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End of Year Science Activities - Bright in the Middle

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End of Year Science Activities - Bright in the Middle

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Well, it's about that time for end of year science activities. The school year is starting to wrap up, but a school year is never over until it's over! So, even if your school is finished with testing, or you are still in your review stage, there is always learning that can take place!

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Nature Of Science Activities And Lessons | PBS LearningMedia

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Nature Of Science Activities And Lessons | PBS LearningMedia

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Nature Of Science Activities And Lessons | PBS LearningMedia

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Discover nature of science activities, lessons, and interactive resources for all grades, all aligned to state and national standards.

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Middle School Science Curriculum & Resources | Discovery Education

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Middle School Science Curriculum & Resources | Discovery Education

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Explore Science from Anywhere in the World

Powerful and adaptable resources support the delivery of impactful, blended instruction, in person or at a distance.

Discovery Education K-12 Platform

Science Techbook is delivered through Discovery Education's dynamic K-12 learning platform. Find compelling collections of science-themed content, ready-to-use lessons, collaboration tools, and professional learning resources to help educators engage all students, in and out of the classroom.

Coordinated Teacher and Student Print Editions

Print editions are available for both teachers and students and provide a flexible option for blended instruction. Print and digital can be used interchangeably to support instruction in any environment.

Hands-On Classroom Kits

Hands-On Classroom Kits are available to complement digital investigations and correspond with activities in each unit, providing many of the required materials for each activity.

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Powerful and adaptable resources support the delivery of impactful, blended instruction, in person or at a distance. Science Techbook is delivered through Discovery Education's dynamic K-12 learning platform. Find compelling collections of science-themed content, ready-to-use lessons, collaboration tools, and professional learning resources to help educators engage all students, in and out of the classroom.

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45 Fun and Educational Seventh Grade Science Projects and Experiments

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45 Fun and Educational Seventh Grade Science Projects and Experiments

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Whether you're prepping for a middle school science fair or looking for ways to make classroom lessons more exciting, hands-on activities are the answer. This huge list of seventh grade science ideas covers biology, chemistry, physics, and more. Take a look and get inspired!

(Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!)

1. Drive a balloon-powered car

Engineer a balloon-powered car using basic materials from around the house (even the wheels are bottle caps!). Experiment to see how far or fast you can make the car go.

Learn more: Prolab

2. Construct a DIY Grow Box

When you build your own grow box, there are lots of seventh grade science fair projects you can do with it. The only special supply you need is a plug-in light socket.

Learn more: Uplifting Mayhem/Grow Box

3. Sort jelly beans to learn genetics

If you're learning about how genetic traits are passed along from parent to child, try this jelly-bean demo. When you're finished, you can enjoy a sweet treat!

Learn more: The Owl Teacher

4. Make a tea bag float on air

This easy experiment is a cool way to show kids how heat affects air molecules, making hot air rise. They'll need some supervision with the fire, so try this out on the playground for extra safety.

Learn more: Coffee Cups and Crayons

5. Crush a can using air pressure

Sure, it's easy to crush a soda can with your bare hands, but what if you could do it without touching it at all? That's the power of air pressure!

Learn more: Steve Spangler Science/Can Crusher

6. Construct a geodesic dome

Budding engineers will love designing, building, and testing the strength of the fascinating geodesic dome. This experiment requires nothing more than newspaper and masking tape!

Learn more: Science Buddies/Newspaper Dome

7. Design a solar oven

Students experiment with the best way to build a solar oven, exploring thermal energy, reflection, convection, and other physics concepts. They can serve up their experiment results along with their final reports!

Learn more: Children's Science Center

8. Spherify your favorite beverage

Spherification is a hot trend in top restaurants, but seventh grade science students can easily replicate it at home with a spherification kit. This is a cool chemistry experiment and tasty too!

Learn more: Science Buddies/Spherification

9. Design a helping hand

This is a great individual or group seventh grade science project, as it encourages students to use and hone their design and engineering skills to make a working model of a hand.

Learn more: Science Buddies/Robotic Hand

10. Learn how salt affects density

Explore the salinity of various bodies of water, then re-create their waters to see if you can make an egg float or sink. Experiment with other objects too.

Learn more: Uplifting Mayhem/Salt Water Density

11. Watch the greenhouse effect in action

Climate change can be a contentious topic, so start by teaching kids about the greenhouse effect, which is easy to see and understand. Then, urge them to explore data collected by other scientists so they can learn to make informed decisions about topics like global warming.

Learn more: Teaching Science With Lynda

12. Marvel at a density rainbow

We learn early on that oil floats on water, but where do other liquids fit in? Students find out when they conduct this colorful density experiment that has them layer different substances, making a rainbow.

Learn more: ThoughtCo/Density Rainbow

13. Discover computer coding with LEGO bricks

Chances are good at least some of the kids in your class will go on to work with computer code someday. Introduce the concept now with LEGO bricks.

Learn more: Little Bins for Little Hands

14. Burn calories to explore stored energy

Ever wonder how scientists determine how many calories are in your food? Try this experiment to find out!

Learn more: Science Buddies/Calories Experiment

15. Test PH using cabbage

Teach kids about acids and bases without needing PH test strips. Simply boil some red cabbage and have students use the resulting water to test various substances-acids turn red, and bases turn green. Find a terrific kid-friendly test tube set here.

Learn more: Education Possible

16. Purify water with charcoal

Plenty of homes use water filtration systems these days, but how do they really work? This chemistry experiment explores how charcoal filters impurities from drinking water.

Learn more: The Homeschool Scientist

17. Ride the wave (machine)

Learning about wave action? Build this surprisingly easy wave machine for hands-on exploration.

Learn more: Engaging Science Labs

18. Mummify a hot dog

Are your students fascinated by ancient Egypt? Then we've got the perfect seventh grade science project for your class! No need for canopic jars; just grab some baking soda and get started.

Learn more: Science Buddies/Mummified Hot Dog

19. Construct a water clock

You'll blow your seventh grade science students' minds when you tell them they're going to build a clock using engineering that's been around for thousands of years. The supplies are simple, but the results are pretty neat!

Learn more: STEAM Powered Family

20. Design your own slime

Chances are good your students already love making and playing with slime. Turn the fun into an experiment by changing the ingredients to create slime with a variety of properties, from magnetic to glow-in-the-dark!

Learn more: Science Buddies/Slime Varieties

21. Explore how sugary drinks affect teeth

The calcium content of eggshells makes them a great stand-in for teeth. In this experiment, students use eggs to determine how soda and juice stain the teeth and wear down the enamel. (Bonus: Have students try different toothpaste and toothbrush combinations to see how effective they are.)

Learn more: Feels Like Home

22. Extract DNA from an onion

This experiment takes a bit of time and requires a few special supplies, but kids will truly feel like scientists when they extract onion DNA via a test tube. Most of what you need you can find at home, and you can get 95% ethanol at Amazon.

Learn more: Science Buddies/Onion DNA

23. Put together a DIY barometer

This simple but effective DIY science project teaches kids about air pressure and meteorology. They'll have fun tracking and predicting the weather with their very own barometer.

Learn more: Edventures With Kids

24. Stretch your mind with a flexibility experiment

Find out how important stretching really is by comparing the flexibility of willing test subjects before and after stretch exercises. This is a great experiment for fitness fans.

Learn more: We Have Kids

25. Copper-plate some coins

Students need just a few simple supplies to perform this classic seventh grade science project involving electrolysis and electroplating, but the results are always impressive. Get copper strips and 9V battery snap connectors with alligator clips on Amazon.

Learn more: KiwiCo

26. Swab and test for germs

There's never been a better time to learn about germs and bacteria. This is the kind of experiment that will make your seventh grade science students feel like real scientists!

Learn more: Angelicscalliwags

27. Tinker around with hydraulic power

Give kids a thorough understanding of hydraulics with this ready-to-use unit, which culminates in designing your own hydraulic invention!

Learn more: Teacher Geek

28. Collect and control biofilm

Bacteria that accumulate on objects in the water form a substance called biofilm. In this ecology project, students build an apparatus to collect biofilm and then experiment with ways to reduce the amount of biofilm that accumulates over time.

Learn more: The Homeschool Scientist/Biofilm

29. Learn whether color affects memory

Can certain colors improve your memory? This experiment explores that idea using only colored and black markers and a set of willing participants.

Learn more: Education.com/Colors and Memory

30. Grow and experiment with crystals

There are so many ways to experiment with crystals, teaching kids about supersaturated solutions. Check out the link below for great ideas, like making an edible crystal flower.

Learn more: ThoughtCo/Crystals

31. Use a fidget spinner to explore the laws of motion

Fidget spinners are a great way to keep some kids focused, but did you ever consider using them for a science experiment? This one explores Newton's first law of motion, aka the law of inertia. Fun and educational!

Learn more: From Engineer to Stay at Home Mom/Fidget Spinners

32. See if caffeine helps you type faster

People seek out a jolt of caffeine when they're feeling sluggish, but does it really help them perform better? This science experiment tasks students with answering that question using the scientific method.

Learn more: ThoughtCo/Caffeine Energy

33. Design a pinball machine

Give your class basic supplies like rubber bands, plastic cups, and cardboard boxes. Then challenge them to create their very own pinball machines!

Learn more: Student Savvy

34. Build a Da Vinci bridge

There are plenty of bridge-building experiments out there, but this one is unique. It's inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's 500-year-old self-supporting wooden bridge. All you need are unsharpened pencils and loom bands.

Learn more: iGame Mom

35. Create a taxonomy system

Students can step into Linnaeus' shoes by creating their own system of taxonomy using a handful of different dried beans. This is a fun seventh grade science project to do in groups, so students can see the differences between each group's system.

Learn more: Our Journey Westward

36. Generate electricity

In this science fair project, kids build a generator from scratch. The supplies are readily available online, and there are plenty of experiments students can perform once it's built.

Learn more: Sciencing.com

37. Play around with oxidation

Oxidation experiments can be as simple as dropping objects into water to see if they rust or made more complex by altering the conditions to see if rusting can be delayed or prevented.

Learn more: Teach Beside Me

38. Spin Beyblades to explore angular momentum

There's nothing kids love more than getting to play with their toys during school hours. Use their favorite battling tops to explore the relationship of weight to angular momentum.

Learn more: From Engineer to Stay at Home Mom/Beyblades

39. Blow hot or cold bubbles

Blowing bubbles may sound like too much fun for a science project, but when conditions like temperature are altered, the experimental part kicks in. If it's cold enough, students can even blow frozen bubbles!

Learn more: ThoughtCo/Frozen Bubbles

40. Test out DIY lip balm recipes

Try this experiment for the seventh grade science fair: Cook up batches of lip balms using different recipes and then test them to see which is the most effective.

Learn more: Science Buddies/Lip Balm DIY

41. Whip up some eggshell chalk

Use the calcium in eggshells to make your own sidewalk chalk. Kids will love grinding the eggshells into powder and then decorating the sidewalk with their results!

Learn more: Kidspot

42. Dive into an exploration of swim bladders

If you're learning about fish anatomy, or just exploring buoyancy, this simple experiment is a fun way to dive into the concepts. ( Find more balloon science here.)

Learn more: Science Buddies/Swim Bladders

43. Bake an edible cell model

Sure, students could build a cell model out of clay, but cake and candy are so much more delicious! Check out the link below to see how one teacher does it.

Learn more: Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

44. Determine whether texting is a new language

Kids are fluent in text-speak, but does it really count as a whole new language? In this project, students research language and the history of texting and then compile a texting glossary and consider texting's practical applications.

Learn more: Education.com/Text Language

45. Swing a glass of water

This classic science experiment teaches kids about centripetal force. Be forewarned: This could potentially make a bit of a mess, so consider taking this one outside.

Learn more: Steve Spangler Science/Centripetal Force Board

46. Acidic rain and plants

This experiment tests whether acid rain has any effect on plant life, using vinegar in place of any fossil fuels. A great extension of this experiment would be to do a research project on the effects of pollution and what can be done to decrease these effects.

Learn more: STEAM Powered Family

47. Serenade your plants

Your students will have a blast with this tried-and-true experiment. Have some fun experimenting with different music genres (R&B, country, etc.) to see what effect different music has on the growth of plants.

Learn more: Science Project Ideas and Dengarden

48. Heat (or cool) balloons

This demonstration of the elasticity of balloons when exposed to varying hot and cold temperatures will introduce your students to the concepts of the volume of gas and density. ( Find more balloon science here.)

Learn more: Education.com

49. Detect the effect of detergent on surface tension

The surface tension of water can be tested using different powders, such as talcum powder, and dish soap. Extend this experiment using hard water or other types of detergent.

Learn more: Royal Society of Chemistry and Sciencing

50. Cook up instant ice

Your students can explore the concept of nucleation (the process of chain reactions) when they make their very own instant ice.

Learn more: STEAMsational

51. Simulate plate tectonics

Who knew graham crackers could so easily show your students what different plate boundaries look like? After simulating Convergent, Divergent, and Transform fault boundaries, your students can even have a tasty snack (not the graham crackers they put in water though, because ... gross).

Learn more: Playdough to Plato

52. Evaporate water with food coloring

The water cycle has a lot of parts and a ton of vocabulary. This quick and easy demonstration will show evaporation in action using food coloring. (You can use a hot plate in place of a stove).

Learn more: Capri + 3

53. Determine resonant frequency

We've all seen this "trick" in movies, where someone "plays" the wineglasses and creates notes that come together in a recognizable song. It's not actually a "trick"... it's science! Your middle schoolers will enjoy exploring resonant frequency with different amounts of liquids.

Learn more: Science Buddies

54. Yo-yo to show friction

Teachers, we recommend saving this one for when you have the physical space and the mental energy to deal with middle schoolers experimenting with yo-yos. ... With a good amount of scaffolding and solid safety procedures, this hands-on demo will show your students how friction and angular momentum work.

Learn more: Science Buddies

55. Construct casein plastic

Shock your students by building the background knowledge that prior to the 20th century, all plastic items were made from milk! You don't need a ton of materials for this project, and we definitely encourage having some fun with different types of molds.

Learn more: STEAM Powered Family

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55 of the Best 7th Grade Science Projects and Experiments

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Whether you're looking for science fair ideas or hands-on classroom activities, you'll find lots of seventh grade science projects here!

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What to Do on Lame Duck School Days | Cult of Pedagogy

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What to Do on Lame Duck School Days | Cult of Pedagogy

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Listen to this post as a Podcast:

The term "lame duck" is most often used to describe a president who is still sitting in office after his or her successor has been elected. Technically this person is still the president, but his or her decision-making power is generally perceived to be minimal.

We have something like that in school: those days when technically we're still in school, but because it's right before vacation, the end of the school year is near, or we're in the middle of standardized testing, those class hours don't have the same instructional potential as your average school day. In some cases, like on standardized test days in certain districts, teachers are explicitly told they CAN'T plan regular instruction. On these Lame Duck days, it's hard to figure out what we can do to still provide valuable learning experiences for our students.

Sometimes instead of days, we have small bursts of Lame Duck time: The leftover 15 minutes after the fire drill, when you know you don't have enough time to actually finish the lesson you were teaching, but you don't want to just let them sit there. We often call the activities we need for these times "sponge activities." Regardless of what you call it or how much you need, we all have those times when students are right in front of us but the regularly scheduled programming just isn't going to work.

What then?

In some schools, they'll still let you show movies. I worked in a place like that, although near the end, we were starting to get pressured to cut that out. And I understand why: As a parent, when ask my kids what they did in school on any given day, and I hear "watched a movie," I'm annoyed. I mean, I can show my kids a movie at home. Surely school can step it up a notch? What's worse, "show a movie" in some classes actually means "Put a movie on, but let students do whatever they want while the movie provides background noise." And when the movie is, say, The Sound of Music, or some other classic I have waited years to experience with my kids, and then they tell me their music teacher puts it on all the time, I feel robbed as a parent.

Okay, that's my rant about showing movies in class. Take it with a grain of salt, because (a) I totally showed movies when I needed a day to grade papers and get caught up, and (b) I'm fully aware that a TON of absolutely amazing movies, video clips, and documentaries are absolutely jam-packed with educational value. So I get that it's not the worst thing you can do, and I know it CAN be done right. This is why I would never support a school banning videos across the board; that kind of blunt policy doesn't respect teachers' ability to make the best instructional choices for students.

HOWEVER...when it comes time to plan for Lame Duck days, we really do have so many more options beyond the showing of videos. So if you've decided you want to do something else, or you've been told you flat-out have to, here's a great list for what to do instead. Some of these ideas come from my own teaching experience, others come from online resources, and a lot of them are from a Facebook Live broadcast I did a few weeks ago, where other teachers contributed their own ideas.

I've broken this list into three sections, based on how much prep you'd need to do to for each one and how much time each one would take.

Some list items contain Amazon Affiliate links; if you purchase from Amazon after going through these links, Cult of Pedagogy receives a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Low-Prep

These activities can be done at a moment's notice, with little to no required materials. They can be used as a 10-minute filler or as the main activity for a whole class period.

Clean-up Day: Give students a chance to clean out their binders or lockers and enlist students to help tidy the classroom as well.

Learn a Line Dance: Either you teach your students, they teach each other, or you all learn together from YouTube. What's great about line dancing is that anyone can do it, whether they have rhythm or not. Go back a few years to learn the Cupid Shuffle, further back to learn the Macarena or go way back and learn the Hustle.

Thank-You Notes: Since this important life skill isn't really a part of any curriculum, a Lame Duck day is a perfect time to have students practice it and show some gratitude to the people who deserve it. Provide them with paper and envelopes and have them write thank-you notes to friends, family members, school staff members, or other students. For best results, show them a few examples of thoughtfully written notes ahead of time.

The Compliments Project: This is an incredible activity where students take turns being in the "hot seat" while their classmates write compliments on the board behind them. You have to see this one to appreciate its full impact. Watch here. Although this activity only takes about 5 to 10 minutes per student, which means it would be something you could squeeze into the end of a class period, you should only get it started if you know you'll eventually have time to put every student in the hot seat.

Go Outside: Many of the activities listed in this post could also be done outside, or you could just play a classic outdoors game like Red Rover or Red Light, Green Light. Check out this list of games for ideas.

Philosophical Chairs Debate: This technique has a lot of different names, like Four Corners, Physical Barometer, and This or That, but the idea is the same: You read some sort of statement to the class, like "Students should be allowed to go barefoot in school." Designate one side of the room as the "Agree" side and the other as the "Disagree" side. Students must physically walk to the side of the room that best represents their opinion. Then have students take turns explaining why they are standing in that spot. (If you want fantastic pre-made questions on a PowerPoint for this, take a look at my This or That icebreaker).

Group Story/Progressive Writing: Have every student take out a sheet of paper and have them all write the first sentence (or two, or three) of a story. Then have them pass it to the right and pick up where the last student left off. Keep going until you have a class set of unique stories. One variation of this is to give everyone the exact same sentence to start with, and see how many directions the different stories take.

Medium-Prep

These require you to do a bit of planning ahead of time, but for many, once you've prepared the materials, they can be used over and over again.

Improv Skits: Have groups of students compete by performing improv skits. This can be done in so many ways, but two structures you could use are 3-Word Skits, where students are given three words and must come up with a skit that uses all three, and Bag of Titles, where you (or other students) write lots of interesting or odd titles (e.g., "The Lady with 100 Cats") and the performers must come up with a skit that matches the title. Both of these ideas came from the incredible website Drama Notebook. Another great source for improv ideas is this list of games played on the T.V. show Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Screen these yourself first, as they do contain some adult content.)

Icebreakers: Get students talking with one of my three favorite classroom icebreakers.

Skype: Once you learn about some of the free educational opportunities offered by Skype, you might not want to do anything else in your free class time. One of these is a Mystery Skype, where you connect with another class in an unknown location (only you and the other teacher will know), and students work together to ask a series of yes/no questions until they guess where the other class is. Another is a Virtual Field Trip, where your class Skypes with someone (often a professional in some part of the world, like an ocean exploration with Fabien Cousteau, the grandson of Jacques Cousteau). To learn more, visit the Skype in the Classroom page in the Microsoft Educator Community.

Board Games or Card Games: I think we can all agree that no one plays board games or card games as much as they used to, and the simple fun and social learning that can come from them are worth the time and effort. Some of my family's favorites are Pictionary, Spot It!, Dominoes, Scattergories, Scrabble, Quirkle, Uno, or Yahtzee. Or just buy a few basic decks of cards, then check out the Gather Together Games YouTube channel and learn how to play something classic like Gin Rummy, Spades, or Pinochle.

Minute to Win it Games: These require some equipment and set-up, but not a whole lot, and they will really break students out of their shells. This list from Happiness is Homemade has 10 fantastic ideas, like "Cookie Face" and "Junk in the Trunk."

Mindfulness Practice: Especially during testing season, mindfulness practice can ease stress and give students a skill they can apply in so many other areas of their lives. Two great resources for starting on this journey are the Mindful Schools website, and the book Teach, Breathe, Learn by Meena Srinivasan. Two easy-to-make mindfulness tools are glitter jars and breathing sticks.

Kahoot: If you still haven't tried Kahoot, you're in for a treat. This website lets you create interactive, game show-style quizzes that students play as a class on their own devices. You could create a content-based Kahoot, do one just for fun, or even have students create them.

STEM Challenges: A hands-on problem that students need to solve with science, technology, engineering or math skills is cognitively challenging, socially engaging, and just a fun break from routine in any class. Here are some fun challenge ideas. (Don't mind that it says "elementary." They would be fun for older kids, too.)

Open Mic: This was something I did several times in my middle school classrooms, and it was an incredibly bonding experience. The idea is simple: Invite any student who has some kind of performance talent-whether it's singing, playing an instrument, magic, martial arts, or even creative writing-to take the stage in your classroom and give a short performance. Something truly magical happens when students get to see their peers step outside of the roles they're normally in during class. And if your students are anything like mine were, they will recognize the courage it takes to get up in front of your peers and do this. I can still remember the day when one of my 8th grade girls got up and sang an Alicia Keys song a capella. Beautifully. When she was done the room just exploded with applause. If you have students who are too shy to perform live or whose talent can't be performed in a classroom setting, let them record themselves at home and play the videos in class. One of our great privileges as teachers is helping our students grow into full, well-rounded human beings, and letting them see their own peers in a different light is absolutely one way to do this. (Listen to me talk about this experience on my friend James Sturtevant's Hacking Engagement podcast.)

High-Prep or Long-Term

Genius Hour: Just in case you've never heard of Genius Hour, it's a structure for giving students time to explore topics and skills they choose completely on their own. Sometimes they study a foreign language, teach themselves how to code, even start their own businesses. A Genius Hour project usually happens over a period of weeks or even months, in small increments. So if you've already got a Genius Hour program going, these extra bits of time are perfect for continued work on projects. To learn more about Genius Hour, check out my friend A.J. Juliani's webinar and course here.

Community Service Project: One great way to make the most of the end of the school year is to have students identify a need in the community, then plan and execute a service project. Check out these 7 ideas for service learning projects from We Are Teachers. Another type of service project could be organizing a school-wide yard sale, with the profits going to charity.

Student Video Project: These can take all kinds of forms: end-of-year retrospectives, book trailers, tutorials or welcome videos for incoming students. You could even hold a student film festival where final projects are shown on the last few days of school. This classroom video guide from EdTechTeacher will help get you started.

Amazing Race Game: Just like with the Survivor game above, you could coordinate a game based on the show The Amazing Race following a plan like this one.

Literature Circles: Amid all these other creative ideas, the humble literature circle may not seem quite so exciting, but never underestimate the value of a small group of students talking about a fantastic book they're all reading. To learn more, see this Getting Started Guide to Literature Circles from ReadWriteThink.

BreakoutEDU Activities: BreakoutEDU is kind of hard to explain, but I'll give it a shot: It's a kit that contains several boxes, a few locks, an invisible ink pen and UV light, a USB drive, and a few other pieces of equipment. The deal with the box is that teachers use them to facilitate games, games that feel like a cross between a mystery and a challenge, where clues are left around the room and students have to answer questions in order to find them. In the same way that you can plug questions or content into a platform like Kahoot, you can do the same with BreakoutEDU (they also have a lot of pre-made games available for purchase). Learn more here.

Student/Teacher Unconference: Using a chunk of hours or a whole day, teachers and students plan short lessons on things they are interested in outside of school (crafts, yoga, cooking, martial arts, music, dance, technology), then sign up for time slots like an EdCamp. With the schedule in place, students and teachers can then sign up to attend the ones they are interested in. This would definitely take some planning, especially the first time, but it could be so worth it. What is an unconference?

TED Talks: Watching these short, powerful presentations has become almost a rite of passage for 21st century humans. Have students watch a few to understand the style, then plan and deliver their own.

Even More Fantastic Ideas:

There's so much more where this came from.
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Listen to this post as a Podcast: The term "lame duck" is most often used to describe a president who is still sitting in office after his or her successor has been elected. Technically this person is still the president, but his or her decision-making power is generally perceived to be minimal.

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

Thought starters

As you watch, think about the feedback you might give Ms. Shon. What advice does Dr. Royce give about wait time, inquiry, and time management?

How does Ms. Shon make her classroom more student-centered?

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Ms. Shon is a new teacher, but lucky to have coaches and mentors at her school site. Dr. Royce visits to evaluate one of Ms. Shon's lessons. Her coach works with her over the course of two weeks before Dr. Royce returns to see a second lesson.

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Strategies For Building Student Vocabulary

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Strategies For Building Student Vocabulary

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Thought starters

Why is it beneficial to have students identify challenging vocabulary on their own?

How could you consider vocabulary development when selecting texts for your students?

How would you have students share and define the words they select?

School Details

John Ehret High School
4300 Patriot Street
Marrero LA 70072

Data Provided By:

Teachers

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High school physics teacher Shelia Darjean Banks has her students identify challenging vocabulary words when reading science texts. Shelia asks each student to select five challenging vocabulary words. Students will work together to share and define the words they identify.

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10 Ways To Build Stress Resilience For Educators

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10 Ways To Build Stress Resilience For Educators

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I just watched a television commercial advertising "Back to School" sales. Could it be? Is it already time to wrap up summer and begin planning for the school year that's looming on the horizon?

As I contemplated the notion of an imminent end to unplanned summer outings and my wanderlust approach to each day, I noticed the leaves of the trees changing ever so slightly and took it as a sign. Indeed, it is time - not to fret with anxiety about what's to come, but to embrace the challenge of building stress resilience activities into my routine now.

Form follows function, or is it function follows form? Either way, it's a better game plan to build a solid form during the last few weeks of summer vacation so that when stressful times arise (and they will arise), I'll have my routines in place.

Based upon scientific research and the ground-breaking, Nobel Prize-winning work outlined in The Telomere Effect, here are 10 ways to bolster your fortitude for getting back into the groove and meeting the challenges of teaching throughout the year.

