What’s New in Science

Overview Formative Assessments Revised documents & location District-level meeting dates District curriculum expectations State Mandated lab time STAAR vs. TAKS Overview 5E Lesson training

The 5 E Science Lesson Inquiry-Based Instruction

Engage Explore Explain Elaborate Evaluate 5 E’s Science Lesson

Engage Activity which will focus student’s attention, stimulate their thinking, and access prior knowledge Suggested Activities Demonstration Reading Free Write Analyze a Graphic Organizer KWL Brainstorming

Engage What the Teacher Does and What the Principal Would Observe Creates Interest. Generates curiosity. Raises questions. Elicits responses that uncover what the students know or think about the concept/topic.

Explore Activity which gives students time to think and investigate/test/make decisions/problem solve, and collect information. Suggested Activities Perform an Investigation Read Authentic Resources to Collect Information Solve a Problem Construct a Model

Explore What the Teacher Does and What the Principal Would Observe Encourages the students to work together without direct instruction from the teacher. Observes and listens to the students as they interact. Asks probing questions to redirect the students’ investigations when necessary. Provides time for students to puzzle through problems.

Explain Activity which allows students to analyze their exploration. Student’s understanding is clarified and modified through a reflective activity. Suggested Activities Student Analysis & Explanation Supporting Ideas with Evidence Structured Questioning Reading and Discussion Teacher Explanation Thinking Skill Activities: compare, classify, error analysis

Explain What the Teacher Does and What the Principal Would Observe Encourages the students to explain concepts and definitions in their own words. Asks for justification (evidence) and clarification from students. Formally provides definitions, explanations, and new labels. Uses students’ previous experiences as basis for explaining concepts.

Elaborate Activity which expands and solidifies student thinking and/or applies it to a real-world situation Suggested Activities Problem Solving Decision Making Experimental Inquiry Thinking Skill Activities: compare, classify, apply

Elaborate What the Teacher Does and What the Principal Would Observe Expects the students to use formal labels, definitions, and explanations provided previously. Encourages the students to apply or extend the concepts and skills in new situations. Reminds the students of alternative explanations. Refers the students to existing data and evidence and asks, What do you already know? Why do you think..? Strategies from Explore apply here also.

Evaluate Activity which allows the teacher to assess student performance and/or understandings of concepts, skills, processes, and applications. Suggested Activities Any of the Previous Activities Develop a Scoring Tool or Rubric Test (SR, BCR, ECR) Performance Assessment Produce a Product Journal Entry Portfolio

Evaluate What the Teacher Does and What the Principal Would Observe Observes the students as they apply new concepts and skills. Assesses students’ knowledge and/or skills. Looks for evidence that the students have changed their thinking or behaviors. Allows students to assess their own learning and group- process skills. Asks open-ended questions, such as: Why do you think...? What evidence do you have? What do you know about x? How would you explain x?

Engage Explore Explain Elaborate Evaluate 5 E’s Science Lesson

Depth Level of Complexity Adapted from ILT to ILD, Moving Texas Forward 2002 FactsTopicsConceptsGeneralization Principle Synthesis Evaluation Analysis Application Comprehension Knowledge Blooms’ Taxonomy and Erickson’s Structure of Knowledge Theory Content Process (Skills) Context (Transferred within or across Disciplines) Big Ideas (Transferable) (Knowledge)

FactsTopics Comprehension Knowledge Content (Knowledge) Science Study animal adaptations. Student quiz includes questions on examples of general animal adaptations. Study insect adaptations. Students answer questions on insect adaptations. There is never a discussion beyond the facts or beyond the topic of animal adaptations. Students progress through science courses without moving out of knowledge, comprehension, facts, or topics.

Depth FactsTopics Synthesis Evaluation Analysis Application Comprehension Knowledge Content Process (Skills) (Knowledge) Science So, we add depth by asking students to use higher level cognitive skills. Students are asked to analyze how the various adaptations of insects have allowed their survival over millions of years. There is never a discussion beyond the facts or beyond the topic of animal adaptations Students progress through science courses with only facts, topics and skills without complex understanding of the concepts and generalizations.

Depth Level of Complexity Adapted from ILT to ILD, Moving Texas Forward 2002 FactsTopicsConceptsGeneralization Principle Synthesis Evaluation Analysis Application Comprehension Knowledge Theory Content Process (Skills) Big Ideas (Transferable) (Knowledge) So, we add complexity by asking students to investigate how environmental changes have contributed to animal adaptations over time. Students research how animal adaptations have correlated with environmental changes. Students, now have the knowledge, skills, and understanding about how environmental changes affect survival. Science

Depth Level of Complexity Adapted from ILT to ILD, Moving Texas Forward 2002 FactsTopicsConceptsGeneralization Principle Synthesis Evaluation Analysis Application Comprehension Knowledge Theory Content Process (Skills) Big Ideas (Transferable) (Knowledge) However, while our students have knowledge, skills, and understanding of transferable concepts and generalizations... they have never been asked to transfer these concepts and understandings within the discipline of science, or across academic disciplines. Science

Depth Level of Complexity Adapted from ILT to ILD, Moving Texas Forward 2002 FactsTopicsConceptsGeneralization Principle Synthesis Evaluation Analysis Application Comprehension Knowledge Theory Content Process (Skills) Context (Transferred within or across Disciplines) Big Ideas (Transferable) (Knowledge) So we ask our students to apply these ideas in a new context. Students are asked to analyze why African elephants are endangered. Science Will humans ever become endangered?

So…TAKS or STAAR? Green grasshoppers often live in green grass or areas with plants. If a grasshopper were moved to a sandy desert, it would most likely – A change colors to look like sand B be camouflaged from predators C develop new adaptations D be caught and eaten

Adaptations for Survival Body Structures Body Coverings Coloration Kit foxes have large ears to hear Kit foxes have short fur Brown and tan Scorpions have a tail that stings Scorpions have a hard covering Black Brown and whiteRattlesnakes have scales Rattlesnakes have a tongue to smell The traits of the animals in the chart above make them most adapted to surviving in a – Adesert ecosystem Bgrassland ecosystem Ccoastal ecosystem Dforest ecosystem