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What I Learned- "Developing A Scientific Argument"

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What I Learned- "Developing A Scientific Argument"

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This article focuses on how to teach students how to develop a scientific argument, which helps students build the oral and written discourse skills. The article focuses on how teachers can help students develop arguments, communicate expectations, model academic and scientific language, give practice, support English Language Learners, and assess progress. It is crucial that teachers model the process and provide appropriate scaffolds. The article found that second grade students were capable of this sophisticated thinking and writing. The article also concluded that argumentation promoted students' understanding of the science content. Argumentation is a skill needed for future education and in life, so it is valuable to practice and hone it as early as possible.

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"Thus far, students have had tremendously positive science learning experiences using the change notebooks, deepening their understanding of complex scientific processes in a fashion that is engaging, individually relatable, and connected to their immediate environments. Additionally, students have demonstrated improvements in their writing performance, suggesting that a more active and engaged process of scientific learning provides added value in areas of high-stakes elementary school testing— perpetually a concern of both schoolteachers and administrators" (42).

This article demonstrated the importance of and value in 'notebooking' across the curriculum. Students were able to use their notebooks to record all of the changes and all of the things that stayed the same throughout the school year. Students answered writing prompts regularly which improved their writing. Students also customized their notebooks, which is what we did in class. Using the notebooks allowed students to connect science to their everyday life. Having students be active in their learning resulted in more engaged students and better results in areas that are assessed on standardized tests.

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This article emphasizes the value of integrating the outdoors during science. Learning outdoors provides an authentic, real world context for students to experience the concepts they are learning. Learning outdoors is engaging for students and sparks their curiosity about the world around them. This article also emphasizes the importance of reading expository texts in science, which has an effect on improvement in reading and writing.

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"As STEM education and careers continue to be a focus of K–12 education, design thinking is a useful tool for classroom use. Students as young as kindergarten are able to become designers and we can use design thinking to integrate more engineering and problem solving into traditional lessons. With a solid introduction, students can continue to build their designing skills and transfer them to other grade levels, content areas, and to the world beyond" (74).

Design thinking prepares students for 21st century careers and life. Students as young as kindergarten can engage in this type of thinking and can model solutions to problems. I believe that it is important to include engineering and problem solving into science because it brings in a real world application to the lesson.

The article begins with a design thinking overview. I really liked that the first step was empathy. Engineers design with people or groups in mind and have to listen to the users of the solution. Empathy is an important trait that should be developed starting in kindergarten, and STEM is a great place to develop the trait.

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What I Learned- "ELL's in the Science Classroom"

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What I Learned- "ELL's in the Science Classroom"

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This article focuses on strategies to support English Language Learners in the science classroom.  The article suggests that teachers: set goals before adapting the curriculum, list and repeat lesson objectives and instructions,  simply language and not concepts,  respond to the message, demonstrate science concepts, provide additional vocabulary help, increase wait time, encourage student collaboration, and include language minority parents in the classroom. This article provides practical and concrete advice that teachers can easily implement in the classroom.

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This website provides lesson plans, STEM classroom kits, resources on the scientific method, science fair tools, resources for Google classroom, engineering design resources. This website also has a section on science careers, which would be useful for students to read and investigate as a source of inspiration. Another great aspect of the website is that there is a section for students to ask an expert a question. Students can also search answers to previously asked questions. It would be so engaging if students got their questions answered by a real scientist!

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Please ensure you have JavaScript enabled in your browser. If you leave JavaScript disabled, you will only access a portion of the content we are providing. Here's how.

Lesson Plans New!

