1. Teaching Experiments and a Carbon Cycle Learning Progression
Lindsey Mohan & Andy Anderson
Michigan State University

2. Carbon Cycle LP Carbon Cycle Learning Progression Framework Discourse
Knowledge
Practice

3. Carbon Cycle LP Carbon Cycle Learning Progression Framework Discourse
Level 1: Force-Dynamic
Carbon Cycle LP
Level 4: Principles
Knowledge
Practice

4. Carbon Cycle LP Carbon Cycle Learning Progression Framework Discourse
Level 1: Actors and events
Knowledge
Level 4: Processes that generate, transform, and oxidize organic carbon
Practice

5. Lower and Upper Anchor Knowledge

6. Carbon Cycle LP Carbon Cycle Learning Progression Framework Discourse
Knowledge
Inquiry: Investigating
Practice
Accounts: Explaining, Predicting
Citizenship: Decision-Making

7. Units of Analysis
Learning Performances: the characteristics of students who are at a particular Level of Achievement and reasoning about a particular practice, process, and principle.

8. Accounts of processes:
Units of Analysis
Learning Performances: the specific practices characteristic of students who are at a particular Level of Achievement and reasoning about a particular practice, process, and principle.
Accounts of processes:
Example: Explanation of matter during photosynthesis

9. Current “Structure-First” Learning Progression
Level 4: Principled Accounts of Processes in a Hierarchy of Scales (successful constraints)
Level 3: Detailed narratives with unsuccessful constraints
Level 2: Hidden mechanisms about events
Level 1: Macroscopic Force-Dynamic Narratives about Actors and Events

10. Desired “Principles-First” Learning Progression
Level 4: Principled Accounts of Processes in a Hierarchy of Scales (successful constraints)
Level 3: Detailed narratives with unsuccessful constraints
Level 3: Principled accounts at molecular scale w/ few chemical details
Level 2: Hidden mechanisms about events
Level 2: Successful conservation at macroscopic scale
Level 1: Macroscopic Force-Dynamic Narratives about Actors and Events

11. Aspects of Starting Knowledge
Level 1
Visible Event
Accomplished by Actors
With Powers or Abilities
Trying to achieve Purposes
Needs or Enablers
Results: Achieving Purpose

12. Aspects of Starting Knowledge
Level 4
Process
Occurs in Systems
Hierarchically Organized by Scales
Follows Principles:
Conservation of matter
Conservation of energy
Energy Input
Matter Input
Matter Output
Energy Output

13. Aspects of Starting Knowledge
Characteristics from levels
Level 1: Enablers that actors need to achieve their goals (include materials, energy forms, and conditions)
Level 2: Gas-gas and solid-solid cycles; macroscopic energy forms (light, heat, motion)
Level 3: Atoms, molecules, chemical change, cellular processes, etc

14. Using Starting Knowledge to Set Goals
Enablers/Inputs
Actors/Systems
Purpose/Products
Level 1:
Current Elementary Starting Point
Needs or enablers
Abilities or powers of actors; settings for events
Achieving purpose or goals of actors
New Level 2:
Goal for Elementary
Different kinds of enablers: solids, liquids, gases, energy forms, conditions
Internal structure of actors
Material and energy products (gas-gas cycles, body structure, etc)
New Level 3:
Goal for Middle
Material inputs without all chemical identities; chemical energy
Movement of materials at multiple scales
Change matter and energy obeying conservation laws
Level 4:
Goal for High
Material inputs with chemical identities; Energy inputs
Movement of atoms in hierarchy of systems
Material products, energy products, energy degradation

15. Tools for Reasoning: Principles
Conservation of Matter (Atoms, Mass)
Conservation of Energy
Energy Degradation
Hierarchy of Scales

16. Tools for Principles: Matter, Energy, & Scale
Process Tool

18. Flames
0.1m

19. One flame
20mm

20. Parts of the flame
2mm

21. Molecules inside flame
50nm

22. Click pink square to see animation
Atom re-arrangement in combustion
Click pink square to see animation

23. Thank You!