Vertical Alignment- MS Science Department 25-26 by Timothy LaGasse

tlagasse4 — 2025-08-19 18:00:31 UTC

List the phenomena that you're using in semester A. How are we intentionally selecting phenomena that are relevant and observable for students? How are we adding student choice in regards to phenomena? How are we stretching the learning of the phenomena across the module?

janeyeater2 — 2025-08-29 17:17:18 UTC

Eighth grade uses a video of steel wool burning for the Module 1 Changes in Matter phenomenon. The Flexpoint curriculum had a poor-quality video that didn’t show the steel wool before or after it was burning and didn’t have the steel wool sitting on a scale so students could observe the change in mass. This year we’ve replaced that video with one that includes those missing features. I plan to show students a piece of steel wool on camera, as it is not something most kids have any experience with. I also plan to revisit the steel wool when we discuss the properties of metals, physical and chemical changes, and conservation of mass.

Our Module 2 phenomenon is a video of a balloon popping when an orange peel is squeezed onto it. I’ve tried to re-create this and am successful about a third of the time. This is not the best phenomenon to introduce a module on elements and compounds, in my opinion. Really, any video of a chemical reaction would work.

Module 3’s Force & Energy phenomenon is also not the best. It’s a slow-motion video of a baseball being hit by a bat. Many of our students have never actually played with a real baseball, so they don’t necessarily know that baseballs are hard and dense, which is why the compression of the ball we see in slow motion is amazing. It’s also tough to tell exactly what is happening in the video (there’s a written description, but MS kids and reading....). I’d like to find a different phenomenon video for this module, something that all students can relate to.

jschwarz24_2 — 2025-09-01 23:38:45 UTC

In 6th grade, we use pictures and videos for our phenomena activities. Now that we are changing to the STEELS standards, I plan to collaborate with the science team to discuss ways we can change the phenomena activities. For module 1, I will be using a video on matter and asking the kids questions based on STEELS. The questions have the students make observations, inferences, and real-life connections. I have not yet gotten to plan the rest of the module's phenomena activities.

I stretch phenomena across the modules by circling back to the phenomena activity throughout the module. I also have the students make real-world connections to the material we are learning. Allowing the students to make real-world connections, allows for student choice in regards to the phenomena. They are able to make those connections and think deeper.

kpurvis17_2 — 2025-09-02 00:40:51 UTC

1. The phenomena that I have chosen for Module 1 is a video called the melting phenomenon. I feel that it is relatable because students have seen ice melt in their drink, butter melting etc... I think that real-world connections help to encourage their own experiences into learning. I feel the video is a good starting point for exploring properties of matter because helps the students to visually see melting and invite curiosity about why solids become liquids when they are heated. 2. How are we adding student choice in regard to phenomena? The melting video is a starting point but as the module continues, we will investigate how materials melt at different rates for example, ice, chocolate, or observe what happens when we put salt on ice. By blending choice with curiosity, students remain invested while still addressing core scientific ideas about phase changes and matter. 3. How are we stretching the learning of the phenomena across the module? The students will first watch the melting video to start the module. Then we can measure how long it takes different solids to melt and relate it to thermal conductivity or melting point. We will introduce particle behavior- when heated, particles move faster and break free of a solid’s structure, forming a liquid. We can compare it to other phase changes as well and connect it to real-life scenarios. I think choosing phenomena based on something in their lives helps them to see how science is connected with their everyday experiences.

mcomunale5 — 2025-09-02 01:26:49 UTC

We are doing a phenomena in module 2 about tectonic plates. Students will be able to watch a video of a fault line and then view an image that shows the plates around North America and Europe. Students will start with making observations about what they see and then move into asking testable/relevant questions. The questions will be specific to each students prior knowledge of tectonic plates. The last thing students are asked to do is to create a model of how this phenomena works and here is where students have free range to create something. They can draw, create a word map, mixture of the two, or something else entirely as long as they are modeling it. As we continue to move throughout the module we will revisit the model they created and add to it. I plan to do this towards the end of each lesson so we can use what we learned to tweak the model and allow students to dive deeper into the material. This means students will revisit it on 3 occasions for this module and students will be able to explain the what, how, and why of plate tectonics.

2025-09-02 12:01:47 UTC

Making phenomena relatable before diving into concepts helps bridge the gap between the abstract and current personal experience. Considering this, it may be difficult (without shared discussion) as each student/family will have a variety of differing experiences. In the hopes of inspiring curiosity and open discussion, I created engagement pages (like a mystery card) before each lesson - Ex: before L4 on physical and chemical changes, students encounter a mystery card showing bread rising in the oven with the question: "Is it a simple shift or a total transformation?" I hope to find a way to cycle back to the Flexpoint phenomena at the beginning of the module too and make it accessible for both sync/async Sts.

bpippens2_2 — 2025-09-02 12:06:19 UTC

In Science 7, the phenomena style we use is intentional in design to supplement skill building for our scholars. Students get to view a photograph, video, and create a model to explain how it works, which touches on multiple intelligences and gives a varied approach to learning. Semester A is focusing on building the auxiliary science skills, and with a diverse group of students, those skills can help create multiple learning opportunities throughout the Semester. If students prefer drawing, there are options for them to display their understanding of the content, as well as students who like to write lengthy explanations, or students who like to organize their work in a different way. That initial phenomena opens the door to make connections with all of the assignments in the Module, with it all connecting in resources like Classkick and Curipod.

2025-09-02 12:19:01 UTC

I use a combination of videos, demonstrations on camera, and still images. They practice using their observational skills and begin introducing the I see, I think, I wonder view of observing the phenomena. One that I added this year for the first week of school is about "dancing raisins". The raisings appear to sink and rise in clear soda (or sparkling water). In module 1 we talk about density and properties of matter. With this phenomena, I hope to use it to introduce phenomena. We will start with the I see, I think, I wonder observations, but students will move to drawing a model of the phenomenon. I'll introduce the concept of a science notebook and have them keep returning to their models so we can revise them as they learn more information.

2025-09-02 12:30:07 UTC

Since I'm new to this curriculum, I don't exactly know yet. In my experience it's good to select something (phenomena) that is engaging but does not give away the whole prize (knowledge). Students prior knowledge is a powerful entry point so I'll like to try and figure out something that everyone will have some connection too and use that to spark their interest for a given topic. This time of year, baseball is heating up and its Americas pastime. For example, if we are learning about earthquakes, I have shown a video of the 1989 world series news footage when an earthquake happened during the game. The game feed cuts off with Tim McCarver explaining a Dave Parker stat and as the screen begins to glitch Al Michaels says "I'll tell you what, we're having an earthquake..." and when the feed is restored a minute later Al Michaels comes back saying "well folks, that's the greatest open in the history of television, bar none." I love this clip because it's like you get to experience an earthquake without really seeing any deeper context. That deeper context comes throughout the module, but this shared experience of how an earthquake affects a city can be referred to throughout. Student choice can be offered in how they share their prior knowledge about earthquakes, and demonstrate their understanding through a variety of assessment measures where they get to chose how they show what they know. Performance assessments and projects are a good idea here I think. Projects can have built in choice and the series of activities they engage in will lead to the patterns and scientific thinking we are aiming for. Again, we don't want to give spoilers and we reveal only what is needed for the current lesson. For example, vocabulary will emerge naturally and become a part of the lexicon; it should not be front loaded in my experience. But I am new, so a lot of this verbiage is fresh to me.

lorennschouppewright — 2025-09-02 12:40:03 UTC

Module 1 is about the solar system. Our phenomena include 2 videos: one is a computer generated animation of an orb covered in water. Another body, presumably a moon, appears to rotate around the orb. As it does, the water appears to almost magnetically follow the moon. The second video is a time lapse of watching the tide go out. These phenomena are relevant to students because many have either been to an ocean or should at least be familiar with oceans. My hope is that many students will not be familiar with tides. They may know that tides go in and out, but not why or how they occur. A major concept in this module is that everything has gravity and is affected by gravity; the larger the objects's mass, the more gravity it has. Students inherently understand gravity's effect here on Earth, but maybe not how much it affects us on a grand scale - i.e. universe-sized. This will hopefully lead to more questions which in turn, may lead students to investigate larger, more dense objects, such as black holes. While we won't examine those objects specifically, the goal is to inspire students to want to learn. Students that are intrinsically motivated to find out more will be more successful in Science because they will naturally ask more questions, leading to more discoveries. As students learn more, they add and change their mental models of how things work so that by the end of the module, all students should be able to explain what is happening in each video, and why it is happening, perpetuating the cycle of curiosity, learning, and understanding.

2025-09-02 13:47:23 UTC

In 8th grade, we have a phenomenon at the beginning of each module. For the first semester, we have a video of steel wool burning and gaining mass as it burns, a gif of an orange peel popping balloons, and a slow-mo video of a baseball hitting a baseball bat. This year I would like to do more to revisit/elaborate on these phenomena throughout the module. My hope is to also introduce more phenomena on a weekly basis; I hope to maybe even have it be on a daily basis down the line. For example, this week, I am going to play this video (https://youtube.com/shorts/w2yz_6ikQ7A?feature=shared) for students and have them make observations, ask questions, and try to offer explanations as to why the darker crayons melt first. In the past, I have also done a demonstration with oranges where one is peeled, and the other isn’t, and I place them in a pitcher of water. I had students try to explain why the peeled oranges sink, but the whole oranges don’t.

I like the idea of offering student choice on the phenomenon, maybe instead of just having one visual per assignment, we could have multiple that demonstrate an idea or topic from the module. In class, this could translate to having students work together in breakout rooms to try to explain their phenomena and then presenting their ideas to me and the rest of the class. Ultimately, I think that picking relevant phenomena is going to be the key to having students successfully engage and practice their scientific skills and knowledge.

2025-09-02 14:00:52 UTC

In Module 3 we are showing them images from the "Dead zone" in the Chesapeake bay since we are talking about watersheds and most of PA drains into the bay. It'll be a nice human impact tie in.

