Questions about STC materials

Can the STC Teacher's Guides and Student Activity Books be photocopied?
All record sheets, student instructions, and reading selections contained in a student book are also included in the unit's corresponding Teacher's Guide. School personnel have permission to photocopy all record sheets, blackline masters, student instructions, and reading selections contained in the Teacher's Guide, as long as those photocopies are used while teaching the unit to your class.
  
For all other instances of reproduction, the NSRC states:
"No part of (these books) may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording, nor may (they) be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public or private use without permission in writing from the National Science Resources Center."
  
To obtain this permission, contact:

Nina Tristani
National Science Resources Center
Smithsonian Institution / National Academies
901 D St., SW, Suite 704B MRC 952
Washington, DC 20560-0952
Phone: 202-287-7242
Fax: 202-287-2070

What STC units are available in the life science, earth science, physical science, and applied technology strands?
 

*All STC units can be used at one grade level above or below the level indicated on this chart.
  

Can STC units be moved from the grade level for which they were designed?
As every STC unit was developed, careful attention was given to the diverse learning styles and the developmental readiness of children. This applied both to the concepts in each unit and the way in which these concepts are presented. In general, the units are most effective at the suggested grade level and up or down a grade. With teacher modification, the range can be widened.

How many students will one STC kit serve in the classroom?
One kit serves up to 30 students in the classroom.

How long does it take to teach an STC unit?
Most units take 8–10 weeks to teach, teaching 2 lessons per week. Total instruction time will increase if the teacher incorporates more extension activities into the unit. Four STC units can easily be taught during a school year.

How much material is in an STC kit?
Every STC kit is a comprehensive package containing one Teacher's Guide plus the equipment and supplies required (except for some items commonly found at home or in the classroom) to teach the unit to a class of 30 students. For the grades 3-6 units, the kits also include 15 nonconsumable Student Activity Books.

After I teach the unit, how do I restock the kit items that were used up during instruction?
You can replace consumable items quickly and easily by either of these methods:

For more information about replacing STC consumables or to download a line-item order form, visit the STC® Refurbishments page.

Who developed the STC/MS curriculum?

STC/MS was the result of a joint effort by some of the leaders in the fields of education and science—the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The National Science Resources Center, which is co-sponsored by the Smithsonian and the NAS, began developing STC/MS in 1998 and completed the curriculum in 2003.

What are living material order sheets?
What are living material cards?
Several of the STC units use living organisms as part of the materials required for the lessons. Because a school or district may store a kit for some period of time before it is used in a classroom, living materials are not shipped with the kit. Instead, the kit includes a living material order sheet with a unique reference number (previously known as a living material card) which prompts the teacher to contact Carolina and request the living materials required. Some kits use several living organisms and include a unique living material order sheet for each. The living materials order can be phoned in, faxed in, or mailed in; but Carolina should receive it at least 10 days before the date the living materials will be needed.

What do I do with the living material order sheet (or sheets) that came with my STC unit kit?
Before you begin teaching the unit, decide on what date (or dates) you wish to receive your living material. Some kits have several living organisms that are needed at different times during the unit, each with a unique living material order sheet. The date you receive your living materials must be a Wednesday or a Thursday, because all living materials are shipped on a Monday or a Tuesday. 

The living materials order may be phoned in, faxed, or mailed back to Carolina. If phoning or mailing the sheet, fill in the date the organism is needed. In addition, if your shipping address is different from the preprinted shipping address on the order sheet, write in the correct shipping address. The price of the living materials and the cost to ship the living materials to the teacher are included in the total kit price.

What is the difference between buying STC living materials order sheet sets and buying the living materials by line item?
Living materials order sheets that come with an STC kit (or that are ordered as an order sheet set) are completely prepaid—the cost for the organisms and the charge for shipping are included in the purchase price. Living materials that are ordered by line item, one organism at a time, do not include the shipping charge in the purchase price, so that fee is added to the customer's invoice.

For The Life Cycle of Butterflies unit, how many butterfly larvae will I get in a shipment?
You will receive 50–75 butterfly larvae. Extras are sent in case any die during shipping or shortly after arrival.

My guppies (or other STC living material) arrived dead. What should I do?
If your living materials arrive dead, or they die shortly after arrival, call Carolina's Customer Service at 800-334-5551 within 14 days and a replacement order will be processed.

At the conclusion of our STC unit, what do you recommend that we do with the living organisms?
The NSRC advises against the release of any organism used in the STC program. In some documented cases, environmental problems have resulted from the introduction of nonindigenous organisms. It is also illegal in many states to release organisms, even indigenous species, without a permit. The intention of these laws is protection of native wildlife and the environment.

