This November’s STEM Visions Contest featured submissions from teachers across the country, from California to Oklahoma to Massachusetts. All of the entries demonstrated how much these legendary science teachers inspire their students on a daily basis.

The contest was an overarching STEM activity for students. Teachers launched playlists of Legends of Learning science games in class, then asked how students could see themselves pursuing a career in STEM fields. Entries were posted on Facebook (and some on Google Docs).

Students wowed us with their visions for the future. The most popular ideas for future STEM careers were in the fields of veterinary science, astronomy, marine biology, and engineering.

The Winners

With so many thoughtful, creative entries, it was difficult to select the winners. Ultimately, after much deliberation, we had a winning submission: Kimberly King from Green Fields School (Tucson, AZ)! Kimberly submitted 21 students’ STEM visions, showcasing an impressive array of ideas they have for how to impact the world in their future careers. View her entire album of submissions here.

For winning the contest, Kimberly will receive a $1000 grant on DonorsChoose.org, along with a full-year license for her school to use Legends of Learning!

Four more of the most impressive submissions were selected as runners-up. View their submissions by clicking the links below:

Veronica Hennessey, Simonds Elementary (San José, CA)
Joy Johnson, Lewis and Clarke Middle School (Jefferson City, MO)
Denise Galiano, Cedar Hill Preparatory School (Somerset,NJ)
Scott Beiter, Rensselaer Middle School (Rensselaer, NY)

Congratulations to our winner, Kimberly, our runners-up, Veronica, Joy, Denise, and Scott, and all of the amazing educators who entered the contest! More importantly, thank you to all of these teachers for investing in the future by inspiring their students every single day.

New suite expands existing middle school library into elementary schools

Legends of Learning announced today it will develop more than 300 curriculum-based science games for grades 3-5. This new elementary science curricula has now become available. The new elementary school games, created by more than 100 game developers, are based on rigorous academic research conducted in partnership with Vanderbilt University.

The new Legends of Learning elementary school games will complement Legends of Learning’s existing middle school suite of more than 800 games and simulations, bringing the depth and breadth of content on the site to more than 1,300 games spanning grades 3-8. The games and platform were developed with direct input and feedback from Legends of Learning’s teacher community, resulting in a platform that is easy to use and educator friendly.

Legends of Learning’s game-based learning platform includes:

• Short games (5-20 minutes) that align to state science curriculum standards to ensure content engages students and helps them succeed in their studies;
• Support for many state standards including Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), TEKS (Texas), GSE (Georgia), and SOL (Virginia);
• An intuitive platform that allows teachers to easily deploy games in class via playlists, and empowers advanced features like in-class assessments and personalized learning; and
• A dashboard to observe student comprehension in real time and assess content mastery.

“Many districts and teachers requested elementary school science games since we launched Legends of Learning,” said Legends of Learning founder and CEO Dr. Vadim Polikov. “We are excited about the addition of grades 3-5. This will make for a comprehensive science content series that provides engagement and boosts academic performance. This unique platform and game content model builds off of research and pragmatic in-classroom experience to deliver that curricula content in a way students enjoy.”

Polikov, a research scientist, believes that research is the foundation for successful game-based learning and long-term education reform. He worked in partnership with Vanderbilt University to conduct a study “Substantial Integration of Typical Educational Games into Extended Curricula,” which measured the performance of more than 1,000 students in seven states and in schools with differing student bodies, socioeconomic factors, and geographic locations. The study demonstrated with statistical significance that academic performance and engagement increase with curriculum-aligned game-based learning.

Legends of Learning is showcasing its platform and games at the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST) conference (Booth #945) in Houston, through November 11. For more information about Legends of Learning visit legendsoflearning.com.

American children need new education heroes, teachers dedicated to using new, engaging methods to teach curriculum. Legends of Learning helps educators make their classrooms fun, engaging, and productive learning environments through research-driven, curriculum-based games. We use ongoing original research to create an edgame platform filled with an epic range of lessons for stronger subject mastery and classroom engagement. All games are based on state curriculum standards. Teachers can don their masks with Legends of Learning at legendsoflearning.com.

