National Science Teaching Association (NSTA)

From Chalkboards to AI Using AI to Deepen Students’ Use of Notice and Wonder with Phenomena By Christine Anne Royce, EdD, and Valerie Bennett, PhD, EdD Posted on 2026-09-23 When students observe a local phenomenon (e.g., local pond discoloration or a sudden dip in backyard bird populations), they often struggle to move past surface-level observations. This blog post explores how students can input their initial Notice and Wonder lists into an artificial intelligence (AI) partner.

Download the FREE Ready-to-Use Rubrics Activity and Slide Deck (Includes an editable activity sheet with rubrics and sample report sections, plus a ready-to-present PowerPoint slide deck for your Day-1 debrief) Bringing it to the Classroom Because students will see these rubrics throughout the semester, this activity puts the tool to work immediately. The core activity takes just 20 minutes and requires minimal prep. Part 1: Individual or Pair Scoring (10 Minutes) Distribute the activity sheet.

High school and middle school science programs often provide not only indoor laboratory and classroom instructional space activities but also outdoor science field trips. These outdoor activities can present a number of safety challenges that need to be addressed before students take the field trip. Planning for a safer outdoor science field trip activity requires the same rigor as preparing indoor activities and demonstrations, but there are numerous additional variables.

In 2025 the U.S. Department of Energy commissioned a special Climate Working Group that later reported that fears of global warming had been vastly exaggerated for years and that there was no real crisis. Should citizens have heeded their conclusions?

Research can refer to a wide range of activities. It can describe when students in science classes investigate a topic, gather evidence, and analyze data to develop their own ideas and present them to others. Or it might refer to investigations conducted by scientists.

As we approach the start of another school year and I reflect on the summer, I am struck by how quickly it has passed, and by how little I am ready to return to school. I often hear in equal measure from those ready to go back to school and those who are dreading the start of school. This year; however, feels different. It harkens back to fall 2020 when many of us were depleted and unsure of what the year would bring.

During a recent teacher aerospace externship, I overheard a conversation that stuck with me. Someone mentioned a student who was curious if the Earth was actually flat. Another person said the student should have just accepted the fact that the Earth is round. As a science teacher, I saw it a little differently. We all want our students to understand scientific evidence. We want them to learn how scientists have studied our world and why certain conclusions are accepted by the scientific community.

Before the first students enter our classrooms, science teachers complete a familiar set of rituals. We organize laboratory materials, review safety procedures, update course expectations, prepare the first phenomenon, and make sure the goggles still fit. This year, another item belongs on the back-to-school checklist: deciding how artificial intelligence (AI) will—and will not—be used in the science classroom.

Beyond the Notes: From Passive Collectors to Active Investigators By Veeraiah Kummari Posted on 2026-08-20 Regardless of how many years they have been teaching, many teachers still feel nervous on the first day of a new school year. One question that remains on their minds is: How do I teach the same ideas and strategies from a fresh perspective?

From a Textbook Prompt to an Authentic Conversation By Alex Luciano Posted on 2026-08-18 One afternoon in my fifth- and sixth-grade bilingual after-school program, my students were reading a short informational passage about astronauts. The reading described how astronauts train, live aboard the International Space Station, and receive supplies from Earth. It was a solid informational text, but by the time we reached the end, the energy in the room had faded.