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Literature and the Scientific Method

1. How does this poem illustrate the importance of observation in the scientific method?

2. What is the moral of the tale?

3. Many scientific errors can occur because the researcher does not use good skills of observation. Imagine a scenario where not being observant can result in an experiment going wrong. Describe this scenario in the form of a story or a poem.

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This poem illustrates how observation depends on perspective. In the tale, six blind men of indostan observed an elephant, but each one only looked at a small part of the elephant, none of them was able to get the full picture of what an elephant looked like.

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Worksheet to help students with interpreting graphs and data. This shows pie graphs, line graphs, and bar graphs with questions that go with each type.

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Investigation: Graphing Hand Span and Height

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Many of the Concord Consortium's educational STEM resources are part of collections created by our various research projects. Each collection has specific learning goals within the context of a larger subject area.

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Innovative Technology in Science Inquiry

The Innovative Technology in Science Inquiry project engages students in STEM activities through the integrated use of technologies that include modeling, computational thinking, and real-time data acquisition. This comprehensive project will assist teachers in preparing diverse students for STEM careers by engaging them in exciting, inquiry-based science projects.

Create ITSI Activity

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The Innovative Technology in Science Inquiry project engages students in STEM activities through the integrated use of technologies that include modeling, computational thinking, and real-time data acquisition. This comprehensive project will assist teachers in preparing diverse students for STEM careers by engaging them in exciting, inquiry-based science projects.

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About the educational games

The educational games are based on Nobel Prize awarded achievements and were produced between 2001 and 2012. Most games have not been updated since production (including potential scientific facts changes) and are provided here on an 'as is' basis by popular demand.

Some of the games run in modern browsers without the need of any plugin (either as a new version or using Ruffle), but many of the games still require Adobe Flash Player. Flash is an old technology that has reached end of life. These games will no longer work without a dedicated setup. If you are depending on these games in your profession, please advice your local IT support. We do not have the resources to provide support.

We are working on supporting more games without Flash.

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Nobelprize.org, The Official Web Site of the Nobel Prize

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Science in Action: How Science Works | California Academy of Sciences

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When looking at the data table for this activity notice that the data have been organized in Tidy Format where each row represents an independent observation (single coin flip) and each column represents a single variable (Coin Flip #, Result). The dataset is calledis listed as: Is this coin fair? (Chi-square).

1) Click the Prepare Dataset for animated hypothesis test button located near the top of the screen with the gears icon on it. This will bring up a specific checklist that will help you determine if your dataset and variable(s) of interest are a good fit for the Chi-Square Goodness of fit animated hypothesis test. Note that an animated t-test is also available for use with other datasets. In this example you can simply click OK in the lower right to move on with the test.

2) Click the Analyze! Run a statistical test button to begin when it appears red on the screen.

3) Give your analysis a title. This will become the name of the file where your work is saved. Type this into the top field in the pop-up window.

4) State your research question. Note that the computer will suggest a research question based on the variable that you identify as your dependent variable. In this case the variable called Result is the dependent variable and the suggested question is:

Are the counts as expected across all categories of Result?

That is the very specific question which the Chi-Square test will help you to answer with your data. Put that into your own words or add to it in the field within the pop-up window.

5) Click the green Start analysis button at the right of the pop-up window. From here you will begin the Chi-square calculation.

Note that the dialogue on the upper right will help you think through each step of the calculation and give instructions. The left half of the screen will use animations to show how your data are tied to the calculations.

The lower right portion of the screen is the Notebook that will create a record of your work and calculations. When finished you can turn it into a PDF or download it as a Word doc that can also be opened as a Google Doc. If your teacher created this assignment in Google Classroom, the Publish button will automatically turn it in as a completed assignment.

6) What is your conclusion? Do these data lead us to reject the null hypothesis that we expect a 50/50 distribution of heads and tails? How do you interpret the P-value obtained with this dataset? Would a scientist conclude that the coin was rigged?

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The Chi-Square Goodness of Fit test is often the gateway to inferential statistics in high school.

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infographic - the engineering design cycle and ngss dimension 1: engineering practices

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Infographic - The Engineering Design Cycle and NGSS Dimension 1: Engineering Practices

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Use this diagram to better understand the engineering design cycle and the set of NGSS practices used to solve problems.