Authors Elizabeth Blackburn and Elissa Epel outline how we approach stress. If we can face stress with a challenge approach versus a threat response, our DNA will benefit significantly by increasing telomerase, which is an enzyme responsible for repairing our telomeres.

Telomeres are protective caps that contain genetic code on the ends of DNA strands. If telomeres get damaged and frayed, subsequent copies of DNA will be damaged. Thus, each cell will begin to age more quickly. I'm simplifying this greatly, so I encourage you to order the book to learn more. But in the meantime, here are a few quick tips to get you started:

Wake up with joy. When you open your eyes in the morning, don't immediately reach for your phone. Don't anticipate your looming list of things to do with dread. Instead, try thinking about the gift you've been given - a chance to start fresh and seize a new day! Choose optimism and set your intention. What are you going to accomplish on this day?

Take a tip from the fourteenth Dalai Lama:

Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.

~ Dalai Lama

Eat. Choose whole grains, fruits, and veggies. Think about how each thing you eat nourishes each cell in your body. Antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals will replenish you and sustain you with the energy you need to do your very important work - teaching and leading children. Learn about mindful eating and engage every sense. Smell your food, taste it in your mouth, and plan for a healthy afternoon snack for that staff meeting so you can avoid a sugar crash later. Say no to unhealthy snacks and ask for others to respect your wishes for self-care.

Learn about QiGong. QiGong is an ancient Chinese practice called a movement meditation. It's been around for over 4,000 years and the great part is that it's on YouTube. I like YoQi, a free beginner's Qigong that reduces depression and may improve diabetes, but also increases your vitality. Move the mind into the body, feel the energy (chi/Qi) tingle through your extremities with easy movements, and feel a sense of calm within five minutes. Qigong invokes relaxation through the awakening of the parasympathetic nervous system, creating blood flow and the exchange of gases in our cells.

Think about your relationships. Who are the colleagues that can cultivate your personal power of positivity? Avoid negative, toxic people. People who have positive relationships and feel supported by a group have better health, in contrast to those who feel isolated and are more likely to die earlier. Consider social media. Is it helpful in supporting your relationships or is it causing you to feel socially isolated? Do you have at least one friend that you can confide in and feel mutual respect, support, and love when you're together?

Breathe. Practice mindfulness strategies using meditation and simple, brief moments of awareness throughout your day. Stay in the present and count your breath as you drive to work, walk your dog, take a shower, and prepare that lesson plan. If you've never counted your breath before and want to try, begin by inhaling to the count of seven and exhaling to the count of 11. If you can't do it now, try again and again until you can. It takes time and patience to stop the mind from wandering and focus on the breath. There are several great apps that can help you train your mind, such as Headspace.

Be aware. Pay attention throughout your day. Be mindful of your experiences, thoughts, and feelings. If you're feeling preoccupied with something, ask yourself, "Will this bother me 10 years from now?" This simplified distancing technique is outlined in detail in The Telomere Effect and is beneficial to retraining the cognitive mind and building new neural pathways so you can respond (not react) to stress in a more powerful way. Rumination is a dangerous thought pattern in which we think about the past or future and neglect what's happening in the present. Train your mind to stay in the present and avoid ruminating thoughts.

Exercise. Plan for 40 minutes at least three times a week. Balance out aerobic and interval training by doing a little bit of cardio for 15 minutes, walking for five, and then back at it again for another 15 minutes, and so forth. If it's been a long and grueling day in the classroom, take it easy on yourself and go for a walk. Find a way to connect with nature and practice mindfulness. Take advantage of your natural interests, such as dancing or playing an instrument. Try weaving your favorite hobby into your weekly schedule.

Practice gratitude. Each day, at the end of your day, think about one thing that made you happy and write it in a journal. Spend $20 on a Happiness Journal and learn about the surprising science of happiness. It's remarkable how little effort it takes to cultivate a happier life and the simple routines proven to rewire the brain. The neuroplasticity of the brain allows for us to rewire our thinking. If you're a science junkie like me, learn more by watching Dan Gilbert's TED Talk about happiness.

Create your very own sleep ritual. Plan on going to sleep at the same time each night (even on the weekends). Reserve one hour without screens before your planned sleep time. Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and create a cool and dark bedroom that's relaxing and uncluttered. I like to use earplugs and an eye mask to signal my nervous system that it's time to power down. You'll discover what works best for you, but whatever it is... stick with it! If you suffer from recurring thoughts about what to do tomorrow, try a body scan meditation to develop an awareness of your body and the parts of your body that might be holding on to residual stress from the day.

Practice self-compassion and self-care. You work hard. And now you're going from not teaching during summertime to teaching either full or part time, and balancing it all. You're not alone; there are thousands of other teachers around the world who are experiencing the same challenges. It won't be perfect and that's okay. Be comfortable with imperfection. Love yourself and be kind to yourself. When you care for a child, friend, or a pet, your brain releases a chemical called oxytocin. This chemical feels good and your brain experiences euphoria. Train your mind to turn that feeling of compassion towards yourself. Laugh at your mistakes and know that you'll do better the next time by being thoughtful and intentional in your actions. Be kind to others and send loving kindness to the people around you.

Have a great school year and enjoy taking some time to build your very own stress resilience action plan. Your students will benefit, your relationships will be strengthened, and your ability to respond to stress will help with teacher wellness all year long.

You define your success. What will your success look like in 2018-2019? How will you respond to stress? Share your plans in the comments below.
Jennifer Munoz is a STEAM + Science Specialist who works in San Diego, California, in the Del Mar Union School District. She enjoys working with other science teachers as a Tch NextGen Science Squadster, and stays connected with the local research and science industries throughout the San Diego region as a BIOCOM Teaching Fellow. Currently, she works with K-6 students as a science specialist. Jennifer has taught grades 8-12 in both Physical Sciences and Life Sciences, but truly loves teaching all sciences and engineering projects. Recently, she has been focusing on the design process and how it connects science with art and literacy to bring real-world experiences to the classroom. She is truly grateful to work with kids each day because they have no filters, and enjoys sharing these experiences to further her work of strengthening the hearts and nourishing the minds of children. Follow Jennifer on Twitter: @pettaluma.

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10 Ways to Build Stress Resilience Based on Science

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I just watched a television commercial advertising "Back to School" sales. Could it be? Is it already time to wrap up summer and begin planning for the school year that's looming on the horizon?

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Teaching resources

Science is an inspiring process of discovery that helps satisfy the natural curiosity with which we are all born. Unfortunately, traditional instruction that misrepresents science as a body of facts to be memorized and the process of science as a rigid 5-step procedure can deaden students' spirit of inquiry.

Students should come away from our classrooms with an appreciation of the natural world — fascinated by its intricacies and excited to learn more. They should view and value science as a multi-faceted, flexible process for better understanding that world. Such views encourage life-long learning and foster critical thinking about everyday problems students face in their lives. You can cultivate these ways of thinking in your students through science instruction that accurately and enthusiastically communicates the true nature of science and that encourages students to question how we know what we know.

Fortunately, fostering such understandings needn't require reorganizing your entire curriculum. Simple shifts in how content and activities are approached can make a big difference in overcoming student misconceptions and building more accurate views of the process of science. Educational research supports the following strategies for teaching about the scientific endeavor:

Make it explicit: Key concepts regarding the nature and process of science should be explicitly and independently emphasized. Engaging in inquiry and studying the history of science are most helpful when the nature-of-science concepts they exemplify are explicitly drawn out in discussion and interactions.

Help them reflect: Throughout instruction, students should be encouraged to examine, test, and revise their ideas about what science is and how it works.

Give it context, again and again: Key concepts about the nature and process of science should be revisited in multiple contexts throughout the school year, allowing students to see how they apply to real-world situations.

We've assembled a variety of resources to help you increase student understanding of nature and process of science. To improve your own content knowledge, explore Understanding Science 101 and our resource library. To prepare yourself with lesson plans, teaching tips, and pedagogical strategies, visit a Teacher's Lounge or explore the all-level resources listed below and to the right.

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Teaching resources Science is an inspiring process of discovery that helps satisfy the natural curiosity with which we are all born. Unfortunately, traditional instruction that misrepresents science as a body of facts to be memorized and the process of science as a rigid 5-step procedure can deaden students' spirit of inquiry.

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All kinds of people become scientists. And scientists do all kinds of things. Watch and read about these scientists at the Smithsonian. What kind of scientist would you like to be?

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The Periodic Table of Videos - University of Nottingham

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The Periodic Table of Videos - University of Nottingham

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Tables charting the chemical elements have been around since the 19th century - but this modern version has a short video about each one.

We've done all 118 - but our job's not finished. Now we're updating all the videos with new stories, better samples and bigger experiments.

Plus we're making films about other areas of chemistry, latest news and occasional adventures away from the lab.

All these videos are created by video journalist Brady Haran, featuring real working chemists from the University of Nottingham.

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The Periodic Table of Videos - University of Nottingham

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Short videos about every element on the periodic table, plus other cool experiments and chemistry stuff

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We partner with corporations, universities, and school systems throughout the United States, which help us research, design, and test our activities every step of the way. Not only do teachers and students appreciate our free activities, Edheads has been recognized by almost every major award on the Web for our excellent educational content.

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PhET: Free online physics, chemistry, biology, earth science and math simulations

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PhET: Free online physics, chemistry, biology, earth science and math simulations

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Over 1.1 billion simulations delivered

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Founded in 2002 by Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman, the PhET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado Boulder creates free interactive math and science simulations. PhET sims are based on extensive education research and engage students through an intuitive, game-like environment where students learn through exploration and discovery.

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Founded in 2002 by Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman, the PhET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado Boulder creates free interactive math and science simulations. PhET sims are based on extensive education research and engage students through an intuitive, game-like environment where students learn through exploration and discovery.

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Ten Websites for Science Teachers | Edutopia

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Ten Websites for Science Teachers | Edutopia

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Blogger Eric Brunsell takes us on a tour of his favorite online resources for science teachers.

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science news learn teach biology physics chemistry scishow "hank green" skeleton tardigrade "michael aranda"

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SciShow explores the unexpected. Seven days a week, Hank Green, Michael Aranda, and Olivia Gordon delve into the scientific subjects that defy our expectatio...

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Your contribution at any level will go directly toward increasing capacity to serve more teachers and students and it will help to sustain the program. Get a print copy of the book Inquiring About Plants: A Practical Guide to Engaging Science Practices by Uno, Sundberg and Hemingway with a donation of $30 or more.

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PlantingScience F2 Grant Award

We are thrilled to announce that we have been recently been awarded a 5-year, $3.9M grant from the USA's National Science Foundation. The new project extends previous research on PlantingScience, which showed improvements in student achievement and attitudes toward scientists. This grant will include developing and comparing an online format for collaborative teacher/scientist professional development to an in-person format, including comparing outcomes from students of teachers prepared through the different formats. Read more here.

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1502892.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Your contribution at any level will go directly toward increasing capacity to serve more teachers and students and it will help to sustain the program. Get a print copy of the book Inquiring About Plants: A Practical Guide to Engaging Science Practices by Uno, Sundberg and Hemingway with a donation of $30 or more.

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What is the Earth Exploration Toolbook?

Developed by teams of scientists and educators, the Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET) is a collection of online Earth system science activities. Each activity, or chapter, introduces one or more scientific data sets and analysis tools that enables users to explore some aspect of the Earth system.

Within the context of a case study, each chapter guides users through a step-by-step process in which they access data and use analysis tools to explore real issues and questions in Earth system science. In the course of completing a chapter, users produce and analyze maps, graphs, images, or other data products. The ultimate goal of each activity is to build users' skills and confidence so they can use data to conduct their own investigations of the Earth system.

Who is it for?

Earth Exploration Toolbook chapters are written to the teacher, generally at the secondary and college level. However, chapters can be used by other educators, students, citizens, and policy makers to guide their own learning, adapt to their own purposes, and enable them to answer their own Earth system science questions based on valid scientific data.

How can I learn more?

Come on into the site! Learn more about the Earth Exploration Toolbook. Find out how you can use a chapter. Browse the collection. Link to related professional development opportunities. Start now...

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The Earth Exploration Toolbook is a collection of computer-based Earth science activities. Each activity, or chapter, introduces one or more data sets and an analysis tool that enables users to explore some aspect of the Earth system.

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Pantry staples from the genetic swap meet - May, 2021
To many people, genetically engineered food feels unnatural and repellent: Fish genes in strawberries? No thanks. Opponents often call them "Frankenfoods," suggesting that only a mad scientist could combine genes from different species in this way. But in recent decades, biologists have found that nature itself often plays fast and loose with DNA. Now, new research shows how important this inter-species genetic swap meet has been in grasses, a group that includes food staples like rice, corn, wheat, and sugar cane.

Read the rest of the story here | See the Evo in the News archive

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Pantry staples from the genetic swap meet - May, 2021 To many people, genetically engineered food feels unnatural and repellent: Fish genes in strawberries? No thanks. Opponents often call them "Frankenfoods," suggesting that only a mad scientist could combine genes from different species in this way.

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Biodiversity Heritage Library - The Field Book Project

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Biodiversity Heritage Library - The Field Book Project

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Biodiversity Heritage Library - The Field Book Project

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Understanding Science - How science REALLY works...

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Understanding Science - How science REALLY works...

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Practice Briefs

These very short pieces highlight ways of working on specific issues that come up during STEM teaching. You can browse them below or easily flip through and browse the entire collection online. If you would like to browse or download the entire collection of tools as eye-catching PDFs, check out: http://STEMteachingtools.org/link/PDFcollection/

We're translating our collection of tools for science education into Spanish. Click here to read the STEM Teaching Tools that have been translated.
Estamos trabajando para traducir las STEM Teaching Tools en español. Hagan click aquí para leer las STEM Teaching Tools (STT) que han sido traducidas.

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Enter your email below to receive periodic updates about new tools. This is a low-volume email list, and we promise not to share your address with others.

Tweets by @STEMTeachTools

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These very short pieces highlight ways of working on specific issues that come up during STEM teaching. You can browse them below or easily flip through and browse the entire collection online. If you would like to browse or download the entire collection of tools as eye-catching PDFs, check out: http://STEMteachingtools.org/link/PDFcollection/ We're translating our collection of tools for science education into Spanish.

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Looking for Authentic PBL? Try Middle School Hydroponics

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Looking for Authentic PBL? Try Middle School Hydroponics

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By Sandy Wisneski
Hydroponics. What did I know about it from the beginning? Very little to be honest. However, since I taught at a public PBL (project-based learning) school, I needed to be ready to research and learn, just like the students, using an inquiry process.

At Catalyst Charter Middle School, innovation and real-world projects are essential for deeper learning and investigation. An opportunity was presented to write a grant that required connecting learning to agriculture. Hydroponics was the answer for us.

Although I didn't have a lot of experience or background knowledge on this topic, I did have a passion for gardening and was willing to learn. Our staff was on board so we decided to pursue the grant opportunity.

Grant writing takes time. However, in addition to support from my district, I was fortunate to work with a grant writer that helped with jargon and "tweaking" to accurately promote my vision.

Vision is all important. Be sure to know your vision and where you are heading before starting. What do you want students to learn through the project? How will the project challenge the staff and students? This may sound simplistic, but it will help guide the direction of the grant.

Other important first steps

Call upon an expert. Initially, we located a local expert on hydroponics. In PBL (Project-based learning), including experts as resources is important and adds an element of real-world experiences. Bryan Ernst, the founder of Ernessi Organics, developed a plan specifically for our school which would ensure success with our project. Mr. Ernst already had a successful hydroponics business, so using his expertise saved us time and expensive mistakes.

Identify what's needed. Part of the process was learning what each of the required devices and supplies were and why they were important to hydroponics. There were a variety of hydroponic systems available, but we decided on the raft system. The materials we ordered included reservoirs, growing rafts, air stones, nutrients, stainless steel shelves, and lights. We decided to grow butterhead lettuce.

Find the right space. Setting up a new hydroponics system took some creative problem-solving since we were on the second floor of an old school building and did not have an ideal system for transferring water.

Prepare the nutrient solution. After the water was purified, nutrients were added to sustain the growing plants. With these additions, pH/TDS/PPM levels needed to be measured daily and documented on spreadsheets.

One of the most important things to understand when growing plants indoors is that the success of your plants is determined by limiting factors. If your plants do not receive enough of one variable, then your plants will not grow at their maximum rate regardless of how much of any other variable your plants are given. ( Source)

Establish research parameters. Part of the investigation with hydroponics included collecting data on the growth of our butterhead lettuce. When setting up the system, everything was kept consistent except for the lighting.

On one level of the rack, fluorescent plant lights were used, and on the second level, the lettuce was exposed to an LED light which targeted only blue and red wavelengths. (Plants do not effectively use the entire spectrum of light, but only absorb light in the range of two particular wavelengths.)

Part of the project involved students measuring the size of the plant leaves and height of the plant, along with observations on the color and root growth. This was documented on a chart each week and shared with everyone. As time progressed, observation, evidence and data made it clear that there was a difference between lights. The LED lights produced stronger plants with darker green leaves.

Sharing results with authentic audiences

Students had the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise in hydroponics during our end-of-year Catalyst Showcase Night. Parents and community members viewed displays of projects over the past quarter while listening to presentations by students.

The hydroponics project was a new experience for many families. They were surprised to see lettuce floating on rafts with roots extending into the bubbling water. They were especially surprised by the difference in growth and color of the plants between the LED and fluorescent lighting.

One important step in PBL is to produce a product - which brings me to the salads. Generally, middle school students do not gravitate toward healthy food, but when the food is grown by them, things change dramatically.

A salad bar was set up in our conference room where we had the hydroponics area against a wall. As students walked through the salad bar, they looked over at the remaining lettuce that was growing and asked, "Is that the same lettuce we are eating? Wow, really?" Ownership creates engagement, and students owned their salads.

Our grant included a goal to share the final product with our local food pantry. After feeding 130 students, we had 12 heads of buttercrunch lettuce remaining that were donated to the Ripon Food Pantry.

Questions for the future

Hydroponics is a real-life PBL (project based learning) experience. We started on the adventure with a slight amount of knowledge, which has spurred more questions for the future. What else can we grow hydroponically? How can we help our community with the produce? Could hydroponics help with the sustainability of our school?

We have learned the importance of connecting with experts and not being afraid to try something different, even if you are heading into unknown waters.
All images provided by Sandy Wisneski
________________
Sandy Wisneski (@stampcat2) is lead teacher at Catalyst Charter Middle School in the Ripon, WI Area School District. She is the district webmaster, tech mentor, and yearbook advisor as well as initial educator mentor. Over the past 40 years, she has obtained her masters in reading, become certified as a Flat Classroom Teacher, a Graphite Certified Teacher and BrainPOP Certified Educator, and was a participant in the Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy. She enjoys challenging students to "take ownership" for their learning and to be effective digital citizens in the world. See her MiddleWeb articles and reviews.

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Looking for Authentic PBL? Try Middle School Hydroponics

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By Sandy Wisneski Hydroponics. What did I know about it from the beginning? Very little to be honest. However, since I taught at a public PBL (project-based learning) school, I needed to be ready to research and learn, just like the students, using an inquiry process.

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Pure Substances, Mixtures and Solutions, Oh My! This lesson will assist students in distinguishing b ...

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Pure Substances, Mixtures and Solutions, Oh My! This lesson will assist students in distinguishing b ...

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Pure Substances, Mixtures and Solutions, Oh My!

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4 Ever a Teacher: Mixtures and Solutions

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4 Ever a Teacher: Mixtures and Solutions

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I have to admit I was very a little terrified of this topic and how I was going to approach it with my kiddos. Don't misunderstand me. I LOVE SCIENCE! I am constantly trying out different science investigations both in class and at home and I understand most of the time the chemistry behind it and "how" it works I am very good at doing the research), but teaching abstract concepts such as: "It's there, you simply can't see it with the naked eye.", "It evaporated and is now in the atmosphere.", "The atoms rearrange to form 'new' products called precipitates.", etc. can become overwhelming. I wanted to make sure my kiddos developed a true understanding of the concepts, that I ignited their curiosity even further, and that their love of science wouldn't diminish because the concepts may be too foreign or difficult to tackle. I should have known better than to underestimate my kiddos. :)

The following are some of the investigations we have done so far:

Investigation #1 What is a Mixture
I first began by having a mixture of Chex Mex, mini-marshmallows, pretzels, peanuts, and M&M's in a large bowl. I asked the kids to tell me what they could see. They stated I had a mixture of items. I then asked them if I could separate them into like ingredients if I wanted to. They said I could and I asked them to prove it to me by doing just that. They separated the items (substances) that have been mixed together and of course got to eat them. I then told them that a is any two or more substances that have been mixed together and can usually be separated back into the original substances. We then charted any mixtures that they may know: chocolate milk, fruit salad, clothes in the dryer, coffee and creamer, stew, Skittles, etc. I did not differentiate between mixtures and solutions.
Students also had the opportunity to sort out pictures into either a mixture or a solution. They had to be ready to explain/justify why they placed the items where they did with a partner. Click on the picture for the sorting sheet.

Or you can access here as well.

Investigation #2 Separating Mixtures
In this investigation students mixed three different substances, Diatomaceous Earth (the remains of millions year old, sea-dwelling microorganisms that have decomposed into a predominantly silica-based substance), gravel, and kosher salt into three separate cups containing 50 ml of water each. They stirred and mixed the materials. They were then asked to separate all three substances using a screen. They realized only the gravel was able to be separated using the screen due to the size of the holes on the screen.

Students were then introduced to a different filter using a funnel and coffee filter. They were able to see that the coffee filter has tinier holes in it. When they tried to filter out the diatomaceous earth/H2O mixture and the salt/H2O mixture only the diatomaceous earth was able to be filtered the salt mixture went right through.

Students were asked to discuss why this happened. Some said that the salt melted, some said the salt disappeared, and some said that the salt had dissolved into the water. We then discussed that earlier we learned that mixtures can be separated into their original substances, therefore we should be able to separate the salt mixture. After much discussion, one group said that if we let the water dry up, maybe we could get the salt back because somebody in that group had once let saltwater from the beach dry up in a cup. This was a perfect segue into the terms and . Students then placed enough salt/H2O mixture into a lid and we let them out to dry.

About 2-3 days later, we were able to observe salt crystals left behind on the lid after the water had evaporated from the solution. With magnifying lenses they noticed that the salt crystals are shaped like squares and have an x across them.

They were so blown away by this! Explaining a solution to them, became much easier. They were able to understand that a solution is a special type of mixture that is clear and cannot be separated with a filter. Most solutions are separated through evaporation. We then went online to complete this sorting activity together. Click on the picture for the link.

Investigation #3 Separating Dry Mixtures
In this investigation students mixed the same three substances used in investigation #2 into one cup and had to develop a thorough method of separating the three substances. Students easily identified that the way to separate the gravel was to use the screen. They then drew upon their previous work to add water to the powder and salt, use the funnel to separate the powder and let the remaining solution evaporate to get the salt back. This was beyond amazing to me at how they were making connections and figuring out the processes on their own.

Investigation #4 Salt Saturation
Students were asked to dissolve salt in water until no more salt will dissolve. They marked the level of the water without salt using a sticky note. Using a balance, they weighed the water and noted it weighed approximately 50 grams. They then added one 5ml spoon of salt at a time into a container that had 50ml of water. After each spoonful they shook the container and observed for evidence of salt particles. If so salt was observed they continued to add salt. As soon as they observed salt they stopped. They now had a saturated solution--the solid substance can no longer dissolve. They then used the balance to measure how much salt in grams was added to achieve saturation.

50 grams of H2O + ?salt grams= ?grams of solution

Once they had the new weight they were easily able to do the math to find out the grams of salt by doing the inverse relation of addition.

Investigation #5 Epsom-Salts Saturation
Students repeated the prior investigation to determine if it would take the same, less, or more amounts of Epsom-salts to reach saturation. They discovered that it took more grams of Epsom-salts. I then asked how I could separate the Epsom-salts for the solution and they immediately knew that we had to use evaporation. They again placed some solution on a lid and let it evaporate. They made their observations a couple of days later and noticed the crystals left behind looked different then the kosher salt.

One group mixed had an epsom salt saturation with food coloring. After evaporation, this was their result.

Another group had baking soda saturation with food coloring. After evaporation, this was their result.

Students observing the salts with a microscope.

Investigation #6a Chemical Reactions-Fizzing
Students were asked to consider whether citric acid, baking soda, and calcium chloride would make solutions in water. Students made three solutions using 50ml of H2O and 5Ml of each substance. Students discovered that all but the baking soda easily dissolve in 50ml of water, making them more in H2O than baking soda. Students were asked what might they do to get it to completely dissolve and some suggested to add more H2O. The groups added another 25ml of H2O and confirmed that indeed it dissolves in H2O. Some students also noted that when they mixed the calcium chloride, the solution became warm. I then explained that this is a property of calcium chloride. As it dissolves, energy as heat is released.

The Fizz Test
Cup#1 Students mixed 5ml each of calcium chloride and baking soda in 50ml of H2O. They observed some fizzing with some white stuff in it. when asked if it is a solution, students were torn. Some said it was not a solution because of the white stuff left behind and others said it was a solution with white stuff in it. I accepted both arguments. Save the contents of this cup for a later investigation.

Cup#2 Students mixed 5ml each of calcium chloride and citric acid in 50ml of H2O. Students noted this made a solution-not very exciting to observe.

Cup#3 Students mixed 5ml each of citric acid and baking soda in 50ml of H2O. Whoa! Watch out! This one is very exciting to observe. There is lots of fizzing and there is a solution once the fizzing stops. Sorry about the lack of pictures. I forgot my phone on this day.

Once students have settled down, discuss with them what they think caused the fizzing of cup 1 & 3. Someone will suggest it is gas. When fizzing is observed in a liquid it is gas escaping and coming to the surface. You can further explain that the bubbles in soda are gas escaping the liquid and then provide the chemical name of the gas--CO2 (carbon dioxide).

It is now time to head outdoors! I am an avid follower of
Steve Spangler the Science Guy. His website, store, and blog are the absolute best for fun, exciting, and engaging science learning experiences. One of my kiddos' favorite is the flying canisters. In our experiment the canisters didn't really fly, but the lids sure did. We used the #44 container as provided in our FOSS kits half way with water one Alka-Seltzer. As stated on the site, "this is an explosive lesson in air pressure and motion," as well as gas escaping the liquid-CO2.

http://www.unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=25_31

Another experiment we did (I did-they observed), was the Mentos Diet Coke Geyser, as seen on Steve Spangler's site. This was such a blast, but I do want to clarify that some scientists argue it is not a chemical reaction, but instead a physical reaction. Either way CO2 is formed in massive amounts and the view is awesome--besides the kids can't stop talking about it!

(Excuse my crazy hair-it was Crazy Hair Day!)

