Check out the new AMSTI website!

Take a moment to visit the recently updated AMSTI website at www.amsti.org. It has undergone several improvements which makes it user-friendly and easier to navigate.

Notice the link on the right side where you can obtain your cycle schedule for the upcoming school year. Just click on "Detailed Schedule" underneath AMSTI-Athens!

Contact information for all the site can be found after clicking on the particular site and choosing Contact Information at the top of the screen.

Under the Science tab, you will find several links to resources including GLOBE, FITH, Literacy Strategies, video clips, and AL COS correlations. Everything is at your fingertips!

Grant Opportunities

Here are some new exciting grant opportunities!

1. Best Buy
Best Buy grants are open to any group across the country planning to conduct an environmentally responsible consumer electronics recycling event. Priority will be given to not-for-profit groups, but any organization is welcome to apply.
Grants are designed to defray costs for events already planned and allow groups to do more with their budgets. Grants range from $500 - $1500 per event, depending on the size and scope of the events. Priority is given to electronics recycling events, but other types of events that include electronics recycling are considered.
Online applications are accepted year round. Applicants will be notified by Best Buy if they have been awarded a grant. Notification should come between one to two months after an application is submitted.
Complete details and how to apply available at http://www.e4partners.com/grant_info.htm

2. AIAA Grant
K-12 teachers who develop or apply science, mathematics, and technology in their curriculum may qualify for a grant of up to $200 per individual request to supplement their learning program. Each school is limited to up to $1,000 per calendar year.
Classroom grants may be used for demonstration kits and science supplies, math and science software, supplies for making flying objects (what kid can resist the chance to build and launch a rocket?), supplies for robotic programs, and other materials to help make science, mathematics, and technology come alive in the classroom. Preference is given to grants that align with the AIAA mission. Please note that grants will not be considered for computer hardware, printers, cameras, equipment and general math and science supplies not tied to a specific lesson plan.
Complete details and how to apply available at http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=216

3. Toshiba America Grant
(2 winners from GA and 2 winners from AL last year!)
Toshiba America Foundation contributes to the quality of science and mathematics education in the U.S. with an annual grant budget of approximately $500,000. Teachers K - 12 are eligible to apply for grants ranging from up to $1,000 for grades K - 6 and $5,000 for 7 - 12.
Recent K - 6 grantees include a kindergarten class using their urban neighborhood as a laboratory for an introduction to geometry, and elementary students participating in hands-on activities at a National Wildlife Refuge. Some recipients in grades 7 - 12 are working on creating new science based classes, lesson plans or research laboratories for their schools.
Deadline for K – 6th grade programs is October 1st (may request up to $1,000). Grant Applications for 7th - 12th grade programs are accepted year round for grants under $5,000 and are due August 1st for grants over $5,000.
Complete details and how to apply available at http://www.toshiba.com/taf/


Good luck!

Thanks to Ned Colley from Texas Instruments for these links.

Hurray for Summer!

Now that you've closed out the 2009-2010 school year, I want to wish you a wonderful summer vacation full of rest, relaxation, and time with your family. Recharge your batteries and return in August ready to face the new crop of students that will eagerly enter your classroom.

We are not having a full AMSTI Summer Institute but there are compressed training opportunities for those of you who have changed grade levels since you were trained or for those who teach multiple grade levels (mainly middle school teachers). If you are interested in registering for these sessions, please contact our office at 256-216-6622 before the June 15 deadline. Registration forms were sent to your schools last month, but you are still able to sign up!

Please feel free to contact me this coming school year if you need any assistance with your science modules. We will be posting your kit cycles soon!

Thanks so much for all you do!
Carrie Lin

Funding Opportunities

Check out these wonderful opportunities!

1. Wal Mart State Giving Program
Through the State Giving Program, the Wal Mart Foundation supports organizations with programs that align with our mission to create opportunities so people can live better. The State Giving Program awards grants starting at $25,000 to nonprofit organizations that serve a particular state or region. For complete details please visit http://walmartstores.com/CommunityGiving/8168.aspx

2. AIAA Grant for Math & Science Education
K-12 teachers who develop or apply science, mathematics, and technology in their curriculum may qualify for a grant of up to $200 per individual request to supplement their learning program. Each school is limited to up to $1,000 per calendar year. Classroom grants may be used for demonstration kits and science supplies, math and science software, supplies for making flying objects (what kid can resist the chance to build and launch a rocket?), supplies for robotic programs, and other materials to help make science, mathematics, and technology come alive in the classroom. For complete details please visit http://www.aiaa.org/content.cfm?pageid=216

