MathAndScienceAcademy

 MSA and Inquiry Science

With a generous grant from Chevron Corporation, MSA began a inquiry science pilot program with 7 MSA teachers in 2008. Using FOSS kit-based science, MSA Master Teacher Zach Leonard provided these 7 fourth-grade teachers with training and support as they taught two kits, Magnetism and Electricity and Rocks and Minerals, during the 2009-2010 school year. Results from this inquiry pilot led to the start of a larger inquiry science initiative in the Northern New Mexico region, the Inquiry Science Education Consortium (ISEC). ISEC currently includes the  Espanola, Taos, Mesa Vista and Peñasco school districts.

MSA currently collaborates with the ISEC district science literacy coaches on professional development on the Big Ideas in K-5 science. In addition, MSA provides MSA Summer Institute teacher participants with science lesson coaching and instruction in science concepts during Summer Institute.

MSA staff models its professional development in inquiry science on the San Francisco Exploratorium model for inquiry science as well as the inquiry model developed by the National Science Resources Center (NSRC).

Resources for Teachers: Science "Notebooking"

 

Notebooking is an important component of science...real scientists use notebooks as a way to record data, make predictions, and most importantly, make drawings, diagrams and tables to help them understand and remember what they are doing!

 Below are some of our favorite teacher resources for Science Notebooks:

http://www.sciencenotebooks.org/

http://middleschoolscience.com

http://mysciencelessons.blogspot.com

Google-ing "Interactive Science Notebooks" gives you plenty of resources to choose from.

"Becoming a Scientist" Activities: beginning-of-year science notebook activities

Other Resources

The links on the right provide more teacher resources for teaching science effectively in elementary and middle school classrooms.