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Science Curriculum Scope and Sequences- Oakland Unified

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Science Curriculum Scope and Sequences- Oakland Unified

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Wait Whaaaa???!!!

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The practice of using single point rubrics is slowly but surely catching on. The simplicity of these rubrics - with just a single column of criteria, rather than a full menu of performance levels - offers a whole host of benefits:

Teachers find them easier and faster to create, because they no longer have to spend precious time thinking up all the different ways students could fail to meet expectations.

Students find them easier to read when preparing an assignment. With only the target expectations to focus on, they are more likely to read those expectations.

They allow for higher-quality feedback, because teachers must specify key problem areas and notable areas of excellence for that particular student, rather than choosing from a list of generic descriptions.

Want to Learn More?

I first talked about this type of rubric in an earlier post ( Know Your Terms: Holistic, Analytic, and Single-Point Rubrics). If this is the first time you've encountered this type of rubric, reading this will give you some background knowledge on all the different types of rubrics and why the single-point deserves world domination.

To give credit where it's due, I did not come up with the name single point rubric. Although the idea for a simplified rubric with a single set of criteria came to me independently, when I went looking for academic support for its use, I found that the type of rubric I had in mind was given the name "Single Point Rubric" in 2000 during a conference presentation by someone named Mary Dietz. Attending that conference was a researcher named Jarene Fluckiger, who published a study on its effectiveness in 2010. (The reference to Dietz is in Fluckiger's paper, but no one named Dietz has published anything on the topic.)

Show Us Your Rubrics!

I urge you to take one of your most convoluted rubrics and make a single-point version of it. Then show it to the world, so other teachers can learn: Take a screenshot of it and post the picture on Twitter with the hashtag #singlepointrubric. If you aren't on Twitter or don't feel like doing this, just put a link to your rubric in the comments below. Help us start a movement to rid the world of ineffective rubrics!

Another Variation (Added in 2017)

After considering some of the limitations of this format, I played around with the rubric a bit more and came up with this variation:

The original version of the single point rubric allowed no space for actually pointing out when the student hit the standard, apart from maybe circling or highlighting the middle column. With this format, teachers can pinpoint where the student is on each descriptor, then offer feedback, either constructive, positive, or both.

To grab a copy of this for your own modification, click here.

Need Ready-Made Rubrics?

My Rubric Pack gives you four different designs in Microsoft Word and Google Docs formats. It also comes with video tutorials to show you how to customize them for any need, plus a Teacher's Manual to help you understand the pros and cons of each style. Check it out here:

Stick around.
Join my mailing list and never miss another post. You'll get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration - in quick, bite-sized packages - all geared toward making your teaching more effective and joyful. To thank you, I'll send you a free copy of my new e-booklet, 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half. I look forward to getting to know you better!

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The practice of using single point rubrics is slowly but surely catching on. Try one for yourself and let us see it!

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Self Assessment

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Videos for Phenomena

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smarter every day science education "how to"

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I explore the world using science. That's pretty much all there is to it. Watch 2 videos. If you learn something AWESOME, please subscribe if you feel like I earned it. Contact: http://www.smartereveryday.com/contact. I currently get lots of correspondence so please forgive me if I'm unable to reply.

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Innovative Teaching Blog

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You have reached the meat (or hummus, if you'd rather) inside the sandwich that is Cult of Pedagogy. This is where most of this site's accumulated wisdom lives.

To help you find what you need, I've chunked all the posts into three big buckets. Start there, or scroll down to see an index of topics. If you want to get more specific, use the search bar at the top of this page. Still can't find what you're looking for? Contact our support staff. If they can't help you find it, they'll add your topic to our list of future blog posts.

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You have reached the meat (or hummus, if you'd rather) inside the sandwich that is Cult of Pedagogy. This is where most of this site's accumulated wisdom lives. To help you find what you need, I've chunked all the posts into three big buckets. Start there, or scroll down to see an index of topics.

