S3-08: Making science a superhero

Tune in to the finale of Science Connections with elementary educator and recipient of the 2023 Anton Banko Award for Excellence in Teaching Elementary Science, Kate Bala. In this episode, Kate shares teaching tips on how she seamlessly integrates science with other content areas to give students an engaging, phenomena-based learning experience. Listen to hear about Kate’s unique teaching style and the helpful tips she offers to make science the superhero of any classroom.

To learn more about the resources Kate shares, check out the following:

• Dive into The Wonder of Science for list of phenomenon for each NGSS grade band.
• Read Sharing Books, Talking Science, to start integrating literacy into your own science lessons.

Episode Transcript

Student (00:00):
Gabe
in science. The whole world isabout science. And it relies on
science. I love science; and Ithink I can be a scientist, and
I want to.

Eric Cross (00:15):
I love science, obviously. I'm a science
teacher. And I host a sciencepodcast. But, I promise you my
students love science too. Yetso often science has been on
the chopping block. WhileEnglish and math were always
essential, science seemed to bemore of a "nice to have ." And
on this very show, over thepast few years, we've talked

(00:35):
about science as an underdog. Acurriculum that just hasn't
gotten its due. But what ifthat theory doesn't hold true
anymore? What if science isn'tan underdog? What if science
was a superhero asproblem-based learning moves
from niche strategy to provenphilosophy. Science suddenly
seems to be an education'svanguard. And science has had a

(00:59):
long headstart withinterdisciplinary learning.
Science, by its verydefinition, is about wondering
and noticing and thinking. Andit might just be the glue that
holds education together. Sowho better to discuss this with
than the experts themselves? Mystudents. Yes. We're hearing
directly from the source. Andwho else is truly in the know?

(01:22):
Elementary educator Kate Bala,who's gone from someone who
didn't think about science muchto a teacher using science in
nearly all of her lessons,every day. Speaking with guests
like Kate has been a joy and aprivilege. I've learned so
much! And I hope you have too.
And today I have some prettybig news. This will be our
final Science Connectionspodcast, but it won't be the

(01:43):
last time we connect onimportant conversations in
science education. At the endof the episode, I'll share some
details about what's next. Withthat, welcome to Science
Connections. Let's talk aboutscience as a superhero from the
people who really know what'sworking and what's not. My
students. Hey, Gabe .

Student (02:02):
Gabe

Eric Cross (02:02):
Thanks for coming.
Are you ready to be ninthgrade?

Student (02:06):
Gabe

Eric Cross (02:07):
No? How about, like, advanced eighth grade?

Student (02:15):
Gabe

Eric Cross (02:16):
More science? OK.
That's great! 'cause that leadsme to my first question. What
about science do you find themost fascinating?

Student (02:24):
Gabe
in science. The whole world isabout science. And it relies on
science. I love biology.
Probably number one. Second isprobably chemistry.

Eric Cross (02:43):
Has science, or learning science, or studying
science changed your opinion onwho can be a scientist at all?

Student (02:50):
Gabe
scientist. I guess you have toenjoy math a lot too, which is
a little hard sometimes, . But I love science.
And I think I could be ascientist; and I want to .

Eric Cross (03:06):
I agree. Matter of fact, I think in many ways you
already are. Do you thinkscience has the power to change
the world?

Student (03:14):
Gabe
is based on science, andscience is everything. All the
time something can bediscovered that's new. Or
something could be proved wrongthat everybody thinks was right
at a time. Like the world isflat. Or the the universe

(03:38):
revolves around earth.

Eric Cross (03:39):
If you can give a piece of advice to science
teachers, or to schools, aboutscience education for students,
what would you say? Or whatwould you change to make it fit
more how you think it would bedone? Or how it could be
improved?

Student (03:55):
Gabe
on. Not just, like, a textbook.
And it's a lot more importantthan people think. 'Cause even
math is about science. Historyand science are somewhat
related. And I think it'sunderrated among teachers and
schools.

Eric Cross (04:15):
OK. Do you think we teach enough science? Do you
think we give you enoughscience in school?

Student (04:20):
Gabe

Eric Cross (04:23):
So, one semester.
It's not really a lot.

Student (04:25):
Gabe

Eric Cross (04:26):
You would do a whole year?

Student (04:27):
Gabe

Eric Cross (04:28):
Hey!

Student (04:31):
McKayla

Eric Cross (04:32):
How are things?
Yeah. Have you ever had ateacher that made science
interesting? Like especiallyinteresting? And if so, what
did they do that made itinteresting for you?

Student (04:43):
McKayla
tell me to keep on working.
Like when I got distracted.

Eric Cross (04:50):
That helped you?
That made it interesting foryou? Why did telling you to
keep working make itinteresting to you, when
teachers did that?

Student (04:55):
McKayla
actually cared.

Eric Cross (04:58):
OK.

Student (04:59):
McKayla
interesting.

Eric Cross (05:02):
Oh, really?

Student (05:03):
McKayla

Eric Cross (05:04):
Interesting. I wouldn't have guessed that, but
I'm so glad to know that.
Chris, thanks for letting meinterview you.

Student (05:13):
Chris

Eric Cross (05:14):
What would you tell your teachers, if you can give
them one suggestion. Onerecommendation. One advice.
What would you wanna say tothem? They would all do it if
you said, "Do this."

Student (05:25):
Chris
learned how to make it.

Eric Cross (05:30):
So if the teacher said, "I made something," and
then they taught you how tomake it.

Student (05:36):
Chris
.

Eric Cross (05:37):
What would be something that you would want
to make?

Student (05:39):
Chris

Eric Cross (05:40):
You'd wanna make a robot? Nice. So, if we had a
class about robotics androbots, would you take it? OK.
By the way, thanks for doingthis. I know you're so busy.
I'm glad your agent could getyou slotted in here to do this.
Zara , first question. Do you,you, do you think science has
the power to change the world?

Student (06:00):
Zara

Eric Cross (06:01):
Why do you say that?

Student (06:02):
Zara
discover. And there's so manythings that you could use to
help and make it worse. Like,climate change. You could find
things that could potentiallyhelp cool down the earth or

(06:24):
help warm it up. And I think itreally depends on how you study
it. Or how you find whateveryou need. And how you use that
knowledge. Because just havingknowledge isn't really gonna do
much. Using that knowledge iswhat really makes a change.

Eric Cross (06:45):
I agree. Last question. Do you feel like our
school spends enough time onscience?

Student (06:53):
Zara

Eric Cross (06:54):
No?

Student (06:54):
Zara

Eric Cross (06:55):
Why not?