Hands-on activities designed for the classroom

Teacher guides, plus student worksheets

Alignment to standards

Science Fair Tools

Guides to planning a science fair and doing science projects in the classroom

Grading rubrics, judging scorecards, science fair schedule, and more

STEM Classroom Kits

Easily bring hands-on STEM projects to your classroom

Standards aligned lesson plans

Special pricing for teachers

Google Classroom

Use Science Buddies resources with Google Classroom

New assessments and quizzes only in Google Classroom

Scientific Method

Step-by-step introduction to the Scientific Method

Printable worksheets and self-assessments

Engineering Design

Guide to using the engineering design process

Printable worksheets, examples, and more

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The NSTA website provides free resources for teachers and students. The freebies section provides units, activities, video clips, and planning guides. The NSTA website also has podcasts for teachers which are very informative. I would definitely use this resource in the future since the resources are approved by NSTA.

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This website shares the profiles of scientists at the Smithsonian (in a kid- friendly way).  Each scientists has a video that students can watch. This website will be useful in showing students that there are many different scientists, and if they want, they can be one when they grow up. This website is a great link to the real world so students can see what they are learning is relevant to real world jobs.

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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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SciShow Kids is a channel on Youtube that makes interesting, clear, and short videos about science. I was immediately hooked on the channel when I saw that their tagline is 'Exploring All Those Curious Topics That Make Us Wonder 'Why?''. Most of their videos are about science phenomena, while others explain real world events. I could see myself using this channel in my classroom when I am introducing the anchoring phenomenon of a unit.

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science scienceforkids education scishow "hank green" kids elementary ngss cartoon animation puppet biology chemistry physics engineering stem steam

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From the team behind the YouTube series SciShow comes SciShow Kids! Every other week, join host Jessi, her robot rat friend Squeaks, and all their friends at the Fort as they explain fun, complex science concepts for young, curious minds.

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This website has science and math simulations for all grade levels. The simulations for elementary school include light, circuits, density, gas properties, and more.  These simulations would be useful for students to visually understand how a concept works and could be useful during an investigation or collecting data.

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By converting our sims to HTML5, we make them seamlessly available across platforms and devices. Whether you have laptops, iPads, chromebooks, or BYOD, your favorite PhET sims are always right at your fingertips.Become part of our mission today, and transform the learning experiences of students everywhere!

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This website provides phenomena, as well as intriguing and stunning visuals for each phenomenon. This website provides information on why you should use phenomenon, as well as other resources on how to use the phenomena. The website provides examples of how to use a phenomena.

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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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This website is a database for phenomena. You can search for phenomena by date, DCI, grade, resource type, and keyword. You also have the ability to submit your own phenomena. There is also a section of the website that helps educators select phenomena to use. The website provides a link to the SDCOE Science Resource Center, which is chocked full of useful information and resources.

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Access Google Sites with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).

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The Phenomenon Master List provides phenomenon for every standard. This document is constantly being updated. Many people are collaborating on the document, which means the resources and ideas of many qualified people are included in the list. This document is useful because new phenomenon are added or edited, which means that the document is up to date and relevant.

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The Wonder of Science website contains phenomenon organized by grade level and standard. If you click on a standard, it lists phenomena, shows an anchor chart, provides video, vocabulary, and learning plans. The website also provides posters, planning cards, learning locks, graphic organizers, NGSS performance expectations, and more resources.

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The Wonder of Science website aggregates the work of Paul Andersen around the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)

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What I Learned- Understanding the Framework for K-12 Science Education

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What I Learned- Understanding the Framework for K-12 Science Education

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At the Museum of Science, we received a handout that lists the scientific and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts on one sheet of paper. This will be a great resource to have when I am in the classroom. This handout also serves as a reminder about how to plan and structure science instruction.

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As a class, we did an investigation about the life cycle of mealworms. Instead of looking at a life cycle flowchart, we observed and studied mealworms over three weeks. We made observations in a calendar and watched them develop into beetles. Learning about the life cycle this way is more meaningful because it is experiential and is student-centered. We also received part of the curriculum that would accompany this unit from the FOSS Insects module.

