EA Science Portfolio Instructions 071113 · Entry 3 “Entry 3: Inquiry through Investigation” is the other Early Adolescence/Science entry based on video evidence. In this entry,

Early Adolescence

SCIENCE

Portfolio Instructions (For retake candidates who began the Certification process in 2013-14 and earlier.)

Part 1 provides general instructions for preparing, developing, and submitting your portfolio entries.

Part 2 provides portfolio entry directions as well as cover sheets and forms you use to submit your portfolio entries.

PI-EA/SCIENCE-04 Prepared by Pearson for submission under contract with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards®. © 2015 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards l All rights reserved.

PORTFOLIO INSTRUCTIONS Early Adolescence/Science

Contents PART 1: GENERAL PORTFOLIO INSTRUCTIONS How to Use the Portfolio Instructions 1-1

Navigating the Portfolio Instructions Retake Candidates

Phase 1: Prepare

Locating and Using Important Resources Understanding the Portfolio Entries Following Policies and Guidelines Learning Portfolio-Related Terms

Phase 2: Develop

Writing about Teaching Recording Video Entries Analyzing Student Work Organizing Your Portfolio Components Managing Your Time

Phase 3: Submit

Avoiding the 4 Most Common Submission Errors

PART 2: ENTRY DIRECTIONS Major Ideas in Science 2-1 EA/Science Portfolio Entry Directions

Overview of Early Adolescence/Science Portfolio Entries Entry 1: Designing Science Instruction

Entry 1 Cover Sheets

Entry 2: Probing Student Understanding

Entry 2 Cover Sheets

Entry 3: Inquiry through Investigation

Entry 3 Cover Sheets Entry 4: Documented Accomplishments: Contributions to Student Learning Entry 4 Cover Sheets Electronic Submission at a Glance Student Release Form Adult Release Form Student Release Form Translations

Appendix: Excerpts from National Science Education Standards

© 2015 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards | All rights reserved.

PORTFOLIO INSTRUCTIONS Early Adolescence/Science

Part 1: General Portfolio Instructions This resource is available on our website at www.boardcertifiedteachers.org/retake-candidates.


http://boardcertifiedteachers.org/retake-candidates

Part 2: Portfolio Entry Directions

Part 2 provides instructions for developing and submitting your portfolio entries for the Early Adolescence/Science certificate area:

▪ EA/Science Portfolio Entry Directions contains detailed instructions fordeveloping each of four portfolio entries.

▪ EA/Science Electronic Submission at a Glance provides instructions forassembling materials for submission.

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Part 2: Portfolio Entry Directions Major Ideas in Science

Major Ideas in Science The "major ideas" in science referred to in this document are expected to be addressed in any high school course (depending on the discipline[s] taught). The tables in the Science Content Standards Chapter (Chapter 6) of the National Science Education Standards summarize the major ideas.

Excerpted sections from the National Science Education Standards Science Content Standards, Content Standards: 5–8, and Content Standards: 9–12 are provided in the appendix. Refer to these excerpts for elaboration and advice on choosing your own major idea.

If the major ideas provided in the tables in the Science Content Standards Chapter (Chapter 6) of the National Science Education Standards are not well matched to your curriculum, you may choose your own major idea. If you choose your own major idea, be sure that you can justify it as important and appropriate for your students, and be sure the major idea is more than a fact, single concept, or description of phenomena. Avoid selecting "minor" ideas such as "how cells divide," "Ohm's law," or "how reaction rates are affected by temperature."

Your major idea must satisfy at least one of the following criteria: ▪ It lies at the heart of and gives structure to a scientific discipline, such as chemical

bonding in chemistry, organic evolution in biology, nuclear reaction processes in physics, and plate tectonics in earth/space science.

▪ It underlies most or all of the scientific disciplines, such as the relationships of structure tofunction and the flow of matter and energy in systems.

▪ It defines the nature of science, such as methods of scientific investigations and majorturning points in the history of science.

▪ It exemplifies the relationship of science and technology to the lives of individuals and tosocieties, such as the effects of sanitation, disease control, and agricultural technology on human life span and population growth.

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PORTFOLIO INSTRUCTIONS Part 2: Portfolio Entry Directions

Early Adolescence/Science Overview

EA/Science Portfolio Entry Directions This section contains the directions for developing each EA/Science portfolio entry and packaging it for submission. Entry directions include

▪ a list of the Standards that are the foundation for each entry;▪ suggestions for planning your portfolio entries and choosing evidence of your teaching

practice;▪ questions that must be answered as part of your Written Commentary;▪ an explanation of how to package and submit your portfolio entries.

Overview of Early Adolescence/Science Portfolio Entries

Following is a description of each entry. In addition to reading the entry directions, you may also wish to read “Part 1: General Portfolio Instructions.”

Entry 1

In the Early Adolescence/Science portfolio, the entry based on student work samples is “Entry 1: Designing Science Instruction.” In this entry, you demonstrate how you link instructional activities together to promote students’ understanding of one important scientific concept along with the development of one or more related process goals. The students chosen should represent different kinds of challenges for you. You choose three instructional activities, related instructional materials, and two student responses to each activity, and you submit a Written Commentary.

Entry 2

In the Early Adolescence/Science portfolio, there are two entries based on video evidence, one of which is “Entry 2: Probing Student Understanding.” In this entry, you submit a 20-minute video recording of a lesson in which you introduce an important concept in science, and demonstrate how you use classroom discourse and questioning to elicit students’ initial conceptions of an important concept in science and how you use their understanding to influence your instruction. You also submit a Written Commentary that provides a context for the video-recorded discussion and describes, analyzes, and reflects on the discussion, student understanding, and your teaching.

Entry 3

“Entry 3: Inquiry through Investigation” is the other Early Adolescence/Science entry based on video evidence. In this entry, you submit a 20-minute video recording of a lesson in which you conduct an investigation of an important scientific concept and demonstrate how you support students in a scientific inquiry discussion as they interpret data that have been collected during the course of the investigation. You also submit a Written Commentary that provides a context for the video-recorded discussion and describes, analyzes, and reflects on the discussion and students’ development of inquiry skills.

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Early Adolescence/Science Overview

Entry 4

In the Early Adolescence/Science portfolio, the entry based on documented accomplishments is “Entry 4: Documented Accomplishments: Contributions to Student Learning.” In this entry, you illustrate your partnerships with students’ families and community, and your development as a learner and collaborator with other professionals, by submitting descriptions and documentation of your activities and accomplishments in those areas. Your description must make the connection between each accomplishment and its impact on student learning.

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Early Adolescence/Science Entry 1

Entry 1: Designing Science Instruction

In this entry, you demonstrate how you link instructional activities together to promote students’ understanding of one important scientific concept along with the development of one or more related process goals. The students chosen should represent different kinds of challenges for you. You choose three instructional activities, related instructional materials, two student responses to each activity, and submit a Written Commentary.

Standards Measured by Entry 1 This entry focuses on the following Standards:

I. Understanding Early Adolescents

II. Knowledge of Science

III. Instructional Resources

VII. Understanding Science Pedagogy

IX. Contexts of Science

X. Assessment

XIII. Reflective Practice

The following statements from the Standards provide some examples of accomplished teaching practice.

Accomplished Early Adolescence/Science teachers ▪ are committed to the idea that all students can learn science.▪ know their students as individuals and use this knowledge to frame their practice equitably

and meet the needs of each student.▪ possess a sure grasp of the core laws, principles, theories, themes, facts, and ideas that

constitute the body of scientific knowledge, and the associated vocabulary andterminology.

▪ know the tenets of the science they teach and, in overseeing students’ exploration ofspecific topics, ultimately bring students to intellectual closure that is valid, consistent,and logically supported. Science is a collaborative social enterprise that builds on theachievements of previous generations.

▪ understand and use a variety of instructional strategies to enhance student learning andhelp students make real-world connections from their scientific explorations.

▪ recognize the need to provide students with access to concepts, themes, principles, laws,theories, terminology, and factual information without burying them under an avalanche ofesoteric detail. They do so by relying on several simplifying strategies, such as questioningstudents about their relevant personal and prior experiences and knowledge in science,and providing bridges to more complex science concepts.

▪ create opportunities for students to explore science in a variety of contexts, including itshistory, its reciprocal relationship with technology, and its impact on society. Researchsuggests that adolescents will engage in science learning when they see its connectionwith their daily lives.

▪ include a variety of activities focused on critical thinking about science, technology, andsocial issues as part of the curriculum because of the strong motivating powers of theseissues.

▪ employ a variety of assessment methods to obtain useful information about studentlearning and development, to guide instructional decisions, to report student progress, andto assist students in reflecting on their own learning.

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▪ have command of a wide range of assessment methods and strategies that align with thecentral goals of the science curriculum, and select and tailor their assessment strategies tomeet the diverse needs of students.

▪ use their assessment practices to help guide instructional decisions, involve students inthinking about their own progress, and keep parents and other concerned adults wellinformed about students’ work.

▪ are reflective practitioners who constantly strive to be masters of their profession byanalyzing, evaluating, and strengthening their practice in order to improve the quality oftheir students’ learning experiences.

▪ understand and use a conceptual framework, such as their philosophy of education oraction research, to reflect on their practice. As they reflect on their practice and assesstheir effectiveness, they adapt, revise, and strengthen their teaching to make learningmore meaningful to early adolescents.

A variety of instructional resources—including print materials, technology, and the community—help students make the connections among the study of school science, their lives, and the world of science. Accomplished science teachers select, adapt, create, and use a diverse array of instructional resources to engage students in meaningful learning. They research, choose wisely among, and make optimal use of the instructional resources they secure. Accomplished science teachers also incorporate available technology into their instructional plans. Technology, properly employed, can provide conduits to facilitate learning for students.

For the scoring rubrics and an explanation of how the rubrics are used to assess your portfolio entries, refer to the Early Adolescence/Science Scoring Guide for Candidates.

What Do I Need to Do? In this entry, you

▪ demonstrate how you analyze students’ progress toward attaining an understanding of animportant scientific concept over time;

▪ explain how your analysis of student progress provides insight into your own instructionand how to improve it;

▪ reflect on how your sequence of instructional strategies works to further student learningabout science over time.

For this entry, you must submit the following: ▪ Instructional activities materials.

‚ Instructional Activity Cover Sheet responses (three cover sheets, 1 page maximum of responses per cover sheet).

‚ Three instructional activities and related instructional materials (9 pages maximum combined). At least one of the activities must show connections to technology.

‚ Two student work samples for each instructional activity (15 pages maximum combined). These are student responses to each activity. Include any written feedback you provided to the student.

▪ Written Commentary (13 pages maximum) that provides a context for yourinstructional choices and describes, analyzes, and reflects on the student work and your teaching.

The instructional period must range from a minimum of two weeks to a maximum of ten weeks.

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Read all directions for this entry before beginning to work on individual components. It can also help to have a colleague review your work. However, all of the work you submit as part of your response to any entry must be yours and yours alone. The written analyses and other components you submit must feature teaching that you did and work that you oversaw. For more detailed information, see “Ethics and Collaboration” in “Phase 1: Prepare” (in Part 1) and the National Board’s ethics policy.

Detailed directions for developing each component follow. See “Entry 1 Cover Sheets” for a list of the forms required to assemble and submit your materials.

You must submit instructional activities materials and a Written Commentary. If any component is missing, your response will not be scored.

The student work entry (1) and video recording entries (2 and 3) must be from different lessons and different units of instruction.

Choosing Instructional Activities Collect three samples of student work from each of two students in response to the instructional activities.

Selecting an Important Science Concept and Related Processes

First, select an important concept in science. You must be able to explain why the concept is considered important and appropriate for your students. In this entry, you are also asked to explain how your instruction helps your students achieve understanding of this concept.

An important concept must meet at least one of the following criteria: ▪ It lies at the heart of and gives structure to a scientific discipline, such as properties and

changes of properties in matter, structure and function in living systems, or planetary motion in the solar system.

▪ It underlies most or all of the scientific disciplines, such as the relationship of structure tofunction or the flow of matter and energy in systems.

▪ It focuses on science as an inquiry process, allowing students to develop the ability tothink and act in ways associated with inquiry, including asking questions, planning and conducting investigations, gathering data, and thinking critically and logically about relationships between evidence and explanations.

▪ It defines the nature of science, such as methods of scientific investigations or majorturning points in the history of science.

▪ It exemplifies the relationship of science and technology to the lives of individuals and tosocieties, such as the effects of sanitation, disease control, or agricultural technology on human life span and population growth.

In teaching the concept, you must also select one or more related process skills that you are helping students develop as they make progress toward understanding the concept. Selected skills should be important ones for your students to develop, as they help them learn about other science concepts more generally, and also help them participate in important aspects of scientific inquiry. Process skills may include laboratory procedures and strategies, but may also include reasoning processes integral to scientific inquiry, such as skills involved in building and evaluating models, designing experiments, evaluating data, and generating scientific explanations.

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For guidance in this important choice, review “Major Ideas in Science” on page 2-1 and the Appendix, which includes excerpts from National Science Education Standards. This publication is reprinted with permission from the National Academy of Sciences; it can be useful in guiding your choice of a "major idea" and what you plan to teach in your science classes. Select one important concept and one or more related process skills that allow you to demonstrate both the types and sequence of instructional activities you use and the instructional decisions you make to help further your students’ knowledge and understanding over time.

The time period covered must span a minimum of two weeks and a maximum of ten weeks, so the concept you are addressing must support an instructional sequence that can be seen as a coherent whole or part of a whole within the allowable time frame.

You do not need to choose an important concept in science or related process skills that are new to your teaching; rather, choose an instructional sequence that draws on your strengths, typical teaching methods, and curriculum. Choose an important concept that allows you to provide evidence of how you establish links between science and technology.

Caution: It will be important to select a concept that is truly important as defined by the criteria above. Avoid selecting an instructional sequence that simply has students memorizing facts or carrying out prescribed laboratory procedures without an emphasis on conceptual understanding. Also avoid selecting a concept that is not substantial enough to establish connections with other areas in science.

Selecting Instructional Activities

Second, select three instructional activities. Think through the entire instructional sequence before beginning the period of instruction. Although your instructional plans may well change as you respond to the unique challenges of this period of instruction, having a logical, sequential plan in mind helps you craft your final response to this entry. The sequence should have these characteristics:

▪ Every instructional activity in the sequence should closely relate to the selected importantconcept in science. Caution: Although you may be developing several important concepts concurrently, for the purpose of this entry, focus only on the activities that relate to students’ developing conceptual understanding of the one important concept you have identified. Avoid including activities that are only tangentially related to the important concept.

▪ The activities should also help students develop one or more scientific process skills, thuseach activity may highlight either the same process skill or different process skills.

▪ The sequence should build on students’ prior knowledge and experiences in and outside ofscience.

▪ The activities in the sequence should logically build on one another and help studentsdeepen conceptual understanding over time.

▪ While not all instructional activities will have work samples (e.g., a class discussion), andsome activities may be from cooperative settings, the activities that you select for this entry must lead to student work samples that can be examined by assessors.

▪ The activities in the sequence should help students establish the relevance of science andunderstand the broader picture of how this concept is connected to the scientific disciplines and to other aspects of their lives.

▪ One of the activities in the sequence must allow direct connections to be made totechnology in one of two ways: 1. The activity may require the use of appropriate mechanical, electrical, or optical

technology to enhance student understanding of the concept (e.g., using the Internet, simulation software, video microscope, probeware, or other technology-based tools).

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2. The activity may help students make connections between the concept andtechnological applications and/or issues (e.g., connections between science,technology, and society).

▪ The activities should allow students to demonstrate their developing understandings of theconcept and ability to apply related process skills through some sort of response, writtenor otherwise, that you can include in the student work samples. Caution: Do not chooseactivities that result in student work samples that focus on factual recall or vocabulary.Choose instead activities that yield rich evidence of students’ scientific thinking andreasoning, such as a written lab report, a student’s journal entry, or documentation of anextended project. You may submit no more than 15 pages in total of student work andno more than 9 pages in total of instructional materials for all three activities combined.However, a fewer number of pages can demonstrate how students develop conceptualunderstandings of the important concept.

▪ The activities should elicit scientific thinking and reasoning on the part of students andallow students to demonstrate their thinking and reasoning in a tangible form that can beseen in the accompanying student work.

▪ The activities should show how you create and/or adapt instructional activities andinstructional resources to meet the diverse needs of your students.

▪ The activities should allow you to demonstrate your skill in promoting studentunderstanding through the conceptual challenges you pose or the studentmisunderstandings you confront.

Carefully consider the assessment strategies you will use before you begin the instruction on which your response will be based. Identify the most important understandings your students must acquire, and a logical order for them to acquire them in. Think about the points at which you must monitor “what they know” so that you can, if necessary, adjust your instruction. Identify several different ways that you are going to assess your students’ understanding, both formally and informally, during the chosen instructional sequence.

As you and your students work through the instructional sequence, keep records of the instructional activities you engage in. Plan in advance to collect both instructional materials and student work samples from every activity. You may find it helpful to keep a log in which you describe and analyze each day’s instruction or activity. The Instructional Activity Cover Sheet, which can be found in the “Cover Sheets and Forms” section that follows Entry 4, can be used as one way to keep such a record.

Selecting the Two Students Whose Work You Will Feature

Third, select two students from the same class whose work you will include as work samples. The two students you select should represent different instructional challenges to you and draw on the range of student needs, abilities, and interests in your classroom. By selecting students with different learner characteristics, you may better display your teaching ability and flexibility.

To facilitate your selection, you may want to select as many as six students from this class and collect examples of their work over the course of the instructional period. Consider carefully before choosing your strongest students—the ones who seemed to have an aptitude for science when they entered your classroom. Though this kind of student presents an instructional challenge that is certainly worthy of inclusion in this response, you may find that less able students offer you better opportunities to demonstrate your contribution to their development.

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After collecting the work of the students you have decided to follow, examine the work and decide which two students present the most interesting mix of responses. Choose two students whose work is likely to show their progression in learning science as well as some of the difficulties they encountered, and how your consideration of student work contributed to how you shaped your instruction. The students you select should be ones for whom you can demonstrate your impact on their learning through feedback and subsequent steps in instruction. Their work should add clarity and richness to your written description of your approach to assessment. It would be a good idea to read carefully over the questions you will answer in the Written Commentary to get an idea of the type of analysis the selected work samples should be able to support.

Your response will be scored based on the quality of your analysis, not on the level of students’ work.

Instructional Activities Format Specifications

Assemble your instructional activities materials together in the following order: ▪ Instructional Activity Cover Sheet (use a new cover sheet for each instructional activity)▪ responses to the questions found on the cover sheet (typed on a separate page, not on

the cover sheet)▪ any other relevant instructional materials that would help assessors understand the

instructional activity (handouts, excerpts from teacher guides, instructions to students,copies of overhead transparencies, etc.)

▪ associated sets of Student Work Sample Cover Sheets and student work samples (fordetails, see “Student Work Samples Format Specifications” below)

The cover sheet responses you submit must meet the following requirements: Format for responses to cover sheet questions

Type your responses on a separate sheet of paper. Double-space your text; do not use 24-point line spacing.

Use 12-point Times New Roman font. Do not use condensed or compressed fonts.

Materials will be submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word, Open Office or PDF file. Page size must be 8.5" × 11" with 1" margins on all sides.

Make sure materials are legible.

Labeling Number each of your responses to match the corresponding question number on the cover sheet.

Place your candidate ID number in the upper right corner of the page. Do not include your name.

Page count Submit no more than 1 typed page per cover sheet. Additional pages will not be read.

For examples of appropriate line spacing and font formatting, see “Specifications: Written Materials” in “Phase 2: Develop” (in Part 1).

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The materials you submit must meet the following requirements: Format for instructional activities materials

Materials must be no larger than 8.5" × 11". If submitting a smaller item (e.g., a photograph), you must photocopy it onto an 8.5" x 11" page or print a digitized image of that smaller item onto an 8.5" x 11" page. Several smaller items can be grouped on a single page.

Note: If an instructional material was created in a multimedia software program (such as PowerPoint presentation software or HyperStudio®), you may format up to six slides on one 8.5" × 11" sheet. Each sheet counts as 1 page toward your page total. Note: If an instructional material contains Web pages, each Web page printout (one 8.5" × 11" sheet) counts as 1 page toward your page total. Note: Do not reduce full-sized pages of instructional materials in order to fit more than one instructional material onto a single sheet of paper. Note: If instructional materials that are important for assessors to see are impractical to submit (e.g., overhead transparency or slide projections, writing on a chalkboard or whiteboard, software, three-dimensional objects), submit a drawing, photocopy, digitized image, photograph, or description/transcription of the material. (If you submit a description/transcription, it must be typed in double-spaced text with 1" margins on all sides using 12-point Times New Roman font.)


Anonymity guidelines

If materials include names or other identifying information, show the student’s first name only; delete students’ last names, teachers’ names, or any identifying information about the students’ families.

Labeling Place your candidate ID number in the upper right corner of all pages. Do not include your name.

Page count Submit no more than 9 pages in total of instructional materials for all three activities combined. Additional pages will not be read. Cover sheets, translations, and sheets containing your responses to the questions on the cover sheets do not count toward this total.

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Student Work Samples Format Specifications

Use a new Student Work Sample Cover Sheet for each student work sample. Place each set of student work sample materials directly behind the set of instructional activity and instructional materials (described above) to which the sample is related.

The student work samples you submit must satisfy the following criteria and be prepared as follows: Criteria Student work samples must represent each student’s original work. The original student

work or clear photocopies of student work are acceptable.

Student work samples must come from students who are in the class that is the basis for your Written Commentary.

Student work samples must be from the same two students, responding to the same three activities that you are featuring in this entry.

Format Pages must be no larger than 8.5" × 11". If submitting a smaller item (e.g., a photograph), you must photocopy it onto an 8.5" x 11" page or print a digitized image of that smaller item onto an 8.5" x 11" page. Several smaller items can be grouped on a single page.

Note: If a student work sample was created in a multimedia software program (such as PowerPoint presentation software or HyperStudio®), you may format up to six slides on one 8.5" × 11" sheet. Each sheet counts as 1 page toward your page total. Note: If a student work sample contains Web pages, each Web page printout (one 8.5" × 11" sheet) counts as 1 page toward your page total. Note: Do not reduce full-sized pages of student work samples in order to fit more than one student work sample onto a single sheet of paper. Note: Do not send video recordings, audiotapes, models, and so on. If a student creates such a product, have the student write a 1-page description of the assignment and what the student made. You may include photograph(s) or student-made drawings to accompany the description, if appropriate. The 1-page description counts toward your page total.




Labeling Place your candidate ID number in the upper right corner of all pages. Do not include your name.

Clearly label all pages as “Student A” or “Student B.”

Page count Submit no more than 15 pages in total of student work samples for all three instructional activities combined. Additional pages will not be read. Cover sheets and translations do not count toward this total.

Composing Written Commentary Organize your Written Commentary into sections under the following headings, which will direct assessors to the required information:

1. Instructional Context

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2. Planning Instruction3. Analysis of Instruction and Student Work4. Reflection

Your Written Commentary must address the italicized questions provided below for each section. Statements in plain text that immediately follow an italicized question help you interpret the question. It is not necessary to include the italicized questions within the body of your response.

Your Written Commentary must be no longer than 13 typed pages. Suggested page lengths are included to help you make decisions about how much to write for each of the four sections. (See “Written Commentary Format Specifications” for more detail.)

In your response, you show how you link instructional activities together to promote students’ understanding of one important scientific concept along with the development of one or more related process skills.


Provide the following information in addition to the context that you supply on the Contextual Information Sheet, which focuses on the school or district at large. In this section, address the following questions about your selected class:

▪ What are the number, ages, and grades of the students in the class featured in this entryand subject matter of the class? (Example: 32 students in grade 7, ages 12 and 13, Life Sciences)

▪ What are the relevant characteristics of this class that influenced your instructionalstrategies for this sequence of instruction: ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity; the range of abilities of the students; the personality of the class?

▪ What are the relevant characteristics of the students with exceptional needs and abilitiesthat influenced your planning for this instruction (for example, the range of abilities and the cognitive, social/behavioral, attentional, sensory, and/or physical challenges of your students)? Give any other information that might help the assessor “see” this class.

▪ What are the relevant features of your teaching context that influenced the selection ofthis instructional sequence? This might include other realities of the social and physical teaching context (e.g., available resources, scheduling of classes, room allocation—own classroom or shared laboratory facilities) that are relevant to your response.

Suggested total page length for Instructional Context: 1 page

2. Planning Instruction

In this section, address the following questions: ▪ What is the important concept in science that you have chosen as the focus of your

response to this entry? How does this concept fit within the “broader contexts of science”? Why is the understanding of this concept important and appropriate for your students?

▪ What were your goals for student learning in connection to the concept during the featuredperiod of instruction? How do the featured activities fit into the overall instructional sequence?

▪ What process skill or skills did you select to support student learning of the concept? Whyare they appropriate and relevant for the teaching of this concept? How will the development of these process skills support students’ learning of science?

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▪ What challenges are inherent in teaching this important concept to your students? How isyour instruction designed to meet these challenges? Did you modify your plannedinstruction in any way to meet these challenges? Explain any modifications you made andthe reasons for them. Include any relevant information about the students selected, ifappropriate.

▪ What is the role of assessment within your teaching? What is the relationship betweenyour approach to assessment and the learning goals you set for your students? Why is thisapproach appropriate for your students?

▪ What technologies did you use during this lesson, and why did you choose them? Citespecific examples from the instructional sequence that show you or your studentsinteracting with these technologies.

Suggested total page length for Planning Instruction: 4 pages

3. Analysis of Instruction and Student Work

In your response to the questions in this section, refer explicitly to the three featured instructional activities and the accompanying student work to provide concrete examples to illustrate your points. Cite activities by number; cite student work by student first name, student identifier (Student A or Student B), and activity number. In this section, address the following questions:

▪ What are specific examples of ways the three activities worked together to further yourstudents’ understanding of the selected important concept and related process skills in science? Refer to specific aspects of each of the three featured activities and/or the student work.