Investigation #6b Chemical Reactions
Students are given back Cup#1 from the #6a investigation and asked what they think the "stuff" in the bottom of the cup may be. I had one student guess it was chalk-Yippee!!! I then confirmed and explained that the white stuff is a substance that is formed when calcium chloride and baking soda are mixed together in water. This new substance is not soluble in water, so it settles to the bottom of the cup. When a solid substance forms and settles out of the water, it is called a precipitate.

Even though many of may students had already been saying that they knew it was a chemical reaction, I decided to introduce it when all the parts of the chemical equation had been observed. It then became easier and clearer that the substances we started with are called and the new substances that form are called .
We discussed the chemical changes that took place in cup#1 as the that indeed a chemical reaction had occurred: temperature change, CO2 formation, and chalk (calcium carbonate) precipitated.

It was finally time to introduce Atoms & Molecules. Most of my students are familiar with atoms and the notion that everything in the world is made of atoms. We discussed it last year when we learned about electrons and protons in electricity & magnetism unit. They are also familiar with the periodic table and some element names because of H2O and CO2 in regards to photosynthesis. It is wonderful when things connect. I reintroduced a molecule as two or more atoms combined. Again it ties back to H2O and CO2. In the weeks to come we will be digging deeper into the periodic table, its 90 naturally occurring elements, and their associations/properties on the table.

Investigation #6c Reaction Products
Students were asked to separate the contents of cup#1. They knew exactly what to do! They used the funnel and filter paper to separate the chalk (set it aside to dry). I told them one of the properties of chalk is that it reacts with vinegar. I took a piece of chalk (it was red) and added 50ml of vinegar to find out for sure. I told them they would be able to test their substance on the filter paper once it was dry to make sure it was chalk--TaDa! It was chalk.

Chalk reacting with vinegar-fizzing=CO2.

Top view after evaporation.

I then asked them if they thought the clear liquid was a solution and if so how we could test it. They said to let it evaporate and if crystals formed it was a solution--One of my students asked if the substance that remains after the solution evaporates are always crystals? What a wonderful mind. To their amazement they soon discovered that the solution had salt. They knew it was salt because of the square shaped figures with and x's across them. This brought about so many questions. they wanted to know how salt came about if it was not added as a reactant. Again this was the perfect segue into how atoms rearrange to form new substances in a chemical reaction. It was also a perfect time to explain that atoms are destroyed during reactions and other molecules are created. No atoms are left behind and no atoms are added from other places. The same amount of atoms on one side equals the same amount of atoms on the product side but in different combinations (molecules).

CaCl2+ 2 NaHCO3 = 2 NaCl+CO2+CACO3 +H2O

With the use of small, different colored circles from the die-cut machine. students got the opportunity to practice rearranging atoms and realized there had to be two molecules of baking soda in the reactants in order to balance out the equation, producing 2 molecules of salt and H2O. They really liked that challenge.

All these Mixtures and Solutions investigations can be found by clicking on the FOSS link along with teacher prep videos, and PDF's.

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I have to admit I was very a little terrified of this topic and how I was going to approach it with my kiddos. Don't misunderstand me. I LOVE SCIENCE!

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Parts of the Cell: Using the Jigsaw Method to learn about Organelles – Middle School Science Blog

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Parts of the Cell: Using the Jigsaw Method to learn about Organelles – Middle School Science Blog

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Materials

Desktop/Laptop/Tablet with Internet Access

Google Slides Template (public link)

One shared google doc per home group

To save this ppt - click on "File" then "Make a Copy" or "Download as" and choose the format you would like. Please do not request editing access to this file - that would change my version of this slide show.

Worksheet for 4 expert groups (pdf)

Worksheet for 5 expert groups (pdf)
this allows for less information per expert group, but larger home groups

Links for research
Group 1 contains an expert from A, B, C, & D. All of the "A" members will sit together to research their assigned organelles. Each member of group A will research and create their own slides for the Nucleus (slide 2), Nucleolus (slide 3), Chromatin (slide 4), and Centrioles (slide 5). Home group members (B, C, & D) will add their information to the rest of the slides at the same time A is adding information from the A expert group.

On each slide, they will include the following information:

Name of organelle

Location (Nucleus or Cytoplasm?)

Plant, Animal, or Both?

Function

Images of the organelle

Image of an analogy for that organelle

Encourage students to use the animation feature to have the information appear sequentially instead of seeing all the information as soon as they advance to the next slide. This will help with note taking when they are presenting their information to their home group.

After each expert group is done with their research, they will return to their home group. The member from group A will go first, and using presentation mode in Google Slides (via desktop/laptop/tablet) they will teach their home group about the nucleus, nucleolus, chromatin, and centrioles. Members B, C, and D will write their notes on the handout provided. When A is done, the member from expert group B (via desktop/laptop/tablet) will present his/her organelles in the same manner.

If possible, having each student use their own laptop or desktop for the research phase (expert groups) and then only one laptop or tablet for the presentation part (home group) would be the best option so that their focus is on the person who is presenting.
Additional Resources

Cells Worksheet (ScienceSpot link)

Animal Cell Coloring (link)

Plant Cell Coloring (link)

For more information on how to use the Jigsaw Method - (link)

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Parts of the Cell: Using the Jigsaw Method to learn about Organelles

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This is an updated version on how to use the 'Jigsaw Method' for students to learn about cell organelles that includes a tech component - each expert group will create Power Point slides for their assigned organelles. When each expert group is done, they will have one complete set of slides that they will use to teach each...

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1. 3 D Cell - this is a standard project for entry level biology classes, where students use various objects from around the house to design a three dimensional cell. Popular models are made of clay, cardboard, or styrofoam. Pros: Students seem to enjoy the project and you end up with a lot of amazing models. Cons: Can be expensive, difficult to store, or attract bugs if they are made of candy or other perishables, mostly done as individual projects.

2. Post- IT Cell - this model can be built in class using post it notes. The post-its can be drawn on, labeled or cut to particular shapes. This is a good activity for one class period and students can work in groups to discuss their models, cell structures, and functions. Pros: This is a quick activity and does not require a lot of preparation. Cons: Post-its can be expensive, and students will use a lot of them.

3. Digital Cell - Students create a digital version of a cell using an online creator such as pixlr or sumopaint. Designs can be uploaded and shared via social networks or photo sites. It is even possible to use a virtual bulletin board to have the class create the cell as a group, with each person adding their own element (organelle). Pros: Incorporates technology and allows for a lot of design creativity. Cons: Requires internet connection, photo storage accounts and some planning.
More Cells Created by Students
4. Cell Show and Tell - Students are assigned a single part of the cell, like the mitochondria and are tasked to bring in object from home that represents the structure. Any item will work, but students must present the object and explain how it represents the cell structure. Pros: Promotes critical thinking and requires students to actually talk about the cell and justify their choice. Cons: It can take a whole class period for the "telling" part.

5. Cell Charades - This is a fun game to play at the end of the cell unit, students must act out the part of the cell structure while their team-mates try to guess the structure An alternative to the game format is to ask students to come up with hand signals for each structure and then practice using the symbols instead of the words. Pros: Students have a lot of fun with this and it works well for kinesthetic learners. Cons: They already need to have a pretty good understanding of the cell for the game to work well.

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1. 3 D Cell - this is a standard project for entry level biology classes, where students use various objects from around the house to design a three dimensional cell. Popular models are made of clay, cardboard, or styrofoam. Pros: Students seem to enjoy the project and you end up with a lot of amazing models.

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10 Tips for Teaching Cells & Cellular Processes in Science

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10 Tips for Teaching Cells & Cellular Processes in Science

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Graphic Organizers and Analogies: As students learn the names of all the crazy organelles found inside of bacteria, plant, and animal cells, the key to helping them remember the parts and functions is to use a cell organelle graphic organizer. We like to give student a template for detailing what kind of cell has these organelles, their locations, brief description of their appearance, and their function. In order to further help students retain the information we create a picture or drawing that incorporates all of the info they wrote about that organelle. For example, based on the description of the cell membrane and its ability to determine what goes into and out of the cell, we draw a body guard or a doorman. This visual analogy makes it easy to remember all the details about the cell's membrane. We also like to get the students thinking more critically, so we add on to this activity by asking them to think about what would happen to the cell if a specific organelle went missing!

Cut and Paste Activities: These are kind of like a card sort but obviously more permanent. Create small cards that students will glue into a template in a particular order to show their understanding of things like the levels of organization, matching vocabulary terms to their definitions and examples, identifying parts of a chemical equation like photosynthesis or respiration, etc. They're short, sweet, and once they're done the cut and paste act like a set of notes for them to study. We create a variety of Cells INB Activities for our students to show their understanding of organelles and processes.

Color it: Students learn best with hands-on activities and we often overlook the benefits of coloring. It is not a time waster, in fact it's quite the opposite. Provide students with a coloring sheet to identify organelles in plant, animal, and bacteria cells and the coloring will give them an opportunity to think about the structure and how it relates to the function of the cell. Colors can also help us better remember details too. Create an enlarged version of the cells you provide your students and hang them up in your room or better yet, make them a part of your word wall!

Model It: Once students have a general understanding of cell functions and processes, have them create a model. One of the most popular models you'll find when checking out Pinterest are made of edible materials - a cell cookie or cake. We've also seen cell pizzas, styrofoam models, shrinky dink versions, and more. The key is to not just request students make a model, but they thoughtfully match the material they are using to represent each organelle, they identify each organelle, write about their functions and locations, and describe the processes that occur with the help of those cell parts.

Get Up Close and Personal: How small are cells? How complex or simple are they? Students won't know until they see the real deal. Whether you're using microscopes for the first time by completing a newspaper "e" lab or you've got digital microscopes to show images to the class using your projector, students benefit greatly with the hands-on approach to understanding the smallest unit of life. Here are a few tips to get you movin' and groovin' with the littlest working units of our being:

Interactive Websites: A quick google search will get you on the right track to finding some great websites about cells. The more interactive the better! Assign a website that contains identification of organelles activities, videos to watch, interactive labs, etc, for homework , use in stations, or use as a class activity and students can come up to the whiteboard to show their understanding. If you're looking for a set of sites to use, please check out our FREE WEBSITE COMPILATION PACKET which has several organized pages of websites that are perfect for cell studies.

Act it out: Processes like photosynthesis, protein synthesis, osmosis, diffusion, and cellular respiration are extremely difficult concepts to understand, let alone explain, especially when even our best technology can seldom capture these events in real-life. Take these concepts and turn them into mini-plays in your classroom. Go over the concepts beforehand, assign your students to an organelle or chemical, and then have get up and get moving as they perform the roles of those minute cellular parts. Perform endo- or exocytosis by having students line up around the room and form bubbles around each of the large particles (other students) entering or exiting the cell. Play protein synthesis musical chairs as students take their spot in the ribosome and string together a long strand of protein using paper and tape. The possibilities are endless!

Write about it: Bring literacy into your science lessons by having students write about cells. Students can research a recent discovery or a controversy about cell research (such as the one surrounding stem cell research) and write a brief summary about what they have learned. Turn that into an opinion piece and have students write a letter to the President explaining how they feel about the recent event and what they would like to see changed or continued regarding the future. For a light-hearted activity, we like to have students write a love letter or poem in the form of a Valentine to their favorite organelle, but you could do this at any time of year for enrichment or review.

Compare and Contrast:Have students create a variety of ways to compare and contrast cells, their functions, organelles, etc. Venn diagrams can be used to compare and contrast mitochondria with chloroplasts, mitosis and meiosis, endocytosis to exocytosis, photosynthesis vs. respiration, and more! We have a FREE Fortune Teller/Cootie Catcher that is perfect for comparing and contrasting Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes.

Real World Inquiry Labs: Try a simple lab in which students will get a deep understanding of the gases involved in cellular respiration and photosynthesis. Using Bromothyml blue solution in water, students will note the color of the btb and after blowing through a straw into the solution, they will see a color change. What must have caused the change? Was it a gas? The movement of the water? Heat from your breath? Then allow students to take their "breathed-in" solution and place a an aquatic plant like elodea in it. Under a heat lamp they may be able to see the transformation of the solution back to its original color. Now THAT'S real world science!

We hope we've given you some ex-CELL-ent ideas for teaching cells. Have any you like to do in your class? Please share in the comments below!

You might also like:

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10 Tips for Teaching Cells - Getting Nerdy Science

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Graphic Organizers and Analogies: As students learn the names of all the crazy organelles found inside of bacteria, plant, and animal cells, the key to helping them remember the parts and functions is to use a cell organelle graphic organizer .

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Effective strategies for teaching science vocabulary

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A MiddleWeb Blog

Class is underway and your students are involved in a STEM lesson. Take a close look at their reactions.

Are they interested? Are they engaged? Right up front, assess how the students in your class are responding so you can make quick adjustments today - and use what you learn to strengthen lesson designs throughout the year.

Several possible "fails" may be sabotaging your students' learning. Check for some common problems using this handy "STEM Lesson Debugger."

Bug Check 1: Is the challenge interesting and relevant?

Kids need to be interested and involved in the STEM challenge. The problem they are solving should be a real problem - not one that involves mythical beings, for example. If possible, your kids could generate their own problem, with the caveat that grade-level math and science would be applied to solve it.

Perhaps they could choose from a list of problems that you see as realistic, doable, and appropriate. You can find information about STEM Problems your students can address on the STEM by Design Book Website.

Bug Check 2: Does the lesson help them make sense of the science and math they're learning?

Kids frequently ask, "Why should I learn this?" Suppose they are using what they are learning to solve a real problem. Suddenly what they are learning has real value.

If they need to understand Newton's Laws of Motion and use specific algorithms to see if they have improved a roller coaster car, then these concepts become practical and important.

Bug Check 3: Does the lesson use an inquiry-based method of teaching and learning?

The best STEM lessons use an inquiry approach. The teacher doesn't tell kids what they're going to be doing or how to do it. STEM lessons are full of active learning - much of it student-directed. Kids should be in charge of research and decisions about solving the problem.

And the problem should have several "right" solutions, or paths they could follow. During the lesson, students actively plan, construct, and test prototypes in search of workable solutions. Get rid of the "sit and get" approach in your STEM classroom.

Bug Check 4: Do your students feel safe about failing along the way?

They feel may feel that failing to come up with a working solution will affect their grade. Perhaps they think that failure is always a bad thing in school or that you will disapprove of them if they don't get it right the first time. Those are definitely ideas you need to debunk.

Help students understand that engineers generally try many times before they find something that works. Getting a perfect solution the first time around is not the idea. Analyzing a solution to see why it failed is often the best learning experience kids can get - certainly better than having someone tell them an answer. Students must feel that their classroom is a safe place.

Bug Check 5: Do students know how to approach problem-solving?

STEM classes teach kids to think like engineers as they tackle and solve problems. Take a look at the Engineering Design Process pictured here. This process is typical of the engineering thought process in STEM lessons. This is not a step-wise or linear approach. Kids can go back and forth between steps, and might use a step more than once (or even skip a step at times).

Science leader Neil DeGrasse Tyson emphasizes the importance of teaching kids how to think and solve problems:

We think of education all too often as, a student walks into a classroom with an empty mind and then you pour stuff into the head, and now they're educated. And at no time are you actually trained how to think, how to analyze, how to process information, how to judge information."

STEM lessons push students to use a process that requires them to think creatively, analyze, infer, and evaluate (among other cognitive skills).

Bug Check 6: Are your students able to work successfully in teams?

In STEM classes students work in productive teams and use constructive teamwork behaviors to solve challenges. That's a tall order in itself, as our students often tend to be competitive rather than collaborative.

And they may prefer working alone rather than making concessions and working out common solutions. Being on a dysfunctional team can cause a student to tune out and withdraw from the challenge.

I've recently revised a Student Teaming Tips handbook, and it's free on my new book website. To get it, scroll to the bottom and download it. Spending some time helping students become productive team members is worth the investment in any class.

Bug Check 7: Do students have time to finish the lesson?

Most STEM lessons cannot be completed in one class period. It may actually take several periods. These are situations where you have to "go slow to go fast." Plan where students can successfully end one part of the lesson and pick up during the next class.

A well-executed STEM lesson will address the science and math objectives students are learning, and perhaps some technology objectives as well. So you are not "off track" when teaching a STEM lesson. You are taking the students deeper into specific concepts and objectives.

Bug Check 8: Do students have opportunities to use and create technology?

STEM identifies technology as any innovation or device created by people to meet a need or want. Students, then, are actually creating technologies when they design prototypes. During their STEM lesson, they may explore the benefits and limitations of different technologies, such as an electrical plants, hydroponic gardens, or genetic engineering.

Students should become more aware of how new technologies are developed and how they affect us. To the extent possible, they should use the newest technologies available to them in STEM work.
Here's a tool you can download
to remind you of the 8 bug checks!
Once you've debugged your lesson, you can fine-tune it

You can make many other adjustments to help STEM lessons go more smoothly. To truly become interested and involved with the lesson, your students need to have confidence that they can be successful. Inspire them with peer role models.

Encourage them to combine materials and ideas in clever and imaginative ways to create solutions. Give them an active and a "safe" environment. And have fun as you lead them through the messy process of creating solutions for real problems.
Anne Jolly's new book, From the Amazon description: "This practical book...has all the answers and tools you need to get started or enhance your current program. Based on the author's popular MiddleWeb blog of the same name, STEM by Design reveals the secrets to successful lessons in which students use science, math, and technology to solve real-world engineering design problems." STEM by Design: Strategies and Activities for Grades 4-8, is published by Routledge/Eye On Education, in partnership with MiddleWeb. Receive a 20% discount with code MWEB1 at the Routledge website.

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A MiddleWeb Blog Class is underway and your students are involved in a STEM lesson. Take a close look at their reactions. Are they interested? Are they engaged? Right up front, assess how the students in your class are responding so you can make quick adjustments today - and use what you learn to strengthen lesson designs throughout the year.

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Brain Games - National Geographic Channel

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Brain Games - National Geographic Channel

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Now including FX, National Geographic, and hundreds of movies on all your devices

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Research-Based Practices for Engaging Students in STEM Learning | Edutopia

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Research-Based Practices for Engaging Students in STEM Learning | Edutopia

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One STEM school that is helping its students develop an array of skills to succeed in college and the workforce is MC2 STEM High School (MC 2 STEM) in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland Metropolitan School District is one of the most economically disadvantaged school districts in the nation, with a free or reduced-price lunch rate of 100 percent. In 2011, just six out of ten students from the school district graduated high school on time. But at MC 2 STEM, which opened its doors in 2008, 95 percent of the first class graduated high school within four years. Students who have attended MC 2 STEM have not only graduated high school, they have also achieved the school's requirements for mastery of every state standard. An integration of several research-based practices helps to promote student success and a caring environment at this small school:

Preliminary research on successful STEM schools indicates that cultivating partnerships with industry, higher education, nonprofits, museums, and research centers is important for engaging students in STEM learning through internships, mentorships, interdisciplinary project-based learning, and early college experiences (Means, 2008; National Research Council, 2011). MC 2 STEM is part of the Ohio STEM Learning Network, a network of ten STEM schools, developed with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and in collaboration with the State of Ohio and various other partners. The Ohio STEM Learning Network is designed around five common principles. As a part of this network, MC 2 STEM is an inclusive STEM school that accepts students via lottery, as opposed to competitive selection, and is committed to the idea that STEM talent is something that can be developed, rather than something innate that must be identified (Means, 2008).

Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning with Real-World Application

Project-based learning (PBL) has been shown to improve students' understanding of science, as well as their problem-solving and collaboration skills, to a greater extent than traditional methods (Geier et al., 2008; Gordon, Rogers, Comfort, Gavula, and McGee, 2001; Kolodner et al., 2003; Lee, Buxton, Lewis, and LeRoy, 2006; Liu, Hsieh, Cho, and Schallert, 2006; Lynch, Kuipers, Pyke, and Szesze, 2005; Marx et al., 2004; Schneider, Krajcik, Marx, and Soloway, 2001). Students who learn science or technology through project-based learning also report that they find it more engaging than traditional instructional techniques (Geier et al., 2008; Yazzie-Mintz, 2010).

PBL is the biggest component at MC 2 STEM and is perhaps even more engaging to students because of its interdisciplinary content. Interdisciplinary curricula have been shown by several studies to support students' engagement and learning (Taylor and Parsons, 2011), and specifically integrating science with reading comprehension and writing lessons has been shown by several studies to improve students' understanding in both science and English language arts (Pearson, Moje, and Greenleaf, 2010).

MC 2 STEM's transdisciplinary capstone projects blend science, English language arts, social studies, fine arts, engineering, and math, and are designed to transcend in-school and out-of-school environments. Their projects more closely resemble the tasks and ambiguities inherent in real life and help to make schoolwork more relevant to students' lives, as well as more transparently linked to the skills needed to succeed in the working world. For example, in the "Bridges" capstone (PDF), students learn about the mathematical and engineering concepts necessary to construct bridges, as well as the symbolic meaning of bridges in literature, history, and social studies.

In accord with the recommendations of PBL scholars and practitioners, capstone projects at MC2 STEM are designed by starting with the learning objectives -- in this case, the Common Core standards (e.g., Wiggins and McTighe, 2005; Buck Institute for Education, 2012). Instructors of different subjects work together to think of a larger thematic concept that covers the state standards, and then they break down the larger thematic concept into units that address each state standard. (See a process model and planning activities for designing these types of transdisciplinary projects.)

In addition to the Common Core state standards, career-readiness standards for engineering and technology are also incorporated into several of the capstone projects at MC 2 STEM. For example, all students complete a Sophomore General Electric Project (PDF), which is designed with GE Lighting employees to address current industry needs. According to Principal Jeffrey McClellan, if instructors are having difficulty coming up with a unit for a particular benchmark, industry partners have been helpful in brainstorming and explaining how particular state standards are used in their work, which results in more realistic capstone units.
(See our Resources and Downloads for PBL design documents and other resources from MC2 STEM for transdisciplinary PBL.)
Challenging Goals with Multiple Opportunities to Show and Develop Learning

The combination of high expectations and adequate supports has been shown by several meta-analyses to be one of the most impactful strategies for improving academic achievement (Hattie, 2009). In order for challenging goals to be effective, Hattie (2011) asserts that they must be presented in a situation that is structured so that students can achieve them, students must be committed to them, and students must receive frequent feedback so they can direct and evaluate their actions accordingly. (See a flow chart of the multiple opportunities that MC2 STEM students have for mastering benchmarks.)

MC 2 STEM is a challenging learning environment that holds high expectations for all students, while also providing multiple forms of support for students to show and develop learning. The MC2 STEM graduation requirements state that in order to earn high school credit, students must achieve mastery (PDF) (greater than or equal to 90 percent in grades 9 and 10, and greater than or equal to 70 percent in grades 11 and 12) on each and every state standard. In addition, students must participate in 60 hours of community and/or STEM service and complete a GE sophomore project as well as a senior project in which they address an original research question.

About half of MC 2 STEM students fulfill all mastery requirements in the first three years. If a student doesn't master a benchmark during a specific capstone, they are not required to retake that course. Instead, the missing benchmark is noted on their grade-card and teachers work with the student to integrate those benchmarks into subsequent capstones. (The digital grade-cards (PDF) provide a real-time picture of student progress toward mastery, and the school uses the 21st Century Partnership for STEM Education's online grade-card system, which is a proficiency-based assessment that gives access to the school's parents and teachers.) About 40 percent of the state standards are assessed through capstone projects, and the rest of the standards are assessed through more traditional in-class methods such as quizzes and presentations. During most classes, students work in groups based on the particular benchmark activities or assessments that they are mastering, while the teacher and tutors walk around and provide assistance.

Ohio's Credit Flexibility Plan has played an important role in redesigning the high school experience at MC 2 STEM to enable in-depth learning. Schools that adopt the program can award high school course credit for fulfilling the state's learning objectives as an alternative to seat-time. (Read more about the policy.) Credit Flexibility supports the Post Secondary Enrollment Option Program provided by MC 2 STEM, which allows students to earn college and high school credits simultaneously. Students also earn high school credit for internship experiences and typically up to two years of early college credit. Principal McClellan has a refrain at MC 2 STEM that reinforces high expectations, rather than the time students spend to achieve them: "Time is the variable. Knowledge is the constant."

Students also participate in many extended-learning activities to support their learning, including summer learning at Case Western Reserve University and tutoring and mentorship programs. Students in grade nine meet with NASA employees four school days a year at NASA Glenn Research Center, and about one-third of freshmen work with NASA tutors after school for one hour, once or twice per week. Throughout the time they are working with the school, NASA tutors work with the same students so relationships can develop. Similarly, in grade ten, GE employees tutor students once or twice per week during lunch, and each tutor works with the same student for the entire time they are in the tutoring program. In addition, all sophomores spend two lunch periods per month with a GE mentor. Students report feeling cared about and supported at the school at a level that is above the district's average, according to the district's 2010 Conditions for Learning Survey.

The dropout-prevention research has also emphasized that "close mentoring and monitoring of students" is critical (Fairfax County Public Schools, 2011). According to McClellan, more often than not, simply asking a student why they haven't been meeting expectations is the first step toward addressing the issue that is holding them back. MC 2 STEM is a small learning environment with approximately 300 students; however, the school's design also incorporates frequent feedback into the curriculum and successfully increases its capacity for tutoring and mentoring through community partnerships with NASA, GE, and the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, as well as with interns and UTeach candidates from Cleveland State University. As described below, community partnerships also help to provide students with feedback from diverse stakeholders through internships and service-learning.

Community Partnerships That Provide Tutors, Mentors, Internships, and Service-Learning Experiences

Project-based learning helps to connect schoolwork with the work of professionals, and these connections are made further transparent through professional mentoring as well as internship and service-learning experiences. As MC 2 STEM students demonstrate mastery of state requirements, they earn the opportunity to participate in paid and unpaid internships (PDF) for high school credit. The principal determines internship readiness, with input from the guidance counselor and professional partners where appropriate. The potential employer interviews the student and decides if the student is hired for their internship. Currently over 50 percent of seniors and 40 percent of juniors are participating in paid internships, and about 90 percent of the class of 2012 participated in an internship prior to graduation. In addition to internships, all students are required to complete 40 hours of community service.

Research supports the potential benefits of internships or apprenticeships and community service for academic achievement and student engagement when these experiences are closely connected with curricular objectives (Bell, Blair, Crawford, and Lederman, 2003; Billig, 2007). Rigorous studies from the career-academy literature have also shown that integrating academic and work experiences can have positive impacts on students' later earnings. Graduates of career-themed high schools that emphasized the connection between school and getting a good job earned 11 percent more per year, on average, than graduates of traditional high schools eight years after graduating (Stern et al., 2010). Similarly, the dropout-prevention literature emphasizes the importance of making school relevant to students' lives and making sure that school is engaging and challenging. In a 2006 survey of students who dropped out of high school, 81 percent said that if schools provided opportunities for real-world learning, including internships and service-learning, it would have improved their chances of graduating high school (Bridgeland, Dilulio, and Morison, 2006). The study also found that clarifying the links between school and getting a job may convince more students to stay in school (Bridgeland et al., 2006).

Bibliography

Bell, R. L., Blair, L. M., Crawford, B. A., and Lederman, N. G. (2003). Just Do It? Impact of a Science Apprenticeship on High School Students' Understandings of the Nature of Science and Scientific Inquiry. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40(5), 487-509.

Billig, S. H. (2007). Unpacking What Works in Service-Learning Promising Research-Based Practices to Improve Student Outcomes. Growing to Greatness, p. 18-28. National Youth Leadership Council.

Bridgeland, J. M., Dilulio, J. J., and Morison, K. B. (2006). The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts.

Buck Institute for Education. (2009). Does PBL Work?

Fairfax County Public Schools. (2011). Bringing the Dropout Challenge into Focus. Fairfax County, VA: Department of Professional Learning and Accountability, Office of Program Evaluation.

Geier, R., Blumenfeld, P. C., Marx, R. W., Krajcik, J. S., Fishman, B., Soloway, E., et al. (2008). Standardized Test Outcomes for Students Engaged in Inquiry-Based Science Curricula in the Context of Urban Reform. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 45(8), 922-939.

Gordon, P. R., Rogers, A. M., Comfort, M., Gavula, N., and McGee, B. P. (2001). A Taste of Problem-Based Learning Increases Achievement of Urban Minority Middle-School Students. Educational Horizons, 79(4), 171-175.

Hattie, J. A. C. (2009). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. New York: Routledge.

Kolodner, J. L., Camp, P. J., Crismond, D., Fasse, B., Gray, J., Holbrook, J., and Puntambekar, S. (2003). Problem-Based Learning Meets Case-Based Reasoning in the Middle-School Science Classroom: Putting Learning by Design into Practice. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 12(4), 495-547.

Lee, O., Buxton, C., Lewis, S., and LeRoy, K. (2006). Science Inquiry and Student Diversity: Enhanced Abilities and Continuing Difficulties After an Instructional Intervention. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 43(7), 607-636.

Liu, M., Hsieh, P., Cho, Y. J., and Schallert, D. L. (2006). Middle School Students' Self-efficacy, Attitudes, and Achievement in a Computer-Enhanced Problem-Based Learning Environment. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 17(3), 225-242.

Lynch, S., Kuipers, J., Pyke, C., and Szesze, M. (2005). Examining the Effects of a Highly Rated Science Curriculum Unit on Diverse Students: Results from a Planning Grant. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 42(8), 912-946.

Marx, R. W., Blumenfeld, P. C., Krajcik, J. S., Fishman, B., Soloway, E., Geier, R., et al. (2004). Inquiry-Based Science in the Middle Grades: Assessment of Learning in Urban Systemic Reform. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41(10), 1063-1080.

Means, B., Confrey, J., House, A., and Bhanot, R. (2008). STEM High Schools Specialized Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Secondary Schools in the U.S. SRI Project P17858.

National Research Council - Committee on Highly Successful Science Programs for K-12 Science Education, Board on Science Education and Board on Testing and Assessment, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. (2011). Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Pearson, P. D., Moje, E., and Greenleaf, C. (2010). Literacy and Science: Each in Service of the Other. Science, 328, 459-463.

Schneider, R. M., Krajcik, J., Marx, R. W., and Soloway, E. (2002). Performance of Students in Project Based Science Classrooms on a National Measure of Science Achievement. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38(7), 410-422.

Stern, D., Dayton, C. and Raby, M. (2010). Career Academies: A Proven Strategy to Prepare High School Students for College and Careers. Berkeley, CA: University of California at Berkeley, Career Academy Support Network.

Taylor, L. and Parsons, J. (2011). Improving Student Engagement. Current Issues in Education, 14(1).

U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration. (2011). STEM: Good Jobs Now and for the Future. (ESA Issue Brief #03-11.)

U.S. Department of Commerce. (2012). The Competitiveness and Innovative Capacity of the United States.

Wiggins, G. and McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design. Expanded 2nd Ed. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Yazzie-Mintz, E. (2010). Charting the Path from Engagement to Achievement: A Report on the 2009 High School Survey of Student Engagement.

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Research-Based Practices for Engaging Students in STEM Learning | Edutopia

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One STEM school that is helping its students develop an array of skills to succeed in college and the workforce is MC2 STEM High School (MC 2 STEM) in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland Metropolitan School District is one of the most economically disadvantaged school districts in the nation, with a free or reduced-price lunch rate of 100 percent.

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5 Ways to Get Girls into STEM | Edutopia

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5 Ways to Get Girls into STEM | Edutopia

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Photo credit: argonne via flickr

As a society, we learn about the world and advance our well being through science and engineering. The United States may be known around the world for its higher education, but compared to many other leading and steadily emerging countries, we lack a strong focus on educating scientists and engineers. One significant reason that we have fallen behind is that we do not encourage our female students to pursue career paths in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

This needs to change, as the lack of women in STEM will continue to plague our country until all students, regardless of sex, have adequate opportunities to explore math and science throughout elementary, middle and high school. If we want to attract the best and brightest minds into the fields that will move us forward, we must look to all of the population. More women can contribute to our field, and we can help make that happen. Below are a few strategies for how we can help.

Expose Young Girls to STEM

As a country, we stand to gain a lot by exposing young girls to STEM fields and encouraging those who are interested to follow their hearts and minds. Simply focusing attention on one age group cannot cure all societal issues that influence career choices among females. Correcting the negative perceptions that girls develop at a young age can, however, lead them to embrace math and science when they reach high school, rather than avoid the subjects. Administrators and educators must strive to create environments in high school and college math and science programs that are inviting to females if we want to prevent the likelihood of their choosing a different direction. As long as young boys and girls are exposed to science and technology and are equally encouraged to study those disciplines, those with talent and a genuine interest in those fields will be able to develop that interest. Science and technology are and will continue to be important factors in what we are able to accomplish in our lifetimes.

Encourage Participation in Special Programs

More and more workshops are sprouting up nowadays that encourage young girls to maintain their interest in STEM fields. In-school and out-of-school programs are gaining popularity, and in order for that to continue, those of us in STEM fields have to support both local and national efforts to foster girls. Without understanding the opportunities that are available to students of math and science, young women may think they have made a mistake when facing the challenges of completing a STEM major. The good news is that current programs focused on increasing young girls' interest in those fields are tremendous. But without them, there are potential long-term consequences, even for girls who select a STEM path in college.

Support Learning Opportunities in the Community

Popular national clubs such as Girl Scouts of the USA have started to give added attention to introducing girls to STEM. There has been an improved focus on motivating young girls to explore typically male-dominated fields. This shows an important shift in thinking. Today the organization has really stepped up its programs to help ensure that girls succeed in all areas.

Companies and organizations that offer summer internships provide a chance for girls and women to learn more about different possibilities in the STEM fields. Many firms also now offer job shadowing programs or career days. Job shadowing allows those interested in a specific field to follow an individual already working in that field for a day or a given amount of time. This lets the observer see typical job duties and activities, and get a feel for what that job may entail.

Serve as a Mentor

The value of mentorship is irreplaceable. Finding a mentor early on can do wonders for building confidence and translating it into career satisfaction. The people that are chosen as mentors need to have the capacity and capability to lead young people toward success. A mentor is not only someone who is willing to spend time teaching techniques and processes, but also someone who takes an interest in long-term advancement. Mentoring is one of the most important confidence builders that can be found day to day on the job or in school. Teaming with a mentor is a career strategy that can bring huge benefits, especially to women in unbalanced work environments like engineering. Time and time again, the majority of successful women credit their participation in some sort of mentorship for dramatically helping them reach their career goals.

Take Charge and Educate

We're an information-rich society, and every one of us has access to vast resources -- they're available online for any women interested in the STEM fields. Women can visit the websites of multiple professional organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers, Women in Technology International, Association for Women in Mathematics and Association of Women in Science, to name just a few. These resources present a tremendous opportunity to learn a great deal about the field, about what it's like to be a woman in a specific STEM profession, about career opportunities, and so on. While it might not be as enlightening as face-to-face communication with a professional in the field, it will certainly give women an informed starting point from which they can grow.

As women become more prevalent in STEM careers, more and more young girls will begin to recognize the additional career opportunities open to them. With more women in the field, it will become more evident to young girls what they can offer the world.

Have you seen any other success stories where girls are supported in STEM, or are you involved in any directly? Please share in the comments area below.

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Photo credit: argonne via flickr As a society, we learn about the world and advance our well being through science and engineering. The United States may be known around the world for its higher education, but compared to many other leading and steadily emerging countries, we lack a strong focus on educating scientists and engineers.

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STEM to STEAM: Resource Roundup | Edutopia

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STEM to STEAM: Resource Roundup | Edutopia

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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One Giant Leap Into 21st Century Science Standards

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One Giant Leap Into 21st Century Science Standards

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A challenge of being a veteran teacher is that some of my favorite units of instruction become inadequate to meet the needs of today's students.

Often times it can be because the subject matter or theme becomes outdated. Other times it can be because the standards change or become more rigorous. With the introduction of 21st century science standards (be they NGSS or updated state standards), we as educators face a couple of awesome challenges. How do we create or update content that not only adequately addresses the standards, but also inspires our students to consider various career possibilities? And how do we shift our practice to allow our students to better experience this new type of content?

One avenue that I've found useful when I attempt to address both of these concerns is recording myself and then later reflecting upon the events that transpired within my classroom. That's why I chose to invite Teaching Channel, as well as all of you, into my classroom to see my students exploring science, math, and engineering concepts in To the Moon: Applying the Engineering Design Process.

While this unit has always been a student favorite, I'm always looking for ways to improve. My goal is to completely integrate engineering, science, and math standards throughout this multi-day unit.

While this video captures a good deal of the unit, please bear in mind that the vast majority of the science content was front loaded in the days prior to the arrival of the camera crew. The primary objectives of the shoot were to capture the students applying mathematics and also to use the engineering design process to work through an engineering design challenge.

[video_embed src=" https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/paper-rocket-lesson-plan/embed.js" width="480"]

While I'm looking forward to input from you and a rich discussion about adapting this and other units of instruction to meet 21st century science standards, there are certain aspects of the video that I would like to highlight.

Team Teaching: I've been very blessed over the years to work in buildings full of wonderful educators. The math teacher in this video, Tonda North, is at the top of this list. Why not partner with a wonderful educator to create a unit of instruction that not only allows her to cover her math standards, but also allows me to address both science and engineering standards? Not only are a variety of cross-curricular topics covered, but they are both reinforced and applied throughout the engineering design challenge. It is truly a win-win situation. My recommendation: please don't limit yourself to STEM subject areas. Over the years, I've worked with ELA, History, Art, and Music departments. All with wonderful results.

Experts: Reach out to community members to help you make those overt career connections. Geologists, rocket scientists, physicists, engineers, masons, and firefighters are just a handful of examples of experts that have paid visits to my room. Why not use your course content as an opportunity to expose your students to possible career options? It will not only provide validation for the unit, but it could also help them make more informed course selections throughout their high school and collegiate careers. To find these experts, I not only lean on my existing network, but I also attach a volunteer form to my beginning-of-the-year "Welcome Letter," in which I request guest speakers to help introduce or conclude thematic units. Many have stepped up not only to speak to my students, but they've also helped instruct, and/or offered to host us in their place of work.

Tonda and I have included all the materials that we used throughout the unit as downloadable files on the video page so that you can share all or parts of this experience with your students. We're also hopeful that you'll provide feedback and/or additional resources to help us make improvements. We use the iterative process as well!

I'm especially looking forward to suggestions on how I can reinforce scientific concepts throughout the lesson. When sharing, please feel free to send a message or, even better, post a comment below so that we can start a discussion from which all can learn. If your comment is in reference to the video, please make sure to include the time code. Thank you for your help and happy launching!
Tom Jenkins teaches both middle school science and STEM in Enon, Ohio. He is a NASA SOFIA Airborne Astronomy Ambassador, Manager of Special Projects at the Dayton Regional STEM Center, as well as the Boeing Science Teacher Laureate for Teaching Channel. Connect with Tom via Twitter: @TomJenkinsSTEM.

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One Giant Leap Into 21st Century Science Standards

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A challenge of being a veteran teacher is that some of my favorite units of instruction become inadequate to meet the needs of today's students. Often times it can be because the subject matter or theme becomes outdated. Other times it can be because the standards change or become more rigorous.

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DIY Lake Science – Simulations and Activities for Learning About Lakes | iPad Apps for School

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DIY Lake Science – Simulations and Activities for Learning About Lakes | iPad Apps for School

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Five Science Videos That Make You Think About Ethics, Habitat and Climate Change | MindShift

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Five Science Videos That Make You Think About Ethics, Habitat and Climate Change | MindShift

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In the old growth forests of Northern California and Southern Oregon, wildlife biologists have been selectively killing one species of owl to save another. For decades, biologists have been watching the spotted owl population decline, recently as much as eight or nine percent a year. The species crash aligns with an increase of barred owls in the same area, who like the same habitat and chase off the spotted owls. This National Geographic video makes it clear how tough the choices can be when trying to preserve natural habitat and wildlife for generations to come.
4. HOW OCEAN ACIDIFICATION AFFECTS BIODIVERSITY
The California Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Khan Academy, has developed a fascinating video explaining how global climate change has increased ocean acidification and how all that affects biodiversity. It takes viewers through the chemistry, but connects the formulas to the really important question of, "why does this matter?" And, since it's a Khan Academy video, it comes with some handy questions and other lesson materials connecting to other issues related to biodiversity.
5. IMPACTS OF NEW TECHNOLOGY ON SCIENCE
This video from McCauley Labs may not seem very exciting, but it illustrates the dual-sonar frequency imaging technology that scientists can now use to track movements of species like manta rays as they travel across coral reef lagoons. The technology helps them detect patterns and document changes.

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Five Science Videos That Make You Think About Ethics, Habitat and Climate Change

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In the old growth forests of Northern California and Southern Oregon, wildlife biologists have been selectively killing one species of owl to save another. For decades, biologists have been watching the spotted owl population decline, recently as much as eight or nine percent a year.

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25 Pedagogy Ideas that Teachers found on Twitter | UKEdChat - Supporting the Education Community

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25 Pedagogy Ideas that Teachers found on Twitter | UKEdChat - Supporting the Education Community

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In our survey, we asked teachers to tell us about resources that they found on Twitter which they then implemented in the classroom. Here are 25 of the most commonly shared ideas:

FiSH Feedback - Educators love acronyms, and here is the first in our list. This feedback method encourages teachers and pupils to ensure their critique is Friendly, Specific, Helpful. The 'I'?

Genius Hour - Inspired by Google's 20% project, genius hour allows pupils to follow a passion of theirs without any marking, assessment or grading. Just encourage your students to learn or explore something they love. See this ukedchat session which discussed the concept.

Mindsets - A concept introduced by Carol Dweck who explains why it's not just our abilities and talent that bring us success - but whether we approach them with a fixed or growth mindset. Some colleagues may benefit from reading the ideas behind the theory.

Slow Writing - A fantastic idea that can re-vigour the writing process, developed by David Didau in his "The Secret of Literacy Book", and also his blog (click here), the concept challenges pupils to follow explicit instructions on how to write a text sentence by sentence.

Flipped Learning - Can be interpreted as flipping the classroom open - providing links to prior learning so development takes priority. Technology can play a role, in providing links or videos so students can get to grips with learning concepts before the formal teaching - perhaps! See this ukedchat session which explored the idea.

Educational Policy and Curriculum Developments - With curriculum changes seemingly happening every year, in every country - Twitter is a great place to see how teaching colleagues are coping with these changes, helping keep on top of the changes as they are implemented.

Extension Task Cards - One of the most popular resources on UKEdResources (via @misstait_85), these cards/extension ideas are ideal for those pupils who finish their work early, allowing for learning to continue and extending ideas. Click here to view/download the freely available resource.

Shared Planning Ideas - Planning a new topic or sequence of lessons from scratch? The chances are, there will be another teacher somewhere else doing exactly the same. Our survey revealed that teachers found collaborative sharing of planning ideas to be inspirational, creative and take the teaching & learning sequence beyond the initial expectations - positively.

TeachMeets - An opportunity for teachers to get together an informally share ideas and pedagogy that works in their classroom. No tech required. Presentations are 2 or 7 minutes long and beware of the camel. See the Teachmeet website for a list of upcoming events globally.

Takeaway Homework - A homework menu which encourages children to become independent learners and take responsibility for choosing their own homework from a selection of dishes on a menu.

5-Minute Lesson Plan - Showcased by @TeacherToolkit, this resource helps cut down the time taken planning, ensuring most aspects of lesson planning are covered.

Blooms Taxonomy - Refers to a classification of the different learning objectives that educators set for pupils.

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25 Pedagogy Ideas that Teachers found on Twitter by @digicoled

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In our survey, we asked teachers to tell us about resources that they found on Twitter which they then implemented in the classroom. Here are 25 of the most commonly shared ideas: FiSH Feedback - Educators love acronyms, and here is the first in our list.

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How to Turn Any Classroom Into a Makerspace | Edudemic

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How to Turn Any Classroom Into a Makerspace | Edudemic

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Assessing background knowledge is an often misunderstood idea, and subsequently fumbled as a process.

Background knowledge is a product of the experiences-academic and otherwise-that a student brings to a lesson. These provide both knowledge in terms of content, as well as schema in terms of analogs students can use to make sense of new ideas.

The purpose of assessing background knowledge is not to get everyone on the "same page," but rather to make visible the nature of what a student knows (rather than a list or academic labels like "proficient). This makes it possible to create personalized learning pathways for students as each learner approaches new-or familiar-thinking on their own terms.

From a planning point of view, it can also allow teachers to identify knowledge gaps, prioritize standards, and revise imminent lessons and units in response. As for how this is done? Conversations, concept maps, drawings, writing prompts-traditional assessment forms can work here, but you've got some flexibility because what you're trying to assess may not be entirely academic or urgent.

M ia MacMeekin created the following infographic that offers 27 ways to assess background knowledge. Ideally, we'd like to see a bit more writing-formal and informal, along with some more conversational dialogue that didn't demand debate protocol, but other suggestions, including mindmapping, creating a prototype, and even the "shout all at once" may have a place in your classroom.
27 Ways To Assess Background Knowledge

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Assessing background knowledge is an often misunderstood idea, and subsequently fumbled as a process. Background knowledge is a product of the experiences-academic and otherwise-that a student brings to a lesson. These provide both knowledge in terms of content, as well as schema in terms of analogs students can use to make sense of new ideas.

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That day at Educon, I decided to take a trip, talk with Dec and the see the Fab Lab he helped create at the Marymount School in New York City. I'm glad I did.

Makers at the Marymount School

Marymount is a private school in Manhattan, and that connotation of wealth can come with a perspective that a public school couldn't create a Maker program like the one Jaymes Dec has built up. Dec argues to the contrary. And he's right.

The best way to get into [the Maker Movement] is to model how we want our students to learn and build it up. If you're interested in this stuff, just dive in and start with a simple project. Kits are a great and inexpensive way to start to build. Find something that's scaffolded, like on Instructables.com or makeprojects.com. Dive into a kit project first as a pilot. Very often I'll still start kids on learning projects with kits. Here's the kit, here are the instructions, go ahead and put it together. It's very empowering. It shows kids, "Hey, I can make something like a circuit board." Soldering especially, I've found, kids love it. It's a great skill to learn and it opens the door to many of these projects. I've taught kids as young as six years old how to solder.

Keep Learning . . . With Students

Dec readily admits that he's learning, too.

I'm still learning this stuff and figuring it out. I use what knowledge I do have to help kids learn to find the answers they need. I'm only a second-year teacher, too. I have a lot to learn. I've found that I love working with kids on this stuff, and am ready to learn. I keep focusing on getting better.

As part of that learning curve, Dec has tried some over ambitious projects.

I've tried to introduce Arduino right away and personally found that to be difficult. I wasn't ready. I've realized the last two years that I have to start out younger and build them up with simple micro controllers. We've been using the Lego WeDo in elementary classes now, too, and it's been going very well. The Pico Cricket, LilyPad and Makey Makey boards are great places to start, too. The trick, of course, is you have to start somewhere.

But who can you learn from? Where do you start?

Mentors and Resources are Everywhere

When I asked Dec who his mentors were, who he seeks help from when he's learning to teach, he said, "I've learned as much from Gary Stager as anyone else. Gary's been at this for a long time." Dec said he attended Stager's Maker conference called Constructing Modern Knowledge (CMK), held in Manchester, New Hampshire every summer since 2008. Dec also mentioned a new book by Stager and Sylvia Martinez called Invent to Learn (with a great resource page on the site), describing it as "a super practical way to get started in the Maker Movement." I also attended CMK a couple of years ago and found it to be, as Stager called it, a "resource-palooza."

Some other ideas include:

For a list of Dec's Maker resources, visit his blog and also the Google Group for K-12 Makers. Stager's many resources are on the web as well.

Project Evolution . . . Abroad

Over his few years at Marymount, it's evident that Jaymes Dec has certainly gained some experience. I got to sit in on one of his seventh grade classes, and it was impressive to say the least. Here's the context for what I observed:

The seventh grade class is wrapping up a year-long service project. Every year the seventh grade does a service project for an orphanage in Zimbabwe started by The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. Usually the project has involved raising money somehow. This year we wanted to do something more tangible. We reached out to the nuns and asked what are the issues that kids and the community are facing? What can we help with? The Sisters identified three things:

They are teaching the children to fish, but there's no refrigeration to store the fish before it goes to market.

The school has no reliable Internet service.

There is a community center with no lights, so it is not useful at night.

We examined those problems and felt that the first two needed extensive resources and fundraising. The light thing (in the community center) was something we could possibly tackle. I asked the students to research DIY solutions to Third World problems. I wanted them to discover innovative solutions out there that people were working on. One of the projects that a few students stumbled on was a called a "Sun Jar." If you look at a Sun Jar project on Instructables, the first step is to buy a solar powered lamp, disassemble it and put it inside a glass jar. We thought we could make our own instead. We could design and make that circuit here and assemble it.

We spent all year long prototyping (breadboarding) different solar powered circuits. In the end, we've got one that works really well. It's very efficient. Once we had one that worked well, we designed the circuit in Fritzing, then sent the design to a circuit board manufacturer in Oregon. For about three bucks a pop, we've got our board. Today in class we're assembling these devices and will take pictures of the process to document it. We'll compile these pictures into a set of instructions. Then we'll send these kits to Zimbabwe with the tools to build the circuits themselves rather than just ship the finished product. We see this as a longer-term solution -- an educational project. I hope that we can continue this.

Now, if you have no experience in the Maker Movement or digital fabrication, that can all sound pretty intimidating. The project shows the potential of what's possible in learning spaces like this -- the merging of math, engineering, critical and design thinking, fabrication, job aids and the creation of documentation, design aesthetics . . . just to name a few.

Again, as Dec said, "You have to start somewhere. There are so many people out there to help when you have problems or need advice. Start small and keep building."

Building Bridges Between Subjects

Through my conversations with Dec, one thing became increasingly clear: Maker Spaces like the one at Marymount create bridges between traditionally compartmentalized subjects. He explained how some of the science classes were now using the Fab Lab, as were many art classes. Dec himself will be teaching fewer classes next year and working to integrate the Lab into other curricular areas. It's a movement I've seen in many places where multidisciplinary projects are beginning to tear down barriers between traditionally compartmentalized subjects.

The motion in the Lab also raises many questions about school scheduling. Dec meets with some classes only once per week. "Time can disappear when kids are making things," he said. He described how he'd love to have more time built into the schedule and meet with kids more regularly. These are some great challenges for Marymount and many other schools to address as these successful new programs grow.

Room to Learn

Dec explained that the school has purchased a new site across the street in Manhattan and new building plans are underway. Seeing the potential that the Fab Lab has brought to education, Dec had a gleam in his eye as he explained, "One whole floor of the new building could become a large Fabrication Lab. I wish there were a quicker timeline. I'd love to move into the new building this fall."

But this teacher is as humble as he is eager and inventive.

Almost everyday I make mistakes, but every day I do something right, too. As long as I take time to reflect, I can become a better teacher every year. That's one of the reasons I love this job. Marymount has been so supportive of these efforts. It's certainly raising some eyebrows with more traditional teachers. It's great to look at what this Fab Lab makes possible in the school.

What could a Maker Space at your school conjure up? Exploring new ground, especially with students, is the key.

What's Next

I'd love to hear your comments and questions on the article. Just leave a comment below. Also, any recommendations on schools to visit are greatly appreciated.

Up next, I'll get back to telling you about the trip I took to High Tech High in San Diego, California.

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That day at Educon, I decided to take a trip, talk with Dec and the see the Fab Lab he helped create at the Marymount School in New York City. I'm glad I did.

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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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Cultivating an innovative culture inside your classroom and enhancing your students inquiry-based approaches to learning is not an easy task particularly in the light of all the surrounding distraction coming from digital media. It is probably one of the major challenges facing educators and teachers in the 21st century classroom.

However, no matter how big the challenge is there are always ways to come to grips with it. Our colleague Mia MacMeekin from anethicalisland has designed this beautiful graphic where she featured 27 ways teachers can help their students be innovative.

I really love it that Mia formulated her ideas in the form of action verbs prompting students\teachers to act. Check out her graphic below and share with us what you think of it. Enjoy

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Cultivating an innovative culture inside your classroom and enhancing your students inquiry-based approaches to learning is not an easy task particularly in the light of all the surrounding distraction coming from digital media. It is probably one of the major challenges facing educators and teachers in the 21st century classroom.

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Science & Engineering Practices Next Generation Science Standards

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Science & Engineering Practices Next Generation Science Standards

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Educators receive an introduction to the Science & Engineering Practices in the Next Generation Science Standards. In a professional development session, educators are introduced to the practices. They engage in activities designed with the NGSS in mind and reflect on their learning.

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What Do Wii Remotes Have to Do With Science? Ask Sixth-Graders | MindShift

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What Do Wii Remotes Have to Do With Science? Ask Sixth-Graders | MindShift

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The main objective of the experiment is not necessarily to measure speed, but to show students how to capture data like scientists do. Kids are typically confused by graphs, but with the Wii experiment, they could see the horizontal, vertical, and lateral aspects of the accelerometer.

With the Wii remotes, students are using interesting new technology and participating in the creation of their own designs.

"Kids see patterns in data," said Wendy Ju, one of the Stanford researchers working with the students at the Innovative Learning Conference held at Nueva recently. "What does that data do to contribute to their designs?"

With the marble roller coaster, students used the Wii remotes to test their theories on speed. They designed the roller coaster, then used the infrared camera in front of the Wii remote to see where in the structure the marbles would role by the fastest. The same idea was used to test the speed of the balloon-powered cars.