With the phenomena we were going to use Lucid, but IT has since withdraw that integration so we decided we are going to use the phenomena to scaffold skills such as asking questions and developing models. The 1st module phenomena will be about asking questions since that is an easier skill and then we talk and make a bunch of models in this module so they will be better equipped to make an initial model in Module 2. I'm also going to try and get in a initial, mid point, and final model in Module 2. Or start building us up to that. It might have to be scaffolded in 2 and fully realized in 3.

abarker01_2 — 2025-09-02 15:24:04 UTC

I try to use a variety of hands-on activities, visuals, and demonstrations as phenomena in my class. My goal is to grab the attention of the students and make them more curious about the topic we are studying. In 6th grade many students come in with very little science class experience and I try to make them understand that they are all scientists questioning the world around them. By using phenomena I can support those deeper questioning skills and promote that growth. This year I also plan on incorporating a science journal. Inside I will model writing down the I see, think, wonder thoughts students share. I will also include any questions that they come up with and have them help me create models to try and explain what they are seeing. As we continue on with our lessons, we can return to those models to fix them or add to them as we understand what is happening better. By doing this I hope to incorporate more of those 21st century learning skills along with the new STEELS standards.

2025-09-02 16:39:48 UTC

In Module 1, we are starting our instruction with a short, artistic video that shows the Earth and moon from space. As the moon orbits the Earth, the water is pulled towards it. Many students may not have much experience with tides or the attraction caused by gravity. The point of the phenomena is to introduce a concept at the beginning of the module that gets the students to ask questions about what they see. I plan to revisit the phenomena a few times as we travel through the lessons. At the end of the module, we will revisit the questions that they had at the beginning and then give them the opportunity to change their questions using the knowledge that they have gained.

kbrady80_2 — 2025-09-02 17:37:02 UTC

Previously, in 6^th grade we used videos and still images for our phenomena activities. With the switch to STEELS, I really want to adjust these activities to be more engaging, thought-provoking, and applicable to the module. I plan to collaborate with the 6^th grade team on how we can level up these activities.

For Module 1, I will be using a video related to matter and have the students observe the melting phenomenon. This allows students to make real-world connections to the new material we will be learning throughout the module. This video is a great introduction to Module 1 (Matter) because they can physically see the phenomena happening and invoke curiosity about why solids, liquids, and gases can change or do change forms. My hope is that this creates genuine curiosity that carries over throughout the module.

I can stretch the phenomena across the module by continuously circling back to the original activity. By starting with an activity that all students can relate to, it helps deepen the connection between concepts and their understanding as whole. When I circle back and then connect it to the new concept / skill, students can bridge that gap.

kcarr99_2 — 2025-09-02 17:59:57 UTC

In Semester A, the phenomena are different videos of places, topics, or scenarios relevant to the topics in the Modules. Students will be given tasks to do related to the video, such as develop testable questions or create a model of how they think the process works. The videos for the phenomena are chosen based on topics and standards students will encounter in that module. We ensure that students can see the concept in action. Student choice is often built into the phenomena by either being given multiple video choices, or being given multiple ways to provide their answers. Throughout the lessons in the module, we reference back to the phenomena during class to build the correct explanation of the topic over time. When students create an initial model as their phenomena, they will be asked to create a final model at the end of the module as well.

mjones1442 — 2025-09-02 19:25:34 UTC

For 8th grade's module 1, our phenomena assignment consists of a video of iron wool burning on a scale. The video shows how the mass of the wool changes while it's burning. Students are asked to make observations, inferences, and list questions they have in regards to the video. The goal of the phenomena assignment is to engage students in the module topic before starting the lessons. This is also a way for me to identify any background knowledge the students may already have.

This year, I plan to revisit the phenomena throughout the module to help explain the topic and help students make real-world connections.

Currently, I don't have the opportunity for student choice in the Canvas phenomena assignment. However, during class on the day that we complete the phenomena assignment, I usually provide students the opportunity to complete a similar activity. I display 3 phenomena on a padlet and students choose which they would like to share their observations, inferences, and questions. In the future, perhaps I could find various phenomena and allow students to choose which they focus on for the assignment as a way to provide choice for the asynchronous students.

dblickenstaff2 — 2025-09-03 13:14:23 UTC

In grade 8 Module 1 the phenomena assignment involves a video of the "burning" of steel wool. The mass of the steel wool is shown during the process. The students are asked to make observations and inferences about what is occurring during the video and then think of questions they might have. The phenomena is designed to interest the students in the Module before we actually begin the lessons. I like to use this as an opportunity to gather background knowledge that the students have and also to discuss the importance of observations and inferences and to clarify misconceptions students may have about those two words. I normally provide students with a warmup phenomena to get them familiar with the process and to help them understand definitions and how to write a good question before they actually complete the phenomena in Canvas. I have seen much better and more thoughtful responses to the phenomena in Canvas since doing this kind of warmup.

tlagasse4 — 2025-10-03 18:29:14 UTC

Review the benchmark questions and data for your grade level. Choose one of the Science and Engineering Practices below. Where are these skills practiced in your curriculum and which ones may need additional practice?

Asking Questions (for science)
Defining Problems (for engineering)
Developing & Using Models
Planning & Carrying Out Investigations
Analyzing & Interpreting Data

2025-10-06 17:39:10 UTC

Any time we share phenomena with students, we ask them to generate questions about what they see. We have also begun asking students to come up with testable questions about the phenomena itself. The Science 8 curriculum focuses more on asking scientific questions than defining engineering problems.

Module 1 includes a lesson about physical models; we focus on models representing atomic theory, phases of matter, and law of conservation of mass. We have also added an extension activity to Lesson 1.6 Thermal Energy and Chemical Change, and it includes the step-by-step process a student might undertake to create a model showing what happens to thermal energy added during phase changes. The assignment for Lesson 1.7 is a Classkick that asks students to analyze and critique a given model, choose the type of model that best fits a given scenario, and make changes to a given model to make it more complete.

In the Types of Forces Lab in Module 3, which is our PBL for Semester A, students plan and carry out an experiment that tests how the surface texture on the floor affects the distance a ball can roll. They also collect, graph, and analyze their data. I would personally like us to do more investigations like this.

--Jane Yeater

mcomunale5 — 2025-10-06 19:03:24 UTC

For my students standard 3.2.6-8B had the largest deficit when it came to students being below mastery. This question was specifically about developing a model that predicts and describes changes in the particle motion, temp, etc. Taking this as well as assignment they have turned in surrounding the topic of modeling I believe my students need to work more with developing and using models. We ask student to create a number of models in module 1 and they do struggle with getting started unless they are given a skeletal structure or specific directions on what they should include. When given freedom some student will miss the mark on explaining a concept instead of just drawing a pretty picture.

bpippens2_2 — 2025-10-06 19:34:57 UTC

For the students in 7F, the standard "3.3.6-8.A Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons" had the most number of missed questions when analyzing the data. The SEP of developing and using models is heavily embedded in the curriculum, and throughout the various PBL's we have for the entire year. I think that the time window we had for the Benchmark window played a part in how the data can be viewed. We hadn't yet started the PBL, which means we also didn't cover the eclipses or moon phases, which would account for such a high number of missed questions for this particular standard. What I find intriguing is how we can use this data to link in other skills so that students can maximize their learning this school year. We have a lot of activities in the upcoming modules that will test the students' critical skills with using models effectively to explain the phenomena. Our next module should give our students plenty of practice.

mrsboyd1 — 2025-10-06 20:02:03 UTC

In 8th grade we are really working on practicing asking questions this year. We have revamped what we are having students do for the phenomena assignments this year and have been trying to find more relatable phenomena for students to connect to. We are also practicing having students create testable questions or how to modify a question to make it testable. I have tried to do more demonstrations in class and have also found that this is good practice for having students generate questions. Sometimes the questions may be silly, like “what would happen if you drank that?” when I made a density column with milk, dish soap, and oil- yum! But other times they have led to other investigations. For example, I broke glow sticks to show a chemical change and demonstrate conservation of mass. One student asked, “what would happen if you had one glow stick in the sun (by a window) and another glow stick in a dark place?”. Well, I placed glow sticks in bright and dark places right after class and showed the results the next day. The same student was able to tell me which glow stick was in the dark after I showed them! I hope to continue to offer opportunities like this for students to practice their questioning skills.

I would like to provide additional practice for analyzing and interpreting data. One way I want to try to do this in the future is by possibly providing students with an unmarked graph or data table and encouraging them to write a short paragraph or story to explain the data. I think this would be a nice connection for math and language arts. In general, I just want to expose my students to more data whether that be through phenomenon, bellringers, or assignments.

msriggs2 — 2025-10-07 12:07:11 UTC

When reviewing the BOY BM data for my student group, I noticed that the standard with the lowest proficiency is 3.2.6 - 8A; B both assess students' ability to use and understand models, specifically molecules that model the structure of matter in different forms/states. Students see examples and use models as skills practice in lessons through interactives, live class pHet simulations, and class demonstrations. I have included enrichment pages following each lesson in the module list this year for the students' ease of access to involvement in what we do in live class. I see an additional opportunity to edit/revisit these for next SY and those in future modules to include examples and nonexamples for students to analyze, with the goal of them being capable of self-assessment and improving their understanding. - Toni Riggs

mjones1442 — 2025-10-07 12:11:51 UTC

The standards that my students struggled with the most were: standard 3.1.6-8.A (Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells, either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.) and standard 3.2.6-8.A (Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.). Based on this data, my students need practice with developing and using models, and planning/carrying out investigations. The last lesson in module 1 has a lesson about physical models. The science 8 team has already discussed that this lesson should be moved to the start of module 1 for next year, so that students are introduced to models early, and we can practice utilizing them throughout the module, since the changes in matter module allow for a lot of opportunities to include models and even have students create their own. We have a PBL in module 3 that requires students to carry out an investigation. I do feel that our curriculum needs to have additional practice added for planning and carrying out investigations. Our goal is to add more demonstrations to zoom classes this year, which could potentially address this skill. However, that is only reaching a small percentage of our students.

Science 8 is working on "asking questions" this year. After gathering data from our first phenomena assignment, we noticed that students need additional practice/instruction with asking good, scientific questions. We have conducted a mini lesson on testable questions and made adjustments to our phenomena assignment for module 2. Instead of asking students to make observations, inferences, and questions, we're now asking them to focus on questions, and at least 1 of them should be testable. I'm looking forward to seeing the results of this in a few weeks!