Student (06:55):
Zara
science. And the thing I don'tlike is that we don't go in
depth . Even if we likesomething, we aren't able to
discover more, even on our owntime, because either we don't
have the resources or we don'thave somebody who could help

(07:16):
us. And I think learning aboutscience is really important.
But we just don't have the timeto be able to go in depth with
it, and to be able to learnmore and experience more.

Eric Cross (07:31):
Zara , that was amazing! Thank you for letting
me steal you from Mr. Klein.
I'll send you back so you cango and be the key component of
that, which is playing the bass. I appreciate you! I'm really
excited to speak with Kate Balatoday. She's a second grade
teacher at Lowville Academy andCentral School in New York
State, and she was a 2023recipient of the prestigious

(07:54):
Anton Banko Award forExcellence in Elementary
Science Teaching for elementaryteachers. Kate wasn't always
such a science person. Shelikes to say that science found
her. So I'm really excited tospeak with you today as we kind
of wrap up the season. I'm alsoreally excited, 'cause I love
talking to elementary schoolteachers that teach science.

Kate Bala (08:14):
Yeah.

Eric Cross (08:14):
Because you all have such a challenging job,
where you have to teach all thedifferent subjects with
students, who come in with allthe kinds of different
background knowledge, andthings like that. And I know
you're really getting after it,like with science. And so,
maybe we could start withtalking a little bit about your
background in education. Yourorigin story. Did you start in
second grade? How long have youbeen doing it for?

Kate Bala (08:36):
I started teaching preK when I got out of college.
Because it was very competitivewhen I first started teaching.
You could not find a teachingjob in New York. And if you got
an interview, then that wasamazing. And if you got hired,
that was even better. So out ofcollege, I just started
teaching preschool, becausethere was an opening. And

(08:57):
that's, you know, kind of whereI landed in Buffalo. And then
life drew me up here, in thissmaller area. And I got a
long-term sub position in firstgrade from January to June. And
I loved it! And then Iliterally got a call in my
classroom, in this first gradeclassroom, for an interview at
a neighboring school districtfor a second grade position. So

(09:19):
this was my first realinterview position. And I
remember them asking me, "Areyou ready for this?" Or, "What
makes you ready for this?" AndI said, "Well, I've had all
these baby steps and steppingstones. I taught preK and ran
my own UPK classroom. I didthis January to June thing. So
the next natural step is afull-time position." And I got

(09:41):
it!

Eric Cross (09:43):
And you've been doing it ever since?

Kate Bala (09:44):
I have, Yeah! I did jump to third grade for a
little bit, but I came back tosecond.

Eric Cross (09:49):
Is it fair to say that like K–2 and 3–5 are
different kinds of animals, touse the beast analogy?

Kate Bala (09:58):
Yeah, they're different little beasties,
right? There are littlebeasties. And then there are a
little bit bigger beasties. Ithink that the littles, it's a
different animal. Because youhave some different challenges.
You're really teaching them howto be tiny humans. And then,
once they figure out how to bea little bit more human, then
you can sort of add onto theirunderstanding. And provide some

(10:19):
more opportunities. So I think,yeah. They're different.

Eric Cross (10:23):
And you have a reputation of really being
intentional about integratingscience into your classes,
which is what I'm reallyexcited to talk to you about.
Have you always been a scienceperson?

Kate Bala (10:36):
No, I'm not a science person. I listen to the
Amplify Science podcast. And Ilisten to the neuroscientists,
and the college professors, andthe doctorates, and I can
identify with their message.
Even though I don't have like,the street cred, right? Just
because I think to be ascientist doesn't have to be a

(10:56):
literal meaning, you know? Youdon't have to be in a lab and
testing things. Because I tellmy students that they're
scientists. So to me, scienceis everywhere. Science is how
the world works around us. Andthat's my M.O. As a teacher, I
need to teach children how theworld works around them . And
if they have a problem, thenthey have to learn to figure it
out. So, that's how I viewscience.

Eric Cross (11:20):
That was beautiful.
I like that statement, likewhat you just said, just there.
I want that on a shirt because—

Kate Bala (11:26):


Eric Cross (11:27):
I'm serious, because I think that resonates
with a lot of people, becauseyou're right. There's
professional scientists who doscience as an occupation, yes.
But you're doing science all ofthe time, and you really
connected with that. So , whatI'm wondering is how did that

(11:48):
change? Like, how did that comeabout? Like you said, you
weren't a professionalscientist, but you really
leaned heavily into it. Sohow'd that happen?

Kate Bala (11:56):
Because science is doing. Science is thinking. And
science is learning. In mypersonal life, I am not a great
cook. I am not a great artist.
I am mediocre at a lot ofdifferent things. But when I'm
in the classroom, like, that myspark, right? That's where I

(12:19):
feel at home. That's where Ifeel, like, "OK, all of you
little people in here, let'sget together, and let's have a
party!" So, let's have ascience party. I invite
everyone to the science party,because that's really what it
feels like. And you get down tothis gritty level. Even with my
second graders, they're eightyears old, but we get down to

(12:41):
this level where all of asudden we're on the same page
and we're learning together. Idon't have all the answers. I'm
not the neuroscientist. I'm notthe, you know, doctorate in
college professor. But, what Ican do with my students is
teach them ways to figurethings out. And then we develop
these relationships with eachother because we're

(13:02):
shoulder-to-shoulder. "Hey, Idon't know the answer to that,
but let's figure it out!"

Eric Cross (13:07):
Can I ask you, how did you get comfortable in that
space? Because you say it andit resonates with me as a
science teacher. I have thisquote that I took from one of
my master teachers, and someoneelse probably said it, but we
say that, "There's no suchthing as failure, only data in
science." When you feel likeyou fail, you feel really like
ugh. But, as a science teacher,we're like, "No, it's just it

(13:29):
didn't work out. All right,we're gonna try something
different." What would you sayto a teacher who's like
yourself that may not come asintrinsically to them? What
would you say to them?

Kate Bala (13:43):
Go rogue. Just go rogue. You have to let go of
the way that we were taught toteach. And that's the truth.
So, we were taught to be thesage on the stage. I am the
deliverer of the information,and you, my children, are the
receivers. The recipients. Ideliver my knowledge, and you
learn it. So, we were taught tobe the holders of the

(14:06):
information, or at least I was.
As I started learning about theNext Gen Science Standards, and
the three dimensions ofteaching, so your science and
engineering practices, that'swhat students are doing. The
cross-cutting concepts. That'show students are thinking about
science. And then thedisciplinary core ideas, that's
the content of what thestudents are learning. It just

(14:27):
hit home with me. And Ithought, "OK, I love teaching.
This is my jam!" This is whereI'm the most comfortable. I
have a lot of things to doduring the day. I have a lot of
different levels of students toteach. And the question always
is, "How do you do that?" Everyteacher wonders, "How am I
going to teach all of mystudents?" Well, invite them to
the science party. That's whatyou do. You even the playing

(14:50):
field. You involve them insomething first, you present a
phenomenon, you let themwonder, you let them question,
you use their talk as a toolfor learning. And then you
develop this huge frame ofreference and generated
language around a topic. Andthen you're ready to give them
some content, and ask them tofigure things out with their
claims. And they can give youevidence and reasoning.

