Thank You
We would like you to sharpen our saw and give us some feedback on the event to make it even better next year. Link to the feedback form is below.
OSTA Call for Presenters
Have a great lesson you think others should hear about? Have you found a great resource to tell all your science teacher friends about? Then you should fill out the form below!
The Oklahoma Science Teaching Association is now accepting presenter proposals for the 2025 OSTA Annual State Conference. The conference will be held in the Norman/Moore Area. This is your opportunity to share your expertise in current science practices!
The theme this year is "Choose Your Own Adventure: Exploring New Paths in Science Education."
Presenters may submit multiple proposals. The deadline to submit proposals is April 4th. All proposals will be considered, and if yours is accepted you will be sent confirmation and additional information no later than April 19th.
Practice Science OSTP
Two of 5th grade teachers spent time last summer creating a canvas course and practice quizzes for the 5th grade science OSTP. The course has now been uploaded to the commons for you to use in your classroom. There are separate quizzes for each performance expectation/groups of performance expectations. Please use to help you students with the types of questions they will see in April.
In the commons, search for MPS 5th OSTP, and you should find it. If you have any issues, please reach out!
A special thank you to Dawn Hubbard and Heather Kovach for creating this course!
State Assessment Released Items
Dawn Hubbard has located a file containing state assessment released items, practice tests, and formative assessment materials from states across the country. This is a gold mine of resources for us!
When you use this, please be aware that the standards and performance expectations may be different outside of Oklahoma. Please be sure that you are using the questions that align with our standards. OAS is closely aligned with NGSS, but does contain some differences.
Dawn is just AMAZING!
PLT and Project WILD
Tony Pascal from Oklahoma Forestry Service was here for TNT day for 3, 4, & 6th science teachers. We had a lot of great feedback about the session (even though it felt like an igloo in the lecture center.) Project Learning Tree and Project WILD have many opportunities coming up for the spring and summer.
News from Oklahoma Forestry:
We are collaborating with Project WILD this spring!
Sign up for Early Childhood, K-8, or both!
Workshop participants will receive PLT and Project WILD activity guides.
3/8- The Gathering Place in Tulsa (Early Childhood & K - 8 Sessions)
3/29- Oklahoma County Extension Center in OKC (Early Childhood & K - 8 Sessions)
4/5- Robbers Cave State Park in Wilburton (Early Childhood & K - 8 Sessions)
4/12- Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge in Indiahoma (Early Childhood & K - 8 Sessions)
It's that time of year again for the OKC Comets MVP Program for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Grade Classrooms! In case you haven't participated previously, it's a really great program. I've been signing up Lawton as a district for 3 or 4 years now. Teachers can sign up individually but I highly recommend doing the bulk enrollment as an easy spreadsheet.
The OKC Comets (formally known as the Oklahoma City Dodgers and Baseball Club) MVP Program: Encouraging STEM Education is a free, easy-to-use, and powerful education tool for second, third- and fourth-grade teachers. Used in classrooms across Oklahoma, the OKC Comets MVP Program helps teachers motivate students to learn and participate inside and outside the classroom - at absolutely to teachers or their students - by recognizing and rewarding students for their achievements.
Each class gets pencils, stickers, etc. The big deal to our kids, however, is the 5 tickets per class to attend a game and special field day.
If you want to register multiple classrooms at once, contact Alexa Krochmalny, Corporate Partner Services Associate for the Oklahoma City Comets at Alexa.Krochmalny@okccomets.com.
If you want teachers to sign up individually or just want more info, visit https://www.milb.com/oklahoma-city/tickets/mvp.
Science for All: Classroom and Curriculum Strategies to Reach ALL Students
Feb. 25th, 2:00 - 3:00 (Register to received the recording)
Every student is different, yet we are often charged with using the same curriculum for each one. And too often educators are stretched for time and strapped for resources when it comes to science class. So how do we make sure we’re still able to effectively engage and reach all students?
Join Amplify’s Jaylyn Williams, Lead STEM Professional Learning Specialist, and Isaac Stauffer, Associate Director of STEM Professional Development, as they walk through key characteristics and tools to look for in a science curriculum and specific strategies to ensure you are connecting to all students in science class.
Making Vocabulary Instruction Practical, Powerful, and Playful
Feb. 25th 3:00 - 4:00 (Register to receive the recording)
Vocabulary is the cornerstone of literacy and knowledge building, but integrating robust word learning into daily instruction can be a challenge. In this edWebinar, join experts from The Reading & Writing Project to explore actionable strategies for embedding vocabulary and morphology instruction into your teaching practice.
Learn how to select high-leverage words from shared texts and experiences to maximize students’ vocabulary growth. Discover quick, engaging ways to introduce new words and help students use them repeatedly in meaningful contexts. You’ll experience lively activities and games that make vocabulary practice fun and effective, ensuring students truly “own” their new words.
The edWebinar will also dive into the power of morphology—teaching word parts like roots and affixes—to unlock vocabulary and support reading comprehension. You’ll see how these lessons can fit seamlessly into your existing workshop structures, from read-alouds to writing instruction.
Throughout the session, you’ll gain insights from the latest research and practical examples of how teachers successfully build vocabulary instruction into their classrooms. Walk away with tools to help students grow their vocabulary, deepen their understanding of ideas, and confidently express their own powerful thoughts.
Joyful Journeys: Transforming PK Learning Through Play
March 5th 1:00 - 2:00 (Register to receive the recording)
Play is a powerful tool for early learning, fostering a sense of curiosity and creativity all while helping children develop key life skills! Join us for a fun and interactive session where we’ll explore practical strategies for integrating intentional play into your early childhood classroom to cultivate a joyful and engaging learning environment.