▪ How did you provide students with a context for the science featured in this sequence? Bespecific if, for example, you established connections to students’ backgrounds, experiences, interests, and/or other disciplines and areas of study (e.g., mathematics, history, technology’s impact on society, ethics, etc.). In other words, how do you help students make meaning of science and relate it to their own lives? Refer to specific aspects of each of the three featured activities and/or the student work.

▪ What are specific examples of ways you made good use of instructional resources tosupport your teaching and extend student learning? Based on your students and your teaching context, why did you select these instructional resources to support your teaching? Refer to specific aspects of each of the three featured activities, instructional materials, and/or the student work.

▪ Why did you choose this student? What instructional challenge(s) does this studentrepresent? What is important to know about this student to understand and interpret the attached responses?

▪ What are the significant characteristics of each of the three pieces of work for eachstudent? What does the work tell you about the student’s progress toward the conceptual and process-skill goals you identified? What does the work tell you about any challenges or misunderstandings this student is experiencing? For each student, cite specific examples from all three pieces of work in answering these questions. Answer each of the questions for each student, referring to the student work by number (i.e., work sample 1, 2, or 3) to illustrate points in your analysis of the work.

▪ How did technology contribute to the students’ learning? Describe either how studentsused technology to explore the concept, or how the concept was linked to issues in technology and society. Links to technology need to be evident in only one of the three chosen instructional activities.

▪ How did you assess these pieces of work, and how did you provide feedback or furtherinstruction to the student based on your assessment?

Suggested total page length for Analysis of Instruction and Student Work: 6 pages

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4. Reflection

In this section, address the following questions: ▪ In the instructional sequence, what worked well in advancing student learning? Give

reasons for your choice. What did not work and how would you change it? Cite specific evidence from the three instructional activities and student work samples. Consider both your evaluation of student work and your analysis of the instructional sequence with respect to the goals you set.

▪ How well did your assessment strategy work during the instructional sequence? Whatmodifications might be made to improve assessment?

▪ What would you do differently, and why, if you were given the opportunity to teach thisparticular sequence with these students again?

Suggested total page length for Reflection: 2 pages

Written Commentary Format Specifications

Your response will be scored based on the content of your analysis, but it is important to proofread your writing for spelling, mechanics, and usage.

Your response must be organized under these section headings (described in detail above):

1. Instructional Context2. Planning Instruction3. Analysis of Instruction and Student Work4. Reflection

Your Written Commentary must also meet the following requirements: Language Write in English.

Format Type and double-space text. Do not use 24-point line spacing.






Labeling Place your candidate ID number in the upper right corner of all pages. Do not include your name. If you are using a word-processing program, you can save time by creating a “header” that prints your candidate ID number on each page.

Page numbering and count

Submit no more than 13 typed pages in total. If you submit a longer Written Commentary, only the first 13 pages will be read and scored.

For advice on developing your Written Commentary, see “Writing about Teaching” in “Phase 2: Develop” (in Part 1). For examples of appropriate line spacing and font formatting, see “Specifications: Written Materials” in “Phase 2: Develop” (in Part 1).

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Entry 1 Cover Sheets All cover sheets and forms required for this entry are listed in this section. To read and print these documents, you must install Adobe® Reader® software on your computer. You may download Adobe Reader for free by following the instructions provided on the Adobe Systems website (www.adobe.com).

As you prepare your portfolio, keep in mind the following some cover sheets contain directions that are not repeated elsewhere; follow these directions carefully.

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CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION SHEET

This form asks you to describe the broader context in which you teach: • If you teach in different schools that have different characteristics, and this entry features students from

more than one school, please complete a separate sheet for each school associated with this entry.• If a completed Contextual Information Sheet also pertains to another entry, submit it with that entry as

well.

In each entry, you are asked to provide specific information about the students in the class you have featured inthe entry. This is in addition to the information requested here. Please print clearly or type. (If you type, you mayuse the system default font, size, and spacing.) Limit your responses to the spaces provided below. For clarity,please avoid the use of acronyms.

1. Briefly identify• the type of school/program in which you teach and the grade/subject configuration (single grade,

departmentalized, interdisciplinary teams, etc.):

• the grade(s), age levels, number of students taught daily, average number in each class, and courses:Grades Age Levels Number of Students Average Number of Students in Each Class

Courses

2. What information about your teaching context do you believe would be important for assessors to know tounderstand your portfolio entries? Be brief and specific. Note: You might include details of any state ordistrict mandates, information regarding the type of community, and access to current technology.


Instructional Activity #1 COVER SHEET

Use a new cover sheet for each of the three activities.

Do not write or type on this cover sheet.

Type your responses to the questions contained in the box below on one separate sheet of 8.5″ x 11″ paper using double-spaced 12-point Times New Roman font. Make sure materials are legible. (Confirm that your printer’s ink or toner cartridge is in good condition.) Place your candidate ID number in the upper right corner of all pages. Do not include your name.

Your responses must fit on that one sheet. Place your typed response sheet directly behind this cover sheet.

1. Describe the instructional activity. What did you do? What did the students do?

2. What is the purpose of this activity? What did you want your students to learn?

3. What instructional resources did you use for this activity (e.g., printedmaterials, community resources, laboratory equipment)? How were they used?

Attach the following to this cover sheet:

• Your response sheet• Instructional materials related to this activity
























Student A Instructional Activity #1 Student Work Sample

COVER SHEET

Attach the following to this cover sheet: • Work sample from a student, generated in response to the

activity cited above. Label the work sample with the student’s first name, the student identifier (A), and the activity number (1).


Student B Instructional Activity #1 Student Work Sample

COVER SHEET


activity cited above. Label the work sample with the student’s first name, the student identifier (B), and the activity number (1).



COVER SHEET





COVER SHEET





COVER SHEET





COVER SHEET






Entry 2: Probing Student Understanding

In this entry, you submit a 20-minute video recording of a lesson in which you introduce an important concept in science, and demonstrate how you use classroom discourse and questioning to elicit students’ initial conceptions of an important concept in science and how you use their understanding to influence your instruction. You also submit a Written Commentary that provides a context for the video-recorded discussion and describes, analyzes, and reflects on the discussion, student understanding, and your teaching.




IV. Diversity, Equity, and Fairness

V. Engagement

VI. Learning Environment


VIII. Science Inquiry




Accomplished Early Adolescence/Science teachers ▪ are committed to the idea that all students can learn science.▪ know the unique characteristics of their students and use this knowledge to determine

students’ understanding of science and to design and implement appropriate instruction toenhance student learning.

▪ possess a sure grasp of the core laws, principles, theories, themes, facts, and ideas thatconstitute the body of scientific knowledge and the associated vocabulary andterminology.

▪ know the main tenets of the science they teach and, in overseeing students’ exploration ofspecific topics, ultimately bring students to intellectual closure that is valid, consistent,and logically supported.

▪ exhibit as the foundation of their practice a broad body of knowledge. With a solid grasp ofthis body of knowledge and of the effective methods by which to communicate it tostudents, teachers are well prepared to meet the needs of all students while workingtoward measurable class outcomes.

▪ take steps to understand and value the diversity of all students, promote equity in theclassroom and beyond, and uphold fairness in their daily interactions with all students.

▪ know that providing each student with equitable access to an empowering scienceeducation requires responding effectively to diversity, finding and building on individualstrengths, and acting fairly toward all students.

▪ engage students in science through creative and innovative experiences.▪ are guides and facilitators who provide experiences that foster an understanding of science

and an excitement about learning. Their students perceive the study of science as acontinual source of satisfaction and intrigue.

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▪ create stimulating and safe learning environments that foster high expectations for thesuccess of all students and in which students experience the values inherent in thepractice of science.

▪ understand and use a variety of instructional strategies to enhance student learning andhelp students make real-world connections from their scientific explorations. In deepeningstudents’ scientific knowledge, accomplished science teachers are also aware of thestructural misconceptions that students bring with them when encountering a specificscience topic.

▪ often anticipate the misconceptions that accompany a given topic and take steps to helpstudents recalibrate their thinking through appropriate activities that show the discrepancybetween their naive conception and a more scientifically appropriate explanation. Inredirecting students’ thinking, teachers provide sufficient discussion opportunities and timefor students to make new constructs their own.

▪ involve students in the processes of inquiry that challenge students’ thinking as theyconstruct an understanding of nature and technology.

▪ help students construct understanding from their experiences and connect what they do inscience class to their everyday experiences.

▪ create opportunities for students to explore science in a variety of contexts, including itshistory, its reciprocal relationship with technology, and its impact on society.

▪ are reflective practitioners who constantly strive to be masters of their profession byanalyzing, evaluating, and strengthening their practice in order to improve the quality oftheir students’ learning experiences.

▪ understand and use a conceptual framework, such as their philosophy of education oraction research, to reflect on their practice.

▪ constantly analyze, evaluate, and strengthen their practice in order to improve the qualityof their students’ learning experiences.


What Do I Need to Do? In this entry, you

▪ demonstrate how you use classroom discourse and questioning to elicit students’ initialconceptions of an important idea in science and how you use their understanding to influence your instruction;

▪ provide evidence of your ability to engage students in discussion at the beginning of aninstructional sequence to probe their beliefs and understandings about concepts that will be the focus of instruction;

▪ analyze and reflect on the discussion and consider how your teaching is responsive to theunderstandings that students bring to the classroom.

For this entry, you must submit the following: ▪ One video recording (20 minutes maximum) that shows you engaging students in an

initial discussion of a new science concept. The focus of this discussion should be on eliciting students’ initial understandings relevant to the instructional sequence. While there may be periods in the video recording when students are engaged in independent or collaborative work, the majority of the video recording should focus on you and your students involved in whole-class discussion.

▪ Written Commentary (11 pages maximum) that provides a context for the videorecording discussion and describes, analyzes, and reflects on the discussion, student understanding, and your teaching.

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You must submit a video recording and a Written Commentary. If any component is missing, your response will not be scored.


Recording Your Video Entry Make a video recording of you introducing an important concept in science.

Choosing a Class

Choose a class to feature. It is best to choose a class in which whole-class discussion is common. Choose a class with which you can facilitate scientific thinking and reasoning through discussion. For this reason, your highest-achieving class may or may not be the class that gives you the best opportunity to demonstrate your practice. The class that you choose may be at any performance or ability level because the focus of this entry is on your teaching practice and not on the performance level of the class.

Choosing the Instructional Sequence

Choose the instructional sequence to feature. You should select a sequence in which students are exploring an important concept in science and in which students are likely to have preliminary conceptions prior to instruction. Select an instructional sequence in which your teaching builds on students’ initial conceptions and enhances student understanding.

The concept that you choose may be content related or may be related to scientific process— for example, students’ understanding of the concept of the nature of controlled experiments.

The science concept should be one that is important for the students at their level of learning and one in which they are likely to be engaged in scientific thinking and reasoning.

Choosing the Lesson

Select a lesson that provides good opportunities for your students to engage in discourse with you and each other as they explore their initial understanding of an important scientific concept.

An effective discussion requires students to answer not only “what” questions but also “how” and “why” questions to maximize student interaction. In the discussion it should be evident that students probe and develop their own ideas. It is not sufficient to elicit only a set of known facts from the students; there must be some evidence of growth of understanding even if closure is not seen on the video recording.

The discussion may center on a new or more sophisticated concept that builds on previous learning but has not been previously studied. This discussion may be the first lesson in the instructional sequence, or it may occur midstream during a larger instructional sequence.

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Regardless, the discussion should be an exploration of a concept not yet addressed in the sequence.

Accomplished science teachers vary in their approach to introducing a new concept. Some teachers may choose to introduce a new concept with a brief demonstration or student activity, while others prefer to use activities during the discussion or not at all. Others prefer to begin with a class discussion. For your video recording, you may wish to show only the discussion or you may choose to include a brief activity that stimulates a discussion. The video recording should show how you facilitate the discussion. The segment may include portions in which students work individually, work collaboratively, or engage in various relevant activities in the class, but these portions should be limited in time.

Choosing the Video Segment

Select the 20-minute video segment to submit. Video-record a number of different lessons that could serve as potential evidence to submit. Remember that you need one 20- minute continuous and unedited video recording to complete this entry, and having several from which to select allows you to make a careful choice. Frequent video recording also helps you and your students adjust to the presence of the camera in the classroom.

Arrange for someone (another teacher or a student) to do the video recording. If possible, arrange for that person to be available for several class sessions.

Before you record the video, review the directions for the Written Commentary. As you video- record classes that may serve as the basis for your entry submission, jot down notes that help you recollect all of the details necessary to assist you in writing the analysis of the video segment you eventually select. Be sure to include in your notes some clear way of identifying which notes go with which video recording. Overhead transparencies or writing on the chalkboard that is important for assessors to see may be shown on the video recording by focusing the camera on it for a few moments.

Once you select a video recording of an entire lesson, you must then decide which 20 minutes you want to submit. It may be that the first few minutes of the lesson focus on transition or “housekeeping” and, therefore, do not best represent your abilities as assessed by this entry. The 20-minute continuous and unedited segment that you select can come from any point in the instruction. Select the continuous and unedited segment that you think provides the best evidence of the Standards being assessed, remembering that the context for viewing the video recording is supplied by your Written Commentary. Review the EA/Science Scoring Guide for Candidates to help you make your selection carefully.

When preparing the Written Commentary, carefully watch the video recording you have selected. You may want to watch it several times, taking notes as you watch.

Caution: Given that this entry focuses on how you elicit and probe students’ initial understandings, you should show how you facilitate learning and avoid the following types of instructional activities: ▪ lectures or interchanges that focus primarily on you disseminating information, with minimal opportunities

for students to engage in any meaningful discourse ▪ discussions that primarily require students to repeat previously learned information without engaging in

discourse intended to probe new concepts ▪ discussions that show only interactions among students and therefore do not provide direct evidence of

how you facilitate classroom discussions

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Plan your 20-minute video recording to reveal how you facilitate students’ discourse to elicit their initial ideas as they engage in the study of a new science concept. Your video recording must

show you interacting with students, questioning about and probing for initial understandings of relevant concepts;

focus on your interactions with students as well as student-student interactions.

You must have the parents/guardians of all students you plan to include in the video recording complete Student Release Forms before you make any video recordings. You must have any adults who will appear in the video recording (for example, teacher’s aides, parents, student teachers, or colleagues) sign an Adult Release Form prior to recording.

Video Recording Format Specifications

Your video recording must meet the following requirements: Formats Your video recordings must be submitted as an flv, asf, qt, mov, mpg, mpeg, avi, wmv, mp4,

or m4v file.

Compression Settings

The ePortfolio system has a 500 MB file size limit for each file that is uploaded. You must compress larger video files before submission. Please follow the instructions in the "Video Compression Guide".

Length Submit a video recording that is no longer than 20 minutes. If you submit a longer video recording, only the first 20 minutes will be viewed and scored.

Editing Make sure that your video recording is continuous and unedited. Caution: Stopping and restarting the camera or the sound is regarded as editing.

DO NOT stop and start the camera, except as specified in the entry directions.

DO NOT turn off the microphone during recording.

DO NOT add graphics, titles, or special effects (e.g., fade in/out).

Recording Use a camera angle that includes as many faces of the students in the class as possible. The video recording should show as much of the class as possible, but it is acceptable to focus on a particular student while he or she is talking, singing, or playing an instrument. You must be shown in the video as well.

Make sure that sound quality is good enough that the assessor can understand all of what you say, sing, or play and most of what students say, sing, or play.

Language Show conversations that occur in English unless you registered for World Languages (French or Spanish).

If a small portion of your video occurs in a language other than English and it is important that an assessor understand it, provide a brief description in the Written Commentary of what was communicated.

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1. Instructional Context2. Planning3. Video Recording Analysis4. Reflection





What are the number, ages, and grades of the students in the class featured in this entry and subject matter of the class? (Example: 32 students in grade 7, ages 12 and 13, Life Sciences)

What are the relevant characteristics of this class that influenced your instructional strategies for this sequence of instruction: ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity; the range of abilities of the students; the personality of the class?

What are the relevant characteristics of the students with exceptional needs and abilities that influenced your planning for this instruction (for example, the range of abilities and the cognitive, social/behavioral, attentional, sensory, and/or physical challenges of your students)? Give any other information that might help the assessor “see” this class.

What are the relevant features of your teaching context that influenced the selection of this instructional sequence? This might include other realities of the social and physical teaching context (e.g., available resources, scheduling of classes, room allocation—own classroom or shared laboratory facilities) that are relevant to your response.


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2. Planning

In this section, address the following questions: ▪ What are the goals for this instructional sequence, including concepts, attitudes,

processes, and skills you want students to develop? Why are these important learning goals for your students? How does this instructional sequence fit into the overall inquiry process? ▪ Note: You may choose to augment your planning with a graphical element, such as a

flowchart, web, outline, or diagram, depicting the activities you and your students undertook and their flow and relationship to one another. If you choose to include a graphical element, ensure that it is readable and that it is included in your total page count.

▪ What specific goals do you have for the discussion seen on the video recording?▪ Why is a group discussion an effective method for introducing this particular new concept?

Suggested total page length for Planning: 2 pages

3. Video Recording Analysis

This information focuses on your description and analysis of the lesson shown on the video recording. When citing specific evidence, it may be helpful to assessors if you identify specific locations in the video recording by describing specific dialogue, events, and/or students (e.g., “when the girl in the green sweater explained the concept of tectonic plates”). In this section, address the following questions:

▪ How does the video segment fit into this day’s lesson as a whole (i.e., what happened inthe balance of the classroom time, either before or after the video was taken)? Provide specific information about how the concept was introduced or how the concept was summarized or brought to closure if it is not part of the video segment.

▪ What common initial understandings and particular misconceptions did students expresson the video recording when first introduced to this area of science? How did these understandings and misconceptions compare to what you had anticipated? How did you address the different levels of understandings that your students have? Citing specific examples from the video recording, point to interactions that provide evidence of students’ understandings and misconceptions.

▪ How did you elicit and probe students’ ideas about relevant science concepts? Citingspecific examples from the video recording, point to interactions that provide evidence of how your teaching supports student reasoning and communication.

▪ Describe a specific example from this lesson as seen on the video recording that showshow you ensure fairness, equity, and access for students in your class. Citing specific examples from the video recording, point to interactions that provide evidence of how your teaching supports scientific discourse that encourages equitable participation for all students.

▪ How effective was your learning environment with respect to fairness, equity, and access?

Suggested total page length for Video Recording Analysis: 6 pages

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4. Reflection

In this section, address the following questions: ▪ As you review the video recording, what parts of the discussion do you think are

particularly effective in terms of reaching your goals with this group of students? Why do you think so? Cite specific examples.

▪ In the light of what you learned from your students, what are the next steps in thisteaching sequence? How does your teaching respond to the understandings that the students bring with them to the classroom?

▪ What would you do differently if you had the opportunity to introduce this same conceptagain with a different class? Why? If you would not change anything, explain why it was successful.














Page count Submit no more than 11 typed pages in total. If you submit a longer Written Commentary, only the first 11 pages will be read and scored.


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As you prepare your portfolio, keep in mind some cover sheets contain directions that are not repeated elsewhere; follow these directions carefully.

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well.





Courses



CLASSROOM LAYOUT FORM (For Informational Purposes Only)

Please show the physical layout of the “classroom” (i.e., “setting in which t h e instruction took place”) as it appears in the video recording. This visual will provide assessors with a context for the video since the camera cannot capture the whole instruction area a t once.

It is helpful to assessors for you to identify where particular students are located in the room by using the same student identifiers that you refer to in your Written Commentary (e.g., “the girl in the green sweater”).The sketch will not be scored.




Entry 3: Inquiry through Investigation

In this entry, you submit a 20-minute video recording of a lesson in which you conduct an investigation of an important scientific concept and demonstrate how you support students in a scientific inquiry discussion as they interpret data that have been collected during the course of the investigation. You also submit a Written Commentary that provides a context for the video-recorded discussion and describes, analyzes, and reflects on the discussion and students’ development of inquiry skills.




IV. Diversity, Equity, and Fairness

V. Engagement

VI. Learning Environment


VIII. Science Inquiry


X. Assessment



Accomplished Early Adolescence/Science teachers ▪ are committed to the idea that all students can learn science.▪ know the unique characteristics of their students and use this knowledge to determine

students’ understanding of science and to design and implement appropriate instruction toenhance student learning.

▪ possess a sure grasp of the core laws, principles, theories, themes, facts, and ideas thatconstitute the body of scientific knowledge and the associated vocabulary andterminology.

▪ know the main tenets of the science they teach and, in overseeing students’ exploration ofspecific topics, ultimately bring students to intellectual closure that is valid, consistent,and logically supported.

▪ take steps to understand and value the diversity of all students, promote equity in theclassroom and beyond, and uphold fairness in their daily interactions with all students.

▪ know that providing each student with equitable access to an empowering scienceeducation requires responding effectively to diversity, finding and building on individualstrengths, and acting fairly toward all students.

▪ engage students in science through creative and innovative experiences.▪ engage students in building, exploring, discussing, evaluating, and applying knowledge of

the natural and engineered worlds. Their students creatively solve problems, offer ideas,pose and respond to stimulating questions, listen attentively to the solutions of peers, and,in general, display their involvement in and enjoyment of the inquiry process.

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▪ create stimulating and safe learning environments that foster high expectations for thesuccess of all students and in which students experience the values inherent in thepractice of science.

▪ understand and use a variety of instructional strategies to enhance student learning andhelp students make real-world connections from their scientific explorations. Scientificwork is ideally carried out within a cooperative social framework of peer investigatorscritiquing and then building on each other’s cumulative achievements. Learning ismaximized when students and teacher engage in dialogue while working jointly. In suchdialogue, accomplished science teachers assess individual students’ abilities and providethe assistance necessary for students to accomplish a given task.

▪ involve students in the processes of inquiry that challenge students’ thinking as theyconstruct an understanding of nature and technology.

▪ understand that the inquiry process itself is not a uniform series of predetermined steps.Nevertheless, certain patterns of investigation are characteristic of effective inquiry.Students learn to recognize problems, ask relevant questions, formulate workinghypotheses, determine the best way to observe phenomena, handle data with accuracy,reach tentative conclusions consistent with what is known, and express themselves clearlyabout the significance of findings. The acquisition by students of cognitive processes suchas these, and the habits of mind and attitudes that underlie them, is a fundamentalcomponent of the science curriculum.

▪ create opportunities for students to explore science in a variety of contexts, including itshistory, its reciprocal relationship with technology, and its impact on society.

▪ employ a variety of assessment methods to obtain useful information about studentlearning and development, to guide instructional decisions, to report student progress, andto assist students in reflecting on their own learning. Assessment—the process of usingformal and informal methods of data gathering to determine students’ growing scientificliteracy—is a critical, ongoing element in the accomplished science teacher’s pedagogy.

▪ are reflective practitioners who constantly strive to become masters of their profession byanalyzing, evaluating, and strengthening their practice in order to improve the quality oftheir students’ learning experiences.

▪ understand and use a conceptual framework, such as their philosophy of education oraction research, to reflect on their practice.

Research suggests that adolescents engage in science learning when they see its connection with their daily lives. Accomplished teachers include a variety of activities focused on critical thinking about science, technology, and social issues as part of the curriculum because of the strong motivating powers of these issues.


What Do I Need to Do? In this entry, you demonstrate how you support students in a scientific inquiry discussion as they interpret data (which may include quantitative information as well as qualitative observations) that have been collected during the course of investigating an important concept in science. You provide evidence of your ability to engage students in discussion following the collection of data as part of an investigation in order to help them make sense of the information, draw conclusions, and engage in scientific inquiry. This entry also asks that you analyze and reflect on the discussion, and consider how your teaching supports the development of students’ inquiry skills.

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For this entry, you must submit the following: ▪ One video recording (20 minutes maximum) that shows you engaging students in a

discussion that focuses on the interpretation of data that have been collected during the course of the investigation. The discussion may take place in the context of small groups or a whole class or a combination of both.

▪ Written Commentary (12 pages maximum) that provides a context for the videorecording discussion and describes, analyzes, and reflects on the discussion and students’ development of inquiry skills.



You must submit a video recording and a Written Commentary. If any component is missing, your response will not be scored.


Recording Your Video Entry Make a video recording of you supporting a scientific inquiry discussion about data collected during an investigation of an important scientific concept.

Choosing a Class

Choose a class to feature. It is best to choose a class in which scientific investigations are common. Choose a class with which you can facilitate scientific thinking and reasoning through discussion of an investigation. For this reason, your highest-achieving class may or may not be the class that will give you the best opportunity to demonstrate your practice. The class that you choose may be at any performance or ability level because the focus of this entry is on your teaching practice and not on the performance level of the class.

Choosing the Investigation

Choose the investigation. You should select an investigation in which students are exploring an important concept in science. Select an investigation that not only affords students the opportunity to collect data but also requires students to interpret the data to develop their understanding of the concept through scientific inquiry. The term “data” is defined broadly to include quantitative information as well as qualitative observations.

The investigation should involve more than following predetermined or “cookbook” investigations in which students simply follow a set of established procedures, verify known facts, or confirm expected results. The investigation must provide opportunities for students to engage in scientific inquiry as they put forth and consider questions and ideas. Therefore, activities that focus only on the development of laboratory skills (such as the use of a microscope or other laboratory equipment) are unlikely to provide opportunities for scientific inquiry and discussions of data.

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The science investigation should be one that is important for the students at their level of learning and one in which they are likely to be engaged in scientific thinking and reasoning. An investigation may involve one study or a set of studies, occurring during one class period or over a more extended period.

Choosing the Lesson

Select a lesson that provides good opportunities for your students to engage in discourse with you and their peers as they explore the meaning of their data. An effective discussion is often one in which the meaning of the data is not immediately obvious. Effective discussions are those that help students understand the concept being explored in relation to the data. Such discussions can model for students that inquiry is a process that can help them attain greater understanding of important scientific concepts. Effective discussions may also involve the consideration of competing ideas from different students.

The discussion should do more than simply summarize the data. Students should be engaged in a consideration of the significance of the results with respect to the important conceptual questions being addressed through the investigation. Effective discussions may also provide questions that lead to further investigations and inquiry.