During the course of the classes, the Stanford researchers have been surprised by students' reactions: The students were more interested in the designing phase than by the measuring phase.

"Students had a hard time letting go of the engineering," Ju said. "They wanted to keep redesigning things. The moments of talking about measuring stuff was interrupted by trying to find ways of redesigning and changing things."

This tension between science and engineering is one of the ideas being explored through the eyes of sixth-graders. "Science labs are often really engineering projects in drag," said Stanford computer science professor Terry Winograd. "You make it work, but you don't think about how you got there. There's a feat, but not a deep understanding of what's going on. You don't get to probe the phenomenon."

The Nueva kids are lucky. For most students, should they be lucky enough to have time to conduct science experiments in class, it's typically completed in 15 minutes and has a preordained outcome. "You can see where all the right answers are, and from the perspective of science, it's too neat," Winograd said. "It just tests whether you can follow instructions."

That's not the best way of teaching science and scientific inquiry, he said. With the Wii remotes, students are using interesting new technology and participating in the creation of their own designs. They're actually helping researchers develop tools that can be used by other kids, and they've been incredibly vocal about what methods to use.

Researchers have been operating video cameras throughout the workshops, and have hundreds of hours of footage of the kids' experiments. "You can see where kids think something else is going on and they argue about it amongst themselves, and talk about what they think should happen," Ju said.

This is the third year of the WiiScience program at Nueva. How amazing would it be to see the proliferation of a class like this in all elementary schools.

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What Do Wii Remotes Have to Do With Science? Ask Sixth-Graders

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The main objective of the experiment is not necessarily to measure speed, but to show students how to capture data like scientists do. Kids are typically confused by graphs, but with the Wii experiment, they could see the horizontal, vertical, and lateral aspects of the accelerometer.

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Google's Free Lesson Plans - A Look At Google's Massive Library Of Free Lesson Plans

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Google's Free Lesson Plans - A Look At Google's Massive Library Of Free Lesson Plans

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You probably already use Google daily, either for Web searches, email, or maps. The tech company is increasingly involved in modernizing education, and it has developed several ventures to encourage an interest in science and computer programming. Some of these ventures are contests, and some are designed for use by afterschool or summer programs. But you can access this great content even if you don't officially participate in a program. Many of these activities use art, music, and social awareness to make technical lessons more appealing. Take a look at these activities, and start thinking outside the little Google search box.

With this worldwide contest, Google has thought far beyond the high school gymnasium science fair that we all know. Even if your students won't officially enter, Google has compiled a lot of great resources for middle and high school science students. Find lesson plans to teach students about scientific inquiry and the scientific method. The Idea Springboard can help students find a project that fits their interests and talents. And the Resources page provides links to science news and education sites.

The Made with Code project is designed to show girls that coding is cool. Students can watch inspirational videos from women and girls who are changing their communities with code. The coding projects let students mix music, build an avatar, or even design a yeti. With work like that, the boys might be jealous. They can use the site, too, of course.

Google holds an annual contest for students who want their own Google design to be the logo for a day. The contest is for grades K-12 and is broken into age groups. The contest page also includes classroom activities to teach children how to brainstorm, critique the efforts of other students, and create their best work.

Google's goal with CS First is to foster computer clubs that teach students to code. Google provides the coding activities free online, so students can use them even without a club. Students can create video games, animation, interactive stories, and more. The activities are designed for older elementary and middle school students but could work for slightly older and younger kids as well.

If you want to incorporate Google tools in your classroom but have questions, start here. Find a Google Educator Group near you or one you can connect with remotely. You will meet other teachers interested in technology and innovation who can collaborate with you, offer advice, and inform you of training opportunities. Talking to another teacher can be much more insightful than simply typing your question into - yes - Google.

Still innovating

Google originally got its name from the word googol - an enormous number. And those Google employees seem to have an enormous number of ideas. In the past few years, the company has tried a bunch of education initiatives. Some have stuck. Some haven't. So while you're exploring these options, remember to check in every few months at the Google education site to see what's new.
Editor's note: This article is a revision and combination of several older Edudemic articles, updated and re-analyzed to reflect the latest innovations.

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You probably already use Google daily, either for Web searches, email, or maps. The tech company is increasingly involved in modernizing education, and it has developed several ventures to encourage an interest in science and computer programming.

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9 Word Cloud Generators That Aren't Wordle | Edudemic

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9 Word Cloud Generators That Aren't Wordle | Edudemic

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Help your students classify ideas and communicate more effectively with these free graphic organizer templates, available for download. They can be used to structure writing projects and help in problem solving, decision making, studying, planning research, and brainstorming.

Printable Graphic Organizers

Select a blank graphic organizer from the following categories depending on your curriculum needs.

Sequence of Events

Main Topic and Key Details

Compare/Contrast

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Free Downloadable Graphic Organizer Templates

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Help your students classify ideas and communicate more effectively with these free graphic organizer templates, available for download. They can be used to structure writing projects and help in problem solving, decision making, studying, planning research, and brainstorming. Select a blank graphic organizer from the following categories depending on your curriculum needs.

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rrisdmathteam - Instructional Strategy Menu

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rrisdmathteam - Instructional Strategy Menu

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Facilitating Learning in a Student-Driven Environment (Keys to PBL Series Part 4) | Edutopia

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Facilitating Learning in a Student-Driven Environment (Keys to PBL Series Part 4) | Edutopia

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Merging Great Classroom Management Techniques With A Fun Lesson

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Merging Great Classroom Management Techniques With A Fun Lesson

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ELA.L.7.5b

Common core State Standards

ELA:
English Language Arts

L:
Language

7:
7th Grade

5b:
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context.
b. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonym/antonym, analogy) to better understand each of the words.
c. Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., refined, respectful, polite, diplomatic, condescending).

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

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Thought starters

Why is setting a time limit essential to this activity?

How can this activity be used as both a pre-teaching and review activity?

What are the learning benefits of allowing students to be mobile?

School Details

Wilmette Junior High School
620 Locust Road
Wilmette IL 60091

Data Provided By:

Teachers

English Language Arts / 7 / Teacher

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Jody McCauley uses address labels to spice up the practice of thinking through analogies. Each student has a worksheet with one part of the analogy that they must match up with a word on another classmates back. Ms. McCauley advises using this activity for pre-teaching or review.

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6th-12th Grade Authentic Passages | ReadWorks.org | The Solution to Reading Comprehension

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6th-12th Grade Authentic Passages | ReadWorks.org | The Solution to Reading Comprehension

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Improve your students' reading comprehension with ReadWorks. Access thousands of high-quality, free K-12 articles, and create online assignments with them for your students.

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Beau Lotto + Amy O'Toole: Science is for everyone, kids included | Talk Video | TED.com

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Beau Lotto + Amy O'Toole: Science is for everyone, kids included | Talk Video | TED.com

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Beau Lotto + Amy O'Toole: Science is for everyone, kids included

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What do science and play have in common? Neuroscientist Beau Lotto thinks all people (kids included) should participate in science and, through the process of discovery, change perceptions. He's seconded by 12-year-old Amy O'Toole, who, along with 25 of her classmates, published the first peer-reviewed article by schoolchildren, about the Blackawton bees project.

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How To Use Comics In Science Class | Edudemic

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How To Use Comics In Science Class | Edudemic

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Use these resources to integrate the nature and process of science into your teaching at grades 6-8.

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Educational Leadership:What Students Need to Learn:Teaching Science Literacy

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Educational Leadership:What Students Need to Learn:Teaching Science Literacy

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Jacqueline, a 12th grader, is purchasing her first car and feels torn as she balances conflicting desires and messages. She yearns to be seated behind the wheel of a stylish vehicle, a yearning fueled by advertisements portraying women in luxurious cars. She's also confronted by billboard messages that claim "best fuel economy for your money!"

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ScienceNews for Students | Student Science

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ScienceNews for Students | Student Science

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Science News Explores publishes news from all fields of science for students and other curious individuals from middle school and up, with resources for parents and educators.

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Your search has returned 4502 articles:

The Top 300 MASTERS are listed in state order by Society Affiliated Fair ID. Students that were nominated by their state fair as well as their regional fair are notated with *.View the Top 300 MASTERS in alphabetic order by last nameSee the Top 300 MASTERS BookRead the press release for more information. View the full list of 2018 EntrantsAlabama Prabhakar, Ashwin Grade: 7thAffiliate Fair ID:...

11:53 AM, September 5, 2018

Some facts about the 2018 Top 300 MASTERS:The Top 300 MASTERS hail from 224 middle schools in 35 states and represent 120 regional and state science fairs across the U.S.78 are from California, followed by Florida with 33, Texas with 21, Pennsylvania with 18, and Oregon with 12.The Top 300 MASTERS were selected from more than 5,000 nominees and 2,537 applicants. Each application received three...

11:53 AM, September 5, 2018

Doing Science

It's imperative that diabetics measure their blood glucose levels (BGL) several times a day. To do so, they use a glucometer, which breaks the skin with a needle in order to draw blood. The blood is then deposited onto a testing strip, and the measuring device determines BGL.

"For diabetics, this process of pricking the skin happens multiple times a day to monitor their BGL...

09:00 AM, August 22, 2018

Doing Science

Pesticides contain harsh chemicals, high levels of toxicity, and risks to human and environmental health. Despite these concerns, pesticides are perceived as necessary and are used generously in the U.S. agricultural industry.

Anna Mathis, a high school student from Sandersville, Georgia, was concerned about the negative impact of pesticides. She studied the agricultural industry...

09:00 AM, August 13, 2018

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Your search has returned 4502 articles: The Top 300 MASTERS are listed in state order by Society Affiliated Fair ID. Students that were nominated by their state fair as well as their regional fair are notated with *.View the Top 300 MASTERS in alphabetic order by last nameSee the Top 300 MASTERS BookRead the press release for more information.

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STEM and Writing: A Super Combination | Edutopia

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STEM and Writing: A Super Combination | Edutopia

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Professional Growth Incentive - Certified Staff | Douglas County School District

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Professional Growth Incentive - Certified Staff | Douglas County School District

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Professional Growth Incentive - Certified Staff | Douglas County School District

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4 Awesome New Blooms Taxonomy Posters ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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4 Awesome New Blooms Taxonomy Posters ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

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For today's post, We are sharing with you some great posters on Blooms Taxonomy. These posters are designed by gratitude go back to iLearn Technology . They come in different shapes and are ideal for use in classroom. You might need to ask iLearn Technology for permission to print and use in them in class. Have a look and share with us what you think of them. Enjoy

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For today's post, We are sharing with you some great posters on Blooms Taxonomy. These posters are designed by gratitude go back to iLearn Technology . They come in different shapes and are ideal for use in classroom. You might need to ask iLearn Technology for permission to print and use in them in class.

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How to Teach with Technology: Science and Math | Edutopia

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How to Teach with Technology: Science and Math | Edutopia

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We’re sorry, that page was not found. It may have been moved, renamed, or retired. Please try searching the site or browsing recent articles.

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25+ apps that the TED staff swears make their everyday lives easier | TED Blog

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25+ apps that the TED staff swears make their everyday lives easier | TED Blog

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At our small, fast-moving nonprofit company, everyone does a couple of jobs - and productivity apps help us manage roles that shift between coding, writing/designing and running a full-scale conference twice a year. We asked the TED staff what apps they can't live without. And beyond the classics- Instagram, Google Maps, Spotify, Uber, Seamless -we found some great apps that might help you too. (A star denotes that the app is free, or at least has a free version.)

For random life stuff...

*Sunrise
Like your Google Calendar with key improvements, several staffers swear by this app. It offers shortcuts for adding events, and also bakes things like weather reports and Facebook birthday reminders into the mix of your daily calendar. "It's awesome," says IT Manager Francil Richards.

Yoga Studio
Yoga Studio reminds us of the "Surprise Me" feature on the TED app. You pick the kind of yoga class you want (strength, flexibility, relaxation), your level (beginner, intermediate or advanced) and the amount of time you have (20 minutes, 40 minutes or longer) and it creates a class for you. "Whenever I am traveling or too busy to exercise, I sneak in a lesson," says Product Development Manager Jai Punjabi.

For staying organized...

For getting around...

CityMaps2Go Pro
This app downloads offline, zoomable, searchable maps of major cities, so that even if you are roaming around Tokyo and can't read any of the signs, you can still find your way around. "It's good for people like me who travel internationally, but don't like to get data plans," says Thu-Huong Ha, of our editorial team.

*Moves
Moves tracks every step you take, which sounds creepy, but is actually useful. "It quantifies how many miles you've walked, cycled and run," says Patrick D'Arcy, of the TED Fellows team. "It's not about the calories burned for me, but the ability visualize where I've gone on a map. A friend actually introduced me to the app when he came back from Mexico City and he was able to show me the exact routes he took."

For computer and email ease...

*Authy This app disconnects 2-step authentication from text messaging, and does it in a way that's a little more secure, should your phone fall into the wrong hands. "This is especially handy for when I'm in areas with no reception or am international and don't have a texting plan," says Product Development Associate Bedirhan Cinar. "Google offers an identical app, but I like Authy better because you can password protect it so if someone has your phone, they can't easily access your 2 step codes."

But enough about us. What's the app that YOU find most helpful on a day-to-day basis? Share in the comments!

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At our small, fast-moving nonprofit company, everyone does a couple of jobs - and productivity apps help us manage roles that shift between coding, writing/designing and running a full-scale conference twice a year. We asked the TED staff what apps they can't live without.

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Challenge Based Learning - Reduce paper bag waste during lunch

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Challenge Based Learning - Reduce paper bag waste during lunch

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We appreciate your interest in the program and would like to keep you updated. Please complete this short form so that we can stay in touch on next steps.

Please send further questions/concerns to snl@aaas.org.

Science NetLinks is an award-winning website offering hundreds of standards-based lesson plans, online tools, videos, interactives, podcasts, news, hands-on activities, special resource collections and after-school activities for K-12 teachers, students and families.

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March 9, 2022 Dear Science NetLinks Community, We apologize that the Science NetLinks website is unavailable. Unfortunately, the server and website became unstable and a security risk so the website needed to be taken down immediately. We appreciate your interest in the program and would like to keep you updated.

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Most Recent Episode

Before New Horizons set sight on Pluto, the mission team endured a decade-long journey to get the probe off the ground. Plus, what are our canine best friends really thinking about?

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Most Recent Episode Before New Horizons set sight on Pluto, the mission team endured a decade-long journey to get the probe off the ground. Plus, what are our canine best friends really thinking about?

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How To Determine A Student's Prior Knowledge | Edudemic

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How To Determine A Student's Prior Knowledge | Edudemic

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Graphic Organizers for Reading Comprehension | Scholastic.com

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Graphic Organizers for Reading Comprehension | Scholastic.com

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Teaching Tools | Resources for Teachers from Scholastic

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Avoiding the Flop: 5 Questions to Guide Projects & Inquiry | Edutopia

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Avoiding the Flop: 5 Questions to Guide Projects & Inquiry | Edutopia

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The beginning of the school year arrives with excitement, eagerness, and the potential for new beginnings. It does not take long for this initial surge of energy to wear off as students and teachers find themselves caught up in the actual routine of school. We can avoid this potential shift to monotony by creating and facilitating learning experiences that lead to passion, inspiration, and engagement.

Planning and Adapting

Inquiry and project-based learning (PBL) are tools that help me decentralize my classroom and allow student work, ideas, and creations to take center stage. When I have planned well and can anticipate or intercept problems as they arise, the results can be incredible. I often feel that my students' finished projects far exceed anything that I was capable of at their ages. At other times, a lesson or an entire project flops.

Similar to all teachers that I know, I have memories of times when I was trapped inside a unit (of my own design) that felt like it would never end. At times, I introduced projects too early in the flow of a unit and watched the students' product fall far short of my expectations for creativity, content, and/or design. I remember class periods when students accomplished very little thanks to my lack of clear expectations, guidance, or modeling. At other times, I unintentionally rushed students and their workflow by not providing realistic amounts of time for them to complete high quality work.

While PBL and inquiry can transform classrooms into places of creation, meaning, rigor, and excitement, no aspect of teaching is rote. The creative dance of teaching involves constant planning, observation, and reevaluation. Educators I meet regularly ask about which point makes the most sense for introducing a project, or about how to begin inquiry. While at times we all desire specific tips and guidelines, the challenge is to remain connected to the reality of teaching as an art that requires constant adaptation and experimentation. (We should all be wary of anyone who tries to sell a formula for successful teaching!)

Guide on the Side

With an awareness of the fluidity of teaching and learning, I offer these five guiding questions and accompanying thoughts for integrating PBL and inquiry into unit design.

1. In what ways can issues introduced and defined?

A successful unit intro draws students in while generating complex questions for investigation. I think of this as more than a "hook." The intro can involve autobiographical journaling from students, documentary film excerpts that complicate an issue or perspective, or a text that introduces new ideas or concepts.

2. What knowledge will be helpful for the whole class to share? What research should students pursue individually?

A shared body of knowledge can help your students as they move forward with individual work, research, and project design. This knowledge may come from shared readings, video clips, discussions, or other sources that help the whole class reflect and analyze as they develop their initial ideas and/or questions.

3. What will the students produce? How will they produce it?

Projects involve many steps. Simple structures and checkpoints make an enormous difference for students as they progress toward a final product. There are times when working in groups clearly benefits a project, and times when projects lend themselves to individual work. If technology is available and will add to the work that students are doing, then it should be integrated. If tech won't add something new, students can create in other ways.

4. What will happen with the projects?

It is important to plan in advance about the audience and the final stages of a project. At times, students may share their work with a specific group. At other times, the projects can be evaluated by peers. Self-evaluation and/or reflection about the work, learning, and process can all be very valuable steps at the end of a project.

5. In what different ways can we support students who struggle?

The more I am able to anticipate stumbling blocks and tune into students' processes as they work, the more I am able to successfully, tactfully assist in moments of struggle. Offering a strategic idea or a resource at the right time can be the difference between a student who feels permanently stuck and a student who feels inspired to move a project forward.

Lead by Following

Many steps and stumbles are required to create engaging, meaningful curriculum. Ultimately, the work of teachers is to skillfully create learning experiences that matter and then bounce along for the ride as we adapt, respond, and rethink according to the needs of students and the realities and complexities of learning.

How do you plan your projects and inquiry, and how do you keep them on track once they're in motion? Please tell us about it below in the comments.

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Avoiding the Flop: 5 Questions to Guide Projects and Inquiry | Edutopia

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The beginning of the school year arrives with excitement, eagerness, and the potential for new beginnings. It does not take long for this initial surge of energy to wear off as students and teachers find themselves caught up in the actual routine of school.

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How to Stage Socratic Seminars in Middle School | MiddleWeb

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How to Stage Socratic Seminars in Middle School | MiddleWeb

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Using Fiction to Excite Middle Grades Kids about Science | MiddleWeb

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Using Fiction to Excite Middle Grades Kids about Science | MiddleWeb

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Student-Driven Classrooms: Keeping the Faith | MiddleWeb

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Student-Driven Classrooms: Keeping the Faith | MiddleWeb

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Twice a year, our independent school invites the families of boarding and day students to Family Weekend - a busy, enjoyable time when visitors can attend classes as well as various talks, performances, presentations and athletic events. This year the spring weekend came along just as my Humanities 7 course was finishing up their self-designed unit on "judging" and was not quite ready to dive fully into the next (poetry).

This left me somewhat at a loss for what to do during our special weekend class - on precisely one of those days where you want the students (and yourself) to be at their best.

I eventually decided to hold an official poetry unit kickoff. Olivia asked me right before we started if she could read one of her poems. Her beautiful and powerful reading opened the class perfectly. I then told the kids I was about to give them their one writing prompt for the entire unit, and asked them to take out their iPads and write a poem entitled "Poetry Is."

I reassured them they could choose to read their work as "finished" or "unfinished," depending on how they felt, and told them when they asked that the ambiguity in the title was deliberate and they could go in any direction they chose.

As I expected, they came up with stunning, breathtaking work in just five minutes. For just one example, by Isabela:

A silent thought of laughter,
A memory,
Spirals of colors winding through my mind, All written down on fresh,
white, clean,
perfect paper.

Expression,
A wish,
That's what poetry is...

I could hear parents periodically gasping or murmuring as they listened to all 13 students, including the one who always takes the most time to craft her writing and as a result was the most hesitant to read.

I then put the students in random groups (by passing out playing cards) and asked them to define poetry. They all came to consensus remarkably quickly, and it quickly became clear why. Each group, for different reasons and in different words, felt poetry was... undefinable.
Be calm and move forward...
Well. That placed the outcome of my next two planned activities - thinking about what makes poetry good, and then developing a checklist to assess their own upcoming books of original poetry - in serious doubt.

I reasoned, though, that simply continuing on as originally planned (especially with families watching) was my best move in the moment, so I passed out old literary magazines and asked them to work in pairs and select a favorite poem to share.

This they quickly did, with constant murmurs of admiration (and delight from the group that found a poem written by their art teacher when she was a student here), and again, there were sharp intakes of breath from parents as they listened. I asked the students to think about why they had chosen the poems and what made them good. They came up with a short list, and decided that "connections" was the thread running through them.
And then they were silent...
I asked them to think beyond "connections" to what it was about the poems themselves that made them good. Absolute and complete silence. And eight minutes to go, so the "Wow, look at the time. See you Tuesday!" option was out.

I raised my eyebrows and gazed at the ceiling... and decided to ask them to write a bad poem. But before we could start, Emily, bless her forever, raised her hand.

"I don't think you can write a bad poem," she said, and I told her that was a really important concept and asked her to expand on it. "I think that if your poem does what you wanted it to, then it's good whatever anyone else thinks of it," she said.

I looked around at the class. "Reactions?" And as they contributed ideas, a consensus gradually emerged that only the author can judge when a poem feels right - bearing in mind that for some people, any given poem may never truly feel 100% finished.

"So," I told them as the minute hand approached the 9, signaling the end of class, "I'm thinking that to assess your poetry books, I may ask you to write me a paragraph about them and then I'll write back to you and react to what you said. I'll think about it over the weekend, and you can too, and we can talk on Tuesday." They nodded and began to get ready to move on to their next class.

That evening I was talking to one of the seventh grade parents, who is a successful author. He said both he and his wife thought the poetry kickoff was a great approach for kids this age to a subject that is so abstract and complex. I thanked him warmly, with immeasurable relief.

There's the saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." In my case, though, it's more like: "When the going gets tough, trust your students."

Together, we always seem to get there. It might not necessarily be the destination I expected - but it's almost always the place they needed to go all along.
Bill Ivey is Middle School Dean at all-girl Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Greenfield MA, where he also teaches Humanities 7, Social Media, and the Middle and Upper School Rock Bands. Bill is the advisor for MOCA, the middle school student government, and he coordinates and participates in the middle school service program. Bill's other MiddleWeb posts include Hungering for a Better World and Actually, You ARE Special.

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Student-Driven Classrooms: Keeping the Faith

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Twice a year, our independent school invites the families of boarding and day students to Family Weekend - a busy, enjoyable time when visitors can attend classes as well as various talks, performances, presentations and athletic events.

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Ten Minute Vocabulary Lesson | MiddleWeb

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Ten Minute Vocabulary Lesson | MiddleWeb

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by Marilee Sprenger "I don't have time to teach vocabulary." When I was a young language arts teacher, vocabulary was on the list of things to "cover," so "cover" it I did. With reading, grammar, writing, and spelling, there never seemed to be time for anything else.

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Digital Student Portfolios: A Whole-School Approach | MiddleWeb

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Digital Student Portfolios: A Whole-School Approach | MiddleWeb

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Matt Renwick is principal of K-5 Howe Elementary School in Wisconsin Rapids, WI. This article is adapted from the Introduction to his new book Digital Student Portfolios: A Whole School Approach to Connected Learning and Continuous Assessment, available from Powerful Learning Press. by Matt Renwick
Genesis Cratsenberg has worked as a speech and language teacher in our school for several years. She sees many students throughout the day. This morning, Genesis is meeting with a kindergarten student named David. He struggles to clearly articulate sounds, specifically digraphs (pairs of letters to describe one specific sound).

Genesis starts the lesson by showing David several picture cards. He is instructed to state the name of each image. He does what seems like his best, but often falls short of sounding out each letter and blend. Genesis tells him what he is doing well, and then, being the good teacher she is, kindly points out areas for improvement.

They repeat this activity, in the hope of finding growth. David often glances up at Genesis between interactions, looking to her for the answer to a question that neither of them is seemingly able to solve.
The anatomy of a portfolio entry
At first glance, this would seem like your typical student-teacher interaction. The teacher teaches, the student responds, the teacher assesses, provides feedback and alters instruction, the student responds again, and the process starts over.

This cycle of learning sometime bears fruit. But far too often, it leaves the student and teacher in a perpetual circle of confusion and frustration. Fortunately for David, Genesis is about to pull something else from her instructional toolbox.

She opens up an app on her iPad that is designed for speech and language teachers. In it, she can record a student's voice, play back their voice for them, and write down notes - all within the same file. They use the same picture card process as before, except now David knows he is actually going to hear himself speak.

He hesitates for a moment, realizing that this time it's for real. When he is ready, he again responds to the image that is presented. Genesis stops the recording, plays it back to David, and asks, "Did you say it just like I did?" Instead of frustration, David displays understanding. He has heard himself speak. There is no confusion; he can hear what he needs to improve.

David's brow furrows, exhibiting a new look of determination as Genesis asks him to try this activity again. This time he slows down his speech, enunciating each sound correctly within the word. Genesis stops the recording and plays it back for him. The smile that comes across David's face is the feedback Genesis needs to know that he feels successful.
Reflection and follow-through
After the session, Genesis reflects on David's progress. She writes a few sentences in his notebook within Evernote, a web-based application that can house text, audio, images, and links. She also includes David's audio, along with any other relevant information. Genesis makes specific comments about his growth in relation to his previous abilities. Much of the feedback is positive in nature. Once ready, she emails this Evernote entry (called a "note"), containing both audio and text, to David's parents.

A day later, David's dad stops by to visit Genesis in her office. Before conversation can even start, he states, "I really like that note you emailed us." Genesis nods and smiles, telling him how happy she is that he found it useful. Dad and Genesis go on to have an in-depth conversation about David's progress. David's father and his teacher are partners in advancing his learning. Everyone is focused on the same thing. There is no confusion about David's progress and current status, where his strengths lie, and where he needs to improve.

Each student in Genesis' caseload has a series of notes in Evernote. They are organized within an Evernote notebook specifically created for that student. At virtually any time and place, Genesis could pull up any one of her students' notes to analyze and share. All she would need is a digital device and a connection, either Internet-based or via cellular reception. Thanks to Evernote, the information Genesis has collected from her work with each student is easily organized and quickly accessible whenever and wherever she prepares for future intervention sessions.