Eric Cross (15:13):
Did you come up with the science party?

Kate Bala (15:15):
That's what it feels like. That's the only way I can
describe it, because it's like,I want everyone to come to the
science party. And when I doteacher trainings, I say, "Hey,
welcome to the science party!"That's how I start everything,
because it literally is thevibe of a party. It's so much
fun!

Eric Cross (15:31):
So how do you do that? Can you maybe walk us
through an example of where youdo this science party? Like,
maybe a topic or a lesson thatyou do with students, and you
bring all these thingstogether?

Kate Bala (15:42):
Sure, sure. So, one of my favorite things is to
teach our life sciencestandards, because I feel like
life science is hard. It's hardto bring life into the
classroom, right? You can bringin a fish. You can bring in a
toad. You can bring in a frog.
And that's sort of the oldscience of it, right? So the
idea of content base . So let'slearn about the life cycle of a

(16:04):
frog, OK. That's not whathappens in my classroom. Sure
my students know aboutmetamorphosis and change, but
the standards go from justknowing what that circle of
life is to a level beyond thatreaches a conceptual level of
understanding. So growth anddevelopment, and what's not

(16:27):
depicted in the lifecycle.
Well, death, you know, let'stalk about death and how that
changes. So, one thing that Ilike to teach my students, and
that's in our second-gradestandards, are interdependent
relationships. So, I will starta lesson and I'll start playing
the song, "Hakuna Matata." Whatdoes the second grader think of
when they hear, "HakunaMatata"?

Eric Cross (16:49):
Lion King.

Kate Bala (16:50):
Yes, exactly right.
And who sings it? Who sings,"Hakuna Matata"?

Eric Cross (16:57):
Timon , Pumbaa.

Kate Bala (16:58):
Timon and Pumbaa.
OK. Yes . You're really good atthis!

Eric Cross (17:02):
I can do second grade trivia. Don't go third
grade, but second grade. I gotyou. I got you.

Kate Bala (17:07):
So, I start that way, and I'm singing this song
to them, and I'm showing themthe picture of Timon and
Pumbaa. And then I say, "OK,what do you notice?" So then
we're sharing. I develop thesenorms, talk norms, so they know
when to raise their hand, whento listen, when not to, and

(17:28):
that's, like, the nitty grittyof how this all happens. So
they start saying things like,"Oh, they're friends." OK. Yes,
that's good. They're friends.
They need each other. Yes,that's right. They need each
other. OK. So I let all thislanguage fly and happen. And
when I hear words that I knoware going to tag into the

(17:48):
standards, like friendship, anddepending on each other, I'm
writing them on the board andmaking a word wall. So that's
one learning opportunity. Thisdoesn't all have to happen at
the same time. Then I show thema video from YouTube on mute.
And the one that I use for thisis called, "the Warthog Spa." I

(18:11):
show them on mute, because Idon't want them hearing any
information. I literally wantthem organically, authentically
generating their ownobservations, because then they
tag it as a frame of reference.
So any new information that Iadd for them is going to be
connected to what they have allbeen involved in. That's the
even playing field. So then Ishow them this picture of these

(18:32):
little mongoose or meerkats,and they're eating the ticks
off the warthog. And instead ofthe warthog eating these
animals, because he is apredator, he's laying down and
letting them do it. This isvery shocking for second
graders. They're completelyengaged 100% of the time.
Again, language. Language. Whatdo you notice? What do you
wonder? Maybe we'll do a QFT,like a Question Formulation

(18:53):
Technique, you've used in yourclassroom.

Eric Cross (18:55):
I want to ask more about that. I don't know. I'm
gonna ask you about that,because that's ...

Kate Bala (19:02):
That's a super tool.

Eric Cross (19:04):
We're gonna go there, but continue, because
I'm really digging this LionKing thing you got going on
here.

Kate Bala (19:09):
OK. So then they're again, you know, sharing
things, noticing what'shappening. Some of them pick up
that they're eating somethingoff of the warthog, or some of
them can see that, or will saythat, "Oh, the warthog has
really long tusks, or reallylong teeth." And then we talk

(19:32):
about structure and function.
So, sure, the warthog could beeating these animals and maybe
as a predator, but why is heallowing this to happen? So
then they're drawing a model oftheir understanding. And that's
also in the science andengineering practices, is
drawing models. And I am not upat the board. I am not showing

(19:52):
them what to do. They aredrawing their own
understanding. And then we'readding to it over time. With
each learning opportunity,they're gonna go back to that
Wonder Journal on that pagewhere their warthog and their
meerkat are, and they're gonnakeep adding to the
understanding. And we'retagging in these vocabulary
words as we go. So then I mightstop there and say, "OK, how do

(20:17):
these animals need each other?
Or what do they rely on?" Andthen I'm gonna go back to the
rug, and I'm gonna read them astory called, "Best Friends
Stick Together." And that storyis about a rhinoceros and a
tick bird and how they needeach other. It's a fictional
story. So I am constantlyleveraging the science

(20:40):
standards through literacy,through other content areas,
because that's what gets kidshooked. So then after all of
these opportunities, it'slearning opportunity, learning
opportunity, drawing,understanding, adding to the
model, learning opportunity,learning opportunity, adding to
their model. Then at the veryend, their claim, evidence, and
reasoning at the end of this isthe warthog and the meerkat

(21:01):
depend on each other, because,well , the meerkat eats the
ticks off the body of thewarthog and protects it from
diseases. The meerkat can cleanthe warthog's teeth, so it
doesn't get decay. The meerkatgets a full belly because he's
eating food and ticks. And heis protected by the warthog. Or
the warthog has some scrapsfrom an animal that he's eaten,

(21:24):
and then the meerkats can alsofeast on that. So, I hit my
standard of animals depend oneach other for survival,
because I've laid out all ofthese different opportunities.
Was that too long?

Eric Cross (21:39):
That was amazing! I was sitting here, like, writing
this down going, "There's a lotto this." And I'm sure teachers
are listening to this going,"OK, OK, is there a resource on
this? Did you make this up? Howdid you piece all of this
together?" Because in this, Iheard science, I saw literacy,
I saw fiction reading. I sawyou're teaching mutualism and
interdependent relationships.

