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NYSLSS Standards and the Crosscutting Concepts in Chemistry

Three-dimensional science education is foremost in most science educator’s minds today.  A lot of work has been done to flush out the science and engineering practices (SEPs), and the disciplinary core ideas (DCIs).   However, the crosscutting concepts (CCC) sometimes feels overshadowed.  “Crosscutting concepts have value because they provide students with connections and intellectual tools that are related across the differing areas of disciplinary content and can enrich their application of practices and their understanding of core ideas”. —Framework p. 233

There are 7 CCC’s many of which can easily be integrated into chemistry lesson plans.  The purpose of the CCC’s are to show the application of the science concept in the real world.  The following represent the concepts: 1) Patterns– are useful in organizing various phenomena and in engineering practices.  For example, HS-PS1-2 pertains to chemical reactions.  Students can identify patterns in reactions.  A lab can be preformed that will allow for the analysis of the pattern and students designs can be evaluated. 2) Cause and Effect– works well with patterns. Scientific investigations are often a mode to get to explanations of causal relationships. It is important to be intentional when using the CCC’s make the students use the correct terms to ensure understanding.  3) Scale, Proportion, and Quantity– In chemistry, we often work on the submicroscopic level however, when we consider environmental relationships it is appropriate to discuss larger scales and quantities. For example, you may use this in discussion of chemical reactions involving pollution in the air.  4) Systems and System Models – HS-PS1-6 covers Le Chatelier’s Principle it is appropriate to use these terms when discussing changes to an equilibrium system allow students to make connections and models to explore their understandings.  5) Energy and Matter- conservation of energy/matter is prevalent throughout our curriculum be purposeful in your lesson planning to discuss the relationships between energy and matter when applicable. 6) Structure and Function- the structure and function of the periodic table (for example) is essential to the chemistry curriculum.  Furthermore, on the high school level it is appropriate to push students into investigations into unfamiliar systems as well. 7) Stability and Change – the stability of various systems and changes that occur are also prevalent throughout our curriculum.  Understanding how the two terms interplay are exciting concepts to explore with your classes.

In closing, the CCC’s are very useful in the chemistry classroom.  It is important to use the terms as stated in our lessons so that the students can make meaningful connections so that they can use evidence in their scientific arguments. With a little thought and planning this 3D concept will also add to the fullness of your educational toolbox.  For more, information on CCC’s I look forward to meeting you virtually or in person at one of our upcoming STANYS events.

Dame Forbes- Suffolk County Chemistry SAR

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A November Tradition – Annual Conference Highlights from Rochester

The STANYS 124th Annual Conference, held in Rochester in early November, 2019, paved the way for a memorable weekend. While you never know what you’ll get in terms of dicey weather in Rochester in the middle of Fall, you know you’ll walk away from the Conference with bundles of materials to sort through, and lots of information to process when you arrive home. This year’s highlights, in no particular order, include:

  • Meeting with local Suffolk members on the same flight
  • Dinosaur BBQ!
  • Excellent sessions, run by knowledgeable and energetic NYS science teachers
  • Meeting with NASA educational specialists from Goddard Space Flight Center and Langley Research Center
  • Getting tips on how to assess students in a way that incorporates traditional grading practices with the iterative, rubric-style grading that comes with NYSSLS 3D assessments
  • We saw an amazing group of pre-service teachers from Oneonta State (my alma mater!) present a variety of innovative models to explain more complex topics related to Earth and Space Sciences. Thank you Jim Ebert and Paul Bischoff for bringing a little bit of O-State to Western NY! 
  • Having students use technology on a more regular (and regulated) basis, to conduct guided research projects
  • Gathering resources, listening, absorbing and reflecting on items presented during a marathon weekend… Three days packed with information that we can use or alter for use immediately
  • T-shirt competitions – and inspiration for a new Suffolk (Suff-i-k) shirt for next year!
  • The energy exuded by the Texas Instruments team
  • And… who could forget to mention the consistency of support from Ward’s Science culminating in the memorable raffle to cap off our Sunday

There were Institutes for many major subject areas and levels of science instruction. These and the luncheons for similar groupings of educators were very well-attended. As the days progressed, I heard many complimentary comments regarding the ease-of-use of this year’s new conference Guidebook app. Kudos to Suffolk’s own Matt Christiansen, the Vice President-Elect of STANYS, and “Keeper of the STANYS Conference Apps”. 

