The StarrMatica Blog

Did You Know? Fun Facts for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) – 4-PS3-4

Posted by Emily Starr on September 23, 2020 Phenomenon Ideas Comments Off

Sep 232020

Did You Know? Fun Facts for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) - 4-PS3-4

4-PS3-4 Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another As we create informational texts for each of the Next Generation Science Standards, there are tons of amazing, interesting, and just plain weird facts we are learning. I thought it would be fun to share some of them with you, so I hope you enjoy these facts about wind turbines…. and sheep! Wind turbines are usually very large machines: Sometimes as tall as the Statue of Liberty! The larger the turbine blades, the more wind it picks up. This means more → read more

Meet Michelle Negron Bueno

Posted by Emily Starr on August 27, 2020 Reading Resources, Teacher Features Comments Off

Aug 272020

Hello! I am Michelle Negron Bueno and I love writing for StarrMatica! From a young age, I have been enthralled with stories. It comes as no surprise that many years later, my whole life surrounds reading and writing. I was born and lived for many years in Spain, a place extremely rich with history. I also lived in Germany where I went to boarding school. Years later, after reading the Harry Potter series, I would remember how lucky I was to attend boarding school, but would also wish it could have been Hogwarts. I would have loved to have learned → read more

Phenomenon for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 5-ESS1-2

Posted by Emily Starr on August 12, 2020 Phenomenon Ideas Comments Off

Aug 122020

Phenomenon for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 5-ESS1-2

5-ESS1-2 Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky If you are teaching the Next Generation Science Standards and are looking for phenomena ideas, you’ve come to the right place! I like to think about phenomena as lesson starters. They are photos or videos showing an observable event in the universe and are used to get kids thinking, asking questions, and discussing their prior knowledge. For more information about using phenomena, there is a handy printable guide → read more

Meet Polly Peterson

Posted by Emily Starr on July 23, 2020 Behind the Scenes of StarrMatica Comments Off

Jul 232020

Polly has been working with StarrMatica as our voice over (VO) artist for over a decade. Soon after graduating in Art at Iowa Wesleyan University, Polly started her career at two radio stations in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. “To bring words to life with how they are intended to be said, as well as achieving the intended results has been what drives me to work harder on different sorts of VO projects. This is a fun and rewarding field. A VO artist is a voice actor and in this case, a teacher,” Polly explains. Her passion and commitment to excellence has helped → read more

Meet Tricia (PJ) Hoover

Posted by Emily Starr on May 19, 2020 Behind the Scenes of StarrMatica Comments Off

May 192020

Hi! My name is Tricia (PJ) Hoover and I’m one of the writers here at StarrMatica. Growing up, I never wanted to be a writer. I actually wanted to be a Jedi. After all, who wouldn’t want to be able to travel in space, use telekinesis, and do cool mind tricks? But seeing as how that wasn’t going to happen, I instead spent my summers reading science fiction and fantasy books (some of my favorites were J. R. R. Tolkien, Roger Zelazny and Isaac Asimov) and teaching myself to program in BASIC on my Commodore 64. I also fell in → read more

Phenomenon for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 2-LS2-2

Posted by Emily Starr on May 6, 2020 Phenomenon Ideas Comments Off

May 062020

Phenomenon for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 2-LS2-2

2-LS2-2 Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants. If you are teaching the Next Generation Science Standards and are looking for phenomena ideas, you’ve come to the right place! I like to think about phenomena as lesson starters. They are photos or videos showing an observable event in the universe and are used to get kids thinking, asking questions, and discussing their prior knowledge. For more information about using phenomena, there is a handy printable guide and video here: https://www.nextgenscience.org/resources/phenomena And now, on to our pollinator phenomenon! When we think → read more

Engineering Resources

Posted by Emily Starr on April 27, 2020 Science Resources Comments Off

Apr 272020

Right now, I am safe at home with my three-year-old and five-year-old. Like many of you, I feel the challenge of balancing at-home work with full-time parenting. I know many of your school districts are doing an amazing job of providing distance learning resources. Yet, I wanted to share a few STEM resources you can put in your own personal toolbox for those times when you just need to get something done and your kids seem to be bouncing off the walls! The resources below can make you feel good about allowing your kids to use their devices, because they → read more

Elizabeth Baldwin

Posted by Emily Starr on April 20, 2020 Behind the Scenes of StarrMatica Comments Off

Apr 202020

Hello! My name is Elizabeth Baldwin and I am a life-long learner! I love to read and research things that happened in the past, things happening right now and things that might happen in the future! Whether it is in the field of history, science, fiction or nonfiction, I find our world very engaging. At this moment, I have 5 books stacked on my night-stand next to my bed! One is a fictional story set in the early 1800’s, one is a memoir, one is a biography, one is inspirational, one is to practice Spanish and I usually have a → read more

Phenomenon for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 3-PS2-2

Posted by Emily Starr on April 7, 2020 Phenomenon Ideas Comments Off

Apr 072020

Phenomenon for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 3-PS2-2

3-PS2-2 Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion. If you are teaching the Next Generation Science Standards and are looking for phenomena ideas, you’ve come to the right place! I like to think about phenomena as lesson starters. They are photos or videos showing an observable event in the universe and are used to get kids thinking, asking questions, and discussing their prior knowledge. For more information about using phenomena, there is a handy printable guide and video here: https://www.nextgenscience.org/resources/phenomena When you look at the stone → read more

Phenomenon for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 1-LS3-1

Posted by Emily Starr on March 10, 2020 Phenomenon Ideas Comments Off

Mar 102020

Phenomenon for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 1-LS3-1

1-LS3-1 Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs. If you are teaching the Next Generation Science Standards and are looking for phenomena ideas, you’ve come to the right place! I like to think about phenomena as lesson starters. They are photos or videos showing an observable event in the universe and are used to get kids thinking, asking questions, and discussing their prior knowledge. For more information about using phenomena, there is a handy printable guide and video → read more

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