Io Saturnalia! Throw Some Shade! Use Science, Physics, and Culture to Teach the Solstice to Your Students

This Friday (December 21) marks the December solstice—the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and the longest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere. The maximum difference in daylight between the June solstice and the December solstice is a whopping five hours and 50 minutes! As schools wind down for holidays, take some time to introduce the solstice through Earth science, … Continue reading Io Saturnalia! Throw Some Shade! Use Science, Physics, and Culture to Teach the Solstice to Your Students

Educator Spotlight: Sharing Diverse Student Stories

Maeve Hitzenbuhler empowered English language learners to share their migration journeys through drawing and writing. Students authored books, which they shared with the school and their community. Maeve’s National Geographic Educator Certification capstone project is titled Invisible to Visible. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Sharing Diverse Student Stories

Weekly Warm-Up: Five Ways to Make Your White Christmas Green

In the spirit of the holidays, this Weekly Warm-Up offers five ways to make your White Christmas green. Or, for those of you who live in warmer climes, five ways to make your Green Christmas even greener. 1. Buy a re-plantable Christmas tree: I’d never heard of such a thing until fellow intern and green-queen extraordinaire Hilary told me her family does this every year. Although … Continue reading Weekly Warm-Up: Five Ways to Make Your White Christmas Green

11 Things We Learned this Week

This week, we learned … … how industrial runoff can kill us in ways we could never even imagine. Read of the week! How else does runoff impact the environment? Use our picture-of-practice to learn more.   … global carbon emissions have reached an all-time high. What are carbon emissions? Use our picture-of-practice to learn more.   … dogs and cats burned by the California … Continue reading 11 Things We Learned this Week

What’s the True Cost of Christmas? $170,609.46

BUSINESS MATH For 35 years, PNC Bank has calculated the prices of the 12 gifts from the classic carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” The result is the Christmas Price Index, a unique and whimsical holiday tradition that makes learning about the economy fun. (PNC) Use PNC and the SIFMA Foundation’s middle-school lesson plan to introduce students to basic financial literacy. Teachers, scroll down for … Continue reading What’s the True Cost of Christmas? $170,609.46