Skype a Scientist

How can you use the currently free Skype a Scientist to enhance your lessons?

Skype a Scientist will allow you to set up virtual meetings with scientists to collaborate, ask questions, and explore ideas. A primary goal of the Skype a Scientist program is to connect students from high poverty communities with scientists in order to build relationships and help spark interest in science careers.

Using this tool to effectively enhance online learning:

Consider how the Skype a Scientist experience can support student learning around the 5 E’s:

  • Engage - What big wonderings do students have about science careers in the real world? What background knowledge do they have about the type of scientist or specific field?

  • Explore - Through virtual visits with scientists, students will be able to explore all facets of life and work as a scientist and how their contributions shape society.

  • Explain - During work with scientists, students will learn science while improving their reading and writing skills and broadening their understanding of world geography and culture.

  • Extend - What cross-curricular connections can be made with the scientific concepts learned?

  • Evaluate - Summarize the academic and social-emotional impacts of connecting with a scientist and learning more about their work.

Using this tool across content areas:

Skype a Scientist offers several different tools and resources to support learning across the curriculum. These additional resources can be connected with or extend the Skype a Scientist activities:

  • Stories in Science - These are collection of stories relating to science which could connect the activity to English Language Arts and History/Social Studies Curriculums.

  • Data Nuggets - This resource allows students to work with messy data analysis. Each collection of data is curated by a scientist with a rich bio. This is a great way to connect this work to math and science curriculums.

  • Letters to a Pre-Scientist - This is another way to connect students with future scientists which is more writing-based and allows connections to English Language Arts curriculum as well as allowing students to connect with individuals pursuing science in post-secondary education.