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We are all looking at ways to collect and display data with our students. Most of the time the data we want to display is short term data - such as a one-lab experiment or maybe data over a weekend. However in Earth and space science data may need to be collected and displayed over much longer time periods - often over an entire year or more. Climate change data, for example, needs to be collected over decades or longer.

For many of us we want students to observe and record data for things such as weather, tides, moon phases. Whether the students are collecting and/or recording the data from their own observations or downloading data from reliable websites ( NOAA, USGS etc) having a good way to display the long term data (a years worth) in one place can be awkward. This is where these neat circular data calendars can be perfect.
Northern Hemisphere Southern Hemisphere
These are very simple to use. They have project and scientist (student) information recorded on the top. A key (such as a color scale) can be developed and displayed on the right-hand side. Then those colors then used in the day squares for each month. As the day squares are not numbered, students will need to work out the first day and work from there. Data could also be recorded directly in the squares.
Download the NORTHERN Hemisphere version Download the SOUTHERN Hemisphere version
We hope that you find these data calendars a useful addition to your science classroom. We would love to see photos of how you have been able to use them.

Using a Circular Data Calendar

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We are all looking at ways to collect and display data with our students. Most of the time the data we want to display is short term data - such as a one-lab experiment or maybe data over a weekend.

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Intro to Modeling: What Are Models and How Are They Used? (Fall 2017)

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1. Intro to Modeling: What Are Models and How Are They Used? (Fall 2017)

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Progressions: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP's)

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Progressions: Science and Engineering Practices (SEP's)

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Progressions: Science And Engineering Practices

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Asking Questions

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Developing and Using Models

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Developing and Using Models Possible Instructional Strategies

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Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

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Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

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Analyzing and Interpreting Data

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Analyzing and Interpreting Data Potential Instructional Strategies.pdf

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Using Mathematical and Computational Thinking

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Constructing Explanations and Design Solutions

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Engaging in Argument from Evidence

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Engaging in Argument from Evidence Potential Instructional Strategies.pdf

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Obtaining, Evaluating and Communicating Information

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Practice 2 - Developing and Using Models

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Science and Engineering Practice 2: Developing and Using Models Paul Andersen explains the importance of modeling in science and engineering. Models are used by scientists to explain phenomenon. Unlike mental models, conceptual models can be shared by all scientists to improve our understanding of the Universe. Engineers use models study systems and test designs.

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These are presentations in which the ideas of anchoring events and modeling are featured. We've broken the presentations down into more view-able segments. In each, there are up-to-date examples of both anchoring events-from kindergarten to AP chemistry-and modeling from all grade levels. The content of the presentations adds to what you'll find in written documents and other videos on this site. And again, we thank all our teacher partners for furnishing these examples for the AST community.

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Presentations on Anchoring events and Modeling | AST

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These are presentations in which the ideas of anchoring events and modeling are featured. We've broken the presentations down into more view-able segments. In each, there are up-to-date examples of both anchoring events-from kindergarten to AP chemistry-and modeling from all grade levels.

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Practice 4 - Analyzing and Interpreting Data

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Practice 6 - Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

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Science and Engineering Practice 6: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Paul Andersen explains how scientists modify theories by constructing explanations. He also discusses the cycle of design used by engineers to solve problems. He starts by defining a theory as a well-established explanation of a phenomenon that is refined over time.

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Practice 3 - Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

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Science and Engineering Practice 3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations Paul Andersen explains how investigations are used by scientists to answer questions and by engineers to test designs. He delineates be investigative and observational science. He demonstrates the formation of a good question the design of an effective investigation.

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Importance

Modeling, a central practice used in all science disciplines, is essential to the pursuit of scientific knowledge. Scientists develop, revise, and use models of relationships between variables to provide a predictive or causal account of scientific phenomena; engineers build models to test and revise design solutions. A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) identify modeling as one of eight science and engineering practices. Indeed, students should engage in modeling to learn and use the same practices scientists and engineers regularly employ.

We're collaborating with Michigan State University to examine how to support secondary school students in constructing and revising models based on disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts to explain scientific phenomena and solve problems. We're designing, developing, and testing a systems dynamics modeling tool called SageModeler to facilitate the building of dynamic models.