The comprehensive collections of work that teachers like Genesis and their students curate and reflect upon on a regular basis are examples of digital student portfolios. Using highly flexible software, they are receptacles for learning from the past, reflections on our current capacities, and goal-setting resources for the future.
Students create meaningful goals
Genesis is not the only person setting the direction for her students' learning. The students themselves have created personal, meaningful goals for the year. The goals are based on feedback from Genesis, who uses a variety of assessment activities to help the students reflect on their strengths and current reality.

Each student's learning goals are proudly displayed around her office. The message delivered to everyone who enters her room is, "We are all learners here." That includes Genesis. As she works with these digital tools and resources, she realizes that her role of teacher has evolved into one of teacher/learner.

She is constantly listening and observing, alert to clues that her students are responding to the instruction she provides. Together, they have agreed upon goals that are high, attainable, and visible every day. And the progress toward these goals is fully documented in each student's web-based digital portfolio.

This close observation of one teacher's integration of technology into her daily instruction is an example of where we want to be as a staff. Our K-5 school has engaged in this initiative for the last three years. Our target goal: To enhance and even rethink how we help students make progress toward their learning goals.

Our current portfolio system wasn't cutting it. To prepare for Portfolio Night in April seemed to suggest that there was little worth sharing between September and March.

While we knew we wanted to bring iPads and Evernote into our classrooms, we did not intend to introduce technology just for the sake of change. Instead, we considered an entry point - ongoing, formative assessment - to begin to bridge the print and digital world.

Pedagogy is still our school's driver (Fullan, 2014). Technology is treated as an accelerator (Collins, 2001) for change. With this framework in mind, we were able to better manage this shift in how we teach and learn in our school. There were several bumps in the road, but keeping our focus on what was important made the learning process of collecting and organizing student work online more manageable.
Why digital portfolios?
Through digital student portfolios, learners can document current understandings. They can make revisions as their thinking changes and their skill levels grow. Celebrations of their successes can be shared both locally and globally.

The particular software and services used to create these portfolios is a subject of some interest, to be sure, but it is secondary to the "big idea" itself: compiling a dynamic collection of information from many sources, in many forms and with many purposes, all aimed at presenting the most complete story possible of a student's learning experience.

Different forms of media, such as audio, images, and video, in addition to text, can be inserted into this dynamic compilation of information. Digital student portfolios could be considered a map of a student's "journey toward excellence" (Routman, 2013). This documentation also serves as description of a school's own story. We write our own narrative as we work together - students, teachers, and parents - to realize our mission and vision.

Photos: Matt Renwick
Matt Renwick is head principal at Howe Elementary School in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin and author of Digital Student Portfolios. Prior to becoming a principal, Matt served in many other roles as a public educator, including elementary teacher, assistant principal and athletic director. Howe School has earned many accolades for their literacy initiatives and student achievement, including Spotlight School recognition from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Connect with Matt via Twitter @readbyexample. He blogs at Reading by Example and writes for EDTECH, MiddleWeb, ASCD and other education resources.

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Digital Student Portfolios: A Whole-School Approach

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Matt Renwick is principal of K-5 Howe Elementary School in Wisconsin Rapids, WI. This article is adapted from the Introduction to his new book Digital Student Portfolios: A Whole School Approach to Connected Learning and Continuous Assessment, available from Powerful Learning Press.

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13 Ways to Make Homework More Meaningful and Engaging | MiddleWeb

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13 Ways to Make Homework More Meaningful and Engaging | MiddleWeb

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In the first installment of Rick Wormeli's homework advice, he made the case for take-home assignments that matter for learning and engage student interest. In Part 2, Rick offers some guiding principles that can help teachers create homework challenges that motivate kids and spark deeper learning in and out of school. These articles are adapted and updated from Rick's seminal book about teaching in the middle grades, by Rick Wormeli Day One & Beyond: Practical Matters for New Middle Level Teachers. Rick continues to offer great advice about homework, differentiation, assessment and many other topics in workshops and presentations across North America. Check back in Part 1 for some additional homework resources.
I've been accumulating guiding principles for creating highly motivating homework assignments for many years - from my own teaching and from the distilled wisdom of others. Here are a baker's dozen. Choose the ones most appropriate for students' learning goals and your curriculum.

1. Give students a clear picture of the final product. This doesn't mean everything is structured for them, or that there aren't multiple pathways to the same high quality result. There's room for student personalities to be expressed. Students clearly know what is expected, however. A clear picture sets purpose for doing the assignment. Priming the brain to focus on particular aspects of the learning experience helps the brain process the information for long-term retention. Setting purpose for homework assignments has an impact on learning and the assignment's completion rate, as research by Marzano and others confirms.

2. Incorporate a cause into the assignment. Middle level students are motivated when they feel they are righting a wrong. They are very sensitive to justice and injustice. As a group, they are also very nurturing of those less fortunate than them. Find a community or personal cause for which students can fight fairly and incorporate your content and skills in that good fight- students will be all over the assignment.

3. Give students a real audience. There's an audience for the students' work and it isn't always us, the teachers. For example, when students work on something that uses a lot of technology - whether it's a PowerPoint talk over the internet, a project blog, or Twitter and other social media, it's not the technology that's motivating-it's the fact that there will be an audience other than the teacher. Somebody will see this, they realize. What will they think of it? they ask themselves. So how can you create real audiences for homework?

4. Incorporate people whom students admire in their assignments. Students are motivated when asked to share what they know and feel about these folks. We are a society of heroes, and young adolescents are interested in talking about and becoming heroic figures.

5. Allow choices, as appropriate. Allow students to do the even-numbered or odd-numbered problems, or allow them to choose from three prompts, not just one. Let them choose the word that best describes the political or scientific process. Let them identify their own diet and its effects on young adolescent bodies. Let them choose to work with partners or individually. How about allowing them to choose from several multiple-intelligence based tasks? If they are working in ways that are comfortable, they are more likely to do the work. By making the choice, they have upped their ownership of the task.

6. Incorporate cultural products into the assignment. If students have to use magazines, television shows, foods, sports equipment, and other products they already use, they are likely to do the work. The brain loves to do tasks in contexts with which it is familiar.

7. Allow students to collaborate in determining how homework will be assessed. If they help design the criteria for success, such as when they create the rubric for an assignment, they "own" the assignment. It comes off as something done by them, not to them. They also internalize the expectations-another way for them to have clear targets.

With some assignments we can post well-done versions from previous years (or ones we've created for this purpose) and ask students to analyze the essential characteristics that make these assignments exemplary. Students who analyze such assignments will compare those works with their own and internalize the criteria for success, referencing the criteria while doing the assignment, not just when it's finished.

8. Avoid "fluff" assignments. For example, assigning students to create a life-sized "dummy" of a person found in a novel (or in history, in science, in math, etc.) doesn't further understanding. It's a lot of coloring, cutting, wadding paper, and stapling (or stuffing old clothing with newspaper) for very little return. Make sure there is a clear connection to curriculum, not just something that would look cool when displayed in the classroom. Students will figure out how empty these assignments are very quickly. They'll see homework as serving little or no purpose other than to give them something to do, which sinks motivation like a big chunk of granite.

9. Spruce up your prompts. Don't ask students to repeatedly answer questions or summarize. Try some of these openers instead: Decide between, argue against, Why did ______ argue for, compare, contrast, plan, classify, retell ______ from the point of view of ______, Organize, build, interview, predict, categorize, simplify, deduce, formulate, blend, suppose, invent, imagine, devise, compose, combine, rank, recommend, defend, choose.

10. Have everyone turn in a paper. In her classic, Homework: A New Direction (1992), Neila Connors reminded teachers to have all students turn in a paper, regardless of whether they did the assignment. If a student doesn't have his homework, he writes on the paper the name of the assignment and why he didn't do it.

I've had students add their parents' telephone number so I could call home and share what the student said about his homework. Calling parents usually results in a terrific homework completion record for students-at least for a few weeks. An added dividend is that classmates don't get as many opportunities to see who didn't do their homework-a reputation to avoid.

11. Do not give homework passes. I used to do this; then I realized how much it minimized the importance of homework. It's like saying, "Oh, well, the homework really wasn't that important to your learning. You'll learn just as well without it." Homework should be so productive for students that missing it is like missing the lesson itself.

12. Integrate homework with other subjects. One assignment can count in two classes. Such assignments are usually complex enough to warrant the dual grade and it's a way to work smarter, not harder, for both students and teachers. Teachers can split the pile of papers to grade, then share the grades with each other, and students don't have homework piling up in multiple classes.

There are times when every teacher on the team assigns a half-hour assignment, and so do the elective or encore class teachers. This could mean three to four hours of homework for the student, which is inappropriate for young adolescents.

13. Occasionally, let students identify what homework would be most effective. Sometimes the really creative assignments are the ones that students design themselves. After teaching a lesson, ask your students what it would take to practice the material so well it became clearly understood. Many of the choices will be rigorous and very appropriate.
▶ More resources from Rick Wormeli:
Consider your true goal with homework: learning that moves into long-term memory, right? Cramming is the stuff of partial memories to be parroted for a quiz that week, then dumped in the brain's recycling bin, never to be seen again.
NEXT: In our final excerpt from Day One & Beyond, Rick Wormeli shares his approach to homework assessment - with an clear emphasis on maintaining teacher sanity. ________
This is one reason I always recommend that, as a basic premise, we avoid Monday morning quizzes and weekend or holiday homework assignments. Sure, there will be exceptions when long-term projects come due. But if we are really about teaching so that students learn and not about appearing rigorous and assigning tasks to show that we have taught, then we'll carefully consider all the effects of our homework expectations. Our students will be more productive at school for having healthier lives at home.

Although Rick never mentions the word homework in this article about helping adolescent students improve their "executive function," you will immediately see the connections! At the AMLE website.

Rick Wormeli was among the first National Board Certified teachers in America. His education career spans 35 years - teaching math, science, English, physical education, health, and history and coaching teachers and principals. He is a columnist for AMLE Magazine and a frequent contributor to ASCD's Education Leadership magazine.

His books include Meet Me in the Middle; Day One and Beyond; Fair Isn't Always Equal: Assessment and Grading in the Differentiated Classroom; Differentiation: From Planning to Practice; Metaphors & Analogies: Power Tools for Teaching Any Subject, and Summarization in Any Subject, plus The Collected Writings (So Far) of Rick Wormeli: Crazy Good Stuff I Learned about Teaching Along the Way.

He is currently working on his first young adult fiction novel and a new book on homework practices in the 21 st century.

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13 Ways to Make Homework More Meaningful and Engaging

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In the first installment of Rick Wormeli's homework advice, he made the case for take-home assignments that matter for learning and engage student interest. In Part 2, Rick offers some guiding principles that can help teachers create homework challenges that motivate kids and spark deeper learning in and out of school.

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A MiddleWeb Blog

STEM is a growing young initiative in the K-12 learning arena. Many people are still trying to wrap their heads around it. Teachers are still wondering, "I teach science (or I teach technology, or I teach math), so am I teaching STEM?"

I recently finished co-teaching a STEM/STEAM eCourse with colleague Nancy Flanagan and guest Dr. Susan Pruet. We found that many people are wrestling with questions about what STEM is, how it's different from traditional math and science classes, and how engineering fits in.

Before figuring out what makes something STEM, educators need to understand what STEM is supposed to accomplish. STEM is a way to achieve specific workforce-related goals, although it also focuses on life skills that all students need. I generally start a STEM class for educators by reminding folks exactly why STEM became such a hot topic.

Why the urgency around STEM?

► Our workforce has a growing need for workers with 21st century skills. The current demand for STEM-capable workers is greater than the supply of applicants who are prepared for STEM careers. So, what 21st Century skills do our kids need to be successful in the workforce and in life in the high-tech, post-digital age? The ultimate goal of STEM is to address that question and prepare students with these skills.

► Currently our biggest demand is for workers who understand math and science and can apply what they know. According to The Atlantic, more and more U.S.-based jobs require workers who possess practical expertise in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Our students need to understand and be able to apply concepts from algebra, geometry, trigonometry, biology, chemistry, physics and other important disciplines. Currently, American kids are falling short.

STEM intentionally gives students experience in integrating and applying rigorous math and science to solve problems. Since STEM can't focus on every science and math objective, a good rule of thumb is to focus on the most important learning goals in each discipline.

In addition to rigorous science and math, I often discuss some other 21st century skills students need to master. This list will likely look familiar.

* Collaboration and teamwork
* Critical thinking and problem solving
* Communication on multiple levels
* Entrepreneurship, resourcefulness, and resilience
* Creativity and innovation
* A sense of civic responsibility

So, in addition to applying science and math, STEM should build specific kinds of life skills and personal qualities. Civil responsibility, for example, is a personal quality that often develops through identifying and solving real-world problems.

Why include engineering?

Another biggie for STEM is the use of a design process for helping kids think through and solve problems that I usually refer to as "engineering challenges" or "STEM challenges."

Why would students need to use an engineering design process? This is considered a non-negotiable in most STEM projects, since this is the type of thinking that engineers and related professionals go through when they create innovative solutions for real world problems. Our students need to graduate with specific thinking skills that can help them approach diverse challenges.

The engineering design process (EDP) provides an organized method for solving complex problems that require some type of innovation. This process involves a set of steps that go from defining a problem to creating and developing a final solution. The "E" in STEM is a key difference between traditional science and math lessons and STEM lessons.

There are several versions of this engineering design process. (Go to Google image search and type in Engineering Design Process). All contain the same basic steps. The higher the grade level, the more steps are typically included.

Once the educators in my class have looked at the impetus behind STEM and what skills workers need in 21st century jobs, they can understand the need to develop students who are ready for STEM careers. That informs our understanding of what makes something STEM.

So what's the acid test for a STEM project?

At this point, I invite my adult learners to brainstorm some ideas. When it comes to student STEM projects, what are some defining characteristics? Here are several we have come up with:

Features integrated and applied math and science

Revolves around an Engineering Design Process

Engages kids in creating, testing, and evaluating prototypes

Builds a mindset of continual improvement and redesign

Involves an inquiry-based teaching approach and hands-on investigation

Involves students in working and solving problems in teams

Provides students with a risk-free atmosphere in which to make mistakes and try again

Those are some significant things that make something STEM.

Try my "Is It STEM?" checklist

One way to examine our programs to see if they meet the STEM test is to make a rubric or checklist incorporating characteristics like those we brainstormed. What follows might be a starter set of questions to examine proposed or existing STEM projects. This is not comprehensive, but the answers to the following queries can generally reveal whether a program is STEM.

STEM Content:

How was math integrated and applied?

How was science integrated and applied?

How was technology integrated (or created)?

How was the Engineering Design Process used?

Students:

How successfully were students able to engage in team problem-solving?

Were they comfortable viewing failure as okay, and as a next step in a search for an answer?

To what extent did students consider multiple right ways to approach and solve the problem?

Did student teams develop and test a prototype for solving the problem?

Teachers:

Do teachers have deep content knowledge in their field?

Do teachers have the pedagogical skill to make that content accessible to students?

Are the teachers skilled at guiding and facilitating learning?

Do teachers have the resources and training they need in STEM?

What makes something STEM?

Classrooms with students engaged and interested in being scientists, mathematicians, and engineers and having the habits of mind and the skill sets to do that. Our programs need to include real and rigorous STEM work. For the sake of our 21st century students, our communities and our national infrastructure, we need to get this right.

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A MiddleWeb Blog STEM is a growing young initiative in the K-12 learning arena. Many people are still trying to wrap their heads around it. Teachers are still wondering, "I teach science (or I teach technology, or I teach math), so am I teaching STEM?"

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Educational Leadership:Teaching for Authentic Student Performance:Increasing Student Engagement: A Mystery Solved

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Educational Leadership:Teaching for Authentic Student Performance:Increasing Student Engagement: A Mystery Solved

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December 1996/January 1997 | Volume 54 | Number 4
Teaching for Authentic Student Performance Pages 72-75

Claudia Geocaris

As a high school science teacher, I often have to juggle the demands of helping students learn conceptually complex material while trying to maximize their engagement in the subject matter. Just as I want students to enhance their understanding of scientific concepts, I also want them to be attracted to their work, to persist despite challenges and obstacles, and to show delight in their accomplishments: the hallmarks of student engagement, as Schlechty (1994) defines it.

It's not an easy task! In past years, I took a traditional approach with a complex but vitally important scientific concept: What is DNA and how does it contribute to genetics and the diversity of life? In past years, I usually presented material to students through lectures and labs. I explained key scientific discoveries and told students about the theories that resulted from the research. After presenting the material, I expected students to understand the relationship among DNA, RNA, proteins, and genetics. Although many students did, others did not; moreover, my students did not exhibit high levels of student engagement.

Last year, however, I redesigned my approach to teaching DNA in my 9th grade biology class, and, much to my delight, my students exhibited all of the defining characteristics of student engagement.

The catalyst was my school district's participation in the Thoughtful Education Program (Hanson, Silver, and Strong 1990). This program describes four dimensions of student engagement, and it provides training to help teachers boost student engagement in their classrooms. The first dimension is rigor. Students want and need content that challenges their minds and stimulates their curiosity. Provocative, demanding content is more motivating to work on than simple, unambiguous material that skims the surface of ideas.

The second dimension is thought. Students want and need activities that challenge them to think and develop understanding. Assigning routine tasks that require only low level thought rarely engages students in learning. Costa (1991) contends that thinking is what you do when you do not know the answer. Thinking is an engagement of the mind that changes the mind.

The third dimension is self expression. Students need opportunities to express their originality in their work. School often thwarts this drive by requiring everyone to do the same thing, and by providing few opportunities for students to choose the medium in which they wish to work. Students have too few opportunities to produce genuine, original, creative products that demonstrate what they know and understand.

The fourth dimension of engagement is authenticity. Students need to see the links between the material they're studying and the real world, and to make connections with their own experiences. Therefore, the tasks we ask students to carry out should, to the extent possible, be connected with the world of work, academe, the arts, and local communities.

A Thoughtful Approach to DNA

After learning about the Thoughtful Education Program and thinking about how I might reflect its ideas in my class, I decided to use these four dimensions to design a unit that would truly engage my students in the topic of DNA and diversity.

The central strategy I used for the unit on DNA is called the Mystery Strategy (Silver and Hanson 1994). The Mystery Strategy builds on students' curiosity, encouraging them to think like scientists. It calls for confronting students with a deep, rich problem or challenge. Students are then provided with actual clues that scientists have used to build their understanding of that question and construct a response. As in the real world, the information students receive is fragmentary and, in some instances, contradictory. The students must collect and organize the data, formulate tentative hypotheses, and use the data to support or refute their hypotheses.

The strategy moves through four phases:

Present the mysterious event or "hook." (This could be a strange phenomenon, a question that puzzles, a secret that intrigues, or a riddle to be solved.)

Supply the evidence and the clues. (During this phase, students must organize clues, make inferences, establish patterns, draw conclusions, and seek cause and effect relationships.)

Establish an explanation. (Students form a hypothesis, select and refine that hypothesis, test the hypothesis, and build support for the hypothesis.)

Evaluate the investigation. (In this phase, students reflect on the process, evaluate the hypothesis, and determine the effectiveness of the investigation.)

Building on the format of the Mystery Strategy, I designed the unit of study that follows. For me, the lesson design was a risk. I wasn't at all certain that the students would be capable of grasping such complex material without direct instruction. Also, I suspected that this strategy would take more class time than the techniques I used in past years. In fact, our class spent 10 class periods on the unit, compared to 4 to 6 periods before. But I believe the additional time paid dividends in the depth of knowledge students gained.

On the day the lesson was introduced, I posed the central question to students: "What causes diversity in living organisms?" Students wrote their preliminary ideas. Responses from this quick preassessment indicated that most of the students had little background in DNA theory or had never made any connection between DNA and diversity.

The Event

Next, I presented students with the following scenario:

Dr. DNA, a leading microbiologist and geneticist, received a grant from the National Science Foundation to research the question, "What causes diversity in living organisms?" After years of study, Dr. DNA was finally ready to present her findings at an international symposium on the causes of diversity to be held in Washington, D.C. Scientists from all over the world gathered to hear her theory.

As she was crossing the street from the hotel to the convention center, however, she was struck by a bus and killed. The scientific community was stunned, not only by her sudden death, but also by the loss of her work. The only hope for recapturing the results of her work were the scattered notes found at the scene of the accident.

The National Science Foundation has decided to fund several more groups of scientists in an effort to reconstruct Dr. DNA's work. You and your teammates have been chosen for this honor.

The Evidence

In determining what information I needed to give students, I first wrote out my own explanation based on what I knew and understood. Once I established the important ideas I wanted my students to discover, I was then able to generate specific clues. The quality of the clues is critically important for this activity. A good clue should provide specific, observable data but should not provide much explanatory language.

For this unit, I developed 24 separate clues (Dr. DNA's notes), typed them on separate strips of paper, and distributed them to student teams. Teams began by reading the clues and beginning to sort them into categories. For example, many teams developed a category called "bases," under which they put such clues as "The order of bases is different from one organism to another." By manipulating the clues, students discovered that only certain bases could fit together. This was a crucial finding, because it helped students begin to understand the basic structure of the DNA molecule. Later, they would be able to connect this basic structure to the way the genetic code is controlled by DNA. After sorting their clues, students began to analyze their data. They spent a considerable amount of time discussing the clues with their team, reading the textbook for relevant information, and consulting with me. Each team took observation notes and kept a journal, and the entries teams made revealed some of their thinking as they tackled the mystery. For example, one team's journal entry read:

If different organisms have different amounts of DNA, then they must have different amounts of the four building blocks. The bases will still pair the same way, however, because adenine always pairs with thymine and cytosine always pairs with guanine.

We are wondering about the order of bases. Does it change from organism to organism also? If it does, maybe that partly explains why the clue "DNA is able to make exact copies of itself" is important. We are also seeing some kind of connection between DNA, RNA, and proteins. Not sure what this all means yet, but we still have lots of clues left to sort.

Later these same students wrote:

Having looked at a number of clues today, we now think the order of bases in DNA guides the manufacturing of RNA in a cell. The RNA guides the production of proteins in the cell. The amount and types of proteins that an organism is composed of help to identify the organism. WOW! Can you believe it? I never knew the order of four bases could be so important! We now need to look for some experimental evidence that proves our ideas.

As the journal entries suggest, students were learning to build their understanding in much the same way that a scientist would. They sorted, recorded, and analyzed their clues and data for relevance to the solution. Every tentative answer led to another question to be pursued. As one student said, "Solving this mystery was like being in a haunted house. You knew there was a way out, you just had to find it!"

The Explanation

Once teams had reviewed, sorted, and analyzed the data, they were ready to formulate their hypotheses. Drawing upon experimental data, students had to develop a hypothesis about what causes diversity in living organisms. For example, one team's hypothesis stated:

The chemicals that make up DNA are adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. These are arranged in different patterns in the DNA molecule. These patterns cause diversity by passing their code to RNA, which carries DNA's message to the ribosomes where proteins are made. The making of different proteins in different organisms causes diversity.

Most teams rewrote their hypotheses several times before being satisfied with the result, and I found that while students were quick to recognize DNA as the cause of diversity, they found it more difficult to cite the evidence that supported their ideas. Nevertheless, students as a whole demonstrated a deep understanding of the complex material of the unit. Taking fragments of information, they made connections and constructed meaningful hypotheses about the diversity of life.

The Evaluation

As a final product for this project, each student team presented an oral report at a simulated international symposium, accompanied by a visual tool designed to enhance the presentation. I worked with my classes to develop the criteria they would use to evaluate their work, and we agreed that it should be judged on content (understanding of the concepts presented), critical thinking (ability to develop a coherent and comprehensive explanation using the clues), and communication (ability to use both visual and oral formats in a clear and meaningful manner). We developed indicators for each criterion, so each team would have a clearer picture of how its work would be assessed.

Soon, the teams were ready to present their theories. We created programs announcing the "First Annual Symposium on the Causes of Diversity in Living Organisms," distributing them to all on the day of the presentations.

Each team's presentation gave me an opportunity to clarify and elaborate on the topic. I asked students to record the main points made during each group's presentation, especially noting the presence (or absence) of experimental evidence. By the time we reviewed all of the presentations, students had a clearer picture of the process scientists use in their work and an understanding of DNA and the role it plays in the diversity of life. Because students constructed the knowledge for themselves, they had a solid understanding of both the vocabulary and the concepts. In the weeks that followed, they retained the information and were able to recall the clues and the concepts as we continued our study of genetics.

Content and Process

By using the four dimensions of engagement to guide my planning, I was able to meet both my content objective (students enhanced their understanding of DNA theory) and my process objective (students displayed the ability to collect, organize, and manage information in order to develop a thoughtful theory supported by evidence).

As I began this lesson, I struggled with the fact that I would be placing a greater emphasis on the process, as I allowed students to construct knowledge for themselves. Would students learn the content if I did not provide them as much information up front? I learned that carefully planned, inquiry based teaching strategies that call upon students to make sense of concepts and data can be every bit as effective as more traditional approaches. Moreover, the processes I used generated a high level of student engagement and motivation.

References

Costa, A., ed. (1991). Developing Minds: A Resource for Teaching Thinking. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Hanson, J.R., H. Silver, and R. Strong. (1990). Thoughtful Education Program. Princeton Junction, N.J.: Thoughtful Education Press.

Schlechty, P. (January 1994). "Increasing Student Engagement." Missouri Leadership Academy.

Silver, H. and J.R. Hanson. (1994). Teaching Styles and Strategies. Princeton Junction, N.J.: Thoughtful Education Press.

Claudia Geocaris is a science teacher at Hinsdale South High School, 7401 Clarendon Hills Rd., Darien, IL 60561. E mail: claudiageo@aol.com.

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Increasing Student Engagement: A Mystery Solved

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December 1996/January 1997 | Volume 54 | Number 4 Teaching for Authentic Student Performance Pages 72-75 Claudia Geocaris As a high school science teacher, I often have to juggle the demands of helping students learn conceptually complex material while trying to maximize their engagement in the subject matter.

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Ideas to Help Students Develop Higher-Order Questions

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Ideas to Help Students Develop Higher-Order Questions

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AMLE - Association for Middle Level Education

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As a middle grades teacher, there are certain questions from your students that you see coming: Why are we doing this? Is this for a grade? When is this due? Can we work with a partner? Is it lunch yet?

And then there are the other questions. These questions poke their smiling faces around corners, surprise you, and make you happy that you're a middle level educator. One day as a sixth grade social studies teacher, I had such a joyous occasion.

I had about six students in my classroom eating lunch as they were working on a project about the Middle East. They were moderately productive amidst their lunch trays, notebook paper, and pens, and I had already fielded several of the standard "oh-my-gosh-Mr. Tomlin-this-project-is-like-impossible" questions-when I was faced with a question that only a middle school student could ask.

With a Jell-O cup in one hand, a boy named Jamie got up from his desk and asked most genuinely, "Mr. Tomlin, what's your favorite smell that you're not supposed to smell?"

