Teaching Toolbox

Teaching Toolbox for All Educators

Teaching with Data- Data can be observations, raw data, or processed data and can be collected by or presented to students. Several examples of how data can be used and sources for finding data to present to students are included. A second related resource, Using Data in the Classroom, has information regarding research supporting the use of data in the classroom and nearly 200 lesson examples that use data.

Teaching Students to Write Quantitatively - This resource teaches students how to use and interpret data in their writing. Assignments are presented that utilize a variety of formats ranging from formal essays to informal reports and posters.
Teaching with Visualizations - Many students identify themselves as being visual learners. Using graphs, maps, and animations helps students to understand concepts. Of particular interest are the phases of the moon animations and global warming graphs.

Indoor Labs - Indoor labs are a staple of K-12 education. This teaching strategy encourages cooperation in small groups and participation in doing science. This resource gives tips for making individuals accountable during group work, making handouts, and structuring lab time. Also, many examples of indoor labs are given.

Field Labs- Field labs are engaging to students because they can experience the science that they have been taught in the classroom. This resource has information on safety and how to choose field locations on your school grounds. Specific lesson examples are given.

Service Learning - When students link a learning project with community service, they are conducting service learning. This resource presents information on why service learning is valuable, tips on how to start a service learning component in your classroom, and how to assess students' learning and get students to reflect on their work.

Teaching Urban Students - Urban students may experience the natural world differently than students from rural backgrounds. Urban students also may have cultural and ethnic backgrounds that may benefit from teaching in non-traditional ways. This resource presents methods for engaging urban students in science classes.
Interactive Lecture Demonstrations- This resource provides formatting for scaffolding learning from demonstrations. Students predict an outcome, observe the demonstration and reflect on their previous assumptions of the outcome.

Teaching Toolbox for K-8 Educators

Lecture Tutorials - This resource offers suggestions and rationale for creating worksheets for students to complete as they listen to lecture presentations. These worksheets make lectures more interactive and help students understand what information is most important from lectures.

Teaching Toolbox for 9-12 Educators

A Civil Action - The Woburn Toxic Trial- This landmark case is presented through the award-winning book A Civil Action and the movie of the same name. This project includes several different modules to teach the case including science experiments and a mock trial.

Teaching with Google Earth- This resource offers information about how to incorporate Google Earth into your class. The resource presents a collection of materials that use Google Earth along with specific examples of how you might use Google Earth in your class.

Teaching with GIS - This resource provides descriptions of work that can be accomplished through the use of analysis of printed and electronic maps to teach about GIS concepts without requiring students to use software that is not accessible to most high school students.

Math Skills - Two resources exist to help science educators incorporate math into their curricula to build number sense and math confidence in students. First, The Math You Need, When You Need It resource addresses incorporating math into introductory Geoscience classes and can apply to high school level science courses. Second, The National Numeracy Network offers ideas and lessons to help students think quantitatively.

Experience based Environmental projects - Experience-based environmental projects offer a way for students to apply classroom topics like energy use, global warming, water quality and land use to their own lives, and to realize that although these issues may be global or regional, they ultimately have roots at the individual level.


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