Latest news with #NextGenerationScienceStandards
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Brunswick educators, land trust partner to revamp science curriculum
Jun. 12—Brunswick School Department elementary students are getting a hands-on look at local ecosystems with a new curriculum designed by their own teachers, along with educators from the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust. Kate Furbish and Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary Schools rolled out the new units in K-5 classrooms throughout the school year. Kids are doing "big, messy experiments" — as fifth grade HBS teacher Kate Kovach describes — digging in the garden, hunting for decomposers in the woods, tracking the sun's path and more. Lesson plans were designed over two years by BTLT's Cathance River Education Alliance and a team of BSD teachers to align with guidelines in the recently adopted Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) — which focus on actually doing science, rather than memorization. "Elementary teachers usually don't receive much extra training in science teaching; science kind of gets overlooked sometimes," said Sarah Rodgers, director of education for the land trust and education alliance. "As they were trying to figure out how to incorporate new federal science standards, they turned to us." The land trust partnered with Topsham-based Maine School Administrative District 75 a few years ago on a similar curriculum program, Rodgers said. BTLT educators provided teachers with ready-made experiment kits for each unit and cohesive guidelines on how to get students engaged in learning — by making claims, gathering evidence and drawing conclusions. "When they find evidence to support or refute their claim, they're building their own knowledge," Kovach said. Kovach's fifth graders got outside this school year to learn about cycles of matter in the ecosystem. Their experiments included making compost piles for the school garden and putting together terrariums. She said students have been so engaged in class that they're bringing science home. "I had kids bringing in photos of mycelium [fungus root structures] from when they were outside playing in the woods," Kovach said. "Or we're out in the playground and they hand me a rock and say, 'Here's some geosphere for you.'" "They're learning about the world they're living in now," Kovach added. Third graders harvest bean plants in the fall to learn about different traits and save the seed to plant in the spring — observing the life cycle in real time. "When they come back in fourth grade, they know the incoming third graders will start their year by harvesting the beans," Rodgers said. It's all about "taking the lesson out of a book and putting it in their hands," Rodgers said. "If you just learn about the life cycle in a book or diagram, it's not that exciting." Kate Furbish second-grade teacher Meredith Sciacca said the new curriculum has helped her kids "grow as students and learners." "Aligning our science curriculum with NGSS standards specifically through a local lens has greatly improved our ability to deliver quality science instruction that is directly connected to our students' lives," Sciacca said in an email. Copy the Story Link
Syyaha
18-05-2025
- Science
- Syyaha
Singapore's leading One World Schools is set to launch OWIS American Academy in Riyadh
The school brings American Common Core with NGSS with a globalized approach to learning Under the patronage of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC), Singapore's renowned Global Schools Group (GSG) is set to open its second campus in Riyadh in September 2025. The new school marks the latest addition to the One World schools in the city and represents the second American curriculum school established by GSG in Riyadh. Located in the Al Jazeera District of Riyadh, the OWIS American Academy will deliver a dynamic and well-rounded curriculum grounded in the American Common Core Standards, enhanced by the inquiry-led Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This educational approach combines academic rigour that is student-centred and inclusive ensuring it meets the varied learning needs of diverse learners. The school will initially welcome students from Pre-Kindergarten through to Grade 5, providing a nurturing, inclusive, and future-focused environment for lifelong learning. OWIS American Academy is a proud member of the One World Schools that includes the renowned One World International School (OWIS) having presence in the Middle East, India, and the Asia Pacific regions. One World Schools is a member of the GSG, a global chain of K-12 schools which currently operates 64 International campuses in 11 countries with a strength of over 45,000 students from 70 nationalities. GSG schools aim to provide high-quality education to international communities worldwide. Atul Temurnikar, GSG Co-Founder and Chairman, commented, 'We are thrilled to expand our footprint in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This new campus brings a robust American curriculum, enriched by educational best practices from our headquarters in Singapore, to families in the capital. At OWIS, our mission is to empower each child to become the best version of themselves through a rigorous, personalised learning experience. We believe in making exceptional education accessible, which is why our thoughtfully structured fee model ensures outstanding quality without compromise.' 