Kate Bala (21:59):
That's the best part. They have a frame of
reference. They have beeninvolved in this. And then when
they get to you in middleschool, they're gonna nail it,
right?

Eric Cross (22:06):
Exactly. This is now prior knowledge that they
have. This resonates with me,and actually validates me,
because my students say Iruined their childhood.

Kate Bala (22:15):
. Beause you never played, "Hakuna Matata."

Eric Cross (22:20):
No, it's because I tell them the way that Disney
stories should actually go ifthey're scientifically
accurate. So I talk about"Finding Nemo." Clownfish are
sequential hermaphrodites. Andso, if the dominant female
dies, the largest non-dominantmale transitions and becomes

(22:40):
the dominant female, right? Andso I said, when Nemo's mom,
spoiler alert, by the way, foranybody listening , about
"Finding Nemo ,. I dunno ifanyone's seen that movie, like,
out of the '90s.

Kate Bala (22:49):
Earmuffs.

Eric Cross (22:50):
Yeah. Earmuffs, earmuffs. OK, here we go. When
Nemo's mom was, I think shewas, eaten by a barracuda?

Kate Bala (22:57):
Probably. It's always terrifying.

Eric Cross (22:58):
Yeah. It's something terrible, right?

Kate Bala (23:00):
Yeah.

Eric Cross (23:00):
His dad should have transitioned.

Kate Bala (23:03):
Yeah.

Eric Cross (23:04):
And my students sit here and listen to this, and
they're like, "What?!" And thisis during our genetics unit.
And then I say, "Wait until Itell you about 'The Lion King.'
You think all of those preywere gonna be thankful that
another lion was born?" But,anyways. So when you're talking
about this, my heart was veryhappy.

Kate Bala (23:21):
That makes me feel good. But the standards are
progressive. And they're bandedfor a reason. So this is the
hokey pokey. This is what it'sall about.

Eric Cross (23:30):
Yes. How common is what you do amongst K–2
teachers, would you say?

Kate Bala (23:35):
Well, I don't know , because I'm busy teaching in my
own classroom, right? It's hardfor me to get out and help, but
I'm passionate about that. I dotrain other teachers, because
I'm so compelled. Because I'veseen what this does for
students. I've seen them. Theyignite. And they light on fire.

(23:55):
Because I get to sit downsometimes, when my heavy
lifting is gone, because theyare so busy and so involved in
what they're doing. And they'rereading. They're writing. And
they're wanting to figure itout. It's a party. Like I said,
you know, those lulls of theparty where you just sit back
and look around and you'relike, wow, this is great. Those

(24:18):
are my days.

Eric Cross (24:20):
Would it be fair to say that you have a high level
of engagement in these types ofactivities with your students?

Kate Bala (24:25):
I think it's extremely high. And not every
moment of our day can be thathigh, but they will work for
you because they want that.

Eric Cross (24:33):
What is it about these topics that you think is
so engaging for little ones?

Kate Bala (24:38):
It's real life. It's outside their window. It's what
they see when they're drivingin the car. It's something they
read in storybooks. It's inDisney movies. And once you
teach them to use a sciencelens, and have a scientific
habit of mind and see all ofthis, I think the engagement

(25:01):
takes care of itself. BecauseNeil deGrasse Tyson says,
"Children are born curious."We're all born naturally
curious. And it sometimes isthe confinement of the
educational system that canknock that out of you. So he
tells you in this video he hascalled, "The Most Human
Activity." I love it. I show itat all of my teacher trainings.

(25:22):
It literally kind of jarsteachers a little bit, because
he uses the language. You know,we constantly teach kids to sit
down and shut up, right?
Instead of using their talk asa tool for learning, and
letting them share theirresources, and use each other's

(25:43):
experiences as resources.
Because, again, as teachers, wewere taught to deliver the
information. So there is aweird, I don't know, it's not a
good versus evil, because it'snot an evil, but there is a
weird divide between how wewere taught to teach and how we
teach in ways that I think aremost effective. Because kids

(26:06):
are different today. The worldis different. There's a digital
world. And there's so manythings that kids are combating
right now. COVID was a bigreason, and I know I said the
word, and some people don'tlike to hear the word again.
But that was a real thing. AndI think this way of teaching
students, by involving them inphenomena-based learning, it
combats all of those thingsthat that happen.

Eric Cross (26:28):
Yeah. And you bring up COVID, and it is a real
thing. It's still a real thing.
I mean, I have teachers out onmy campus with COVID, so it's
not gone. So I think we like tolive and think that we're in a
post-COVID era, but we're sovery not. So, it's still a real
thing. And during COVID andfollowing , I heard that you
were actively speaking aboutthe mental health crisis in

(26:50):
students and in teachers.

Kate Bala (26:51):
Mm-Hmm.


Eric Cross (26:53):
Was there anything about your experience in
science that informed what youwere doing and what you were
talking about?

Kate Bala (27:00):
I think it has to. I think everything that I do has
to do with science. And notjust the content, but the
practices of science. So theway that I teach science, I
think, is conducive to allother areas. You can involve
students in something firstbefore you load content. And I
call it "ABCD." So, ActivityBefore Content leads to

(27:25):
Differentiation. So I thinkwhat the message that I wanted
to send during the pandemicwas, "Hey, hold on to those
things that you did really wellin your classroom, and figure
out ways to still make thosethings happen." Developing
relationships is huge withscience, just like it is at a
party. It's all about beingsocial and, you know, having

(27:49):
fun. And when you areshoulder-to-shoulder with
someone, whether it's aseven-year-old or an adult, and
you're figuring something outtogether, it develops this grit
in both of you. And you have atrust in one another. And, like
you said before if you fail,you're failing forward. You're
not a failure. Mistakes arewhat makes things great,

(28:10):
because that's where we learn.
So I think what COVID did wasjust bring to light that
science is about buildingrelationships also with people.
And then all of a sudden youhave this, like,
social-emotional developmentand awareness. Because I'm
talking to them about thingslike bubblegum. And I'm using

(28:32):
bubblegum as a read-aloudbecause there's a story called
"Bubble Gum Brain," and it'sabout a growth mindset, and
stretching, and growing. Butthen we're talking about
structures and properties thatmatter and reversible change.
'Cause those are oursecond-grade standards. So
we're gonna observe theproperties of the gum before
it's chewed. We're gonnaobserve the properties of the
gum after it's chewed. Andwe're gonna decide if it's
still gum and if it can goback. And I'm happy, you know?

Eric Cross (28:55):
. The middle-school version teacher
of me heard gum and I was like,I was like, "Ah!"

Kate Bala (29:00):
You're scared.
You're scared.