-Megan Jones

2025-10-07 12:14:38 UTC

In science 6, we have a project where students will be demonstrating their knowledge of the cell's structure and function (3.1.6-8.A). Students struggled a little on the benchmark with this standard, but we haven't yet covered it in our science course. For this project, students will be expected to demonstrate their knowledge through the SEP Developing & Using Models. They will create a model that represents how organelles work together as an interdependent system. They will have the option of how they do that by selecting their project from a choice board. The projects include a comic strip, narrative, cell organelle interview, courtroom script (organelle on trial), cell commercial, Analogy, and traditional building/creating a model. Each project will require them to explain and represent the roles and interactions of the organelles in maintaining cellular function while incorporating models into their final product.

tlagasse4 — 2025-10-07 12:46:13 UTC

Reflecting on my BM data, I have noticed some small trends, one of which we discussed during our DDI: Standard 3.2.6-8.B – Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion and temperature. This was a frequently missed question, largely due to limited time devoted to student practice with model development. Much of our focus this year has been on encouraging students to ask strong, testable questions that can be investigated further. While we have made significant progress in developing this skill in Science 8, I recognize the need to balance it by incorporating more model-based practice into my own lessons as well as asynchronous opportunities for all students.

This data helped us fine-tune instruction, and as a team we created additional opportunities for students to review the material and strengthen their model development. In my own classroom, I embedded practice questions into Classkick to make lessons more interactive and to give students repeated opportunities to create and revise models. We also adjusted our Physical Model Activity so that students not only drew their models but also made revisions based on evidence and observations.

lorennschouppewright — 2025-10-07 13:15:41 UTC

In seventh grade, we’ve focused a lot on Developing and Using Models, especially with Standard 3.3.6-8.A, which we assessed on our first benchmark. Students explored different models of the Earth-Sun-Moon system, discussed what worked well and what didn’t, and then created their own models to explain lunar phases, eclipses, and seasons. They also compared different types of models—like physical vs. digital—and talked about the pros and cons of each. I feel confident that students have had plenty of meaningful practice with this SEP, and we’ll keep coming back to it throughout the year.

The SEP that still needs more attention is Planning and Carrying Out Investigations. This one’s tough because it involves several steps: asking testable questions, identifying variables, deciding what data to collect, and then analyzing that data. We do practice parts of this—like independent and dependent variables later in the year—but the hardest part is helping students plan their own investigations from scratch. To build this skill, we’ve started having students design questions around new phenomena in each module and create models of what they think is happening. As we go, they revisit and revise those models with new evidence. It’s been a learning process, but it’s helping them think more like scientists and take ownership of their investigations.

jschwarz24_2 — 2025-10-07 13:17:37 UTC

After reviewing my BM data, one of the standards that my students struggled most was 3.1.6-8.A (Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells, either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.) We have not yet started our module that discusses cells and living things. We have a project that the students will be completing that covers the "planning and carrying out investigations" and "developing and using models" SEP's. The students will be provided a choice board and can choose the way they would like to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of how living organelles work together.

mbieleski2_2 — 2025-10-07 13:35:54 UTC

Asking Questions is covered in the Phenomena and occasionally in synchronous class. We did a ton of using models in Module 1. That was definitely the SEP focus. I am still sorting through all of that data. We nailed them with assessments in Module 1 so they, and we, are still catching up on grading and work. Initial data says they are building those skills, but I have to wait a bit longer to see how that pans out. Of the 5 standards on our 7th Grade BM, we teach 2 at all this year. Both of those are about developing and using models. One for the role of gravity in the solar system, and the other for the Sun-Moon-Earth system. Both of these also happen to be covered in Module 1, although the BM was given before we fully taught those.

Looking ahead, Module 2 will have a lot of Constructing Explanations due to the heavy writing focus in years past. We are looking to scale that back a little bit and sprinkle in some more SEPs like Arguing with Evidence and Obtaining and Communicating Information. Both of these will still include writing, but the writing will have a different focus.

kcarr99_2 — 2025-10-07 13:37:29 UTC

After reviewing BM data, the standard 3.3.6-8.A "Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons." was the most missed question. At the time that the STs took this BM, we had not yet started to cover this standard in the lessons, so it makes sense that so many STs missed it. Out of 26 total STs, 21 answered incorrectly. In Module 1 of Science 7 we cover multiple parts of this standard, both the eclipses and moon phases content as well as introducing modeling. We have been working to incorporating the modeling SEP into the Science 7 course through and initial and final model for phenomena, as well as both informal and formal modeling assignments. STs seem to have a good grasp on how scientists might use models, but struggle with including enough detail and labels. STs also struggle to evaluate the merits of limitations of their models. Personally I feel that all of these SEPs still need practice. We have not been using the STEELs standards for long and there is a lot of trial and error that we still have yet to face.

kpurvis17_2 — 2025-10-07 13:42:44 UTC

Reflecting on my benchmark data I have found that my students struggled with the standard 3.1.6-8. and as of right now we have not covered that in science 6. In 6th grade students practice the SEP “Developing and Using Models” primarily during module 2. They will create physical and digital models of plant and animal cells, label organelles, and explain how structure relates to function. They will be given a choice board to decide which learning task aligns with their interests and learning styles while practicing the SEP of developing and using models. They will also model body systems to show how cells form tissues, tissues form organs, and organs form systems in this same module.

jrequa35 — 2025-10-07 15:32:23 UTC

My Benchmark data shows that my students will need additional practice with 3.2.6:. From the data I can see that students lack skills in developing and using models. In Module 1, students were asked to submit a model of either an eclipse or the moon phases. This is an easy task since they can find examples on the internet. We evaluated some of the models in class. The discussion focused on the importance of labels, which were missing from many submissions. Students struggled with evaluating the merits of their models. They focused more on creativity and less on creating a good, scientific model.

In the module 2 Phenomena assignment, students will be asked to watch a video and then draw a simple version of what they see. As we progress through the module, we will add to their drawings and ultimately complete them as an example of a good model. We will revise the models as they learn more about what makes a good model. The goal will be to help students improve communication skills to explain the models that they have drawn by including clear explanations and labels.

ppagoda2 — 2025-10-07 16:08:08 UTC

My students performed the lowest on:

3.1.6-8.A

Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells, either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.

Access to the phenomena of cells is challenging because they are microscopic and thus can't be seen with the unaided eye. It would be amazing to provide our students with a microscope in their stem kit but until that day, there is a limitation in terms of hands-on, experiential learning we can accomplish on the cellular level.

That said, this topic of cells could be the perfect segue into teaching about scientific models and why scientists use them. Since a cell is too small to easily observe, we develop and use models to communicate scientific understanding. We could really emphasize this idea in 6th grade to carry on into the upper grades.

Another idea I have it to allow give students the opportunity to choose and develop their own models aka a Science Expo. They could build volcanos. They really want to build volcanos.

kbrady80_2 — 2025-10-07 16:39:45 UTC

Much like most of my fellow 6^th grade teachers, after reviewing my benchmark data, the standard my students struggled with the most was 3.1.6-8.A – Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells, either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells. We have not yet started this module, so if students do not have any prior knowledge about cells, it makes sense as to why they struggled with this standard. Once we dive into this module, students will have a project following the lesson where they will be demonstrating their knowledge of the cell’s structure and functions using the SEP Developing & Using Models. The Science 6 team has revamped this activity, and students will be given a choice board for how they would like to model this information. These projects include: a narrative, a cell organelle interview, organelle on trial, a comic strip, a cell commercial, or an analogy. Each activity requires the students to explain the parts of the cell and give some representation of their role within the cell through these fun different models.

abarker01_2 — 2025-10-07 17:27:53 UTC

After reviewing my 6th grade benchmark data, I have noticed the same as the other 6th grade teachers. Our students are struggling with 3.1.5-8.A- Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells. As mentioned we have not started this yet and will be covering and hopefully helping the students with this through our upcoming lessons, investigations, and model making activities. I examined the other questions my students seemed to struggle with on my benchmark and noticed they mostly are dealing with making and using models to demonstrate their understanding. This goes along with our SEP of developing and using models.

I have been trying to bring models into my science classroom more by introducing a science notebook and having students explain and draw what they see or think they are seeing occur in the phenomena. We have been practicing labelling and trying to create accurate models to work with these different scenarios. My hope is that by working with students on this skill they will see that modeling does not have to be a 3D interpretation that they can hold in their hands, but anything from a sketch, infographic, virtual simulation, to diagrams. By reinforcing this skill in their regular class sessions, I am trying to make it become second nature to them. In the end this will help them build their scientific skills and will reinforce the SEPs we want them to master.

2025-10-07 19:09:56 UTC

We are trying to add more to all of these skills in 8th grade science. I think we have done a pretty good job of incorporating them over the years but with the emphasis on the new standards and cross cutting concepts I think it is a good idea to provide more opportunities in all of the listed areas

tlagasse4 — 2025-11-03 13:08:21 UTC

How are we intentionally incorporating a math focus (fractions and measurement specifically) into our science instruction to support students analyzing and interpreting data?

Please include screenshots if possible.

jrequa35 — 2025-11-03 13:53:16 UTC

When I read this question I thought, that shouldn’t be too hard to answer. Science and Math are so tightly related. But then, looking back on previous lessons, I find that I have not integrated enough math into my lessons. I guess I have “math anxiety”. Looking forward, Melenie has created this Math intensive lesson that is coming up in Module 4. In this lesson students are asked to evaluate equations and to complete calculations that involve unit conversions. This is a great lesson that incorporates math into our science instruction.

Julie R.

dblickenstaff2 — 2025-11-03 14:02:57 UTC

Any time there are lessons or topics involving math calculations, I always emphasize the importance of math in science. For instance, with chemical equations, I emphasize the close relationship between those types of equations and math equations, including the use and meaning of parenthesis in both types

mbieleski2_2 — 2025-11-03 18:27:49 UTC

This is what we have coming up. Math is the blue row, Analyzing and Interpreting Data is the yellow row. We are really adding more Math to our course as we go, and as we try and embody the Using Math SEP. This is a link to the Math and Convection classkick we just did last week. It is pages 2 and 3. https://app.classkick.com/public/assignments/AZOXJmlfQGiduBISeOm7lw

2025-11-03 18:48:28 UTC

8^th grade’s Types of Force PBL requires students to measure distances in centimeters. Some students have struggled with reading tape measures in the past, especially if the distance they’re measuring is longer than the tape measure. This is something I should directly teach and either make or share a video like the one above showing how to do it

Fractions aren’t something we normally use in science because SI is a decimal system.