The organisms used in each STC unit were thoroughly researched before they were selected. Even though they may be unlikely to harm local ecosystems, their release might encourage your students to release other organisms that could cause harm to native wildlife and local ecosystems. If you have any questions about releasing animals in your area, contact your state or local environmental conservation agency.

After you complete the unit, there are several things you can do with the animals:

If you give the animals to students or to other groups, please make them aware of these recommendations.

Some products in my STC order were damaged during shipment to me. What do I do?
Please check your order as soon as it arrives. If some materials are damaged, call Carolina's Customer Service at 800-334-5551 within 14 days and a replacement order will be processed. If possible, when you call have your customer number and either your purchase order number or Carolina's order number.

What do I do if my STC kit or refurbishment set arrives and I discover that a component is missing?
Please check your order as soon as it arrives. If you discover that one or more kit components is missing, call Carolina's Customer Service at 800-334-5551 within 14 days and a replacement order will be processed. If possible, when you call have your customer number and either your purchase order number or Carolina's order number.

What is the policy for returning STC items?
If you need to return an item, notify Carolina's Customer Service (800-334-5551) within 30 days for authorization. Include your purchase order number and Carolina's order number.

What do I do if I ordered the wrong STC product?
If any STC material is purchased and later returned because of customer error, a 25% restocking charge will be assessed on the credited amount, and the material must be returned to Carolina freight prepaid. Items held more than 6 months, partially used or opened items (opened boxes, bundles, packs, cases, bags, pallets, etc.), or discontinued items cannot be returned for credit.

Why do you only have 15 Student Activity Books in a kit?
Including 15 Student Activity Books in a kit (one book per 2 students) helps promote cooperative learning among students. Cooperative learning accurately mirrors real-world science research. However, a school or school district may purchase additional Student Activity Books so that every student in the class has one. The Student Activity Books include step-by-step instructions for performing experiments and reading selections (information that is also found in the Teacher's Guide). The record sheets on which students record their experiment data and observations are only found in the Teacher's Guide; teachers must photocopy the record sheets and supply them to students.

Can students write in a Student Activity Book?
The STC Student Activity Book, which includes reading selections and step-by-step instructions for performing experiments, is intended to be a reusable student material shared by a pair of students during the unit. Therefore, you do not want students to write in it. The Teacher's Guide includes all of the information contained in the Student Activity Book, and the guide directs the teacher to photocopy all record sheets and give them to students to write on.

Some of the science trade books listed in my Teacher's Guide bibliography are no longer in print. Can you recommend any trade books currently available that tie in with my STC unit?
Carolina has compiled a list of recently published science trade books and fiction works that provide a reading connection for each STC unit. This document, Literature Links, is updated annually by Carolina staff. If you know of other recently published trade books that provide a good reading connection to an STC unit but are not on the Literature Links list, call 800-227-1150, ext. 5984.

What STC materials are available in Spanish?
The student books for all 24 STC units have been translated into Spanish and are available on the STC® en español CD-ROM. The CD allows you to print unlimited copies of any Spanish student book—whether you need one page, one lesson, an entire book, or all 24 books. Usable on both Macintosh and Windows-based computers, STC® en español is included free in every STC kit, but also may be purchased separately.

Are the STC printed materials available in Braille?
To meet state adoption requirements, the Teacher’s Guide and student book for all 24 STC units have been converted into a generic electronic language known as SGML. Most Braille conversion software can use SGML files to create brailled documents. Carolina will provide the SGML files free of charge to any nonprofit organization whose sole mission is to prepare documents for the visually impaired. It is then that organization’s responsibility to create the brailled materials. To request the SGML files, contact Carolina at 800-227-1150, ext. 6266.
For all other organizations (such as schools and school districts), permission to convert the STC materials into Braille, large print, etc., must first be obtained from the STC developer, the National Science Resources Center. To obtain this permission, contact:

Nina Tristani
National Science Resources Center
Smithsonian Institution / National Academies
901 D St., SW, Suite 704B MRC 952
Washington, DC 20560-0952
Phone: 202-287-7242
Fax: 202-287-2070

When permission has been received, Carolina will release a copy of the SGML files to the requesting organization. To request the SGML files, contact Carolina at 800-227-1150, ext. 6266.

What new features were added to the ©2002 versions of the STC books?
In January 2002 Carolina released the ©2002 version of the STC books. While there were no changes to lesson content, unit materials, student instructions, reading selections, or price, the ©2002 STC books offer several new features.

In the ©2002 STC student books:

In the ©2002 STC Teacher's Guides: