1. Welcome to Strategies for Teaching ACT Science Skills
Please go to
to complete a quick questionnaire.

2. About us... http://tinyurl.com/CRSatWSST
Laura Corado Koeppel - AP Biology, Biology, Environmental Studies at Waukesha South
Emily McHugh - AP Physics 1 & AP Physics 2 at Waukesha South

3. Goals of Session http://tinyurl.com/CRSatWSST
Become (re)acquainted with the ACT science skills
Learn new strategies for teaching the skills

4. What are the ACT Science CRS?
The CRS standards are “designed to assess the knowledge and the thinking skills, processes, and strategies students acquire in high school science courses.”
- “Connecting College Readiness Standards™ To The Classroom for Science Teachers”

5. College Readiness Skills
ACT’s Science
Skills Website
Three Strands: IOD, SIN, EMI
Left-hand side = ACT Score Range
Code = Name of Standard (e.g. IOD 201)

6. Ideas for Progress
ACT’s suggestions for activities to move students from one level to the next.

7. Trouble Distinguishing Between Skills?
“Although many of the ideas cross more than one strand, a primary strand has been identified for each in order to facilitate their use in the classroom.”
Example: "In the 20–23 range, the statement ‘evaluate whether the data produced by an experiment adequately support a given conclusion’ brings together concepts from all three strands. However, it is primarily linked to the EMI strand.”
- “Connecting College Readiness Standards™ To The Classroom for Science Teachers”

8. Importance of Teaching Skills
How often do we teach kids how to do a skill, versus just providing practice on a skill?

9. Importance of Teaching Skills
Students are unlikely to just “absorb” science thinking skills without receiving explicit instruction in them.
They must be taught what we want them to do - reason scientifically.
We argue that our students will become better critical thinkers, more independent, take more ownership of their learning, and be better able to analyze and evaluate other scientists’ results if they are provided with explicit instruction in how to do each skill, rather than just practice.

10. Importance of Teaching Skills: The Question of Lab Experiences
To what extent do we expect labs, in and of themselves, to teach skills like evaluating data, interpreting models, etc.?
Do we expect students to improve these skills simply through repetition?

11. Strategies for Teaching ACT Skills
Master List of Strategies
IOD Strategies
SIN Strategies
EMI Strategies

12. Examples: Interpreting Data

13. Annotation of Graphs and Tables

14. Develop Inner Monologue Via Teacher Modeling

15. Develop Inner Monologue Via Peer Modeling and Practice

16. Quick Graph Sketches

17. Examples: Scientific Investigations

18. Multipart Experiment Analysis

19. Describing an Existing Experiment

20. Annotate the Experiment

21. Evaluating Hypotheses
SIN 503. Determine the experimental conditions that would produce the specified results.

22. Pre-Lab Questions 1. What scientific concept(s) is this lab about?
Identify the scientific concept(s) (principle, theory, law) of the lab and write what you know about the concept(s) from the lab manual, textbook, class notes, handouts, etc.
2. What are the objectives for this lab?
Describe the specific actions you are being asked to perform in the lab, such as measure something, analyze something, test something, etc.
3. What is the overall purpose of the lab?
Describe how what you are being asked to do in the lab (the objectives) will help you learn about the lab's scientific concept(s) - show the link between what you will do in the lab (question #2) what you are supposed to be learning about by doing the lab (question #1).

23. Examples: Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results

24. Compare and Contrast / Conflicting Viewpoints

25. Developing Inner Monologue - Teacher Modeling

26. Inquiry Circles

27. Question Stems for Evaluating Data and Conclusions
1-12
What is the purpose of this model?
What is the critical information that can be found from this model?
13-15
Which model best represents the information present?
If the following factor was changed in this model, how would that affect the model?
Does the evidence support or refute the claim? Why?
16-19
Analyze if the stated conclusion support or contradict the hypothesis?
What are possible hypotheses, predictions or conclusions based on this data?
What conditions must be assumed for this model to be accurate?
What are the strengths/weaknesses of these different models?
20-23
Evaluate if the data produced in this experiment support the conclusion that you made?
Examine the data collected in this new experiment, does it support or contradict the previous experiments data?
Predict and discuss some of the limits of this model? Why doesn’t this model work in all situations?
Determine how these new findings impact predictions previously made with the model?

28. Whiteboarding - Round Robin
To share your work with others, we will be using a Round-Robin format. This means that one member of the group will stay at your work station to share your groups’ ideas while the other group members will go to the other group one at a time in order to listen to and critique the explanations developed by your classmates.
· Is their explanation adequate (it explains everything it needs to) and coherent (it is free from contradictions)?
· Did they use genuine evidence (they organized their data in a way that shows a trend over time, a relationship between variables, or a difference between groups) and did they use enough evidence to support their ideas (they used more than one piece of evidence and all their ideas are supported by evidence)?

29. Annotation of Models

30. Assessment Resources Common Rubrics
Interpreting Data Assessment - Biology Example (ecology)
Interpreting Data Assessment - Biology Example (evolution)
Evaluating Models/Data Assessment - Physics Example
Scientific Paper - Biology Example
Lab Report Rubrics and Directions - Physics Example

31. Further Questions or Thoughts?
Please feel free to contact us if you have any other questions or thoughts on ACT CRS.
Laura:
Emily: