Grades 6-12

Jenny Nord, Secondary Science Curriculum Coordinator

Email: jnord5257@columbus.k12.oh.us
Website: https://www.ccsoh.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=2577
Location: 3700 South High Street, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: (380) 997-0466
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColumbusCitySchools/

In case you didn't hear, I am retiring on May 31st! Brian Hamilton has been hired to take my positon. He comes with extensive experience and I believe he will do a great job for you in this position. His focus is literacy in science and it will be exciting to see where he leads.

The Curriculum Department will be hosting a Retirement Celebration at Pins Mechanical Co. at Easton. If you would like to drop in for some fun, food, and games, please see the flyer below. No gifts please...your attendance is your gift!

I would just like to take this opportunity to say that I have enjoyed working with each of you. The last 6 years have been an amazing ride and I will miss it and you. I do not know my exact future plans, but I do know that they will involve more time with family and friends. Look around your neighborhood and you might just see me putt-putt-putting around on my new little, turquoise Buddy Scooter! Happy trails!

Every science teacher is responsible for submitting a lab room safety checkoff list (signed by your administrator) and chemical inventories each year. I MUST have the ORIGINAL of your lab safety checkoff list. These forms are a part of your year-end check out procedures. Since I am retiring, please have these to me no later than May 15th. Thank you for your assistance with this.

Middle School Teachers: Please send me your forms as a group so that I don't misplace any of them. Please use ONLY the middle school forms and not the HS forms.

Lab Room Safety Checkoff List: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17AcdF8isQvkjhLGf3LjA5IJfTOtVmbgq/view?usp=share_link

Chemical Inventory List: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uva7pIPSBpNZ8xF1qdMxt9imeKgxC7GrqdGxoiySByU/copy

High School Teachers: Your Department Chair has these forms for you. If you are a chemistry teacher or in a chemistry room, please be sure to use the Chemistry Lab Safety Checkoff form.

EdWeek:

-3 Ways to Make Learning to Students: https://tinyurl.com/26cajhht

NSTA:

-Laboratory Air Quality Is Nothing to Sneeze at: https://www.nsta.org/blog/laboratory-air-quality-nothing-sneeze?utm_medium=email&utm_source=rasa_io&utm_campaign=newsletter

ASCD:

-5 Ways Districts Can Accelerate Student Learning: https://blog.ixl.com/2023/04/04/5-ways-districts-can-accelerate-learning/?utm_source=smartbrief&utm_medium=email

-Getting Students Comfortable with Critical Thinking: https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/getting-students-comfortable-with-critical-thinking

-The Importance of Follow Through after Professional Development: https://www.edutopia.org/article/follow-up-after-teachers-professional-development

Education Products:

GEOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCE TEACHER WORKSHOP:

Only 13 spots remaining!

Monday June 12, 9 am to 4 pm; Columbus OH

6th-12th grade science teachers in Ohio:

We think you ROCK– so we're offering engaging geologic explorations available for FREE at our June 12th teacher workshop in Columbus.

This hands-on experience will empower you to help your students:

• Observe carbon cycles in the environment
• Investigate the formation of rocks, minerals, oil, and natural gas
• Deepen understanding of the geology of our state and planet

Plus, you'll be able to share relevant (and local!) career opportunities in the natural gas and oil industry with your students.

You'll receive:

• curriculum manuals that meet state and national standards and include background information and multiple hands-on activities for each unit

• supplies for many of the curriculum activities plus numerous other geology and earth science resources

• .7 CEU credits and the opportunity to attend field trips and acquire Ashland graduate credit

Thanks to Ohio’s natural gas and oil producers, these workshops and materials are provided free of charge to Ohio educators! [We don’t take their support for granite.]

Register today!

Franklin Soil and Water Camp Canopy Scholarship:

FSWCD is offering a Camp Canopy Scholarship which covers the cost for one student to attend this camp in June. It’s such an awesome opportunity and we truly hope that a student with a strong passion for the natural resources will benefit from this opportunity. Please see the flyer and application below.

ConTAC:

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is putting together a team of high school student leaders from diverse backgrounds to join the Conservation Teen Advisory Council (ConTAC). ODNR is looking for highly motivated students who are interested in natural resource conservation, outdoor outreach, wildlife, or simply making a positive impact in their state.

ConTAC gives students a chance to meet new peers from across the state with similar interests. Through monthly meetings and project work, members will develop and implement innovative and practical ideas that empower young people to protect and preserve Ohio’s natural resources. They will also provide feedback and make recommendations to enhance outdoor outreach. Council members also get the chance to explore careers in the natural resources sector and develop valuable networking and leadership skills. You can see some of ConTAC’s work here.

Students must be entering grades 9-12 for the 2023-2024 school year to apply. Selections of the 2023-2024 ConTAC class will be made early summer 2023.

Learn more about the program here. Additional questions can be directed to William Armbruster at william.armbruster@dnr.ohio.gov.

Click here to apply for ODNR’s Conservation Teen Advisory Council. The deadline to apply is Monday, June 20, 2023.

Educators’ Week: Life Beyond the Glacier (Cincinnati Museum)

Hurry...registration ends May 6, 2023

June 4-9, 2023

Are you an educator? Do you want to connect with other educators who have a passion for their work? Join formal and non-formal educators in their quest for new knowledge and teaching techniques during Educators’ Week in beautiful Scioto County, Ohio. Educators’ Week provides opportunities to gain an understanding of topics related to state academic standards by being immersive in a natural setting and creating a supportive learning environment. Attend sessions that will explore hands-on best practice strategies for introducing people to the natural world. Learn from top experts on a wide range of cross curricular topics and explore new methods that will enhance your skills as an educator. By the conclusion of this unique, retreat-like conference, you will come away with a renewed sense of wonder, a feeling of community and kinship and the confidence to share your new knowledge with others. Please go to https://educatorsweek.com/ to register!