In this edWebinar, you will:
- Discover the developmental benefits of play, including language, math, executive functioning, and social skills
- Learn how to create opportunities for play in your PreK classroom with minimal resources
- Receive practical steps to observe and support play in classrooms
This edWebinar will provide early childhood teachers with practical, classroom-ready strategies to incorporate meaningful play, curriculum coordinators with research-backed approaches to integrate play into instructional frameworks, and administrators with actionable insights to support schoolwide play-based learning and child development. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.
Live Specimen Order for Spring
We are going to do things a little differently than we have in the past. We will be ordering different specimens for back-to-back grade levels. Students need to see multiple examples of the life cycle and by varying what each grade level does, we are doing just that. We will offer butterflies twice once in PK/Kinder and once again in 3rd grade.
- PK/Kinder: Butterflies
- 1st: Frogs
- 2nd: Ladybugs
- 3rd: Butterflies or Praying Mantis
New habitats will be automatically provided for the 1st grade this year. you will not need to request one.
If you need a habitat for any of the other specimens, please check with other teachers in your school to see if any are available before requesting a new one.
The deadline to order live specimens and habitats is March 7th! Orders should arrive by the first week of April.
Don't forget the plants go through a life cycle too! Plants are always fun to use in a classroom. Look below to order materials for your plant units.
Spring is Just Around the Corner!
It's already time to start planning your plant units. Plants are a wonderful way to show another version of the life cycle. Plus, they make great gifts for parents and guardians at the end of the year. Complete the form below if you require soil or seeds this spring. Orders are due by the end of February. Orders will be delivered by the second week of March.
Replacement Materials for 25-26
Yes, it's only January, but we are already thinking about materials for next year! Please complete your grade level order form by March 13th. Each teacher will need to complete their own form. Even if you are not returning to your grade level or school next year, please order materials for the teacher in your shoes next year.
We want you to be able to start your year with all the supplies you need, and it's really difficult for us to get a kit together at the last minute at the beginning of the school year.
How Big Is a Foot?
In this lesson, children will use butcher paper to trace their bodies and predict their height and width with their feet.
The lesson plan include a tie to the book How Big is a Foot? by Rolf Meyer and includes links to other reading options, music, movement, and outdoor connections.
How Many Legos Tall?
In this lesson, the children will make predictions and use LEGO blocks to measure objects in their environment. The lesson includes links to other reading options, music, movement, and outdoor connections.
Jumping Jacks
In this lesson, children will time themselves and chart their progress as they do sets of jumping jacks. The lesson focuses on prediction and counting. The lesson includes links to other reading options, music, movement, and outdoor connections.
Prediction Jar
In this lesson, children will examine the characteristics of different objects and make predictions about what object is in a large jar. . The lesson includes links to other reading options, music, movement, and outdoor connections.
PK/K - Plants
Planting a Rainbow This brightly illustrated book is one of my children’s favorite stories. It teaches the basic concepts of planting seeds, bulbs, and plants. The fun part is the walk through all the colors of the rainbow, with various plants and flowers as examples of those colors.
1st/2nd- Plants (Seeds)
The Tiny Seed Fans of Eric Carle’s chunky and colorful art style will love this nature inspired gem which walks you through the lifecycle of a flower from tiny seed. Included with the book is an actual seed packet that’s plantable so your child can see the story of the book with their own eyes.
1st/2nd - Plants
How to Grow a Seed This book follows the path of an acorn that turns into a mighty oak tree. Because of the young ages that the book targets, it provides simple explanations of scientific concepts and eases the child in with beautiful watercolor illustrations.
3rd - Weather Hazards
When natural disasters happen they grab headlines around the world. People, creatures, and the environment are all impacted when nature gets out of control. Natural disasters can be upsetting to live through, but scientists today better understand their causes and how we can protect ourselves and others. Natural Disasters: Investigate Earth’s Most Destructive Forces with 25 Projects teaches readers about some of the natural disasters throughout history, what caused them, their impact on civilizations, and how people today cope with natural disasters. Readers of this book will make their own shake tables, create a cake batter lava flow, invent a wind tunnel, and experiment with avalanches. These hands-on activities engage readers and add depth to the text while ensuring that the learning is made lasting and fun.
There is no read aloud available for this book. Please check with our local libraries and you school library.
4th - Renewable Energy
This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!Seatbelts, everyone! The Magic School Bus is back and ready to ride again. Professor Frizzle's kid sister Fiona might be the new teacher at Walkerville Elementary, but she's got the same old motto: take chances, make mistakes, and get messy! She decides to take the class camping, but come night fall their tent grounds are pitch black. But Arnold's been watching a ton of scary movies and has been having trouble going to sleep at night. What will Arnold do without a night light? The class thinks fast and learns a ton about renewable energy.
5th - Stars
A great classroom and bedtime read-aloud, Mae Among the Stars is the perfect book for young readers who have big dreams and even bigger hearts.
When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space. She imagined herself surrounded by billions of stars, floating, gliding, and discovering.
She wanted to be an astronaut.
Her mom told her, "If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.”
Little Mae’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents' encouraging words, paved the way for her incredible success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space.This book will inspire other young girls to reach for the stars, to aspire for the impossible, and to persist with childlike imagination.
6th - Ocean Currents
In engaging text and unforgettable images, readers meet the woman who started it all (Curt’s mother!), the computer program that makes sense of his data (nicknamed OSCURS), and several scientists, both on land and on the sea, who are using Curt’s discoveries to preserve delicate marine habitats and protect the creatures who live in them. A Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honor Book for Nonfiction.
There is currently no read aloud option. Please check with your local library or school librarian for this title.
