http://localhost/expertvoices/wordpress This blog is focused on helping elementary teachers become more knowledgeable about the polar regions and providing best practices on how to integrate polar concepts into their teaching. Ideas for connecting science and literacy through literature and writing, exemplary science activities, incredible pictures, tales of adventure, and stories of indigenous people and amazing animals will be part of each posting. Mon, 04 Jul 2011 02:19:05 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en This winter will mark 100 years since explorers first reached the South Pole within weeks of each other  -- Roald Amundsen on December 14, 1911, and Robert Falcon Scott on January 17, 1912. Commemorations, exhibits, and books are expected; some events have already begun and at least one book published. Norway ... /websites/expertvoices/archives/1349 In their first meeting since 1981, nations that are home to polar bears met on March 17-19 in Tromsoe, Norway, to write an action plan to ensure the mammals’ future. The five nations — Norway, Russia, Canada, the United States, and Denmark/Greenland -- agreed in 1973 to protect polar bears.   In 1973, ... /websites/expertvoices/archives/1572 “The work must continue” was the message when the organizers of the International Polar Year 2007–2008 (IPY) presented the main research findings at a ceremony in Geneva in February. More than 160 projects involved researchers in more than 60 countries during the two-year scientific campaign focused on the polar regions. ... /websites/expertvoices/archives/1571 If you are attending the NSTA national conference in New Orleans this week, be sure to connect with Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears! You'll be able to find us at a variety of locations and events: Exhibit Hall National Science Digital Library (NSDL) Booth: #1532 Presentations Energy and the Polar Environment Saturday, March 21 5-6 pm Convention ... /websites/expertvoices/archives/1570 A team of scientists from the United Kingdom has announced that it will explore a lake that has been buried beneath Antarctica's ice sheet for hundreds of thousands of years. During the 2012-2013 Antarctic winters, researchers will sample water from subglacial Lake Ellsworth in the search for life forms and ... /websites/expertvoices/archives/1569 The USA-National Phenology Network (USA-NPN), a consortium of government, academic and citizen scientists, has launched a new program built on volunteer observations of seasonal changes in plant and animal behavior. The observations will be monitored by scientists and resource managers to track the influence of climate changes on the seasonal ... /websites/expertvoices/archives/1568 The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is asking individuals, businesses, governments and organizations around the world to turn off their lights for one hour on Saturday, March 28, at 8:30 p.m. local time to make a global statement about the urgent need for action on climate change. Observed annually, Earth Hour is ... /websites/expertvoices/archives/1567 Integrating science and literacy content gets a boost every March when the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children’s Book Council release their list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12. Each year since 1973, the two organizations have been selecting high quality, engaging, and scientifically accurate books ... /websites/expertvoices/archives/1566 Did you know that Antarctica is home to just two species of plants? At the opposite end of the earth, over a thousand plant species grow on the Arctic tundra. And that’s not counting the many species of algae and lichens that are not classified as plants. Polar Plants, Issue 12 ... /websites/expertvoices/archives/1565 News from the polar regions in February included news of the many effects of climate change in the Arctic, surprising discoveries of fossils and marine species, and how Antarctica’s environment aided NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander project. Missed these stories the first time? Read on! Climate change continues to affect the Arctic ... /websites/expertvoices/archives/1564