OSU School of Music and the Wexner Center for the Arts:

Programming and opportunities offered by the School of Music

1. All concerts at the Ohio State School of Music are free, unticketed and open to the public. Our events calendar is always evolving. https://music.osu.edu/events. Highlights:
• The Jazz Festival in March
• Jazz concerts at Mirror Lake
• The Percussion Festival concerts
• Symphony, Concert band and choral concerts. Note that some are held off campus.
• More to be posted soon
2. Outreach events for student musicians and music educators. The upcoming events are highlighted on this page https://music.osu.edu/outreach
3. Youth Summer Music Programs – 9 summer camps for students in grades 6-12 (depending on the program, found here https://music.osu.edu/outreach/ysmp

Programing and opportunities being offered by the Wexner Center for the Art

1. Gallery admission to the Wex is free for all audiences during regular operating hours. Our new set of exhibitions open to the public on February 11. Details: https://wexarts.org/exhibitions
   
2. With more than 150 films a year (frequently with filmmakers in attendance), dozens of performing arts events, talks, conversations, and more, the Wex has year round programs deeply engaged with the issues of our time, providing a platform for conversation and diving deep into challenging topics. See the current lineup of upcoming events here: https://wexarts.org/calendar Upcoming programs of note include a free conversation with Annie Dorsen on February 9, our winter exhibitions preview (free) on February 10, the Ohio premiere new work by dance ensemble Brother(hood) Dance! (with a sliding ticket sale available for all budgets) on February 16, and the return of our Cinema Revival film festival celebrating the best in film restoration on February 23-27. The Wex's education department, Learning & Public Practice, offers free tours of current exhibitions, architecture, and specific topics upon request. Wex tours center thoughtful discussion and inquiry-based learning and are customized for each group.
3. Learning & Public Practice offers teacher professional development sessions upon request. Sessions are co-designed with our partners to meet your needs, but often include gallery and studio sessions with Wex Educators and local featured artists.
   
4. The Wex offers unique K-12 experiences with contemporary art throughout the school year. Our program series, Expanded Classroom, connects classes with featured Wex artists, films or performances through workshops, discussions and more. Programs can be customized to meet the needs of your class or curriculum.
   
5. To schedule a tour, inquire about teacher professional development, or learn about Expanded Classroom offerings contact education@wexarts.org.

The Ohio Department of Education has created a resource page for educators and school administrators on logistics and curricular approaches to educating students and the community about the total solar eclipse, which will be visible in Ohio on April 8, 2024.

Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District:

-Link to Newsletters: https://www.franklinswcd.org/swift

Ditch that Textbook:

-15 Ideas for Digital End-of-Semester Projects: https://ditchthattextbook.com/10-ideas-for-digital-end-of-semester-final-projects

-Podcast: 10 Ways to Make Learning Stick at the End of the Year: https://digitallearningpodcast.com/dlp022/

-FREEBIES! https://view.genial.ly/64362e28197ba60017aacb9d

-NEW Google Docs Features You Need to Know: https://ditchthattextbook.com/google-docs

-Template Library: https://ditchthattextbook.com/resources/templates/

-Teach Flix: https://teachflix.org/

-20+ Resources of Free Digital Content for your Class: https://ditchthattextbook.com/digital-content

-10 Ways to Use the Science of Learning in Class: https://ditchthattextbook.com/science-of-learning

Once a Month Open Houses: Come with your Family and Join the Fun! (10:00-2:00)

May 20:

See the flyer below.

Other Interesting Activities:

-Teacher's Guide: You're The Scientist! Citizen Science, Frogs, and Cicadas (Grades 3-8): Citizen or community science projects are a great way to empower students to take action within their local contexts. Volunteers of all ages can team up with experienced stewards and scientists to monitor the recovery of native habitats, record data on rare species of wildflowers, butterflies and other wildlife, and countless other projects. Learn more about citizen or community science with Nature Lab's virtual field trip on citizen science, frogs, and cicadas.

Download Teacher's Guide Here

-Resources for Building a School Garden: Are you interested in starting a school garden? Our lessons guide you through planning, building, and caring for your garden, plus a video on overcoming common student fears. Additional lessons on gardening are also included, such as one on pollinators and another on how dirt works. Explore Nature Lab's resources on how to build a school garden here. Video about Community Gardens

-Nature Facts for your Students: Trees hold tremendous powers, including the power to make all our lives better and healthier. Engage your students in a discussion about trees and their superpowers that benefit all living things! Share the following article with your students to learn more about trees - 6 Ways Trees Benefit All of Us.

-Share this Question with your Students: Take a guess; what is the lifespan of the trees in the picture below?

1. Up to 2000 Years Old

2. Up to 4000 Years Old

3. Up to 5000 Years Old

4. Up to 3000 Years Old

Brian Morton, Director of Secondary Curriculum

Sonja Dill, Secondary Curriculum Supervisor

Laura Schnebelen, K-5 Coordinator, lschnebe@columbus.k12.oh.us

Jennifer Nord, 6-12 Science Coordinator, jnord5257@columbus.k12.oh.us

Heather Allen, K-12 Spruce Run Coordinator, hallen704@columbus.k12.oh.us