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"A key shift in the NGSS storylines is that science work should be coherent from the students' perspective. Students should always see the work they are doing as a way to make progress on questions and problems that their class has identified" (nextgenstorylines.org)

This quote explains the basis for successful science education. Most times, science class is reading from a textbook, answering questions, or doing an activity without a purpose. Science instruction should be planned keeping students' ideas and perspectives at the forefront. Students should always understand what they are learning and most importantly, why they are learning it. Science instruction should focus on posing questions, investigating, and working to find answers.

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Resource- Harvard Museum of Natural History

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Resource- Harvard Museum of Natural History

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For my biology class, I had to visit the Harvard Museum of Natural History. The museum is in Cambridge and is a great, local resource in the Boston area. The exhibits range from plants, to animals, to nature, to climate change. Whatever you are studying in the classroom there will be a connection at this museum. They also have kids programs and resources for educators. This would be an ideal location for a field trip.

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At the Museum of Science, we were divided into two teams. We were able to go into the supply room and pick objects to make our own museum. We had to justify our choices and explain the purpose of the museum. This activity could be done with any subject matter. This activity is valuable because it allows students to categorize and sort things. Students have the freedom to create something without the teacher and an adult telling them how to do it. Students will interpret this activity in different ways, which is one of the best parts! This activity could be linked to writing, math- there are many possibilities and extensions! Below is a picture of a museum my team made.

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At the Museum of Science, we learned a strategy called Inner Circle/Outer Circle. Half of the class forms the inner circle, and half of the class forms the outer circle. The inner circle and the outer circle face each other. One person on the inner is directly facing one person on the outer circle. This pair can discuss a question, be partners for an activity, etc. The circles can also rotate so that people can discuss with/ work with different people. This is a good strategy that will help students feel more comfortable working with different people in the class.

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Quote- Next Generation Science Standards

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Quote- Next Generation Science Standards

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"Science—and therefore science education—is central to the lives of all Americans. A high-quality science education means that students will develop an in-depth understanding of content and develop key skills communication, collaboration, inquiry, problem solving, and flexibility—that will serve them throughout their educational and professional lives."

This quote explains what it means for a science education to be high-quality. Students learn many important skills in science that will be relevant in their everyday lives. That is why science education needs to extend beyond learning facts that do not have a connection to students' lives. Students should not be saying, "How does this affect my every day life? When will I use this in real life?".  A high-quality science education is a cornerstone of a student's education and should be valued as much as other subjects.

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Improving Science Education Through Three-Dimensional Learning

Quick Search Next Generation Science Standards

THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF SCIENCE LEARNING

Within the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), there are three distinct and equally important dimensions to learning science. These dimensions are combined to form each standard-or performance expectation-and each dimension works with the other two to help students build a cohesive understanding of science over time.

Crosscutting Concepts help students explore connections across the four domains of science, including Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering Design.

When these concepts, such as "cause and effect", are made explicit for students, they can help students develop a coherent and scientifically-based view of the world around them.

Science and Engineering Practices describe what scientists do to investigate the natural world and what engineers do to design and build systems. The practices better explain and extend what is meant by "inquiry" in science and the range of cognitive, social, and physical practices that it requires. Students engage in practices to build, deepen, and apply their knowledge of core ideas and crosscutting concepts.

Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) are the key ideas in science that have broad importance within or across multiple science or engineering disciplines. These core ideas build on each other as students progress through grade levels and are grouped into the following four domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering.

More about 3D Learning

GET TO KNOW

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K-12 science content standards. Standards set the expectations for what students should know and be able to do. The NGSS were developed by states to improve science education for all students.

A goal for developing the NGSS was to create a set of research-based, up-to-date K-12 science standards. These standards give local educators the flexibility to design classroom learning experiences that stimulate students' interests in science and prepares them for college, careers, and citizenship.

Get to Know the Standards

IMPLEMENT

The NGSS call for a three-dimensional approach to K-12 science instruction. This represents a significant transition from previous state standards. That's why effective implementation demands a great deal of collaboration and patience among states, districts, schools, teachers, and students.

