LeaPS Learning in Physical Science December 15, 2009 Supported by University of Kentucky PIMSER Math and Science Outreach Welcome!

Project Goals for LeaPS Overall goal: Students will learn targeted physical science concepts (structure and transformation of matter, force & motion) Goal 1: Enhance teacher content and pedagogical knowledge of targeted physical science concepts Goal 2: Improve Teacher Instructional Practices Goal 3: Enhance Administrator Support

Group Norms Stay on schedule; be on time Put cell phones on silent and computers closed Stay present, giving full attention Listen actively as others are speaking Be engaged—Be IN the work Avoid sidebar conversations Keep name tags visible Rule of 2 feet Any others?

Review of last month Content Building: Graphing Motion Debrief Homework Force & Motion CTS

Roadmap for today Understanding Student Thinking Models And Representations FnM Progression Content Building

Position & Time Graphs Examine the graphs and for each, determine… –what the student is thinking –why they may be thinking this way –what experience they need to move their thinking If students have difficulty with position & time graphs, how might this affect future learning?

Time to Reflect

Making Thinking Visible: Modeling and Representation Chapter 6

Learning Targets I can identify key concepts about scientific models. I can explain the importance of developing student’s understanding of models in order to develop their understanding of the natural world.

Is it a Model? Lay out the cards on the table. Sort them in to two categories: those that are models and those that are not. Discuss your reasoning for your placements.

“Models are crucial to science teaching and learning, yet they can create unforeseen and overlooked challenges for students and teachers.” –John Eichinger, “Using Models Effectively,” Science and Children, April/May 2005

DEBRIEF of Ch. 6 Individually, jot down or star on your reading guide, the 4 important ideas about scientific models from Ch. 6. In pairs, compare your lists and distill your ideas down to the 2 most important ideas. Pair up with another pair (group of 4) and determine the 1 most important idea about scientific models from Ch. 6. Be prepared to share with the whole group.

Debrief on Ch. 6 Revisit your Key Vocabulary Organizer for “Scientific Model” and your reasoning from the sort. Then, as a school team, develop a “common” definition for scientific model. How might understanding what a scientific model is impact students’ understanding of force and motion?

Switch to Teacher Hat We used a probe entitled “Is it a model?” Why did we do this with you? Why would you do this with students? How does the information gained help to make instructional plans?

Reflection Time

Force and Motion What is the progression? Learning Targets – I can explain how learning progressions could be useful for developing and/or improving curriculum, assessment, and instruction for a scientific topic.

The Question…… What if students don’t develop a more scientific understanding of Force and Motion?

CTS Review CTS helps us to see the “Big Picture” of the why & what of the topics we teach. Please review the CTS from last meeting, and in conjunction with the PoS, determine what is similar for FnM for 6 th, 7 th, and 8 th grade and what is unique.

Ch 4 Ready, Set, Science! Placemat Consensus: teammates place consensus items in the center of their team placemat. Teammates all respond simultaneously in their individual space, writing as many ideas as the time allows, to the question about Ch. 4 provided to the team. Teammate 1 announces one item he/she has written. Teammates discuss the item. If there is consensus that the item is important, Teammate 1 records his/her best synthesis of the team’s ideas in the center of the placemat, seeking help with wording if necessary. The process is repeated until each teammate in turn suggests an idea and records the team consensus.

Ch 4 Ready, Set, Science! How did the CTS on FnM provide a big picture understanding of this topic? Why are FnM concepts difficult for students? Examine the draft learning progression for FnM K-5. –How are progressions different from standards? –How might progressions be useful in developing curriculum and instructional units?

Our GOAL To develop an explanatory model that relates force and motion

“In order to develop a deep understanding of scientific explanations of the natural world, students need sustained opportunities to work with and build on the concepts that support these explanations and to understand the connections between concepts…Research strongly suggests that a more effective approach to science learning and teaching is to teach and build on core concepts of science over a period of years rather than weeks or months.” Ready, Set, Science! pg. 59

Time to Reflect

Content Building Learning Targets – I can distinguish velocity from speed. I can use velocity and how it changes to relate force and motion.

Science Notebook Write today’s date in numerals on the top line in your notebook. Focus question: What is velocity and how do we determine it? Record data, graph sketches, answers to checks, etc. in your notebook. Summarize the findings from your data and answer the focus question.

Reflect One Last Time

For Next Time Our next meeting will be January 8, 2010 Read Ch 3 from Writing in Science Read Ch 3 in Ready, Set, Science! Complete the reading guides. Snow Plan: If Carter, Lewis, or Rowan are cancelled—the mtg is cancelled as well