Media contacts:

Stacey Finkel

ASPR

Stacey.Finkel@aspr.bz

703.304.1377

Geoff Livingston

Legends of Learning

geoff@legendsoflearning.com

703.859.0089

Congratulations! You’ve created your Legends of Learning account, and you’re ready to expand your science teaching superpowers.

How To Get Started In 10 Steps

Here’s how to get started in just ten easy steps:

Step 1: Choose A Subject

Select Earth and Space, Life, or Physical Science.

Step 2: Choose A Learning Objective

Each subject has 26-35 different lessons, or Learning Objectives, each covering a specific science standard.

Step 3: Preview The Games

Each Learning Objective has 7-10 unique games. Click on each game to view teacher reviews, vocabulary words, and discussion questions. You can also play the games yourself, and leave your own ratings!

Step 4: Create A Playlist

Click the orange button above the games to be transported to the playlist building screen.

Step 5: Drag & Drop

Pick your games and drag them into the playlist.

Step 6: Add Assessments

Open up the “Assessments” tab, choose how many questions to include, and add them before, between, or after the games.

Step 7: Customize

Shuffle the order of games and assessments, toggle the playlist’s duration, and give your playlist a name.

Step 8: Launch!

Hit the big green button! You don’t even have to add your students ahead of time; just send them to play.legendsoflearning.com and give them your teacher code, located at the top of the playlist. (Don’t panic; the “Students” tab will not appear in your account until you’ve launched a playlist and had students join.)

Step 9: Track Student Data

Watch as students progress through the playlist, and see their answers to quiz questions in real time. If you need to stop and review mid-playlist, click the pause button.

Step 10: Download Results

All student answer data gets saved within the playlist for future reference. Download it as a CSV with the click of a button!

Boom! Your science class is now certifiably legendary.

Reach Out To Legends of Learning For More Information

If you have any trouble with these steps, check out helpful hints on the Hall of Knowledge, or don’t hesitate to contact us at support@legendsoflearning.com.

Earlier this October, we spent a brainstorming lunch thinking about all the different ways Legends of Learning can improve the way today’s students engage with science in the classroom. But what about beyond the classroom?

We came up with this fun little fall project, the STEM Visions Contest, to get students looking ahead to the future. The goal is to use science games to help engage more students in science related topics at school.

It’s so important to get young students engaged in science. As you know, the United States has a workforce shortage in STEM-related fields. Why? Because many students lack enthusiasm when it comes to studying science.

Teachers like you can help them discover the links between what they learn in science class and what they could dedicate their careers to in the future. It begins with engaging students in science topics.

We want to help teachers spark discussions about where students see themselves going, and how science will factor in to their destination.

The teachers who are most successful will win grants from DonorsChoose for their classrooms. But more on that in a minute.

How does the contest work?

The contest will be open from November 6-17. To participate, teachers will deploy games from one of our 90 middle school science learning objectives as part of the science lessons they’re currently teaching. Here are the current top 10 learning objectives on the page.

After students play the games, teachers will ask them the following questions: If they were to choose a career in science, what would it be? Why?

What impact do you hope to make?

Once students have answered these questions and had a discussion about STEM possibilities, teachers will record their answers and submit the best responses via Facebook. They will also need to tag our page in the posts and submit their post’s URL to a Google form. Once the contest is closed, our team at Legends of Learning will review every submission and choose a total of 10 winners.

Ok, so what makes it a contest?

Prizes, of course! First place will receive a $1000 grant on DonorsChoose and a one-year, full-access license to use our platform. Four runners-up will receive $250 on DonorsChoose and 3000 LoL platform coins. Five distinguished teachers will receive 1000 coins.

Introducing a little fun competition can bring out the best in all of us. We can’t wait to hear what students around the country come up with when they’re asked to envision their future careers!

For full details and rules, visit the contest homepage.

Earlier this month, Legends of Learning took home first prize at the Amazon Web Services EdStart “pitch day” in New York City. AWS brought in ten EdTech startups to present their products in front of over 100 industry leaders. Legends of Learning Founder Vadim Polikov and Co-Founder Josh Goldberg made the trip to Manhattan.