Thoughtful and coordinated approaches to implementation will enable educators to inspire future generations of scientifically literate students. That is the vision of the NGSS. This website provides a range of high-quality resources that empower educators, administrators, parents, and the general public to help bring this vision to life.

Find Tools and Resources

WHY

Science-and therefore science education-is central to the lives of all Americans.

A high-quality science education means that students will develop an in-depth understanding of content and develop key skills-communication, collaboration, inquiry, problem solving, and flexibility-that will serve them throughout their educational and professional lives.

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Home Page | Next Generation Science Standards

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Improving Science Education Through Three-Dimensional Learning Quick Search Next Generation Science Standards Within the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), there are three distinct and equally important dimensions to learning science. These dimensions are combined to form each standard-or performance expectation-and each dimension works with the other two to help students build a cohesive understanding of science over time.

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Resource- Next Generation Science Standards

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Resource- Next Generation Science Standards

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Next Generation Science Standards is a resource for teachers to understand the science standards, as well as get ideas for who to implement and teach them. The NGSS standards have three dimensions to them: science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts. On the website, you will find the standards, units of study, resources for evaluating your lessons, assessment resources, many useful appendices, and much more. The website also has a FAQ section that answers common questions in detail.

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Improving Science Education Through Three-Dimensional Learning

Quick Search Next Generation Science Standards

THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF SCIENCE LEARNING

Within the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), there are three distinct and equally important dimensions to learning science. These dimensions are combined to form each standard-or performance expectation-and each dimension works with the other two to help students build a cohesive understanding of science over time.

Crosscutting Concepts help students explore connections across the four domains of science, including Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering Design.

When these concepts, such as "cause and effect", are made explicit for students, they can help students develop a coherent and scientifically-based view of the world around them.

Science and Engineering Practices describe what scientists do to investigate the natural world and what engineers do to design and build systems. The practices better explain and extend what is meant by "inquiry" in science and the range of cognitive, social, and physical practices that it requires. Students engage in practices to build, deepen, and apply their knowledge of core ideas and crosscutting concepts.

Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) are the key ideas in science that have broad importance within or across multiple science or engineering disciplines. These core ideas build on each other as students progress through grade levels and are grouped into the following four domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering.

More about 3D Learning

GET TO KNOW

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K-12 science content standards. Standards set the expectations for what students should know and be able to do. The NGSS were developed by states to improve science education for all students.

A goal for developing the NGSS was to create a set of research-based, up-to-date K-12 science standards. These standards give local educators the flexibility to design classroom learning experiences that stimulate students' interests in science and prepares them for college, careers, and citizenship.

Get to Know the Standards

IMPLEMENT

The NGSS call for a three-dimensional approach to K-12 science instruction. This represents a significant transition from previous state standards. That's why effective implementation demands a great deal of collaboration and patience among states, districts, schools, teachers, and students.

Thoughtful and coordinated approaches to implementation will enable educators to inspire future generations of scientifically literate students. That is the vision of the NGSS. This website provides a range of high-quality resources that empower educators, administrators, parents, and the general public to help bring this vision to life.

Find Tools and Resources

WHY

Science-and therefore science education-is central to the lives of all Americans.

A high-quality science education means that students will develop an in-depth understanding of content and develop key skills-communication, collaboration, inquiry, problem solving, and flexibility-that will serve them throughout their educational and professional lives.

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Home Page | Next Generation Science Standards

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Improving Science Education Through Three-Dimensional Learning Quick Search Next Generation Science Standards Within the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), there are three distinct and equally important dimensions to learning science. These dimensions are combined to form each standard-or performance expectation-and each dimension works with the other two to help students build a cohesive understanding of science over time.

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Each student should have their own science notebook. Students can customize their own science notebooks at the beginning of the school year. Students should know that scientists use science notebooks; since scientists use them, they will too. Students will use their notebook for reflections, observations, scientific drawings, collecting data, analyzing data, and writing conclusions. Anything done during an investigation or activity will be recorded in their science notebook. Students' science notebook also serve as evidence of their growth throughout the school year. At the end of the school year, students can reflect on their progress by looking at their work in their science notebooks from the beginning of the school year.