The discussion following the investigation might take place with the class organized into small groups or it might be with the whole class. It is even possible that different portions of the video recording show different types of student groupings (e.g., initial discussions in small groups followed by a whole-class discussion). However, the video recording must still be one continuous and unedited block of 20 minutes, even if different groups are featured. If the class is organized into small groups of students, you must ensure that the discussion of at least one small group can be clearly heard. No matter the classroom organization, however, it is important that your role in facilitating the discussion is apparent.

Choosing the Video Segment

Select the 20-minute video segment to submit. Video-record a number of different lessons that could serve as potential evidence to submit. Remember that you need one 20- minute continuous and unedited video recording to complete this entry, and having several from which to select allows you to make a careful choice. Frequent video recording also helps you and your students adjust to the presence of the camera in the classroom.

Arrange for someone (another teacher or a student) to do the video recording. If possible, arrange for that person to be available for several class sessions.

Before you record the video, review the directions for the Written Commentary. As you video-record classes that may serve as the basis for your entry submission, jot down notes that help you recollect all of the details necessary to assist you in writing the analysis of the video segment you eventually select. Be sure to include in your notes some clear way of identifying which notes go with which video recording.

Once you select a video recording of an entire lesson, you must then decide which 20 minutes you want to submit. It may be that the first few minutes of the lesson focus on transition or “housekeeping” and, therefore, do not best represent your abilities as assessed by this entry. The 20-minute continuous and unedited segment that you select can come from any point in the instruction. Select the continuous and unedited segment that you think provides the best evidence of the Standards being assessed, remembering that the context for viewing the video recording is supplied by your Written Commentary. Review the EA/Science Scoring Guide for Candidates to help you make your selection carefully.

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When preparing the Written Commentary, carefully watch the video recording you have selected. You may want to watch it several times, taking notes as you watch.

Caution: Given that this entry focuses on how you support students in inquiry, you should avoid the following types of instructional activities: ▪ lectures or interchanges that focus primarily on you disseminating information, with minimal opportunities

for students to engage in any meaningful discourse ▪ discussions that primarily require students simply to report data without interpretation▪ discussions that show only interactions among students and that therefore do not provide direct evidence

of how you facilitate classroom discussions

Plan your 20-minute video recording so that it reveals how you support students in a scientific inquiry as they discuss and interpret the data that has been collected while investigating an important concept in science. Your video recording must

▪ show you interacting with students, questioning about and probing for their understandingof data collected during an investigation;

▪ focus on your interactions with students as well as student-student interactions.

Overhead transparencies or writing on the chalkboard that is important for assessors to see may be shown on the video recording by focusing on it for a moment.

You must have the parents/guardians of all students you plan to include in the video recording complete Student Release Forms before you make any video recordings. You must have any adults who will appear in the video recording (for example, teacher’s aides, parents, student teachers, or colleagues) sign an Adult Release Form prior to recording.

Video Recording Format Specifications

Your video recording must meet the following requirements: Formats Your video recordings must be submitted as an flv, asf, qt, mov, mpg, mpeg, avi, wmv, mp4,

or m4v file.

Compression Settings

The ePortfolio system has a 500MB file size limit for each file that is uploaded. You must compress larger video files before submission. Please follow the instructions in the "Video Compression Guide".

Length Submit a video recording that is no longer than 20 minutes. If you submit a longer video recording, only the first 20 minutes will be viewed and scored.

Editing Make sure that your video recording is continuous and unedited. Caution: Stopping and restarting the camera or the sound is regarded as editing.

DO NOT stop and start the camera, except as specified in the entry directions.

DO NOT turn off the microphone during recording.

DO NOT add graphics, titles, or special effects (e.g., fade in/out).

Recording Use a camera angle that includes as many faces of the students in the class as possible. The video recording should show as much of the class as possible, but it is acceptable to focus on a particular student while he or she is talking, singing, or playing an instrument. You must be shown in the video as well.

Make sure that sound quality is good enough that the assessor can understand all of what you say, sing, or play and most of what students say, sing, or play.

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Language Show conversations that occur in English unless you registered for World Languages (French or Spanish).

If a small portion of your video occurs in a language other than English and it is important that an assessor understand it, provide a brief description in the Written Commentary of what was communicated.

For advice on recording your lesson, see “Recording Video Entries” in “Phase 2: Develop” (in Part 1). For more information on the use of languages other than English, see “Language Accommodations Policies” in “Phase 1: Prepare” (in Part 1).





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▪ What are the number, ages, and grades of the students in the class featured in this entryand subject matter of the class? (Example: 32 students in grade 7, ages 12 and 13, Life Sciences)

▪ What are the relevant characteristics of this class that influenced your instructionalstrategies for this sequence of instruction: ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity; the range of abilities of the students; the personality of the class?

▪ What are the relevant characteristics of the students with exceptional needs and abilitiesthat influenced your planning for this instruction (for example, the range of abilities and the cognitive, social/behavioral, attentional, sensory, and/or physical challenges of your students)? Give any other information that might help the assessor “see” this class.

▪ What are the relevant features of your teaching context that influenced the selection ofthis instructional sequence? This might include other realities of the social and physical teaching context (e.g., available resources, scheduling of classes, room allocation—own classroom or shared laboratory facilities) that are relevant to your response.


2. Planning

In this section, address the following questions: ▪ What are the goals for this investigation sequence, including concepts, attitudes,

processes, and skills you want students to develop? Why are these important learning goals for your students?

▪ What specific goals do you have for the discussion seen on the video recording? How dothese goals (both specific lesson goals and goals for the overall instructional sequence) fit into your overall goals for the year?

▪ What was the nature of the investigation carried out prior to the discussion seen on thevideo recording? What were the key questions that were being explored and how were data collected? ‚ Note: You may choose to augment your planning with a graphical element, such as a

flowchart, web, outline, or diagram, depicting the activities you and your students undertook and their flow and relationship to one another. If you choose to include a graphical element, ensure that it is readable and that it is included in your total page count.

Suggested total page length for Planning: 3 pages

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3. Video Recording Analysis

This information focuses on your description and analysis of the lesson shown on the video recording. When citing specific evidence, it may be helpful to assessors if you identify specific locations in the video recording by describing specific dialogue, events, and/or students (e.g., “when the girl in the green sweater explained the concept of tectonic plates”). In this section, address the following questions:

▪ How did you facilitate the discussion with your students to help them make sense of theirdata? Point to specific interactions and questions in the video recording that provide evidence of how your teaching supports students’ scientific inquiry.

▪ What were the key issues that arose during the discussion? Point to specific interactions inthe video recording that provide evidence that students were reasoning about the data. Note any problems that students had in understanding and/or interpreting the data.

▪ What were the instructional strategies you used to set the stage for further developmentof student inquiry skills and understanding of the concept under investigation? Cite specific evidence from the video recording.

▪ Describe a specific example from this lesson as seen on the video recording that showshow you ensure fairness, equity, and access for students in your class. Citing specific examples from the video recording, point to interactions that provide evidence of how your teaching supports science discourse that supports equitable participation for all students.

Suggested total page length for Video Recording Analysis: 6 pages

4. Reflection

In this section, address the following questions: ▪ As you review the video recording, what parts of the discussion do you think were

particularly effective in terms of reaching your goals with this group of students? Why do you think so?

▪ How well did you achieve your goals for this discussion?▪ How did this discussion regarding the investigation sequence influence future instruction of

these students?▪ What, if anything, would you do differently if you had the opportunity to pursue this

discussion again with a different class? Why?






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Make sure materials are legible




Page count Submit no more than 12 typed pages in total. If you submit a longer Written Commentary, only the first 12 pages will be read and scored.




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CLASSROOM LAYOUT FORM (For Informational Purposes Only)

Please show the physical layout of the “classroom” (i.e., “setting in which t h e instruction took place”) as it appears in the video recording. This visual will provide assessors with a context for the video since the camera cannot capture the whole instruction area a t once.

It is helpful to assessors for you to identify where particular students are located in the room by using the same student identifiers that you refer to in your Written Commentary (e.g., “the girl in the green sweater”).The sketch will not be scored.




Entry 4: Documented Accomplishments: Contributions to Student Learning

In this entry, you illustrate your partnerships with students’ families and community, and your development as a learner and collaborator with other professionals, by submitting descriptions and documentation of your activities and accomplishments in those areas. Your description must make the connection between each accomplishment and its impact on student learning.


XI. Family and Community Partnerships

XII. Professional Collaboration and Leadership



Accomplished science teachers ▪ contribute to the improvement of the practice of their colleagues, to the instructional

program of the school, and to the work of the larger professional community. ▪ understand that teachers need not and should not work in isolation; rather, they should be

active members of learning communities. ▪ let all members of the community, including policymakers and parents, know what real

science learning is. ▪ strengthen the school as a learning community in many ways.▪ are team players, committed to supporting and learning from their colleagues.▪ participate in the solution of school-wide problems.▪ contribute to discussions of policy, especially those related to the K-12 science continuum,

in ways that demonstrate professional responsibility and advocacy without being partisan.▪ develop and analyze curricular materials for their department and participate in evaluating

state and local science standards and high-stakes tests.▪ collaborate with learning specialists to ensure that students with special needs and diverse

backgrounds have positive, strong, successful, and effective science learning experiences.They do their part in discharging administrative responsibilities.

▪ act as science resources for colleagues in other disciplines and collaborate in the planningof integrated curricula.

▪ understand that informal interactions and peer relationships can be as powerful as formalmentoring structures, and that leadership emerges from either context.

▪ articulate to students, other practitioners, administrators, families, and the community atlarge the virtues of science education and the forms it must take if all students are tobecome science-literate adults.

▪ proactively work with families and communities to serve the best interests of eachstudent.

▪ place a premium on connecting with families and community members in meaningfulways.

▪ recognize the importance of establishing productive, mutual relationships with students’families.

▪ reach out to communities to enhance student learning.

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▪ know that the expectations and actions of families have a huge impact on the learningsuccess of students.

▪ respect the role of families as students’ first teachers and acknowledge the highaspirations that most families have for their children’s education. Early in the school year,they solicit the support of parents and other adult caregivers for the science program.

▪ are receptive and welcoming in their attitude; they establish communication with thefamily, seeking information from parents about their children’s strengths, interests,preferences, learning goals, and home life.

▪ are proactive and anticipate parents’ concerns. Timely response and active outreach arehallmarks of their communication activities.

▪ continually analyze, evaluate, and strengthen their practice in order to improve the qualityof their students’ learning experiences.

▪ participate in a wide range of reflective practices that reinforce their creativity, stimulatepersonal growth, and enhance professionalism.

Your response will be judged on the extent to which it provides clear, consistent, and convincing evidence of your ability to impact student learning through your work with families and the community, with colleagues and other professionals, and as a learner.


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What Do I Need to Do? This entry captures evidence of the way in which your role as a teacher is broader than your direct interaction with students in your classroom. In your role in your learning community, you work with students wherever learning takes place—be it classroom, resource room, library media center, studio, gymnasium, auditorium, workshop, outdoors, and so on. You also interact with members of the broader community to enhance and support student learning.

In this entry, you demonstrate your commitment to student learning, through your work with students’ families and

community and through your development as a learner and as a collaborator and/or leader;

your commitment, through evidence of your efforts to establish and maintain partnerships with students’ families and the community; through evidence of your growth as a learner; and through work that you do with other teachers at a local, state, or national level;

how what you do outside of the classroom (or beyond explicit student instruction) impacts student learning.

For this entry, you must submit the following: Description and Analysis (a combined total of 10 pages maximum for up to

8 activities or accomplishments). Each Description and Analysis must clearly and specifically describe why each accomplishment is significant in your teaching context and what impact each has had on student learning.

Documentation (a combined total of 16 pages maximum for all accomplishments) that supports the activities or accomplishments that you have chosen to describe. Documentation can take the form of artifact(s), a Communication Log, and/or Verification Form(s).

Reflective Summary (2 pages maximum) that reflects on the significance of your accomplishments taken together and your future plans to improve student learning.

Read all directions for this entry before beginning to work on the individual components of the entry.

You must demonstrate your work in each of three categories: 1. as partner with students’ families and community (current year)2. as learner (within the last five years)3. as collaborator and/or leader (within the last five years)

You may choose to demonstrate discrete accomplishments in each category, or you may address broader accomplishments that cut across multiple categories. While an accomplished response must contain evidence for all three categories, you may submit no more than 8 accomplishments. Your accomplishments must demonstrate an impact (direct or indirect) on student learning. Impact on student learning is meant in a broad sense. Your descriptions of your accomplishments must demonstrate to assessors why or how improved student learning is a likely result. Specific examples of impact, where appropriate, are helpful.

All of the work you submit as part of your response to any entry must be yours and yours alone. For more detailed information, see “Ethics and Collaboration” in “Phase 1: Prepare” (in Part 1) and the National Board’s ethics policy.

Detailed directions for developing each component follow. See “Entry 4 Cover Sheets” for a list of the forms required to package and submit your materials.

You must submit Description and Analysis, documentation, and a Reflective Summary. If any component is missing, your response will not be scored.

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Writing Description and Analysis The Description and Analysis of each accomplishment should clearly and specifically explain what the accomplishment is and why it is significant in your teaching context, including how it has had an impact on student learning.

You are allowed to submit a maximum of 8 accomplishments and must describe them within a maximum of 10 pages of Description and Analysis.

Describe the accomplishments that you have chosen so that someone who does not know you or your teaching context can appreciate the significance and impact of what you have described. Explain acronyms used in your school or district, as they may not be familiar to assessors who work in different contexts.

Make your Description and Analysis specific because accomplishments often sound alike, and their actual significance in a particular place and time may not be clear just from their names or brief descriptions. You must describe what is important about these accomplishments— that is, tell what the accomplishment is, explain why it is significant, and describe how you know it impacts student learning. All parts of the description—what, why, and how—are important. Assessors should see a clear connection between the Description and Analysis and documentation and a clear connection between the accomplishment and student learning.

Dedicate each Description and Analysis to a single accomplishment. An accomplishment may be a single activity or event, or a set of related activities and events that are logically related to a unified goal or outcome. You may use as few or as many pages as you like for each description—whatever it takes to describe the accomplishment and explain its significance and impact on student learning—as long as the combined total number of pages for all Description and Analysis does not exceed 10 typed pages for up to 8 accomplishments.

You are not permitted to put several unrelated activities under a single accomplishment. If you do so, each activity will be counted as a separate accomplishment.

For each accomplishment you choose, you must write a Description and Analysis that answers EACH of the following questions. Provide this information in addition to the context that you supply on the Contextual Information Sheet, which focuses on the school or district at large.

What is the nature of this accomplishment? Be very specific. Remember that the assessor will know nothing about you or your teaching context.

Why is this accomplishment significant? To be significant, the accomplishment must be an important effort or achievement that demonstrates your work as a partner with students’ families and their community; as a learner; and as a collaborator and/or leader with colleagues or other professionals.

How has what you have described had an impact on students’ learning? You need to connect your accomplishment to the learning of your students or the students of your colleagues. Where appropriate, cite specific examples.

You must provide supporting documentation for each Description and Analysis. Details on how to choose your accomplishments or activities and the types of documentation you may submit are provided later in these entry directions.

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Description and Analysis Format Specifications

Your Description and Analysis must meet the following requirements: Language Write in English.

Format Type your responses on a separate sheet of paper. Double-space your text; do not use 24- point line spacing.





Label to indicate the number of the accomplishment. Place a title at the top of the first page of each Description and Analysis, specifying the accomplishment number (e.g., “Accomplishment #1”).

Page count In a Description and Analysis, a “full page” is a page that is more than 50% text; a “half page” is a page that is 50% or less text. Given these definitions, your Description and Analysis may be more than 10 pages if you choose to begin the Description and Analysis of each accomplishment on a separate page; however, you are not required to do so. It is permissible to provide the Description and Analysis of more than one accomplishment on a single page as long as you precede the Description and Analysis for each accomplishment with an identifier such as “Accomplishment #1”. Regardless, the total amount of text must not exceed 10 pages.

Submit no more than 10 pages in total.

For more information about writing your Description and Analysis, see “Writing about Teaching” in “Phase 2: Develop” (in Part 1).

For examples of appropriate line spacing and font formatting, see “Specifications: Formatting Written Materials” in “Phase 2: Develop” (in Part 1).

Collecting Documentation of Accomplishments

Choosing Your Accomplishments

Choose activities and accomplishments carefully, because the Standards on which this entry is based value those activities that have both significance in your teaching context and a positive impact on student learning.

The following procedures are designed to help you choose the most appropriate accomplishments:

With you and your teaching context in mind, read “Standards Measured by Entry 4” (at the beginning of this entry) and the scoring criteria provided in the Scoring Guide for Candidates.




Think of all your activities and accomplishments that might be relevant to the Standards for this entry.

Carefully review the three categories of accomplishments for which you require documentation.

Begin to list your activities and accomplishments that seem relevant to the three categories and to meeting the Standards for this entry.

Consider all possible resources when writing your initial list: your files, professional colleagues, family, personnel folder, old calendars, previous years’ planning books, and so on.

Once your initial list is complete, think about what documentation you can provide to support your accomplishment.

When selecting your accomplishments, consider the following three categories of involvement that must be addressed:

1. Teacher as partner with students’ families and community: Provide evidence ofhow you value parents and other interested adults as partners in your students’development and education; how you facilitate ongoing, mutually beneficialinteractions between the students and the wider community; and how you foster two- way dialogue with parents and other interested adults. You also need to show howyour interactions impact student learning. (In the current year)

2. Teacher as learner: Provide evidence of how you have engaged in ongoingprofessional development strengthening your knowledge, skills, and abilities relevantto your teaching context (e.g., how you seek information on current theories andresearch—and their applications—through familiarity with professional literature;participate in and support professional organizations; or take advanced course workrelevant to your teaching and learning context). You also need to show how theseactivities impact student learning. (Within the last five years)

3. Teacher as collaborator and/or leader: Provide evidence that you have workedcollaboratively with colleagues and that you have shared your expertise in aleadership role with other educators to improve teaching and student learning withinthe school or in the wider professional community. (Within the last five years)

You do not have to have separate accomplishments for each of these categories; in fact, you may find that many of your accomplishments overlap the categories.

The Documented Accomplishments Categories Diagram below provides one way of thinking about how the three categories intersect and overlap. This diagram is not prescriptive, but it may help you think about your activities outside the classroom in as wide a manner as possible. For example, the category of teacher as learner might include documentation describing how you improved your understanding of teaching skills or your content knowledge in an area that you teach or how you sought to better understand your students. The diagram shows how the aspects of your work outside the classroom might overlap.

This diagram is meant to be an aid to identifying and categorizing the different kinds of activities in which you engage outside the classroom. It is also designed to show how you can submit one accomplishment that addresses more than one category.




Remember, accomplishments relating to your work with students’ families and the community must come from the current year (i.e., for the 12 months preceding the opening of your ePortfolio submission window) AND accomplishments relating to your work as a learner and collaborator and/or leader must come from within the five years preceding the opening of your ePortfolio submission window. You are not required to cite accomplishments spanning all of the last five years, nor are you required to cite accomplishments for each individual year of the five-year period.

The Categories Chart

To help you make your final selections, we encourage you to use a Documented Accomplishments Categories Chart like the one that follows to track and organize your accomplishments and the related documentation. Write down the significance and impact of each accomplishment before you decide which activities and accomplishments to submit. Remember that the emphasis is on significance and impact, not on quantity. If you cannot complete the boxes on the chart for a particular accomplishment, it is probably not a good choice to submit for this entry.

This chart is organized into categories that help you think about the different areas in which you work outside the classroom to improve student learning. Your accomplishments might overlap more than one category.




Documented Accomplishments Categories Chart

Category— Accomplishments that demonstrate . . .

Activity Significance Impact on Student Learning

Documentation

Your work with the families and community of your students (in current year)

Your development as a learner (within last five years)

Your work as a collaborator and/or leader (within last five years)

Some activities in which all teachers must engage may not make the best examples of accomplishments for this entry unless you perform them in a way or to a degree that makes them very effective in promoting students’ learning. For example, almost all teachers are required to attend an open house for parents each new school year. This is, of course, a form of communication with parents and caregivers. In and of itself, this activity shows little or no significant accomplishment or impact, because according to the Standards, it is both routine and required. However, if your contribution to the open-house night went beyond the routine, making it an effective avenue to engage parents about their child’s learning, you should make that very clear in your Description and Analysis.

Not everything you do outside the classroom is appropriate for this entry. For example, community volunteer work or personal interests are worthwhile endeavors, but for those activities to be valued in this entry, your involvement must have had an impact on student learning.

On the other hand, if you have been involved in an activity that has had great impact on student learning, you must discuss that impact and how it made a difference in student learning to provide the necessary evidence for an accomplished score. Assessors are trained not to make inferences in this area; you must clearly describe the impact on student learning.

Choosing Your Documentation Carefully select and organize the documentation for each accomplishment that you feature. Documentation is defined as evidence that verifies that you have done what you say you have done in the Description and Analysis. Assessors do not evaluate the documentation; they are looking only for a clear connection between documentation and your accomplishment. You are allowed to submit a maximum of 16 pages of documentation for this entry. Therefore, be selective and make each choice count.

The accomplishments you feature may involve a set of activities or events all related to a unified goal or outcome. Such complex accomplishments may require lengthy descriptions in which you detail all or most of the steps taken or activities in which you were engaged. It is not necessary to provide a specific piece of documentation for every part of a complex accomplishment as long as the documentation you choose to submit supports the overall picture painted by your Description and Analysis. For example, you may have attended multiple workshops addressing a single topic, such as classroom management or a new area of curriculum. You do not need to provide documentation that you attended each and every workshop. Because of page-number limitations, perhaps a better choice would be documentation of your attendance at one workshop, followed by documentation that shows your growth in understanding and the new skills you acquired over the course of prolonged study. You must submit documentation for each accomplishment, but you may choose the type of documentation that is best suited to that accomplishment and that most clearly




communicates the nature of your accomplishment. There are three types of documentation that you can submit: artifact(s), Verification Form(s), and a communication log.

Artifacts

What they are These are documents produced by engaging in such activities as writing an article, developing a newsletter, receiving a letter from a parent, or presenting a workshop.

You may wish to provide documents that support descriptions of curricula, professional articles or other publications, workshops or presentations that you developed or conducted, grant proposal abstracts, or syllabi for professional classes you have taught.

Guidelines for use

For long artifacts, such as publications (e.g., an article or newsletter), you may submit the title page only.

For multiple artifacts such as correspondence with parents, one or two letters may suffice.

Confirm that your name and the date of the accomplishment appear on one of the pages of the artifact you are submitting to document an accomplishment. If they do not appear on the artifact, submit a Verification Form in addition to your artifact to strengthen your evidence.

Verification Forms

What they are These are forms completed by colleagues, parents, or others who comment on your description of an accomplishment and confirm its accuracy.

When they are required

You do not need to submit a Verification Form for every accomplishment. Generally, you would submit either an artifact or a Verification Form with each activity or accomplishment.

However, if your artifact does not provide enough of the required information (as described in “Documentation Format Specifications” below), submit both your artifact and a Verification Form to validate your activity or accomplishment.

Further, if you do not have an artifact at all—that is, if an activity or accomplishment does not leave a paper trail of supporting documents that you could photocopy and submit as documentation—you must submit a Verification Form to document your activity or accomplishment.

Guidelines for use

When you determine that you should submit a Verification Form, you must find someone who has firsthand knowledge of the accomplishment you are describing. Example: If you have mentored a new teacher in your school, your verifier would have firsthand knowledge of your work with that new teacher. The verifier need not be a supervisor or someone in authority in your school or district; for example, a parent or student could be a verifier.

Note: If a parent or student is a verifier, his or her last name should appear on the Verification Form.

A single verifier is sufficient for any one accomplishment. The same person may not verify more than one accomplishment per category.

Fill out the top section of the Verification Form prior to requesting that the verifier sign the form. Use the space provided to describe the accomplishment you have chosen to submit. You may type or handwrite this information on the form. If you type, you may use the system default font, size, and spacing.

When you provide your verifier with the Verification Form, you must also provide the Verification Cover Letter. Please direct the verifier to read the cover letter (which asks the verifier to attest to the accuracy of your

description); read the top half of the form (which you have already completed); complete the bottom section of the form (including the date); return the form to you.

The Verification Cover Letter and Verification Form are provided in the “Cover Sheets” section.




Communication Log

What this is This is a running log for the current school year in which you can briefly record pertinent information shared with or about students’ families at the time of the communication. It may be difficult to document some activities and accomplishments with an artifact or a Verification Form because of the nature of communications with families and others outside your classroom. A communication log provides one way to track your contacts with people outside the classroom concerning your students and their learning, and that shows you have gone above and beyond routine efforts to build communication.

See an example of a page from a completed communication log as well as a blank communication log below. You can use these as guides if you decide to create your own log.

A communication log includes each of the following pieces of information: dates of communication participants (delete last names to preserve confidentiality) descriptions of the nature of each contact, its purpose(s), and/or its outcome(s)

Each entry in a communication log can be short but must be specific. Assessors look for information regarding the variety of communications you make and the frequency with which you communicate with other people about your students. Be sure to record not just outgoing communications but those you receive from others who are significant in students’ lives.

Guidelines for use

A communication log is not mandatory, but we encourage you to submit a sampling of pages from one if you use one. Select pages that demonstrate the variety of communication you have with families and other parties.

Whether you submit originals or photocopies of your communication log pages, what you submit must be legible. If you are unable to make legible photocopies, you may transcribe the information from your communication log pages onto either the blank communication log provided or sheets that you create using the sample communication log as a model.

Cautions

You may not reduce full-size pages of text or images in order to fit more than 1 page of text/images onto a single piece of paper. For example, do not reduce 2 full pages of text in order to place both on a single page. Doing so would reduce the font to smaller than 12 point and make it difficult for assessors to read. If the print is so small that it cannot be read, that sheet of paper will not be scored. If you attempt to photocopy pages in a reduced format, assessors will count that sheet of paper as 2 pages. You may, however, place more than one small piece of documentation related to the same accomplishment on the same sheet of paper. For example, if you wrote a journal article, you could photocopy the title page and part of the first page of the article, reducing the size slightly in order to fit them on one piece of paper.