~Jane Yeater

mjones1442 — 2025-11-04 01:14:48 UTC

There are a few topics throughout science 8 that incorporate math.

In module 1, students perform calculations to demonstrate that the law of conservation of mass holds true. In some instances, students are required to find the missing amount of a reactant or product. (During our cross-curricular conversations, we found that math was teaching the same concept with a solving equation lesson.) In modules 1 & 2, students use similar calculations to find the missing amount of sub-atomic particles when given certain information.

These types of calculations also bring up the math concept of rounding numbers when working with decimals.

As Jane mentioned, the module 3 PBL requires students to measure distances. Students are also required to calculate the average of their 3 trials and then create a bar graph of their data.

In semester B, we utilize punnett squares to determine probability that offspring will have certain features. Students express the probability as a percentage.

mcomunale5 — 2025-11-04 02:55:30 UTC

We do a lot with having students compare measurements and analyzing trends in data tables such as earthquake magnitude vs depth and orbital velocity vs distance from the star. Coming up in the next module we will be comparing heating and cooling of different substrates to determine how much of the suns energy is absorbed by them. We also have a really big project where students will be creating a math equation as evidence to back up their responses to where we should build a landfill. We seem to incorporate math in some manner at least once in each module.

bpippens2_2 — 2025-11-04 12:56:01 UTC

We have a variety of opportunities to intentionally incorporate a math focus into our science instruction. In Module 1, we had students analyze information from a data table related to orbital velocity and distance from the Sun. ST's would compare information from the table to write a claim statement with supporting evidence. We also have a pretty straight forward lab activity where the ST's will compare the temperatures of soil and water to mimic the heating and cooling of land and oceans. As the year progresses, there will be new opportunities for our students to learn and practice these skills.

kbrady80_2 — 2025-11-04 13:17:22 UTC

In science 6, our first module spends time learning how to calculate volume, mass, and density. We introduce each skill, practice solving equations, and learn the difference of how to calculate the volume of a liquid, a solid, and to use water displacement to solve for an irregular solid. The students then also use these skills on their water toy pbl, where they have to calculate the volume of the water toy they’ve built, solve the mass for a marble, and find the density of a marble.

jhutchings13_2 — 2025-11-04 13:17:57 UTC

6th grade is where they are introduced to the metric system, how to measure matter, and how to calculate density. We have utilized rulers, graduated cylinders, and the digital scale to practice measuring matter and using the metric system. With calculating density, we focus on the equation without rearranging the variables, as students haven't yet learned how to do that in math class when they have it in our course. They are usually given the volume and mass (or use their scientific tools to measure it) and plug it into the equation to find density. We also just finished our PBL on this same content. So, after gathering their data from an experiment, they have to determine if they are accepting or rejecting their hypothesis, identify the independent and dependent variable and use the claim, evidence, reasoning framework to make conclusions based on their data.

2025-11-04 13:21:46 UTC

In the Science 7 course we incorporate math in a lot of different areas, particularly in Semester B. Just yesterday my students were interested in how plate tectonics are able to float on magma, so we calculated the weight of a plate tectonic together as a class. In Module 1, students had to interpret and find patterns in a data table comparing planet distance and velocity. In more informal capacities, students have interpreted or created graphs that required estimating percentages or following a scale. In future assignments, students will be required to calculate the cost of a landfill and measure the height of a skate ramp they create. I think we can reflect and work to incorporate more measurement related math for next year.

msriggs2 — 2025-11-04 13:24:44 UTC

We have to intentionally integrate math into our instruction by having students apply concepts during investigations and labs. Our curriculum doesn't strongly emphasize math calculation practice; I incorporate games like Wordwall and try to use real-world problem-solving activities to reinforce these skills. For example, in Mod 3 Force and Energy, during our lesson on speed and motion, students calculate speed using actual measurements, helping them connect math to the real world.

- toni

abarker01_2 — 2025-11-04 13:24:55 UTC

In module 1 of 6th, grade students had to learn about density, volume, mass, and weight. We used these introductions as ways to also incorporate the calculations.

For mass and weight, we took them to a website where they could find the weights of different objects on different planets and showed them how to plug in the mass and gravity acting on the objects to find their weights.

For density, we completed an Archimedes lab where students not only got to play with their scales and graduated cylinders from the STEM kits, but they had to use the data they collected and plug it into the density formula to compare densities of different objects. We also finished off the module with our PBL and even had a section where students had to show what they learned by finding the density of a marble to determine if it is denser than water. This was later used as part of their evidence on if their water toy was or was not a good toy since it could or could not hold objects that are denser than water.

To make sure students understand the importance of math especially within the science classroom, I have also been trying to incorporate openers that use graphs and calculations based on the information we are discussing in the lessons. An example of this is that we are talking about the differences between theories and scientific theories. I am using graphs that show "video evidence of Bigfoot" by years to introduce the class. I want the students to be able to examine the graphs and give their own claims to why the evidence might appear the way it is. This is a way to make them more interested in our lesson and bring in a perspective of how data can be collected and used within ANY argument. I have attached the graphs they will be looking at for their opener. After they learn the differences between theories and scientific theories we will close with these graphs again so they can discuss further what type of theory Bigfoot truly is using what they learned during the lesson. By adding this type of math within our lessons we are making the process of analyzing data more seamless and giving the students that base from which they can start and build off of in their future science classes.

2025-11-04 13:52:46 UTC

In Module 1, we focus on the Law of Conservation of Mass (LOCOM). This concept can be challenging for many students because it requires both scientific reasoning and math skills. To support their understanding, I incorporated more math-based practice that guided students through balancing mass in chemical reactions. Students added the mass of reactants and products to determine if they were equal, and each question included a slightly different scenario to help build mastery. Some items required students to solve two-step problems by identifying a missing mass, encouraging them to think critically while reinforcing the idea that mass is conserved. I found this approach very beneficial, as it helped students visualize and apply LOCOM in a concrete way, even though the molecular level is not something they can physically see.

Looking ahead, we are also planning targeted support for students in Module 3, which focuses on forces and energy through a project-based learning task. In this unit, students design a ramp and collect measurements on how far a ball travels across different surfaces. They then calculate averages and graph their data, which pushes them to analyze results and communicate scientific findings in multiple formats. To set students up for success, we want to intentionally reinforce measurement skills, fractions, and data representation so they feel confident as they move through each step of the investigation.

tlagasse4 — 2025-11-04 13:54:24 UTC

In Module 1, we cover the Law of Conservation of Mass (LOCOM). This is usually a difficult area for some students to rationalize and implement a math-driven focus to support overall understanding. I thought it would be helpful for students to add in math practice, which moved sts to work through the LOCOM by adding the reactants and products to see if they are equal. Each question changes, and students have to work through two-step math problems, like having one mass missing, while giving them other ways to figure out the remainder to ensure that LOCOM stays true. I thought this was helpful and a huge support for students to see the LOCOM in math, helping to bring to life the molecular components that we can not see.

Another area we are looking forward to is better supporting students with measurements and fractions specific to our Mod 3 Force and Energy PBL. Mod 3 requires sts to design an ramp and measure the distance a ball travels on various surfaces. Once they obtain these masurements then have to calculate the averages and then trasition the information to a graph further expressing their data which requires them to analyze their data collected and display it in various ways.

jschwarz24_2 — 2025-11-04 14:13:06 UTC

In 6th grade we teach the metric system. Module 1 introduces the metric and the customary systems. The students learn how to measure matter and calculate mass, volume, and density. We go over the formulas and practice solving simple problems. The PBL is at the end of module one. We tie this into our PBL. We have the students create a water toy and they have to find the volume of their water toy and find the mass of a marble. During one of our cross-curricular meetings, I learned that 6th grade math also teaches volume. They do not teach it at the same time.

kpurvis17_2 — 2025-11-04 14:44:02 UTC

In 6th grade our first module is matter and we introduce the metric system to the students. By introducing it early, the students develop measurement skills that they will use throughout middle school and beyond.

We completed a PBL project in the first module and when students work on their PBL project, they’re using the metric system to measure mass and volume with rulers and digital scales. Then they calculate density and talk about what their data shows. It’s been a great way for them to see how math connects to science they’re not just measuring numbers.

mrsboyd1 — 2025-11-04 16:50:08 UTC

I try to incorporate math into lessons in a variety of ways. For example, in module 1, we talked about how to calculate the atomic mass when given the number of neutrons and electrons. Also, in module 1, we talked about the conservation of mass and how to solve for the mass of certain reactants or products. With this, I modeled how I broke down word problems with students: highlighting important information, setting up an equation or formula, and plugging in the numbers. I thought this would be a helpful skill that students could apply across classes and on testing down the line.

I also try to incorporate math in other ways. For a bellringer in class today, I showed students a messed-up graph and asked them what was wrong with it or what they would do to improve it. A lot of my math connections in live instruction focus on analyzing data because it is something our students will have to do for the module 3 PBL project. My goal is to hopefully have a full lesson on graphing down the line so students can feel comfortable and confident in creating their own graphs from data.

ppagoda2 — 2025-11-10 13:09:42 UTC

In my classes I emphasize any opportunities that comes up to review place value, number sense and estimation. These opportunities arise frequently as we deal with concepts of measurement and the microscopic realm of cells and atoms. Some really small and large numbers come up that are interesting to discuss such as quadrillions etc. Place value and number sense are areas that 6th graders still benefit from additional opportunities to grow in. Some examples that specifically have come up recently are microscope magnification, and metric conversions.

tlagasse4 — 2025-12-01 01:37:25 UTC

As we continue looking for ways to strengthen cross-content skills in both math and science standards, our next goal is to identify an IXL practice or resource that supports mastery in math while reinforcing science skills. Working together, explore IXL to find a skill or interactive that builds numerical reasoning, data interpretation, graphing, measurement, or problem-solving etc., that connects naturally to the science content our students will encounter.

