I've been working with the Hu Biolocomotion Lab at Georgia Tech for the last few months. This video of maggots eating a valentine doughnut, shot by Olga Shishkov, a graduate student in the lab who works with black soldier fly larvae (read: maggots), is too wonderful to pass up for Valentines Day. So wonderful, in … Continue reading Valentine Maggot Fun
GSTA Starts Tomorrow!
I’m so excited for this year's Georgia Science Teacher's Association (GSTA) Conference, kicking off tomorrow in Columbus, Georgia. I will be busy on Friday. Catch me at any of these sessions, or let me know if you'd like to meet up!
The Argumentation Toolkit
Start the new year with some new tools for building a culture of "argumentation" (meaningful discussions of claims and evidence) in your classroom!
Dog Science Book Trailer
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators offered an opportunity for writers to make short videos of our books to be shown at ALA. Therefore, I tried to make my first book trailer (a little late, I know, since the book came out in August!). No one would mistake it for professional work, but … Continue reading Dog Science Book Trailer
Linking Literacy: NSTA and Science Writers
This year's national NSTA conference will feature an exciting array of nonfiction science writers, helping you link literacy with your science teaching. And for the next 3 months, the participating writers will be blogging every Tuesday and Thursday over at Darcy Pattison's Mims House blog. So far, we've had Jessica Fries-Gaither, Heather Montgomery, Anna Crowley … Continue reading Linking Literacy: NSTA and Science Writers
Writing in the Spirit of Marie Kondo!
I love how Heather Montgomery compares organizing writing to organizing your closet in this week's STEM Tuesday post. And she's so right--once a piece is organized, the writing comes much more easily! https://www.fromthemixedupfiles.com/2019/01/stem-tuesday-awesome-animal-antics-writing-tips-and-resources/
Meet Me in St. Louis
(With apologies to Judy Garland) The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) will have its annual conference in St. Louis, MO from April 11 to 14. Of course, the national conference is always a fantastic experience. This year, a whole slew of children’s science writers are going to converge on the conference and have a special … Continue reading Meet Me in St. Louis
I got to be on a podcast!
Many thanks to Jed Doherty for having me on his podcast “Reading with Your Kids.” We talked about my latest book Dog Science Unleashed and some of the fun activities you can do with your dog, all in the name of science! Catch the podcast at http://traffic.libsyn.com/readingwithyourkids/Jodi_Wheeler_Toppen.mp3
Great Visit at Springdale Park Elementary
I had a real treat today at Springdale Park Elementary School. I did science writing workshops with their fourth graders (with such a warm welcome, thanks to Ms. Neal and Ms. Steigerwalt!). In between, I got to sit in on a class as they worked on writing books about the Westward Expansion. Katie Steigerwalt is … Continue reading Great Visit at Springdale Park Elementary
Free Author Talks!
It's not too late to invite an author to Skype with your class for World Read Aloud Day on February 1! Kate Messner graciously hosts on her blog a listing of traditionally-published authors who are available to chat with your class for free. Slots are filling fast—my day is already full. So get over to … Continue reading Free Author Talks!
Once Upon a Science Book 