Middle Grades Science/ELA meeting Oct. 2014

Next meeting 2 nd Semester 3 rd gradeThur., Jan 22, th gradeMon., Jan. 26, th gradeThur., Feb. 5, th gradeTue., Feb. 10, th gradeMon., March 9, th gradeMon., March 16, 2015

Science Chairs group Not just for official science chair people Give me your name if you’d like to get all of my mail

Magic trick kids want to know how that works. Figuring out how things work is science.

Little kids like science! Good lessons (math, ELA, Sci, SS) take advantage of this human instinct. Everyone starts life as a scientist/artist Good news

Middle School Where we grind the interest out of most kids “I can’t draw...I’m no good at science.”

Science confidence Guys have more of it than girls. Fact: guys get worse grades in science, but take more science classes—have more science careers

How to destroy confidence: Make ‘em memorize facts

Memorizing is hard work Need a reason to do this work – a grade isn’t always enough

Easy to get hung up with facts Base of Blooms pyramid Easy to write tests for In the world of Google it’s hard to get kids to see the point of memorizing facts.

Focus on concepts Fact Concept Fact Facts are easily forgotten—concepts stick with you

Example: infiltration Water Cycle transporation precitation runoff evaporation ground water condensation sublimation

Teach Concept 1 st Teach Vocabulary 2 nd A new word needs something to attach to. If at all possible, give students understanding of concept before using the vocabulary. e.g. A toddler learns the word “chair” only after becoming familiar with the concept of chairs.

Project Based Learning (PBL) A hassle, but research says it’s worth it Requires content knowledge from all content areas Science Fair!!!! Start soon! (district Science Fair Jan. 17, 2015) A good project takes weeks to do right.

Science Fair timeline Google Doc shared with all science contacts MS Word doc on website

Science Fair categories (detailed doc. on my website) 1.Biological Science A 2.Biological Science B 3.Chemistry 4.Earth/Environmental Science 5.Physics and Astronomy 6.Technology/Engineering

Science Fair cont. Student must have your approval before experimenting! Student is responsible for getting their project to District Fair. No logos Photos must be credited Culturing must be done in a safe lab setting—Not at home

Benchmarks For your benefit NOT a teacher evaluation tool! Please do NOT teach the test.

Know your content! Allows you to ask probing questions

WCPS Science Resources

Know your Science NCES

Unpacking document Sometimes tells you what not to bother teaching.

Pacing Guide Small change for 6 th grade this year!!! 1 st 6P2.1, 2.2, 2.3 atoms, states of matter 6P1.1, 1.2, 1.3 waves-light sound, seismic 6P , 3.3 thermal, electromagnetic energy nd 6E1.1, 1.2, 1.3 Earth/Moon/Sun system rd 6E2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 Plate tectonics, rocks and dirt th 6L1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 plants

 Each school received a set of these seven Page Keeley books. (In your Media Center)  DPI has produced a document that links NC Essential Standards to each probe within these books.  That PDF can be downloaded from your teacher resources page on the WCPS Science site That PDF can be downloaded from your teacher resources page on the WCPS Science site Cl-Ev-R and Formative probes

Smart Scopes USB microscope you can plug into your computer Also in your Media Center

WCPS Science webpages WCPS homepage, Academics tab, Science my

How long does it take for the Earth to rotate once? A.29 days B.23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds C.24 hours D.365 days