Eric Cross (29:01):
. It's currently a battle that we're
fighting right now. Yeah. Andso, I try to validate them and
say, "I love that you wannahave fresh breath; however, it
doesn't always end up in ourtrashcan."

Kate Bala (29:12):
Take it out of their mouths and let them draw a
model of it and name theproperties.

Eric Cross (29:17):
I like this. I really do. Because teaching so
many times is like, it's likeaikido or jiu-jitsu. It's,
like, you're taking someone'senergy, and you're redirecting
it. And instead of going fullstop and saying, "Stop doing
that ." Giving them somethingto go, "Let me give you
something to do with that." Andit seems to be such a better
give-and-take in thoseexamples. At least in my

(29:39):
experience.

Kate Bala (29:40):
That's going rogue.

Eric Cross (29:41):
So, I wanna talk about that, because I agree
with you, but I don't like thatwe feel like that.

Kate Bala (29:50):
Right.

Eric Cross (29:51):
You know what I mean? Like, basically what I'm
hearing you say is going rogueis better teaching practices
applied in the classroom.

Kate Bala (30:01):
Only because I see evidence of it in my students.
I don't wanna sound, you know,we just met, I don't wanna come
in hot and say, "Hey, I'mgreat," but I see what happens.

Eric Cross (30:11):
But I think what you're saying is, "Hey, it's
not you. You're talking aboutthese practices that you're
applying. You're applyingstrategies that enhance
engagement, support literacy,are interdisciplinary.
Transdisciplinary. And, in away, that's kind of, like,

(30:32):
roguish.

Kate Bala (30:34):
Well, I say it because it's not common,
because I feel sometimesdifferent than my colleagues.
Or sometimes it's challengingfor them to go there. Or how do
you have the time for that? Or,you know, how do you develop
these lessons? And, it's noteven about the time. It's about
my mind . It's about the lens.

(30:55):
It's about how I look ateverything else with a
scientific habit of mind .

Eric Cross (31:00):
Do you truly believe that learning is
enhanced in the studentsthrough these methods that
you're applying? Like, versusteaching everything in silos?

Kate Bala (31:11):
I was saying that to myself as you were talking,
that you can't put science in asilo. Just like you can't put
baby in a corner. Becausescience is everywhere. So,
those cross-cutting concepts,patterns. Stability and change.
Cause and effect. There's causeand effect in every literacy
lesson that you do. There'sstability and change in

(31:34):
science, but also in socialstudies and in math. You could
go on and on about how thepractices of science are common
in all other content areas. So,it's not about science
enhancing everything. It's justlike, let's find the
commonalities and let's use thesame language with students
across the board and watchtheir understanding develop.

(31:56):
And then they make connectionsthat you don't even think
about.

Eric Cross (31:59):
So when you're training teachers, and you're
evangelizing these practicesand talking about your
students, and seeing thedifference that it makes, what
is it that you say or do orshare that helps teachers
really want to try it, or getpast the hump? Like, is there

(32:21):
something that you do or say,or that teachers have responded
to you and said, "OK, like I'mready to go. I want to try
that." Is there a tool that youdo or something that you say or
help them with?

Kate Bala (32:31):
I mean, the way that I teach my students in second
grade is the same way that Iteach teachers. I'm gonna bring
ice cream floats to my teachertrainings, and we're going to
observe the properties. We'regoing to determine if a new
substance is formed. They'regonna be drawing models. And
I'm gonna do a QFT with them.
And they're going to generatelanguage. And then by walking

(32:53):
them through the same processthat ABCD or presenting the
phenomenon and then figuring itout and writing a claim,
evidence, and reasoning,there's no question, right? I
just prove to them that theyobserved something that maybe
they had no idea about before.
And then, all of a sudden,they're walking away from that
lesson with more knowledge andcontent than they came in with.

(33:16):
And you can't argue that.

Eric Cross (33:18):
It's constructivism. They're
learning by doing. And they'rehaving a root beer float, which
is, like, arguably genius.

Kate Bala (33:26):
Yeah . They might think that's better than me
singing. My eight-year-oldsenjoy my singing. I don't know
about the rest of 'em .

Eric Cross (33:33):
So, when they've done all of this, and you've
walked them through kind of ateaching practice or a thought
routine, that really helps themsolidify, "Oh, OK, I just did
this. Now I can go and do itwith my students," or, "Now I
feel more comfortable in beingable to try it on my own."

Kate Bala (33:48):
Yeah. I think that is the difference in
professional development. Also,I've been to PDs where I'm just
sitting there listening thewhole time. And you check out,
right? Your mind wanders, youknow? You miss something. So I
feel like it's very similar toteaching in the classroom. I
want you to be involved all thetime. I don't wanna be the sage

(34:09):
on the stage, although I'mhaving a lot of fun with you.
You are going to do the work.
You're going to do the talking,and I will facilitate and be
your little guide on the side,like I said.

Eric Cross (34:20):
I love that you said that, because, and I'm
sure a lot of teachers canresonate with this, but when
you're a teacher, you viewothers teaching through a much
more critical lens, right?
Because that's what you're apractitioner of. You have
expertise in the process oftransmitting information to
another human in a way thatthey can receive it, right? And
so, I always thought it justironic where we have higher

(34:42):
education and it's like directinstruction for three hours.

Kate Bala (34:47):
.

Eric Cross (34:47):
About differentiated instruction and
UDL.

Kate Bala (34:51):
Exactly!

Eric Cross (34:52):
Multiple, right ? What?!

Kate Bala (34:56):
Shocking!

Eric Cross (34:57):
Do ya'll not see it? Yeah. Anyways, that's
probably a whole other podcastto talk about. So, you know,
you're in a PD and it's twohours of someone just talking
to me. Not differentiated, notanything else for other folks.
And I agree with you. I thinkthat that's really important.
OK. QFTs. Can you put me up ongame on those? Can you educate

(35:19):
me? Because what I'm gonna dois after I learn about it right
now, I'm gonna go back and tellmy team as if I've always known
about it.

Kate Bala (35:25):
That's a great idea.

Eric Cross (35:25):
Is that OK? Can I have your permission to do
that?

Kate Bala (35:27):
No, because it's not for me. I didn't come up with
this. This is, like, this islegit , this is a real
thing that I just found orstumbled upon. And it's a
systematic, repeatable processthat you don't have to do just
in science. It's foreverything, everywhere. So

(35:47):
there's six main steps, OK? Andyou explicitly instruct your
students in these steps. Andonce you do that, you can
literally say, "OK, friends,"What do you call your middle
schoolers? You don't call 'emfriends? What do you say?

Eric Cross (36:02):
You know what? I say folks a lot.

Kate Bala (36:04):
I'm gonna try that.