This year, for a slightly different experience, I attended several sessions that were not directly related to my subject area of expertise. I attended a workshop led by the Director at Large of Physics, Seth Gunials-Kupperman that was excellent. It led teachers through his assessment process, and the intricacies and successes of allowing students to be regularly re-assessed to check for deeper understanding. The workshop about Soil Science, led by Deb Mabey, from Hoosick Falls, NY, was also excellent. I was excited to see a simple and powerful link between biological and geosciences on display with her building of MudWatt systems, and encouraging students to bring in soils from their own backyards to use as an alternative fuel source for energy production.

I immediately got to work on incorporating paper circuits into a unit on aerospace engineering in my astronomy elective this month. Inspired by education specialists, Dr. Barbie Buckner from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (our NY liaison from NASA Goddard) and Dr. Anne Weiss from NASA’s Langley Research Center, I was able to have my students explore the concept of X-planes, and we made several styles of paper circuits from the templates provided via Dropbox linked in the Guidebook app.

I’ll add a brief note of thanks for all who voted in the STANYS Election this Fall. I’m excited to shift roles from Subject Area Representative for our Suffolk Section to that of Director at Large for Earth Science in the near future! What an exciting time, one that I have to remind myself is more like training for the endurance required as a marathoner, rather than the rapid acceleration and rewards reaped by a sprinter.
 It was nice to connect with like-minded individuals and see all of the excellent science happening statewide in classrooms with STANYS educators at the helm. I am excited to see where STANYS takes us as we work through the organization’s 125th year at the forefront of science education in New York!–Stephanie Burns – Suffok SAR Earth Science, DAL Elect – Earth Science

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Strategies For More Effective Labs Chemistry

Too often we have students who float through lab exercises without making connections to the science content they are learning in class. Some students struggle to find meaning of the lab and just run through the motions, copying other student’s data and ideas, and then handing in the lab report without a second thought about the science they just witnessed. Many students feel lab time is just for fun and not for learning at all. As teachers, we know the lab was intended to challenge students, make students discover answers to phenomenon, and reinforce the subjects we teach in class. So why is there such a large disconnect between labs and classroom content? The execution of the labs is an essential skill which teachers need to refine over time in order to make their labs more valuable to their students. These are a few tips that teachers can use to help drive labs towards that ultimate goal.

  1. Flip Your Pre-Lab: Regardless if you are a novice or an expert in flipping, flipping your pre-lab isn’t a difficult process and can prove to be very beneficial. You can create a video just by videotaping yourself in the lab with your cellphone! I prefer to screencast my computer using screencast-o-matic and voice over a PowerPoint that contains ideas and images from my lab. I upload my videos to an online website known as EDpuzzle, which is a free website you can use to track students watching your videos (and embed questions during the video to assess the students’ understanding). Both of these sites are free and very easy to use. Other teachers upload to their personal websites or YouTube. A flipped pre-lab could include reviewing safety rules pertaining to the lab, showing how to use equipment, and practicing necessary calculations. If the students complete this pre-lab at home, they come into class ready to work, increasing the time spent on the actual wet lab. The flipped pre-lab can decrease lab misconceptions and give the students a better understanding of their goal before they start the lab. In addition, flipping the pre-lab is helpful for inquiry style labs because the students will already know how to use the equipment and account for safety issue that may arise.
  2. Class Lab Discussion for Inquiry Labs: Inquiry labs can be daunting and cumbersome. One strategy to make these labs more manageable is to have a class discussion before the lab starts. Give the students a larger, overarching problem that needs to be solved. In pairs or small groups the students should come up with variables that they can test to solve the problem. A simple example could be “What factors affect the rate of a reaction?” Students can come up with factors such as temperature, surface area, and more. Next, have a class discussion and record all of the student’s variables down on the board. In some labs, it may be overwhelming for one lab group to test all of the variables that were brainstormed. Therefore, assign each lab group one variable to test from the list. At the end of the lab, students can exchange data to solve the overall problem. For example, group one can study temperature effects and group two can measure surface area affects. If there are not a lot of variables, double up the lab groups and they can compare their answers at the end of the lab. The individual lab groups will have to brainstorm constants for their lab and come up with a plan of action. Once the teacher checks the plan and constants, the group can get started on a series of trials to test their assigned variable. In most cases, the students should have a pre-planned data table and a graph to show the relationship that they tested. At the end of the lab, each group should report about the variable they tested, constants they used, and their results to the class in a short, two minute presentation. The class should record that data to create a class master set of data that shows all variables and their effects. This method will reinforce the need for multiple trials of the same variable in an experiment, while not putting too much pressure on any one group to solve the overarching problem in a lab because the lab groups are focused on one part of the overall problem. Together as a class, they can understand the problem as a whole and witness how a group of people can work together to solve the larger problem.
  3. Lab Quizzes: In my classroom, like many others, most labs are done as a small group or pair of students. Some teachers assign roles to each student to hold them accountable for participating in the lab. Despite the effort it takes to arrange the lab and possibly assign roles, some students can still do the bare minimum and copy other students’ work. To really tie the lab in with the classroom content and ensure that every student has motivation to understand the lab, lab quizzes can be given periodically to test student understanding. The quizzes can be short, using sample data from the lab or questions that may show up on future tests. Some quizzes may have the same questions that were in the lab, but with new numbers. Other quizzes might have questions about error analysis from a lab. You can also create a mini lab practical to ensure the students have proficient lab skills. In AP classes, I often give one AP question from an old exam that relates to the lab we completed. Lab quizzes should be given soon after the lab is complete or at least by the end of the unit. The bottom line is if the students know they will be individually assessed on their lab, they will most likely put more effort into understanding the lab as it is being done. Unfortunately, many students don’t find value in work that is not graded. These individual quizzes that can take as little as five minutes can be the item that students find the most motivating factor to understanding the lab.
  4. Challenge Labs: I have changed some of my standard labs into challenge labs. Instead of having students confirm the formula of a hydrate (I am a chemistry teacher) or confirm the value of a constant, my teams compete to get the closest value to the correct answer. It doesn’t always change the makeup of the lab itself, but it adds a healthy competitive element to the lab that engages more students. Some labs did change, like my density lab. Instead of identifying if sample size affects the density of an object or confirming the makeup of a sample based on density, I gave teams a sample of aluminum metal that was pre-massed by me, and another sample of aluminum without a mass that had a different shape and size. Students could use any equipment other than a balance to find the mass of the second sample. The closer they got, they better they scored on the lab!

It is important to conduct meaningful labs in class. If the students cannot connect the content in the labs to the content in their homework, classwork, and exams the labs become a waste of time and energy. The labs need to be a driving force in the classroom and something to refer to when describing questions in class. I hope you consider trying one or more of these strategies for your labs to help connect your labs to your chemistry content.

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Evolution 3D Printing Hominids Fossils Phenomena

By Dan Williams  

Many of us are familiar with the famous quote from Theodosius Dobzhansky, that “nothing in Biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.”  I am not alone when I state that evolution is one of my favorite topics within Biology. Whether its examining derived traits within butterflies, predator prey relationships, or how a complex molecule like the ATP synthase evolved, the topics in evolution are varied, complex, and fascinating.  

Evolution however, is often the most misunderstood topic in Biology and despite our best intentions, we perpetuate the misconceptions with our classroom examples, exercises, and labs.  Please do not misunderstand me, I am not suggesting at all that I am any different –regardless of my best efforts, I too, unknowingly, have passed on misconceptions about evolution to my students.  Luckily, there are new tools to teach evolution which will inspire students with wonder, have them question phenomena, and help uncover and address the misconceptions we have built into our teaching of evolution.   

