Lesson Ideas
Lesson Ideas
Science Journal for Kids
On our weekly Lesson Ideas podcast, created especially for middle-school science teachers, we talk about new articles that have been adapted for use in the classroom, helpful hints for activities you can do with students, and teaching tips for using articles. Here at Science Journal for Kids, we believe that every student deserves to know how science works in the real world. We’re here to help support teachers' efforts in that endeavor! sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
Lesson Idea 9: Combing the Caribbean!
Show Notes:Check out the video version of this podcast episode! See the article about Caribbean peoples and additional resources here. Read the Meet a Scientist written interview with Kendra here.Watch Mateja Hajdinjak’s Ask a Scientist interview on YouTube here: Lesson Plan Links: Teacher Instructions, Student Activity Worksheet, Student Activity Virtual Slides.Information about the Caribbean: Basic Info, Archaeology of the Islands. Information about Ancient DNA: About Ancient DNA, Ancient DNA and Neanderthals, Ancient Genomes and Human Adaptation, Svante Paabo’s Nobel Prize - Smithsonian Magazine.Links to collections: Paleoscience, COVID, Introductory Biology, AP Environmental Science Don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on our current content!  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
Oct 12, 2022
10 min
Lesson Idea 8: Graciously Giving Gratitude!
Show Notes:See the article about gratitude and additional resources here. Check out our Ask a Scientist segment on YouTube here:  You can watch the Additional Resources walk-through instructions in this video tutorial (a companion to the current podcast episode):Other articles about social science can be found here.Look here for the lesson plan about gratitude.Articles about stress: Cleveland Clinic Fact Sheet, Mayo Clinic Ways to Deal with Stress, Stress Reduction Activities for Students.Don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on our current content!  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
Sep 28, 2022
9 min
Lesson Idea 7: Discovering Dinosaurs!
Show Notes:See the article about Arctic dinosaurs and additional resources here. Check out the Florida State University interview and the PBS clip about Arctic dinosaur research. https://www.pbs.org/video/did-some-dinosaurs-breed-arctic-cfswmk/ Explore other adapted articles about paleoscience.Paleontology Lessons and Activity CompendiumFossilization and Adaptation: Activities in Paleontology LessonCheck out these resources about dinosaurs: LiveScience Dinosaur Fast Facts, Natural History Museum Dino Directory, National Geographic prehistoric animals, Warm Blooded Dinosaurs, Texas Dinosaur FootprintsVisit the National Park Service Paleontology website to learn about fossils in U.S. National Parks.Click to learn more about animal migration and hibernation.Don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on our current content!  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
Sep 14, 2022
10 min
Lesson Idea 6: Flying with Falcons!
Show Notes:See the article about peregrine falcons and additional resources here. Other articles about how organisms are adapting to climate change can be found here.Find out more information about: Peregrine Falcons, Bird migration, Audubon’s Audubon's Migratory Bird Initiative, Audubon's Lights Out Program.Explore NOAA’s website on Climate Change Impacts and NASA’s Climate Kids website. Watch these animations and Visualizations: NASA climate change spiral, World temperature change, Arctic sea ice meltingAmerican Museum of Natural History Polar Climate Change lesson plans.Check out the “Why are the Glaciers Melting?” Lesson.Look at NASA’s albedo experiment for an additional hands on climate change experiment.Don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on our current content!  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
Aug 31, 2022
12 min
Lesson Idea 5: A Whale of a Tale!
Show Notes:See the article about whales and additional resources here. Check out our Ask a Scientist segments on YouTube:Other articles about ocean conservation can be found here. Middle school curriculum from NOAA. NOAA’s information page on the North Atlantic Right Whale. Explore the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Report.Medical News Today article and Kurzgesagt video about cancer in whales.Don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on our current content!  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
Aug 24, 2022
8 min
Lesson Idea 4: The Challenge of Cheetahs!
Show Notes:See the article about human-wildlife conflict and additional resources here.Other articles about wildlife and conservation can be found on our site.Check out the activity we talked about today.The Cheetah Research Project can be found here. Check out the video of Joerg Melzheimer talking about his research:The Maryland Zoo has some great information about Cheetahs.The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has conservation information about cheetahs and many other organisms. Learn about the Cheetah Conservation Fund’s programs to reduce human-wildlife conflict.Don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on our current content!  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
Aug 17, 2022
9 min
Lesson Idea 3: Getting Ruckus with Ravens!
See the article about ravens’ intelligence here. Check out Miriam’s Ask a Scientist segment: Look here for other SJK articles about birds.  Audubon Society’s article about ravens and crows can be found here. For more information on ravens, check out The Cornell Lab’s website.Read the Yellowstone Quarterly article about ravens and wolves. Don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on our current content!  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
Aug 10, 2022
10 min
Lesson Idea 2: Clowning Around With Clownfish!
Show Notes:See the article about clownfish and additional resources here.Check out Rebecca’s Ask a Scientist segment here:Other articles about fish can be found here.Look here for other examples of symbioses and mutualisms.Check out the scientifically accurate Finding Nemo article from Slate.com.Middle School Reproductive Strategies ActivityHigh School Evolution HHMI Interactive activityDon’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on our current content!  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
Aug 3, 2022
10 min
Lesson Idea 1: Batty for Bat Calls!
Show Notes: See the article about bats and additional resources here.Written interview with Shannon Currie.Check out Shannon’s Ask-a-Scientist segments here:Other articles about bats adapted by Science Journal for Kids.Check out the Echolocation Activity for middle school students.Fun Bat facts were found here.Video of Mexican Free-Tailed Bats at the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, TX:  Don’t forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on our current content! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
Jul 27, 2022
8 min
Welcome to Lesson Ideas
Visit Sciencejournalforkids.org for free science teaching resources! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
Jul 27, 2022
1 min