'Our mission at OWIS is to empower students to become compassionate, confident global citizens through a values-driven and inquiry-based approach to education The OWIS American Academy campus will reflect the OWIS's inherent philosophy of commitment to quality education offering students the right foundation to propel them to international success in the future.' says Amol Vaidya Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Global Schools Group, MENA. Admissions for the 2025-2026 academic year are now open. Parents and guardians interested in securing a place for their child are encouraged to visit the school's website or contact the admissions office directly. For more information on OWIS American Academy Riyadh, please visit
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Lockport schools help students explore and explain STEM
Whether it's exploring traits of organisms or building a robot that can throw frisbees, students across the Lockport City School District are immersed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The success of the district's 12-year science instruction transformation was brought home recently when Lockport's STEM team The Warlocks competed in the international FIRST Championship in robotics in Houston. At last week's districtwide STEM Night, the Warlocks demonstrated its robot Decibel's ability to retrieve and throw orange frisbees called 'notes.' Working within a size and weight limit, students built the robot to move on a series of rollers similar to vacuum cleaner brushes. The team adapted Xbox controllers to navigate the machine and control its frisbee shot. The Warlocks placed fifth in a regional tournament at Miami Valley, Ohio. Competing against the best in the nation April 19, The Warlocks won the Imagery Award that recognized their outstanding visual design, theme integration, and overall team aesthetic. 'Every student in our district is getting hands-on exposure to STEM,' said Denyel Beiter, the district's public relations specialist. 'That's something we've been really intentional about as part of our K–12 STEM Framework. Our goal is to build STEM learning that's rigorous, connected across grade levels, and grounded in real-world problem-solving.' For STEM Night, third-graders Delaney Lute and Kyla Castle presented their class's model for how an organism could adapt to feed itself. Using marbles as potential food, the students tested the effectiveness of spoons and forks as body parts for feeding. The students were asked to build an adaptation that worked better than the spoon. Using chopsticks, clay, and tinfoil, the students built a scoop appendage that performed even better. According to Lisa Stastyshyn, a science instructional coach at Lockport's elementary schools, the project demonstrates the latest, hands-on approach to STEM learning, which begins in elementary school. The shift from 'old-school' science teaching, which focused on memorization, to three-dimensional learning, began in 2013 when Next Generation Science Standards were introduced, Stastyshyn said. The standards were developed by a consortium of 26 states. Content is arranged in a coherent manner across disciplines and grades to provide all students with an internationally benchmarked science education. 'It's more hands-on experience and uses an inquiry model,' she said. 'It's more of a way that the teacher steps back and becomes the facilitator of the learning. We give kids a phenomenon to experience. Then we ask them to consider, think about, and explore that phenomenon.' Stastyshyn said as teachers, 'We don't want to interfere with their thinking' at this stage. Letting students work with models and parts allows them to see concepts at work, and helps children comprehend the subject, she said. Stastyshyn describes the instructional method as a series of steps beginning with E; expose, explore, explain, evaluate, and extend. In some ways, it mirrors the scientific method. She said students get 'a taste' for something that occurs, explore it to come up with their own conclusions and questions, and then the teacher explains what is known about it. 'From that point on, the students are figuring a lot on their own,' Stastyshyn said. 'The teacher clarifies any misconceptions.' The teacher evaluates how well students understand the lesson, and then extends it, prompting children to push their own thinking further. This step got third-graders involved in using engineering principles of design and use of materials to see how a living thing's physical structures might help it survive. At the elementary level, each year is split into physical science, earth science and life science, Stastyshyn said. 'It gets more complex each year,' she said. 'In fifth grade, they're really getting into materials, their properties, and testing them. They're looking more into the chemical reactions and performing data collection.' In grades 6-8, students' instruction branches off into specific sciences, such as chemistry, physics, and biology, she said.