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Great to listen to and learn from on commute

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1:09:55 Guest(s): Amanda Morin, Emily Kircher-Morris

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The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast | Cult of Pedagogy

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Teaching strategies, classroom management, education reform, educational technology -- if it has something to do with teaching, we’re talking about it.

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This site is a curated collection of science phenomena for the NGSS, along with phenomenon based learning resources and help for how to use phenomenon to drive student questions in the classroom centered around 3 dimensional teaching and learning.

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http://www.sciencephenomena.com

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Science Notebooks Padlet (Fresno Unified)

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Science Notebooks Padlet (Fresno Unified)

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awesome science notebooking resource!

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A great resource for notebooking
http://rohdesign.com/sketchnotes/

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Making Student thinking visible through notebooking

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NGSS Classroom Resource Hub- filter by PE, topic, etc. and get NGSS-aligned lessons/resources

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The NSTA Next Generation Science Standards Hub offers information, resources, news, professional learning opportunities, and expert advice in understanding and implementing the Next Generation Science Standards - NGSS

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Big History Project (Free Online Curriculum Funded by Gates Foundation)

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Big History Project (Free Online Curriculum Funded by Gates Foundation)

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Interdisciplinary curriculum for Physical Science and History of the Universe, Stars, Earth, etc.- Awesome resources. You have to make a fast, free account, but it's worth it for Chem./Physics teachers.

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OER Project is a family of free, online social studies curricula. Aligned to state standards and easily adaptable.

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Interactives

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Have you tried a Concept Builder lately? You should. This growing collection of cognitively-rich exercises will focus student attention on discrete learning goals. Filled with interactive elements, this section is the perfect tool for getting students thinking about the meaning of concepts. Perfect for students and 1:1 classrooms using iPads, Chromebooks, and the like. And for Chemistry types, we've added a large collection of Chemistry Concept Builders.

Minds On Physics - Version 5 is the HTML5 version of Minds On Physics that replaces our App and Legacy versions. Relying on a large bank of carefully crafted questions, Minds On Physics seeks to improve students' conceptions of physics. "MOPs" combines interactive questioning modules with a thorough, question-specific Help system to engage students in an exercise in thinking, reflecting and learning. Version 5 is our best-yet version of Minds On Physics. There is a fully functional free version and a paid version that integrates seamlessly with our Task Tracker system and offers some rather enticing features.

Version 2 of the Calculator Pad is now available. Our newest version includes >2500 Physics and Chemistry problems organized into >250 ready-to-use problem sets. Numerical information is randomly-generated. An answer box allows students to solve and check their answers. Most problems are accompanied by an audio-guided solution that explains how to solve a similar problem while hilighting the habits that can be adopted for solving any problem. Teachers with Task Tracker accounts can modify problems and problem sets and even create their own problems. Task Tracker also allows teachers to assign problems to their students and track their progress.

Concept Checkers were built to coordinate with the Physics Interactives section of our website. Relying upon our Task Tracker tool to deliver questions, check answers, and track student progress, a Concept Checker is designed to coordinate with an interactive simulation. Use it as a follow-up check to understanding after exploring the simulation. Most sims are accompanied by a Concept Checker. Some sims have Task Tracker code built into the simulation. But not all sims will have a Concept Checker. Concept Checkers can be used with or without a Task Tracker account.

The Science Reasoning Center is our most recent upgrade. This section (once complete) will include more than 50 activities that are perfect for encouraging scientific reasoning skills. Students use science and engineering practices, combined with cross cutting science concepts and core ideas from the disciplines of physics (and chemistry) to analyze phenomenon, experiments, and data presentations. NOTE: We broke ground in April of 2023; we should have a large portion of content available by August of 2023. We will continue work throughout the 2023-24 school year.

A collection of pages with questions and answers/explanations which serve as reviews or practice. Each review complements a chapter from The Physics Classroom Tutorial.

A variety of question-and-answer pages which target specific concepts and skills. Topics range from the graphical analysis of motion and drawing free body diagrams to a discussion of vectors and vector addition.

Calling all high school juniors: You've trusted The Physics Classroom to help prepare you for that unit exam in physics. Why not trust us to help prepare you for the biggest test of the year - the ACT test? That's right. Let the TPC help you with the ACT.