-By the end of your discussion, choose one shared IXL skill, describe why it fits both content areas, and develop a short plan for when/how you’ll use it with students.

gilga2 — 2025-12-02 13:27:40 UTC

Canva document with some helpful IXL info for science teachers.

bvought4_2 — 2025-12-02 13:49:17 UTC

6 ADF

Rounding is a skill that is used across both math and science. Teachers can incorporate this skill in at any time throughout the school year as a spiral review for this skill. After a short review of the rounding rules, teachers can use this skill as an independent warmup, or as a group jam. Place value also plays an important role into this skill and can be used as a review skill as well.

LoriHusarik — 2025-12-02 13:57:11 UTC

6 BCE

Science starts their year with learning the Metric System, Module 1 with Matter. With this skill, being 5th grade level, using this to build Science Talk, of what they notice, what they see. In connecting with Math, we do teach the Metric System in Module 2, so they have already some knowledge and skills built. However, on another angle, we teach Two-Column Tables so what a useful way to organize data, along with understanding the conversion.

mhege3_2 — 2025-12-02 14:00:09 UTC

Grade 8 Team BCF:

In Science 8, students will be creating bar graphs in Module 3. In IXL, if you search "bar graphs" there are quite a few different level "create bar graph" skills. Science 8 teachers can have students work on skill E76 (seventh grade level skill on creating bar graphs), skill J8V (6th grade level), or skill A9F (5th grade level) based on student needs. Link to skill can be added right to Classkick slide with a "snipped" example.

Also in Module 3, Science 8 can tie in Pythagorean theorem when students are working on their PBL involving the creation of a ramp. IXL skill 7ZL will have students practice solving for the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle (the length of the ramp in the science PBL).

mbieleski2_2 — 2025-12-02 14:00:55 UTC

7ABE

We plan on adding an assignment on VHQ, and AST to help students practice graphing before they do the Lego Cart Collision.

2025-12-02 14:05:23 UTC

Jane Yeater Grade 8 ADE

Identifying independent and dependent variables and then creating graphs based on them are both math and science skills. YFW and 9UJ are the skills. Adam suggested that we use Group Jams, so our plan is to cover those skills together in a Group Jam either as a bell ringer or to review at the end of class.

gilga2 — 2025-12-02 14:06:56 UTC

7 CDF

Lori, Mary, Brett, Nick, Lisa, Amy, Tom, Becky

Module 4 Lesson 1- Landfill activity

Math Infusion- Unit Conversions

Possible IXL Skills- E8Z and 2HG

**2HG involves using proportions to solve, which would be a nice review from math module 3, which happens in Dec/Jan.

Module 7 Lesson 3- Waves

Math Infusion- Analyzing graphs- amplitude and frequency of waves

Possible IXL Skills- EXN

**EXN is a science skill. We do not have a subscription to science in IXL, so students may only be able to answer 10 questions in this skill each day (trial limit).

Module 1 Lesson 2- Solar System & Module 7 Lesson 2- EMS

Math Infusion- Scientific Notation

Possible IXL Skills- H8A

**This is new for students. We do not cover this in math until 8th grade, so they will need direct instruction on scientific notation in science. Will be a great preview for 8th grade when scientific notation is in the math curriculum.

tlagasse4 — 2026-01-06 12:25:51 UTC

In which STEELS practices or concepts are students having success? Where are they struggling? How will you plan to adjust your instruction to support these areas of struggle?

If you have any examples, please include a clip or screenshot with your post.

mcomunale5 — 2026-01-06 12:46:59 UTC

I have found that my general education students are doing fairly well with analyzing and interpreting data. A big factor affecting how they do well is whether or not they are reading the directions and watching the instructional videos. Many times after feedback students will go back through and do really fixing their errors. Developing a model is still a struggle as many do not know where to start. We have been talking about trying different scaffolding approaches for this, but it is difficult to know where to start or how much help is too much help.

2026-01-06 13:18:13 UTC

My students are doing pretty well overall with identification and interpretation of scientific models. They are struggling somewhat with writing testable questions but we have built in additional practice via revising the phenomena activities at the beginning of the modules and also are incorporating practice into various activities throughout the modules.

jhutchings13_2 — 2026-01-06 13:28:58 UTC

I think in 6th grade, students are mostly still in the early stages of many of the SEP's. They are getting more foundational knowledge in science. They have it 4 days a week now instead of 2 days as compared to 5th grade. They are improving their ability to ask scientific questions. We have been modeling it this year and providing scaffolding for them how to do it. They are able to use models, again with scaffolding. For example, they understand what a model is and might even be able to make one - like a model of a cell - but still struggle to develop their own model to explain a phenomenon without step by step instructions. They are also getting a lot of experience in hands on activities this year. I think there are more labs and STEM projects in 6th than there were in 5th, so for many students this is a big jump in their required science engagement. I think some of the challenges with that are that many kids do not use their STEM kits during live class even when activities have been planned and they have been notified about supplies. They would do better if they could practice these skills. It's also a challenge to support the asynchronous students in that way when they don't come to class to get experience with hands on activities. They miss out on the opportunity to engage with peers, make observations, discuss, and get important feedback.

mbieleski2_2 — 2026-01-06 13:31:41 UTC

The students have actually been really good at obtaining and communicating information so far. They did much better on the Sam's Vegetable Garden assignment than I anticipated. Students had to find a resource to help convince Sam not to use rat poison in his garden and many of them found good resources. More importantly they did well with their persuasive paragraph at the end including all required parts and making it a cohesive thought. We are still working on testable questions, but we had a notice and wonder warm up yesterday and their questions are a notable improvement from earlier in the year so something is clicking. I'm also really glad we emphasized the two variables required in a testable question. I think it really helped them to draw the line of what does and does not count.

2026-01-06 13:35:42 UTC

My students have shown growth in writing testable scientific questions. In the Module 2 Phenomena assignment, about 31% of students who submitted the assignment were still writing wonder or research questions instead of questions that required an investigation to answer. In Module 3, however, about 10% of students who submitted the assignment did not write a testable question of some kind. Some students are still struggling with being specific enough in their wording that both independent and dependent variables are crystal clear. For example, “What would happen if the bowling ball was heavier or lighter in weight when the ball hits the pins?” It is implied that the dependent variable is the number of pins that would be knocked down, but the student didn’t specifically state that.

~Jane Yeater

msriggs2 — 2026-01-06 13:37:02 UTC

My students are showing success with STEELS especially asking questions. In module 3, many students are able to write clear, testable questions after observing the phenomena. One strategy that has been effective is giving them an intentional space to brainstorm multiple questions and then using a checklist to help them revise one into a testable science question. Students are still working on identifying variables and using science in their questions. To support this, I plan to provide more explicit modeling, sentence frames, and practice, along with opportunities for revision. - Toni Riggs

lorennschouppewright — 2026-01-06 13:41:37 UTC

A STEELS practice that I feel my students are becoming more consistent at meeting is asking questions and constructing explanations. We have been practicing this skill with almost every phenomena. We’ve done several lessons comparing and contrasting testable and nontestable questions and have really hammered home the idea of dependent and independent variables. The way phenomena 3 was set up walked our students through the entire process step-by-step and it was really an ‘aha!’ moment for many of my more challenged students. Practicing the CER method several times throughout each module has also helped to cement that process and I am reasonably confident that many of my students are able to construct logical, evidence-based responses.

An area in which I feel my students are still struggling is obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. We have had one targeted activity where students were asked to research a topic and present their findings. The assignment was broken down into smaller steps that guided students through how to present their research. This approach was very beneficial for my students. Coming up, there will be several other opportunities where students will be given information and through the use of guiding questions, will be asked to evaluate and synthesize that information to take a stand in a current issue (landfills, environmental issues). Being able to independently research, identify critical information from multiple sources, and present a cohesive argument/defense is a difficult task. Repeated experience with scaffolded assignments is how I plan to encourage development of this crucial skill. (lsw)

tlagasse4 — 2026-01-06 13:52:05 UTC

In my 8th-grade science course, I have been focusing on our department goal tied to the SEPs, specifically Asking Questions and Developing Models. Asking questions has been an area of strong growth at our grade level. We've made intentional changes to our phenomena outlines, along with clearer rubrics and targeted instruction on what makes a "good testable question".

Developing models has been more challenging, but we've started to build in more opportunities for practice and revision. This year, students are given time later in the module to revisit and improve their models after learning new content. One example is from Module 3, Lesson 1 on force and energy, where students created an initial model of a bowling ball rolling down a lane and hitting pins to show their understanding of forces and energy. Later in Lesson 5, they return to that model and refine it using new information.

As we move into Semester B, I'd like to continue adding more opportunities like this to strengthen our STEELS goal around developing models and help students see modeling as an ongoing process rather than a one-time task.

jschwarz24_2 — 2026-01-06 13:57:56 UTC

In 6th grade the students are very new to being emerged in science 4 days a week. Coming from 5th grade where they did not have science as often as they do in 6th grade, they are getting used to having science 4 days a week now. A skill we have really been working on with them is the phenomena. Teaching them how to observe and conduct questions from those observations. I have already seen progress with my students since the beginning of the year. As Jamie stated in her response, something we struggle with is the asynchronous students. The students who are actively attending and participating during live lesson are the ones showing progress. It is the students who are not actively participating during class and those who are not attending that are still struggling with this concept.

abarker01_2 — 2026-01-06 14:03:47 UTC

I have been noticing mixed results with my STEELS integration in my 6th grade class. We have been focusing on asking and making testable questions, along with modeling. I have seen a huge growth in the types of questions that some of my students have been asking while others are still asking, "Can it be pink?"

To help continue to support STEELS I plan on using more examples of testable questions within our lessons. I also plan to incorporate more phenomena. This will give them the opportunity to create these questions, along with drawing models to show what they feel is happening.

Throughout this process I have noticed a huge impact on demonstrating and modeling what I expect from my students. I use my document camera to model setting up and writing in a science journal. In this journal I write all of the observations and questions they ask, and also create a model with them to explain what they are seeing happen. This is helping them see the little things like labelling and explaining their images better. For the most part I feel that STEELS has been making our lessons more impactful and I am excited to see how I can continue pushing it in our lessons.

mrsboyd1 — 2026-01-06 14:05:26 UTC

Like many of the other 8th grade science teachers, I believe I am seeing the most growth with my students in asking (testable) questions. In 8th grade, we have really tried to make our phenomena centered around giving students a space to practice asking questions. I appreciate the checklist that our team created to help students make sure their questions are testable because I have seen many students utilize it in their submissions. In class previously, my class and I have used a flowchart to critique previous questions and determine if they are testable and I would like to continue this as we move into the next semester. I think the more exposure the students get with testable questions and identifying variables will really support them in building/modifying their testable questions.