Regardless of whether or not a piece of documentation has been photocopied, if the text is illegible, assessors will not read it, and it will not count in your score. A curriculum vitae or résumé is not a good choice for documentation because it lacks descriptions to place the activities and accomplishments in context or to explain their significance. In addition, using a curriculum vitae or résumé would still require you to attach additional documentation in support of the particular accomplishments that you wished to highlight. Furthermore, the curriculum vitae or résumé itself would count as pages in your response.




Sample of Communication Log

Date mm/dd/yy

Contact Type of Communication (telephone, written, e-mail, or in person)

Nature of Communication (reason for communication, outcome of communication)

3/6 Juan’s father Phone call Juan has been showing dramatic progress. Spoke with father to encourage his continued support.

3/10 Tara’s mother Phone call Tara’s mother called me with some concerns about Tara’s behavior at home. We discussed her incomplete class work. I suggested a reward system.

3/11 Felicia’s parents E-mail Felicia’s parents responded to my initial request to all parents for information about their children. Learned that Felicia loves science!

3/13 PTA president E-mail Sent draft agenda for Family Math Night; scheduled appointment to plan activities and determine materials that we need.

3/20 All parents Newsletter Sent newsletter home and invited parents to attend and assist with upcoming student performances—waiting for responses.

3/23 Justin’s mother In person Justin will be moving into my class. Met with Justin and his mother for a smooth transition. Will call home after two weeks to keep mother informed.

3/27 Rotary Club Phone call Contacted president regarding the group members’ Career Day visit to school.

4/1 Tara’s mother Phone call Tara’s mother called to inform me that Tara’s behavior has improved. I mentioned that Tara had turned in her completed class work.




Communication Log

Date mm/dd/yy






Documentation Format Specifications

Your documentation must meet the following requirements: Language For evidence in a language other than English or the target language, submit a separate

sheet that translates the documentation or verification. This separate sheet will not count toward the total page count for documentation.

Format Make sure documentation is no larger than 8.5" × 11". For larger materials or three- dimensional objects, submit photographs rather than the objects themselves.

Make sure documentation is legible. Multiple pages of evidence should not be reduced to one sheet unless the resulting font size is no smaller than 12 point, nor should small pieces of evidence from different Description and Analysis sets of activities and accomplishments be put on the same page.

Artifacts: Confirm that your name and the date of the accomplishment appear on one page of the artifact you are submitting as documentation for an accomplishment. Your artifact must show your name as evidence that you were responsible for or participated in the work and must show the date of the work. Artifacts not meeting these criteria may be submitted but must be accompanied by a Verification Form. Verification Forms: You may type or handwrite this information on the form. If you type, you may use the system default font, size, and spacing. Communications logs: This should be an accurate representation of your outreach with families and the community. Do not “cut and paste” random entries; instead, choose whole pages that best illustrate the interactive communication between you and your students, families, and others interested in students’ learning. Example: You can describe a communication that spans several weeks while submitting only a sample of this communication.


Note: These guidelines are designed to protect the identities of students and to ensure that assessors do not draw conclusions about your response based on ideas about where you teach:

Remove information that identifies you geographically. Do not use the last names of students and their families. Remove information, such as a parent’s last name, that identifies a third party.

Exceptions to anonymity guidelines

You must not remove information that identifies you from the artifact you submit, because assessors must know whose evidence they are evaluating.

Do not remove last names from Verification Forms of colleagues and others who have signed them. For example, if a parent signs a Verification Form, do not remove his or her last name.

Leave last names in place when an artifact is printed matter that is not confidential in nature. For example, do not remove last names from a newspaper article, a journal article, school-board letterhead, and similar documents.

It can be very difficult to remove all traces of school identity from an artifact, since the impact of many school-related documents is at least partly derived from the authority behind the institution. Therefore, it is acceptable to leave in school and institution identifiers if this information is significant.

Labeling Place your candidate ID number in the upper right corner of all pages.

Label to indicate the number of the accomplishment. It is critical that you label every page of documentation so that it is clearly identified as pertaining to a particular accomplishment. At the top of each page of documentation, write “Documentation for Accomplishment #_” and fill in the number of the accomplishment.




Page count Submit no more than 16 pages in total. For this documentation, this means no more than 16 sheets of paper, whether or not each piece of paper has text and/or images on the entire page.

Preparing a Reflective Summary When you finish writing your Description and Analysis and collecting your documentation, critically review the materials and write a 2-page Reflective Summary. The summary should not restate your Description and Analysis; rather, it should analyze the effectiveness of your accomplishments. This is your opportunity to highlight the significance of your accomplishments as a whole and to reflect on them and their impact on student learning.

Respond to the following questions for your Reflective Summary. (It is not necessary to include the italicized questions within the body of your response.)

In your work outside of the classroom (beyond explicit student instruction), what was most effective in impacting student learning? Why?

Considering the patterns evident in all of your accomplishments taken together, what is your plan to further impact student learning in the future?

Reflective Summary Format Specifications

Your Reflective Summary must meet the following requirements: Language Write in English.

Format Type your responses on a separate sheet of paper. Double-space your text; do not use 24- point line spacing.





Page count Submit no more than 2 typed pages in total.

For more information, see “Writing about Teaching” in “Phase 2: Develop” (in Part 1). For examples of appropriate line spacing and font formatting, see “Specifications: Formatting Written Materials” in “Phase 2: Develop” (in Part 1).




Assembling Your Accomplishments and Reflective Summary When you have completed each Description and Analysis, gathered your documentation, and written the Reflective Summary, group the parts of your entry in three files:

Description and Analysis – 10 pages maximum for up to 8 accomplishments Documentation – 16 pages maximum, not counting cover sheets Reflective Summary – 2 pages maximum

Organize these materials within the Documentation file as outlined below so that assessors can easily see how the Description and Analysis and documentation fit together. Assessors are trained to score your entry by first reading the Description and Analysis of an accomplishment and then reviewing the documentation for that accomplishment.

Follow these guidelines to label, number, and insert cover sheets:

Labeling your Description and Analysis. You must label each Description and Analysis with a number that identifies which accomplishment you are describing. Place a title at the top of every page of each Description and Analysis, specifying the accomplishment number (e.g., “Accomplishment #1”).

Labeling your documentation. It is also critical that you label every page of documentation so that it is clearly identified as pertaining to a particular accomplishment. At the top of each page of documentation, write “Documentation for Accomplishment # ” and fill in the number of the accomplishment.

Cover sheets. After you have assembled all of your documentation and numbered the pages, find the Accomplishment Cover Sheet located in the “Cover Sheets and Forms” section that follows the Entry 4 directions. Make multiple copies so that you have a cover sheet for each accomplishment, and number each cover sheet in the space provided. Then insert Accomplishment Cover Sheet #1 in front of the first page of documentation for your first accomplishment. Place Accomplishment Cover Sheet #2 in front of the first page of documentation for your second accomplishment, followed by the page(s) of documentation for your second accomplishment, and so on for the rest of your accomplishments.






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Accomplishment COVER SHEET

Accomplishment #

Area of accomplishment

The checklist below is intended only to help you confirm for yourself that you have submitted accomplishments in all the categories. Assessors are trained to consider the substance of your accomplishments, not whether you have correctly labeled the ca tego ry .

This accomplishment reflects (check all that apply):

❏ Your work with your s t u d e n t s ’ families, showing ongoing, interactive, two-

way communication (current year)

❏ Your work as a learner (within the last five years)

❏ Your work as a leader and collaborator at the local, state, and/or national level

(within the last five years)

Use this cover sheet as many times as needed.


VERIFICATION COVER LETTER

Dear Colleague:

The teacher whose name appears on the attached verification form is a participant in the assessment for certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards®. The teacher has been asked to describe his or her accomplishments regarding the Standards for Family and Community Partnerships, Professional Partnerships, and Reflective Practice and to provide documentation of these accomplishments.

The teacher has identified you as someone personally knowledgeable about his or her accomplishments. We would appreciate your help in verifying the accuracy of the candidate’s description of the accomplishments being reported to the National Board. Please read the verification form, which the teacher has prepared. Return the form directly to the candidate. We may need to obtain additional information about these activities from you at a later time. Please call us at 1-800-22TEACH® if you have any questions.

Thank you for your assistance in this important effort.

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards


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VERIFICATION FORM Note: You may handwrite or type the information on this form. If you type, you may single-space the text using 12-point Times New Roman font. If you handwrite, the form must be digitized prior to entry submission.

To be completed by the candidate:

Candidate Name:

Below, briefly describe the accomplishment(s) being verified by the signer of the form. Explain what the accomplishment is, why it is significant, and how it has impacted student learning.

To be completed by the verifier after the candidate has completed the top section:

Is the candidate’s description of his or her activities accurate? Yes No don’t know How do you know of these activities?

Signature: Date:

Name (please print):

Title or Position:

Phone Number: ( )

Address:

Please return this completed form directly to the candidate.


Communication Log This log may be used to track your contacts with various people outside the classroom concerning your students and their learning.

Date mm/dd/yy



Copyright © 2015 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards®. All rights reserved.

Documented Accomplishments Categories Chart Use this chart to help you think about the different areas in which you work outside the classroom to improve student learning. Your accomplishments might overlap more than one category.

Category– Accomplishments that

demonstrate… Activity Significance

Impact on Student Learning

Documentation

Your work with the families and community of your students

(in current year) Your development as a learner

(within last five years) Your work as a collaborator and/or leader

(within last five years)



Early Adolescence/Science Your Submission at a Glance for EA/Science

Your Submission at a Glance for EA/Science

The following chart provides an overview of each EA/Science portfolio entry’s contents—cover sheets, forms, and the materials you collect and/or prepare—as well as a list of the forms you keep for your records.

Submitting complete and appropriate materials in the correct order is essential for the proper submission of your portfolio.

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Prepared by Pearson for submission under contract with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards® © 2015 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards | All rights reserved.

Early Adolescence/Science Electronic Submission at a GlanceSubmit your evidence of accomplished teaching using the ePortfolio system (see the Guide to Electronic Submission). Use this chart to understand how to group your evidence and submit it electronically for the Early Adolescence/Science portfolio assessment.

Entry 1: Submit 8 files Designing Science Instruction

Entry 2: Submit 4 files Probing Student Understanding

Entry 3: Submit 4 files Inquiry through Investigation

Entry 4: Submit 4 files Documented Accomplishments: Contributions to Student Learning

Retain for Your Records

Contextual Information Sheet(s) Written Commentary (13 pages max.)

Instructional Activities and Student Work Samples Submit 6 files; see “Entry 1: What Do I Need to Do?” in Portfolio Instructions: Part 2 for page totals for each piece of evidence

Instructional Activity #1 Packet • Activity #1 Cover Sheet,

response, instructional materialsInstructional Activity #1 Student Work Samples • Activity #1 Cover Sheets with

associated work samples Instructional Activity #2 Packet • Activity #2 Cover Sheet,

response, instructional materials Instructional Activity #2 Student Work Samples • Activity #2 Cover Sheets with

associated work samples Instructional Activity #3 Packet • Activity #3 Cover Sheet,

response, instructional materials Instructional Activity #3 Student Work Samples • Activity #3 Cover Sheets with

associated work samples

Contextual Information Sheet(s) Written Commentary (11 pages max.) Entry 2 Classroom Layout Form Video recording (20 minutes max.)

Contextual Information Sheet(s) Written Commentary (12 pages max.) Entry 3 Classroom Layout Form Video recording (20 minutes max.)

Contextual Information Sheet(s) Description and analysis (10 pages max.) for up to 8 accomplishments Documentation (16 pages max., not counting cover sheets) • Accomplishment Cover Sheet

for each documentedaccomplishment

• Documents: Artifacts,Communication Log, and/orVerification Form(s)

Reflective Summary (2 pages max.)

• Student Release Forms • Adult Release Forms • Verification Cover Letter

Document. Submit as doc, docx, odt, or pdf file. Video recording. Submit as flv, asf, qt, mov, mpg, mpeg, avi, wmv, mp4, or m4v file.

uhathbu

New Stamp

STUDENT RELEASE FORM (to be completed either by the parents/legal guardians of minor students who are involved in this project

or by students who are more than 18 years of age and are involved in this project)

Dear Parent/Guardian:

I am a participant this school year in an assessment to certify teachers as outstanding practitioners in teaching. My participation in this assessment, which is being conducted by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards® (NBPTS®), is voluntary. The primary purposes of this assessment are to enhance student learning and encourage excellence in teaching.

This assessment requires that I submit short audiovisual recordings and/or photographs of lessons being taught in your child’s class. Although the recordings/photographs will show or involve students, the primary focus is on my instruction, not on the students. In the course of this assessment, your child’s image and voice may be recorded on the video, and your child may be photographed, with the recordings/photographs then submitted to NBPTS. Also, as part of the assessment, I may be asked to submit samples of student work (Student Work) as evidence of teaching practice; that Student Work may include some of your child’s work. No student’s last name will appear on any materials that I submit as part of my assessment.

NBPTS has broad rights to use my Submissions (which include my written commentary sheets, instructional materials, essays, classroom plans, assignments, and comments, but which definition excludes Student Work) and I assign to NBPTS all of my rights in and to the Submissions. NBPTS also obtains certain rights with respect to the Student Work. Specifically, NBPTS may use my Submissions and the Student Work in any way it chooses consistent with the mission of NBPTS, which includes any activity deemed by NBPTS to further education. For instance, without limitation, in addition to uses related to my assessment by NBPTS and its third-party assessors, NBPTS may use and distribute the Submissions and Student Work, such as by posting in a password-protected online database, and grant others the same rights, for educational, research, and professional development purposes, and may use the Submissions and Student Work in NBPTS works and publications. NBPTS may receive fees from those to whom it grants rights related to the Submissions and Student Work. These uses may make my Submissions and the Student Work available for viewing by a broad range of individuals, educators, and students. By providing permission below, you are granting NBPTS a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, and unrestricted license to use any Student Work by your child that I submit as part of my assessment, and to have and to use any copyright, rights of publicity, and other rights associated with any Student Work, and you are releasing NBPTS from all claims (including invasion of privacy) in connection with such use.

If you agree to your child’s participation in the activities as outlined above and NBPTS’s right to use the Submissions and Student Work in the manner described above, please sign the Permission Slip. I will retain this form documenting your permission, but may provide it to NBPTS upon request. If you do not consent to your child’s participation, your child will be out of view in making the recordings and photographs, and I will not include your child’s work in the Student Work I submit. Thank you very much.

Sincerely, (Candidate Signature)


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Student Release Form Permission Slip

Student Name:

School/Teacher:

Your Address:

I am the parent/legal guardian of the child named above. I have received and read your letter regarding a teacher assessment being conducted by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), and agree to the following:

D I DO give permission to you to record my child’s image and voice on video and take photographs as my child participates in a class conducted

at (Name of School)

by (Teacher’s Name)

and/or to provide NBPTS with copies of materials that my child may produce as part of classroom activities, all on the terms and conditions described above. No last names will appear on any materials submitted to NBPTS.

D I DO NOT give permission to you to record my child’s image or voice or to reproduce materials that my child may produce as part of classroom activities.

Signature of Parent or Guardian:

Date:

I am the student named above and am more than 18 years of age. I have read and understand the project description given above. I understand that my performance is not being evaluated by this project and that my last name will not appear on any materials that may be submitted.

D I DO give permission to you to record my image and voice on video and take photographs of me as I participate in a class conducted

at (Name of School)


and/or to provide NBPTS with copies of materials that I may produce as part of classroom activities, all on the terms and conditions described above.

D I DO NOT give permission to you to record my image or voice or to reproduce materials that I may produce as part of classroom activities.

Signature of Student:

Date: Date of Birth :


FORMULARIO DE AUTORIZACIÓN (para ser completado por padres o tutores de estudiantes menores que participen en este proyecto o por estudiantes mayores de

18 años y que participen en este proyecto)

Estimados padres/tutores: Este año escolar soy uno de los participantes en una evaluación para certificar a maestros como

educadores profesionales destacados. Mi participación en esta evaluación, llevada a cabo por el “National Board for Professional Teaching Standards®” (NBPTS®)/ Comité Nacional de Normas Profesionales para la Enseñanza, es voluntaria. Los objetivos principales de esta evaluación son mejorar el aprendizaje estudiantil y fomentar la excelencia en la enseñanza.

Esta evaluación requiere que yo entregue grabaciones audiovisuales cortas y/o fotografías de las lecciones que se enseñan en la clase de su hijo(a). Aunque las grabaciones o las fotografías mostrarán o incluirán a estudiantes, el enfoque principal será en mi práctica educativa, no en los estudiantes que puedan estar representados. Durante este proyecto, la imagen y la voz de su hijo(a) podrían ser grabadas en el vídeo, y se le podrían sacar unas fotos a su hijo(a), las cuales se entregarán al NBPTS. Además, como parte de la evaluación se me puede pedir que presente muestras del trabajo de los estudiantes (Trabajo Estudiantil) como evidencia de la práctica docente y ese Trabajo Estudiantil podría incluir algún trabajo de su hijo(a). Los apellidos de los estudiantes no aparecerán en ningún material que presente como parte de mi evaluación.

El NBPTS tiene amplios derechos para utilizar mis Entregas (las cuales incluyen mis comentarios escritos, materiales didácticos, ensayos, planes de lecciones, asignaciones y otro material cuya definición no cae en la categoría de Trabajo Estudiantil) y le asigno al NBPTS todos mis derechos en cuanto a estas Entregas. El NBPTS también obtiene ciertos derechos en respecto al Trabajo Estudiantil. En concreto, el NBPTS puede usar mis Entregas y el Trabajo Estudiantil en cualquier forma que elija en consonancia con la misión del NBPTS, la cual incluye cualquier actividad que se considere por el NBPTS como beneficiosa para promover la educación. Por ejemplo, sin limitaciones, además de los usos relacionados con mi evaluación por NBPTS y sus asesores externos, el NBPTS puede utilizar y distribuir las Entregas y el Trabajo Estudiantil mediante su publicación en una base de datos por Internet protegida con una contraseña y conceder a otros los mismos derechos con fines educativos, de investigación y desarrollo profesional, y puede utilizar las Entregas y el Trabajo Estudiantil en obras y publicaciones del NBPTS. El NBPTS puede recibir cuotas o aranceles de aquellos a quienes otorga los derechos relacionados con las Entregas y el Trabajo Estudiantil. Estos usos pueden hacer que mis Entregas y el Trabajo Estudiantil estén disponibles para ser consultados por diferentes individuos, educadores y estudiantes. Al dar su permiso abajo, usted otorga al NBPTS una licencia perpetua, irrevocable, sin regalías y sin restricciones para usar cualquier Trabajo Estudiantil llevado a cabo por su hijo(a) que entrego como parte de mi evaluación, además usted otorga el derecho de tener y de usar cualquier derecho de autor, de publicidad, y otros derechos asociados con cualquier Trabajo Estudiantil, y además libera al NBPTS de todas las reclamaciones (incluyendo la invasión de privacidad) en relación con tal uso.

Si está de acuerdo con la participación de su hijo(a) en las actividades descritas arriba y el derecho del NBPTS al uso de las Entregas y el Trabajo Estudiantil de la manera en que se describe arriba, por favor firme la hoja de autorización. Yo retendré este formulario para documentar su permiso, pero se me puede pedir su entrega al NBPTS. Si usted no da su consentimiento para que su hijo(a) participe, su hijo(a) no será incluido(a) cuando se hagan las grabaciones o se tomen las fotografías, y no incluiré el trabajo de su hijo(a) en el Trabajo Estudiantil que yo entregue. Muchas gracias.

Atentamente, (Firma del Candidato/ de la Candidata)


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Hoja de Autorización

Nombre del/de la estudiante:

Escuela/Maestro(a):

Su dirección:

Soy el padre/la madre/ el tutor/la tutora del/de la estudiante mencionado(a) arriba. He recibido y leído su carta acerca de una evaluación para maestros que está siendo conducida por el National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), y estoy de acuerdo con lo siguiente:

D SÍ, autorizo a que se graben la imagen y la voz de mi hijo(a) en videograbaciones y que saquen fotografías cuando mi hijo(a) participa en una clase guiada

en (nombre de la escuela)

por (nombre del maestro/de la maestra)

y/o que se le provea al NBPTS copias de materiales que mi hijo(a) pueda producir como parte de las actividades de clase, tal y como se expresa en los términos y condiciones descritos arriba. No aparecerán apellidos en ninguno de los materiales presentados a NBPTS.

D NO, no autorizo a que se graben ni la imagen ni la voz de mi hijo(a) o que se reproduzcan materiales que mi hijo(a) pueda producir como parte de sus actividades en la clase.

Firma del padre/de la madre, o del tutor/de la tutora:

Fecha:

Soy el estudiante/la estudiante mencionada arriba y soy mayor de 18 años de edad. He leído y entiendo la descripción del proyecto mencionado arriba. Entiendo que mi desempeño no está siendo evaluado en este proyecto y que mi apellido no se mencionará en ninguno de los materiales que puedan ser entregados.

D SÍ, autorizo a que se graben mi imagen y mi voz en videograbaciones y que me saquen fotos cuando participo en una clase guiada

en (nombre de la escuela)

por (nombre del maestro/de la maestra)

y/o que se le provea al NBPTS copias de materiales que yo pueda producir como parte de mis actividades en la clase, tal y como se expresa en los términos y condiciones descritos arriba.

D NO, no autorizo a que se me graben ni la imagen ni la voz en videograbaciones o que se reproduzcan materiales que yo pueda producir como parte de mis actividades en la clase.

Firma del/de la estudiante:

Fecha: Fecha de Nacimiento: / / MM DD AA


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ADULT RELEASE FORM (to be completed by non-students who are involved in this project)

Dear Sir or Madam: I am a participant this school year in an assessment to certify teachers as outstanding practitioners in teaching. My participation in this assessment, which is being conducted by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards® (NBPTS®), is voluntary. The primary purposes of this assessment are to enhance student learning and encourage excellence in teaching.

This assessment requires that I submit short audiovisual recordings and/or photographs of lessons being taught in class. Although the recordings/photographs will show or involve students and others, the primary focus is on my instruction. In the course of this assessment, your image and voice may be recorded on the video, and you may be photographed, with the recordings/photographed then submitted to NBPTS.

No last name (other than mine) will appear on any materials that I submit (my Submissions). NBPTS has broad rights to use my Submissions and I assign to NBPTS all of my rights in and to the Submissions. Specifically, NBPTS owns and may use my Submissions in any way it chooses consistent with the mission of NBPTS, which includes any activity deemed by NBPTS to further education. For instance, without limitation, in addition to uses related to my assessment by NBPTS and its third-party assessors, NBPTS may use and distribute the Submissions, such as by posting in a password-protected online database, and grant others the same rights, for educational, research, and professional development purposes, and may use the Submissions in NBPTS works and publications. NBPTS may receive fees from those to whom it grants rights related to the Submissions. These uses may make my Submissions available for viewing by a broad range of individuals, educators, and students.

If you agree to participate in the activities as outlined above and to NBPTS’s right to use the Submissions on the terms and in the manner described above, please sign below. I will retain this form documenting your permission, but may provide it to NBPTS upon request.

Sincerely, (Candidate Signature)

Permission Slip

Name:

Address:

School/Teacher:

I am the person named above. I have received and read your letter regarding a teacher assessment being conducted by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and agree to the following:

I DO give permission to you to record my image and voice on video and take photographs of me as a participant in a class conducted

at (Name of School)


as part of classroom activities, and for NBPTS to use any such recordings or photographs on the terms and conditions described above. No last names (other than the teacher’s) will appear on any materials submitted to NBPTS, and I waive any claims or rights that I may have with respect to such recordings or photographs.

I DO NOT give permission to you to record my image and voice as part of classroom activities.

Signature: Date:


Activity Planner Worksheet Use this worksheet to plan your time on each of the activities required to complete your portfolio entries.

ACTIVITY Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5

Read the Standards and all of the portfolio directions. Use as a reference

Plan your calendar and timeline.

Get Student and Adult Release Forms signed, as needed.

Work on the practice activities in “Phase 2: Develop” (in Part 1).

Use your Communication Log for Documented Accomplishments.

Describe your accomplishments and collect documentation for Documented Accomplishments.

Video record classes, and collect student work samples.

Review your video recordings and student work samples.

Select your video recordings and draft your Written Commentaries for them.

Select your student work samples and draft your Written Commentary for them.

Do self-assessment of your entries.

Begin final drafts of your Written Commentaries.

Begin final draft of your Reflective Summary.

Complete final drafts of your Written Commentaries.

Complete final draft of your Reflective Summary.

Gather all materials for the four entries.

Prepare your portfolio and refer to the directions in “Phase 3: Submit” (in Part 1) for important information about organizing, uploading and submitting your portfolio electronically.


Entry Tracking Form This form may be used to keep a record of which students, lessons, and units of instruction you elect to feature in each classroom-based entry.

Your Entry Choices

Entry Unit

(must be three different units)

Lesson Dates Students Featured

Entry 1: (enter title here)




Appendix: Excerpts from National Science Education Standards The material on the following pages is reprinted with permission from the National Science Education Standards, copyright © 2008 by the National Academies Press, Washington, DC.

Please note that the pages that follow are only excerpts from the National Science Education Standards publication, not the entire published document. The pages included in this appendix contain only the information pertinent to completion of the portfolio for the specific certificate area you have chosen to pursue.

You can use the information from these excerpted pages to assist you in completing your portfolio entries. References contained in these excerpted pages are those shown in the original, published document, and do not correspond to information previously shown in the portfolio instructions.

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Reprinted with permission from the National Science Education Standards, copyright © 2008 by the National Academies Press, Washington, DC.

Ra t i ona l eThe eight categories of content standards are� Unifying concepts and processes in

science.

� Science as inquiry.

� Physical science.

� Life science.

� Earth and space science.

� Science and technology.

� Science in personal and social

perspectives.

� History and nature of science.

The standard for unifying concepts andprocesses is presented for grades K-12,because the understanding and abilitiesassociated with major conceptual andprocedural schemes need to be developed overan entire education, and the unifying conceptsand processes transcend disciplinaryboundaries. The next seven categories areclustered for grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Thoseclusters were selected based on a combinationof factors, including cognitive developmenttheory, the classroom experience of teachers,organization of schools, and the frameworks of other disciplinary-based standards.References for additional reading for all thecontent standards are presented at the end of Chapter 6.