We've created SageModeler, a free, web-based systems dynamics modeling tool for secondary school students to construct dynamic models and validate their models by comparing outputs from their own models and data from one or more other sources, including experimental data from probes or data generated by simulations. We're engaging learners in three-dimensional learning by using crosscutting concepts (systems and systems modeling, cause and effect, and energy and matter) with various scientific practices (particularly modeling, but also analyzing and interpreting data and engaging in argument with evidence), integrated with disciplinary core ideas.

To facilitate model validation, SageModeler and all external data sources are embedded in our Common Online Data Analysis Platform (CODAP). CODAP is an intuitive graphing and data analysis platform that takes the outputs from the system dynamics models, as well as any other validating data source, and blends them into a single analytic environment.

Research

We're studying the effect of working with external models on student construction of internal mental models by examining the quality of student-created models, the potential of these models to provide feedback on students' understanding of a range of disciplinary core ideas, and the development of students' modeling capabilities.

Videos

View all these videos and more on the Concord Consortium YouTube Channel.

Publications

Bielik, T., Damelin, D., & Krajcik, J. (2018). Why do fishermen need forests? Developing a project-based learning unit with an engaging driving question. Science Scope, 41(6), 64-72.

Damelin, D., Krajcik, J., McIntyre, C., & Bielik, T. (2017). Students making system models: An accessible approach. Science Scope, 40(5), 78-82.

Damelin, D. (2016). Monday's lesson: Students making models. @Concord, 20(2), 7.

Damelin, D., Krajcik, J. (2016). Supporting secondary students in building external models to explain phenomena. @Concord, 20(1), 10-11.

Activities

View, launch, and assign activities developed by this project at the STEM Resource Finder.

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Modeling, a central practice used in all science disciplines, is essential to the pursuit of scientific knowledge. Scientists develop, revise, and use models of relationships between variables to provide a predictive or causal account of scientific phenomena; engineers build models to test and revise design solutions.

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Modeling Toolkit WINDSCHITL and THOMPSON.pdf

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Practice 7 - Engaging in Argument from Evidence

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Science and Engineering Practice 7: Engaging in Argument from Evidence Paul Andersen explains the importance of argumentation in improving both understanding and design. This video begins with a discussion of the heliocentric and geocentric model of the Universe that eventually lead to the Copernican Revolution. It highlights the importance of both informal and formal arguments.

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SEP Graphic Organizer Constructing Explanations

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8.5x11 by Bozman Science

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Copies 2 per page

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Copies 4 per page

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What does the incorporation of practices look like in the classroom?

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What does the incorporation of practices look like in the classroom?

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Scientific method, peer review, engineering and design...

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ETS2B - Influence of Science, Engineering and Technology on Society and the Natural World

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ETS2A - Interdependence of Science, Engineering and Technology

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ETS1A - Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems

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Practice 8 - Obtaining, Evaluating and Communicating Information

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Practice 1 - Asking Questions and Defining Problems

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Practice 5 - Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

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Version 2 - CCC & SEP Graphic Organizers.pdf

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Version 2 - CCC & SEP Graphic Organizers.pdf

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Version 2 - CCC & SEP Graphic Organizers.pdf

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Version 2 - CCC & SEP Graphic Organizers.pdf

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Version 2 - CCC & SEP Graphic Organizers.pdf

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Version 2 - CCC & SEP Graphic Organizers.pdf

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Version 2 - CCC & SEP Graphic Organizers.pdf

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Thought starters

1. How does this strategy engage students in the revision process?

2. How are share-outs of models more than "show and tell"?

3. How do students interact with each other's ideas?

School Details

Cedarhurst Elementary School
611 South 132nd St
Burien WA 98168

Data Provided By:

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Share-Outs: Critiquing & Revising Models

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Students in Kaia Tomokiyo and Fallon King's classes participate in share-outs, presenting their models and receiving feedback from their peers. After getting feedback, students revise their models. By seeing how models change over time, students gain many ideas about how models can be used and created.

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Consider adding a slideshow template with definitions and students choose a matching image

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Visual, Interactive Simulations for Teaching & Learning Science

Molecular Workbench (MW) is powerful, award-winning software that provides visual, interactive computational experiments for teaching and learning science.

Now thanks to Google's generosity and the power of HTML5, we're bringing this versatile way to experience the science of atoms and molecules to Web browsers.