We also started incorporating models more frequently in our most recent module. It has been interesting to see my students’ models grow throughout the module. I would like to incorporate more modeling into semester B so that students can continue to practice this skill too.

bpippens2_2 — 2026-01-06 14:09:24 UTC

One of the coolest things about this school year is seeing how our students improve their understanding of scientific concepts over time. One area of improvement I've seen so far is analyzing and interpreting data. We've given our students multiple opportunities to improve in this area, by providing a variety of activities to enhance these skills. With the implementation of rubrics, we can now provide more concrete feedback for our students to digest and learn from. As the year progresses, the goal is for students to be more open to the struggles, as within them, true learning opportunities are born. I plan to give my students more in class practice activities and reiterate what skills are needed for them to be successful in the science environment. I plan to also lean into more combined classes with my fellow 7th Grade teachers, so we can isolate and highlight specific skill areas, in an attempt to reach as many students as we can!

jrequa35 — 2026-01-06 14:13:06 UTC

My students are improving at obtaining and communicating information. In our activity, Sam’s Vegetable Garden, they were asked to do research to come up with an argument for Integrated Pest Management. The assignment was broken down into steps which really helped students. Many students were able to use their information to not only support the uses of IPM in a persuasive paragraph but to also link the uses with positive garden outcomes. I do believe that many of the students that did not do well in this activity are very capable. They just do not read instructions or put in any effort.

We have started slow in Live Lessons using examples of good writing and research. We will continue to build on these skills in future lessons and activities. In our next module, there is an activity where students will need to read about the pros and cons of landfill locations. The assignment is broken down into steps to help them to evaluate the land use. They are required to write a persuasive paragraph using the information that they are given. I think the most important skill they will need is how to justify their choices. We will use many examples in class to help them to learn how to support their claims.

mjones1442 — 2026-01-06 14:26:00 UTC

My students have shown growth in asking questions. We have implemented a lot of practice in identifying dependent and independent variables within testable questions. Students are still showing some weaknesses in that area, but are continuing to show growth. Within our phenomena assignment, we included a checklist, which I think has really helped students. The template we utilize ensures that students specify which of their questions is testable.

Students are still progressing through developing and using models. I feel that more opportunities to create models and then continue to revise them throughout a unit would address this struggle area. Our current module was our first implementation of this practice - students created an initial model of the forces involved when a bowling ball is rolled and hits the pins. After working through a few lessons in the module, students created a "new and improved" model of the forces/energy transfers involved with the bowling ball rolling to knock down pins. (Thank you, Jane, for creating this classkick for us!!) I did this as an in-class activity, so I was unable to collect data from all of my students, but I am hopeful that I can incorporate more things like this into Canvas for synchronous and asynchronous students as we head into semester B.

Science 8 has discussed adding a models lesson at the beginning of our course for next year, which I think would be really helpful!

kbrady80_2 — 2026-01-06 16:10:17 UTC

Much like most of you all, in 6^th grade I am really trying to focus on the students’ questioning ability and focusing on how to ask scientific, testable questions. In addition to the phenomena activities at the beginning of each module, I have been trying to work more phenomena into each lesson and give the students more time to practice and ask as many questions as they can. I add in images, videos, or 3D models that they can explore with and brainstorm questions.

I also take their questions and repeat them back to the students, asking them to turn it into a testable question, or I asked them, “How would a scientist experiment with this question? What could you do to find the answer?”. I find this strategy gets them thinking more like a scientist and not just asking random questions, but questions with a purpose. I have already seen improvements in their questioning abilities from the beginning of the year to now on their phenomena activities with some scaffolding provided. I am hoping to remove the scaffolding in semester B and continue to see their skills improve.

kpurvis17_2 — 2026-01-06 21:33:37 UTC

In 6th grade we have been working on asking and making testable questions specifically based on our phenomena but carrying it over to live instruction too. I have already noticed a growth in some of my students when they are responding in class and when completing assignments that require them to think more deeply about a phenomenon and ask purposeful, testable questions.

Students are increasingly able to generate more than one testable question based on an observation or phenomenon, rather than stopping at a single, broad ‘wonder.’ To support this, I teach students how to tell the difference between testable and non-testable questions, model how one observation can lead to multiple investigations, and provide specific feedback on their assignments that helps them revise or strengthen their questions. This feedback guides students to revise their questions to make them clearer and testable and help with those students that still struggling.

ppagoda2 — 2026-01-12 21:07:41 UTC

I see my students having success with their scientific reasoning for our Phenomena tasks. The first one they were assigned this year received very basic responses and lacked depth. However, since we have been emphasizing scientific discussion in class and I modeled the expectations more clearly for the subsequent phenomena tasks, their responses in general have markedly improved. I see them continue to struggle presenting evidence to back up their scientific claims and I will address this by conducting a plant growth experiment and a weather log to emphasize empirical data for scientific understanding.

tlagasse4 — 2026-03-02 13:13:03 UTC

VA task ahead of time, so you have space to look it over and come prepared. This week, we’re going to dig a little deeper into our STEELS standards and intentionally strengthen cross-curricular connections. The goal is not just alignment for compliance but understanding exactly what we teach and where those standards naturally connect with ELA, Math, and Social Studies.

As a grade-level team, you will complete the STEELS Possible Science Connections alignment document for your course.

6^thGrade Document

7^th Grade Document

8^th Grade Document

Here’s the process:

Begin by reviewing your STEELS Alignment document and identify the specific STEELS standards that your grade level course covers. We did our best to include everything, but if you notice a standard missing, please add it.
For each standard your course addresses, enter it into your grade-level Possible Science Connections document under the STEELS Standard box. Include the corresponding module and lesson where it is taught.
Next, open the STEELS Foundation Boxes MS document. Locate the same standard and scroll to the blue “Possible Connections to Other Standards” box (under SEP, DCI, and CCC).
Use that section to complete the ELA, Math, and Social Studies boxes in your document. If a connection truly does not apply, mark it N/A.
Here is a video for more clarification if needed (https://tinyurl.com/yyh4x7nr)

Repeat this process until all the standards your course covers are entered and aligned.

tlagasse4 — 2026-03-31 14:17:33 UTC

Visit the Wonders of Science website and explore the available phenomena. Choose one phenomenon that stood out to you or captured your interest and be sure to include it in your post. Then, throughout your post reflect on which crosscutting concepts and science and engineering practices could connect to that phenomenon.

NGSS Phenomena — The Wonder of Science

Crosscutting Concepts — The Wonder of Science

Science and Engineering Practices — The Wonder of Science

janeyeater2 — 2026-04-02 16:16:52 UTC

This picture caught my eye because I've seen it before and found it fascinating. I want to seal up my own plant in a bottle.

The CCC would probably be Energy and Matter Tracking fluxes of energy and matter into, out of, and within systems helps one understand the systems' possibilities and limitations. Systems could also be a CCC.

The SEP's could include

Asking Questions (for science)
Developing & Using Models
Planning & Carrying Out Investigations
Construct Explanations (for science)

It would be cool to have students make their own terrariums and observe them throughout the school year, or have one "class" terrarium that I make and we observe and analyze it together.

~Jane Yeater

mcomunale5 — 2026-04-03 01:29:50 UTC

This is a kindergarten phenomena; however, I just replicated this with carrots over the weekend with their root systems. This would be a really easy thing for students to observe with various types of vegetables and we could experiment with the changes over specific periods of time and compare them to one another, then we could dive into why that plant behaves in that manner. Where is it focusing it's energy and how that occurs.

The CCC I would put here would be Structure and Function-Students explain stability and change in natural or designed systems by examining changes over time, and considering forces at different scales, including the atomic scale.

The SEP's would definitely include Asking questions, developing and using models, planning and carrying out investigations, construct explanations.

The students could see this through from beginning to end (possibly ending up with a new plant)

bpippens2_2 — 2026-04-07 11:24:16 UTC

The Wonders of Science website showed a phenomenon about cats with extra toes, called polydactyl cats. The majority of students we teach have an animal at home, with many of them being cats. The focus of this phenomenon is on inheritance and variation of genes in a species, in a specific environment.

THE CCC would be patterns or stability and change, depending on how deep we go with it.

The SEP's would be Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information because once we begin exploring the concept of polydactyl cats, students will need to communicate all findings in student-friendly language.

kbrady80_2 — 2026-04-07 11:56:10 UTC

I found this image on the Wonders of Science website to be interesting, because I had never seen these statues on Easter Island depicted this way. The resource talks about how deforestation led to the collapse of this culture.

The CCCs would be patterns, cause and effect, structure and function, & stability and change.

The SECs would be asking questions, defining problems, developing and using models, constructing explanations, and designing solutions.

I think it would be very cool to have the students use this phenomenon to then learn how deforestation affects populations, not just knowing that it causes bare hillsides or mountain sides. Students could then build models of Easter Island with these statues present, then plan/ carry out an investigation about how deforestation could have affected the island for the entire culture to collapse. Students would be able to learn all about the impacts of deforestation and then construct an explanation for how / why it happened and come up with their own possible solution to have prevented the collapse of this culture.

msriggs2 — 2026-04-07 12:22:41 UTC

The phenomenon of ant cooperation is interesting because it shows how simple organisms work together to accomplish tasks that could not be done alone. This phenomenon also includes videos. It's interesting because the ants' behavior is intentional and organized. They communicate and coordinate their actions to solve problems and adapt to changes in their environment.

The SEPs connection would be asking questions, developing and using models, analyzing and interpreting data, and constructing explanations.

The CCCs connection would be cause and effect, patterns, structure and function, systems, and stability and change.

