Tag Archives: National Research Council

Arctic Matters – The Global Connection to Changes in the Arctic

Peter Lobner

Arctic Matters is new public education resource produced by the Polar Research Board of the National Research Council (NRC) and published by National Academies Press (NAP). It draws upon a large collection of peer-reviewed NRC reports and other national and international reports to provide a brief, reader-friendly primer on the complex ways in which the changes currently affecting the Arctic and its diverse people, resources, and environment can, in turn, affect the entire globe.

image     Source: NAP

You can download this booklet for free from NAP at the following link:

http://www.nap.edu/catalog/21717/arctic-matters-the-global-connection-to-changes-in-the-arctic

You also can visit NRC interactive Arctic Matters website at the following link:

http://nas-sites.org/americasclimatechoices/more-resources-on-climate-change/arctic-matters-the-global-connection-to-changes-in-the-arctic-2/

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for K – 12 students

Peter Lobner

Based on the National Research Council’s, “A Framework for K-12 Science Education,” the new NAP publication, “Next Generation Science Standards,” identifies “the science” all K-12 students should know. It is claimed that the NGSS present a vision of science and engineering learning designed to bring these subjects alive for all students, emphasizing the satisfaction of pursuing compelling questions and the joy of discovery and invention. You might find it interesting to review the topic-specific “Performance Expectations” at the various grade levels.

NGSS coverSource:  NAP

A separate document, “Guide to Implementing the NGSS,” is intended to provide guidance to district and school leaders and teachers charged with developing a plan and implementing the NGSS.

If you have set up a MyNAP account as described in my 14 March 2015 post, you can download pdf copies of these documents for free from NAP at the following link:

http://www.nap.edu/search/?term=next+generation+science+standards

7 January 2017 Update – Infographic – science and engineering practices

In January 2017, NAP published the following infographic poster (click the image to enlarge) and a corresponding interactive version that highlight science and engineering practices that should be mastered in STEM classroom.  You can download this poster at the following link:

https://www.nap.edu/visualizations/practices-for-k-12-classrooms/

NAP STEM chartSource:  NAP

National Academies Press (NAP)

Peter Lobner

The National Academies Press (NAP) was created by the National Academy of Sciences to publish the reports of the National Academy of SciencesNational Academy of EngineeringInstitute of Medicine, and National Research Council, all operating under a charter granted by the Congress of the United States.   The NAP publishes more than 200 books a year on a wide range of topics in science, engineering, and medicine, providing authoritative information on important matters in science and health policy. NAP offers more than 5,000 titles in PDF format.  All of these PDFs can be downloaded for free by the chapter or the entire book.

If you do not already have a NAP account (free), then you can do this easily by clicking on the following link:

http://www.nap.edu/content/about-the-national-academies-press

At this site, you will see a “Help” column on the right side of the page.  Under the heading “Using NAP.edu”, select “MyNAP”. On this new page, follow the instructions under “Getting Started” and register for your account.  Once you have an account, you’ll be able to select and download the NAP pdf documents you find interesting.  You also should receive periodic e-mails announcing the availability of new NAP publications.

I hope you’ll find NAP to be a valuable resource.