Eric Cross (36:05):
I say folks, because it's a neutral
language.

Kate Bala (36:09):
Neutral. Sure.

Eric Cross (36:10):
So, I want to practice my inclusive language.
And so I say folks, but italways makes me feel hokey
to say, because I don'ttalk like that. But, it's just
, "All right folks, let's getit together." I'll call 'em
scientists. "Alrightscientists, let's bring it in."
I try to make it somethingthat's affirming. But anyways,
QFTs.

Kate Bala (36:30):
OK. So you start with a phenomenon, OK? You know
your standards, and you'regonna find a phenomenon that
connects to your standards. Andif you don't know what a
phenomenon is that connects toyour standards, you're gonna go
onto The Wonder of Sciencewebsite by Bozeman Science Paul

(36:51):
Andersen. And he lists everysingle standard on there from
pre-K to 12. And there are biglists that are clickable, with
links that have phenomena foreach standard. So that's one
resource. So you're gonna comeup with a QFocus, OK? The
QFocus is a video, a picture.
You can do a demonstration.
There's varying levels of whatthe QFocus is . So you're gonna

(37:19):
pick a media, and you presentit to students. My personal
favorite thing to do is if youplay a video, to play it on
mute first, just to, like Isaid before, take away any
content that's there and havestudents connect to their own
frames of reference. So whatyou do is you have students
generate as many questions asthey can in a set amount of

(37:41):
time. You can do two minutes tostart off with. And their goals
are to write as many questionsas they can, to write the whole
time. There's different levelsof everything, but the
long-and-short of it is, ifstudents are working in groups
and you have a recorder, theyare to write all questions as
they're said, they can't change'em, they can't question, they
can't discuss answers toanything. It's literally just

(38:01):
generating as many questions asthey can. Maybe it's in poster
form . I like to have my secondgraders do it on sticky notes.
So one question per stickynote, and it's about this
phenomenon and it's completelyopen-ended. You are prompting

them (38:14):
what are you wondering?
OK, you let that time happen.
After that certain amount oftime has passed, then they
share their questions. You letevery single student at least
share one question. You canwrite their questions on the
board, and you're going to tagtheir name to that question.
Because every student wants tosee their own thinking up on
the board with their name onit. And you, as the teacher,

(38:36):
that automatically validatestheir thinking. It doesn't
matter what they're wondering,OK? You're asking them to come
up with a wonder. What doesNeil deGrasse Tyson say? "All
children are born curious." Soyou're, you're kind of
channeling this naturalcuriosity and it's helping to
drive the lesson. So from here,there's a few different moves
you can do. You can havestudents group questions and

(38:58):
categorize them and come upwith category titles or labels.
So there you're hitting mainidea, you know, and all these
other concepts that areembedded in the QFT. Or you can
have them circle their topthree questions. You can come
up with a driving question as aclass. And the intent of the

(39:18):
driving question is to informthe lesson. So, as a collective
class, as a whole, you aredetermining what they're most
curious about. And then that'syour focus for the whole rest
of the lesson. It could be anoverarching phenomenon. It
could be a big picturequestion. And then you're gonna
provide several learningopportunities to help them
figure it out. Or it could beone, like the warthog and the

(39:39):
meerkat. How do these animalsdepend on each other? That's
what my students are wonderingthe most today. OK. Let's
develop some inquiries tofigure this out.

Eric Cross (39:48):
So, in that, for the teacher who may not feel
strong in science or likecomfortable, how would you
encourage them to do somethinglike that, and they're like, "I
don't know. It's not strong forme." What would you say?

Kate Bala (40:04):
Well, that's very common. And I would say, again,
you don't have to be the keeperof all of the information. You
don't have to know anythingwhen you do a QFT, because
you're not answering anyquestions. The idea is to
generate and develop languagearound a topic. The idea is to
get a feel for where yourstudents are. And you want to

(40:24):
know what they want to learn.
And what are those thebuzzwords in education right
now? Empowerment. Validation.
Identity. So your students areidentifying as scientists, and
you are validating theirthoughts, and their wonders,
and their curiosity. And thatalone is a lesson in itself. So
if you're wondering aboutcontent, I tell teachers, reach

(40:45):
out to your middle school andhigh school content area
specialists. That's whatthey're there for. They're the
content specialists. That'swhat they do all day long. Have
them come into the classroomfor a day. Have a meeting with
them. The standards areprogressive. And they're banded
anyway. So, like, you and I arehaving these conversations and
seeing some commonalities abouthow we can support each other.

(41:05):
Well, we have an interdependentrelationship right now. We're
helping each other figure thisout for the students, or
there's a million resourcesthat are available too . It's
just knowing where to get them.
So, I refer teachers to PaulAndersen's website just because
it is on the Next GenerationScience Standards. And he does

(41:26):
give little video clips on thedomains of the standards. So
life science, earth and spacesystems, and physical science,
and then your technology. Andhe gives little clippets, or
snippets. Did I just make up aword? Did I say clip and
snippet together?

Eric Cross (41:39):
You just made it.
It's a word. We're gonna sayclippets from now on. That's it
. OK. well done!

Kate Bala (41:46):
He gives little clippets on, you know, some
background information. Sothere's ways to get around it.
Like I said, I'm not ascientist you know, by craft or
by nature. I've just learnedalong the way.

Eric Cross (41:59):
When I hear that, it also, for me, makes me think
that it develops an empathy asyou're a learner. And so you're
able to empathize with what astudent is experiencing in
real-time. And I also wonderwhat that would look like, like
if you flip it, becausestudents don't often get to see
teachers learn alongside them.
And sometimes we feel like wehave to have all the knowledge,
but I know there's been timesin class for me where students

(42:19):
asked a question and I waslike, "I have no idea." It was
some great , you know, questionrelated to what I was teaching,
but like, it was so obscure.
Yeah. I, I don't know. And nowI'm wondering.

Kate Bala (42:30):
Exactly. All right.
That's what a scientist does.
.

Eric Cross (42:33):
We're gonna google this, right? And let's see who
could come up with the bestanswer. And then it becomes
like an information literacyskill, right? Because, it's
like, how do I find a crediblesource? So we're all, like,
racing to find it .

Kate Bala (42:44):
And tell me they're not all engaged.

Eric Cross (42:46):
Yeah. They're all, yes , they're all into it. And
some are going to Googleimages, because that's what
helps 'em understand itquicker.

Kate Bala (42:53):
Differentiation.
Yeah. There it is.

Eric Cross (42:56):
And, I just wanna clarify, QFT stands for
Question Formulation Technique,correct?

