SEEDS

Have an idea for tweaking a lesson to make it more Inquiry-based?

Go here

"Inquiry by the Bay"

Youth Science Canada invites you to register for the two-day “Inquiry By The Bay” summer institute.

We will be presenting the Smarter Science inquiry-based framework and gear it to three different strands:

• Primary/Junior teachers,
• Intermediate/Senior teachers
• Consultants/Coordinators.

During the institute you will learn:

• the Smarter Science framework itself,
• the process skills of science,
• how to incorporate inquiry-based science into your curriculum,
• how to use Smarter Science to differentiate your curriculum
• how to use the context of science to incorporate your Literacy and Numeracy expectations
• how to use Smarter Science's online lesson planner to find and create inquiry-based science lessons
• learn how to assess and evaluate inquiry-based student materials

Participants will also be the first to receive free copies of the Teachers' Guide to Smarter Science to be published this summer. You will also be the first to see and try the Smarter Science Unit Planner and the Smarter Science Student Investigator software. Both pieces of software will be available for use on the web, on an iPhone or Touch and on Android smartphones.

"Inquiry by the Bay" will be held at the Kempenfelt Conference Centre near Barrie (www.kempenfelt.com).

The cost is $100 and includes all meals and overnight double accommodation.

Space is limited. There will be only 30 registrants and the first 30 cheques received will guarantee your registration.

Please send a cheque for $100, payable to “Youth Science Canada”, to
“Inquiry by the Bay”
c/o Youth Science Canada
PO Box 523, Station R
Toronto ON M4G 4E1

To register for the institute, please use the following link:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDExeWtCS0F0c3RuNTlRSWs3T1RxWkE6MQ

NSTA Conference - Philadelphia - March 17-21

It was an interesting three days at the National Science Teachers Association conference in Philadelphia. Smarter science presented three workshops to an audience of largely American teachers, and a few Canadians. There are over 300 sessions a day at this conference! We are finding, though, Smarter Science is a little different. We are providing a framework for teachers so that they can implement inquiry-based science in their classrooms and we cannot find any similar framework at the conference.

There are many workshop on inquiry-based approaches to biology, chemistry, physics and environmental science but they are very specific and don't provide teachers with a system for leading their students to become independent learners.

Here are the materials we used:

• 12 Steps to Inquiry Posters - Grades 1 to 4 - 8x11 -
• 12 Steps to Inquiry Posters - Grades 5 to 8 - 8x11 -
• Literacy-Inquiry Connections -
• Middle School Powerpoint -
• Secondary Powerpoint