Try it out →

STEM Interactives

Molecular models are the heart of Next-Generation Molecular Workbench. We've created many models that dynamically illustrate scientific concepts and allow you to interact with molecules or macroscopic phenomena like pendulums (at right) and their environment in various ways.

STEM Activities

Next-Generation Molecular Workbench activities include one or more interactives, plus text, embedded images, video and assessments. There are currently six activities available. We're working on lots more, plus an authoring system that will allow teachers to create their own custom activities.

Try Activities →

Use It... Everywhere

Adding MW interactives to any web page or learning management system is amazingly easy. Simply click an interactive's "Share" link to get the embed code. Learn more in this video.

Partners

The Concord Consortium has partnered with these organizations to provide Next-Generation Molecular Workbench interactives for their online educational courses and activities.

Interested in becoming a partner?
Contact Us

Watch & Learn

Learn More on Our Blog

More information is available on our blog where we get into the nitty-gritty of various aspects of developing Next-Generation Molecular Workbench.

Read more "

Contact Us

Questions? Comments? You can reach us at nextgenmw@concord.org.

You can also subscribe for email updates about Next-Generation Molecular Workbench and our other exciting educational technology projects.

Subscribe for Updates
(Don't worry! We're scientists, not spammers.)

Connect with us online for news about Next-Generation MW and more.

License

This project is © Copyright 2017 by The Concord Consortium and is distributed under the Simplified BSD, MIT or Apache 2.0 licenses.

Classic MW

Classic MW is alive and well, with hundreds of free models you can use right now. These can be used as-is, but there are also hundreds of classroom-tested learning activities based on MW for all levels of science and engineering. See mw.concord.org and workbench.concord.org/database

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Visual, Interactive Simulations for Teaching & Learning Science Molecular Workbench (MW) is powerful, award-winning software that provides visual, interactive computational experiments for teaching and learning science. Now thanks to Google's generosity and the power of HTML5, we're bringing this versatile way to experience the science of atoms and molecules to Web browsers.

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Facilitate Student Curiosity and Engagement

The skill of question asking is far too rarely deliberately taught in school. We have worked with and learned from educators to develop a teaching strategy that provides a simple yet powerful way to teach students how to formulate, work with, and use their own questions.

This video shows a 12th-grade humanities teacher, Ling-Se Chesnakas, using the QFT with her class in Boston. Ling-Se used the QFT to prepare students for a Socratic seminar and help them with a writing assignment about the book "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," by Junot Diaz.

The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) is a strategy that 250,000 educators worldwide are using to teach students how to formulate...

[The QFT] makes me feel like I'm in control of my learning.

This is the first time I have written to any source of one of my teaching methods to thank them for providing me with such a powerful book to unlock the learning process... I have been teaching since 1977. I have studied techniques and pedagogy. In all that time, I have never found anything that was so profoundly influential in changing how students learn. Not only did it immediately engage the students in their own learning, it stayed with them throughout a 17-week semester...

When you ask a question, it can spark more questions.

Today I learned how to alter and improve my research question. This has already helped my research question become more manageable and fit within the requirement of the project better. This helped me zero in and pinpoint which section of my topic I am truly interested in.

Rothstein and Santana have put together a straightforward and accessible book about what seems like a simple idea - get kids to ask questions, questions they care about. Don't be deceived. It's one thing to get kids or anyone to ask a question or two; it's another to get them take possession of the questions, to recognize that learning is asking questions and not just memorizing stuff. The art of making questions, nearly lost, is thankfully revived in [Make Just One Change].

Over 34,000 members on our online network

Over 50,000 copies of Make Just One Change Sold-one of Harvard Education Press' all time best seller

Members from over 140 countries registered to access free educational materials and resources.

Sign up for the RQI Network to access these resources.

The hundreds of free resources you will find on our network will help you easily move into action to learn a strategy one day and facilitate the very next.

Already a Member? Log in.

Please join to view member profiles.

You'll also get access to hundreds of free resources that will help you easily move into action to learn a strategy one day and facilitate the very next.

Already a Member? Log in.

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Teaching + Learning - Right Question Institute

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The skill of question asking is far too rarely deliberately taught in school. We have worked with and learned from educators to develop a teaching strategy that provides a simple yet powerful way to teach students how to formulate, work with, and use their own questions.

