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/
(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
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
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
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!
The Georgia Science Teachers Association (GSTA) District 2 does an annual one-day workshop, focusing on some of the hard to teach physical and Earth science content (grades K-12). I went this E.L.I.P.S.E workshop last year and came back with a lot of good ideas. It’s basically free--$5 for GSTA members (you don’t have to be … Continue reading News for Georgia Science Teachers
If you live in Georgia, Alabama, or the Florida panhandle, you are super lucky to be in the Southern Breeze region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. This year’s regional conference will be March 15 and 16 in Atlanta (although writers from anywhere are welcome!). If you’ve thought about writing for children, … Continue reading Writers in the Southeast: Spring To Success with Springmingle’19
In my first school, another new teacher and I inherited back rooms stuffed with 25 years of dissection specimens that were older than my students, random chemicals, unmarked bottles, etc.
The Atlanta Science Festival will offer all kinds of events around the metro-Atlanta area in March. And they are eager to get educators involved with their educator toolkit--but you need to get signed up by January 1 to get a classroom visit from a STEM professional. You can also request a $300 bus voucher to … Continue reading Atlanta Science Festival–deadlines
This month's book list over at STEM Tuesday highlights excellent science comics. For this month's classroom tips, I talk about tips for building visual literacy. Images are fantastic stepping-stones into complex science ideas!
Once Upon a Science Book 