Now, I don't know why he wanted to know my personal answer to this riddle, and I don't even remember what I answered. But I remember Jamie. I remember my feelings of joy and bewilderment. And I remember that awesome, novel question.

I think back on this story about Jamie and wonder, "How can we help our students ask thought-provoking, robust, and amazing questions every day?" As middle level educators, we feel a great deal of pressure to create lessons that climb the rungs of Bloom's taxonomy ladder: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. We work hard to ensure that our plans are populated with higher-order, text-dependent questions to challenge students.

We prepare units with essential questions and enduring understandings for students to take away when they're done. We may even attend professional development workshops about how to write (and assess) higher-order thinking questions. Because we are critical practitioners in the art of teaching and learning, all of that effort has its place.

However, as I think about Jamie's question from lunchtime, I wonder how we can do more to develop student inquiry-to help students develop their own higher-order questions, which they can use to approach any learning situation.

There are 9 simple steps that we can take to build a culture of student inquiry in our middle level classrooms now.

Model curiosity. Ask big, higher-order novel questions, and do so as a learner. What are you curious about? Bring your own interests and big ideas into the classroom and share them with passion! Relate them to your content, but push back against the content. "Hey, y'all. Have you ever wondered why people wrote letters back home during WWII? What do you think it would have been like to write one-or to receive one and to write back?"

Build a culture of inquiry by cultivating relationships through questions. Solid relationships are the foundation upon which we build everything in the middle level. Therefore, with students, your fellow teachers, and staff, build relationships on genuine inquiry. Ask questions about each others' lives, interests, and (yes the dreaded "F" word) feelings that push boundaries and deviate from the script-like Jamie's.

Provide rich stimulus to inspire rich questions. Don't settle for tepid non-fiction or fiction-get the good stuff! Find well-written, progressive pieces about cool topics that get students interested, excited, and involved, so they start asking higher-order questions. And appeal to your students' minds through their ears and eyes as well by using provocative music (i.e., The Rite of Spring, Thelonious Monk, DJ Shadow) and art and photography (i.e., Dali, Banksy, Arbus)

Give students examples and keywords for novel questions. As they start building and asking, some students will need words to get them started. Here are some great sources for that: http://www.clemson.edu/assessment/assessmentpractices/
referencematerials/documents/Blooms%20Taxonomy%20Action%20Verbs.pdf. Use these words yourself orally and in print. Make them available for families, too, so they can ask novel questions at home.

Leave judgment at the classroom door. Honor a student's effort to ask a novel question-and tell him/her, "I like the way you're thinking!" That genuine, immediate praise will embolden him/her to ask more and to ask deeper questions.

(At the same time) Push students to give you more. Be bold. When students ask higher-order questions, make them explain those questions, provide the reasons why they asked them, and give additional follow-up questions to add more layers.

Document and celebrate novel questions. As soon as a student asks his/her big question, say, "WHOAAA! Gotta write that down!" Then grab that marker, run over to the wall or chart paper like you're literally on fire, and write it down with deliberate fury! And then use those questions later to show students that you value their thinking throughout the year.

Make the novel questions part of a project-based learning unit or Genius Hour (see Welcome to the Genius Hour and http://www.geniushour.com/). If we celebrate students' questions and connect them with authentic, self-selected learning goals, they will be even more motivated to ask novel questions. They will see how higher-order thinking questions can turn into something actionable and productive.

Question any list that declares absolutes about student inquiry. These 9 simple steps are not meant to be the end of the inquiry about student inquiry, so model the expectation and keep on asking your own higher-order questions about what works in the classroom. True pedagogical artists never rest!

So what's your favorite smell that you're not supposed to smell? What student questions will make you smile, make you push your fence lines, blow your hair back, make you question your notions, and make you ask more questions?

When you help students become great with inquiry, your classroom will be enriched by fields and fields of novel questions. Perhaps reaching every student and creating great schools is more about asking great questions than coming up with easy answers.

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Ideas to Help Students Develop Higher-Order Questions

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As a middle grades teacher, there are certain questions from your students that you see coming: Why are we doing this? Is this for a grade? When is this due? Can we work with a partner? Is it lunch yet? And then there are the other questions.

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Pairing Students To Better Understand Texts

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Pairing Students To Better Understand Texts

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

Thought starters

How could you use literacy partners in your classroom?

What kinds of questions might you ask on a literacy self-assessment?

How does Ms. Banks set partners up for success?

School Details

John Ehret High School
4300 Patriot Street
Marrero LA 70072

Data Provided By:

Teachers

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Literacy Partners in the Science Classroom

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High school physics teacher Shelia Banks has students work with literacy partners when analyzing scientific texts. Shelia begins by having students fill out a literacy self-assessment to determine their levels and preferences for group work. Literacy partners then work together to support each other in understanding scientific articles.

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ELA.L.11-12.4b

Common core State Standards

ELA: English Language Arts

L: Language Standards 6-12

11-12: 11th & 12th Grades

4b:
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and
phrases based on grades 11-12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a
range of strategies.

a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a
wordâ\x80\x99s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word
or phrase.

b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different
meanings or parts of speech (e.g., conceive, conception, conceivable).

c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries,
glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation
of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, its
etymology, or its standard usage.

d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase
(e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

Thought starters

What scaffolds does Ms. Wessling put into place to get her students using new vocabulary?

Which words are best suited for paint chips?

How could you use paint chips in your classroom?

School Details

Johnston Senior High School
6501 Northwest 62nd Avenue
Johnston IA 50131

Data Provided By:

Teachers

English Language Arts / 10 11 12 / Teacher

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High School ELA teacher Sarah Brown Wessling uses paint chips to teach her students about related words. Sarah writes related words and synonyms on the different parts of the paint chips. Students read the paint chips and practice pronouncing the vocabulary words.

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Merging Great Classroom Management Techniques With A Fun Lesson

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Merging Great Classroom Management Techniques With A Fun Lesson

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ELA.L.7.5b

Common core State Standards

ELA:
English Language Arts

L:
Language

7:
7th Grade

5b:
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context.
b. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonym/antonym, analogy) to better understand each of the words.
c. Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., refined, respectful, polite, diplomatic, condescending).

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

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Thought starters

Why is setting a time limit essential to this activity?

How can this activity be used as both a pre-teaching and review activity?

What are the learning benefits of allowing students to be mobile?

School Details

Wilmette Junior High School
620 Locust Road
Wilmette IL 60091

Data Provided By:

Teachers

English Language Arts / 7 / Teacher

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Jody McCauley uses address labels to spice up the practice of thinking through analogies. Each student has a worksheet with one part of the analogy that they must match up with a word on another classmates back. Ms. McCauley advises using this activity for pre-teaching or review.

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Making Science Engaging To Middle School Students

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Making Science Engaging To Middle School Students

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Behavior expert John Bayley mentors an 8th grade science teacher to adopt new differentiation strategies to engage his reluctant learners. This video demonstrates the effectiveness of those strategies with before and after classroom observations, especially when it comes to positive reinforcements.

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Dipsticks: Efficient Ways to Check for Understanding | Edutopia

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Dipsticks: Efficient Ways to Check for Understanding | Edutopia

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Through alternative formative assessment, teachers can check for student understanding without falling back on the tedious or intimidating pop quiz.

What strategy can double student learning gains? According to 250 empirical studies, the answer is formative assessment, defined by Bill Younglove as "the frequent, interactive checking of student progress and understanding in order to identify learning needs and adjust teaching appropriately."

Unlike summative assessment, which evaluates student learning according to a benchmark, formative assessment monitors student understanding so that kids are always aware of their academic strengths and learning gaps. It also helps teachers improve the effectiveness of their instruction. "When the cook tastes the soup," writes Robert E. Stake, "that's formative; when the guests taste the soup, that's summative." Formative assessment can be administered as an exam. But if the assessment is not a traditional quiz, it falls within the category of alternative assessment.

Alternative formative assessment (AFA) strategies can be as simple (and important) as checking the oil in your car-hence the name "dipsticks." They're especially effective when students are given tactical feedback, immediately followed by time to practice the skill. My favorite techniques are those with simple directions, like The 60 Second Paper, which asks students to describe the most important thing they learned and identify any areas of confusion in one minute.

You can find another 53 ways to check for understanding toward the end of this post and as a downloadable document.

Observation: A Key Practice in Alternative Formative Assessment

A fundamental element of most AFAs is observation. Rebecca Alber writes there is much to learn by taking observational notes as students work in groups. "However," she clarifies, "if it is quiet during this talk time, and they are watching you watch them, they are most likely lost." Elena Aguilar has witnessed " a fantastic first grade Sheltered English teacher " who directed his students to respond to a story by making hand gestures and holding up picture cards: "In this way, the teacher was able to immediately see who was struggling with the concepts and provide corrective feedback."

By methodically watching and recording student performance with a focused observation form, you can learn a lot about students' levels of understanding in just a few moments. For example, math teacher Taryn Pritchard uses an observation sheet to assess students' mastery levels in only 10 seconds. Pre-planning methodical observations allow instructors to efficiently and effectively intervene when it counts most-in the instant students start down the wrong path.

New to Alternative Formative Assessment? Start Slow

The National Capital Language Resource Center recommends the following when introducing alternative assessment for the first time:

Integrate alternative assessments gradually, while still using the traditional assessments.

Walk students through the rubrics and discuss expectations when you introduce assignments.

Learn to score alternative assessments yourself, and then gradually introduce students to self-evaluation.

Teach students how to thoughtfully give each other feedback as you introduce them to peer-response.

A Simple Way to Gain Information From Your Students: Ask Them

When preservice teachers are confused as to why their students perform poorly on an assignment, I gently say, "Did you ask them why?" Having learners articulate why they're stuck can be profoundly useful for identifying where to target support.

According to the American Institute of Nondestructive Testing, the simplest tool to encourage student self-assessment is evaluative prompts:

How much time and effort did you put into this?

What do you think your strengths and weaknesses were in this assignment?

How could you improve your assignment?

What are the most valuable things you learned from this assignment?

Learners can respond to those prompts using Padlet, a virtual corkboard where many computer users can simultaneously post their responses; follow up with a focused whole-class discussion of those answers. The instructor doesn't always have to develop prompts-students can invent and submit one or more potential exam questions and answers on relevant content. Tell them that you'll include the best contributions on a forthcoming quiz.

Portfolios are a more complex form of ongoing self-assessment, one that can feature in student-led conferences. James Mule, principal of St. Amelia Elementary School in New York, describes how children benefit from the student-led conferences that occur at his institution: "With the student in charge and the teacher acting as a facilitator, the authentic assessment gives students practice in self-evaluation and boosts accountability, self-confidence, and self-esteem."

The biggest benefit of integrating AFAs into your practice is that students will internalize the habit of monitoring their understanding and adjusting accordingly.

53 Ways to Check for Understanding

Summary Poem Activity

List 10 key words from an assigned text.

Do a free verse poem with the words you highlighted.

Write a summary of the reading based on these words.

Invent the Quiz
Write ten higher-order text questions related to the content. Pick two and answer one of them in half a page.

The 411
Describe the author's objective.

Opinion Chart
List opinions about the content in the left column of a T-chart, and support your opinions in the right column.

So What? Journal
Identify the main idea of the lesson. Why is it important?

Rate Understanding

Clickers (Response System)

Teacher Observation Checklist

Explaining
Explain the main idea using an analogy.

Evaluate
What is the author's main point? What are the arguments for and against this idea?

Describe
What are the important characteristics or features of the main concept or idea of the reading?

Define
Pick out an important word or phrase that the author of a text introduces. What does it mean?

Compare and Contrast
Identify the theory or idea the author is advancing. Then identify an opposite theory. What are the similarities and differences between these ideas?

Question Stems

I believe that ________ because _______.

I was most confused by X.

Mind Map
Create a mind map that represents a concept using a diagram-making tool (like Gliffy). Provide your teacher/classmates with the link to your mind map.

Intrigue Journal
List the five most interesting, controversial, or resonant ideas you found in the readings. Include page numbers and a short rationale (100 words) for your selection.

Advertisement
Create an ad, with visuals and text, for the newly learned concept.

5 Words
What five words would you use to describe ______? Explain and justify your choices.

Muddy Moment
What frustrates and confuses you about the text? Why?

Collage
Create a collage around the lesson's themes. Explain your choices in one paragraph.

Letter
Explain _______ in a letter to your best friend.

Talk Show Panel
Have a cast of experts debate the finer points of X.

Study Guide
What are the main topics, supporting details, important person's contributions, terms, and definitions?

Illustration
Draw a picture that illustrates a relationship between terms in the text. Explain in one paragraph your visual representation.

KWL Chart
What do you know, what do you want to know, and what have you learned?

Sticky Notes Annotation
Use sticky notes to describe key passages that are notable or that you have questions about.

3-2-1

Three things you found out.

Two interesting things.

One question you still have.

Outline
Represent the organization of X by outlining it.

Anticipation Guide
Establish a purpose for reading and create post-reading reflections and discussion.

Simile
What we learned today is like X.

The Minute Paper
In one minute, describe the most meaningful thing you've learned.

Interview You
You're the guest expert on 60 Minutes. Answer:

What are component parts of _______?

Why does this topic matter?

Double Entry Notebook
Create a two-column table. Use the left column to write down 5-8 important quotations. Use the right column to record reactions to the quotations.

Comic Book
Use a comic book creation tool like Bitstrips to represent understanding.

Tagxedo
What are key words that express the main ideas? Be ready to discuss and explain.

Classroom TED Talk

Podcast
Play the part of a content expert and discuss content-related issues on a podcast, using the free Easypodcast.

Create a Multimedia Poster with Glogster

Twitter Post
Define _______ in under 140 characters.

Explain Your Solution
Describe how you solved an academic problem, step by step.

Dramatic Interpretation
Dramatize a critical scene from a complex narrative.

Ballad
Summarize a narrative that employs a poem or song structure using short stanzas.

Pamphlet
Describe the key features of _______ in a visually and textually compelling pamphlet.

You've Got Mail
Each student writes a question about a topic on the front of an envelope; the answer is included inside. Questions are then "mailed" around the room. Each learner writes her answer on a slip of scratch paper and confirms its correctness by reading the "official answer" before she places her own response in the envelope. After several series of mailings and a class discussion about the subject, the envelopes are deposited in the teacher's letterbox.

Bio Poem
To describe a character or person, write a poem that includes:

(Line 1) First name

(Line 2) 3-4 adjectives that describe the person

(Line 3) Important relationship

(Line 4) 2-3 things, people, or ideas the person loved

(Line 5) Three feelings the person experienced

(Line 6) Three fears the person experienced

(Line 7) Accomplishments

(Line 8) 2-3 things the person wanted to see happen or wanted to experience

(Line 9) His or her residence

(Line 10) Last name

Sketch
Visually represent new knowledge.

Top Ten List
What are the most important takeaways, written with humor?

Color Cards

Red = "Stop, I need help."

Green = "Keep going, I understand."

Yellow = "I'm a little confused."

Quickwrite
Without stopping, write what most confuses you.

Conference
A short, focused discussion between the teacher and student.

Debrief
Reflect immediately after an activity.

Exit Slip
Have students reflect on lessons learned during class.

Misconception Check
Given a common misconception about a topic, students explain why they agree or disagree with it.

Other Assessment Resources

In Edutopia's " The Power of Comprehensive Assessment," Bob Lenz describes how to create a balanced assessment system.

The Assessment and Rubrics page of Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything website hosts many excellent assessment rubrics.

More Rubrics for Assessment are provided by the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Jon Mueller's Authentic Tasks and Rubrics is a must see-resource in his Authentic Assessment Toolbox website.

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Dipsticks: Efficient Ways to Check for Understanding

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Through alternative formative assessment, teachers can check for student understanding without falling back on the tedious or intimidating pop quiz. What strategy can double student learning gains? According to 250 empirical studies, the answer is formative assessment, defined by Bill Younglove as "the frequent, interactive checking of student progress and understanding in order to identify learning needs and adjust teaching appropriately."

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The role of teaching has evolved. No longer are we the carriers of knowledge, giving it to students and assessing if they can repeat facts successfully. We are, instead, tasked with teaching students how to find answers themselves.

And it all starts with a simple three-word phrase: I don't know.

Adopting a comfortable "I don't know" attitude is far more accurate for what we need to do as educators then pretending we know it all. It sounds counterintuitive, I know. After all, in many job interviews, "I don't know" stereotypically shows a lack of experience in the field, right? (I would argue that this is also starting to evolve, however.)

But in school where every client is a work in progress, we need to cultivate a certain excitement in not knowing something. Modeling an excited "I don't know" attitude is the brass doorknob that opens the portal to finding answers together.

Changing Attitudes

At the start of each year, I have to train students that I will not be feeding them answers. I will not be having them copy notes from the board. I will not hand out copies of words and definitions for them to study. I will not hand them fill-in-the-blank paragraphs that we will all fill in together.

Rather, I will teach them how to develop questions. And when they ask me for answers, I will happily and without embarrassment, reply with, "I don't know."

I will also teach them that when I ask them a question it's OK if they say, "I don't know." I won't make them feel bad for not knowing the answer. Instead, I will spend vital time teaching them that when "I don't know" pops into one's head, it is the trigger to find out. For me, the guide in the room, that means making sure that my own attitude does not reflect our society's assumption that "I don't know" is a weakness.

"I don't know" has been so negatively ingrained that it can make a student feel powerless enough that just the mere inkling of it tickling their brain can shut down learning. But to make "I don't know" a more positive phrase takes targeted lessons in empowering students to conquer their own confusion. It's important to permit them confusion, to permit them to admit that the pathway before them is blocked with overgrown foliage and weeds. Then you hand them a mental machete to clear the way themselves.

In the Classroom

One way to give power to an "I don't know" attitude is to teach internet literacy early and often, giving students the power to seek out answers themselves.

Today, I'm going to share the first three lessons I do to teach online literacy, and those that focus the most on harnessing the power of the search bar so that "I don't know" can really mean, "Wait! Let me find out!"

1. Make Google do the work. I do a quick exercise with my students about the brat that is the Google search. Incidentally, I give it a voice and personality for my students. I have them type into the standard search bar: video games in education and ask for the number of pages Google recommends. The answer is somewhere in the 800,000,000 range. "What?" I say as lazy Google. "I just gave you what you asked for." Then I challenge them to make Google do all the work. See, Google doesn't make people stupid, as a recent article once claimed. It just does what you ask it to, no more, no less. The challenge, then, is to think about how to be specific enough in your search that you make the search engine do the work for you.

From there, I have students customize the Google advanced search page. Use more specific key words; use the drop down menus such as those that focus on language, region, and date posted. Then, I show them how to filter for fair use. Then I have them click "Advanced Search." (From the results page, if you click on "Search Tools" you'll see the new number of hits.)

This leads to an inevitably more encouraging number than before. You might find that some students have only 5,000 hits. Some might have only 1,000. But what you're looking for are those students who can model what they did on the advanced search page that resulted in only 50 or 20 or even 10 hits that really apply to the topic. After all, if most students don't click past the first page of results on a search, it's vital to make sure that this first page is as applicable to their topic as possible.

2. Create a timed scavenger hunt. Group students with a short list of questions that need to be answered about a particular topic. Sure, I'm an English Language Arts teacher, but I ask eighth grade history questions on my scavenger hunt to reinforce the communication of content other than my own.

To find the answers, the students need to work together to develop the most efficient key word combinations to make Google do the more accurate searching for them. Make it a contest: Which group can most quickly find the correct answer, correctly cite the page on which it was found, and insert the answer and citation on the Google Document posted on the monitor in the front of the room?

3. Verify the Evidence. Embrace Wikipedia and all that it can teach. But make sure that a student knows the steps to verify what's legit and what's biased or even outright false. Wikipedia makes for a great lesson on keywords and main ideas. Take a passage that is related to your content. Have the students pull out the main facts, data, or keywords. Can they even recognize them? That's an informal assessment right there. Have them assemble these keywords into their own question and Google it. Have they found at least three other websites to corroborate the fact? I call this "triangulating the data," and it empowers students by giving them a strategy they can use to recognize falsehood online.

Sheridan Blau once said, "Honor confusion." The phase, "I don't know" is one that both honors confusion and stimulates the process of clearing it up.

How does your classroom honor "I don't know?" What strategies do you use to help them find their own answers? Please share in the comments section below.

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The role of teaching has evolved. No longer are we the carriers of knowledge, giving it to students and assessing if they can repeat facts successfully. We are, instead, tasked with teaching students how to find answers themselves. And it all starts with a simple three-word phrase: I don't know.

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SciShow explores the unexpected. We delve into the scientific subjects that defy our expectations and make us even more curious! For more from SciShow, check out SciShow Kids and SciShow Tangents, along with SciShow Space and Psych.

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All kinds of people become scientists. And scientists do all kinds of things. Watch and read about these scientists at the Smithsonian. What kind of scientist would you like to be?

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The Periodic Table of Videos - University of Nottingham

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The Periodic Table of Videos - University of Nottingham

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Tables charting the chemical elements have been around since the 19th century - but this modern version has a short video about each one.

We've done all 118 - but our job's not finished. Now we're updating all the videos with new stories, better samples and bigger experiments.

Plus we're making films about other areas of chemistry, latest news and occasional adventures away from the lab.

All these videos are created by video journalist Brady Haran, featuring real working chemists from the University of Nottingham.

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The Periodic Table of Videos - University of Nottingham

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Short videos about every element on the periodic table, plus other cool experiments and chemistry stuff

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science infographics cells - Google Search

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science infographics cells - Google Search

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anchor charts for science - Google Search

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anchor charts for science - Google Search

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10 Characteristics Of A Highly Effective Learning Environment

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10 Characteristics Of A Highly Effective Learning Environment

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by Terry Heick
For in-person professional development from TeachThought on how to create an effective learning environment in your classroom or school, contact us today.
Wherever we are, we'd all like to think our classrooms are "intellectually active" places. Progressive learning(like our 21st Century Model, for example) environments. Highly effective and conducive to student-centered learning. But what does that mean?

The reality is, there is no single answer because teaching and learning are awkward to consider as single events or individual "things." This is all a bunch of rhetoric until we put on our white coats and study it under a microscope, at which point abstractions like curiosity, authenticity, self-knowledge, and affection will be hard to pin down.

So we put together one take on the characteristics of a highly effective classroom. They can act as a kind of criteria to measure your own against-see if you notice a pattern.
10 Characteristics Of A Highly Effective Learning Environment 1. The students ask the questions-good questions This is not a feel-good implication, but really crucial for the whole learning process to work.
The role of curiosity has been studied (and perhaps under-studied and under-appreciated), but suffice to say that if a learner enters any learning activity with little to no natural curiosity, prospects for meaningful interaction with texts, media, and specific tasks are bleak. (Interested in how to kill learner curiosity in 12 easy steps?)
2. Questions are valued over answers 3. Ideas come from a divergent sources
Many teachers force students (proverbial gun to head) to ask questions at the outset of units or lessons, often to no avail. Cliché questions that reflect little understanding of the content can discourage teachers from "allowing" them. But the fact remains-if students can't ask great questions-even as young as elementary school-something, somewhere is unplugged.
4. A variety of learning models are used 5. Classroom learning "empties" into a connected community
Questions are more important than answers. So it makes sense that if good questions should lead the learning, there would be value placed on these questions. And that means adding currency whenever possible-grades (questions as assessment!), credit (give them points-they love points), creative curation (writing as a kind of graffiti on large post-it pages on the classroom walls), or simply praise and honest respect. See if you don't notice a change.

Ideas for lessons, reading, tests, and projects-the fiber of formal learning-should come from a variety of sources. If they all come from narrow slivers of resources, you're at risk of being pulled way off in one direction (that may or may not be good). An alternative? Consider sources like professional and cultural mentors, the community, content experts outside of education, and even the students themselves. Huge shift in credibility.
6. Learning is personalized by a variety of criteria
And when these sources disagree with one another, use that as an endlessly "teachable moment," because that's what the real world is like.
7. Assessment is persistent, authentic, transparent, and never punitive
Inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, direct instruction, peer-to-peer learning, school-to-school, eLearning, Mobile learning, the flipped classroom, and on and on-the possibilities are endless. Chances are, none are incredible enough to suit every bit of content, curriculum, and learner diversity in your classroom. A characteristic of a highly-effective classroom, then, is diversity here, which also has the side-effect of improving your long-term capacity as an educator.
8. Criteria for success is balanced and transparent. 9. Learning habits are constantly modeled
In a highly-effective learning environment, learning doesn't need to be radically repackaged to make sense in the "real world," but starts and ends there.
10. There are constant opportunities for practice
As great as it sounds for learners to reflect on Shakespeare to better understand their Uncle Eddie-and they might-depending on that kind of radical transfer to happen entirely in the minds of the learners by design may not be the best idea. Plan on this kind of transfer from the beginning.
Image attribution flicker user flickeringbrad and josekevo; 10 Characteristics Of A Highly Effective Learning Environment 10 Characteristics Of A Highly Effective Learning Environment For in-person professional development from TeachThought on how to create an effective learning environment in your classroom or school, contact us today.
It has to leave the classroom because they do.

Personalized learning is likely the future, but for now the onus for routing students is almost entirely on the shoulders of the classroom teacher. This makes personalization-and even consistent differentiation-a challenge. One response is to personalize learning-to whatever extent you plan for-by a variety of criteria-not just assessment results or reading level, but interest, readiness-for-content, and others as well.

Then, as you adjust pace, entry points, and rigor accordingly, you'll have a better chance of having uncovered what the learners truly "need".
10 Characteristics Of A Highly Effective Learning Environment 1. The students ask the questions-good questions This is not a feel-good implication, but really crucial for the whole learning process to work.
Assessment is just an (often ham-fisted) attempt to get at what a learner understands. The more infrequent, clinical, murky, or threatening it is, the more you're going to separate the "good students" from the "good thinkers." And the "clinical" idea has less to do with the format of the test, and more to do with the tone and emotion of the classroom in general. Why are students being tested? What's in it for them, and their future opportunities to improve?
2. Questions are valued over answers 3. Ideas come from a divergent sources
And feedback is quick even when the "grading" may not be.
4. A variety of learning models are used 5. Classroom learning "empties" into a connected community
Students should not have to guess what "success" in a highly-effective classroom looks like. It should also not be entirely weighted on "participation," assessment results, attitude, or other individual factors, but rather meaningfully melted into a cohesive framework that makes sense-not to you, your colleagues, or the expert book on your shelf, but the students themselves.

