Profile | NSTA Learning Center

Ruth Lehmann Hutson

Blue Valley High School is a small rural high school in Northeast Kansas. I have the privilege of being the only high school science teacher in my district. I am fortunate to be able to teach the same students throughout their entire high school career. This year, I am teaching Applied Statistics and Analysis in Science, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physics, and College Biology. I love the challenges that this workload presents and enjoy integrating all the disciplines of science with math and statistics so students best understand the process of science.

Location

Affiliation

Blue Valley High School

Social Media

IM Screen Name: Ruth Lehmann Hutson

Recent Reviews by Ruth

A Recipe for Inquiry: A traditional cookbook lab for determining the molar volume of a gas is modified to include inquiry

Mon Oct 29, 2018 9:56 PM

Great inquiry lab

In my quest to find rich, safe inquiry labs for my chemistry class, I believe I have found a keeper. The author describes how she turned a typical cookbook lab into an inquiry exercise. Not only does she provide the lab, but she also discusses typical student questions and how to answer them without giving away the end result of the lab. Her answers which were in the form of another question provided guidance and help lead students to a better understanding of why. I can't wait to try this with my students.

A Compound Problem

Fri Oct 26, 2018 5:27 PM

Wow! Great simulation!

What a unique simulation to help students understand ozone depletion! I love the connection between biology, atmospheric science, and chemistry. This will be an excellent lesson to use with my high school chemistry students because it serves as both a review and an extension of their knowledge. I love the connection made with the Montreal Protocol and why it was developed. This is a rich lesson that I can’t wait to use.

Research and Teaching: A Case Study on Reflective Writing

Fri Oct 26, 2018 10:37 AM

Something to ponder

This article challenged me. Typically, instead of taking notes, I have my students complete a summary over what we have read, watched, or discussed. While this is a skill upon which most of my students still need improvement, I am left wondering how to move my juniors and seniors to a more reflective form of writing so that they can begin to make connections between the different science disciplines that they have studied. The article has proven to me that reflective writing would be a beneficial skill. I appreciate that they do not grade the reflective portion on conventions, rather on the students' ideas and thought process.

View all reviews by Ruth