In a five minute presentation, Vadim and Josh showed attendees the look of the LoL platform and detailed our standards-based approach and commitment to equipping teachers with detailed data analysis. They fielded questions and took feedback from fellow EdTech experts, who submitted collective scores for each of the presenting companies. The audience was very impressed with the Legends pitch, ultimately awarding the company first place!

There were several other companies present. One company, Cell-Ed, presented their mobile software for teaching adults basic skills they need for the workforce, and won third place. Another, Learnmetrics, took second place when they showcased their powerful learning analytics tool designed to bring out the full potential of students and their schools.

Our team came back to Washington, DC with a few prizes and more than a few ideas for how to keep improving Legends of Learning for students and teachers. They were inspired by all of the bright minds around them, who share the goal of improving education for learners everywhere.

We would like to thank Amazon Web Services for hosting the AWS EdStart pitch day, and supporting Legends of Learning. You can read more about the event on their blog.

Our new NGSS White Paper offers a comprehensive look at the new science standards and the challenges they present to educators on a district, school, and classroom level. The paper seeks to provide a knowledge baseline for educators who are just starting to grapple with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

The main ideas covered include science and engineering principles (SEPs), crosscutting concepts (CCCs), and Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), and resources to help teachers adapt. The paper then addresses some of the challenges that teachers may face as they implement in the classroom.

Finally, the NGSS white paper offers a series of resources to help teachers look for content and methods to bring the standards to their classroom. These resources are independent of the 90 lessons and thousands of games and assessment items on the Legends of Learning platform that map directly to the NGSS’s middle school DCIs.

“For me, the hardest part of implementing NGSS has been that at times I feel like the standards ‘gloss over’ certain topics. Then [I] dive straight into others in a lot of detail,” said April Thompkins, a Legends of Learning Ambassador. “Sometimes when I feel like if I follow the standards as they are written (with the instructional boundaries/limits), my students might not have the background they need. [It’s hard] to learn new material later in the year or in the next grade level.”

Kristin Wajda, another Legends of Learning Ambassador, voices this concern: “I know some teachers that just use the same activities each year because its [sic] easier. With the new NGSS curriculum, I’m hoping that teachers will embrace the change and create new experiences for their students.”

Interested parties can download the NGSS white paper here.

When you’re teaching students about space, Earth’s immediate surroundings are a good place to start. Cover the sun, other planets, their moons, and asteroids with the Our Solar System Learning Objective.

It includes a lesson plan created by science teachers, which you can download in PDF form or view below.

Lesson Plan: Our Solar System

NGSS Standard
ESS1.B-1: The solar system consists of the sun and a collection of objects, including planets, their moons, and asteroids that are held in orbit around the sun by its gravitational pull on them.

Objective

Students will be able to:

• Explain the role of gravity in the solar system.
• Explain the relationship between mass and gravity.
• Predict the patterns of movement of objects in our solar system.
• Accurately produce a 2D model of objects with varying masses that illustrates the relationship between gravity and mass.

Time Required:
85 minutes

Materials Needed

• Teacher computer with internet access
• Projector/Smartboard
• 1 computer/laptop/iPad/Chromebook per student with internet access or BYOD (students can Bring Your Own Device)
• Our Solar System and Gravity handout (attached)
• 15 magnets (varying sizes is acceptable and encouraged if magnets are not the same size)
• A magnetic object, such as a paperclip or the leg of a student’s chair

Teacher Preparation

• Create Playlist 1, a 30 minute playlist in Legends of Learning with the following games found in the Our Solar System learning objective (in order):
  • Around and Around (15 minute play time)
  • The Sun, Moon and Stars: Patterns of Apparent Motion (11 minutes)
• Create Playlist 2, a 10 minute playlist in Legends of Learning with 5 assessment questions from the Our Solar System learning objective.
• Make copies of Our Solar System and Gravity Worksheet (1 per student).
• Gather materials for the Engage portion of the lesson.

Engage (15 minutes)

The teacher will show a magnet to the class.

