Welcome to the GEMS-Net monthly newsletter. We hope it becomes a valuable resource for our GEMS-Net community. The following information will help to inform teachers, administrators, and science educators about any relevant updates or upcoming events. The goal of the newsletter is also to function as a support for building our community of practice. We encourage you to explore the different sections as a way to learn from other educators, provide feedback to colleagues, and discover opportunities that will not only enhance your own professional growth, but also the learning of your students. Thanks and as always please reach out and let us know how we can best support you and your students.

Best,

The GEMS-Net Team

Asking Questions / Defining Problems:

Because questions are a driving force behind scientific and engineering thinking, we have decided to focus our initial discussion on this practice of "Asking Questions and Defining Problems." Students at all grade levels should be developing their ability to ask thoughtful questions that can be investigated. This practice will encourage students to continually question the world around them and seek out answers or solutions to their wonderings.

"I Wonder" Charts

One strategy you can use to encourage student questioning is to incorporate "I Wonder" Charts into your teaching. As students pose questions throughout their investigations, have a place in your classroom where student ideas and wonderings can be posted. You can then connect the students' questions with the Focus Questions in the teacher's guide. As students' questions are used to guide investigations, you will notice a shift in your classroom from teacher-directed to a community of learners.

Interested in how other science teachers and educators within the GEMS-Net community encourage students to ask questions and define problems? Use the resources below to showcase, share, and discuss successes and challenges related to the practice of "Asking Questions and Defining Problems" in the science classroom.

You can learn more about the practice of "Asking Questions and Defining Problems" by clicking on the tab below and reading p. 4-5 of the "NGSS Appendix F: Science and Engineering Practices."

Next Generation Science Standards © Copyright 2013 Achieve, Inc. All rights reserved. NGSS is a registered trademark of Achieve. Neither Achieve nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards was involved in the production of, nor do they endorse, this product.

RIEEA is a network of individuals and organizations working together to promote effective environmental education throughout the state. As a way to continue increasing environmental literacy among your students, remember to look for field trips and experiences which help localize and contextualize science. Check out the following programs which support Earth Science connections being offered by RIEEA organizations this fall and winter! Be sure to ask about scholarships and other funding opportunities if necessary.

We are grateful for our Teacher Leaders who continue their own professional development, promote science education for their colleagues, and impact their students daily. This is evident in the Teacher Leader Highlight article written by Hollice Emery, a 7th - 8th grade science teacher at Exeter - West Greenwich Junior High.

This past summer I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Germany as a Fellow with the Transatlantic Outreach Program. This program which is sponsored by the Goethe Institute, Bosch Foundation and Deutsche Bank is designed for K-12 STEM teachers. The program’s mission is to promote education about Germany and to foster intercultural dialog. The study tour is particularly designed to study STEM education in Germany with a focus on environmental education and sustainability. Our adventures included visits to museums such as the Klima House in Bremerhaven, lectures on climate change, hands on experiments at the Teutolab Chemistry Lab at the University of Bielefeld, an ecosystem investigation in the mudflats of the Wadden Sea and a tour of DLR, German Aerospace Center, in Bremen. A highlight of our tour was a visit to the “green” village of Feldheim which is completely powered by renewable energy. We also experienced the culture and history of Germany by visiting museums, memorials, and a midnight tour of Berlin.

Our experiences also included visits to schools from the preschool to university level. I was impressed with environmental awareness and appreciation that was instilled in the students from a very young age and was fostered throughout their academic experience. We were also educated about the German “Dual” system of education which focus on the education for employment and partnerships with businesses. The travel program was designed so we had the opportunity to speak directly and openly with German teachers, students and administrators and then reflect on our own practices as a group of American STEM educators.

I plan to share my experience in Germany with my students with the hopes of developing their environmental and global awareness.Using Germany as a model will enable them to see themselves as part of our global community. To further develop this awareness and as part of our Planetary Science Unit, I plan to teach a lesson on the German Space Program and highlight international science collaboration between the DLR, EU and NASA Space organizations.

The Transatlantic Outreach Program is a fabulous opportunity for STEM teachers and applications for next summer’s study tour are currently available at https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/spr/eng/top/tte/tst.html

Did you know that RI has a Science Teacher Association (RISTA)? We encourage all science teachers to take advantage of this organization as a way to keep updated on the local happenings within our science community. Currently elementary science teachers are an under represented group within RISTA. Look to join the organization and help showcase science education at the younger grade levels. One way to start getting involved would be to attend or present at the Annual RI Science Conference on April 7, 2018. If you are interested in presenting at the conference, see the information below:

Call for Presenters:

Annual RI Science Conference- April 7th at NEIT

Do you have a great lesson or method that incorporates three-dimensional learning and assessment?

Are you using effective simulations and online models in your NGSS lessons/activities that informs instruction and assessment?

Please consider presenting your ideas and strategies to colleagues at the Annual Conference on April 7th!! Proposals for workshops are currently being accepted by RISTA by accessing the RFP form Proposals need to be submitted by January 20th . Sessions for workshops are one hour and can be formatted as hands-on, lecture, group discussion, etc. Feel free to mention this opportunity to colleagues who may be interested, non-members are welcome to submit a proposal.

Hope to see you at NEIT on April 7th!!

Email: gemsnet@etal.uri.edu
Website: https://web.uri.edu/gemsnet/
Phone: (401) 874-6008
Twitter: @gemsnet10