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"Science is important for another, often overlooked reason. To the degree that we actually know science, we have knowledge and strategies with which to examine evidence systematically, interpret, and control our surroundings.
Knowledge of science can enable us to think critically and frame productive questions. Without scientific knowledge, we are wholly dependent on others as “experts.” With scientific knowledge, we are empowered to become participants rather than merely observers. Science, in this sense, is more than a means for getting ahead in the world of work. It is a resource for becoming a critical and engaged citizen in a democracy" (1).

This quote summarizes why it is important to teach science and to teach it well. Science is so much more than disconnected facts and tests. Whether or not our students pursue science as a career, giving them the knowledge and skills will make them informed, productive, and empowered members of society who have the power to enact positive change. This quote puts the gravity and the importance of teaching science into perspective.

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Contributors

Description

What types of instructional experiences help K-8 students learn science with understanding? What do science educators, teachers, teacher leaders, science specialists, professional development staff, curriculum designers, and school administrators need to know to create and support such experiences?

Ready, Set, Science! guides the way with an account of the groundbreaking and comprehensive synthesis of research into teaching and learning science in kindergarten through eighth grade. Based on the recently released National Research Council report Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8, this book summarizes a rich body of findings from the learning sciences and builds detailed cases of science educators at work to make the implications of research clear, accessible, and stimulating for a broad range of science educators.

Ready, Set, Science! is filled with classroom case studies that bring to life the research findings and help readers to replicate success. Most of these stories are based on real classroom experiences that illustrate the complexities that teachers grapple with every day. They show how teachers work to select and design rigorous and engaging instructional tasks, manage classrooms, orchestrate productive discussions with culturally and linguistically diverse groups of students, and help students make their thinking visible using a variety of representational tools.

This book will be an essential resource for science education practitioners and contains information that will be extremely useful to everyone ï¿½including parents ï¿½directly or indirectly involved in the teaching of science.

Topics

Suggested Citation

National Research Council. 2008. Ready, Set, SCIENCE!: Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/11882.

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Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ready, Set, SCIENCE!: Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms

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What types of instructional experiences help K-8 students learn science with understanding? What do science educators, teachers, teacher leaders, science specialists, professional development staff, curriculum designers, and school administrators need to know to create and support such experiences? Ready, Set, Science!

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When we did our Tree of Life investigation, we went to the Fens to look at trees. We did observations in the field, which made a difference in our understanding of trees. We were able to see and touch the trees, not just look at them online or in a book. Students will have more meaningful learning experiences and learn more if they go outdoors and see science happening around them. When we went on our field trip, we wrote in our science journals. We noted the date, time, location, temperature, what we saw, how the tree felt, how the tree looked under a magnifying glass, and more. We also drew our tree in our science notebooks. Students will be acting as scientists when they make their observations in their science notebooks while out in nature.

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The How Students Learn book is a free download on The National Academies Press website. The book has four sections: history, math, science, and a conclusion. In the science section, you will find information on scientific inquiry, how to promote the development of scientific knowledge and reasoning at the elementary level, guided inquiry, and developing understanding through using model-based inquiry. In the first science chapter, the authors Bransford and Donovan discuss three principles that are relevant in today's science classroom: addressing preconceptions, what it means to 'do science', and metacognition.

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Contributors

Description

How Students Learn: Science in the Classroom builds on the discoveries detailed in the best-selling How People Learn. Now these findings are presented in a way that teachers can use immediately, to revitalize their work in the classroom for even greater effectiveness.

Organized for utility, the book explores how the principles of learning can be applied in science at three levels: elementary, middle, and high school. Leading educators explain in detail how they developed successful curricula and teaching approaches, presenting strategies that serve as models for curriculum development and classroom instruction. Their recounting of personal teaching experiences lends strength and warmth to this volume.

