Elementary Science

Leadership Network

June 17, 2014

While you are getting settled, think about the NGSS probe and record your answers..

Who are you?Why are you here?

• Who are we and why are we here?

• Next Generation Science Standards

• Science & Engineering Practices

• Book Study

Today’s Agenda

• Learn more about the time line for NGSS implementation

• Understand the architecture of the NGSS

• Understand the intent of the Science & Engineering Practices

Today’s LearningTargets

Picture a Scientist…Record…• 5 words that describe the scientist• 5 words that describe what that scientist does• 5 interactions you have, or might have, with

that scientist

Which of the pictures is closest to the scientist you imagined?

What does this say about your attitudes about science or scientists?

If you did this with your students, what picture would they choose?

There is a critical need to change students’ perceptions of:

• Who Scientists are / can be• Why they are Scientists

• What Scientists do

By Middle School, students have “disciplinary identities” and

conceptions of the nature of science. Megan Bang, Professor, Learning Sciences and Human Development & Cognition, UW Institute for Science and

Math Education

Purpose of Elementary Science Work Group:

QUESTION: How can we transition elementary science, and elementary science teachers, to the Next Generation Science

Standards?• Identify teachers who are passionate about science instruction

and willing to lead the way• Support teachers with professional development and cohort

collaboration• Provide tools and time to evaluate current curriculum, consider

additional & supplemental curriculum, field test and adopt curriculum.

Apples• Describe your apple

• Assume you do not have prior experience.• Write down as many descriptors as possible.• What is each apple part for?• How is the styrafoam apple a model of the actual apple?

• Other models• Put a check mark if the observation no longer applies.

Apple• How is the word “apple” a model of an apple?

Often in science we start with the word, and even with a definition students struggle for context.Also, we perpetuate a misconception that a model must be a 3-D model of the thing.

Next Generation Science Standards

What are the principles of the NGSS?

Where will you access the NGSS?

THE NGSS WERE BUILT ON THE PRINCIPLES OF

A FRAMEWORK FOR K-12 SCIENCE EDUCATION

Children are born investigators Understanding builds over time Science and Engineering require both

knowledge and practice Science connects to students’ interests

and experiences Instruction focuses on core ideas and

practices Science learning standards promote

equity

KEY SHIFTS IN NGSSFocus: The NGSS are Focused on deeper understanding and application of science content reflecting real-world interconnectednessCoherence: Science and engineering Build Coherently across K–12.Integration: Science and Engineering are Integrated across K–12 in the NGSS.

THREE DIMENSIONS INTERTWINED….

The NGSS are written as Performance Expectations

NGSS will require contextual application of the three dimensions by students.

Focus is on how and why as well as what

Next Generation Science Standards

What do you know about the NGSS?

Where will you access the NGSS?

Next Generation Science Standards

Let’s take a tour…• http://www.nextgenscience.org/ • MasteryConnect app• http://ngss.nsta.org/

Science & Engineering Practices…

• Find Appendix F: Science and Engineering Practices• Number off to select a practice• Skim the introduction:

• Why are Science and Engineering Practices articulated in each Performance Expectation?• To what extent do the practices stand alone versus overlap with each other?

• Focus on your practice• What is the practice?• What does it look like and sound like for students to be engaged?

• Share

In which practice have

we been engaged?

Embed the Science & Engineering Practices

• ~50% of points on MSP/Biology EOC are from Systems, Inquiry, and Application standards

Science Assessment—WERA December 2013

Grade 5 (et al) example

Science Assessment—WERA December 2013

• Practice 6: Design solutions

• More?• Crosscutting 2: Cause

and effect• More?• Core Idea 1: Physical

sciences

• From 2012 Updates

Reflect…• 3 things you want to make sure you share with your

colleagues• 2 things that were new for you• 1 question you still have

Exploring Science and Engineering Practices

and Structure and Properties of Matter

What is your rule for determining whether something is a liquid or a solid?

Pick up a bag of materials

and test your rule.

Rule for determining whether something is a solid or a liquid.

• What is your rule. This is the same as a claim. • What evidence supported your claim?• What evidence did not support your claim?

Rule for determining whether something is a solid or a liquid.

Reflection:• Which Science and Engineering Practices did you use?• Which standard, and grade level, do you think this might

connect to?2-PS1-1

Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by

their observable properties.

What do you think happens to matter when it changes form?

What do you think happens to matter when it changes form?

Gather Materials:• Ziplock Bag• Alka-Seltzer tablets• Water• Plastic cup• Comic Strip template

1. 50 mL water in the bag.2. Drop in the tablet3. Remove air in the bag4. Observe5. Refine the process if

necessary6. Create a model of what

happens to the particles in the bag

What do you think happens to matter when it changes form?

Reflection:• How do you know the model you created fits this situation?• Which Science and Engineering Practices did you use?• Which standard, and grade level, do you think this might

connect to?5-PS1-1

Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.

Book Study • Before Reading: Scan the book, flip through the chapters…

• Why do you think I chose this book?• What sparks your curiosity?

• During Reading: • Chapters 1 & 2: How can you connect Science & Engineering Practices, and

emphasizing them in our instruction, to what you’re reading? What is relevant for right now?

• Chapter 3: How does this push your thinking specifically about models? What is relevant for right now?

• After Reading: What are the implications? What are you wondering now?

Reflection & Next Steps • The NGSS have been adopted…now what?• Sticky Note needs• Next Meeting –> October 7th

• Location – NEWESD 101 Conference Center• Agenda – Sense making, Common Core Connections through NGSS,

Book Study