Welcome to Your Home for Science Education in Alaska

2019 ALASKA CROSS-CONTENT CONFERENCE

WAS GREAT!

October 25-27 at West High School in Anchorage

There were energizing keynote speakers, engaging sessions led by peers, vendors sharing newest publications and equipment, social events and networking

Fill out an evaluation if you were there!

Membership meetings were held for

ASTA (science), ASLA (literacy), AFLA (world languages)

Brainstorming has begun for the next one in 2021.

Contact pattyb@aptalaska.net

to give input and to offer to serve on a committee

And for an even bigger event, try an area conference!

Seattle Area Conference 2019

ANNOUNCING THE PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS

FOR EXCELLENCE IN MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHING 2017 AND 2018

To all Science Educators in our diverse and challenging state:

You are appreciated!

Your work is some of the most important in all of human civilization, and that really is not an understatement. Science touches all human lives and what we know and what we figure out makes a difference: in our health, maintaining our roads, developing alternative energy, anticipating the weather, even choosing the right firewood.

The inspiration you bring to your students, the encouragement to dig into a subject and shed new light on it, the sharing of exciting news you have just discovered or the stories of an elder who is an expert in her landscape...it all matters. And as the new science standards begin to drive what you are doing in your classroom, you will see your students create and hear them wonder out loud, and watch their exchanges start to build a stronger tomorrow for all of us.

Please strongly consider joining ASTA this year, and NSTA (national), too, so we can strengthen our voices to build opportunities in science.  We want to know what you need to put your best foot forward for your students and to enjoy the journey with them.

Sincerely,

Patty Brown, ASTA President

Click this link for membership options

THE MISSION OF ASTA

To inspire, promote and support excellence in science education.

Goals

• Advocate science literacy for all Alaskans.
• Promote the exchange of information about science and science education among researchers, scientists, institutions, public leaders and science teachers.
• Recognize indigenous knowledge and diverse ways of knowing about science and the natural world.
• Encourage the development of a skilled and knowledgeable work force in science related careers.

ARE YOU A MEMBER of ASTA?

If you are, or if you join now, you can apply for a SPRING professional development travel grant OR a classroom project grant worth up to $500. Deadline March 31.

Apply here Classroom Project or Professional Development Travel

SOME PAST CLASSROOM PROJECT GRANTS AWARDED

Cindy Fabbri in Fairbanks: Hydroponics as a model for inquiry

Rebecca Watts in Juneau: Trail camera to monitor wildlife movement

Michelle Ganoza: Building and programming robots

USEFUL LINKS FOR TEACHING

RIGOROUS AND RELEVANT SCIENCE IN ALASKA

K-12 Energy Lessons

K-12 Resources from

the Alaska Science Curricular Initiative

from years back.

Standards-based Curriculum for teaching about our aquatic resources in grades K-8.

Excellent collection of lessons centered around rural Alaskan life.

Web cams images and background images on Alaska's volcanoes and real-time data.

Materials assembled by Andy Hope through the Alaska Native Knowledge Network at UAF.