3. Toshiba Grant for Math & Science
Toshiba America Foundation (TAF) is currently accepting applications for grants to support innovative projects designed by math and science teachers to make their own classrooms more exciting and successful for students. Check out the deadlines for your grade level and download the application form and guidelines. Discuss your project ideas with your principal and call or e-mail TAF if you have questions about the process. NEXT DEADLINE: Applications for 7-12 Grants of more than $5000 are due August 2, 2010. For complete details please visit http://www.toshiba.com/tafpub/jsp/home/default.jsp.
Congratulations to recent winners in GA and AL including Mountain Brook HS (AL) and Grovetown MS (GA), among others!

As always, free assistance with your proposals is available from Texas Instruments at http://education.ti.com/grants.

Engineer Your Life resources

Engineer Your Life (EYL) has FREE resources you can use to spark girls' interest in engineering.

What is EYL?

EYL breaks down stereotypes about engineering and encourages college-bound girls to consider it as a career option.

EngineerYourLife.org features ten great reasons to become an engineer, streaming video of inspiring women engineers, descriptions of dream engineering jobs, and advice for parents, educators, and engineers on how to talk to girls about engineering.

An independent evaluation shows that 78.5% of girls, after exploring the EYL website, listed engineering as their number one career choice.

Use EYL in your classroom:
Share www.EngineerYourLife.org with students, parents, teachers and counselors.
Order FREE brochures/postcards by sending an email to feedback@engineeryourlife.org.
Present EYL videos of inspiring women engineers to students and parents.
Incorporate EYL into your career exploration programs and curricula.
- Mary Schmitz, a geometry teacher in Missouri, gives her students the assignment of researching engineering careers on EYL’s site and posting their favorite on their class wiki. Mary comments:
“I just want to let the girls know what is available to them and maybe open up more opportunities for them. I think your site is wonderful and I get really good responses from my students after they have read about the different fields of engineering.”

Questions about EYL? Contact feedback@engineeryourlife.org with any questions or requests related to EYL.

And for additional classroom resources, check out the Engineering collection on Teachers' Domain.

Thank you!

New Educational Games Available at NASA.gov

NASA has introduced four new educational games geared toward students in grades K-8.

Build Your Own Space Mission -- Grades K-2

In this interactive game, students choose a scientist, laboratory, spacecraft and destination as they design their own space mission. After packing the spacecraft into a rocket, they watch it blast off to their destination of choice.

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/edu_game/



Astro-Matic 3000 -- Grades K-8

Use the Astro-Matic 3000 to learn how much you would weigh or how old you would be if you lived on another planet. Students also learn facts about each planet.

Astro-Matic 3000 supports the following national education standards and benchmarks:

National Science Education Standards: Objects in the sky.
National Science Education Standards: Earth in the solar system.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standard: Recognize the attributes of length, volume, weight, area and time.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Astro-Matic_3000.html



Let’s Fly Away Airplane Dodecahedron -- Grades K-8

In the interactive version, students click and drag the dodecahedron to see NASA aircraft. They also can read about the aircraft and print full color pictures or a coloring page. In the Build Your Own activity, students print, color and construct their own dodecahedron featuring 12 different NASA aircraft.

Let’s Fly Away supports the following national education standards:

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: Identify, compare and analyze attributes of two- and three-dimensional shapes and develop vocabulary to describe the attributes.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: Describe attributes and parts of two- and three-dimensional shapes.
National Science Education Standards: Science as a human endeavor.
Interactive Dodecahedron http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/clubhouse/Lets_Fly_Away.html

Build Your Own Dodecahedron http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Lets_Fly_Away.html



Put It Together Puzzle -- Grades K-6

In this interactive online game, students build online puzzles of NASA pictures.

Put It Together supports the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standard:

Understand patterns, relations and functions.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Put_It_Together.html

Science Notebooks as an Assessment Tool

Here are two links to articles regarding the use of science notebooks that I have revisited in helping Charlene prepare for a workshop on Authentic Assessment. Hopefully, I will be preaching to the choir here, but they both have great refresher potential as well. Notebooks are not only great for teaching students the scientific method, organizational skills, and how to reflect on their own learning, but they are an amazing tool for assessment for the teacher!

Science Notebook Essentials

Five Good Reasons to Use Science Notebooks

Enjoy! Please feel free to post comments regarding your experiences with science notebooks in your classroom. Let's learn from each other!