Overall, this would be a fun way to help students connect to real-world systems and to think about how cooperation, communication, and patterns play in the survival of organisms.

abarker01_2 — 2026-04-07 12:29:52 UTC

I found this phenomena video titled Why Do Sunflowers Follow the Sun? I felt like this would be a good way to explore photosynthesis because students have seen or at least know what a sunflower is. This timelapse video shows them how plants actually do move and also brings up an interesting fact on how bees are attracted to warm flowers. Students could easily use this to create their own investigations to grow plants and see how they move with the light, create models showing what they see happening, or investigating to see if bees are the only pollinators attracted to warm flowers.

The CCCs would be patterns, Cause & Effect, Energy & Matter, and Stability & Change.

The SEPs would be Asking Questions, Developing & using Models, Defining Problems, Planning & Carrying out Investigations, Analyzing & Interpreting Data, Construct Explanations, and Engaging in Argument from Evidence.

So not only are you relating a real-world observation to what is needed for photosynthesis, you can actually take this opportunity to lead into deeper conversations that lead down other paths like adaptations for survival.

jschwarz24_2 — 2026-04-07 12:43:25 UTC

I thought this phenomenon was interesting because it is something the students can relate to when we discuss photosynthesis and transfer of energy. I actually learned something myself. I did not know that it's only the young sunflowers that will follow the sun.

The CCC's connections would be cause and effect and energy and matter.

The SEC's would be asking questions, planning and carrying out investigations, and construct explanations.

This would be a really neat way for students to connect a real-life phenomena to photosynthesis and understanding the transfer of energy.

jhutchings13_2 — 2026-04-07 12:55:02 UTC

I chose the phenomena about the attack of the killer fungi. This phenomenon connects to the crosscutting concepts of cause and effect, systems and system models, and structure and function, Students can trace how fungal infection leads to behavioral changes that support reproduction. It also highlights patterns in host specificity and stability and change within ecosystems.

The SEP's involved include developing models of the fungal life cycle, constructing explanations about how the fungus spreads, and engaging in arguments from evidence about how the fungus influences insect behavior.

This is just a fun one in general. I have used this in instruction in past years. Students love this video and concept. Some think it's so cool and other just weird. And portraying it as a "zombie" ant fungus always gets their attention. The idea that something like this exists in nature really grabs their attention.

lorennschouppewright — 2026-04-07 12:56:25 UTC

(Start at 0:03 and end at 0:59) This video shows not only the destructive power of nature (in the form of the Indonesian tsunami, but also how animals can sense danger and move out of harm's way. (more about the tsunami and to see how it moved: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2004_Indonesia_Tsunami_edit.gif#/media/File:2004_Indonesia_Tsunami_edit.gif)

This particular phenomena and the wikipedia gif could address the following SEPs: Developing and using models and Constructing explanations and designing solutions. Using the gif, students can visually determine what areas experienced the greatest destruction, and why, why the effect of this earthquake and subsequent tsunamis were felt as far away as Africa, and how animals (particularly elephants) can hear in different frequencies than we can.

This phenomena would also fit with the following CCCs: Cause and effect, Scale, proportion, and quantity, Energy and Matter: Flows, cycles and conservation, and Stability and Change. Cause and effect is an easy connection: because there was an earthquake, the resulting effect was a tsunami. Using the gif, students can explore the scale of the destruction to explain the transfer of energy. Stability and change could be studied with the underlying geological processes that caused the earthquake.

mrsboyd1 — 2026-04-07 12:57:26 UTC

The phenomenon I picked was a video of termites following ink lines in the shape of the Olympic rings. This stood out to me because I found myself asking, “why are they doing this?”. Much of our second semester in 8th grade revolves around life science, so I think this would be an interesting discussion for students.

This would be a great connection to the SEP: engaging in an argument from evidence. I could challenge students to try to find answers as to why the termites are doing this. It could even lead to a conversation about utilizing evidence from credible sources too and what even makes a source credible.

The CCC I think would be the best for this would be cause and effect. What is causing the termites to do this? What is the effect that this could have on the termites? Why are they behaving like this- what is the benefit? I think this would fit in great with our module 5 because it is demonstrating animal behaviors- a topic we talk about a lot in that module. I look forward to including it in future instruction.

jrequa2_2 — 2026-04-07 13:30:41 UTC

This is fascinating. I think students would be able to use prior knowledge to come up with reasons why this is happening. It would be interesting to see if they could come up with ideas about the structures in the plant that allow for phototropism. This would be a great opportunity for students to design experiments. Give the Students the dependent variable and have them come up with different ways to manipulate the environment to produce the desired outcome.

The CCC could be Patterns or Structure & Function.

The SEPs: Asking Questions, Planning & Carrying Out Investigations, Construct Explanations

mbieleski2_2 — 2026-04-07 15:49:39 UTC

This phenomena relates to Natural Hazards (4.2), but it could also related to Waves (7.1) and Adaptations (5.1). The waves of infrasound are too low to be heard, but can often be felt. The waves are Patterns, and Using Math to describe the wave patterns. The Tsunami could also be Cause and Effect or Scale, Proportion and Quantity depending on how we view this. The ears on the elephant would be Structure and Function, or maybe stability and change if we considered the populations and the larger ecosystem.

For the SEP, we would definitely Ask Questions and likely develop or use a model to explain the wave patterns. They would likely also be obtaining information and constructing an explanation in there. Perhaps even arguing with evidence depending on how you wanted to structure the activity.

mjones1442 — 2026-04-07 15:51:10 UTC

I appreciated this video because it gives students a real microscopic view of cells. Our students may not have the opportunity to utilize this type of technology such as microscopes, so this is a way to provide them with that "real-life" view. In 8th-grade science, we discuss cells a few times throughout the year. I think students would have a lot of curiosity about how the white blood cell follows the bacteria, and how it gets rid of the bacteria.

The CCCs would be cause and effect and systems, structure and function, and system models.

The SEPs could include Asking Questions (for science), constructing explanations, and developing and using models.

I would use this phenomenon at the start of a lesson on the types of blood cells to promote student curiosity, and then at the end of the lesson, students can create their own model to demonstrate their understanding of the function of white blood cells within the body system.

kpurvis17_2 — 2026-04-07 16:19:20 UTC

The phenomenon I chose, shown through Google Maps Timelapse, stood out to me because it clearly shows how human activity has changed the Earth over the past few decades and it hit home for me because deforestation is currently happening in my town to make room for proposed data centers.

Watching years of environmental change happen in seconds makes the impact feel much more dramatic and easier to understand. It is especially surprising how quickly natural areas like forests and water sources can be reduced due to human actions.

This phenomenon connects to crosscutting concepts such as cause and effect, since human activities directly lead to environmental changes, stability changes and because it can show the shift in ecosystems over time. t also relates to systems, since the land, water, and human activity all interact.

In terms of SEPs it would be analyzing and interpreting data by examining the timelapse images, asking questions about what caused the changes, and constructed explanations based on the evidence observed. The time-lapse itself is a model of Earth which represents a real-world change to drive the concept home.

2026-04-07 17:33:18 UTC

I liked this phenomena as the cradle has always intrigued me and always fascinated students. I love using demonstration purposes during discussions of laws of motion and energy. I think the applicable CCC's would be patterns, cause and effect, and energy and matter. I think the SEP's would be asking questions, constructing explanations, and developing and using models.

ppagoda2 — 2026-04-08 11:56:13 UTC

For my phenomena I chose "White Blood Cell Chases Bacteria." It's a very short video that shows the structures and functions of cells and unicellular organisms if a quick engaging way. It has no narration or labels and would allow for student inquiry leading to such questions as "How does the white blood cell follow the bacteria? What happens once the microbe is engulfed? etc." This phenomena connects to the cross cutting concepts of "Structures and Functions" where students "model complex and microscopic structures and systems and visualize how their function depends on the shapes, composition, and relationships among its parts. They analyze many complex natural and designed structures and systems to determine how they function." This video clearly shows the structures of the different organisms and students could draw and model what they see, and they add to their labeling of the model as they achieve more and more of the learning targets in the unit.

kcarr99_2 — 2026-04-08 16:13:37 UTC

I chose the Candle-Powered Car phenomenon because it is a unique example that is relevant to our kinetic/potential energy and transformation of energy topics. This also would catch my student's attention as they typically show interested in abnormal creations.

The main CCC for this phenomenon would be Energy and Matter, as energy takes different forms (heat, electrical, etc.) and the transfer of energy can be tracked as energy flows through a designed system.

The main SEP for this phenomenon could be Asking Questions, but this could also be used for Constructing Explanations. It could be used at any point in the Transformation of Energy lesson. Students could observe this model and ask questions to seek additional information or explore the relationship between different types of energy and how they transform. Students could also use this phenomenon at the end of the lesson as evidence to explain how energy transformations work.

I really like this example and may incorporate it into tomorrow's lesson...

tlagasse4 — 2026-05-04 19:28:20 UTC

As we reflect on our STEELS implementation this year, please respond to the prompts below:

What is one STEELS-related change you made this year in your classroom or course?
What is one positive outcome, student response, or teachable moment you noticed because of that change?
What is one thing you would like to keep, improve, or add next year as we continue growing in our STEELS implementation?

Please share at least one thoughtful response for each prompt. Be ready to discuss your reflections at our next department meeting.

msriggs2 — 2026-05-04 20:02:16 UTC

This year, 8th grade incorporated more phenomena-based learning by practicing making detailed observations and developing criteria checklists to compare everyday questions with stronger science questions.

A positive outcome I noticed was that students' curiosity had improved. Students are asking better, more thoughtful questions backed by evidence.

Next year, I'd like to build on this by using Padlet or a collaborative classkick to collect student questions and revisit the phenomenon throughout the module. Together, we can use this for discussion to figure out answers to their questions and think about what else they want to know. This may lead to discussions in which students, in theory, design possible experiments/investigations, increase student-led lessons, and, more importantly, capture their attention if they see that there is a meaningful purpose to the phenomena assignments. - toni riggs

jschwarz24_2 — 2026-05-04 23:46:19 UTC

This year in 6th grade, we put a greater emphasis on phenomena-based learning within our lessons. At first, students found this approach challenging, and many struggled as the year progressed. By tracking student data throughout the year, I was able to identify patterns in their understanding and adjust my instruction to better support their learning. By Module 6, a significant number of students demonstrated improved understanding of scientific phenomena.

Observing their growth over the course of the year, has been a rewarding and positive outcome as we conclude the school year.

