October 2025
The STEMteachersNYC community celebrated an exciting milestone in October with the first-ever meeting of the Earth Science Working Group, led by Kristina Coker with support from Liza Backman. The launch brought together educators from a range of disciplines—including Earth science, biology, chemistry, and astronomy—as well as teachers working in both formal and informal learning environments.
The group opened with a “Roses, Buds, and Thorns” activity, where members reflected on successes, emerging ideas, and ongoing challenges in teaching Earth science. Participants acknowledged how “time is always the enemy” when balancing standards, labs, and literacy tasks. Discussion moved to cluster questions tied to the Regents exam—some teachers are using AI/LLMs to create new clusters, though emphasized the need to cross-check against existing resources. Conversations also ramped up around navigating the New Visions curriculum, which some described as having strong openers but less clarity later in the units. Teachers noted the absence of consistent answer keys as a recurring challenge.
A major thread throughout the meeting was student literacy. Educators noted that the Earth Science Regents exam includes significantly more text than even the ELA Regents, underscoring the importance of vocabulary and reading support. Strategies from The Writing Revolution, Scarborough’s Reading Rope, and Bringing Words to Life were discussed as ways to strengthen students’ comprehension and use of Tier 2 academic vocabulary. Techniques such as combining speech and writing, concept-mapping, and categorical thinking were highlighted as promising supports for students with receptive language delays.
Looking ahead, the group expressed enthusiasm for continuing as a space to share successes, tackle challenges, and deepen practice. Ideas for future sessions include collaborative troubleshooting, educator-led presentations, and check-ins on ongoing classroom projects—all aimed at strengthening the teaching of Earth science across New York City classrooms.
Note: summaries are written with aid of AI text software