Kate Bala (43:01):
It does, and it's from the Right Question
Institute. So there's aplethora of knowledge on there
about the QFT. It gives thesystematic, repeatable process
on there. And I think it can bedone, I know it can be done, at
all levels and in all contentareas.

Eric Cross (43:20):
OK, good. Because I googled it real quick and I
came up with Quantum FieldTheory , and I was
like, Kate's teaching secondgraders about Quantum Field
Theory.

Kate Bala (43:27):
Hey , these kids are so advanced. If there's a
Disney movie or song about it,I might be.

Eric Cross (43:33):
OK. I wanna shift gears. So, you sit on the state
Curriculum Development Networkteam.

Kate Bala (43:39):
Yeah, those are my people. I love them.

Eric Cross (43:40):
Those are your folks.

Kate Bala (43:41):
Yes.

Eric Cross (43:43):
But you're the only teacher on the task force .
And, I want to get kind of yourinsight on first, what do you
all do? And what are yourthoughts about being the only
teacher on that panel?

Kate Bala (43:57):
So, I am in a group with several BOCES educators.
So these are like BOCESadministrators who their
specialty is either science oran instructional specialist.
And their job, their whole day,is focused on training teachers
how to use the standards intheir classrooms. So developing

(44:20):
resources, creatingprofessional developments, to
turnkey train back to theirdistricts. And I sort of, I
don't even know how I gotthere. I started attending the
BOCES meetings when thestandards first rolled out at
our local BOCES for science. Sothe science network meetings.
And like I said, it felt likehome. It resonated with me. I

(44:43):
had an epiphany. This is whatI've been missing. This
explains what I want to do forstudents. So I started being
vocal, and I started sharingthings, and I started going
back to my classroom and doingsomething and then coming to
those meetings and saying, "Heywe just sang Hakuna Matata and
talked about interdependentrelationships, and my students

(45:04):
blew me away!" So the more Istarted talking, it kind of
like caught the attention ofthe instructional specialist.
And she's not content specific.
She's one person. And there areseveral content areas. So what
our BOCES does is they chooserepresentatives that are
teachers or coaches, and theysend them to these meetings for

(45:27):
that reason. They are at groundzero, they are in classrooms,
and they want them to have adifferent perspective to bring
to the group and then bringback to the region at BOCES.
Because it's hard for educatorsat BOCES to get into several
different classrooms. So Ithink my role, I like that I

(45:49):
can talk the talk and walk thewalk, right? So I can talk to
you about teaching, but thentomorrow morning, I'm gonna be
in my classroom all day long,. So it gives me, like I
said this before, now I have mystreet credibility, right? I
have street cred, because I amin that room all day with these
tiny little humans and we'redoing things, and I can come

(46:11):
back and talk, and it does makesense, I think.

Eric Cross (46:15):
I'm hearing basically you're like an
ambassador that's bringingteacher voice, but more
importantly student voice, intothese meetings so that they can
use that information to developbetter curriculum. Is that
fair?

Kate Bala (46:28):
Yeah. I just , I've never been called an ambassador
before, so I'm just likethinking about that. Sure, I
can be the voice of my students . They blow me away,
and I just wanna share aboutit. I wanna talk to you all day
about what my students did.

Eric Cross (46:46):
So, I actually interviewed a few of my
students to hear directly fromthem. And I wanted to share
with you a couple things thatthey said and just maybe get
some of your feedback on it.
Most of them felt like theyweren't getting enough science.
So what do you think we can doas classroom teachers to bring
more science into theclassroom? That was an

(47:09):
overwhelming thing that many ofmy students said is that they
weren't getting enough.

Kate Bala (47:12):
So I think presenting those phenomenons
throughout the day. Or throw aQFT up there. Because, again,
it's not just about thecontent, it's about conceptual
understanding. So maybe they'renoticing patterns in data, but
that's science. Maybe they'renoticing patterns in nature,

(47:32):
and that's science. Maybethey're noticing patterns in a
story, and that's science. Soit's really using the practices
of science that I think bringsit to light for students. And
then I could sit on the rug andread them a story, and they
think they're doing sciencebecause they're
observing and they're learningand, and, you know, we're

(47:54):
trying to figure something out.
So, I think it's not so muchabout the explosions in the
classroom, right? Because whenyou think of science, this
might have come up in one ofyour podcasts. Like, you have
students draw what they thinkscience is, and they're all
drawing explosions and labcoats and these people as a
scientist, and that's only thismuch of it.

Eric Cross (48:19):
This is true. Yeah.
Everybody wants to blow thingsup or cut apart frogs. They
always ask me when I come in,"Are we gonna dissect?"

Kate Bala (48:28):
I shouldn't say that. That is very, very cool.
However, it's not realistic.
That's not what really happensevery day in classrooms.

Eric Cross (48:37):
Yeah. It's just what they're exposed to in pop
culture. Or just the thingsthat they've seen, but there's
so much more to it, which isreally exciting. Another thing
that came up was doing theirown investigations. And they
wanted more time to really diginto something. So, yeah . What
does that tell you?

Kate Bala (48:56):
So I think that's, again, that's the hokey pokey,
that's what it's all about.
Because when you allow studentsto plan their own
investigation, they'recompletely invested in what
they're doing. They arenaturally driven by their
curiosity. They're challenged.
They're developingrelationships with their peers.
And this is something wehaven't talked about yet, that
science is about collaboration,right? Scientists collaborate

(49:18):
together. And that's a hugething in our standards right
now is collaboration. Ourassessments in New York are
completely different now, andthey no longer sit students by
themselves and have materialsthat are secured and they only
come out on testing days. We'redoing something, they're called

(49:39):
investigations. And our thirdthrough fifth graders are doing
them right now. Our fifth gradeclass is the first one to be
taking them. And they'reallowed to talk to each other.
They work as partners together.
They're observing thingshappening, and they're
collecting data as a whole. Theteacher is in the classroom
kind of facilitating thesediscussions. And this is the

(50:01):
new assessment strategy now forscience, is that students are
collaborating and workingtogether.

Eric Cross (50:07):
Is this, wait, is this state testing?

Kate Bala (50:09):
Yes.

Eric Cross (50:10):
OK. Since we're being fully transparent here,
when I started teaching 10years ago, and NGSS was coming
online. I used New York's statetests. Because they were more
... I don't wanna use the word"progressive," but they were. I
mean that in the context ofeducation, they were more

(50:31):
further down the road as far aspedagogy or assessment with
NGSS alignment. And then, nowI'm hearing New York is
innovating again. Is this theM. O. for New York? Like, has
it been always been like this?

Kate Bala (50:45):
Maybe this is where I get the saying from New York
likes to go rogue, New York hasto be different. They have to
do their own thing. Even whenwe adopted the Next Generation
Science Standards, we stillhave some differences, because
we can't just take that forwhat it is. OK. I'm not sure if
it's a New York thing, but it'shappening right now .