Business Wire
05-05-2025
- Science
- Business Wire
Eight Student Teams Named National Winners of 33
MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toshiba and NSTA today announce eight national winners of the 33 rd annual Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition, the world's largest K-12 science competition. This year's winners have shared innovative proposals to help overcome some of the greatest challenges facing the world today, from healthcare challenges to transportation efforts to protecting the environment. 'For the last 150 years, and for the next 150 years, our goal is to enable a more sustainable, resilient future." Tomoaki Kumagai, Chairman & CEO, Toshiba America, Inc. The Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition is designed to inspire students to develop the skills emphasized in the Next Generation Science Standards, including problem-solving, critical-thinking and collaboration skills. To participate, students must imagine and produce a system or a technology with the potential to solve the problems of the future. Regional finalist ideas were judged by a multidisciplinary panel of scientists across various sectors of government (e.g., NIH, NASA, NSF), academic researchers, biotechnology scientists and physician researchers. 'At Toshiba, we're proud to inspire the world's future STEM leaders,' said Tomoaki Kumagai, Chairman & CEO, Toshiba America, Inc. 'For the last 150 years, and for the next 150 years, our goal is to enable a more sustainable, resilient future. Key to that is nurturing the development of today's students. Through our ongoing partnership with NSTA, we're thrilled to be able to further encourage the STEM engineers of tomorrow as part of our commitment to the future and to the people who will shape that future.' Some of the winning solutions included: Environmental Technology Innovations: Several of the winning projects focused on protecting the environment to encourage pollination (Electro-Buzz) to fighting wildfires (Drone Ranger). Medical Technology Advancements: From glasses that translate sign language (Eye Understand) to seizor prevention and detection (Seizor) to heart-attack prevention (Nano Artertract Plaque Seeker), winning projects across grades sought to address today's most pressing health challenges. Transportation Inventions: Students aimed to create safer roads by inventing concepts for improved road surfaces (Biomimetic Surfaces) that prevent crashes. 'I'm always impressed with how attuned young minds are to the needs of our society,' said NSTA President Alicia Conerly, Ed.D. 'Their projects demonstrate the remarkable understanding of the of the challenges of tomorrow and I was inspired to see such creative solutions. Our future is in good hands with these future scientists and innovators at the helm.' ExploraVision Prizes The eight national winning teams are comprised of a first-place winner and second-place winner from four groups based on grade level. Members of first place nationally winning teams each receive a $10,000 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond (at maturity). Members of second place nationally winning teams will each receive a $5,000 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond (at maturity). The national winners of ExploraVision 2025 are invited to participate in an award ceremony on Friday, June 13 in Washington, D.C. During this event, students will have the opportunity to present their winning ideas to Bill Nye 'the Science Guy,' a renowned scientist, engineer, author, and inventor, who is a strong advocate of STEM education and the ExploraVision program. The event will conclude with an awards ceremony where the winning teams will be formally recognized for their creativity and accomplishments. For 33 consecutive years, sponsored by Toshiba and administered by NSTA, ExploraVision has helped children to expand their imagination and have fun while developing an interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education at an early age. For more information or to access an application for the 2025-26 program, visit or email exploravision@ For updates on the ExploraVision program, follow on X at or Facebook at Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision 2025 National Winners 2025 First-Place Winners Grade K-3: Eye Understand: Glasses for People who use Sign Language A.D. Henderson University School Boca Raton, FL Project Storyboard here Grade 4-6: ElectroBuzz: Redefining Pollination for a Resilient and Sustainable Future Willow Springs Elementary School Fairfax, VA Project Website here Grades 7-9: Drone Ranger for Fighting Wildfires Twin Grove Middle School Buffalo Grove, IL Project Website here Grades 10-12: Seizor Victoria Park Collegiate Institute North York, Ontario Project Website here 2025 Second-Place Winners Grades K-3: BlazeBlock: The Hep Revolution That Stopes Fires Cold Don Campbell Elementary School Red Deer, Alberta Project Poster here Grades 4-6: Lost Then Found Heritage School Salem, OR Project Website here Grades 7-9 Biomimetic Surfaces STEM School Highlands Ranch, Highlands Ranch, CO Project Website here Grades 10-12 Nano Artertract Plaque Seeker (NAPS) Downtown