Partnering to Progress K-5 Science Alliance February 17, 2009 Blue Licks State Park Good Morning! Please help yourself to some refreshments and make sure you have signed in.

Group Norms Start and end on time Put cell phones on silent Be respectful of all comments Everyone participates Exercise the rule of “two feet” Come prepared for each meeting Keep side conversations to a minimum

Review from January Floating Principal And Force and Motion Sinking Principal Observations Force and Motion ORQ Scoring

Today’s Roadmap Floating & Sinking Review I and II Complete III Talk and Argument Ch. 5 Debrief States of Matter Conceptual Change Ch. 3 Debrief

Content Building Floating and Sinking

Learning Targets I can identify properties of an object that are useful for predicting and/or determining if that object will float or sink in water. I can distinguish between mass and weight. I can use measured values of solids and liquids to determine their density. I can distinguish characteristic from noncharacteristic properties.

Let’s Review You now have 3 new objects. Predict, based on your rule from last month, whether each object will float or sink. Test your prediction. Revise rule if necessary. Complete comparison frame.

4-2-1 Individually, decide 4 key points from your activity with Floating and Sinking parts I and II. Next, join with a partner and decide the 2 central points. Finally, join another pair and decide the main key point. Be prepared to share out.

Predict-Explain-Observe#43 Complete the Solids and Holes probe—make sure you describe your thinking. In groups of 3-discuss your reasoning. Using the materials provided, test your explanation. Based on your observations, modify your explanation as needed.

Floating and Sinking Part III Learning Targets I can state an operational definition for density. I can use measured values of solids or liquids to determine their density. I can predict whether an object will sink or float using density data. I can determine whether a property is characteristic.

Why is density a characteristic property when mass and volume are not? Exit/Entrance Slip Your entrance slip for the next meeting will be to answer the question: Why is density a characteristic property when mass and volume are not?

Talk and Argument

Ch. 5 Making Thinking Visible: Talk and Argument Table Assignment: Share whether you agree or disagree with the statement. Share summary of support or refutation information. Include instructional implications related to the statement as well as any strategies provided. 2 minutes/table to share with whole group If students are not taught how nor given the opportunity to talk about and argue about their current understanding, what might be some implications for student learning?

How can we maximize opportunities to think, discuss and question? Read chapter 4 in Active Learning Through Formative Assessment. Questions to consider while reading: What is dialogic talk and role should it play in the classroom? What are some important ‘lessons learned’ about ensuring quality talk in the classroom? What are some different/new techniques for improving and increasing the amount of quality talk in your classroom? If dialogic talk is improved in the classroom, what might be some instructional implications?

Partners A and B Summary Select a partner. Identify yourself as Partner A or Partner B. At the signal, Partner A will talk to Partner B nonstop for one minute in a continuous flow of ideas about what they felt was important from this chapter. (If you get stuck, you may refer to the chapter.) Partner B must listen politely and say nothing. At the end of one minute, Partner A must finish his/her sentence and then stop talking. Now Partner A must remain silent, and Partner B will talk nonstop for one minute – but Partner B may NOT mention anything that Partner A has already talked about.

States of Matter

Learning Targets I can describe properties of each of the three states of matter. I can recognize that a gas is a form of matter, with both volume and mass.

Is it a Solid? Working with a partner, sort the items into those that are a solid and those that are not. As you sort, give justifications for your sorting. When finished, write down the rule you used for your sort.

The important thing about the sun is that it shines The important thing about the sun is that it shines. It is the center of the Solar System. It's hot. It sustains life. It gives us light. It gives us a tan. It gives us warmth. But the important thing about the sun is that it shines.

Reflection The important thing about a solid/liquid/gas is… ….. But the most important thing about a solid/liquid/gas is…

Ready, Set, Science! Ch. 3 Debrief

Learning Targets I can categorize misconceptions by the type of conceptual change they require. I can use misconceptions types to inform instructional decisions.

Reciting interesting facts, especially about dinosaurs… Reciting interesting facts, especially about dinosaurs….and “knowing” a lot is helpful for playing Trivial Pursuit…it hardly constitutes knowing or understanding science. Powerful Learning pg. 156

Knowing vs. Understanding What’s the difference between knowing science and understanding science? What do our standards suggest we should strive for through our teaching? Complete the comparison frame for knowing and understanding. How would you explain conceptual change?

A and B are similar because they both ________________ A and B are different because A is __________, but B is ___________.

Curricular questions to ask yourself…. How do I organize instruction? How do I use misconceptions, prior knowledge and things that are problematic for students?

Begin with Misconceptions Activate, don’t ignore prior ideas. Realize that students have notions about how the world works that make sense to them, but does not agree with scientific explanations. Recognize that teaching for understanding requires conceptual knowledge that is organized in a schema, not unconnected knowledge. Powerful Learning by Linda Darling-Hammond

Creating Conceptual Change Research has shown that a simple “confront-and-replace” model of science learning does not allow deep understanding of science content. (Strike & Posner, 1982) This only works about 5% of the time. (Chinn & Brewer, 2001) Real conceptual change requires that deeper reorganizations of knowledge occur.

Conceptual Change Using the section “Types of Conceptual Change” in Ready, Set, Science! (pp. 42-43),create a chart, diagram, or description to help you understand the difference between the 3 types of conceptual change. Working with a partner, categorize each misconception concerning properties of matter based on the type of conceptual change it may require. What criteria did you use to decide which category a misconception might be placed? How will this categorization help inform instructional decisions? How will this improve student understanding? How did the teacher in the vignette use this knowledge to address misconceptions about the properties of gases and air pressure?

Take Home Message Instruction has to be adjusted when confronted with different levels of conceptual difficulty. Merely telling students the correct answer or having them read about it will seldom, if ever, help to develop deep conceptual understanding. Conceptual change requires time—some more than others.

Today’s Roadmap Floating & Sinking Review I and II Complete III Talk and Argument Ch. 5 Debrief States of Matter Conceptual Change Ch. 3 Debrief

For Next Time Our next meeting will be March 17, 2008. For homework, read Ch. 6 in Ready, Set, Science! and complete the reading guide.