I was recently reading the September-October 2024 issue of Science Scope, a journal published by the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Scope on the Skies” section, written by Bob Riddle. He wrote an article entitled: “Chasing Giant Ice Balls.”

Comets are frozen leftovers from the formation of the solar system composed of dust, rock, and ices. They range in size from a few miles to tens of miles wide, but as they orbit closer to the Sun, they heat up and spew gases and dust into a glowing head that can be larger than a planet. This material forms a tail that stretches millions of miles.

I was recently reading the September-October 2024 issue of Science Scope, a journal published by the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Citizen Science” section, written by Jill Nugent. She wrote an article entitled: “Snapshot Safari: Elephant Edition.”

Elephant ID is an online project that leverages Zooniverse’s people-powered research platform to address behavior and conservation questions related to the African savanna elephant, a species facing pressing challenges, including habitat loss. To learn more, visit the project website at:

https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/aeuk/elephant-id

I was recently reading the September-October 2024 issue of Science Scope, a journal published by the National Science Teaching Association.

In this issue, I read the “Editorial” section, written by Patty McGinnis. She wrote an article entitled: “Social-Emotional Learning in the Science Classroom.”

Perhaps nowhere else in education is social-emotional (SEL) more crucial than in the middle school science classroom, a place where students are expected to collaborate, communicate, and participate respectfully in the practice of argumentation. For more information about SEL consider exploring the site for the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), a nonprofit organization that utilizes research to guide SEL initiatives. For more information, visit:

https://casel.org