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This section includes two additional resources that cut across the four elements: 1) Strategy Guides and 2) Extended Classroom Videos.

These Strategy Guides are text based resources providing teachers with lesson plan ideas about how to effectively integrate argumentation into their science lessons. ​

These unedited classroom videos are between 2 and 20 minutes long. They include students actively engaging in argumentation across a variety of activities (e.g. science seminar, card sort) and student configurations (e.g. small group and large group).

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This section includes two additional resources that cut across the four elements: 1) Strategy Guides and 2) Extended Classroom Videos. These Strategy Guides are text based resources providing teachers with lesson plan ideas about how to effectively integrate argumentation into their science lessons. ​ These unedited classroom videos are between 2 and 20 minutes long.

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BioInteractive's Data Points are a monthly series that features a graph or figure from a scientific journal article for students to interpret and discuss as a class. The student handout includes the figure, caption, and a short background description. The educator guide includes discussion questions and additional information to help you guide a class discussion.

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Practice 3 - Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

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Science and Engineering Practice 3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations Paul Andersen explains how investigations are used by scientists to answer questions and by engineers to test designs. He delineates be investigative and observational science. He demonstrates the formation of a good question the design of an effective investigation.

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Reading and interpreting graphs examples

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Reading and interpreting graphs examples

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The Argumentation Toolkit – Helping teachers understand and teach scientific argumentation

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Articles on a Variety of Topics HS/MS level

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Articles on a Variety of Topics HS/MS level

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KSN Home - The Kansas School Naturalist | Emporia State University

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This issue list is in reverse chronological order. All issues are originally published in English; editions in other languages are posted as they become available. Unless otherwise noted, all information of each edition of the Kansas School Naturalist reflects the knowledge of the subject as of the original date of publication.

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Engineering Challenges in Physical Science

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Engineering Challenges in Physical Science

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Solar House, windmills, batteries, electromagnets, bridges, gravity wheel

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Interpreting graphs strategy

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Data Nuggets | Bringing authentic research and data into K-16 classrooms

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Free activities that bring real scientific data into the classroom, guiding students through the process of science while building their quantitative abilities.

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Ideation Technique Strategies Article

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Introduction to the Essential Ideation Techniques which are the Heart of Design Thinking | Interaction Design Foundation.pdf

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Explanation of the Design Process

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SEP 3 Planning and Conducting Investigations

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SEP 3 Planning and Conducting Investigations

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Measuring Metric Lesson Plans

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Measuring Up Metric * Unit [U2] SciGen SERP

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Students apply their understanding of the metric system by finding ways to measure some "handy" irregular shapes. This activity challenges students to think about the possibilities of measurement. Students think about all the possible ways to measure a hand. Pairs work together to agree upon how to go about measuring a hand using metric measurements.

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Storyline relates to a skatepark.

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Students may have heard the term "claim" in different contexts. Some may associate it with advertisements that they have heard on TV. The passage focuses on determining whether a claim is properly supported by evidence.

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SEP 5 Using Math and Computational Thinking Understanding Graphs-Which one doesn't belong?

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SEP 5 Using Math and Computational Thinking Understanding Graphs-Which one doesn't belong?

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Understanding Graphs-Which one doesn't belong? Examples of tables and graphs with questions for each pairing.

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Each interactive concept-builder presents learners with carefully crafted questions that target various aspects of a discrete concept. There are typically multiple levels of difficulty and an effort to track learner progress at each level. Question-specific help is provided for the struggling learner; such help consists of short explanations of how to approach the situation.

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SEP 3 Planning and Conducting Investigations

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SEP 3 Planning and Conducting Investigations

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Learn to make qualitative and quantitative observations.

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In this unit, students learn about making both qualitative and quantitative observations and about the difference between an observation and an inference. Students have a hands-on opportunity to practice making observations and inferences during a lab activity.

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We appreciate your feedback and any suggestions on additional resources. Please complete the google form.

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NGSS Practices Printable Poster Directions

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Practice Brief 46 -- Topics: Implementation Instruction

How to define meaningful daily learning objectives for science investigations

Teachers should have the authority to design instruction by involving students in developing daily objectives.

District Staff & PD Providers should help teachers learn how to define and sequence 3D learning performances across the units they teach that culminate in students understanding performance expectation bundles.

