1. Project-Based Inquiry Science NSTA Presentation Mary Starr, PhD MLSTARR@comcast.net December 2008 Welcome

2. PBIS is.... ❖ Focused on student engagement in Big Questions and Big Challenges ❖ Developed with the goal of creating opportunities for students to engage in the practices of scientists: exploring, discussing, collaborating, asking questions ❖ A full 3- year middle school science curriculum; Earth Science, Life Science and Physical Science ❖ Aligned with NSES and standards/objectives from many states ❖ Consistent with reform-based research that encourages students to explore and investigate, make meaning, share meaning and asking more questions

3. Complete Three-Year Middle School Curriculum ❖ Life Science ❖ Animals In Action ❖ Living Together ❖ Genetics ❖ Good Friends and Germs ❖ Earth Science ❖ Digging In ❖ Planetary Forecaster ❖ Ever Changing Earth ❖ Underground City ❖ Astronomy ❖ Physical Science ❖ Diving In ❖ Vehicles in Motion ❖ Moving Big Things ❖ Air Quality ❖ Energy

4. Students working like scientists.... Ask Questions Pursue Answers Share Answers Make Meaning Apply Meaning

5. Launcher Units ❖ Identifying criteria and constraints ❖ Design an investigation ❖ Collecting data ❖ Observing trends in data ❖ Iteration ❖ Keeping records ❖ Copying versus giving credit ❖ Collaboration ❖ Messing about ❖ Variables; Different kinds of variables ❖ Designing experiments

6. Three Launcher Units ❖ Diving In - Physical Science ❖ Animals in Action - Life Science ❖ Digging In - Earth Science

7. Animals in Action ❖ Big Question - How do scientists work together....? ❖ Big Challenge - Create a zoo enclosure that allows an animal to behave as they do in their natural habitat. ❖ Behaviors: Feeding and Communicating

8. What tools or strategies do bees use to forage? ❖ Bees need to save energy...carefully choose which flowers to forage.

9. What do we expect in middle school science? Students must.... 1. know, use, and interpret scientific explanations of the natural world; 2. generate and evaluate scientific evidence and explanations; Excerpted from: Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8 http://books.nap.edu/catalog/11625.htmlhttp://books.nap.edu/catalog/11625.html

10. What do we expect in middle school science? ❖ Students must.... ❖ 3. understand the nature and development of scientific knowledge; and ❖ 4. participate productively in scientific practices and discourse.

11. Creating Explanations ❖ Claim – a statement of what you understand or a conclusion that you have reached from an investigation or set of investigations ❖ Evidence – data collected during investigations and trends in that data ❖ Science knowledge – knowledge about how things work. You may have learned this through reading, talking to an expert, discussion, or other experiences.

12. PBIS Content within Context ❖ PBIS content is always developed within a context ❖ PBIS content is usually built iteratively, slowly over time ❖ PBIS content and processes are used together to support each other ❖ PBIS supports critical 21st century knowledge development like: creating explanations, argumentation, problem solving, listening to other’s understanding

13. PBIS supports ❖ Science as a Process of Logical Reasoning About Evidence ❖ Science as a Process of Theory Change ❖ Science as a Process of Participation in the Culture of Scientific Practices ❖ 21st century understand of theory, evidence, hypothesis, argumentation, and claim