Magnets High School Los Angeles, CA Project Website here About Toshiba As Toshiba Group celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025, it is enhancing its management structure, streamlining operations, and investing in forward-looking businesses to build foundations for new growth. This will allow it to continue to support advances toward a sustainable future with products and services developed by its wide range of businesses in the energy, infrastructure, and electronic devices domains. Guided by its corporate philosophy, 'Committed to People, Committed to the Future.,' Toshiba brings industry-leading capabilities in green transformation (GX) and digital transformation (DX) to solutions for companies addressing the many challenges faced by modern society. By leveraging the power of data derived from its constantly evolving products and solutions, the Group is determined to help to achieve carbon neutrality and a circular economy. In fiscal year 2023, Toshiba Group generated annual sales of 3.3 trillion yen, and had 105,000 employees around the world. For more information, visit or follow Toshiba Corporation on LinkedIn. About Toshiba America, Inc. Founded in 1965, Toshiba America, Inc. (TAI) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Toshiba Corporation and the holding company of three Toshiba operating companies that offer a broad range of products and solutions for the commercial, energy and industrial sectors. The three companies, which along with TAI are known collectively as Toshiba America Group, are Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (Semiconductor & data storage solutions), Toshiba America Energy Systems, Corp. (Power generation solutions), Toshiba International Corporation (Industrial, power electronics & transmission & distribution solutions), and a Toshiba America Company, Toshiba America Business Solutions (Multifunction printers, label and receipt printers, digital signage, managed print services, and cloud solutions). About NSTA The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) is a vibrant community of 35,000 science educators and professionals committed to best practices in teaching science and its impact on student learning. NSTA offers high quality science resources and continuous learning so that science educators grow professionally and excel in their career. For new and experienced teachers alike, the NSTA community offers the opportunity to network with like-minded peers at the national level, connect with mentors and leading researchers, and learn from the best in the field. For more information, visit or follow NSTA on X, formerly known as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.
National Post
05-05-2025
- Science
- National Post
Eight Student Teams Named National Winners of 33rd Annual ExploraVision Competition
Article content Article content Article content MCLEAN, Va. — Toshiba and NSTA today announce eight national winners of the 33 rd annual Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition, the world's largest K-12 science competition. This year's winners have shared innovative proposals to help overcome some of the greatest challenges facing the world today, from healthcare challenges to transportation efforts to protecting the environment. Article content The Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition is designed to inspire students to develop the skills emphasized in the Next Generation Science Standards, including problem-solving, critical-thinking and collaboration skills. To participate, students must imagine and produce a system or a technology with the potential to solve the problems of the future. Regional finalist ideas were judged by a multidisciplinary panel of scientists across various sectors of government (e.g., NIH, NASA, NSF), academic researchers, biotechnology scientists and physician researchers. Article content 'At Toshiba, we're proud to inspire the world's future STEM leaders,' said Tomoaki Kumagai, Chairman & CEO, Toshiba America, Inc. 'For the last 150 years, and for the next 150 years, our goal is to enable a more sustainable, resilient future. Key to that is nurturing the development of today's students. Through our ongoing partnership with NSTA, we're thrilled to be able to further encourage the STEM engineers of tomorrow as part of our commitment to the future and to the people who will shape that future.' Article content Some of the winning solutions included: Article content Environmental Technology Innovations: Several of the winning projects focused on protecting the environment to encourage pollination (Electro-Buzz) to fighting wildfires (Drone Ranger). Medical Technology Advancements: From glasses that translate sign language (Eye Understand) to seizor prevention and detection (Seizor) to heart-attack prevention (Nano Artertract Plaque Seeker), winning projects across grades sought to address today's most pressing health challenges. Transportation Inventions: Students aimed to create safer roads by inventing concepts for improved road surfaces (Biomimetic Surfaces) that prevent crashes. Article content 'I'm always impressed with how attuned young minds are to the needs of our society,' said NSTA President Alicia Conerly, Ed.D. 