Ramping Up Science Skills Grade 7 May 2011 Presented by Ava D. Rosales, PhD Instructional Supervisor M-DCPS Division of Mathematics, Science, and Advanced Academic Programs

Agenda  Welcome and Introductions  What Does it Really Take?  Ramping-up Targeted Concepts: Hands- on/Minds-on Activities  Teaching and Learning: The Year in Review  Mapping Content for NGSSS DOK  Reflections

Welcome and Introductions  Overview and Introductions  Think…Pair…Share How prepared are students to enter 8 th grade? What has been done at your school to ensure success?

What Does it Really Take? Temperature Changes Everything: The Balloon and the Bottle

 SC.7.P.11.1 Recognize that adding heat to or removing heat from a system may result in a temperature change and possibly a change of state.  SC.7.P.11.4 Observe and describe that heat flows in predictable ways, moving from warmer objects to cooler ones until they reach the same temperature. (AA)

Formative Assessments and Classroom Activities Source: Page Keley: Understanding Student Ideas in Science – Another 25 Formative Assessment Probes Volume 3  Ice Cold Lemonade  Mixing Water

Content Rich?  How well does the resource support teaching and learning of content and skills of the benchmark (NGSSS)?  How well do instructions and/ or objectives support teaching and learning?  How well does the resource foster mental and physical activity of students and intellectual engagement?

 How well do the materials maintain learner motivation?  Does the resource provide material/ ideas to assess student understanding and/ or learning?

Conceptual understanding is what we expect when we say a child understands ideas such as energy or respiration. (From Teaching for Understanding in Primary Science, Lynn Newton)

Teaching and Learning Using FCAT 2.0 Item Specifications and Student Data:  What science concepts and/or skills were taught?  What science concepts and/or skills were mastered?  What science concepts and/or skills need to be re-addressed for students to be prepared to enter 8 th grade?

Using the FCAT 2.0 Item Specifications, identify the following:  7 th grade benchmarks that are foundational (i.e., never been taught before)  Benchmarks that are only taught in 7 th grade (i.e., not repeated or built on in grade 8) 11

12 Number of Items Physical and Chemical Earth & Space Life & Environmental Scientific Thinking Overall

Benchmark Analysis

Average Percent Correct

15 Activity: A Recipe for Traits Topic XV

 Big Idea 16: Heredity and Reproduction SC.7.L.16.1 Understand and explain that every organism requires a set of instructions that specifies its traits, that this hereditary information (DNA) contains genes located in the chromosomes of each cell, and that heredity is the passage of these instructions from one generation to another. Ramping-up Life Science 16

Outcome Goals of the Standards Increase depth, understanding, process skills, proficiency Lead to mastery of concepts and skills covering understanding Module 1 17

 Understanding Scientific Explanations ◦ Know, use, and interpret scientific explanations of the natural world  Generating Scientific Evidence ◦ Generate and evaluate scientific evidence to build explanations of the natural world  Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge ◦ Understand the nature and development of scientific knowledge; scientific knowledge can be revised as new evidence emerges  Participating Productively in Science ◦ Representing ideas, using scientific tools, and interacting with peers about science The Four Strands of Science Learning (NRC, 2007) 18 Module 1

19 Module 1 Based on Webb, N. L., 1999

Example 20 Module 1 1.Which block would experience the most amount of friction as it moves down the tray? 2.How will changing the angle of the tray affect the movement of blocks down the tray? 3.Which of the following forces causes the blocks to move down the tray? a. electric b. friction c. magnetic d. gravity

 Low cognitive demand  Recall and recognition of previously learned concepts and principles. Examples: ◦ Identifying a common example or recognize a concept ◦ Retrieving information from a graph, table, or figure ◦ Calculating or completing a familiar single-step procedure or equation using a reference sheet Level 1: Low Complexity 21 Module 1

 Moderate cognitive demand  Involve more flexible thinking and choice among alternatives. Examples: ◦ Compare and contrast structures or functions of different organisms or systems ◦ Describe examples and non-examples of scientific processes or concepts ◦ Apply concepts from a standard scientific model or theory Level 2: Moderate Complexity 22 Module 1

 High cognitive demand  Engage students in more abstract reasoning, planning, analysis, judgment, and creative thought. Examples: ◦ Designing an experiment ◦ Generalizing or draw conclusions from a data set ◦ Providing a justification for steps in a solution or process ◦ Formulating a mathematical model for a complex situation Level 3: High Complexity 23 Module 1

 Given our discussion of Depth of Knowledge, how might you define science proficiency?  What does it mean to learn science with understanding?  How might science instruction provide opportunities for students to engage in all four strands of science learning? Wrap up— Science Proficiency 24 Module 1

Submit a one page reflection on the implementation of a formative assessment to address student understanding of concepts taught Or mail code #9628 DUE: May 24,

Reflection  How prepared are students to enter 8 th grade?  What can be done at your school to ensure success and close the gaps?

27 Resources Module 1