1. 1. The teacher will use the magnet and a paperclip to show that the paper clip
   is attracted to the magnet.
   • The teacher will ask, “Is the magnet attracted to the paperclip or is the paperclip attracted to the magnet?”
     • Allow students time to think before accepting any answers
     • Teacher should employ a random way of calling on students if no volunteers are available.
   • The teacher may guide/prompt students to the understanding that
     the paperclip is attracted to the magnet.
   • Using the magnets, and working in pairs or triads, the students
     should explore the classroom for other objects that are attracted to the
     magnet. Ask students to use different distances between the magnet
     and the object and to note the results.
   • Students should also use magnets of two different sizes to observe
     the results.
   • Once students are done (after 5 minutes), they should reflect
     (verbally or with written text) on the following prompts:
     • What types of objects were attracted to the magnet? Were the objects
       that were attracted to magnet larger or smaller than the magnet? Is there a
       relationship between size and the amount of attractive force?
2. 2. The teacher will say “The activity you just did was modeling gravity.
   Gravity is a force of attraction. Why do you think I used a magnet to
   model gravity?” The teacher should employ a randomized process for
   calling on students. Only a couple (1 or 2) answers should be allowed at
   this point due to time. The teacher should say, “Gravity is a force of
   attraction. Today you will learn how gravity is used to keep objects in our
   solar system in constant, predictable patterns of motion, and the
   relationship between mass and gravity.”

Explore (20 minutes)

1. Have your students sign in to Legends of Learning and enter your teacher code.
2. Launch Playlist 1 to your students.
3. As students complete Around and Around, students should fill out the Our Solar Sys>em and Gravity Handout; question #5 will be done during the Elaborate section of the 5E.
4. Assist students as needed during game play, pause playlist if you need to address content or questions to entire class.
   • The teacher may need to sit with struggling students in a group of no more than 4 to facilitate learning.

Explain (25 minutes)

1. 1. The teacher will review the answers from the Our Solar System and Gravity handout.
2. 2. The teacher will relate student knowledge to the demonstration at the beginning of class.
3. 3. It is important to remind students: The force of magnetism and gravity are not the same. However, in order to model the process on a small, observable scale, magnets were used to model gravity.
   • Why was a magnet used? A magnet was used to simulate an semi attractive force between objects.
   • What objects in our solar system were being represented by the magnet? Any object in the solar system that has mass can be represented by the magnet.
   • Why was the paperclip attracted to the magnet? The magnet is bigger than the paperclip.
   • How does the relationship of size affect gravity? The bigger an object is, and the more mass it has, the more gravity it will exert on other objects.
   • Why does the larger magnet attract the smaller magnet? The larger magnet has a larger “force”.
   • Students should be able to answer the following:
     • Why are the planets kept in constant, predictable motion? The Sun’s gravity.
     • Why do all the planets orbit the Sun? The Sun is the most massive object in our solar system. Larger objects with more mass will attract more objects.

Elaborate (10 – 15 minutes)

• Have students watch the video on gravity.
• The teacher can clear up any misconceptions about gravity and mass at this point in the lesson.
• Students complete question #5 on the Our Solar System and Gravity handout.

Evaluate (10 minutes)

1. 1. Launch Playlist 2 to your students. When they finish the assessment questions, any time left is free play.
2. 2. Analyze student results to determine what concepts need to be a focus for reteaching.

Our Solar System & Gravity

Name: _________________________

Directions:
While playing the second game in Legends of Learning called Around and Around, use what you learn to answer the questions below.

1. Label the planets in the correct order. Please note: Image is not to scale.

2. What are some of the components of our solar system that astronomers have studied? List some in the space provided.

1. A.
2. B.
3. C.
4. D.

3. What is the relationship between gravity and mass?

1. A. The more mass an object has, the more gravity it will exert on another object.
2. B. The more mass an object has, the less gravity it will exert on another object.
3. C. The less gravity an object has, the more gravity it will exert on another object.
4. D. The less gravity an object has, the less gravity it will exert on another object.

4. If two objects in space are close together, which of the following is true?

1. A. Distance has no effect on gravity.
2. B. The farther apart objects are will cause them to have greater gravity.
3. C. The closer together objects are will cause them to have greater gravity.
4. D. Gravity in space depends on how much light is being emitted from the objects.

This portion should be completed during the Elaborate portion of the 5E lesson.

5. Imagine that the solar system consisted ONLY of Jupiter, Mars, and Earth. How would Jupiter’s gravity affect the orbits of Mars and Earth? Draw and label your answer in the space below.

One of our most popular learning objectives on the Legends platform is The Sun, Moon, and Stars: Patterns of Apparent Motion. Keep reading to find the Sun, Moon, and Stars lesson plan, and download it for free!

The Sun, Moon, and Stars Lesson Plan

Learning Objective:​ The Sun, Moon & Stars – Patterns Of Apparent Motion

NGSS Standard

MS-ESS1.A-1 ​ Patterns of the apparent motion of the sun, the moon, and stars in the sky can be observed, described, predicted, and explained with models.

Objective

Students will be able to:

1. Explain the locations of the Earth, moon and sun and describe their relationship
2. Explain the movements of the Earth, moon and sun by developing models
3. Explain the different phases of the moon by manipulating models

Time Required

90 minutes

Lesson Getting Ready

Materials Needed:

• Teacher computer with internet access and projector
• Student computers/laptop/tablet with internet access (preferably one per student but at least enough for small groups of 3 -4 students)
• Plastic spoons
• Oreo cookies (or a like substitute)
• Black Sharpie pens and colored magic markers
• Construction paper
• Paper towels

Teacher Preparation

• Create Playlist 1, a 10 minute playlist in Legends of Learning with the following game found in “The Sun, Moon and Stars: patterns of Apparent Motion” objective page: Apparent Motion: Orbital Command
• Create Playlist 2, a 20 minute playlist in Legends of Learning with the following game found in “The Sun, Moon and Stars: patterns of Apparent Motion” objective page: Sun Shooter
• Separate Oreo cookies, Sharpies and plates for each group (at least 8 cookies per group)

Introduce Topic

Engage: 10 min

1. The teacher will play the video “5F Sun, Earth Moon The Science Video”

1. As students watch the video, they will write 3 or more new facts that they learned about the earth, moon, and sun in their science journal
2. The teacher then leads a discussion about the video and the relationship between the sun, moon and Earth
3. The teacher will instruct students to answer 3 questions from the video.

• • How many days does it take for the moon to orbit Earth? (28 days​)
  • How many days does it take Earth to orbit the sun? (365 ¼ days​)
  • How many hours does it take for Earth to complete one rotation on its axis? (24 hours​)

Explore: 10 min

1. Students will sign in to Legends of Learning and enter your teacher code
2. Teacher will launch Playlist 1
3. Students will complete Apparent Motion: Orbital Command as the teacher assists students as needed. Stopping game play to address the questions asked in the game may be needed.

Expand On The Lesson

Explain: 10 min

1. The teacher will demonstrate the orbital and rotational relationship of the Earth, moon, and sun by having students in groups of three demonstrate this concept using their bodies to represent each celestial body. If there is limited room in the classroom, the teacher can simply demonstrate this with one group of three students by moving desks enough to clear a space large enough for the demonstration. Optimally, the teacher will be able to use hallway space so several groups can demonstrate this concept. Each group will get a sheet with the following diagram, which demonstrates the direction of rotation. (see Appendix A in the lesson plan)
2. As students demonstrate the rotational movements, the teacher assists students as needed as well as pausing the activity to ask questions to assess knowledge.

• • a. In which direction does the Earth rotate on its axis? Does the Earth rotate in the same direction as the Moon? or the Sun? i. The Earth rotates counter-clockwise on its axis. Yes, yes.
  • b. Does the moon orbit around the Sun or the Earth? Why does the moon orbit where it does? i. The Moon orbits around the Earth. This is because of its proximity to the Earth. Although the Sun has a greater gravitational effect due to its size, the moon is close enough to the Earth so that it is caught in its gravitational pull.
  • c. What is a solar eclipse and how does one form? i. A solar eclipse is when the sun is blocked, either partially or fully, by the moon. This occurs when the Moon’s orbit causes it to pass between the Earth and the Sun.