The sequence of the seven grade-levelcontent standards is not arbitrary: Eachstandard subsumes the knowledge and skills ofother standards. Students’ understandings andabilities are grounded in the experience ofinquiry, and inquiry is the foundation for thedevelopment of understandings and abilitiesof the other content standards. The personaland social aspects of science are emphasizedincreasingly in the progression from science asinquiry standards to the history and nature ofscience standards. Students need solidknowledge and understanding in physical, life,

and earth and space science if they are toapply science.

Multidisciplinary perspectives also increasefrom the subject-matter standards to thestandard on the history and nature of science,providing many opportunities for integratedapproaches to science teaching.

UNIFYING CONCEPTS AND PROCESSESSTANDARDConceptual and procedural schemes unifyscience disciplines and provide students withpowerful ideas to help them understand thenatural world. Because of the underlyingprinciples embodied in this standard, theunderstandings and abilities described hereare repeated in the other content standards.Unifying concepts and processes include� Systems, order, and organization.

� Evidence, models, and explanation.

� Change, constancy, and measurement.

� Evolution and equilibrium.

� Form and function.

This standard describes some of theintegrative schemes that can bring togetherstudents’ many experiences in scienceeducation across grades K-12. The unifyingconcepts and processes standard can be thefocus of instruction at any grade level butshould always be closely linked to outcomesaligned with other content standards. In theearly grades, instruction should establish themeaning and use of unifying concepts andprocesses—for example, what it means tomeasure and how to use measurement tools.At the upper grades, the standard shouldfacilitate and enhance the learning ofscientific concepts and principles by providingstudents with a big picture of scientificideas—for example, how measurement isimportant in all scientific endeavors.


SCIENCE AS INQUIRY STANDARDSIn the vision presented by the Standards,

inquiry is a step beyond “science as aprocess,” in which students learn skills, such asobservation, inference, and experimentation.The new vision includes the “processes ofscience” and requires that students combineprocesses and scientific knowledge as they usescientific reasoning and critical thinking todevelop their understanding of science.Engaging students in inquiry helps studentsdevelop� Understanding of scientific concepts.� An appreciation of “how we know”

what we know in science.� Understanding of the nature of

science.� Skills necessary to become

independent inquirers about thenatural world.

� The dispositions to use the skills,abilities, and attitudes associatedwith science.

Science as inquiry is basic to scienceeducation and a controlling principle in theultimate organization and selection ofstudents’ activities. The standards on inquiryhighlight the ability to conduct inquiry anddevelop understanding about scientific inquiry.Students at all grade levels and in everydomain of science should have theopportunity to use scientific inquiry anddevelop the ability to think and act in waysassociated with inquiry, including askingquestions, planning and conductinginvestigations, using appropriate tools andtechniques to gather data, thinking criticallyand logically about relationships betweenevidence and explanations, constructing andanalyzing alternative explanations, andcommunicating scientific arguments.Table 6.1 shows the standards for inquiry.The science as inquiry standards are describedin terms of activities resulting in studentdevelopment of certain abilities and in termsof student understanding of inquiry.

TABLE 6.1. SCIENCE AS INQUIRY STANDARDS

LEVELS K-4

Abilities necessary to doscientific inquiry

Understanding aboutscientific inquiry

LEVELS 5-8



LEVELS 9-12




TABLE 6.2. PHYSICAL STANDARDS

PHYSICAL SCIENCE, LIFE SCIENCE,AND EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCESTANDARDS

The standards for physical science, lifescience, and earth and space science describethe subject matter of science using threewidely accepted divisions of the domain ofscience. Science subject matter focuses on thescience facts, concepts, principles, theories,and models that are important for all studentsto know, understand, and use. Tables 6.2, 6.3,and 6.4 are the standards for physical science,life science, and earth and space science,respectively.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYSTANDARDS

The science and technology standards inTable 6.5 establish connections between thenatural and designed worlds and providestudents with opportunities to developdecision making abilities. They are notstandards for technology education; rather,these standards emphasize abilities associatedwith the process of design and fundamentalunderstandings about the enterprise of scienceand its various linkages with technology.

As a complement to the abilities developedin the science as inquiry standards, thesestandards call for students to develop abilities

LEVELS K-4

Properties of objects andmaterials

Position and motion of objects

Light, heat, electricity,and magnetism

LEVELS 5-8

Properties and changes ofproperties in matter

Motions and forces

Transfer of energy

LEVELS 9-12

Structure of atoms

Structure and properties ofmatter

Chemical reactions

Motions and forces

Conservation of energy andincrease in disorder

Interactions of energy and matter

TABLE 6.3. LIFE SCIENCE STANDARDS

LEVELS K-4

Characteristics of organisms

Life cycles of organisms

Organisms and environments

LEVELS 5-8

Structure and function in livingsystems

Reproduction and heredity

Regulation and behavior

Populations and ecosystems

Diversity and adaptations oforganisms

LEVELS 9-12

The cell

Molecular basis of heredity

Biological evolution

Interdependence of organisms

Matter, energy, and organizationin living systems

Behavior of organisms


TABLE 6.4. EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE STANDARDS

LEVELS K-4

Properties of earth materials

Objects in the sky

Changes in earth and sky

LEVELS 5-8

Structure of the earth system

Earth’s history

Earth in the solar system

LEVELS 9-12

Energy in the earth system

Geochemical cycles

Origin and evolution of theearth system

Origin and evolution of theuniverse

TABLE 6.5. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS

LEVELS K-4

Abilities to distinguish betweennatural objects and objectsmade by humans

Abilities of technological design

Understanding about scienceand technology

LEVELS 5-8



LEVELS 9-12



to identify and state a problem, design asolution—including a cost and risk-and-benefit analysis—implement a solution, andevaluate the solution.

Science as inquiry is parallel to technologyas design. Both standards emphasize studentdevelopment of abilities and understanding.Connections to other domains, such as mathematics, are clarified in Chapter 7, Program Standards

SCIENCE IN PERSONAL AND SOCIALPERSPECTIVES STANDARDS

An important purpose of science educationis to give students a means to understand andact on personal and social issues. The sciencein personal and social perspectives standards

help students develop decision-making skills.Understandings associated with the conceptsin Table 6.6 give students a foundation onwhich to base decisions they will face ascitizens.

HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCESTANDARDS

In learning science, students need tounderstand that science reflects its history andis an ongoing, changing enterprise. Thestandards for the history and nature of sciencerecommend the use of history in schoolscience programs to clarify different aspects ofscientific inquiry, the human aspects ofscience, and the role that science has played inthe development of various cultures. Table 6.7provides an overview of this standard.


TABLE 6.7. HISTORY AND NATURE OF SCIENCE STANDARDS

LEVELS K-4

Science as a human endeavor

LEVELS 5-8


Nature of science

History of science

LEVELS 9-12


Nature of scientific knowledge

Historical perspectives

TABLE 6.6. SCIENCE IN PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE

LEVELS K-4

Personal health

Characteristics and changes inpopulations

Types of resources

Changes in environments

Science and technology in localchallenges

LEVELS 5-8

Personal health

Populations, resources, andenvironments

Natural hazards

Risks and benefits

Science and technology insociety

LEVELS 9-12

Personal and community health

Population growth

Natural resources

Environmental quality

Natural and human-inducedhazards

Science and technology in local,national, and global challenges

Fo rm o f t he Con t en t S t anda rd sBelow is an example of a content standard.Each content standard states that, as the resultof activities provided for all students in thegrade level discussed, the content of thestandard is to be understood or the abilitiesare to be developed.

PHYSICAL SCIENCE (EXAMPLE)CONTENT STANDARD B:

As a result of the activities in grades

K-4, all students should develop an

understanding of

� Properties of objects and materials

� Position and motion of objects

� Light, heat, electricity, and magnetism

After each content standard is a section entitled Developing StudentUnderstanding (or abilities andunderstanding, when appropriate), whichelaborates upon issues associated withopportunity to learn the content. This sectiondescribes linkages among student learning,teaching, and classroom situations. Thisdiscussion on developing studentunderstanding, including the remarks on theselection of content for grade levels, is basedin part on educational research. It alsoincorporates the experiences of manythoughtful people, including teachers, teacher


educators, curriculum developers, andeducational researchers. (Some references toresearch on student understanding andabilities are located at the end of the chapter.)

The next section of each standard is aGuide to the Content Standard, whichdescribes the fundamental ideas that underliethe standard. Content is fundamental if it� Represents a central event or

phenomenon in the natural world.� Represents a central scientific idea

and organizing principle.

� Has rich explanatory power.� Guides fruitful investigations.� Applies to situations and contexts

common to everyday experiences.� Can be linked to meaningful learning

experiences.� Is developmentally appropriate for

students at the grade level specified.

TABLE 6.8. CONTENT STANDARDS, GRADES K-4

UNIFYING CONCEPTSAND PROCESSES

Systems, order, andorganization

Evidence, models, andexplanation

Change, constancy, andmeasurement

Evolution andequilibrium

Form and function

SCIENCE AS INQUIRY

Abilities necessary todo scientific inquiry

Understandings aboutscientific inquiry

PHYSICAL SCIENCE

Properties of objectsand materials

Position and motion ofobjects

Light, heat, electricity,and magnetism

LIFE SCIENCE

Characteristics oforganisms

Life cycles oforganisms

Organisms andenvironments

EARTH AND SPACESCIENCE

Properties of earthmaterials

Objects in the sky

Changes in earth andsky

SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY

Abilities oftechnological design

Understandings aboutscience and technology

Abilities to distinguishbetween natural objects and objectsmade by humans

SCIENCE INPERSONAL ANDSOCIAL PERSPECTIVES

Personal health

Characteristics andchanges in populations

Types of resources

Changes inenvironments

Science and technologyin local challenges

HISTORY ANDNATURE OF SCIENCE

Science as a humanendeavor


C r i t e r i a f o r t he Con t en tS t anda rd s

Three criteria influence the selection ofscience content. The first is an obligation tothe domain of science. The subject matter inthe physical, life, and earth and space sciencestandards is central to science education andmust be accurate. The presentation innational standards also must accommodatethe needs of many individuals who willimplement the standards in school scienceprograms. The standards represent sciencecontent accurately and appropriately at allgrades, with increasing precision and morescientific nomenclature from kindergarten to

grade 12.The second criterion is an obligation to

develop content standards that appropriatelyrepresent the developmental and learningabilities of students. Organizing principleswere selected that express meaningful links todirect student observations of the naturalworld. The content is aligned with students’ages and stages of development. This criterionincludes increasing emphasis on abstract andconceptual understandings as studentsprogress from kindergarten to grade 12.

Tables 6.8, 6.9, and 6.10 display thestandards grouped according to grade levelsK-4, 5-8, and 9-12, respectively. These tablesprovide an overview of the standards forelementary-, middle-, and high-school

TABLE 6.9. CONTENT STANDARDS, GRADES 5-8






Form and function

SCIENCE AS INQUIRY



PHYSICAL SCIENCE

Properties and changesof properties in matter

Motions and forces

Transfer of energy

LIFE SCIENCE

Structure and functionin living systems

Reproduction andheredity

Regulation andbehavior

Populations andecosystems

Diversity andadaptations of organisms


Structure of the earthsystem

Earth’s history

Earth in the solar system





Personal health

Populations, resources,and environments

Natural hazards

Risks and benefits

Science and technologyin society



Nature of science

History of science


science programs.The third criterion is an obligation to

present standards in a usable form for thosewho must implement the standards, e.g.,curriculum developers, science supervisors,teachers, and other school personnel. Thestandards need to provide enough breadth ofcontent to define the domains of science, and

they need to provide enough depth ofcontent to direct the design of sciencecurricula. The descriptions also need to be understandable by school personnel and to accommodate the structures of elementary,middle, and high schools, as well as the grade levels used in national standards forother disciplines.

TABLE 6.10. CONTENT STANDARDS, GRADES 9-12






Form and function

SCIENCE AS INQUIRY



LIFE SCIENCE

The cell

Molecular basis ofheredity

Biological evolution

Interdependence oforganisms

Matter, energy, andorganization in levingsystems

Behavior of organisms


Energy in the earthsystem

Geochemical cycles

Origin and evolution ofthe earth system

Origin and evolution ofthe universe





Personal andcommunity health

Population growth

Natural resources

Environmental quality

Natural and human-induced hazards

Science and technologyin local, national, andglobal challenges



Nature of scientificknowledge

Historical perspectives

PHYSICAL SCIENCE

Structure of atoms

Structure andproperties of matter

Chemical reactions

Motions and forces

Conservation of energyand increase indisorder

Interactions of energyand matter


Use o f t he Con t en tS t anda rd s

Many different individuals and groups willuse the content standards for a variety ofpurposes. All users and reviewers are reminded that

the content described is not a science curriculum.Content is what students should learn.Curriculum is the way content is organizedand emphasized; it includes structure,organization, balance, and presentation of thecontent in the classroom. Although thestructure for the content standards organizesthe understanding and abilities to be acquiredby all students K-12, that structure does notimply any particular organization for sciencecurricula.Persons responsible for science curricula,teaching, assessment and policy who use theStandards should note the following

� None of the eight categories of contentstandards should be eliminated.For instance, students shouldhave opportunities to learn science inpersonal and social perspectives andto learn about the history and nature ofscience, as well as to learn subjectmatter, in the school science program.

� No standards should be eliminated froma category. For instance, “biologicalevolution” cannot be eliminated fromthe life science standards.

� Science content can be added. Theconnections, depth, detail, andselection of topics can be enriched andvaried as appropriate for individualstudents and school science programs.However, addition of content must notprevent the learning of fundamentalconcepts by all students.

� The content standards must be usedin the context of the standards onteaching and assessment. Using thestandards with traditional teachingand assessment strategies defeats theintentions of the National Science

Education Standards.

As science advances, the content standardsmight change, but the conceptual organizationwill continue to provide students withknowledge, understanding, and abilities thatwill improve their scientific literacy.


CHANGING EMPHASESThe National Science Education Standards envision change throughout the system. The science content standardsencompass the following changes in emphases:

LESS EMPHASIS ON MORE EMPHASIS ONKnowing scientific facts and information Understanding scientific concepts and developing

abilities of inquiry

Studying subject matter disciplines (physical, life, Learning subject matter disciplines in the contextearth sciences) for their own sake of inquiry, technology, science in personal and social

perspectives, and history and nature of science

Separating science knowledge and science process Integrating all aspects of science content

Covering many science topics Studying a few fundamental science concepts

Implementing inquiry as a set of processes Implementing inquiry as instructional strategies,abilities, and ideas to be learned

CHANGING EMPHASES TO PROMOTE INQUIRY

LESS EMPHASIS ON MORE EMPHASIS ONActivities that demonstrate and verify science Activities that investigate and analyze sciencecontent questions

Investigations confined to one class period Investigations over extended periods of time

Process skills out of context Process skills in context

Emphasis on individual process skills such as Using multiple process skills—manipulation,observation or inference cognitive, procedural

Getting an answer Using evidence and strategies for developing orrevising an explanation

Science as exploration and experiment Science as argument and explanation

Providing answers to questions about science content Communicating science explanations

Individuals and groups of students analyzing and Groups of students often analyzing and synthesizingsynthesizing data without defending a conclusion data after defending conclusions

Doing few investigations in order to leave time to Doing more investigations in order to developcover large amounts of content understanding, ability, values of inquiry and

knowledge of science content

Concluding inquiries with the result of the Applying the results of experiments to scientificexperiment arguments and explanations

Management of materials and equipment Management of ideas and information

Private communication of student ideas and Public communication of student ideas and work to conclusions to teacher classmates



current concepts. It is important for teachersof science to challenge current beliefs andconcepts and provide scientific explanations asalternatives.

Several factors of this standard should behighlighted. The instructional activities of ascientific inquiry should engage students inidentifying and shaping an understanding ofthe question under inquiry. Students shouldknow what the question is asking, whatbackground knowledge is being used to framethe question, and what they will have to do toanswer the question. The students’ questionsshould be relevant and meaningful for them.To help focus investigations, students shouldframe questions, such as “What do we want tofind out about . . .?”, “How can we make themost accurate observations?”, “Is this the bestway to answer our questions?”, and “If we dothis, then what do we expect will happen?”

Students in grades 5-8 can begin to

recognize the relationship between

explanation and evidence.

The instructional activities of a scientificinquiry should involve students in establishingand refining the methods, materials, and datathey will collect. As students conductinvestigations and make observations, theyshould consider questions such as “What datawill answer the question?” and “What are thebest observations or measurements to make?”Students should be encouraged to repeat data-collection procedures and to share dataamong groups.

In middle schools, students produce oral orwritten reports that present the results of theirinquiries. Such reports and discussions shouldbe a frequent occurrence in science programs.Students’ discussions should center onquestions, such as “How should we organizethe data to present the clearest answer to ourquestion?” or “How should we organize the

evidence to present the strongestexplanation?” Out of the discussions aboutthe range of ideas, the background knowledgeclaims, and the data, the opportunity arises forlearners to shape their experiences about thepractice of science and the rules of scientificthinking and knowing.

The language and practices evident in theclassroom are an important element of doinginquiries. Students need opportunities topresent their abilities and understanding andto use the knowledge and language of scienceto communicate scientific explanations andideas. Writing, labeling drawings, completingconcept maps, developing spreadsheets, anddesigning computer graphics should be a partof the science education. These should bepresented in a way that allows students toreceive constructive feedback on the quality ofthought and expression and the accuracy ofscientific explanations.

This standard should not be interpreted asadvocating a “scientific method.” Theconceptual and procedural abilities suggest alogical progression, but they do not imply arigid approach to scientific inquiry. On thecontrary, they imply codevelopment of theskills of students in acquiring scienceknowledge, in using high-level reasoning, inapplying their existing understanding ofscientific ideas, and in communicatingscientific information. This standard cannotbe met by having the students memorize theabilities and understandings. It can be metonly when students frequently engage in activeinquiries.

GUIDE TO THE CONTENT STANDARDFundamental abilities and concepts that

underlie this standard include

ABILITIES NECESSARY TO DO

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY


IDENTIFY QUESTIONS THAT CAN BE

ANSWERED THROUGH SCIENTIFIC

INVESTIGATIONS. Students should developthe ability to refine and refocus broad and ill-defined questions. An important aspect of thisability consists of students’ ability to clarifyquestions and inquiries and direct themtoward objects and phenomena that can bedescribed, explained, or predicted by scientificinvestigations. Students should develop theability to identify their questions with scientificideas, concepts, and quantitative relationshipsthat guide investigation.

DESIGN AND CONDUCT A SCIENTIFIC

INVESTIGATION. Students should developgeneral abilities, such as systematicobservation, making accurate measurements,and identifying and controlling variables.They should also develop the ability to clarifytheir ideas that are influencing and guidingthe inquiry, and to understand how thoseideas compare with current scientificknowledge. Students can learn to formulatequestions, design investigations, executeinvestigations, interpret data, use evidence togenerate explanations, propose alternativeexplanations, and critique explanations andprocedures.

USE APPROPRIATE TOOLS AND

TECHNIQUES TO GATHER, ANALYZE,

AND INTERPRET DATA. The use of toolsand techniques, including mathematics, willbe guided by the question asked and theinvestigations students design. The use ofcomputers for the collection, summary, anddisplay of evidence is part of this standard.Students should be able to access, gather,store, retrieve, and organize data, using

hardware and software designed for thesepurposes.

DEVELOP DESCRIPTIONS,

EXPLANATIONS, PREDICTIONS, AND

MODELS USING EVIDENCE. Studentsshould base their explanation on what theyobserved, and as they develop cognitive skills,they should be able to differentiateexplanation from description—providingcauses for effects and establishing relationshipsbased on evidence and logical argument. Thisstandard requires a subject matter knowledgebase so the students can effectively conductinvestigations, because developingexplanations establishes connections betweenthe content of science and the contexts withinwhich students develop new knowledge.

THINK CRITICALLY AND LOGICALLY TO

MAKE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN

EVIDENCE AND EXPLANATIONS.

Thinking critically about evidence includesdeciding what evidence should be used andaccounting for anomalous data. Specifically,students should be able to review data from asimple experiment, summarize the data, andform a logical argument about the cause-and-effect relationships in the experiment.Students should begin to state someexplanations in terms of the relationshipbetween two or more variables.

RECOGNIZE AND ANALYZE

ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS AND

PREDICTIONS. Students should develop theability to listen to and respect the explanationsproposed by other students. They shouldremain open to and acknowledge differentideas and explanations, be able to accept the


skepticism of others, and consider alternativeexplanations.

COMMUNICATE SCIENTIFIC

PROCEDURES AND EXPLANATIONS.

With practice, students should becomecompetent at communicating experimentalmethods, following instructions, describingobservations, summarizing the results of othergroups, and telling other students aboutinvestigations and explanations.[See TeachingStandard B]

USE MATHEMATICS IN ALL ASPECTS OF

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY. Mathematics isessential to asking and answering questionsabout the natural world. Mathematics can beused to ask questions; to gather, organize, andpresent data; and to structure convincingexplanations.[See Program Standard C]

UNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY� Different kinds of questions suggest

different kinds of scientificinvestigations. Some investigationsinvolve observing and describingobjects, organisms, or events; someinvolve collecting specimens; someinvolve experiments; some involveseeking more information; some involvediscovery of new objects andphenomena; and some involvemaking models.

� Current scientific knowledge andunderstanding guide scientificinvestigations. Different scientificdomains employ different methods, coretheories, and standards to advancescientific knowledge and understanding.

� Mathematics is important in all aspectsof scientific inquiry.

� Technology used to gather dataenhances accuracy and allowsscientists to analyze and quantify resultsof investigations.

� Scientific explanations emphasizeevidence, have logically consistentarguments, and use scientific principles,models, and theories. The scientificcommunity accepts and uses suchexplanations until displaced by betterscientific ones. When such displacementoccurs, science advances.

� Science advances through legitimateskepticism. Asking questions andquerying other scientists’ explanationsis part of scientific inquiry. Scientistsevaluate the explanations proposed byother scientists by examining evidence,comparing evidence, identifying faultyreasoning, pointing out statements thatgo beyond the evidence, and suggestingalternative explanations for the sameobservations.

� Scientific investigations sometimesresult in new ideas and phenomena forstudy, generate new methods orprocedures for an investigation, ordevelop new technologies to improvethe collection of data. All of theseresults can lead to new investigations.

Phy s i c a l S c i en ceCONTENT STANDARD B:

As a result of their activities in grades 5-8,

all students should develop an

understanding of

� Properties and changes of

properties in matter


� Motions and forces

� Transfer of energy

DEVELOPING STUDENTUNDERSTANDING

In grades 5-8, the focus on studentunderstanding shifts from properties of objectsand materials to the characteristic propertiesof the substances from which the materials aremade. In the K-4 years, students learned thatobjects and materials can be sorted andordered in terms of their properties. Duringthat process, they learned that someproperties, such as size, weight, and shape, canbe assigned only to the object while otherproperties, such as color, texture, andhardness, describe the materials from whichobjects are made. In grades 5-8, studentsobserve and measure characteristic properties,such as boiling points, melting points,solubility, and simple chemical changes ofpure substances and use those properties todistinguish and separate one substance fromanother.

Students usually bring some vocabulary andprimitive notions of atomicity to the scienceclass but often lack understanding of theevidence and the logical arguments thatsupport the particulate model of matter. Theirearly ideas are that the particles have the sameproperties as the parent material; that is, theyare a tiny piece of the substance. It can betempting to introduce atoms and molecules orimprove students’ understanding of them sothat particles can be used as an explanationfor the properties of elements andcompounds. However, use of suchterminology is premature for these studentsand can distract from the understanding thatcan be gained from focusing on theobservation and description of macroscopicfeatures of substances and of physical andchemical reactions. At this level, elements and

compounds can be defined operationally fromtheir chemical characteristics, but few studentscan comprehend the idea of atomic andmolecular particles.

The study of motions and the forces causingmotion provide concrete experiences on whicha more comprehensive understanding of forcecan be based in grades 9-12. By using simpleobjects, such as rolling balls and mechanicaltoys, students can move from qualitative toquantitative descriptions of moving objectsand begin to describe the forces acting on theobjects. Students’ everyday experience is thatfriction causes all moving objects to slow downand stop. Through experiences in whichfriction is reduced, students can begin to seethat a moving object with no friction wouldcontinue to move indefinitely, but moststudents believe that the force is still acting ifthe object is moving or that it is “used up” ifthe motion stops. Students also think thatfriction, not inertia, is the principle reasonobjects remain at rest or require a force tomove. Students in grades 5-8 associate forcewith motion and have difficulty understandingbalanced forces in equilibrium, especially ifthe force is associated with static, inanimateobjects, such as a book resting on the desk.

In grades 5-8, students observe and

measure characteristic properties,

such as boiling and melting points,

solubility, and simple chemical

changes of pure substances, and use

those properties to distinguish and

separate one substance from another.

The understanding of energy in grades 5-8will build on the K-4 experiences with light,heat, sound, electricity, magnetism, and themotion of objects. In 5-8, students begin to


see the connections among those phenomenaand to become familiar with the idea thatenergy is an important property of substancesand that most change involves energy transfer.Students might have some of the same viewsof energy as they do of force—that it isassociated with animate objects and is linkedto motion. In addition, students view energyas a fuel or something that is stored, ready touse, and gets used up. The intent at this levelis for students to improve their understandingof energy by experiencing many kinds ofenergy transfer.

GUIDE TO THE CONTENT STANDARDFundamental concepts and principles that


PROPERTIES AND CHANGES OF

PROPERTIES IN MATTER

� A substance has characteristicproperties, such as density, a boilingpoint, and solubility, all of which areindependent of the amount of thesample. A mixture of substances oftencan be separated into the originalsubstances using one or more of thecharacteristic properties.

� Substances react chemically incharacteristic ways with othersubstances to form new substances(compounds) with differentcharacteristic properties. In chemicalreactions, the total mass is conserved.Substances often are placed incategories or groups if they react insimilar ways; metals is an example ofsuch a group.