School Leaders should learn how to see and support science instruction that engages students in making sense of phenomena and should consider how daily learning objectives might be different in a 3D instruction classroom.

What Is The Issue?

Many schools require teachers to post the day's learning target, objective, or standard on the board. However, displaying the target concept to be learned-the disciplinary core idea that is the focus of instruction-"gives away" what students should actually be figuring out as they make sense of phenomena by engaging in the science and engineering practices. Many teachers face a dilemma when they try to meet their administrator's requirements. It is important for teachers and administrators to come to consensus around developing and using objectives that are consistent with 3D learning.

Authors:

WILLIAM R. PENUEL, MICHAEL NOVAK, TARA MCGILL, KATIE VAN HORNE & BRIAN J. REISER | MARCH 2017

Reflection Questions

Teachers: What shifts might be needed in your teaching for you to develop learning objectives focused on student questions?

Building Administrators: How can you support student-driven learning goals and investigation while learning about classroom learning objectives?

District Leaders: How do your district's frameworks for observing teachers support or interfere with 3D science teaching and learning?

Things to Consider

Conceptual understanding takes time and effort. It takes multiple lessons for students to understand an educational standard-i.e., a 3D performance expectation (PE) from the NRC Framework. Students should not be expected to master a PE in a single lesson. A lesson-level 3D learning performance is a more appropriate focus.

Don't short-circuit deep learning. PEs describe the science concepts students are learning, so posting it "gives away" the thing to be explained, possibly reducing student motivation to learn and their ability to explain with any depth what and how they know. Students should be able to say what they are trying to figure out in their own words-and come to use formal science terminology once they have gotten a feeling for it after multiple investigations.

Investigations should help students construct understanding. The NRC Framework vision is about students seeing that science and engineering practices are ways that can help them make sense of and change the world. Students should be deciding together what they need to investigate each day, based on what they've already figured out and what they need to learn to explain or design. They shouldn't know the outcome of an investigation ahead of time.

All three dimensions of any PE are in service of answering questions (in science) or designing solutions (in engineering) related to natural phenomena, so students' should generate questions to investigate or define problems to solve as part of any learning objective.

Attending to Equity

Schools that have been historically underresourced or that serve populations facing the most barriers to equitable education may face more pressure and direct supervision/evaluation of teaching practices. It is crucial to provide all students with meaningful instruction and maintain high educational goals.

All students should be able to understand why they are doing what they are doing in class. Students should help define learning objectives-where the class is headed as part of an unfolding investigation. You can build an objective for the next day by eliciting student responses about what they figured out and what they need to figure out next at the end of class. Aim to include many student voices in this process, rather than letting the most vocal students consistently set the agenda.

Recommended Actions You Can Take

Invite your administrator to visit at a time when students are developing a consensus model of a phenomenon through classroom discussion. They'll see students engaging in evidence-based argumentation and sophisticated understandings being articulated.

Co-construct the daily objective with students at the beginning of class to post on the board, as an answer to the question: What do we need to figure out today to help us answer our driving question/solve our design challenge? It should ideally be a question (e.g., "Today we are trying to figure out: Why don't antibiotics work like they used to?"), but it could also be a piece of a model needed to explain a phenomenon or a step needed to develop a engineering solution.

Prepare a one-pager to hand to a visiting administrator or colleague. It could be: (a) a short explanation/model from your unit storyline showing how an explanation of the phenomenon will help students master the PEs, (b) the culminating product that students will produce in the unit, (c) research supporting an equitable 3D instruction approach, or (d) a 3D learning performance for the lesson.

ALSO SEE STEM TEACHING TOOLS

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How to define meaningful daily learning objectives for science investigations :StemTeachingTools

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Practice Brief 46 -- Topics: Implementation Instruction Teachers should have the authority to design instruction by involving students in developing daily objectives. District Staff & PD Providers should help teachers learn how to define and sequence 3D learning performances across the units they teach that culminate in students understanding performance expectation bundles.

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See printable on this padlet for the printable version.