Elaborate & Evaluate

Elaborate: 40 min

1. Students will separate into small groups (three or four)
2. The teacher hands each group a zip-lock bag with at least 8 Oreo cookies and plastic spoon, a blank piece of construction paper, and markers.
3. The teacher then hands each group a sheet with the following diagrams: (see Appendix B in the lesson plan
4. Using the information on these sheets, students will construct a moon phase chart on the construction paper using the Oreos with various amounts of icing scraped off to represent the various lunar phases. The cookies are then arranged in a linear fashion on the construction paper to mimic the eight phases of the moon. The markers will be used to draw representations of the sun, Earth, directional arrows, and titles of each lunar phase. A student example is provided below.

Evaluate: 20 min

1. 1. Launch Playlist 2 for students
   2. Students will play Sun Shooter and be assessed on their ability to answer the questions provided in the game correctly
   3. The teacher will analyze student results to determine what concepts need to be a focus for reteaching

Possible Extension Activity

Have students participate in the World MOON Project, a globally collaborative project that allows students all over the world to observe and report on lunar phases. http://worldmoonproject.org/

Get more Free Lesson Plans for Educators!

• Lesson Plans: Three Clicks and Done!
• Our Solar System Lesson Plan
• The Sun, Moon, and Stars Lesson Plan
• Weather Prediction Lesson Plan

One of the most valuable features on the Legends of Learning platform is our playlist functionality. Playlists give teachers total control of their classroom, letting them determine who gets what games, see real time analytics, and even pause programs for mid-class discussions.

To help teachers maximize the power of this important feature, we’ve developed the following tip sheet, outlining five of the best uses for playlists. View it below, or download it here.

This blog is based on a press release issued earlier this morning.

Today, Legends of Learning and the University of Colorado Boulder’s PhET Interactive Simulations project announced a partnership that will bring educational games and simulations to middle school science students. Ten interactive simulations for middle school sciences will be hosted on the Legends of Learning platform this month with more to be added in the future.

Combined with Legends of Learning games, teachers now have a comprehensive library of engaging content and interactive exercises for their classrooms. Spanning Earth and Space, Life and Physical Sciences, Legends of Learning now offers thousands of games, simulations, and assessment items for middle school science classes.

“Partnering with PhET Interactive Simulations expands the opportunities we can provide to educators,” said Dr. Vadim Polikov, CEO of Legends of Learning. “With any new school year comes new possibilities. Simulations take Legends of Learning one step further.”

“The partnership with Legends of Learning is a wonderful opportunity to bring our simulations to more teachers and students,” said Dr. Kathy Perkins, director of PhET Interactive Simulations. “We are excited to provide teachers with an easy way to share both educational games and simulations in one place.”

Legends of Learning joining forces with PhET Interactive Simulations, a nonprofit science and math educational project at the University of Colorado Boulder, will provide educators with high-quality simulations that actively engage students in science practices and align with the subjects that educators teach. The simulations will be available on Legends of Learning later this month.

PhET was founded by Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman in 2002 to advance scientific literacy, and today its interactive, research-based simulations are utilized more than 80 million times a year by students and teachers.

The simulations are designed to be highly interactive and engaging and to build real-world connections for students. For example, students explore forces, energy, and motion as they engage in a tug-of-war, design their own skateboarding track, or shoot pianos out of a cannon.

Announced last week, PhET was awarded the 2017 WISE Award, recognizing and promoting innovative education initiatives around the world, by the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), a leading international initiative for innovation and collaboration in education.

“PhET is a fantastic resource,” said Teresa Cobble, an eighth-grade science teacher from Atlanta, Georgia. “After being in the classroom for almost a decade, I still find it difficult to find resources that work together, are appropriate for the content I am covering, and are engaging for the students. My students love Legends of Learning and the addition of PhET simulations will give them an even richer experience.”

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