This book discusses how to build straightforward science experiments into true understanding of scientific principles. It also features illustrated suggestions for classroom activities.

Topics

Suggested Citation

National Research Council. 2005. How Students Learn: Science in the Classroom. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/11102.

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Publication Info

Copyright Clearance Center
22 Rosewood Drive
Danvers, MA 01923
Tel (toll free): 855/239-3415 (select option 1)
E-mail: info@copyright.com
Web: https://www.copyright.com

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Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

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How Students Learn: Science in the Classroom

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How Students Learn: Science in the Classroom builds on the discoveries detailed in the best-selling How People Learn. Now these findings are presented in a way that teachers can use immediately, to revitalize their work in the classroom for even greater effectiveness.

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What I Learned- Scientific Method vs Scientific Process 

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What I Learned- Scientific Method vs Scientific Process 

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Before this course, I didn't know the difference the scientific method and the scientific process. I was always taught the scientific method, so it made sense to me that I would teach that to my students. But after watching the How Science Works Video, the scientific process flowchart is a more accurate visual of how science works in the real world. The scientific method is a linear process. However, science is not linear. The scientific process is interconnected and flows between different aspects of doing science: testing ideas, exploration and discovery, benefits and outcomes, and community analysis and feedback. The scientific process highlights that science is dynamic and changing, as well as a collaborative process.

Image source: https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/scienceflowchart

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What I Learned- STEM Teaching Tools Practice Brief 54

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What I Learned- STEM Teaching Tools Practice Brief 54

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After reading this article, I learned four strategies that I can use to have an equitable classroom.

1. Spend time creating a classroom community.
2. Reflect on equity in the classroom individually and with other teachers.
3. Create strong relationships with your students so you know how to best support their learning.
4. Do community building activities relate to "how the enterprise of science works".

I also learned that it is just as important spend time maintaining the equitable classroom environment as it is creating it. The article describes specific activities teachers can use, such as drawing yourself as a scientist, receive feedback from students through surveys and exit tickets, and building a link between science and students' everyday lives.

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Practice Brief 54 -- Topics: Equity Culture Instruction Implementation

How to build an equitable learning community in your science classroom

Teachers can use these activities to improve equitable opportunities for students.

District Staff & PD Providers can use these activities and resources, with their embedded reflection questions, in professional learning contexts and with their Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to model equitable classroom practices.

School Leaders can encourage the use of these strategies by educators as well as look for this type of activity during classroom walkthroughs.

What Is The Issue?

Equitable classroom communities foster trusting and caring relationships. They make cultural norms explicit in order to reduce the risk of social injuries associated with learning together. Teachers are responsible for disrupting problematic practices and developing science classroom communities that welcome all students into safe, extended science learning opportunities. However, this is tricky work. This tool describes a range of classroom activities designed to cultivate communities that open up opportunities for all students to learn.

Authors:

DEB MORRISON & PHILIP BELL | MAY 2018

Reflection Questions

What strategies can you use to determine if your classroom community is equitable?

What equity project are you planning to engage in? Develop a plan to increase your professional learning in this area.

Things to Consider

Science learning is a cultural practice-based on community norms, beliefs, and values. All students and teachers come into science learning settings with cultural differences from their prior experiences. Individuals who have existing cultural practices closest to those reflected in the learning space are more likely to feel confident and ready to learn than individuals whose practices are more different from classroom norms.

Community building prepares all students for the deep sensemaking discourse experiences required by the vision of new science standards. In this approach, classrooms collectively explore and make sense of phenomena -which requires that all students feel comfortable contributing and that differences in how they contribute are respected.

Attending to Equity

Science teachers may hesitate to spend time on community building-as they see it to be outside their role or taking up valuable instruction time. But the learning gains that come from establishing an equitable community more than compensate for the time spent doing so.

Engage in critical reflection for teacher learning on issues of equity individually, with colleagues, and in your PLC.

