Doing Good Science in Middle School, Expanded 2nd Edition: A Practical STEM Guide

Olaf Jorgenson · Rick Vanosdall · Vicki Massey · Jackie Cleveland

Apr 2014 · NSTA Press

About this eBook

“We are among those who have come to enjoy the blossoming intellects, often comical behaviors, and insatiable curiosity of middle schoolers—and choose to work with them! With more than 130 years of combined experience in the profession, we’ve gathered a lot of ideas to share. We know from our interactions with educators around the country that precious few quality resources exist to assist science teachers ‘in the middle,’ and this was a central impetus for updating Doing Good Science in Middle School.”
—From the preface

This lively book contains the kind of guidance that could only come from veterans of the middle school science trenches. The authors know you’re crazy-busy, so they made the book easy to use, whether you want to read it cover to cover or pick out sections to help you with lesson planning and classroom management. They also know you face new challenges, so they thoroughly revised this second edition to meet the needs of today’s students. The book contains:

• big-picture concepts, such as how to understand middle school learners and explore the nature of science with them;
• a comprehensive overview of science and engineering practices, STEM, and inquiry-based middle school science instruction, aligned with A Framework for K–12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards;
• 10 new and updated teacher-tested activities that integrate STEM with literacy skill-building;
• information on best instructional practices and professional-development resources; and
• connections to the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics.

If you’re a new teacher, you’ll gain a solid foundation in how to teach science and engineering practices while better understanding your often-enigmatic middle-grade students. If you’re a veteran teacher, you’ll benefit from a fresh view of what your colleagues are doing in new times. Either way, Doing Good Science in Middle School is a rich opportunity to reaffirm that what you do is “good science.” 

About the author

Olaf (Ole) Jorgenson served as director of K-12 science, social sciences, and world languages in the Mesa Unified School District in Mesa, Arizona. Previously he was a teacher and administrator in U.S. and international schools, mostly at the middle school level. Ole is past president of the Association of Science Materials Centers (ASMC) and served on faculty with the National Science Resource Center's Leadership Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER) strategic planning institute, with a focus on middle school science issues. He has presented on middle school science reform at the National Science Teachers Association's annual meeting and at ASMC's Next Steps Institute, and is a past member of NSTA's National Committee for Science Supervision and Leadership. Ole's other publications focus on topics in instructional leadership. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Arizona State University. Ole lives with his wife, Tanya, and their daughter, Juliette in San Jose, California, where he is head of school at Almaden Country School.