2009-10 Release Days

Please mark your calendars for the following release days:

Thursday, September 24
Thursday, October 22
Wednesday, November 18
Friday, December 18
Wednesday, January 20
Tuesday, February 23
Tuesday, March 23
Thursday, April 22 (K-2)
Thursday, May 27

ODE Link - Science Standards Revision Updates

Please review the June 30 information posted by ODE regarding potential changes with the K-5 Academic Content Science Standards.

http://www.education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEPrimary.aspx?Page=2&TopicID=1695&TopicRelationID=1696

Draft science standards will be posted on the ODE web site by early November so that focus group, online feedback and national expert review can occur during the months of November and December.

Inquiry Starters from WVIZ, Cleveland

Here's a link to a video series put together by WVIZ Ideastream, titled "PSI: Physical Science Investigations".

Each video comes in multiple segments, with corresponding background info, data sheets, and T-Charts for making predictions and variable analysis.

Definitely worth a look, especially in the context of instigating inquiry within student learning experiences:

PSI: Physical Science Investigations

Some of these I'm sure you've demoed in your ooms, as I did mine while teaching science. Performing a live demo of these segments would surely have more instructional impact, where possible.

PBL Science

Do we want our science to look something like this? This educator's past experiences and deep content knowledge make it realistic to pull this off. Many teachers do not have these types of experiences. For those that don't, how could outside expertise be used to help educators pull this off?

Resource Materials - Fall 2009

During the summer months, I will contact science publishers so we can built in time during release days to examine resource materials. As a team, we will determine if these materials are aligned with your 2022 vision and the academic standards, benchmarks, and indicators.

In addition to the following resources, please let me know if there are other resources you feel we need to consider.

AIMS
Discovery Works
FOSS
GEMS
Kendall/Hunt
Newbridge
Ohio orc
Science Olympiad

Reading: Why Does Inquiry Matter: Because That's What Science is All About!

Remember, our goal is to establish common understanding of inquiry-based learning.
After reading this text written by Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, please respond to the following questions:

1. What have you learned about inquiry based learning?

2. What questions emerged as a result of this reading?

Survey Results: Inquiry Levels

Inside your folder, you have an article titled Simplifying Inquiry Instruction: Assessing the Inquiry Level of Classroom Activities" and an Inquiry Continuum Chart.

After reviewing these resources, please respond to following questions:

1. What is something new you have learned about inquiry based learning?

2. What questions emerged as a result of this reading?

Delaware Science Coalition Summative Assessments

Here is the resource link some of you were asking about. I noticed the summative assessments are posted for you to see. Feel free to look at the different grades. My group specifically focused on a third grade assessment called "Earth Materials". I see that these are in the process of being published. However, a great resource to look at. You'll notice that students are required to write a great deal in science - something Jackie discussed today as an area where our students need to improve.

http://www.doe.k12.de.us/infosuites/staff/sci_assess/elemk5/sum_k5/default.shtml

5th Grade Science Oat Presentation

http://leightonscience5.wikispaces.com/Science+OAT+Presentation

Welcome

Dear K-5 Science Team:

Welcome! June 4, 2009 is the start of our K-5 science course of study revision journey. Thank you for saying "yes" to this learning opportunity. Our students will benefit greatly from your talents and passion for 21st century best practice science instruction.

To assist in the process of learning, discussion, and reflection throughout the course of study revision process, I have created a blog. The post is to be used by everyone on the team for collaboration and sharing. Please bookmark this blog as a favorite to ensure easy access on your computer.

I look forward to learning from all of you.

Learning Goals

To begin posting on our K-5 science blog, respond to the questions below.

1. What do you hope to learn or achieve in this course of study revision process?

2. Share one or two long term learning goals. At the end of this revision process, I will...

Big Picture: Vision Activity

Think about a child who will begin Kindergarten at Miller Fall 2009. Think about the same student completing Aurora High School in June 2022.

What kind of science skills will this student possess as an Aurora Graduate?

Strengths: Science Instruction & Resources

As you reflect on the last 5 years of science instruction, identify what is working based on your observations of student learning.

What do we need to change?

As we move forward with our course of study revision process, what areas need to be improved to ensure 21stcentury high standards science instruction for all students?