SCIENCE COMPANION: OVERVIEW AND INTRO TO WEATHER ___DATE___ ___YOUR NAME___

Session Goals  To learn about the philosophy and basic principles of Science Companion  To feel comfortable and excited about using a Science Companion module  To become familiar with some of the features of the program that support a high-quality implementation  To begin planning for implementation  To know where to go with questions, concerns, etc.

I Wonder Circle / What is a Scientist? book Discuss:  How might you introduce this tool in your classroom?  How might you use it over time?  What does it convey to students about science?

Children learn science by engaging in the work of scientists (“inquiry”)  Why?  What does this look and sound like?  How does this approach address students’ learning of science content and science process skills?

Content and Process  Both are important for elementary students.  Both should be developed with age-appropriate activities and expectations. (SC Big Ideas encompass both disciplinary content and process skills.)  They should be connected and reinforce one another. For example:  Children learn about the properties of weather by doing careful observation; AND  Children learn how to do careful observations by being given a meaningful context and purpose for developing/practicing this skill (e.g., observing and recording the weather)

Children learn science by engaging in the work of scientists (“inquiry”)  What are the challenges and barriers to using this approach in elementary school classrooms? TAKE A MOMENT: Talk about barriers and challenges in your group, as well as strategies you have used to address them. Be prepared to share out.

The challenge of TIME  Designed to be done in two to three minute sessions per week.  Lessons of consistent length and structure help with pacing and scheduling  Meaningful opportunities to integrate science with literacy and mathematics  Science Notebook work and Student Reference Book and other readings can often be done during literacy  Work with data and measurement can often be done as part of mathematics  Introductory and Reflective Discussions provide rich opportunities to develop verbal communication skills and critical thinking

The challenge of LOGISTICS We know…teaching hands-on science can be a pain! We try to make it easier to address the materials, mess, noise, etc. in a variety of ways:  Field-tested units – We caught lots of issues early, and added many more teacher-suggested tips at point-of-use for managing potential hassles  ExploraGear kits – These include the most tough-to-find materials that you’ll need  Comprehensive Planning and Preparation information – Being prepared is half the battle for managing science  Detailed lesson write-ups – You don’t need to guess or try to figure out what it should look like, what to do next, etc.

The challenge of CONTENT KNOWLEDGE  The BIG IDEAS help teachers and kids focus on key, age- appropriate concepts and skills  The Teacher Background Information (TBI) provides additional content information for teachers – enough to build confidence and context, but no so much as to overwhelm  The TBI and Notes in the lessons provide information about common student (and adult) misconceptions  Teachers are invited and encouraged to learn science alongside their students!

Science Companion and Everyday Mathematics Key synergies help teachers (and students) who use one program learn to use the other: Philosophy/pedagogy  Engage children as scientists/mathematicians (i.e., “doing” science or math)  Explore and apply science/math in real-life contexts  Revisit and develop content and skills over time; high expectations for students  Emphasize cooperative, small-group work  Emphasize critical thinking and classroom discourse/discussion  Emphasize active learning; constructing knowledge Content and materials  Organization of teacher guides  Meaningful student materials (journals, science notebooks, SRBs)  Explicit and underlying content linkages (e.g., Grade 1 Weather Unit with EM weather routines; Grade 3 Solar Unit with EM Sunrise/Sunset routine; application of grade- appropriate measurement and data skills in the context of science, etc.)

Science Companion: What’s in a Module? THE REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF  Teacher Lesson Manual  Student Science Notebooks  Student Reference Books (most upper-level units; more coming soon!)  ExploraGear Kit THE OTHER VERY USEFUL STUFF  Assessment Book  Science Notebook Teacher Guide  Teacher Masters and Visuals  Teacher Reference Materials (online only) TAKE A MOMENT: Do you have all of these items for your unit?

Lesson Clusters  Lesson Clusters and groups of lessons (not necessarily consecutive) that, together, develop/support one or more Big Ideas  Science Companion units generally consist of 2-5 lesson clusters TAKE A MOMENT: Look at the Introduction to the Weather Unit and the Unit Summary table.  How many lesson clusters are there?  What does each focus on?  How do they connect with one another?

Getting to Know Weather: Big Ideas  Science Companion units are designed to develop age- appropriate “Big Ideas” related to the topic being studied.  These Big Ideas help teachers (and students) focus on the most important content of the lesson and unit.  Big Ideas tend to be developed through groups of lessons (called “Lesson Clusters”). TAKE A MOMENT: Read through the Big Ideas. What questions or confusions do you have? Discuss with a colleague or the session facilitator.

Getting to Know Weather: Teacher Background Information  This section of the manual is intended to bolster teachers’ content knowledge and confidence.  The information goes beyond the content that students are expected to learn. TAKE A MOMENT: Read through the Teacher Background Information  What is one new thing you learned?  What are some misconceptions students may have? How does the module address these misconceptions?

Getting to Know Weather: Process Skills  Science Companion places a strong emphasis on developing student’s knowledge about and comfort with science processes.  Skill Building Activities focus on a particular process skill. TAKE A MOMENT: Find examples of students engaging in science processes during the lessons.  What science processes are students engaged in?  What science content are they exploring at the same time?

Science Companion: What’s in a Lesson?  Before the Lesson  Quick Look and Preparation  During the Lesson  Engage  Explore  Reflect and Discuss  After the Lesson  Science Center  Extensions  Looking Ahead

Getting Ready to Teach: Logistics for getting started:  Use the Before You Begin Teaching (BYBT) section as a checklist for preparing to teach the unit.  You might also look at the Lessons at a Glance to get the big picture for scheduling, etc.

Assessment In Science Companion, assessment is tied to Big Ideas and Lesson Clusters. Assessment Resources:  The embedded assessment suggestions in the lessons, along with the associated recording sheets (in the Teacher Masters)  The additional assessment tools in the Assessment Book, including:  Rubrics for each Big Idea/Cluster  Performance Tasks and Quick Check Items  Skills and Attitudes Checklists and Self-Assessments  Overviews of Assessment Opportunities  Evaluation Guidelines, Blackline Masters, and Recording Tools

Assessment In Science Companion, assessment is tied to Big Ideas and Lesson Clusters. TAKE A MOMENT:  Look at the Assessment section on the Quick Look page of any lesson in your Teacher Lesson Manual. Do the embedded assessment suggestions make sense to you?  Look at any Opportunities Overview page in your Assessment Book. Is it clear will you will find more information about the various opportunities? Also look at the rubric on the facing page for more information about the criteria. What questions do you have at this point?

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