Getting to know your students through community building helps you understand how to best support their learning. Some students may have resistance to schooling, to teachers as authority figures, or to other students. These social interactions are a real part of the classroom, have social and historical roots, and impact students' abilities to learn. Intentional community building can help identify these tensions in ways that provide teachers with information to inform equitable instruction for all.

Community building activities can teach how the enterprise of science works (e.g., by highlighting scientific uncertainty).

Recommended Actions You Can Take
Community Formation Activities:

Get to know your students' diverse experiences with schooling and science through intentional classroom activities. Start with The Story of a Name, The Shoe Game - Equity versus Equality, and Pictures of Our Lives. They help bridge school, community, and family cultural histories.

Bridge learning between school and students' everyday lives through Science Journal Take Home Quests, Self-Documentation, or by having students interview community members about science topics.

Explore perceptions students have about science, scientists, and their own capability to develop science identities. The activity Scientists & Science Identities extends a common science classroom activity with pattern analysis, critical reflection, and an examination of alternative perceptions of science involvement.

Sustaining Equitable Communities:

Disrupt adverse stereotypes, storylines, and practices. These may be about disciplining behavior based on suspicion, resistance, or criminalization. They may be about STEM- and/or intelligence-related views tied to race, ethnicity, gender, class, ability, immigration history, gender identity, sexual identity, or some other dimension of difference.

Engage in effective classroom talk to support student communication, build explicit norms for participation, and provide resources for science talk practices. Improving science talk creates opportunities for all students to engage in science learning (see talk formats, talk scaffolds).

Engage in ongoing instructional feedback to expand your understanding of your learners through exit tickets, surveys, or focus groups that elicit information about students' learning experiences.

ALSO SEE STEM TEACHING TOOLS

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How to build an equitable learning community in your science classroom : StemTeachingTools (en-US)

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Practice Brief 54 -- Topics: Equity Culture Instruction Implementation Teachers can use these activities to improve equitable opportunities for students. District Staff & PD Providers can use these activities and resources, with their embedded reflection questions, in professional learning contexts and with their Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to model equitable classroom practices.

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At the beginning of the school year, students and the teacher can work together to create classroom norms. Students will discuss what they feel should be the norms for the classroom and for learning. Students will feel ownership for their learning and for their classroom. Creating classroom norms as a class also holds students accountable for their behavior. Students can also sign the classroom norms poster to hold them accountable throughout the school year. Also, creating the norms as a class creates a sense of classroom community.  If there are volunteers, a student or group of students could make a colorful version of the classroom norms that can be hung up in the classroom.

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If you have FossWeb, you can access your curriculum online. On FossWeb, I have a grades 1-2 insects curriculum. I am able to access information for teaching the module, materials and kit information, teacher resources, and digital-only resources. The teacher's guide is digital as well. Foss also has resources on science notebooks, standards connections, information on science-centered language, and tips for taking lessons outdoors. FossWeb provides resources for lesson planning; having the curriculum digitally is a great tool.

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Still using a legacy edition of FOSS?

Legacy editions of FOSS are no longer supported on FOSSweb. These editions include:

FOSS K-6 Second Edition© 2005

FOSS Middle School First Edition© 2001-2005

FOSS California© 2007

FOSS Texas© 2013

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Still using a legacy edition of FOSS? Legacy editions of FOSS are no longer supported on FOSSweb. These editions include: FOSS K-6 Second Edition© 2005 FOSS Middle School First Edition© 2001-2005 FOSS California© 2007 FOSS Texas© 2013

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This video is a great resource for teachers to further their understanding about how science works. Science doesn't follow a linear method. It's dynamic, unpredictable, and changing; it's a process. There are four parts to the non-linear, 'pin-ball machine' process: benefits and outcomes, exploration and discovery, community analysis and feedback, and testing ideas, which is at the core of the process. This video provides a real life example about how science is a process in the real world. Teachers should apply the "scientific process" to how they teach science and do investigations in the classroon.

