the senior sciences.
- STEM:
- 17 hands-on lessons and activities for grades 3-12, inspired by the science behind the film The Aeronauts. Students will become experts on weather, atmosphere and density, and even figure out how to design a hot air balloon. (Join up for free)
Professional Learning & Development (PLD) Opportunities
- Science News is celebrating 100 years with a free online symposium, Fri 3 Dec, 10am – 4:15 pm ET (3 – 9:30 am 4 Dec NZT!). Topics include Science of the pandemic, stress & resilience, climate change misinformation, black holes. Register here
- Science Learning Hub recorded webinar on Having fun with the science capabilities is now available.
Cheers, Mike
Brought to you with the generous support of Warp Computers