One such tool is the three dimensional printing of fossil scans.  It is easy to use, inexpensive, powerful and works well within a New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS) environment.  Fossil scans are accurate 3D renderings made by paleontologists of real fossils within the field which can be freely downloaded from public databases for printing on common 3D printers.  At the conclusion of this article I have provided links to resources that can be used to download and 3D print fossils for your classroom.

3D Printed Fossil Crania (L-R H. Heidelbergensis, H. naledi, H. Neanderthalensis, H. Sapiens)

A few months back, I was beyond excited when I cleaned off my new fossil crania scan from the 3D printer.  It was of a new hominid that was in the news called Homo naledi.  My students were also excited, they asked lots of questions about naledi, its discovery and human evolution in general.  I decided to perform an impromptu experiment with my new fossil crania and some other 3D prints I had laying around. I placed before my students the unidentified crania of Homo sapiens, Homo neanderthalensis, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo erectus and the new naledi print.  I asked my students to place them in “evolutionary age order” –in other words, from the more primitive to the most advanced species.

Not surprisingly, my students placed the crania in order: small too large.  Intuitively, this made sense to them, however it was completely wrong. Homonaledi, the smallest crania, actually only dates to around 300,000 years ago –concurrent with Neanderthals and late Heidelbergensis –hardly the most ancient.  Evolution, we know is change, not progressive change, just change. My students “knew this.” We always talked about how extinction is evolution (bad change for the extinct), I even had slides showing that Neanderthal brains were larger than ours (implying they might have been more intelligent than us) but they died out and here we are.  I emphasize lots of examples of non-progressive change in my lessons. None of this mattered when my students were faced with objects they could touch, look at and observe. Obviously my “talking about evolution,” and “showing examples of evolution” was not enough to dispel the myth that evolution is progress.

Through self-reflection I realized that I had reinforced this misconception.  Whether it’s peppered moths in industrial England, the fastest cheetah catching the slowest gazelle, Hardy Weinberg with M&M’s or the beaks of finches, all of my hands on activities double down on the idea that evolution is progressive change.   

Here on the desk in front of me, however, was a phenomenon; hominid crania did not progressively get larger –what on earth was going on?

If student interest and excitement on a topic is measured in the quantity, quality, and decibel level of questions, this phenomenon was a home run!  I had to settle my students down, restore order, and respond to each question they had with questions of my own –they claimed their brains hurt after only a few enjoyable minutes.

This would be a great story if it ended there, but the 3D fossil scans provided so much more than a quick phenomenon to start teaching a unit.  We examined the fossils scans, visually observing the presence or absence of features and measuring differences between the crania with calipers.  Claims were made based on the observations, data charts, and graphs were created to examine the evidence of the crania. The reasoning of the students’ hypotheses were hotly contended between groups.

Students measuring 3D printed crania

I have now 3D printed fossil scans of mandibles, as well from all of the aforementioned species, plus Australopithecus afarensis and Australopithecus boisei.  These provide additional data to examine so that my students can make claims about diet and the processing of food. In some ways, the mandibles are easier than crania, as tooth diameter (buccolingual width) is a more consistent measurement for students to obtain and compare. 

Students made distant matrices of their data from the crania and the mandibles (separately).  They then sketched cladograms based on their claims of ancestral and derived traits. They have used an erectus 3D print to determine ancestral traits in crania and the boisei 3D print for ancestral traits in mandibles.  

While the discussions were valuable, the students found the cladograms difficult to generate by hand.  Most cladogram builders available today are for DNA comparisons, however I found an easy to use app developed David Dobson of Guilford College called “Simple Clade.”  It was invaluable in creating cladograms, manipulating for maximum parsimony for unbiased data analysis of the student claims. The cladograms however, did not stop the arguments that had now generated among the students.  The 3D prints provided phenomena that was not easy to explain, and fostered many claims on evolution that students actually wanted to explore. Best of all, none of the claims were based on evolution as progress.