� Chemical elements do not break downduring normal laboratory reactionsinvolving such treatments as heating,

exposure to electric current, or reactionwith acids. There are more than 100known elements that combine in amultitude of ways to producecompounds, which account for theliving and nonliving substances that weencounter.

MOTIONS AND FORCES

� The motion of an object can bedescribed by its position, direction ofmotion, and speed. That motion can bemeasured and represented on agraph.[See Content Standard D(grades 5-8)]

� An object that is not being subjected toa force will continue to move at aconstant speed and in a straight line.

� If more than one force acts on anobject along a straight line, then theforces will reinforce or cancel oneanother, depending on their directionand magnitude. Unbalanced forces willcause changes in the speed or directionof an object’s motion.

TRANSFER OF ENERGY

� Energy is a property of manysubstances and is associated with heat,light, electricity, mechanical motion,sound, nuclei, and the nature of achemical. Energy is transferred inmany ways.

� Heat moves in predictable ways, flowingfrom warmer objects to cooler ones,until both reach the same temperature.

� Light interacts with matter bytransmission (including refraction),absorption, or scattering (includingreflection). To see an object, light fromthat object—emitted by or scatteredfrom it—must enter the eye.


� Electrical circuits provide a means oftransferring electrical energy whenheat, light, sound, and chemicalchanges are produced.

� In most chemical and nuclear reactions,energy is transferred into or out of asystem. Heat, light, mechanical motion,or electricity might all be involved insuch transfers.[See Unifying Conceptsand Processes]

� The sun is a major source of energy forchanges on the earth’s surface. The sunloses energy by emitting light. A tinyfraction of that light reaches the earth,transferring energy from the sun to theearth. The sun’s energy arrives as lightwith a range of wavelengths, consistingof visible light, infrared, and ultravioletradiation.

L i f e S c i en ceCONTENT STANDARD C:


all students should develop

understanding of

� Structure and function in living systems

� Reproduction and heredity

� Regulation and behavior

� Populations and ecosystems

� Diversity and adaptations of organisms


In the middle-school years, students shouldprogress from studying life science from thepoint of view of individual organisms torecognizing patterns in ecosystems anddeveloping understandings about the cellular

dimensions of living systems. For example,students should broaden their understandingfrom the way one species lives in itsenvironment to populations and communitiesof species and the ways they interact witheach other and with their environment.Students also should expand theirinvestigations of living systems to include thestudy of cells. Observations and investigationsshould become increasingly quantitative,incorporating the use of computers andconceptual and mathematical models.Students in grades 5-8 also have the fine-motor skills to work with a light microscopeand can interpret accurately what they see,enhancing their introduction to cells andmicroorganisms and establishing a foundationfor developing understanding of molecularbiology at the high school level.

Some aspects of middle-school studentunderstanding should be noted. This period ofdevelopment in youth lends itself to humanbiology. Middle-school students can developthe understanding that the body has organsthat function together to maintain life.Teachers should introduce the general idea ofstructure-function in the context of humanorgan systems working together. Other, morespecific and concrete examples, such as thehand, can be used to develop a specificunderstanding of structure-function in livingsystems. By middle-school, most studentsknow about the basic process of sexualreproduction in humans. However, the studentmight have misconceptions about the role ofsperm and eggs and about the sexualreproduction of flowering plants. Concerningheredity, younger middle-school students tendto focus on observable traits, and olderstudents have some understanding that geneticmaterial carries information.

Students understand ecosystems and theinteractions between organisms andenvironments well enough by this stage tointroduce ideas about nutrition and energy


flow, although some students might beconfused by charts and flow diagrams. Ifasked about common ecological concepts,such as community and competition betweenorganisms, teachers are likely to hearresponses based on everyday experiencesrather than scientific explanations. Teachersshould use the students’ understanding as abasis to develop the scientific understanding.

Understanding adaptation can beparticularly troublesome at this level. Manystudents think adaptation means thatindividuals change in major ways in responseto environmental changes (that is, if theenvironment changes, individual organismsdeliberately adapt).



STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN LIVING SYSTEMS� Living systems at all levels of

organization demonstrate thecomplementary nature of structure andfunction. Important levels oforganization for structure and functioninclude cells, organs, tissues, organsystems, whole organisms, andecosystems.[See Unifying Conceptsand Processes]

� All organisms are composed of cellsthe fundamental unit of life. Mostorganisms are single cells; otherorganisms, including humans, aremulticellular.

� Cells carry on the many functionsneeded to sustain life. They grow anddivide, thereby producing more cells.This requires that they take innutrients, which they use to provideenergy for the work that cells do and to

make the materials that a cell or anorganism needs.

� Specialized cells perform specializedfunctions in multicellular organisms.Groups of specialized cells cooperate toform a tissue, such as a muscle.Different tissues are in turn groupedtogether to form larger functional units,called organs. Each type of cell, tissue,and organ has a distinct structure andset of functions that serve the organismas a whole.

� The human organism has systems fordigestion, respiration, reproduction,circulation, excretion, movement,control, and coordination, and forprotection from disease. These systemsinteract with one another.

� Disease is a breakdown in structures orfunctions of an organism. Somediseases are the result of intrinsicfailures of the system. Others are theresult of damage by infection by otherorganisms.

REPRODUCTION AND HEREDITY

� Reproduction is a characteristic of allliving systems; because no individualorganism lives forever, reproduction isessential to the continuation of everyspecies. Some organisms reproduceasexually. Other organisms reproducesexually.

� In many species, including humans,females produce eggs and malesproduce sperm. Plants also reproducesexually—the egg and sperm areproduced in the flowers of floweringplants. An egg and sperm unite to


begin development of a new individual.That new individual receives geneticinformation from its mother (via theegg) and its father (via the sperm).Sexually produced offspring never areidentical to either of their parents.

� Every organism requires a set ofinstructions for specifying its traits.Heredity is the passage of theseinstructions from one generation toanother.

� Hereditary information is contained ingenes, located in the chromosomes ofeach cell. Each gene carries a singleunit of information. An inherited traitof an individual can be determined byone or by many genes, and a singlegene can influence more than one trait.A human cell contains many thousandsof different genes.

� The characteristics of an organism canbe described in terms of a combinationof traits. Some traits are inherited andothers result from interactions with theenvironment.

REGULATION AND BEHAVIOR

� All organisms must be able to obtainand use resources, grow, reproduce, andmaintain stable internal conditionswhile living in a constantly changingexternal environment.

� Regulation of an organism’s internalenvironment involves sensing theinternal environment and changingphysiological activities to keepconditions within the range required tosurvive.

� Behavior is one kind of response anorganism can make to an internal or

environmental stimulus. A behavioralresponse requires coordination andcommunication at many levels,including cells, organ systems, andwhole organisms. Behavioral response isa set of actions determined in part byheredity and in part from experience.

� An organism’s behavior evolves throughadaptation to its environment. How aspecies moves, obtains food,reproduces, and responds to danger arebased in the species’ evolutionaryhistory.

POPULATIONS AND ECOSYSTEMS

� A population consists of all individualsof a species that occur together at agiven place and time. All populationsliving together and the physical factorswith which they interact compose anecosystem.

� Populations of organisms can becategorized by the function they servein an ecosystem. Plants and somemicro-organisms are producers—theymake their own food. All animals,including humans, are consumers,which obtain food by eating otherorganisms. Decomposers, primarilybacteria and fungi, are consumers thatuse waste materials and dead organismsfor food. Food webs identify therelationships among producers,consumers, and decomposers in anecosystem.

� For ecosystems, the major source ofenergy is sunlight. Energy enteringecosystems as sunlight is transferred byproducers into chemical energy throughphotosynthesis. That energy then passes


from organism to organism in foodwebs.

� The number of organisms an ecosystemcan support depends on the resourcesavailable and abiotic factors, such asquantity of light and water, range oftemperatures, and soil composition.Given adequate biotic and abioticresources and no disease or predators,populations (including humans)increase at rapid rates. Lack ofresources and other factors, such aspredation and climate, limit the growthof populations in specific niches in theecosystem.

DIVERSITY AND ADAPTATIONS OF

ORGANISMS

� Millions of species of animals, plants,and microorganisms are alive today.Although different species might lookdissimilar, the unity among organismsbecomes apparent from an analysis ofinternal structures, the similarity oftheir chemical processes, and theevidence of common ancestry.

� Biological evolution accounts for thediversity of species developed throughgradual processes over manygenerations. Species acquire many oftheir unique characteristics throughbiological adaptation, which involvesthe selection of naturally occurringvariations in populations. Biologicaladaptations include changes instructures, behaviors, or physiology thatenhance survival and reproductivesuccess in a particular environment.

� Extinction of a species occurs when theenvironment changes and the adaptivecharacteristics of a species are

insufficient to allow its survival. Fossilsindicate that many organisms that livedlong ago are extinct. Extinction ofspecies is common; most of the speciesthat have lived on the earth no longerexist.

Ea r t h and Spa ceS c i en ceCONTENT STANDARD D:



understanding of

� Structure of the earth system

� Earth’s history

� Earth in the solar system


A major goal of science in the middle gradesis for students to develop an understanding ofearth and the solar system as a set of closelycoupled systems. The idea of systems providesa framework in which students can investigatethe four major interacting components of theearth system—geosphere (crust, mantle, andcore), hydro-sphere (water), atmosphere (air),and the biosphere (the realm of all livingthings). In this holistic approach to studyingthe planet, physical, chemical, and biologicalprocesses act within and among the fourcomponents on a wide range of time scales tochange continuously earth’s crust, oceans,atmosphere, and living organisms. Studentscan investigate the water and rock cycles asintroductory examples of geophysical andgeochemical cycles. Their study of earth’s


history provides some evidence about co-evolution of the planet’s main features—thedistribution of land and sea, features of thecrust, the composition of the atmosphere,global climate, and populations of livingorganisms in the biosphere.

By plotting the locations of volcanoes andearthquakes, students can see a pattern ofgeological activity. Earth has an outermostrigid shell called the lithosphere. It is made upof the crust and part of the upper mantle. It isbroken into about a dozen rigid plates thatmove without deforming, except at boundarieswhere they collide. Those plates range inthickness from a few to more than 100kilometers. Ocean floors are the tops of thinoceanic plates that spread outward frommidocean rift zones; land surfaces are the topsof thicker, less-dense continental plates.

Because students do not have direct contactwith most of these phenomena and the long-term nature of the processes, someexplanations of moving plates and theevolution of life must be reserved for late ingrades 5-8. As students mature, the concept ofevaporation can be reasonably wellunderstood as the conservation of mattercombined with a primitive idea of particlesand the idea that air is real. Condensation isless well understood and requires extensiveobservation and instruction to complete anunderstanding of the water cycle.

The understanding that students gain fromtheir observations in grades K-4 provides themotivation and the basis from which they canbegin to construct a model that explains thevisual and physical relationships among earth,sun, moon, and the solar system. Directobservation and satellite data allow students toconclude that earth is a moving, sphericalplanet, having unique features that distinguishit from other planets in the solar system. Fromactivities with trajectories and orbits and usingthe earth-sun-moon system as an example,students can develop the understanding that

gravity is a ubiquitous force that holds allparts of the solar system together. Energyfrom the sun transferred by light and otherradiation is the primary energy source forprocesses on earth’s surface and in itshydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.

By grades 5-8, students have a clear notionabout gravity, the shape of the earth, and therelative positions of the earth, sun, and moon.Nevertheless, more than half of the studentswill not be able to use these models to explainthe phases of the moon, and correctexplanations for the seasons will be even moredifficult to achieve.



STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH SYSTEM� The solid earth is layered with a

lithosphere; hot, convecting mantle;and dense, metallic core.

� Lithospheric plates on the scales ofcontinents and oceans constantly moveat rates of centimeters per year inresponse to movements in the mantle.Major geological events, such asearthquakes, volcanic eruptions, andmountain building, result from theseplate motions.[See Content Standard F(grades 5-8)]

� Land forms are the result of acombination of constructive anddestructive forces. Constructive forcesinclude crustal deformation, volcaniceruption, and deposition of sediment,while destructive forces includeweathering and erosion.

� Some changes in the solid earth can bedescribed as the “rock cycle.” Old rocksat the earth’s surface weather, formingsediments that are buried, then


compacted, heated, and oftenrecrystallized into new rock. Eventually,those new rocks may be brought to thesurface by the forces that drive platemotions, and the rock cycle continues.

� Soil consists of weathered rocks anddecomposed organic material fromdead plants, animals, and bacteria.Soils are often found in layers, witheach having a different chemicalcomposition and texture.

� Water, which covers the majority of theearth’s surface, circulates through thecrust, oceans, and atmosphere in whatis known as the “water cycle.” Waterevaporates from the earth’s surface,rises and cools as it moves to higherelevations, condenses as rain or snow,and falls to the surface where it collectsin lakes, oceans, soil, and in rocksunderground.

� Water is a solvent. As it passes throughthe water cycle it dissolves minerals andgases and carries them to the oceans.

� The atmosphere is a mixture ofnitrogen, oxygen, and trace gases thatinclude water vapor. The atmospherehas different properties at differentelevations.

� Clouds, formed by the condensation ofwater vapor, affect weather and climate.

� Global patterns of atmosphericmovement influence local weather.Oceans have a major effect on climate,because water in the oceans holds alarge amount of heat.

� Living organisms have played manyroles in the earth system, includingaffecting the composition of theatmosphere, producing some types of

rocks, and contributing to theweathering of rocks.

EARTH’S HISTORY

� The earth processes we see today,including erosion, movement oflithospheric plates, and changes inatmospheric composition, are similar tothose that occurred in the past. earthhistory is also influenced by occasionalcatastrophes, such as the impact of anasteroid or comet.

� Fossils provide important evidence ofhow life and environmental conditionshave changed.[See Content Standard C(grades 5-8)]

EARTH IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

� The earth is the third planet from thesun in a system that includes the moon,the sun, eight other planets and theirmoons, and smaller objects, such asasteroids and comets. The sun, anaverage star, is the central and largestbody in the solar system.[See UnifyingConcepts and Processes]

� Most objects in the solar system are inregular and predictable motion. Thosemotions explain such phenomena as theday, the year, phases of the moon, andeclipses.

� Gravity is the force that keeps planets inorbit around the sun and governs therest of the motion in the solar system.Gravity alone holds us to the earth’ssurface and explains the phenomena ofthe tides.

� The sun is the major source of energyfor phenomena on the earth’s surface,such as growth of plants, winds, ocean


currents, and the water cycle. Seasonsresult from variations in the amount ofthe sun’s energy hitting the surface, dueto the tilt of the earth’s rotation on itsaxis and the length of the day.

S c i en ce and Te chno l ogyCONTENT STANDARD E:

As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all

students should develop

� Abilities of technological design

� Understandings about science and

technology

DEVELOPING STUDENT ABILITIESAND UNDERSTANDING

Students in grades 5-8 can begin todifferentiate between science and technology,although the distinction is not easy to makeearly in this level. One basis for understandingthe similarities, differences, and relationshipsbetween science and technology should beexperiences with design and problem solvingin which students can further develop some ofthe abilities introduced in grades K-4. Theunderstanding of technology can bedeveloped by tasks in which students have todesign something and also by studyingtechnological products and systems.

In the middle-school years, students’ workwith scientific investigations can becomplemented by activities in which thepurpose is to meet a human need, solve ahuman problem, or develop a product ratherthan to explore ideas about the natural world.The tasks chosen should involve the use ofscience concepts already familiar to studentsor should motivate them to learn newconcepts needed to use or understand thetechnology. Students should also, through the

experience of trying to meet a need in thebest possible way, begin to appreciate thattechnological design and problem solvinginvolve many other factors besides thescientific issues. Suitable design tasks forstudents at these grades should be well-defined, so that the purposes of the tasks arenot confusing. Tasks should be based oncontexts that are immediately familiar in thehomes, school, and immediate community ofthe students. The activities should bestraightforward with only a few well-definedways to solve the problems involved. Thecriteria for success and the constraints fordesign should be limited. Only one or twoscience ideas should be involved in anyparticular task. Any construction involvedshould be readily accomplished by thestudents and should not involve lengthylearning of new physical skills or time-consuming preparation and assemblyoperations.During the middle-school years, the designtasks should cover a range of needs, materials,and aspects of science. Suitable experiencescould include making electrical circuits for awarning device, designing a meal to meetnutritional criteria, choosing a material tocombine strength with insulation, selectingplants for an area of a school, or designing asystem to move dishes in a restaurant or in aproduction line.

In the middle-school years, students’

work with scientific investigations

can be complemented by activities

that are meant to meet a human

need, solve a human problem, or

develop a product.

Such work should be complemented by thestudy of technology in the students’ everyday


world. This could be achieved by investigatingsimple, familiar objects through whichstudents can develop powers of observationand analysis—for example, by comparing thevarious characteristics of competing consumerproducts, including cost, convenience,durability, and suitability for different modesof use. Regardless of the product used,students need to understand the sciencebehind it. There should be a balance over theyears, with the products studied coming fromthe areas of clothing, food, structures, andsimple mechanical and electrical devices. Theinclusion of some nonproduct-orientedproblems is important to help studentsunderstand that technological solutionsinclude the design of systems and can involvecommunication, ideas, and rules.

The principles of design for grades 5-8 donot change from grades K-4. But thecomplexity of the problems addressed and theextended ways the principles are applied dochange.



ABILITIES OF TECHNOLOGICAL DESIGNIDENTIFY APPROPRIATE PROBLEMSFOR TECHNOLOGICAL DESIGN. Studentsshould develop their abilities by identifyinga specified need, considering its variousaspects, and talking to different potentialusers or beneficiaries. They shouldappreciate that for some needs, the culturalbackgrounds and beliefs of different groupscan affect the criteria for a suitableproduct.[See Content Standard A (grades5-8)]

DESIGN A SOLUTION OR PRODUCT.

Students should make and compare

different proposals in the light of thecriteria they have selected. They mustconsider constraints—such as cost, time,trade-offs, and materials needed—andcommunicate ideas with drawings andsimple models.

IMPLEMENT A PROPOSED DESIGN

Students should organize materials andother resources, plan their work, makegood use of group collaboration whereappropriate, choose suitable tools andtechniques, and work with appropriatemeasurement methods to ensure adequateaccuracy.

EVALUATE COMPLETED

TECHNOLOGICAL DESIGNS OR

PRODUCTS. Students should use criteriarelevant to the original purpose or need,consider a variety of factors that mightaffect acceptability and suitability forintended users or beneficiaries, anddevelop measures of quality with respect tosuch criteria and factors; they should alsosuggest improvements and, for their ownproducts, try proposed modifications.

COMMUNICATE THE PROCESS OF

TECHNOLOGICAL DESIGN. Studentsshould review and describe any completedpiece of work and identify the stages ofproblem identification, solution design,implementation, and evaluation.[SeeTeaching Standard B]

UNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY� Scientific inquiry and technological

design have similarities and differences.


Scientists propose explanations forquestions about the natural world, andengineers propose solutions relating tohuman problems, needs, andaspirations. Technological solutions aretemporary; technologies exist withinnature and so they cannot contravenephysical or biological principles;technological solutions have sideeffects; and technologies cost, carryrisks, and provide benefits.[See Content Standards A, F, & G(grades 5-8)]

� Many different people in differentcultures have made and continue tomake contributions to science andtechnology.

� Science and technology are reciprocal.Science helps drive technology, as itaddresses questions that demand moresophisticated instruments and providesprinciples for better instrumentationand technique. Technology is essentialto science, because it providesinstruments and techniques that enableobservations of objects and phenomenathat are otherwise unobservable due tofactors such as quantity, distance,location, size, and speed. Technologyalso provides tools for investigations,inquiry, and analysis.

� Perfectly designed solutions do notexist. All technological solutions havetrade-offs, such as safety, cost,efficiency, and appearance. Engineersoften build in back-up systems toprovide safety. Risk is part of living ina highly technological world. Reducingrisk often results in new technology.

� Technological designs have constraints.Some constraints are unavoidable, forexample, properties of materials, oreffects of weather and friction; otherconstraints limit choices in the design,for example, environmental protection,human safety, and aesthetics.

� Technological solutions have intendedbenefits and unintended consequences.Some consequences can be predicted,others cannot.

S c i en ce i n Pe r s ona l and So c i a l Pe r spe c t i v e sCONTENT STANDARD F:


students should develop understanding of

� Personal health

� Populations, resources, and

environments

� Natural hazards

� Risks and benefits

� Science and technology in society


Due to their developmental levels andexpanded understanding, students in grades 5-8 can undertake sophisticated study ofpersonal and societal challenges. Building onthe foundation established in grades K-4,students can expand their study of health andestablish linkages among populations,resources, and environments; they can developan understanding of natural hazards, the roleof technology in relation to personal andsocietal issues, and learn about risks and


EA/Science • 2004

personal decisions. Challenges emerge fromthe knowledge that the products, processes,technologies and inventions of a society canresult in pollution and environmentaldegradation and can involve some level of riskto human health or to the survival of otherspecies.

The study of science-related personal andsocietal challenges is an important endeavorfor science education at the middle level. Bymiddle school, students begin to realize thatillness can be caused by various factors, suchas microorganisms, genetic predispositions,malfunctioning of organs and organ-systems,health habits, and environmental conditions.Students in grades 5-8 tend to focus onphysical more than mental health. Theyassociate health with food and fitness morethan with other factors such as safety andsubstance use. One very important issue forteachers in grades 5-8 is overcoming students’perceptions that most factors related to healthare beyond their control.

Students often have the vocabulary for manyaspects of health, but they often do notunderstand the science related to theterminology. Developing a scientificunderstanding of health is a focus of thisstandard. Healthy behaviors and other aspectsof health education are introduced in otherparts of school programs.

Although students in grades 5-8

have some awareness of global

issues, teachers should challenge

misconceptions, such as anything

natural is not a pollutant, oceans are

limitless resources, and humans are

indestructible as a species.

By grades 5-8, students begin to develop amore conceptual understanding of ecological

crises. For example, they begin to realize thecumulative ecological effects of pollution. Bythis age, students can study environmentalissues of a large and abstract nature, forexample, acid rain or global ozone depletion.However, teachers should challenge severalimportant misconceptions, such as anythingnatural is not a pollutant, oceans are limitlessresources, and humans are indestructible as aspecies.

Little research is available on students’perceptions of risk and benefit in the contextof science and technology. Studentssometimes view social harm fromtechnological failure as unacceptable. On theother hand, some believe if the risk is personaland voluntary, then it is part of life and shouldnot be the concern of others (or society).Helping students develop an understanding ofrisks and benefits in the areas of health,natural hazards—and science and technologyin general—presents a challenge to middle-school teachers.

Middle-school students are generally awareof science-technology-society issues from themedia, but their awareness is fraught withmisunderstandings. Teachers should begindeveloping student understanding withconcrete and personal examples that avoid anexclusive focus on problems.



PERSONAL HEALTH

� Regular exercise is important to themaintenance and improvement ofhealth. The benefits of physical fitnessinclude maintaining healthy weight,having energy and strength for routineactivities, good muscle tone, bonestrength, strong heart/lung systems,and improved mental health. Personal


exercise, especially developingcardiovascular endurance, is thefoundation of physical fitness.

� The potential for accidents and theexistence of hazards imposes the needfor injury prevention. Safe livinginvolves the development and use ofsafety precautions and the recognitionof risk in personal decisions. Injuryprevention has personal and socialdimensions.

� The use of tobacco increases the risk ofillness. Students should understand theinfluence of short-term social andpsychological factors that lead totobacco use, and the possible long-termdetrimental effects of smoking andchewing tobacco.

� Alcohol and other drugs are oftenabused substances. Such drugs changehow the body functions and can lead toaddiction.

� Food provides energy and nutrients forgrowth and development. Nutritionrequirements vary with body weight,age, sex, activity, and body functioning.

� Sex drive is a natural human functionthat requires understanding. Sex is alsoa prominent means of transmittingdiseases. The diseases can be preventedthrough a variety of precautions.

� Natural environments may containsubstances (for example, radon andlead) that are harmful to human beings.Maintaining environmental healthinvolves establishing or monitoringquality standards related to use of soil,water, and air.

POPULATIONS, RESOURCES, AND

ENVIRONMENTS

� When an area becomes overpopulated,the environment will become degradeddue to the increased use of resources.

� Causes of environmental degradationand resource depletion vary fromregion to region and from country tocountry.

NATURAL HAZARDS

� Internal and external processes of theearth system cause natural hazards,events that change or destroy humanand wildlife habitats, damage property,and harm or kill humans. Naturalhazards include earthquakes, landslides,wildfires, volcanic eruptions, floods,storms, and even possible impacts ofasteroids.[See Content Standard D(grades 5-8)]

� Human activities also can inducehazards through resource acquisition,urban growth, land-use decisions, andwaste disposal. Such activities canaccelerate many natural changes.

� Natural hazards can present personaland societal challenges becausemisidentifying the change or incorrectlyestimating the rate and scale of changemay result in either too little attentionand significant human costs or toomuch cost for unneeded preventivemeasures.

RISKS AND BENEFITS

� Risk analysis considers the type ofhazard and estimates the number ofpeople that might be exposed and the


number likely to suffer consequences.The results are used to determine theoptions for reducing or eliminatingrisks.

� Students should understand the risksassociated with natural hazards (fires,floods, tornadoes, hurricanes,earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions),with chemical hazards (pollutants in air,water, soil, and food), with biologicalhazards (pollen, viruses, bacterial, andparasites), social hazards (occupationalsafety and transportation), and withpersonal hazards (smoking, dieting, anddrinking).

� Individuals can use a systematicapproach to thinking critically aboutrisks and benefits. Examples includeapplying probability estimates to risksand comparing them to estimatedpersonal and social benefits.