'Their projects demonstrate the remarkable understanding of the of the challenges of tomorrow and I was inspired to see such creative solutions. Our future is in good hands with these future scientists and innovators at the helm.' Article content ExploraVision Prizes The eight national winning teams are comprised of a first-place winner and second-place winner from four groups based on grade level. Members of first place nationally winning teams each receive a $10,000 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond (at maturity). Members of second place nationally winning teams will each receive a $5,000 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond (at maturity). Article content The national winners of ExploraVision 2025 are invited to participate in an award ceremony on Friday, June 13 in Washington, D.C. During this event, students will have the opportunity to present their winning ideas to Bill Nye 'the Science Guy,' a renowned scientist, engineer, author, and inventor, who is a strong advocate of STEM education and the ExploraVision program. The event will conclude with an awards ceremony where the winning teams will be formally recognized for their creativity and accomplishments. Article content For 33 consecutive years, sponsored by Toshiba and administered by NSTA, ExploraVision has helped children to expand their imagination and have fun while developing an interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education at an early age. Article content Grade K-3: Eye Understand: Glasses for People who use Sign Language A.D. Henderson University School Boca Raton, FL Project Storyboard here Article content Grade 4-6: ElectroBuzz: Redefining Pollination for a Resilient and Sustainable Future Willow Springs Elementary School Fairfax, VA Project Website here Article content Grades 7-9: Drone Ranger for Fighting Wildfires Twin Grove Middle School Buffalo Grove, IL Project Website here Article content Grades 10-12: Seizor Victoria Park Collegiate Institute North York, Ontario Project Website here Article content 2025 Second-Place Winners Article content Grades K-3: BlazeBlock: The Hep Revolution That Stopes Fires Cold Don Campbell Elementary School Red Deer, Alberta Project Poster here Article content Grades 4-6: Lost Then Found Heritage School Salem, OR Project Website here Article content Grades 7-9 Biomimetic Surfaces STEM School Highlands Ranch, Highlands Ranch, CO Project Website here Article content About Toshiba As Toshiba Group celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025, it is enhancing its management structure, streamlining operations, and investing in forward-looking businesses to build foundations for new growth. This will allow it to continue to support advances toward a sustainable future with products and services developed by its wide range of businesses in the energy, infrastructure, and electronic devices domains. Guided by its corporate philosophy, 'Committed to People, Committed to the Future.,' Toshiba brings industry-leading capabilities in green transformation (GX) and digital transformation (DX) to solutions for companies addressing the many challenges faced by modern society. By leveraging the power of data derived from its constantly evolving products and solutions, the Group is determined to help to achieve carbon neutrality and a circular economy. In fiscal year 2023, Toshiba Group generated annual sales of 3.3 trillion yen, and had 105,000 employees around the world. For more information, visit or follow Toshiba Corporation on LinkedIn. Article content About Toshiba America, Inc. Founded in 1965, Toshiba America, Inc. (TAI) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Toshiba Corporation and the holding company of three Toshiba operating companies that offer a broad range of products and solutions for the commercial, energy and industrial sectors. The three companies, which along with TAI are known collectively as Toshiba America Group, are Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (Semiconductor & data storage solutions), Toshiba America Energy Systems, Corp. (Power generation solutions), Toshiba International Corporation (Industrial, power electronics & transmission & distribution solutions), and a Toshiba America Company, Toshiba America Business Solutions (Multifunction printers, label and receipt printers, digital signage, managed print services, and cloud solutions). Article content About NSTA The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) is a vibrant community of 35,000 science educators and professionals committed to best practices in teaching science and its impact on student learning. NSTA offers high quality science resources and continuous learning so that science educators grow professionally and excel in their career. For new and experienced teachers alike, the NSTA community offers the opportunity to network with like-minded peers at the national level, connect with mentors and leading researchers, and learn from the best in the field. For more information, visit or follow NSTA on X, formerly known as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