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Understanding Models Article

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When you hear the word "model" you might immediately think of the small-scale 3-dimensional replicas of buildings used by architects or the typical animal cell model your teacher had you make when you were a student. In science, the term "model" refers to a si mplified representation of a system that is used to make predictions or explanations for a phenomenon. Scientific models are "judged on both how simple they are and how well they can be used to explain and predict natural phenomena" (Jadrich & Bruxvoort, 2011, p. 12). Using this definition, the 3D cell model or a drawing of the rock cycle found in so many textbooks are NOT scientific models in and of themselves. They are simply representations (unless they are used to explain or predict). Memorizing the steps in a cycle or the parts of a cell are not the end goal in an NGSS classroom.

According to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), scientific models may include: diagrams, physical replicas, mathematical representations, analogies, and computer simulations (see NGSS Appendix F). But, again, keep in mind that they must be used to predict or explain phenomena.

In this blog, we focus on one specific type of modeling that is particularly helpful for supporting and deepening student learning: "explanatory models."

Explanatory models are a combination of pictorial representations and written explanations that describe how and why a particular phenomenon occurs. Here are a couple of examples of what these types of models look like:
How does Ebola infect and kill a person?
(Darrin Collins, 2014, Phillips Academy High School) Why do huge swarms of rats overrun a bamboo forest in India once every 48 years?
(Sarah Rogers, 2015, Howe School of Excellence)

Explanatory models accommodate different learning styles. They don't just stop at reading and writing, they allow students to visually represent their thinking (i.e., through drawing). Research shows that having students draw out their explanations supports learning (Ainsworth & Iacovides, 2005). Asking students to represent their ideas through illustrations provides a window into their thinking for the teacher and supports students in making sense of the content. Drawing is not only a helpful strategy for ELL and diverse learners who struggle with writing, but for all students.
3 Key Aspects of Scientific Models (Schwarz et al., 2009)

1. Include specific variables or factors within a system under study.

2. Represent the relationships among components (i.e., variables/factors) in order to provide an account of why the phenomenon occurs.

3. Sequence these variables, factors, and relationships into a causal storyline to explain a phenomenon.

As students acquire new learning and evidence over the course of a unit, they need periodic opportunities to revisit and revise their explanatory models. Explanatory models require students to use science principles and ideas to explain real world events/occurrences. Stated another way, explanatory models require students to relate the observable (effects) to their unobservable (causes). According to the research synthesized in the publication, How People Learn, "To develop competence in an area of inquiry, students must...understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework, and...organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and application" (NRC, 2000, p. 12). It follows that developing models to explain how and why phenomena occur strongly aligns with research on effective teaching and learning.

NGSS outlines 8 Science and Engineering Practices in which students should regularly engage in order to learn the science content. "Developing and Using Models" is the second of these eight practices.

Check out this AUSL video to see how 3 AUSL teachers have implemented explanatory models in their classrooms.
What are we aiming for when we have students develop and use explanatory model?

Students create initial models at the beginning of the unit (to elicit their initial ideas/predictions), revise them in the middle (once or twice) based on new learning, and then create a final model at the end (tying together their learning throughout the unit).

Students defend their additions/revisions to their explanatory models using evidence from sense-making activities (i.e., any classroom activity that supports students in deepening their content knowledge: investigation, simulation, reading, etc.).

Students are able to connect the unobservable (causes) to the observable (effects) in their explanatory models.

Students are able to use their explanatory model to make predictions about or explain how and why a phenomenon occurs.

Students are able to apply their learning to explain how and why a new, related phenomenon occurs (to show that their learning is transferable).

I'm interested in having my students develop and use explanatory models: Where should I start?
The easiest way to get started with modeling is to begin by asking students to do more drawing (i.e., represent the concepts they are learning pictorially). For example, ask students to draw what they think is going on when a liquid evaporates, or better yet, draw how they think a puddle disappears after it rains. While explanatory models for big questions, such as "How can we smell the cookies baking at the factory 10 blocks away," requires students to connect and synthesize several science ideas in one explanation, the modeling activity to the right was used to have students explain a single concept: air compression in a syringe. If you are new to modeling, we recommend starting by having students draw pictures of their ideas around a single concept. As you and your students become more comfortable, you can start asking them to draw models to explain or predict more complex, multi-concept, questions.

Why is it difficult to push in the plunger of a syringe filled with air when your finger is covering the opening?
(Alexa Young, 2015, Marquette School of Excellence)
Things to keep in mind as you get started with modeling...

Don't give the answers away! Let students struggle.