� Important personal and social decisionsare made based on perceptions ofbenefits and risks.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN

SOCIETY

� Science influences society through itsknowledge and world view. Scientificknowledge and the procedures used byscientists influence the way manyindividuals in society think aboutthemselves, others, and theenvironment. The effect of science onsociety is neither entirely beneficial norentirely detrimental. [See ContentStandard E (grades 5-8)]

� Societal challenges often inspirequestions for scientific research, andsocial priorities often influence researchpriorities through the availability of

funding for research.� Technology influences society through

its products and processes. Technologyinfluences the quality of life and theways people act and interact.Technological changes are oftenaccompanied by social, political, andeconomic changes that can bebeneficial or detrimental to individualsand to society. Social needs, attitudes,and values influence the direction oftechnological development.

� Science and technology have advancedthrough contributions of many differentpeople, in different cultures, at differenttimes in history. Science andtechnology have contributedenormously to economic growth andproductivity among societies andgroups within societies.

� Scientists and engineers work in manydifferent settings, including collegesand universities, businesses andindustries, specific research institutes,and government agencies.

Science and technology have

advanced through the contributions

of many different people in different

cultures at different times in history.

� Scientists and engineers have ethicalcodes requiring that human subjectsinvolved with research be fullyinformed about risks and benefitsassociated with the research before theindividuals choose to participate. Thisethic extends to potential risks tocommunities and property. In short,prior knowledge and consent are


required for research involving humansubjects or potential damage toproperty.

� Science cannot answer all questions andtechnology cannot solve all humanproblems or meet all human needs.Students should understand thedifference between scientific and otherquestions. They should appreciate whatscience and technology can reasonablycontribute to society and what theycannot do. For example, newtechnologies often will decrease somerisks and increase others.

H i s t o r y and Na tu reo f S c i en ceCONTENT STANDARD G:



� Science as a human endeavor

� Nature of science

� History of science


Experiences in which students actuallyengage in scientific investigations provide thebackground for developing an understandingof the nature of scientific inquiry, and willalso provide a foundation for appreciating thehistory of science described in this standard.

The introduction of historical examples willhelp students see the scientific enterprise asmore philosophical, social, and human.Middle-school students can thereby develop abetter understanding of scientific inquiry andthe interactions between science and society.In general, teachers of science should notassume that students have an accurateconception of the nature of science in either

contemporary or historical contexts.To develop understanding of the history and

nature of science, teachers of science can usethe actual experiences of studentinvestigations, case studies, and historicalvignettes. The intention of this standard is notto develop an overview of the completehistory of science. Rather, historical examplesare used to help students understand scientificinquiry, the nature of scientific knowledge,and the interactions between science andsociety.



SCIENCE AS A HUMAN ENDEAVOR

� Women and men of various social andethnic backgrounds—and with diverseinterests, talents, qualities, andmotivations—engage in the activities ofscience, engineering, and related fieldssuch as the health professions. Somescientists work in teams, and some workalone, but all communicate extensivelywith others.

� Science requires different abilities,depending on such factors as the fieldof study and type of inquiry. Science isvery much a human endeavor, and thework of science relies on basic humanqualities, such as reasoning, insight,energy, skill, and creativity—as well ason scientific habits of mind, such asintellectual honesty, tolerance ofambiguity, skepticism, and openness tonew ideas.

NATURE OF SCIENCE

� Scientists formulate and test theirexplanations of nature using


observation, experiments, andtheoretical and mathematical models.Although all scientific ideas aretentative and subject to change andimprovement in principle, for mostmajor ideas in science, there is muchexperimental and observationalconfirmation. Those ideas are not likelyto change greatly in the future.Scientists do and have changed theirideas about nature when theyencounter new experimental evidencethat does not match their existingexplanations.

� In areas where active research is beingpursued and in which there is not agreat deal of experimental orobservational evidence andunderstanding, it is normal forscientists to differ with one anotherabout the interpretation of theevidence or theory being considered.Different scientists might publishconflicting experimental results ormight draw different conclusions fromthe same data. Ideally, scientistsacknowledge such conflict and worktowards finding evidence that willresolve their disagreement.

Students should understand the

difference between scientific and other

questions and what science

and technology can and cannot

reasonably contribute to society.

� It is part of scientific inquiry toevaluate the results of scientificinvestigations, experiments,observations, theoretical models, and

the explanations proposed by otherscientists. Evaluation includes reviewingthe experimental procedures, examiningthe evidence, identifying faultyreasoning, pointing out statements thatgo beyond the evidence, and suggestingalternative explanations for the sameobservations. Although scientists maydisagree about explanations ofphenomena, about interpretations ofdata, or about the value of rivaltheories, they do agree thatquestioning, response to criticism, andopen communication are integral to theprocess of science. As scientificknowledge evolves, majordisagreements are eventually resolvedthrough such interactions betweenscientists.

HISTORY OF SCIENCE

� Many individuals have contributed tothe traditions of science. Studying someof these individuals provides furtherunderstanding of scientific inquiry,science as a human endeavor, thenature of science, and the relationshipsbetween science and society.

� In historical perspective, science hasbeen practiced by different individualsin different cultures. In looking at thehistory of many peoples, one finds thatscientists and engineers of highachievement are considered to be amongthe most valued contributors to theirculture.

� Tracing the history of science can show howdifficult it was for scientific innovators tobreak through the accepted ideas of theirtime to reach the conclusions that wecurrently take for granted.



science investigations, and serve as filters fortheir explanations of scientific phenomena.Left unexamined, the limited nature ofstudents’ beliefs will interfere with their abilityto develop a deep understanding of science.Thus, in a full inquiry, instructional strategiessuch as small-group discussions, labeleddrawings, writings, and concept mappingshould be used by the teacher of science togain information about students’ currentexplanations. Those student explanations thenbecome a baseline for instruction as teachershelp students construct explanations alignedwith scientific knowledge; teachers also helpstudents evaluate their own explanations andthose made by scientists.

Students also need to learn how to analyzeevidence and data. The evidence they analyzemay be from their investigations, otherstudents’ investigations, or databases. Datamanipulation and analysis strategies need tobe modeled by teachers of science andpracticed by students. Determining the rangeof the data, the mean and mode values of thedata, plotting the data, developingmathematical functions from the data, andlooking for anomalous data are all examples ofanalyses students can perform. Teachers ofscience can ask questions, such as “Whatexplanation did you expect to develop fromthe data?” “Were there any surprises in thedata?” “How confident do you feel about theaccuracy of the data?” Students shouldanswer questions such as these during full andpartial inquiries.

Public discussions of the explanationsproposed by students is a form of peer reviewof investigations, and peer review is animportant aspect of science. Talking withpeers about science experiences helps studentsdevelop meaning and understanding. Theirconversations clarify the concepts andprocesses of science, helping students makesense of the content of science. Teachers ofscience should engage students in

conversations that focus on questions, such as“How do we know?” “How certain are you ofthose results?” “Is there a better way to do theinvestigation?” “If you had to explain this tosomeone who knew nothing about the project,how would you do it?” “Is there an alternativescientific explanation for the one weproposed?” “Should we do the investigationover?” “Do we need more evidence?” “Whatare our sources of experimental error?” “Howdo you account for an explanation that isdifferent from ours?”

Questions like these make it possible forstudents to analyze data, develop a richerknowledge base, reason using scienceconcepts, make connections between evidenceand explanations, and recognize alternativeexplanations. Ideas should be examined anddiscussed in class so that other students canbenefit from the feedback. Teachers of sciencecan use the ideas of students in their class,ideas from other classes, and ideas from texts,databases, or other sources—but scientificideas and methods should be discussed in thefashion just described.



ABILITIES NECESSARY TO DO

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY

IDENTIFY QUESTIONS AND CONCEPTS

THAT GUIDE SCIENTIFIC

INVESTIGATIONS. Students shouldformulate a testable hypothesis anddemonstrate the logical connectionsbetween the scientific concepts guiding ahypothesis and the design of anexperiment. They should demonstrateappropriate procedures, a knowledge base,and conceptual understanding of scientificinvestigations.


DESIGN AND CONDUCT SCIENTIFIC

INVESTIGATIONS. Designing andconducting a scientific investigationrequires introduction to the major conceptsin the area being investigated, properequipment, safety precautions, assistancewith methodological problems,recommendations for use of technologies,clarification of ideas that guide theinquiry, and scientific knowledge obtainedfrom sources other than the actualinvestigation. The investigation may alsorequire student clarification of thequestion, method, controls, and variables;student organization and display of data;student revision of methods andexplanations; and a public presentation ofthe results with a critical response frompeers. Regardless of the scientificinvestigation performed, students must useevidence, apply logic, and construct anargument for their proposed explanations.

USE TECHNOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS

TO IMPROVE INVESTIGATIONS AND

COMMUNICATIONS. A variety oftechnologies, such as hand tools, measuringinstruments, and calculators, should be anintegral component of scientificinvestigations. The use of computers forthe collection, analysis, and display of datais also a part of this standard. Mathematicsplays an essential role in all aspects of aninquiry. For example, measurement is usedfor posing questions, formulas are used fordeveloping explanations, and charts andgraphs are used for communicating results.

FORMULATE AND REVISE SCIENTIFIC

EXPLANATIONS AND MODELS USING

LOGIC AND EVIDENCE. Student inquiriesshould culminate in formulating anexplanation or model. Models should bephysical, conceptual, and mathematical. Inthe process of answering the questions, thestudents should engage in discussions andarguments that result in the revision oftheir explanations. These discussionsshould be based on scientific knowledge,the use of logic, and evidence from theirinvestigation.

RECOGNIZE AND ANALYZE

ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS AND

MODELS. This aspect of the standardemphasizes the critical abilities ofanalyzing an argument by reviewingcurrent scientific understanding, weighingthe evidence, and examining the logic so asto decide which explanations and modelsare best. In other words, although theremay be several plausible explanations, theydo not all have equal weight. Studentsshould be able to use scientific criteria tofind the preferred explanations.

COMMUNICATE AND DEFEND A

SCIENTIFIC ARGUMENT. Students inschool science programs should developthe abilities associated with accurate andeffective communication. These includewriting and following procedures,expressing concepts, reviewinginformation, summarizing data, usinglanguage appropriately, developing


diagrams and charts, explaining statisticalanalysis, speaking clearly and logically,constructing a reasoned argument, andresponding appropriately to criticalcomments. [See Teaching Standard B inChapter 3]

UNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY� Scientists usually inquire about how

physical, living, or designed systemsfunction. Conceptual principles andknowledge guide scientific inquiries.Historical and current scientificknowledge influence the design andinterpretation of investigations and theevaluation of proposed explanationsmade by other scientists. [See UnifyingConcepts and Processes]

� Scientists conduct investigations for awide variety of reasons. For example,they may wish to discover new aspectsof the natural world, explain recentlyobserved phenomena, or test theconclusions of prior investigations orthe predictions of current theories.

� Scientists rely on technology to enhancethe gathering and manipulation ofdata. New techniques and tools providenew evidence to guide inquiry and newmethods to gather data, therebycontributing to the advance of science.The accuracy and precision of thedata, and therefore the quality of theexploration, depends on the technologyused. [See Content Standard E(grades 9-12)]

� Mathematics is essential in scientificinquiry. Mathematical tools and modelsguide and improve the posing of

questions, gathering data, constructingexplanations and communicatingresults. [See Program Standard C]

� Scientific explanations must adhere tocriteria such as: a proposed explanationmust be logically consistent; it mustabide by the rules of evidence; it mustbe open to questions and possiblemodification; and it must be based onhistorical and current scientificknowledge.

� Results of scientific inquiry—newknowledge and methods—emerge fromdifferent types of investigations andpublic communication among scientists.In communicating and defending theresults of scientific inquiry, argumentsmust be logical and demonstrateconnections between naturalphenomena, investigations, and thehistorical body of scientific knowledge.In addition, the methods andprocedures that scientists used to obtainevidence must be clearly reported toenhance opportunities for furtherinvestigation.

Phy s i c a l S c i en ceCONTENT STANDARD B:



understanding of

� Structure of atoms

� Structure and properties of matter

� Chemical reactions

� Motions and forces

� Conservation of energy and increase in

disorder

� Interactions of energy and matter



High-school students develop the ability torelate the macroscopic properties ofsubstances that they study in grades K-8 tothe microscopic structure of substances. Thisdevelopment in understanding requiresstudents to move among three domains ofthought—the macroscopic world ofobservable phenomena, the microscopic worldof molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles,and the symbolic and mathematical world ofchemical formulas, equations, and symbols.

The relationship between properties ofmatter and its structure continues as a majorcomponent of study in 9-12 physical science.In the elementary grades, students studied theproperties of matter and the classification ofsubstances using easily observable properties.In the middle grades, they examined changeof state, solutions, and simple chemicalreactions, and developed enough knowledgeand experience to define the properties ofelements and compounds. When studentsobserve and integrate a wide variety ofevidence, such as seeing copper “dissolved” byan acid into a solution and then retrieved aspure copper when it is displaced by zinc, theidea that copper atoms are the same for anycopper object begins to make sense. In each ofthese reactions, the knowledge that the massof the substance does not change can beinterpreted by assuming that the number ofparticles does not change during theirrearrangement in the reaction. Studies ofstudent understanding of molecules indicatethat it will be difficult for them to comprehendthe very small size and large number ofparticles involved. The connection betweenthe particles and the chemical formulas thatrepresent them is also often not clear.

It is logical for students to begin askingabout the internal structure of atoms, and it

will be difficult, but important, for them toknow “how we know.” Quality learning andthe spirit and practice of scientific inquiry arelost when the evidence and argument foratomic structure are replaced by directassertions by the teacher and text. Althoughmany experiments are difficult to replicate inschool, students can read some of the actualreports and examine the chain of evidencethat led to the development of the currentconcept of the atom. The nature of the atomis far from totally understood; scientistscontinue to investigate atoms and havediscovered even smaller constituents of whichneutrons and protons are made.

Laboratory investigation of the properties ofsubstances and their changes through a rangeof chemical interactions provide a basis forthe high school graduate to understand avariety of reaction types and theirapplications, such as the capability to liberateelements from ore, create new drugs,manipulate the structure of genes, andsynthesize polymers.

Understanding of the microstructure ofmatter can be supported by laboratoryexperiences with the macroscopic andmicroscopic world of forces, motion (includingvibrations and waves), light, and electricity.These experiences expand upon the ones thatthe students had in the middle school andprovide new ways of understanding themovement of muscles, the transport ofmaterials across cell membranes, the behaviorof atoms and molecules, communicationtechnologies, and the movement of planetsand galaxies. By this age, the concept of aforce is better understood, but static forces inequilibrium and students’ intuitive ideas aboutforces on projectiles and satellites still resistchange through instruction for a largepercentage of the students.

On the basis of their experiences withenergy transfers in the middle grades, high-school students can investigate energy


transfers quantitatively by measuring variablessuch as temperature change and kineticenergy. Laboratory investigations anddescriptions of other experiments can helpstudents understand the evidence that leads tothe conclusion that energy is conserved.Although the operational distinction betweentemperature and heat can be fairly wellunderstood after careful instruction, researchwith high-school students indicates that theidea that heat is the energy of random motionand vibrating molecules is difficult for studentsto understand.



STRUCTURE OF ATOMS

� Matter is made of minute particlescalled atoms, and atoms are composedof even smaller components. Thesecomponents have measurableproperties, such as mass and electricalcharge. Each atom has a positivelycharged nucleus surrounded bynegatively charged electrons. Theelectric force between the nucleus andelectrons holds the atom together.

� The atom’s nucleus is composed ofprotons and neutrons, which are muchmore massive than electrons. When anelement has atoms that differ in thenumber of neutrons, these atoms arecalled different isotopes of the element.

� The nuclear forces that hold the nucleusof an atom together, at nucleardistances, are usually stronger than theelectric forces that would make it flyapart. Nuclear reactions convert afraction of the mass of interactingparticles into energy, and they can

release much greater amounts ofenergy than atomic interactions. Fissionis the splitting of a large nucleus intosmaller pieces. Fusion is the joining oftwo nuclei at extremely hightemperature and pressure, and is theprocess responsible for the energy ofthe sun and other stars.

� Radioactive isotopes are unstable andundergo spontaneous nuclear reactions,emitting particles and/or wavelikeradiation. The decay of any onenucleus cannot be predicted, but alarge group of identical nuclei decay ata predictable rate. This predictabilitycan be used to estimate the age ofmaterials that contain radioactiveisotopes.

STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF

MATTER

� Atoms interact with one another bytransferring or sharing electrons thatare furthest from the nucleus. Theseouter electrons govern the chemicalproperties of the element.

� An element is composed of a single typeof atom. When elements are listed inorder according to the number ofprotons (called the atomic number),repeating patterns of physical andchemical properties identify families ofelements with similar properties. This“Periodic Table” is a consequence ofthe repeating pattern of outermostelectrons and their permitted energies.

� Bonds between atoms are created whenelectrons are paired up by beingtransferred or shared. A substancecomposed of a single kind of atom is


called an element. The atoms may bebonded together into molecules orcrystalline solids. A compound isformed when two or more kinds ofatoms bind together chemically.

� The physical properties of compoundsreflect the nature of the interactionsamong its molecules. These interactionsare determined by the structure of themolecule, including the constituentatoms and the distances and anglesbetween them.

� Solids, liquids, and gases differ in thedistances and angles between moleculesor atoms and therefore the energy thatbinds them together. In solids thestructure is nearly rigid; in liquidsmolecules or atoms move around eachother but do not move apart; and ingases molecules or atoms move almostindependently of each other and aremostly far apart.

� Carbon atoms can bond to one anotherin chains, rings, and branchingnetworks to form a variety ofstructures, including syntheticpolymers, oils, and the large moleculesessential to life.

CHEMICAL REACTIONS

� Chemical reactions occur all around us,for example in health care, cooking,cosmetics, and automobiles. Complexchemical reactions involving carbon-based molecules take place constantlyin every cell in our bodies. [SeeContent Standard C (grades 9-12)]

� Chemical reactions may release orconsume energy. Some reactions suchas the burning of fossil fuels release

large amounts of energy by losing heatand by emitting light. Light can initiatemany chemical reactions such asphotosynthesis and the evolution ofurban smog.

� A large number of important reactionsinvolve the transfer of either electrons(oxidation/reduction reactions) orhydrogen ions (acid/base reactions)between reacting ions, molecules, oratoms. In other reactions, chemicalbonds are broken by heat or light toform very reactive radicals withelectrons ready to form new bonds.Radical reactions control manyprocesses such as the presence of ozoneand greenhouse gases in theatmosphere, burning and processing offossil fuels, the formation of polymers,and explosions.

� Chemical reactions can take place intime periods ranging from the fewfemtoseconds (10-15 seconds) requiredfor an atom to move a fraction of achemical bond distance to geologictime scales of billions of years.Reaction rates depend on how often thereacting atoms and moleculesencounter one another, on thetemperature, and on the properties—including shape—of the reactingspecies.

� Catalysts, such as metal surfaces,accelerate chemical reactions. Chemicalreactions in living systems are catalyzedby protein molecules called enzymes.

MOTIONS AND FORCES

� Objects change their motion only whena net force is applied. Laws of motion


are used to calculate precisely theeffects of forces on the motion ofobjects. The magnitude of the changein motion can be calculated using therelationship F = ma, which isindependent of the nature of the force.Whenever one object exerts force onanother, a force equal in magnitudeand opposite in direction is exerted onthe first object.

� Gravitation is a universal force thateach mass exerts on any other mass.The strength of the gravitationalattractive force between two masses isproportional to the masses andinversely proportional to the square ofthe distance between them.

� The electric force is a universal forcethat exists between any two chargedobjects. Opposite charges attract whilelike charges repel. The strength of theforce is proportional to the charges,and, as with gravitation, inverselyproportional to the square of thedistance between them.

� Between any two charged particles,electric force is vastly greater than thegravitational force. Most observableforces such as those exerted by a coiledspring or friction may be traced toelectric forces acting between atomsand molecules.

� Electricity and magnetism are twoaspects of a single electromagneticforce. Moving electric charges producemagnetic forces, and moving magnetsproduce electric forces. These effectshelp students to understand electricmotors and generators.

CONSERVATION OF ENERGY AND THE

INCREASE IN DISORDER

� The total energy of the universe isconstant. Energy can be transferred bycollisions in chemical and nuclearreactions, by light waves and otherradiations, and in many other ways.However, it can never be destroyed. Asthese transfers occur, the matterinvolved becomes steadily less ordered.[See Content Standard C (grades 9-12)]

� All energy can be considered to beeither kinetic energy, which is theenergy of motion; potential energy,which depends on relative position; orenergy contained by a field, such aselectromagnetic waves.

� Heat consists of random motion andthe vibrations of atoms, molecules, andions. The higher the temperature, thegreater the atomic or molecularmotion.

� Everything tends to become lessorganized and less orderly over time.Thus, in all energy transfers, the overalleffect is that the energy is spread outuniformly. Examples are the transfer ofenergy from hotter to cooler objects byconduction, radiation, or convectionand the warming of our surroundingswhen we burn fuels.

INTERACTIONS OF ENERGY AND

MATTER

� Waves, including sound and seismicwaves, waves on water, and light waves,have energy and can transfer energywhen they interact with matter. [SeeContent Standard D (grades 9-12)]

� Electromagnetic waves result when acharged object is accelerated or


decelerated. Electromagnetic wavesinclude radio waves (the longestwavelength), microwaves, infraredradiation (radiant heat), visible light,ultraviolet radiation, x-rays, andgamma rays. The energy ofelectromagnetic waves is carried inpackets whose magnitude is inverselyproportional to the wavelength.

� Each kind of atom or molecule can gainor lose energy only in particulardiscrete amounts and thus can absorband emit light only at wavelengthscorresponding to these amounts. Thesewavelengths can be used to identify thesubstance.

� In some materials, such as metals,electrons flow easily, whereas ininsulating materials such as glass theycan hardly flow at all. Semiconductingmaterials have intermediate behavior.At low temperatures some materialsbecome superconductors and offer noresistance to the flow of electrons.

L i f e S c i en ceCONTENT STANDARD C:


all students should develop

understanding of

� The cell

� Molecular basis of heredity

� Biological evolution

� Interdependence of organisms

� Matter, energy, and organization in

living systems

� Behavior of organisms


Students in grades K-8 should havedeveloped a foundational understanding oflife sciences. In grades 9-12, students’understanding of biology will expand byincorporating more abstract knowledge, suchas the structure and function of DNA, andmore comprehensive theories, such asevolution. Students’ understandings shouldencompass scales that are both smaller, forexample, molecules, and larger, for example,the biosphere.

Teachers of science will have to makechoices about what to teach that will mostproductively develop student understanding ofthe life sciences. All too often, the criteria forselection are not clear, resulting in anoveremphasis on information and anunderemphasis on conceptual understanding.In describing the content for life sciences, thenational standards focus on a small number ofgeneral principles that can serve as the basisfor teachers and students to develop furtherunderstanding of biology.

Because molecular biology will continue intothe twenty-first century as a major frontier ofscience, students should understand thechemical basis of life not only for its own sake,but because of the need to take informedpositions on some of the practical and ethicalimplications of humankind’s capacity tomanipulate living organisms.

In general, students recognize the idea ofspecies as a basis for classifying organisms, butfew students will refer to the genetic basis ofspecies. Students may exhibit a generalunderstanding of classification. However,when presented with unique organisms,students sometimes appeal to “everyday”classifications, such as viewing jellyfish as fish


because of the term “fish,” and penguins asamphibians because they live on land and inwater.

Although students may indicate that theyknow about cells, they may say that livingsystems are made of cells but not molecules,because students often associate moleculesonly with physical science.

Students have difficulty with thefundamental concepts of evolution. Forexample, students often do not understandnatural selection because they fail to make aconceptual connection between theoccurrence of new variations in a populationand the potential effect of those variations onthe long-term survival of the species. Onemisconception that teachers may encounterinvolves students attributing new variations to

Many misconceptions about the

process of natural selection can be

changed through instruction.

an organism’s need, environmental conditions,or use. With some help, students canunderstand that, in general, mutations occurrandomly and are selected because they helpsome organisms survive and produce moreoffspring. Other misconceptions center on alack of understanding of how a populationchanges as a result of differential reproduction(some individuals producing more offspring),as opposed to all individuals in a populationchanging. Many misconceptions about theprocess of natural selection can be changedthrough instruction.



THE CELL

� Cells have particular structures that

underlie their functions. Every cell issurrounded by a membrane thatseparates it from the outside world.Inside the cell is a concentratedmixture of thousands of differentmolecules which form a variety ofspecialized structures that carry outsuch cell functions as energyproduction, transport of molecules,waste disposal, synthesis of newmolecules, and the storage of geneticmaterial. [See Unifying Concepts andProcesses]

� Most cell functions involve chemicalreactions. Food molecules taken intocells react to provide the chemicalconstituents needed to synthesize othermolecules. Both breakdown andsynthesis are made possible by a largeset of protein catalysts, called enzymes.The breakdown of some of the foodmolecules enables the cell to storeenergy in specific chemicals that areused to carry out the many functions ofthe cell.

� Cells store and use information to guidetheir functions. The geneticinformation stored in DNA is used todirect the synthesis of the thousands ofproteins that each cell requires.

� Cell functions are regulated. Regulationoccurs both through changes in theactivity of the functions performed byproteins and through the selectiveexpression of individual genes. Thisregulation allows cells to respond totheir environment and to control andcoordinate cell growth and division.

� Plant cells contain chloroplasts, the siteof photosynthesis. Plants and many


microorganisms use solar energy tocombine molecules of carbon dioxideand water into complex, energy richorganic compounds and release oxygento the environment. This process ofphotosynthesis provides a vitalconnection between the sun and theenergy needs of living systems.

� Cells can differentiate, and complexmulticellular organisms are formed as ahighly organized arrangement ofdifferentiated cells. In the developmentof these multicellular organisms, theprogeny from a single cell form anembryo in which the cells multiply anddifferentiate to form the manyspecialized cells, tissues and organs thatcomprise the final organism. Thisdifferentiation is regulated through theexpression of different genes.

THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF HEREDITY

� In all organisms, the instructions forspecifying the characteristics of theorganism are carried in DNA, a largepolymer formed from subunits of fourkinds (A, G, C, and T). The chemicaland structural properties of DNAexplain how the genetic informationthat underlies heredity is both encodedin genes (as a string of molecular“letters”) and replicated (by atemplating mechanism). Each DNAmolecule in a cell forms a singlechromosome. [See Content Standard B(grades 9-12)]

� Most of the cells in a human containtwo copies of each of 22 differentchromosomes. In addition, there is apair of chromosomes that determines

sex: a female contains two Xchromosomes and a male contains oneX and one Y chromosome.Transmission of genetic information tooffspring occurs through egg and spermcells that contain only onerepresentative from each chromosomepair. An egg and a sperm unite to forma new individual. The fact that thehuman body is formed from cells thatcontain two copies of eachchromosome—and therefore two copiesof each gene—explains many featuresof human heredity, such as howvariations that are hidden in onegeneration can be expressed in thenext.

� Changes in DNA (mutations) occurspontaneously at low rates. Some ofthese changes make no difference to theorganism, whereas others can changecells and organisms. Only mutations ingerm cells can create the variation thatchanges an organism’s offspring.

BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION

� Species evolve over time. Evolution isthe consequence of the interactions of(1) the potential for a species toincrease its numbers, (2) the geneticvariability of offspring due to mutationand recombination of genes, (3) a finitesupply of the resources required forlife, and (4) the ensuing selection by theenvironment of those offspring betterable to survive and leave offspring. [SeeUnifying Concepts and Processes]

� The great diversity of organisms is theresult of more than 3.5 billion years ofevolution that has filled every available


niche with life forms.� Natural selection and its evolutionary

consequences provide a scientificexplanation for the fossil record ofancient life forms, as well as for thestriking molecular similarities observedamong the diverse species of livingorganisms.

� The millions of different species ofplants, animals, and microorganismsthat live on earth today are related bydescent from common ancestors.

� Biological classifications are based onhow organisms are related. Organismsare classified into a hierarchy of groupsand subgroups based on similaritieswhich reflect their evolutionaryrelationships. Species is the mostfundamental unit of classification.

THE INTERDEPENDENCE OF

ORGANISMS

� The atoms and molecules on the earthcycle among the living and nonlivingcomponents of the biosphere.

� Energy flows through ecosystems in onedirection, from photosyntheticorganisms to herbivores to carnivoresand decomposers.

� Organisms both cooperate and competein ecosystems. The interrelationshipsand interdependencies of theseorganisms may generate ecosystemsthat are stable for hundreds orthousands of years.

� Living organisms have the capacity toproduce populations of infinite size, butenvironments and resources are finite.This fundamental tension has profoundeffects on the interactions betweenorganisms.

� Human beings live within the world’secosystems. Increasingly, humansmodify ecosystems as a result ofpopulation growth, technology, andconsumption. Human destruction ofhabitats through direct harvesting,pollution, atmospheric changes, andother factors is threatening currentglobal stability, and if not addressed,ecosystems will be irreversibly affected.

MATTER, ENERGY, AND ORGANIZATION

IN LIVING SYSTEMS

� All matter tends toward moredisorganized states. Living systemsrequire a continuous input of energy tomaintain their chemical and physicalorganizations. With death, and thecessation of energy input, livingsystems rapidly disintegrate. [SeeUnifying Concepts and Processes]

� The energy for life primarily derivesfrom the sun. Plants capture energy byabsorbing light and using it to formstrong (covalent) chemical bondsbetween the atoms of carbon-containing (organic) molecules. Thesemolecules can be used to assemblelarger molecules with biological activity(including proteins, DNA, sugars, andfats). In addition, the energy stored inbonds between the atoms (chemicalenergy) can be used as sources ofenergy for life processes.

� The chemical bonds of food moleculescontain energy. Energy is released whenthe bonds of food molecules are brokenand new compounds with lower energybonds are formed. Cells usually store


this energy temporarily in phosphatebonds of a small high-energycompound called ATP.

� The complexity and organization oforganisms accommodates the need forobtaining, transforming, transporting,releasing, and eliminating the matterand energy used to sustain theorganism.

� The distribution and abundance oforganisms and populations inecosystems are limited by theavailability of matter and energy andthe ability of the ecosystem to recyclematerials.

� As matter and energy flows throughdifferent levels of organization of livingsystems—cells, organs, organisms,communities—and between livingsystems and the physical environment,chemical elements are recombined indifferent ways. Each recombinationresults in storage and dissipation ofenergy into the environment as heat.Matter and energy are conserved ineach change.

THE BEHAVIOR OF ORGANISMS

� Multicellular animals have nervoussystems that generate behavior. Nervoussystems are formed from specializedcells that conduct signals rapidlythrough the long cell extensions thatmake up nerves. The nerve cellscommunicate with each other bysecreting specific excitatory andinhibitory molecules. In sense organs,specialized cells detect light, sound, andspecific chemicals and enable animalsto monitor what is going on in the

world around them.� Organisms have behavioral responses to

internal changes and to externalstimuli. Responses to external stimulican result from interactions with theorganism’s own species and others, aswell as environmental changes; theseresponses either can be innate orlearned. The broad patterns ofbehavior exhibited by animals haveevolved to ensure reproductive success.Animals often live in unpredictableenvironments, and so their behaviormust be flexible enough to deal withuncertainty and change. Plants alsorespond to stimuli.

� Like other aspects of an organism’sbiology, behaviors have evolved throughnatural selection. Behaviors often havean adaptive logic when viewed in termsof evolutionary principles.

� Behavioral biology has implications forhumans, as it provides links topsychology, sociology, andanthropology.

Ea r t h and Spa ceS c i en ceCONTENT STANDARD D:As a result of their activities in grades 9-12,all students should develop an understanding of

� Energy in the earth system

� Geochemical cycles

� Origin and evolution of the earth

system

� Origin and evolution of the universe



During the high school years, studentscontinue studying the earth system introducedin grades 5-8. At grades 9-12, students focuson matter, energy, crustal dynamics, cycles,geochemical processes, and the expanded timescales necessary to understand events in theearth system. Driven by sunlight and earth’sinternal heat, a variety of cycles connect andcontinually circulate energy and materialthrough the components of the earth system.Together, these cycles establish the structure ofthe earth system and regulate earth’s climate.In grades 9-12, students review the water cycleas a carrier of material, and deepen theirunderstanding of this key cycle to see that it isalso an important agent for energy transfer.Because it plays a central role in establishingand maintaining earth’s climate and theproduction of many mineral and fossil fuelresources, the students’ explorations are alsodirected toward the carbon cycle. Students useand extend their understanding of how theprocesses of radiation, convection, andconduction transfer energy through the earthsystem.

In studying the evolution of the earth systemover geologic time, students develop a deeperunderstanding of the evidence, firstintroduced in grades 5-8, of earth’s past andunravel the interconnected story of earth’sdynamic crust, fluctuating climate, andevolving life forms. The students’ studiesdevelop the concept of the earth systemexisting in a state of dynamic equilibrium.They will discover that while certainproperties of the earth system may fluctuateon short or long time scales, the earth systemwill generally stay within a certain narrowrange for millions of years. This long-termstability can be understood through theworking of planetary geochemical cycles andthe feedback processes that help to maintain

or modify those cycles.As an example of this long-term stability,

students find that the geologic record suggeststhat the global temperature has fluctuatedwithin a relatively narrow range, one that hasbeen narrow enough to enable life to surviveand evolve for over three billion years. Theycome to understand that some of the smalltemperature fluctuations have produced whatwe perceive as dramatic effects in the earthsystem, such as the ice ages and the extinctionof entire species. They explore the regulationof earth’s global temperature by the water andcarbon cycles. Using this background, studentscan examine environmental changes occurringtoday and make predictions about futuretemperature fluctuations in the earth system.

Looking outward into deep space and deeptime, astronomers have shown that we live ina vast and ancient universe. Scientists assumethat the laws of matter are the same in allparts of the universe and over billions of

...as many as half of the students

in this age group will need many

concrete examples and considerable

help in following the multistep

logic necessary to develop the

understandings described here.

years. It is thus possible to understand thestructure and evolution of the universethrough laboratory experiments and currentobservations of events and phenomena in theuniverse.

Until this grade level, astronomy has beenlargely restricted to the behavior of objects inthe solar system. In grades 9-12, the study ofthe universe becomes more abstract asstudents expand their ability to comprehendlarge distances, long time scales, and thenature of nuclear reactions. The age of the


universe and its evolution into galaxies, stars,and planets—and eventually life on earth—fascinates and challenges students.

The challenge of helping students learn thecontent of this standard will be to presentunderstandable evidence from sources thatrange over immense timescales—and fromstudies of the earth’s interior to observationsfrom outer space. Many students are capableof doing this kind of thinking, but as many ashalf will need concrete examples andconsiderable help in following the multisteplogic necessary to develop the understandingsdescribed in this standard. Because directexperimentation is usually not possible formany concepts associated with earth andspace science, it is important to maintain thespirit of inquiry by focusing the teaching onquestions that can be answered by usingobservational data, the knowledge base ofscience, and processes of reasoning.



ENERGY IN THE EARTH SYSTEM

� Earth systems have internal andexternal sources of energy, both ofwhich create heat. The sun is the majorexternal source of energy. Two primarysources of internal energy are thedecay of radioactive isotopes and thegravitational energy from the earth’soriginal formation.

� The outward transfer of earth’s internalheat drives convection circulation in themantle that propels the platescomprising earth’s surface across theface of the globe. [See contentStandard B (grades 9-12)]

� Heating of earth’s surface and

atmosphere by the sun drivesconvection within the atmosphere andoceans, producing winds and oceancurrents.

� Global climate is determined by energytransfer from the sun at and near theearth’s surface. This energy transfer isinfluenced by dynamic processes suchas cloud cover and the earth’s rotation,and static conditions such as theposition of mountain ranges andoceans.

GEOCHEMICAL CYCLES

� The earth is a system containingessentially a fixed amount of eachstable chemical atom or element. Eachelement can exist in several differentchemical reservoirs. Each element onearth moves among reservoirs in thesolid earth, oceans, atmosphere, andorganisms as part of geochemicalcycles.

� Movement of matter between reservoirsis driven by the earth’s internal andexternal sources of energy. Thesemovements are often accompanied by achange in the physical and chemicalproperties of the matter. Carbon, forexample, occurs in carbonate rockssuch as limestone, in the atmosphere ascarbon dioxide gas, in water asdissolved carbon dioxide, and in allorganisms as complex molecules thatcontrol the chemistry of life.

THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE

EARTH SYSTEM

� The sun, the earth, and the rest of thesolar system formed from a nebularcloud of dust and gas 4.6 billion years


ago. The early earth was very differentfrom the planet we live on today.

It is important to maintain the spirit

of inquiry by focusing the teaching

on questions that can be answered

by using observational data, the

knowledge base of science, and

processes of reasoning.

� Geologic time can be estimated byobserving rock sequences and usingfossils to correlate the sequences atvarious locations. Current methodsinclude using the known decay rates ofradioactive isotopes present in rocks tomeasure the time since the rock wasformed.

� Interactions among the solid earth, theoceans, the atmosphere, and organismshave resulted in the ongoing evolutionof the earth system. We can observesome changes such as earthquakes andvolcanic eruptions on a human timescale, but many processes such asmountain building and platemovements take place over hundreds ofmillions of years.

� Evidence for one-celled forms of life—the bacteria—extends back more than3.5 billion years. The evolution of lifecaused dramatic changes in thecomposition of the earth’s atmosphere,which did not originally containoxygen.

THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE

UNIVERSE

� The origin of the universe remains oneof the greatest questions in science.The “big bang” theory places the originbetween 10 and 20 billion years ago,when the universe began in a hot densestate; according to this theory, theuniverse has been expanding ever since.[See Content Standard A (grades 9-12)]

� Early in the history of the universe,matter, primarily the light atomshydrogen and helium, clumped togetherby gravitational attraction to formcountless trillions of stars. Billions ofgalaxies, each of which is agravitationally bound cluster of billionsof stars, now form most of the visiblemass in the universe.

� Stars produce energy from nuclearreactions, primarily the fusion ofhydrogen to form helium. These andother processes in stars have led to theformation of all the other elements.

S c i en ce and Te chno l ogyCONTENT STANDARD E:


students should develop

� Abilities of technological design

� Understandings about science and

technology


DEVELOPING STUDENT ABILITIESAND UNDERSTANDING

This standard has two equally importantparts—developing students’ abilities oftechnological design and developing students’understanding about science and technology.Although these are science educationstandards, the relationship between scienceand technology is so close that anypresentation of science without developing anunderstanding of technology would portrayan inaccurate picture of science.

In the course of solving any problem wherestudents try to meet certain criteria withinconstraints, they will find that the ideas andmethods of science that they know, or canlearn, can be powerful aids. Students also findthat they need to call on other sources ofknowledge and skill, such as cost, risk, andbenefit analysis, and aspects of criticalthinking and creativity. Learning experiencesassociated with this standard should includeexamples of technological achievement inwhich science has played a part and exampleswhere technological advances contributeddirectly to scientific progress.

Students can understand and use the designmodel outlined in this standard. Studentsrespond positively to the concrete, practical,outcome orientation of design problemsbefore they are able to engage in the abstract,theoretical nature of many scientific inquiries.In general, high school students do notdistinguish between the roles of science andtechnology. Helping them do so is implied bythis standard. This lack of distinction betweenscience and technology is further confused bystudents’ positive perceptions of science, aswhen they associate it with medical researchand use the common phrase “scientificprogress.” However, their association oftechnology is often with environmentalproblems and another common phrase,

“technological problems.” With regard to theconnection between science and technology,students as well as many adults and teachersof science indicate a belief that scienceinfluences technology. This belief is capturedby the common and only partially accuratedefinition “technology is applied science.”Few students understand that technologyinfluences science. Unraveling thesemisconceptions of science and technology and developing accurate concepts of the role,place, limits, possibilities and relationships ofscience and technology is the challenge ofthis standard.

The choice of design tasks and relatedlearning activities is an important and difficultpart of addressing this standard. In choosingtechnological learning activities, teachers ofscience will have to bear in mind someimportant issues. For example, whether toinvolve students in a full or partial designproblem; or whether to engage them inmeeting a need through technology or instudying the technological work of others.Another issue is how to select a task thatbrings out the various ways in which scienceand technology interact, providing a basis forreflection on the nature of technology whilelearning the science concepts involved.

In grades 9-12, design tasks should explore a range of contexts including both thoseimmediately familiar in the homes, school,and community of the students and thosefrom wider regional, national, or globalcontexts. The tasks should promote differentways to tackle the problems so that differentdesign solutions can be implemented bydifferent students. Successful completion ofdesign problems requires that the studentsmeet criteria while addressing conflictingconstraints. Where constructions are involved,these might draw on technical skills andunderstandings developed within the scienceprogram, technical and craft skills developedin other school work, or require developing


new skills.Over the high school years, the tasks should

cover a range of needs, of materials, and ofdifferent aspects of science. For example, asuitable design problem could includeassembling electronic components to control a sequence of operations or analyzing thefeatures of different athletic shoes to see thecriteria and constraints imposed by the sport,human anatomy, and materials. Some tasksshould involve science ideas drawn from morethan one field of science. These can becomplex, for example, a machine thatincorporates both mechanical and electricalcontrol systems.

Although some experiences in science andtechnology will emphasize solving problemsand meeting needs by focusing on products,experience also should include problems aboutsystem design, cost, risk, benefit, and veryimportantly, tradeoffs.

Because this study of technology occurswithin science courses, the number of theseactivities must be limited. Details specified inthis standard are criteria to ensure quality andbalance in a small number of tasks and arenot meant to require a large number of suchactivities. Many abilities and understandingsof this standard can be developed as part ofactivities designed for other content standards.



ABILITIES OF TECHNOLOGICAL DESIGN

IDENTIFY A PROBLEM OR DESIGN AN

OPPORTUNITY. Students should be able toidentify new problems or needs and tochange and improve current technologicaldesigns. [See Content Standard A (grades9-12)]

PROPOSE DESIGNS AND CHOOSE

BETWEEN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS.

Students should demonstrate thoughtfulplanning for a piece of technology ortechnique. Students should be introducedto the roles of models and simulations inthese processes.

IMPLEMENT A PROPOSED SOLUTION.

A variety of skills can be needed inproposing a solution depending on the type of technology that is involved. Theconstruction of artifacts can require theskills of cutting, shaping, treating, andjoining common materials—such as wood,metal, plastics, and textiles. Solutions can also be implemented using computersoftware.

EVALUATE THE SOLUTION AND ITS

CONSEQUENCES. Students should testany solution against the needs and criteriait was designed to meet. At this stage, newcriteria not originally considered may bereviewed.

COMMUNICATE THE PROBLEM,

PROCESS, AND SOLUTION. Studentsshould present their results to students,teachers, and others in a variety of ways,such as orally, in writing, and in otherforms—including models, diagrams, anddemonstrations. [See Teaching Standard B]

UNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY� Scientists in different disciplines ask

different questions, use differentmethods of investigation, and acceptdifferent types of evidence to support


their explanations. Many scientificinvestigations require the contributionsof individuals from different disciplines,including engineering. New disciplinesof science, such as geophysics andbiochemistry often emerge at theinterface of two older disciplines.

� Science often advances with theintroduction of new technologies.Solving technological problems oftenresults in new scientific knowledge.New technologies often extend thecurrent levels of scientificunderstanding and introduce new areasof research.

� Creativity, imagination, and a goodknowledge base are all required in thework of science and engineering.

� Science and technology are pursued fordifferent purposes. Scientific inquiry isdriven by the desire to understand thenatural world, and technological designis driven by the need to meet humanneeds and solve human problems.Technology, by its nature, has a moredirect effect on society than sciencebecause its purpose is to solve humanproblems, help humans adapt, andfulfill human aspirations. Technologicalsolutions may create new problems.Science, by its nature, answersquestions that may or may not directlyinfluence humans. Sometimes scientificadvances challenge people’s beliefs andpractical explanations concerningvarious aspects of the world.

� Technological knowledge is often notmade public because of patents and thefinancial potential of the idea orinvention. Scientific knowledge is made

public through presentations atprofessional meetings and publicationsin scientific journals.

S c i en ce i n Pe r s ona l andSo c i a l Pe r spe c t i v e sCONTENT STANDARD F:



� Personal and community health

� Population growth

� Natural resources

� Environmental quality

� Natural and human-induced hazards

� Science and technology in local,

national, and global challenges


The organizing principles for this standarddo not identify specific personal and societalchallenges, rather they form a set ofconceptual organizers, fundamentalunderstandings, and implied actions for mostcontemporary issues. The organizingprinciples apply to local as well as globalphenomena and represent challenges thatoccur on scales that vary from quite short—for example, natural hazards—to very long—for example, the potential result of globalchanges.

By grades 9-12, many students have a fairlysound understanding of the overallfunctioning of some human systems, such as the digestive, respiratory, and circulatorysystems. They might not have a clearunderstanding of others, such as the humannervous, endocrine, and immune systems.Therefore, students may have difficulty with


specific mechanisms and processes related tohealth issues.

The organizing principles apply to

local as well as global phenomena.

Most high school students have a concept ofpopulations of organisms, but they have apoorly developed understanding of therelationships among populations within acommunity and connections betweenpopulations and other ideas such ascompetition for resources. Few studentsunderstand and apply the idea ofinterdependence when consideringinteractions among populations,environments, and resources. If, for example, students are asked about the size ofpopulations and why some populations would be larger, they often simply describerather than reason about interdependence or energy flow.

Students may exhibit a general idea ofcycling matter in ecosystems, but they maycenter on short chains of the cyclical processand express the misconception that matter iscreated and destroyed at each step of the cycle rather than undergoing continuoustransformation. Instruction using charts ofthe flow of matter through an ecosystem andemphasizing the reasoning involved with theentire process may enable students to developmore accurate conceptions.

Many high-school students hold the viewthat science should inform society aboutvarious issues and society should set policyabout what research is important. In general,students have rather simple and naive ideasabout the interactions between science andsociety. There is some research supporting the idea that S-T-S (science, technology, andsociety) curriculum helps improve studentunderstanding of various aspects of science-and technology-related societal challenges.



PERSONAL AND COMMUNITY HEALTH

� Hazards and the potential for accidentsexist. Regardless of the environment,the possibility of injury, illness,disability, or death may be present.Humans have a variety ofmechanisms—sensory, motor,emotional, social, and technological—that can reduce and modify hazards.[See Content Standard C(grades 9-12)]

� The severity of disease symptoms isdependent on many factors, such ashuman resistance and the virulence ofthe disease-producing organism. Manydiseases can be prevented, controlled,or cured. Some diseases, such as cancer,result from specific body dysfunctionsand cannot be transmitted.

� Personal choice concerning fitness andhealth involves multiple factors.Personal goals, peer and socialpressures, ethnic and religious beliefs,and understanding of biologicalconsequences can all influencedecisions about health practices.

� An individual’s mood and behavior maybe modified by substances. Themodification may be beneficial ordetrimental depending on the motives,type of substance, duration of use,pattern of use, level of influence, andshort- and long-term effects. Studentsshould understand that drugs can resultin physical dependence and canincrease the risk of injury, accidents,and death.


� Selection of foods and eating patternsdetermine nutritional balance.Nutritional balance has a direct effecton growth and development andpersonal well-being. Personal and socialfactors—such as habits, family income,ethnic heritage, body size, advertising,and peer pressure—influencenutritional choices.

� Families serve basic health needs,especially for young children.Regardless of the family structure,individuals have families that involve avariety of physical, mental, and socialrelationships that influence themaintenance and improvement ofhealth.

� Sexuality is basic to the physical,mental, and social development ofhumans. Students should understandthat human sexuality involves biologicalfunctions, psychological motives, andcultural, ethnic, religious, andtechnological influences. Sex is a basicand powerful force that hasconsequences to individuals’ health andto society. Students should understandvarious methods of controlling thereproduction process and that eachmethod has a different type ofeffectiveness and different health andsocial consequences.

POPULATION GROWTH

� Populations grow or decline through thecombined effects of births and deaths,and through emigration andimmigration. Populations can increasethrough linear or exponential growth,with effects on resource use and

environmental pollution.� Various factors influence birth rates and

fertility rates, such as average levels ofaffluence and education, importance ofchildren in the labor force, educationand employment of women, infantmortality rates, costs of raisingchildren, availability and reliability ofbirth control methods, and religiousbeliefs and cultural norms thatinfluence personal decisions aboutfamily size.

� Populations can reach limits to growth.Carrying capacity is the maximumnumber of individuals that can besupported in a given environment. Thelimitation is not the availability ofspace, but the number of people inrelation to resources and the capacityof earth systems to support humanbeings. Changes in technology cancause significant changes, eitherpositive or negative, in carryingcapacity.

NATURAL RESOURCES

� Human populations use resources in theenvironment in order to maintain andimprove their existence. Naturalresources have been and will continueto be used to maintain humanpopulations.

� The earth does not have infiniteresources; increasing humanconsumption places severe stress on thenatural processes that renew someresources, and it depletes thoseresources that cannot be renewed.

� Humans use many natural systems as


resources. Natural systems have thecapacity to reuse waste, but thatcapacity is limited. Natural systems canchange to an extent that exceeds thelimits of organisms to adapt naturallyor humans to adapt technologically.

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

� Natural ecosystems provide an array ofbasic processes that affect humans.Those processes include maintenance ofthe quality of the atmosphere,generation of soils, control of thehydrologic cycle, disposal of wastes,and recycling of nutrients. Humans arechanging many of these basic processes,and the changes may be detrimental tohumans. [See Content Standard C(grades 9-12)]

� Materials from human societies affectboth physical and chemical cycles ofthe earth.

� Many factors influence environmentalquality. Factors that students mightinvestigate include population growth,resource use, population distribution,overconsumption, the capacity oftechnology to solve problems, poverty,the role of economic, political, andreligious views, and different wayshumans view the earth.

NATURAL AND HUMAN-INDUCEDHAZARDS� Normal adjustments of earth may be

hazardous for humans. Humans live atthe interface between the atmospheredriven by solar energy and the uppermantle where convection creates

changes in the earth’s solid crust. Associeties have grown, become stable,and come to value aspects of theenvironment, vulnerability to naturalprocesses of change has increased.[See Content Standard D (grades 9-12)]

� Human activities can enhance potentialfor hazards. Acquisition of resources,urban growth, and waste disposal canaccelerate rates of natural change.

� Some hazards, such as earthquakes,volcanic eruptions, and severe weather,are rapid and spectacular. But there areslow and progressive changes that alsoresult in problems for individuals andsocieties. For example, change instream channel position, erosion ofbridge foundations, sedimentation inlakes and harbors, coastal erosions, andcontinuing erosion and wasting of soiland landscapes can all negatively affectsociety.

� Natural and human-induced hazardspresent the need for humans to assesspotential danger and risk. Manychanges in the environment designed byhumans bring benefits to society, aswell as cause risks. Students shouldunderstand the costs and trade-offs ofvarious hazards—ranging from thosewith minor risk to a few people tomajor catastrophes with major risk tomany people. The scale of events andthe accuracy with which scientists andengineers can (and cannot) predictevents are important considerations.


SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN LOCAL,

NATIONAL, AND GLOBAL CHALLENGES

� Science and technology are essentialsocial enterprises, but alone they canonly indicate what can happen, notwhat should happen. The latter involveshuman decisions about the use ofknowledge. [See Content Standard E(grades 9-12)]

� Understanding basic concepts andprinciples of science and technologyshould precede active debate about theeconomics, policies, politics, and ethicsof various science- and technology-related challenges. However,understanding science alone will notresolve local, national, or globalchallenges.

� Progress in science and technology canbe affected by social issues andchallenges. Funding priorities forspecific health problems serve asexamples of ways that social issuesinfluence science and technology.

� Individuals and society must decide onproposals involving new research andthe introduction of new technologiesinto society. Decisions involveassessment of alternatives, risks, costs,and benefits and consideration of whobenefits and who suffers, who pays andgains, and what the risks are and whobears them. Students shouldunderstand the appropriateness andvalue of basic questions —“What canhappen?”—“What are the odds?”—and“How do scientists and engineers knowwhat will happen?”

� Humans have a major effect on otherspecies. For example, the influence of

humans on other organisms occursthrough land use—which decreasesspace available to other species—andpollution—which changes the chemicalcomposition of air, soil, and water.


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