Cognitive, meta-cognitive, and behavioral "good stuff" is constantly modeled. Curiosity, persistence, flexibility, priority, creativity, collaboration, revision, and even the classic Habits of Mind are all great places to start. So often what students learn from those around them is less directly didactic, and more indirect and observational.
6. Learning is personalized by a variety of criteria
Monkey see, monkey do.
7. Assessment is persistent, authentic, transparent, and never punitive
Old thinking is revisited. Old errors are reflected on. Complex ideas are re-approached from new angles. Divergent concepts are contrasted. Bloom's taxonomy is constantly traveled up and down, from the simple to the complex in an effort to maximize a student's opportunities to learn-and demonstrate understanding-of content.
8. Criteria for success is balanced and transparent. 9. Learning habits are constantly modeled
For professional development around this idea or others you read about on TeachThought, contact us.
10. There are constant opportunities for practice
by Terry Heick
Image attribution flicker user flickeringbrad and josekevo; 10 Characteristics Of A Highly Effective Learning Environment
Wherever we are, we'd all like to think our classrooms are "intellectually active" places. Progressive learning(like our 21st Century Model, for example) environments. Highly effective and conducive to student-centered learning. But what does that mean?

The reality is, there is no single answer because teaching and learning are awkward to consider as single events or individual "things." This is all a bunch of rhetoric until we put on our white coats and study it under a microscope, at which point abstractions like curiosity, authenticity, self-knowledge, and affection will be hard to pin down.

So we put together one take on the characteristics of a highly effective classroom. They can act as a kind of criteria to measure your own against-see if you notice a pattern.

The role of curiosity has been studied (and perhaps under-studied and under-appreciated), but suffice to say that if a learner enters any learning activity with little to no natural curiosity, prospects for meaningful interaction with texts, media, and specific tasks are bleak. (Interested in how to kill learner curiosity in 12 easy steps?)

Many teachers force students (proverbial gun to head) to ask questions at the outset of units or lessons, often to no avail. Cliché questions that reflect little understanding of the content can discourage teachers from "allowing" them. But the fact remains-if students can't ask great questions-even as young as elementary school-something, somewhere is unplugged.

Questions are more important than answers. So it makes sense that if good questions should lead the learning, there would be value placed on these questions. And that means adding currency whenever possible-grades (questions as assessment!), credit (give them points-they love points), creative curation (writing as a kind of graffiti on large post-it pages on the classroom walls), or simply praise and honest respect. See if you don't notice a change.

Ideas for lessons, reading, tests, and projects-the fiber of formal learning-should come from a variety of sources. If they all come from narrow slivers of resources, you're at risk of being pulled way off in one direction (that may or may not be good). An alternative? Consider sources like professional and cultural mentors, the community, content experts outside of education, and even the students themselves. Huge shift in credibility.

And when these sources disagree with one another, use that as an endlessly "teachable moment," because that's what the real world is like.

Inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, direct instruction, peer-to-peer learning, school-to-school, eLearning, Mobile learning, the flipped classroom, and on and on-the possibilities are endless. Chances are, none are incredible enough to suit every bit of content, curriculum, and learner diversity in your classroom. A characteristic of a highly-effective classroom, then, is diversity here, which also has the side-effect of improving your long-term capacity as an educator.

In a highly-effective learning environment, learning doesn't need to be radically repackaged to make sense in the "real world," but starts and ends there.

As great as it sounds for learners to reflect on Shakespeare to better understand their Uncle Eddie-and they might-depending on that kind of radical transfer to happen entirely in the minds of the learners by design may not be the best idea. Plan on this kind of transfer from the beginning.

It has to leave the classroom because they do.

Personalized learning is likely the future, but for now the onus for routing students is almost entirely on the shoulders of the classroom teacher. This makes personalization-and even consistent differentiation-a challenge. One response is to personalize learning-to whatever extent you plan for-by a variety of criteria-not just assessment results or reading level, but interest, readiness-for-content, and others as well.

Then, as you adjust pace, entry points, and rigor accordingly, you'll have a better chance of having uncovered what the learners truly "need".

Assessment is just an (often ham-fisted) attempt to get at what a learner understands. The more infrequent, clinical, murky, or threatening it is, the more you're going to separate the "good students" from the "good thinkers." And the "clinical" idea has less to do with the format of the test, and more to do with the tone and emotion of the classroom in general. Why are students being tested? What's in it for them, and their future opportunities to improve?

And feedback is quick even when the "grading" may not be.

Students should not have to guess what "success" in a highly-effective classroom looks like. It should also not be entirely weighted on "participation," assessment results, attitude, or other individual factors, but rather meaningfully melted into a cohesive framework that makes sense-not to you, your colleagues, or the expert book on your shelf, but the students themselves.

Cognitive, meta-cognitive, and behavioral "good stuff" is constantly modeled. Curiosity, persistence, flexibility, priority, creativity, collaboration, revision, and even the classic Habits of Mind are all great places to start. So often what students learn from those around them is less directly didactic, and more indirect and observational.

Monkey see, monkey do.

Old thinking is revisited. Old errors are reflected on. Complex ideas are re-approached from new angles. Divergent concepts are contrasted. Bloom's taxonomy is constantly traveled up and down, from the simple to the complex in an effort to maximize a student's opportunities to learn-and demonstrate understanding-of content.

For professional development around this idea or others you read about on TeachThought, contact us.

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10 Characteristics Of A Highly Effective Learning Environment

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by Terry Heick For in-person professional development from TeachThought on how to create an effective learning environment in your classroom or school, contact us today. Wherever we are, we'd all like to think our classrooms are "intellectually active" places. Progressive learning(like our 21st Century Model , for example) environments.

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Assessing Group Work - Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation - Carnegie Mellon University

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Assessing Group Work - Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation - Carnegie Mellon University

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All of the basic principles of assessment that apply to individual students' work apply to group work as well. Assessing group work has additional aspects to consider, however. First, depending on the objectives of the assignment, both process- and product-related skills must be assessed. Second, group performance must be translated into individual grades, which raises issues of fairness and equity. Complicating both these issues is the fact that neither group processes nor individual contributions are necessarily apparent in the final product. Thus, instructors need to find ways of obtaining this information.

The general principles described in the next few sections can be adapted to the context of specific courses.

Assess process, not just product.

If both product and process are important to you, both should be reflected in students' grades - although the weight you accord each will depend on your learning objectives for the course and for the assignment. Ideally, your grading criteria should be communicated to students in a rubric. This is especially important if you are emphasizing skills that students are not used to being evaluated on, such as the ability to cooperate or meet deadlines.

Ask students to assess their own contribution to the team.

Have students evaluate their own teamwork skills and their contributions to the group's process using a self-assessment of the process skills you are emphasizing. These process skills may include, among others, respectfully listening to and considering opposing views or a minority opinion, effectively managing conflict around differences in ideas or approaches, keeping the group on track both during and between meetings, promptness in meeting deadlines, and appropriate distribution of research, analysis, and writing.

Hold individuals accountable.

To motivate individual students and discourage the free-rider phenomenon, it is important to assess individual contributions and understanding as well as group products and processes. In addition to evaluating the work of the group as a whole, ask individual students to demonstrate their learning. This can be accomplished through independent write-ups, weekly journal entries, content quizzes, or other types of individual assignments.

Ask students to evaluate their group's dynamics and the contributions of their teammates.

Gauge what various group members have contributed to the group (e.g., effort, participation, cooperativeness, accessibility, communication skills) by asking team members to complete an evaluation form for group processes. This is not a foolproof strategy (students may feel social pressure to cover for one another). However, when combined with other factors promoting individual accountability, it can provide you with important information about the dynamics within groups and the contributions of individual members. If you are gathering feedback from external clients - for example, in the context of public reviews of students' performances or creations - this feedback can also be incorporated into your assessment of group work. Feedback from external clients can address product (e.g., "Does it work?", "Is it an effective design?") or process (e.g., the group's ability to communicate effectively, respond appropriately, or meet deadlines) and can be incorporated formally or informally into the group grade.

Grading Methods for Group Work
Instructor and student options for assessing group work.
Example of Group and Self-Assessment Tool

( download .pdf | download .doc)

CONTACT US to talk with an Eberly colleague in person!

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Assessing Group Work - Eberly Center - Carnegie Mellon University

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All of the basic principles of assessment that apply to individual students' work apply to group work as well. Assessing group work has additional aspects to consider, however. First, depending on the objectives of the assignment, both process- and product-related skills must be assessed.

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Using Concept Maps - Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation - Carnegie Mellon University

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Using Concept Maps - Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation - Carnegie Mellon University

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Concept maps are a graphic representation of students' knowledge. Having students create concept maps can provide you with insights into how they organize and represent knowledge. This can be a useful strategy for assessing both the knowledge students have coming into a program or course and their developing knowledge of course material.

Concept maps include concepts, usually enclosed in circles or boxes, and relationships between concepts, indicated by a connecting line. Words on the line are linking words and specify the relationship between concepts. See an example (pdf).

Designing a concept map exercise

To structure a concept map exercise for students, follow these three steps:

Create a focus question that clearly specifies the issue that the concept map should address, such as "What are the potential effects of cap-and-trade policies?" or "What is materials science?"

Tell students (individually or in groups) to begin by generating a list of relevant concepts and organizing them before constructing a preliminary map.

Give students the opportunity to revise. Concept maps evolve as they become more detailed and may require rethinking and reconfiguring.

Encourage students to create maps that:

Employ a hierarchical structure that distinguishes concepts and facts at different levels of specificity

Draw multiple connections, or cross-links, that illustrate how ideas in different domains are related

Include specific examples of events and objects that clarify the meaning of a given concept

Using concept maps throughout the semester

Concept maps can be used at different points throughout the semester to gauge students' knowledge. Here are some ideas:

Ask students to create a concept map at the beginning of the semester to assess the knowledge they have coming into a course. This can give you a quick window into the knowledge, assumptions, and misconceptions they bring with them and can help you pitch the course appropriately.

Assign the same concept map activity several times over the course of the semester. Seeing how the concept maps grow and develop greater nuance and complexity over time helps students (and the instructor) see what they are learning.

Create a fill-in-the-blank concept map in which some circles are blank or some lines are unlabeled. Give the map to students to complete.

CONTACT US to talk with an Eberly colleague in person!

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Using Concept Maps - Eberly Center - Carnegie Mellon University

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Concept maps are a graphic representation of students' knowledge. Having students create concept maps can provide you with insights into how they organize and represent knowledge. This can be a useful strategy for assessing both the knowledge students have coming into a program or course and their developing knowledge of course material.

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Protocols and Engagement Strategies Videos | Expeditionary Learning

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Protocols and Engagement Strategies Videos | Expeditionary Learning

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Pride of Profession: Striving to Become a Great Teacher | Edutopia

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Pride of Profession: Striving to Become a Great Teacher | Edutopia

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This is the second post in a two-part entry. Read part one.

In the first part of this entry, I discussed the process of achieving greatness as educators. In this part, I want to share some of the greatness I have seen in my career. One of the privileges I have had is to be able to go into the classroom and witness teacher greatness in a variety of forms:

I have seen a teacher treating her students like adults, and those first graders responded accordingly by doing fourth-grade work and mastering parts of speech as if they were in high school.

I have witnessed a brand-new teacher vividly and effectively demonstrate the three states of matter by having the students be molecules and act out what the molecules are doing in the different states. Because of this, the second graders easily used the scientific method to establish the three states of matter in a hands-on experiment.

I have seen self-assured and responsible eighth-grade students catching the vision of how school can be a stepping-stone for college and careers in an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) class. They learned the unspoken curriculum of how to overcome fear and doubt and how to effectively work with their teachers. Everything about this class empowered them to actually believe that through individual determination, they truly can advance.

I have struggled to follow the swift movements of students fluently speaking the language of logic with hand motions that their teacher had taught them in order to aid them in remembering the AND, OR and XORs.

I have been amazed as a teacher's chemistry students demonstrated their knowledge by doing the chemical dance showing how covalent bonds are made and broken in chemical reactions.

I have witnessed a teacher expertly using the smart board to show pictures, words, and symbols to help English speaking and ELL students to understand the algebraic properties of equality.

I have stood in awe as a teacher mesmerized a group of rowdy 5th graders by creating a project based learning pizza parlor to help the students understand proportionality and the dreaded math of fractions.

I have tapped my foot to the rhythm of fourth-grade science students enthusiastically chanting the vocabulary and concepts related to mixtures and solutions.

Greatness can be found on every campus and in every school. Perhaps you are one of those teachers on your campuses that exhibits greatness in such abundance that others aspire to be like you. Greatness is not always found in the most flamboyant or gregarious teachers. For example, a regular, everyday English teacher, Mary Catherine Swanson, was the one that started AVID because she wanted to help her students be truly successful and to be able to find and believe in their own greatness. In doing so, she demonstrated her greatness. (If you want to learn more about it, read Wall of Fame, by celebrated journalist Jonathan Freedman.)

In my wonderful visits to the classrooms of great teachers, I have seen many other elements of greatness in both the students and the teachers. This privilege has helped me come to the conclusion that if we have progressed to the self-actualization stage in our careers, we should all believe that our students are the best in the entire world and that they are capable of being great. It is their right and our responsibility to help them achieve it.

This thought, brings me to the point of my post: How can we expect the students to aspire to be great if we are not also aspiring for greatness? As demonstrated above, we all have a certain amount of greatness that we demonstrate frequently, but according to Jim Collins, author of Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don't, the biggest enemy of success (greatness) is an attitude of "That's good enough." In that spirit, I would like to inspire all of us to do some self-reflection.

Consider these questions:

These are also great questions for you to discuss with a friend in your department, with a partner teacher, with your professional-learning communities, and at grade-level meetings. If you can spare the time, I would like you to answer the following questions, at least to yourself. But I welcome you to share your responses with the Edutopia readership in the comment section below.

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Pride of Profession: Striving to Become a Great Teacher

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This is the second post in a two-part entry. Read part one. In the first part of this entry, I discussed the process of achieving greatness as educators. In this part, I want to share some of the greatness I have seen in my career.

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Let It Marinate: The Importance of Reflection and Closing | Edutopia

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Let It Marinate: The Importance of Reflection and Closing | Edutopia

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I am one of those people who regularly figures out exactly what to say after the moment has passed. I will be deep in conversation with someone, sharing thoughts and bouncing around ideas. Yet, as the thoughts swirl, I'll have an unsettled feeling. Often it is not until some time later, when the ideas have marinated, that I realize what matters most to me and how to say it. I find that the flow of learning for many of my students matches my personal need for intellectual reflection.

A Classroom Example

Recently, we spent a chunk of one of my world history classes discussing an excerpt from The Power of Myth, a conversation that Joseph Campbell had with Bill Moyers about enduring myths and the human condition. The students read the text during the previous class and had done a writing exercise that helped them begin to explore some of the different ideas contained in the dialogue.

The discussion was interesting but felt aimless. Some students were interested in the idea of learning deeper messages by reading the myths of others. Others were struck by Campbell's idea that we are all imperfect. For many, it was unclear if they found anything of meaning in the reading. The body language in the classroom was mixed. Some students turned to face whoever was speaking and eagerly responded, often referring to the text in front of them. Others were slouched in their chairs rarely looking at the text or at the speakers.

Students knew that this was the beginning of our religion unit and had spent time earlier in the week attempting to create a definition of religion, yet if felt as if no one knew how to successfully put these different pieces together into larger, coherent ideas with greater meaning. As teacher, I felt unsure about our status in this early part of our unit.

As the discussion slowed down and the clock began approaching the end of the period, I asked everyone to jot down a one-sentence final thought. After two silent minutes, we started in one corner of the room and quickly whipped around as, one after another, students shared final thoughts from the reading and/or discussion. It quickly became clear that a lot more deep and rich thinking had happened than I previously realized. "Religions are glorified myths," said a student who had been quiet all period. "We all need ways to find meaning in our lives," offered a young man who had previously seemed to find very little meaning in the discussion.

Deepening Learning

In his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, the Brazilian educator Paolo Freire reinforces the idea that reflection is an essential part of learning and of becoming an agent of change in the world:

Within the word we find two dimensions, reflection and action, in such radical interaction that if one is sacrificed -- even in part -- the other immediately suffers . . .

Freire also reminds us that this process (that he has named concientizacion) involves a true exchange of ideas:

If it is in speaking their word that people, by naming the world, transform it, dialogue imposes itself as the way by which they achieve significance as human beings. Dialogue is thus an existential necessity. And since dialogue is the encounter in which the united reflection and action of the dialoguers are addressed to the world which is to be transformed and humanized, this dialogue cannot be reduced to the act of one person's "depositing" ideas in another, nor can it become a simple exchange of ideas to be "consumed" by the discussants.

The end of a class period may often feel like a time to slow down and regroup before another set of students arrives. An alternate view is that these last moments, which usually occur when ideas have had a chance to marinate, can be a time when quiet thinkers finally articulate their ideas and move toward Freire's idea of concientizacion. In these moments, students can deepen their own learning, and entire groups can share ideas and make meaning of content. Additionally, the time when a large piece of work is submitted is an important opportunity for students to articulate their own learning and self-evaluate in order to improve learning and the quality of their work for the future.

Closings and Reflective Activities

There are many different ways to integrate closings and reflective activities into classroom practice. Depending on the circumstances, closings and reflective activities can be quickly jotted down and shared out loud, or they can be larger writing assignments that are submitted with projects or posted as an introduction to blog posts of student work.

The following is a list of different reflection and closing prompts:

Share one thing you learned.

Share a question for future investigation.

Respond with a word.

What worked? What didn't work?

What is one part of your work that you are proud of?

How would you do this differently next time?

School is generally not structured in a way that easily accommodates ambiguity and differentiation. While this presents a challenge, the strategic integration of meaningful closings and reflection into classroom practice gives students multiple avenues for engaging with complex ideas and allows more students to find broader meaning in their work. Additionally, these activities help teachers to more deeply understand and adapt to the intellectual processes of our students.

In what different ways do you structure reflection and closings in your classroom?

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Let It Marinate: The Importance of Reflection and Closing

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I am one of those people who regularly figures out exactly what to say after the moment has passed. I will be deep in conversation with someone, sharing thoughts and bouncing around ideas. Yet, as the thoughts swirl, I'll have an unsettled feeling.

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20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers

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20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers

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contributed by Miriam Clifford
This post has been updated from a previous post.
There is an age old adage that says "two heads are better than one."

Consider collaboration in recent history: Watson and Crick or Page and Brin (Founders of Google). But did you know it was a collaborative Computer Club about basic programming at a middle school that brought together two minds that would change the future of computing?

Yes, those two were, of course, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the founders of Microsoft.

Collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher level thinking and preserve information for longer times than students working individually. Why is this so?

Groups tend to learn through "discussion, clarification of ideas, and evaluation of other's ideas." Perhaps information that is discussed is retained in long-term memory. Research by Webb suggests that students who worked collaboratively on math computational problems earned significantly higher scores than those who worked alone. Plus, students who demonstrated lower levels of achievement improved when working in diverse groups.

Collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher level thinking and preserve information for longer times than students working individually.

Many consider Vygotsky the father of 'social learning.' Vygotsky was an education rebel in many ways. Vygotsky controversially argued for educators to assess students' ability to solve problems, rather than knowledge acquisition. The idea of collaborative learning has a lot to do with Vygotsky's idea of the "zone of proximal development". It considers what a student can do if aided by peers and adults. By considering this model for learning, we might consider collaboration to increase students' awareness of other concepts.

What are some ways to include best practices for collaborative learning in our classroom?
1. Establish clear group goals
Effective collaborative learning involves the establishment of group goals, as well as individual accountability. This keeps the group on task and establishes an unambiguous purpose. Before beginning an assignment, it is best to define goals and objectives to save time.
2. Keep groups midsized
Small groups of 3 or less lack enough diversity and may not allow divergent thinking to occur. Groups that are too large create 'freeloading' where not all members participate. A moderate size group of 4-5 is ideal.
3. Establish flexible group norms
Research suggests that collaborative learning is influenced by the quality of interactions. Interactivity and negotiation are important in group learning. In the 1960's studies by Jacobs and Campbell suggested that norms are pervasive, even deviant norms were handed down and not questioned.

If you notice a deviant norm, you can do two things: rotate group members or assist in using outside information to develop a new norm. You may want to establish rules for group interactions for younger students. Older students might create their own norms. But remember, given their durable nature, it is best to have flexible norms. Norms should change with situations so that groups do not become rigid and intolerant or develop sub-groups.
4. Build trust and promote open communication
Successful interpersonal communication must exist in teams. Building trust is essential.Deal with emotional issues that arise immediately and any interpersonal problems before moving on. Assignments should encourage team members to explain concepts thoroughly to each other.Studies found that students who provide and receive intricate explanations gain most from collaborative learning. Open communication is key.
5. For larger tasks, create group roles
Decomposing a difficult task into parts to saves time. You can then assign different roles. A great example in my own classroom was in science lab, fifth grade student assumed different roles of group leader, recorder, reporter, and fact checker. The students might have turns to choose their own role and alternate roles by sections of the assignment or classes.
6. Create a pre-test and post-test
A good way to ensure the group learns together would be to engage in a pre and post-test. In fact, many researchers use this method to see if groups are learning. An assessment gives the team a goal to work towards and ensures learning is a priority. It also allows instructors to gauge the effectiveness of the group. Changes can be made if differences are seen in the assessments over time. Plus, you can use Bloom's taxonomy to further hone in on specific skills.

Individuals should also complete surveys evaluating how well the group functioned. "Debriefing" is an important component of the learning process and allows individuals to reflect on the process of group learning.
7. Consider the learning process itself as part of assessment
Many studies such as those by Robert Slavin at Johns Hopkins have considered how cooperative learning helps children develop social and interpersonal skills. Experts have argued that the social and psychological effect on self-esteem and personal development are just as important as the learning itself.

In terms of assessment, it may be beneficial to grade students on the quality of discussion, student engagement, and adherence to group norms. Praise younger groups for following (for digital collaborative learning, for example) standards. This type of learning is a process and needs explicit instruction in beginning stages. Assessing the process itself provides motivation for students to learn how to behave in groups. It shows students that you value meaningful group interactions and adhering to norms.

8. Consider using different strategies, like the Jigsaw technique.

The jigsaw strategy is said to improve social interactions in learning and support diversity. The workplace is often like a jigsaw. It involves separating an assignment into subtasks, where individuals research their assigned area. Students with the same topic from different groups might meet together to discuss ideas between groups.

This type of collaboration allows students to become "experts" in their assigned topic. Students then return to their primary group to educate others. There are other strategies discussed here by the University of Iowa, such as using clusters, buzz groups, round robin, leaning cells, or fish bowl discussions.
9. Allow groups to reduce anxiety
When tackling difficult concepts, group learning may provide a source of support. Groups often use humor and create a more relaxed learning atmosphere that allow for positive learning experiences. Allow groups to use some stress-reducing strategies as long as they stay on task.
10. Establish group interactions
The quality of discussions is a predictor of the achievement of the group. Instructors should provide a model of how a successful group functions. Shared leadership is best. Students should work together on the task and maintenance functions of a group. Roles are important in group development. Task functions include:

Initiating Discussions

Clarifying points

Summarizing

Challenging assumptions/devil's advocate

Providing or researching information

Reaching a consensus

Maintenance involves the harmony and emotional well-being of a group. Maintenance includes roles such as sensing group feelings, harmonizing, compromising and encouraging, time-keeping, relieving tension, bringing people into the discussion, and more.
11. Use real-world problems
Experts suggest that project-based learning using open-ended questions can be very engaging. Rather than spending a lot of time designing an artificial scenario, use inspiration from everyday problems. Real world problems can be used to facilitate project-based learning and often have the right scope for collaborative learning.
12. Focus on enhancing problem-solving and critical thinking skills
Design assignments that allow room for varied interpretations. Different types of problems might focus on categorizing, planning, taking multiple perspectives, or forming solutions. Try to use a step-by step procedure for problem-solving. Mark Alexander explains one generally accepted problem-solving procedure:

Identify the objective

Set criteria or goals

Gather data

Generate options or courses of action

Evaluate the options using data and objectives

Reach a decision

Implement the decision

13. Keep in mind the diversity of groups
Mixed groups that include a range of talents, backgrounds, learning styles, ideas, and experiences are best. Studies have found that mixed aptitude groups tend to learn more from each other and increase achievement of low performers. Rotate groups so students have a chance to learn from others.
14. Consider demographics
Equally, balanced gender groups were found to be most effective.

Some research suggests that boys were more likely to receive and give elaborate explanations and their stances were more easily accepted by the group. In majority male groups girls were ignored. In majority girl groups, girls tended to direct questions to the boy who often ignored them. You may also want to specifically discuss or establish gender equality as a norm. This may seem obvious, but it is often missed. It may be an issue you may want to discuss with older students.

15. Use scaffolding or diminished responsibility as students begin to understand concepts.

At the beginning of a project, you may want to give more direction than the end. Serve as a facilitator, such as by gauging group interactions or at first, providing a list of questions to consider. Allow groups to grow in responsibility as times goes on. In your classroom, this may mean allowing teams to develop their own topics or products as time goes on. After all, increased responsibility over learning is a goal in collaborative learning.
16. Include different types of learning scenarios
Studies suggests that collaborative learning that focuses on rich contexts and challenging questions produces higher-order reasoning. Assignments can include laboratory work, study teams, debates, writing projects, problem-solving, and collaborative writing.
17. Technology makes collaborative learning easier
Collaboration had the same results via technology as in person, increased learning opportunities. Try incorporating free savvy tools for online collaboration such as Stixy, an online shared whiteboard space, Google groups, or Mikogo for online meetings. Be aware that some research suggests that more exchanges related to planning rather than challenging viewpoints occurred more frequently through online interactions.

This may be because the research used students that did not know one another. If this is your scenario, you may want to start by having students get to know each other's backgrounds and ideas beforehand on a blog or chat-board.
18. Avoid 'bad group work'
As with any learning strategy, it's important to have a balanced approach. Cynics usually have a valid point. A recent New York time article, cites some criticism of collaboration for not allowing enough time for individual, creative thinking. You may allow some individual time to write notes before the groups begin. This may be a great way to assess an individual grade.
19. Be wary of "group think"
While collaborative learning is a great tool, it is always important to consider a balanced approach. At times, group harmony can override the necessity for more critical perspectives. Some new research suggests that groups favored the more confident members. Changing up groups can help counter this problem.
20. Value diversity
Collaborative learning relies on some buy-in. Students need to respect and appreciate each other's viewpoints for it to work. For instance, class discussions can emphasize the need for different perspectives. Create a classroom environment that encourages independent thinking. Teach students the value of multiplicity in thought. You may want to give historical or social examples where people working together were able to reach complex solutions.

By definition, learning is social in nature. Using different mediums, whether it be books, discussions, technology or projects we study and develop new ideas. We impart ideas and share perspectives with others. Collaboration is a learned process. If managed correctly, it is a powerful tool that can allow educators to tap into new ideas and information.
This is a cross-post from opencolleges.edu.au; image attribution flickr user flickeringbrad

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
contributed by Miriam Clifford This post has been updated from a previous post. There is an age old adage that says "two heads are better than one." Consider collaboration in recent history: Watson and Crick or Page and Brin (Founders of Google).