1. IQWST Investigating & Questioning our World
Through Science & Technology
Mrs. Reppen
Immaculate Conception

2. What is IQWST?
IQWST is a carefully sequenced, 9-unit middle school science curriculum.
Each academic year includes three units, one in each discipline:
Physics, Chemistry and Life Science.
IQWST engages students in scientific practices as they experience, investigate, and explain phenomena while learning core ideas of science.
Rather than memorizing facts, students build understanding by connecting ideas across disciplines and across the middle grades.

3. Research does not support:
Broad content coverage
Superficial coverage = superficial “understanding
Reading-centered curriculum
Reading to answer questions at the end of a chapter – no integration
Activities strung together
Engagement w/o conceptual understanding, doing over all else
Vocabulary Study such as:
Words in sentences, create-your-own glossary, Friday vocab quizzes-apart from words in context
Projects whose goal is …completing the project

4. Research DOES support:
Literacy and content integration
Multiple ways to interact with content – and to “make sense”
Read, write, talk about and DO science
Importance of Prior Knowledge & Making Connections
Coherence builds conceptual understanding across lessons, units, strands, years
Ability to use, apply and manipulate information
Vocabulary in-Context
Frequent, in-context use-reading, writing, talking science
Interest + engagement + motivation = achievement

5. IQWST Components Experience phenomenon first
Then talk about, read about, and make sense
Readings
Every lesson has at least 1 reading
Readings refer directly to in-class activities
Another opportunity to make sense
Another opportunity to use the language
Absentees in inquiry classrooms
Parents
Apply & extend with everyday examples

6. IQWST Components Oral classroom discourse is key
Use of Driving Question Board (DQB)
Learning unfolds over time – Do not rush! Students will arrive at the ‘right answer” over time
Formative assessment opportunities – talk, plus student portal

7. IQWST Key Features
Students DO science: Experience & Investigate phenomena
Addresses core ideas in depth
Coherence: Within unit, across content areas, across 6-8
Integrates content, scientific practices & all forms of literacy
Scaffolds Scientific Practices
Uses Driving Questions & DQB to structure & focus learning
Embeds formative assessments in readings, discussion & activity sheets
Provides support for diverse learners, differentiation
Educative for teachers: Background knowledge, videos

8. Introducing... the IQWST Interactive Digital Edition (IDE)
Best described as an “Interactive Science Curriculum & Notebook
Incorporates audio, video, graphic simulations, and writing and drawing tools into the already powerful IQWST curriculum
Students utilize their devices while investigating phenomena.
Provides investigation procedures, ways to collect and organize data, and prompts to support students in analyzing data and using their data to construct explanations as they go. Students can respond to questions textually or by making digital drawings, or they can take pictures or capture video in each lesson.

9. IDE Student Benefits
Students are immersed in an interactive environment, including compelling digital features:
“digital journals” for recording students’ original questions and data to support answering them
communication and collaboration tools with their teacher(s) and other students
embedded videos
embedded simulations
audio versions of each reading
Students’ written responses and models are stored for revisiting and revising, as well as for electronic submission to me, so their progress toward learning goals can being frequently monitored.

10. Effectiveness

11. IQWST in Action