Like most biology teachers, evolution is a major passion of mine, hominid evolution specifically.  I also find that hominids interest students as much (or almost as much) as dinosaurs. Using hominids as examples captivates students and provides ample phenomena to study.  I have read about human evolution for years, watched videos about it, examined anatomical diagrams, but until I held 3D prints of hominid skulls in my hands, I can honestly say I did not fully understand human evolution.  

The same can be said for my students, as well.  We discussed evolution, and I gave traditional examples of evolution, but until they held the 3D scans of fossils in their hands, they had misconceptions.  I never knew my traditional methods of teaching evolution led to misconceptions, working with 3D printed fossil scans not only helped uncover the students misconceptions, but also helped clear them up.

If you have any questions or are looking for the specific methods of how to download and 3D print your own fossil collection, please e-mail me at dan.williams@shelterisland.k12.ny.us

Useful Links

Fossil Databases:

African Fossils https://africanfossils.org/search

Morphosource https://www.morphosource.org/

Educational Links

iDigfossils http://www.idigfossils.org/

Human Evolution Teaching Materials Project https://www.hetmp.com/

Paleoanthropology

John Hawks YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVfaXPlLTPTjbU-ed9VMBfg

Programs Used

SimpleClade http://guilfordgeo.com/simpleclade/index.html

MeshLab http://www.meshlab.net/

MeshMixer http://www.meshmixer.com/

MakerBot https://www.makerbot.com/

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The Sixth Anniversary of Hurricane Sandy: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Today, as I write this latest website submission, is the sixth anniversary of Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Post-Tropical Cyclone/Superstorm Sandy. She was a conundrum, a tropical system and a blizzard, and also an example of what wicked weather was in store for us that winter weather season. More recently, reflections and comparisons to Sandy have been made in the wake of the devastating events this year including Hurricane Florence’s landfall in the Carolinas, which lead to major flooding inland along the Mid-Atlantic, and the catastrophe left in the wake of Hurricane Michael along the Gulf Coast.

What do you remember from Sandy? What do you think you would never forget from the experiences of that time? Did the hurricane affect your life, your family, your friends, your co-workers, your students? Was the impact major or minor?

I remember having turkey dinners for days, because my husband’s family lost power, and they had turkeys frozen and waiting for Thanksgiving dinner than then had to be cooked. Ours was the only family house with power, so they made trips here for light, hot meals, and connections to the outside world via television and the Internet.

I remember taking a field trip to the Long Island Solar Farm, at Brookhaven National Lab, the day before Sandy struck. We went about our day as if everything was normal, with the high cirrus field streaming in overhead. We headed to Smith Point after the field trip, to check out the high surf from the hurricane, and to get an idea of what the beach looked like before the storm struck.

As the storm approached, I went up the road about a mile to our town beach, along the North Shore. There, the surge was apparent, as the wind fetch was out of the northeast. I decided maybe we should get more batteries, and headed to Toys R Us for the only D-cell batteries in town. Then we hunkered down for what was a long, long night, with a three-month-old, a two-year-old, and furniture holding our front door (facing east) shut. We watched as our swing-set blew end-over-end across the farm field. We listened as the roof shingles ripped off of our newly built home, and we waited for the Sun to come up so we could survey the damage.

On November 16, 2012, I went back to Smith Point beach. At this point the Army Corps of Engineers had already filled in the breaches on the east side of the beach, but the Old/New Inlet was then untouched, and has remained so to present day. It is, however, showing signs of closing naturally, as I witnessed early this October, 2018, during another trip back to the Breach, and much to the displeasure of those who live along Bellport Bay. Many have appreciated cleaner water conditions consistently occurring there since Sandy recut the inlet on Fire Island in 2012.

I have had the displeasure of riding out two nasty hurricanes at this point in my life. I was in Florida for the worst vacation of my life, when Hurricane Charley struck in 2004. Happily, I was with my grandmother, and was able to follow the news for a while, until we lost power, through her antenna television signal. The sound of the wind howling around my own home during Sandy was no less scary than during the time when tornadoes were all around us in Florida nearly a decade before.

As we look back, and as we watch the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season come to and end in another month or so, I wonder what is instore for us in the future. With oceans warming, water expanding, and storm systems becoming less “normal” like those I studied in college; with the polar and subtropical jet streams looping in exaggerated ridges and troughs, I wonder how to best share these thoughts and scientific principles with my students. Do I delve into the often-politicized topic of climate change, propose a new course on the topic at the high school? My students are currently old enough to remember Sandy, but there will come a time when they were too young to remember. How do I stress the importance of being well-prepared and well-informed?

For starters, some resources for you:

National Hurricane Center: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Weather Summary and Discussion of the Development and Dissipation of Hurricane Sandy: https://www.weather.gov/okx/HurricaneSandy

Dr. Charles Flagg and Stony Brook SoMAS site – Great South Bay Project: http://po.msrc.sunysb.edu/GSB/

Long Island Solar Farm: https://www.bnl.gov/SET/LISF.php

Hurricane Charley Service Assessment – August, 2004: https://www.weather.gov/media/publications/assessments/Charley06.pdf

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, including its most-recent report Global Warming of 1.5 deg C: http://www.ipcc.ch/

Download a free copy (PDF) of the book Teacher-Friendly Guide to Climate Change at http://www.priweb.org/index.php/pubs-special/pubs-spec-5813-detail  

 

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Beyond Siri

Summer vacation brings us such a fresh time to renew our career and plan new ways to teach. I view it as almost a rebirth a new start. This year was no different except I also get a new point of view from my 5 and 3 year old children. This year we have done a few adventures that included beaches, road trips, Disney, Sesame Place, house projects, and my Fire Department Carnival. These things have not been uncommon in the past but what makes this year different is that I am in the golden age my kids. They ask why for everything. I learned very quickly when they ask why there is so much I need to explain and the attention span doesn’t last for the full scientific explanation. I don’t believe in the thought process that when you have a question you turn to Siri. Today’s youth whenever they have a problem turn directly to the internet for the answers, which I believe is dumbing society down. Not everything on the internet is true!

To overcome all the whys and have my kids actually learn something, I ended up doing open ended experiments when them. Having them figure things out was not the most time efficient but was so much fun to watch them struggle and develop more questions and discover the phenomena. One example was during a beach trip my little princess wanted to wear her heels to the beach instead of her flat crocks. I was watching the fight and potential melt down of the little one. I said let’s do it. My little princess wore her heels and had a really hard time walking in the sand. So of course I tried to have a race between kids. She got so frustrated that she lost. So we looked at her footwear and compared footprint to her brothers. Then had her wear one foot with crocks and one foot with heel. Without getting into the math she figured out that on the sand you need a wider footprint. Then I asked her to figure out a way to make her heels work on the beach. I grew up in the old school days of the original MacGyver where Angus MacGyver was played by Richard Dean Anderson. So I carry a multi-tool knife and duct tape in my truck. We also can’t forget the engineer flow chart, if it moves use WD-40 if it doesn’t move use Duct Tape and if that doesn’t work use more. So giving her duct tape she was able to take a cardboard box that her mother had for the trip turned it into a platform and taped it to the bottom of her heel. She was so proud of herself and my little prince and princess learned to identify a problem and engineer a solution. They did this without asking Siri for help.