Eric Cross (51:04):
Well, after this I'm gonna be jumping on that .
Is it on the website? Theirstate site?

Kate Bala (51:10):
The practice test?
So, the eighth grade test isout. There are sample
questions. So there's twocomponents. OK. There's four
investigations that allstudents have to do by the time
they sit for the fifth grade orthe eighth grade computer-based
test. So they have fourinvestigations and a
computer-based test 3–5. Sothey literally have third

(51:30):
through fifth grade to completethe four investigations. And
that's because some of theinvestigations target certain
standards. So there's onecalled, I don't know , I don't
know if I should talk aboutthis. One is just more
conducive to third gradestandards. One is more
conducive to fourth gradestandards. And then two could
fit in fifth. But you developyour own model for how you want

(51:51):
students to finish that. Butit's mirrored in the
intermediate investigations andtheir written tests as well .

Eric Cross (51:58):
I don't get excited about state testing. Like,
honestly, I have my ownfeelings about it. However,
it's a reality of teaching formost educators.

Kate Bala (52:07):
Yeah, but this is going to change your feelings
because this is not theassessment that we know for
what we've known. It's anassessment strategy. And the
reason why these are comingout, I think the reason why,
and I only know this because Iwork with these educators
directly at the state level inmy SCDN group, is that the

(52:28):
people that are creating theseassessments were in the
classroom. They want their faceand their names to be real
people in New York. It's likethis wall, oh, state ed this,
state ed that, and the peoplein the Office of State
Assessment and the office ofStandards and Instruction were
teachers in the classroom. Andthey have really revolutionized

(52:51):
everything. And I'm completelydrinking the Kool-Aid, you
know, at the state now, becauseI think these people are
amazing. And they've made thesesystematic changes. It's just,
I need all my friends to comealong with me, you know, and
make these changes, which ishard sometimes.

Eric Cross (53:06):
And that's why I'm excited, 'cause to hear you
talk about it and to hear youtalk about how much teacher
voice is in this, and insightof practitioners, I want to
dive into it and look at it.
Because education is a massivesystem. And things happen at
local levels all over thecountry, right? So, when we
talk about changing education,it's like when we say curing
cancer, right ? It's like ,well, that's a bigger thing.

(53:27):
Like, there's different types,right? But at a local
level, there's much morecontrol. And I can try to see
strategies or ideas that canhelp my students show what they
know, and if there's differentversions of it, or if folks go
rogue, like y'all out in NewYork, right ? I want to
see, I want to see what theRoguish group is doing and take
some of those ideas back to theWest coast.

Kate Bala (53:49):
Come to the science party!

Eric Cross (53:50):
Yeah, I'm all about it. I'm all about it. ,
last question. Do you considerscience a superhero?

Kate Bala (53:58):
How is it not a superhero, right? What's the
definition of a superhero? It'sthey save the day. I literally
feel like science saves the dayevery day in our classroom.
Sometimes little kids aretired, or they're hungry, or
they had a rough night, or theyhad a rough day. But when I can
give them a candy bar, and tellthem to smush it together, and

(54:23):
it's their investigation as tohow mountains are made, and
really how plate tectonics aremaking mountains, and they're
learning that a mountain is aslow change, and those are
earth and space systemstandards. How can it not be
the superhero, right?

Eric Cross (54:40):
I agree with you completely. Now I want a candy
bar.

Kate Bala (54:43):
Come to my classroom. We can do it
tomorrow.

Eric Cross (54:47):
. Hey , you're amazing. Your second
graders must be so thrilled tobe able to do this. And as a
middle school teacher, thankyou for this, because all of
this work that you're doing, bythe time they get to me, they
have so much backgroundknowledge and inquiry kind of
built up that lets usaccelerate even faster.

Kate Bala (55:05):
I hope so. That really is my hope. I hope that
that's happening.

Eric Cross (55:09):
And thank you for also not just keeping it in
your classroom, but sharing itwith other educators. You know,
as I said, education is solocal. We can be so siloed,
even in our own schools. Likeyou said, you're in the
classroom all day and then youget home and life happens. But
taking the time out to go andshare these practices and do
root beer floats because ithelps make a connection with

(55:29):
QFTs, like all these extrathings. Just on behalf of the
teachers who are gonna listento this, thank you for sharing
these resources. Are there anyplugs? Do you have any socials
or websites or anything thatyou want to kind of plug? Just
if people wanna learn moreabout some of the things that
we talked about today.

Kate Bala (55:46):
Yeah, I'm kind of off-grid. I don't use social
media at all. I use it to signup for my spin classes, and
that's about it, . But Ido have some book resources.
There's a book called, "SharingBooks, Talking Science" that
really transformed the way thatI view read-alouds. And I think

(56:07):
read-alouds are one of our mostpowerful tools as educators,
because every teacher likessitting down and reading to
students, right? That's one ofthe reasons why we get into
education, because we likemaking that connection with
kids. And there's just somemagic that happens when your
students are sitting on the rugin front of you and you're

(56:27):
reading to them. So, capitalizeon that magic. And look at it
through a science lens. So,"Sharing Books, Talking
Science." And then therethere's another book called,
"Ambitious Science Teaching"and that talks a lot about how
to use visual models and visualthinking. And building
understanding over time. And alot of the things that I talked
about, those talk-norms,developing protocols, and

(56:51):
turning and talking and usingthat as a tool for learning.
That's all from "AmbitiousScience Teaching" too.

Eric Cross (56:57):
Nice. And as the winter and holiday season comes
up folks, there you go. Add itto the wishlist. Take care of a
science teacher next to you.
For sure. Hey , thanks so muchfor being here.

Kate Bala (57:06):
Thanks for having me, Eric.

Eric Cross (57:10):
I can't think of a better final episode than this
one. Not only are we reframingscience as a superhero, we got
to hear directly from students,my students who've been asking
me to come on this podcastsince day one. And we got to
learn how one teacher, KateBala , is on her own personal
mission with science in NewYork State. My journey hosting

Science Connections (57:31):
The Podcast has been amazing. It's
been an honor learning aboutscience alongside you. Thank
you so much for listening.
Thank you for your feedback,questions, and thank you for
being part of our communitieson social media. Like I said
before, you're gonna be hearingplenty more from me. I'll be
partnering with Amplify on alot of fun and exciting
projects. Can't wait to sharethem with you. Not goodbye,

(57:53):
just see you later. Until nexttime, stay in the know with our
social media channels. Checkout the Math and Literacy
podcasts, and catch me sometimesoon on a webinar. Take care!