Respond to students' questions with questions (e.g., What did you observe? What do you think it means? Why do you think that? Where have you seen something similar?)

Give them time. Allow them to share ideas with each other and edit their models.

Discuss and agree on common drawing conventions (e.g., how to draw different types of particles, how to show motion, how to represent different speeds, etc.)

Use "zoom-in's" (like the picture of the syringe above) and ask students to use "microscope eyes" to illustrate and explain things that are invisible to the naked eye (e.g., layers of the earth, gases, etc.)

Have students label with arrows and/or make a key/legend.

Have students describe what's going on in their pictorial models through writing (in full sentences).

How do explanatory models align with Model-Based Inquiry (MBI)?
Based on its name alone, it's clear that MBI is inextricably linked to modeling. Developing, testing, revising, and evaluating explanatory models is the skeleton around which MBI units are designed. For each unit, you change the phenomenon and you change the content/science ideas addressed, but you go through the same modeling process: 1. develop initial models; 2. revisit, test, and revise models to improve their predictive and explanatory power; 3. create final models; and 4. apply learned science ideas by creating an explanatory model for a new related phenomenon.
How do explanatory models align with NGSS?
Not only are explanatory models at the heart of MBI, but they are at the heart of science in general! "The primary goal of science is the construction and evaluation of scientific models" (Jadrich & Bruxvoort, 2011, p. 12). All of the 8 science and engineering practices outlined in NGSS are tightly tied to modeling. Put modeling at the center of your classroom and you'll find innumerable opportunities to weave in the other practices integral to the scientific endeavor. Since modeling is salient to MBI, this further reinforces why MBI is such an effective approach to planning and teaching science in line with the vision of NGSS.
Check out the full "how to" guide for explanatory models here.
Many thanks to Alexa Young, from Marquette School of Excellence, for co-writing this blog, as well as the teachers across our network who are engaging their students in MBI and sharing photos of their students' work from which we all get to benefit!
Post your questions and thoughts below...
References:

Ainsworth, S., & Iacovides, I. (2005). Learning by constructing self-explanation diagrams. In 11th Biennial Conference of European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction, Nicosia, Cypress.

Jadrich, J., & Bruxvoort, C. (2011). Learning & Teaching Scientific Inquiry: Research and Applications. NSTA press.

National Research Council. (2013). Next Generation Science Standards: For states, by states. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

Schwarz, C. V., Reiser, B. J., Davis, E. A., Kenyon, L., Achér, A., Fortus, D., Shwartz, Y., Hug, B., & Krajcik, J. (2009). Developing a learning progression for scientific modeling: Making scientific modeling accessible and meaningful for learners. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46(6), 632-654.

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Explanatory Models: A Highly Effective Way to Support Science Learning, NGSS, and MBI

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When you hear the word "model" you might immediately think of the small-scale 3-dimensional replicas of buildings used by architects or the typical animal cell model your teacher had you make when you were a student. In science, the term "model" refers to a simplified representation of a system that is used to make predictions or explanations for a phenomenon.

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Article: Engaging Students in Scientific Practices: What does constructing and revising models look like in the science classroom? by K. Krajcik and J. Merritt

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Sample Lesson plan: Storyline follows water in ecosystems.

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In this Reader's Theater (a dialogue to read aloud), students meet three friends who struggle to understand the impact of pouring bug spray onto the ground. There is a discussion as to whether or not this could cause harm to animals or end up in the water supply.

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Model Creation and Discussion Sample Lesson Video

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Developing and Using Models of Electrical Interactions: What NGSS Looks Like in the Classroom

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CA water data.

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California Department of Water Resources - Precipitation

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Topographic Maps

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Search for Trails and FREE Topo Maps | Pickatrail.com

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If you need a 7.5-minute (1:24,000 scale) topographic map for a location in the lower 48 states, just click that location on the above map and then click the "Submit" button. A new page will appear with links to download free topo maps covering the area you selected and the adjoining quadrangles.

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Data on biotic and abiotic factors in Biomes

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BiomeViewer lets you explore and discover Earth's ecosystems with a tap of your finger! Drop a pin to see historic climate data, wildlife, stunning pictures, and more for any terrestrial location on the planet. Discover how patterns of human settlement and agriculture have changed the planet since 1700.

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Original Data Points and Figures