Moving forward, I aim to strengthen the design and implementation of the phenomena activities at the start of each module. I plan to integrate more opportunities for students to engage with phenomena throughout each unit to further deepen their understanding.

2026-05-05 02:41:22 UTC

One steels related prompt we started doing in 7th grade is having students create models and then add to/critique them throughout the module.

I noticed that students are starting to be more critical of themselves but not in a bad way. They are seeing how they can improve on old thoughts to make them better and more refined.

I’d like to continue building on this next year in a more meaningful way or perhaps have groups of students working together on a model.

kbrady80_2 — 2026-05-05 11:34:02 UTC

1. The biggest change I made this year related to STEELS was adding in a lot more phenomena-based learning. In 6^th grade, we really tried to incorporate phenomena daily and before each module phenomena assignment, I had a phenomena lesson refresher. In this refresher lesson, we reviewed how to ask scientific questions, how to make them open-ended, and the students practiced these skills specifically.

2. One positive outcome from incorporating more phenomena was that students really improved from the beginning of the year to now. In the Module 1 phenomena assignment, almost all my students were unable to write a scientific question. By the Module 5 assignment, 84% of my students were successful in writing 2 scientific questions, 14% wrote at least 1 scientific question, and less than 2% of students were unable to write any type of question.

3. I would like to keep all of the phenomena that we have built in this year, as I really think students at the 6^th grade level need it. If we do not talk about it frequently, the skill we are trying to develop is forgotten about – so the more phenomena we use the better! I also want to add in more modeling opportunities next year. With all the focus on phenomena / questioning for my SPM, I think modeling was kind of set aside, so next year I want to be more intentional and incorporate it more often.

mjones1442 — 2026-05-05 11:54:28 UTC

We've made a few STEELS-related changes in 8th grade this year. One of them was adding more opportunities for students to create models. Most of these opportunities did not include any criteria, but were open-ended to allow the students to demonstrate their learning. However, I did provide optional criteria/examples for students who may have struggled with getting started. For example, after learning about limiting factors, students were tasked with creating a model of a limiting factor situation. I provided some examples of limiting factors to help students who may have needed a starting place.

Through these opportunities, I was able to determine the students' key takeaways from the lesson. I also became more mindful of pointing out all of the types of models that we utilize in our lessons throughout the year - simulations, graphs, tables, etc.

After incorporating a few of these exit tickets/warm-up activities, I noticed that students' models improved. Some began adding text to explain their drawings or adding more detail. I would like to continue incorporating this STEELS SEP next year by not only utilizing it during class, but also adding it to the course for my asynchronous students.

bpippens2_2 — 2026-05-05 12:23:43 UTC

One STEELS- related change in 7th grade has been the implementation of creating models based on testable questions, and then having our students make revisions as we proceed through the rest of the module. Students complete these tasks in the Phenomena activity at the beginning of the module, then build on that knowledge as we progress with the subsequent activities like knowledge checks, journals, and PBL's. One positive outcome from this is seeing students make stronger connections between the Scientific concepts we are learning. In years previous, students would complete a model and just move on, without having a reason to review the feedback or make stronger connections. Now, by integrating this staggered approach to making models, students now have access to various levels of feedback to help them grow in the Science environment. I want to keep this method for next year as well.

abarker01_2 — 2026-05-05 12:27:31 UTC

One thing from STEELS that I started implementing this year was creating models to help explain scientific processes. Any time we had a phenomena, I had my students try to explain the phenomena with a model. Throughout the year we started to critique these models and add more details.

One positive outcome of this was the fact that students started to create models for things we were learning about in our main lessons. It was nice seeing them incorporate them and use them as an added learning tool.

I would like to keep using phenomena to help create models with my students next year. 6th graders are just getting started into our science world and they need as much practice as possible to understand the new material. Hopefully by starting them with the modeling now, they will be able to use models and create more accurate models by the time the reach 8th grade.

mrsboyd1 — 2026-05-05 12:38:43 UTC

I think the biggest STEELS changes we made in 8th grade this year was working on modeling and creating testable questions. With testable questions, there was some scaffolding needed, like reviewing the different types of variables. In the past, I encouraged my students to ask a testable question about plants. Many students were hesitant at first so I encouraged them to think about what a plant needs to grow and survive. Students started listing, “water, sun, soil, nutrients, etc.” Then I challenged them to think about what they could change about each of those. An interesting response I got was that students thought about watering a plant with something other than water (I heard Kool aid, milk, and other options). We used that to help us construct an example testable question.

I think focusing on testable questions has allowed the students to become more inquisitive. For example, students were often reluctant to come up with questions for our phenomena assignments at the beginning of the year. Now, students are able to come up with a list of questions after viewing a video or picture.

I would like to be more mindful and intentional about including testable question review in our second semester in the future to allow for more opportunities to practice this skill. As an 8th grade team, we have found many great resources to support this topic and I look forward to incorporating more in the future!

tlagasse4 — 2026-05-05 12:41:17 UTC

One intentional STEELS change I made this year in my classroom was being more purposeful about integrating, developing and using models during live lessons. One positive outcome I noticed was stronger student engagement when I gave them the freedom to design and draw their own models in a way that helped them make sense of the key concepts, while still including the important parts of the lesson in their diagrams. This approach gave students space to be creative and build understanding in their own way. Not every student felt confident with drawing, though honestly neither did I. I think seeing me work through that struggle helped remove some of the pressure and gave them the space to express their thinking more freely.

One thing I would like to add moving forward is other STEELs SEP. I feel that within my class and grade level, we have made strong progress with our current SEP goals. There may still be a few small things to fine tune, but I think we now have a solid foundation that would allow us to expand into additional practices and create a more well-rounded course that better reflects the full intent of the STEELS standards. Within our current curriculum, I can already see opportunities to build in new SEPs such as Planning and Carrying Out Investigations, along with several lessons where we could integrate Analyzing and Interpreting Data pretty seamlessly without having to completely overhaul the course. And honestly, who does not love an easier implementation? The less extra work, the better.

jrequa2_2 — 2026-05-05 12:47:27 UTC

The major STEELS related shift that we have implemented this year is moving away from lecture led learning and shifting to phenomenon-based learning. Each unit starts with a real world phenomena that prompts students to generate questions. Learning how to ask scientific questions has been a real challenge. Students are learning to shift from just making observations to asking questions that can be answered through scientific investigation.

Students are more engaged with these activities. They are not just memorizing facts. They are learning to be more inquisitive and curious.

Next year I intend to add more student lead activities. This will include more opportunities for students to offer feedback, and guide each other through their thinking processes.

kcarr99_2 — 2026-05-05 13:05:32 UTC

This school year we implemented the new STEELS standards with a focus incorporating the SEPs - particularly asking questions, creating models, and constructing explanations. My biggest personal focus for this year was the modeling skill, which was mainly implemented through phenomena assignments where STs created model drawings. I learned a lot of information about ST backgrounds with modeling, current abilities and what is needed for ST support. In 7th grade, it seems that STs have little to no experience with explaining a concept through a model. As a Science 7 team, we have planned a better scaffolded progression of the SEP skills in our course for next year. I personally plan to model the modeling skill more often, add more casual modeling experiences in live lessons, and add drag and drop photos in earlier modelling activities to support getting started.

jhutchings13_2 — 2026-05-05 13:08:45 UTC

One change I made this year was adding more intentional scaffolding to our existing phenomena-based instruction, particularly with the use of sentence starters in their "I see, I think, I wonder" assignment. I also incorporated more explicit modeling of how to observe, question, and make sense of a phenomenon rather than assuming the students would naturally know how to do that.

A positive outcome that I noticed was that students were better able to get started and participate in the thinking process, especially those who typically struggle or hesitate to share. The sentence starters gave them an entry point and the modeling made expectations clearer.

Next year, I will be keeping the sentence starters and continue modeling observations and scientific questioning. Students still needed that support throughout the year.

lorennschouppewright — 2026-05-05 19:44:37 UTC

One STEELS-related change I made in my classroom this year was to intentionally incorporate the standards’ terminologies (examine, describe, design, construct, develop, plan, and use) in my daily posted objectives for the students. We have already begun to use this specific verbiage in our course’s assessments. I have found that when I regularly use these words – especially as I am planning – it helps me to not only ensure that I’m covering the standard, but also that the material and activities are rigorous enough to fulfill the standard.

A positive outcome that I’ve noticed is that overall this is improving my students’ depth of understanding. Students are making connections that in the past would have had to have been explicitly explained to them. For example, when students were presented with the information that marine fossils have been found at the top of Mount Everest and asked how they got there, answers would be all over the place. I’d get a few students to connect that the fossils were lifted there through tectonic movement, but many did not make the connection that at one time the land that is presently at the top had to have been at the bottom of an ocean. I’ve noticed that more students are able to develop those deep understandings.

One thing I would like to add and improve on for next year is to use varying modalities to help students develop understanding. For instance, students know that earth is far from the sun, but exactly how far? How long ago did the dinosaurs live? I’d like to have students develop models – even just paper models – to help them to understand scales of distance and time. My goal would be for students to understand that most of space is empty, and that the history of the earth is really, really, REALLY old. (And, if you’re curious, at a 1 m scale, placing the sun at 0 cm; earth would be 3 cm away and Neptune would be 90.2 cm away. Also, at a 1 m scale for earth’s history, with the formation of earth at zero, first life doesn’t appear until about 15 cm; 95 cm = dinosaur extinction, and 99.9 cm are when modern humans appear!)

ppagoda2 — 2026-05-12 11:16:31 UTC

One STEELS related change I made this year was to incorporate and expand the concepts environmental literacy in our lessons on conservation. Our lessons initially focused on water pollution in terms of oil spills. I decided to plan an additional lesson on water pollution to include a case study on Flint Michigan's water crisis.

My students responded positively and were genuinely interested and concerned with what happened to the water in Flint. One student even went beyond my lesson and did his own research to find out what the current situation is in Flint, and he was excited to share what he had found.

One change I would recommend next year would be to introduce science talks where students are given the opportunity to share their scientific reasoning aloud and challenge each other in a Socratic seminar. Facilitating student led science debates would be a very powerful way for our students to gain experience communicating their scientific thinking and process through challenging issues that arise in science class.