Farewell 2019-2020 School Year!

It was certainly a historic school year, 2019-2020. For the last quarter, all schools including Nueva transitioned to remote learning due to the pandemic. I decided the timing was perfect for a virtual culmination website for my 5th grade science students; a small student group designed and created the site, and they showcased two major projects from our last environmental science unit.

​The first is an Illustrated Climate Graph project; for that one, students analyzed climate data and incorporated the actual graph into an original art piece. Along with the art, students wrote an essay that described the specific impact of climate change depicted.

The second is the Green Screens project; for this one, students produced a mini-documentary about an environmental issue of their choice.  You'll be impressed  by the students' content knowledge and digital storytelling talents exhibited in the videos. 

I am so grateful I joined the faculty at The Nueva School, so I can work with my amazing students. I am not sure what challenges next year will bring, but I am glad I'll be overcoming them with my team at Nueva. 

National Geographic Headquarters, Washington D.C.

Click to see the Illustrated Graph Gallery!

Click to see more Green Screens documentaries!

On Expedition in Galápagos

To my delight, I was offered a chance to join a National Geographic/Lindblad Expeditions Galápagos expedition on November 29-December 8 as a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Alumna. It was a tremendous professional honor and a unique opportunity to explore a place that has long fascinated me. I was able to observe blue-footed boobies, giant tortoises, marine iguanas and other iconic animals of the islands. On expedition, I gained firsthand knowledge of Galápagos wildlife and natural history as I followed in the footsteps of Charles Darwin...Keep reading on my blog! 

MiddleWeb Article on Women in STEM 

Read some of my thoughts on a new resource to help educators promote diversity in STEM fields and shift cultural perceptions of what science is and who can do it. The blog was inspired by Erin Twamley and Josh Sneiderman's latest book Everyday Superheroes: Women in STEM Careers. The book features 26 prominent women of color in STEM careers from A-Z (Astronomy to Zoology). Young readers will be amazed by the profiles of the superheroes and they will be challenged to develop their own STEM superpowers through embedded activities. Click here to read the blog. Click here to order a copy of Everyday Superheroes book.

Science Scope Article

I am so happy to have a featured article in Science Scope (January 2019, Oceans Issue) called "The Microscopic World of Plankton." Science Scope is the middle school journal of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). The article describes a series of activities for students to investigate plankton and better understand plankton's role in aquatic ecosystems. Students can engineer a plankton net out of household materials, observe plankton specimens with a microscope, and construct a visual model of an aquatic food web!
Click here to read the article.
Click here for a Plankton Primer info sheet.
​Click here for the Plankton Activity Cards.

Science Rap Video

A music video a group of my seventh grade students produced for Plant Cell Bling! It's a song I wrote to teach plant cell organelles and their functions using the music from Drake's Hotline Bling. Watch it here (click 'subtitles on' to read the lyrics)...

Animated Poem 

Animated Book Review

I created this short video poem for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's #OneGiantLeap for the Ocean contest, and I was the Grand Prize Winner! The prize was a trip to WHOI  to welcome their new ship the R/V Neil Armstrong. Watch my entry here...

Josh Sneiderman and Erin Twamley wrote an awesome book for kids called Renewable Energy: Discover the Fuel of the Future. Young readers can learn the science of renewables through 20 hands-on activities. Order a copy here and check out my video poem book review...