Polar News and Notes Earth and Space Science

The northern lights over Kulusuk, a small island on the east coast of Greenland. Photo courtesy of Nick Russill and subject to a Creative Commons license.
Want to learn more about the northern and southern lights - the aurora? Look to Issue 3 of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears - Polar Patterns, Day, Night, and Seasons!
In […]

A new month brings a new issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine! The online magazine is written for elementary teachers to help develop their content knowledge of the polar regions and use best practices in integrating science and literacy instruction. Our second issue is called “Polar Patterns: Day, Night, and Seasons” and […]

Three of the Web Seminars scheduled by the National Science Teachers Association in May will offer teachers at all grade levels an opportunity to enrich their teaching about the polar regions. Each seminar is presented at 6:30 p.m. on its scheduled date and lasts for 90 minutes. Participation is free.
Presenters for the two-part seminars on […]

Our second issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine contains several articles to help you include expository text in your reading instruction, support struggling readers, integrate children’s literature, and assess student misconceptions. Interested? Check out the following highlights from this month’s issue:
Expository articles for students
This month’s feature story, “Dinos in the Dark,” discusses […]

A new month brings a new issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine! The online magazine is written for elementary teachers to help develop their content knowledge of the polar regions and use best practices in integrating science and literacy instruction. Our second issue is called “Learning From the Polar Past” and provides […]

Photo taken at Lake Bonney in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, by Carol Landis, subject to a Creative Commons license

Did you know that Antarctica was once a warm place? It is hard to imagine, but millions of years ago, the coldest, driest, and windiest place on earth was actually ice-free and inhabited by trees, plants, dinosaurs, and […]

Did you know that Anchorage, Alaska, experiences approximately 19 hours of daylight on the summer solstice? Or that in Barrow, Alaska, the sun does not set for 84 continuous days during the summer (approximately May 10-August 2)?
 
Did you know that summer temperatures in Fairbanks, Alaska, can reach 100+ degrees Fahrenheit? Or that Alaska’s short but […]