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The Physics Classroom serves students, teachers and classrooms by providing classroom-ready resources that utilize an easy-to-understand language that makes learning interactive and multi-dimensional. Written by teachers for teachers and students, The Physics Classroom provides a wealth of resources that meets the varied needs of both students and teachers.

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BSCS Science Learning is an independent nonprofit offering science education research & leadership programs & curriculum across the US.

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Success in Science through Dialogue, Reading and Writing

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Success in Science through Dialogue, Reading and Writing

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This book will change your teaching!
Communication Triangle for DOK 3 & 4 Lessons

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National Science Teachers Association Recommends Book by School's Director of Sacramento Area Science Project - UC Davis School of Education

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Success in Science through Dialogue, Reading and Writing by Arthur Beauchamp, Judi Kusnick, Rick McCallum A new book ...

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We believe in the power of individuals to advance science through research and science education, making discoveries that benefit humanity. Learn more about how we move science forward.

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Rostering

Compatible with popular learning management systems such as Google Classroom, Clever, Canvas, ClassLink, and Schoology, Storyboard That makes organizing your students, classes, and assignments a breeze. In addition, sharing assignments with students and keeping track of their progress is as easy as clicking a button.

Real Time Collaboration

Knowing how to work together is an important part of a child's education. Students will love working in pairs and in small groups on the same storyboard!

Want your students to add writing to their storyboards? We've got tons of options for speech and text.

The storyboard creator free trial for teachers allows you to try out all of the premium features for two weeks. Thousands of copyable activities, worksheets, and posters are yours to use and keep in your storyboard library. Educators love Storyboard That because it helps students process and understand the information in a deep, meaningful way. When students storyboard, they are actively engaged in the learning process and can make connections between the text and their own lives.

Storyboards also promote higher-level thinking by encouraging students to synthesize information and think critically about what they have read. Finally, storyboards are a great way to assess student understanding because they provide a visual representation of student learning.

Storyboard That is the perfect tool for novel lesson plans and activities because it's so easy to use and extremely versatile. With Storyboard That, you can create a wide variety of storyboards such as the story from the main character's perspective, or any other character's point of view.

By combining the storyboard maker with your lesson plans, you can adhere to the curriculum and required standards, while ensuring that your students will be engaged and excited to learn. Another added bonus is that our premade lesson plans are aligned with the Common Core!

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Free Storyboarding Software - Online Storyboard Creator | StoryboardThat

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Create storyboards with our free storyboard software! ⚡ Try 1 month for $1 ✩ Filmmakers, teachers, students, & businesses all love using ❰Storyboard That❱ for storyboarding & comics online!

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Grades 6-12 Units

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Science Coordinator from Fresno Unified- Padlet w/ her NGSS resources

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Science Coordinator from Fresno Unified- Padlet w/ her NGSS resources

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Science Director's Padlet NGSS Resources from Fresno State- so many goodies

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Science Director's Padlet NGSS Resources from Fresno State- so many goodies

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A NEW Integrated, NGSS-designed/aligned, project-based curriculum for 8th grade from Stanford's Ed. Dept! Check it out.

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This 6th, 7th, and 8th grade curriculum aligns to the California Integrated model in which earth and space science, life science, physical science and/or engineering are integrated within each curriculum unit.

All the units:

are project-based

include Instructionally embedded assessments

align to the 5E instructional model (i.e., engage, explore, explain, elaborate, evaluate)

are phenomena-based

provide students with opportunities to generate their own questions to motivate sense-making and/or problem solving

incorporate language development strategies

provide an additional pop-out lesson that allows students to apply what they've learned to delve deeper into the intersection of social justice, science, and the "greater good" (see "Pop-Outs" tabs)

In addition to our four instructional units, there is a unit devoted to groupwork to help teachers establish classroom norms and expectations around effective collaborative work.

6th Grade Curriculum 7th Grade Curriculum 8th Grade Curriculum

* For updated versions and additions to the curriculum, sign up for announcements from the SCALE Science team by contacting us through the Contact Us botton at the bottom of the page.