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

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Resource- Massachusetts Science and Engineering Curriculum Framework 

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Resource- Massachusetts Science and Engineering Curriculum Framework 

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Below is a PDF of the Massachusetts Science and Engineering Curriculum Framework. The Framework includes a vision for science and technology/engineering education, the standards for every grade level, progression matrices, and the science and engineering practices. The Framework also includes resources for teachers to use when lesson planning.

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This strategy ensures students are drawing high-quality diagrams of their observations. This strategy will improve students' observation skills.  Their drawings should be accurately labelled, big, colorful, and detailed. Students should use realistic colors when doing science diagrams. Here is a strategy to implement the ABCDs:
1. Have students draw a sketch of whatever they are observing.
2. The teacher will look at all of the drawings, making a note of what students need to work on.
3. Next, the teacher will do a guided drawing, while explaining the ABCDs.
4. The teacher will convey her expectations for future diagrams (using the ABCDs).

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Ada Twist, Scientist is a picture book by Andrea Beaty. I used this book for my introductory science lesson. Ada is a second grader who has the qualities of a scientist. After reading the book, the class can discuss how Ada thinks, acts, and communicates like a scientist and how they can be like Ada. Ada is a role model for the students! Also, reading Ada Twist, Scientist promotes diversity in the classroom, since the main character is a girl and a person of color. Having all demographics represented in the classroom is crucial so all students know science and engineering are accessible to them.

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The 3-2-1 exit ticket is a tool that can be used to gauge student understanding. It can also be used for students to reflect, show what they learned, and ask questions. The 3-2-1 exit ticket can be used as an informal assessment and can be used by the teacher to plan future instruction.

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Compass partners is a classroom management tool. Students will find another student to partner up with to be their north, south, east, or west partner. Each student should have a different student's name at each point of the compass. Then, when you want students to discuss or work on something in pairs, you can say, "Work with your west partner!" or "Work with your north partner!". Instead of wasting instructional time creating partners, you will already have created pairs.

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For this do now (or exit ticket), students can write something positive or a strength (rainbows) or something negative or a weakness (raindrops). This activity causes students to reflect on a lesson, investigation, or an activity.

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This website contains classroom resources for a variety of science disciplines and topics. When you click on a category, it takes you to a collection of other links that contain resources for teachers and students. According to their website, "NSF is the only federal agency whose mission includes support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering, except for medical sciences. We are tasked with keeping the United States at the leading edge of discovery in areas from astronomy to geology to zoology."

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Welcome to Classroom Resources--a diverse collection of lessons and web resources for classroom teachers, their students and students' families. Materials are arranged by subject area to help you quickly find resources in your interest area, and then use them to create lesson plans or at-home activities.
Classroom Resources by research area:

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Welcome to Classroom Resources--a diverse collection of lessons and web resources for classroom teachers, their students and students' families. Materials are arranged by subject area to help you quickly find resources in your interest area, and then use them to create lesson plans or at-home activities.

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A driving question board has one or more questions prominently displayed on the board. Both the teacher and the students are responsible for creating the board. First, the teacher will have the students do an activity and observation. Next, students will think of questions that will help them explain or investigate the driving question. Students write their questions on a sticky note and post it on the driving question board. Then, the whole class can discuss their peers' questions and categorize or refine their peers' questions. The driving question board should be referred to throughout the lesson or investigation. When using this strategy, students are responsible for their learning.

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In this exercise, students draw a picture of a scientist. Students are not given any guidelines; they draw what comes to mind when they think of a scientist. This activity is useful for squashing biases and preconceived notions, and discussing who and what a scientist is. Anyone can be a scientist. Not all scientists wear lab coats and use smoking chemicals! An extension of this activity could be to have students draw themselves as a scientist.

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At the beginning of this course, everyone in the class completed an identity tree. Each branch focuses on a different aspect of a person's identity. This identity tree focused on hobbies, identity, family, personality, and a topic of choice. This activity is great for students to reflect on their identity, as well as learn more about their peers.