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Stanford NGSS Integrated Curriculum: An Exploration of a Multidimensional World

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Integrated, NGSS-designed, project-based curriculum for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. This 6th, 7th, and 8th grade curriculum aligns to the California Integrated model in which earth and space science, life science, physical science and/or engineering are integrated within each curriculum unit. All the units: are project-based

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If you don't know what PhET is, it's a bookmark must- a go-to for excellent simulations.

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Over 1.1 billion simulations delivered

160interactive simulations

97language translations

3001teacher-submitted lessons

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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The Concord Consortium STEM Resource Collection

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The Concord Consortium STEM Resource Collection

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This site has excellent simulations as well as many NGSS-aligned 5E learning sequences- GD Science Team has gotten tons of ideas from this site.

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STEM Resource Finder | Concord Consortium

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The STEM Resource Finder is a collection of the Concord Consortium's best resources for science, math, and engineering education. Our curated collections offer lesson plans and units for your class based on these resources. All for free!"

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Green Dot's Adapted NGSS Unit Planning Process/Flow Map

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Green Dot's Adapted NGSS Unit Planning Process/Flow Map

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*You need to be signed in to your GD account for this link to work

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Each tool is focused on a specific NGSS topic (like discourse, 3D assessment, SEPs, etc.) and leverages the best knowledge from research and practice. They are brief :) and very helpful.

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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.

Topics:

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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Science and Engineering Practices Gradebands

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Science and Engineering Practices Gradebands

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SEPs broken down by grade-level indicators- makes for much richer SEP-embedded planning- start on pg. 4

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CS-vetted resources on essential elements of NGSS instruction (e.g. 5E, SEPs, CCCs, 3D Assessment, etc.)- you'll need your GD sign-in

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Ambitious Science Teaching (AST)- website and text

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Ambitious Science Teaching (AST)- website and text

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This is our GD Science Core Text 2018-19

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Tools for

Ambitious
Science
Teaching

Companion Book available now on Harvard Ed Press

Pressing for evidence- based explanations

Planning for engagement with important science ideas

Supporting on-going changes in thinking

Eliciting students' ideas

What is Ambitious Science Teaching?

Great teaching can be learned. This web site provides a vision of ambitious science instruction for elementary, middle school and high school classrooms. Ambitious teaching deliberately aims to support students of all backgrounds to deeply understand science ideas, participate in the activities of the discipline, and solve authentic problems.

We feature 4 core sets of teaching practices that support these goals. These core sets make up the Ambitious Science Teaching Framework. The framework has been based on classroom research from the past 30 years-research that has asked, "What kinds of talk, tasks, and tools do students need in order to fully engage in meaningful forms of science learning?"

If you are a member of a group of science educators committed to the improvement of teaching, the vision, practices, and tools here will furnish a common language for you about teaching. You will be able to identify "what we will get better at" and how to get started.

Become Part of a Community That Shares a Common Vision of Excellence in Teaching.

Because ambitious science teaching focuses on doing four things really well in the classroom (the core practices), members of our community can speak a common language about how to continually improve instruction and support student learning. We can frame problems together and work towards solutions with help from each other. The expertise of our community comes from our members (teachers, instructional coaches, teacher educators) as well as from extensive empirical classroom research. On this site you can explore how other professionals are using core practices and the tools that go with them.

Explore New Tools That Support Student Learning

This site provides a constantly evolving set of tools to help improve student participation and learning. Some of these tools will help you plan for student engagement with "big" science ideas. Some will help students reason publicly with each other about science ideas. Others will help students engage in scientific modeling, explanation and argument with evidence. Still others will scaffold science-specific writing and talk. We have unique sets of tools for teachers, instructional coaches, and teacher educators.

But here's what is really important about our tools-they belong to the community, meaning that they need to be continually tested under different classroom conditions in order to be improved and diversified.

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Pressing for evidence- based explanations Planning for engagement with important science ideas Supporting on-going changes in thinking Eliciting students' ideas Great teaching can be learned.