Although this summer we have been doing so many of these little inquires with my kids. I got to thinking about how I could get juniors and seniors to use their mind more than just Siri. So how can we get the student to have the same wonder as my kids. That wonder that exists before internet and fortnite™. Also we need to show them their phones are there for more than just gaming. Again, my little gifts had questions about in the pool. They asked why did they need to always wear their floaties. You have to understand my princess yells at you if you go on a amusement park ride without your hands up. She likes to live life more on the edge. Instead of thinking of buoyant force I thought of an activity I could use in AP Physics 2. I gave my kids playdoh and said make 5 different boats with the same amount of play dough and we tested how many marble that they could hold. It was a fun filled competition which trash talk included loser is a “poopy head.” The five year old made one boat that thinner walls and a wider base that displaced more water and in turn held the most marbles. She then made a connection to her high heel sand shoes that she made earlier in the week. This simple activity could be used so our students can take a simple task develop questions and then develop an experiment to answer their questions. After the marble challenge, give the students a marble and have them develop a way to now lift it. You will know the students learned the topic when they develop a way to displace the air to cause the lift on the marble. As a SCUBA instructor we do this experiment and calculations to lift things safely and controlled of the sea floor. As an ex-captain of a volunteer fire department I purposely trained people to find ways to accomplish tasks. I would always show them ways to do tasks according to textbook but sometimes the textbook approach doesn’t work in the changing environments. How you react to the changes makes the difference to saving a life or becoming a victim.

When training or teaching our students we can’t just spoon feed the information to them. They need to think about possible questions and how to figure out the answers to them. Spoon feeding is great when it is the same scenario every time which might be good for some tests, but teaching them how to think ask questions and come up with solutions will be good in everyday life. These students will be better prepared to face the world and challenges in colleges and the workplace.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” Einstein

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Building Next Generation Units – Harder Than We Thought

Aegolius funereus — Amherst Island (Ontario, Canada) — 2005 Author: Mdf

Last year, when our district decided to roll out one Next Generation “mini” unit per grade level for K-5, we decided to design the mini units ourselves. We figured, how hard could it be? We were already teaching a lot of the content, we could “next gen” what we were basically already doing by adding models, introducing phenomena, and adding some strong questioning techniques.  In some ways, it’s been easier than we thought, but in many ways, a lot harder.

One of the toughest things was adjusting to the idea that we’d no longer be dedicating whole units to the study of particular animals.   For example, when we built our grade 4 unit on internal and external structures, we figured we could keep one of our favorite grade 4 activities, dissecting owl pellets, as part of the new unit.  After all, the parts of the owl’s external structure (eyes, feathers, talons, etc) and internal structure (digestive system) that we would be studying all support the animal’s survival, growth, and behavior.  We’d continue to use zSpace virtual technology to investigate the owl’s internal structure, with literature and non-fiction resources to explore the external structure.  The phenomenon was the owl pellet – how cool!  Easy.  We’d done it before.

As it turned out, using an animal we’d already taught made things both easy and hard.  We’d done it before, but in many ways making significant changes to something we’d already done with different goals, was harder than starting from scratch.   We used to refer to this section of our curriculum as the “owl pellet” unit.  Our old assessments contained specific questions about owls and owl pellets.  Keeping these great activities and resources made it difficult for us to let go of the idea of an “owl pellet unit” and embrace the idea of an “Internal Structures and Functions”  unit where the owl pellet would simply be the phenomenon that allowed the students access to the core concepts of structure and function.  No longer could we expect our students to simply become experts on owls – we needed them to become thinkers and investigators who would be able to generalize from their study of owls to structure and function of all animals.  That’s a big leap, and in our first year, we didn’t completely make it.

Later in the unit, while introducing structure and function of plants, we encountered a very different challenge.  We’d decided to introduce a plant we never had our 4th graders examine before – moss.  It seemed like a good choice – there was lots of it available outside, and we could peel it right up and bring it into the classrooms when we were ready. And, we’d be investigating something new. There was only one glitch – it snowed right before this section of the unit, and the snow lasted!  This little miscalculation set us back a week!

Ultimately, did we succeed with our first try at a next-generation science unit?  In some ways yes – for example, the students got comfortable with the idea of drawing models, and the thinking expressed in the student models definitely got deeper as the unit progressed.   The students loved the unit.  How awesome is it to have students so excited and interested in their work each day?  As elementary teachers, that is the best part of our job.   But – do our students now have a better understanding of generalized structure and function in animals and plants?  I’m not sure.  In the end, they knew a lot about owls and moss, which was not the goal.   But, we’re learning!  We may have had mixed results this time, but we’re still evaluating and thinking about changes for next year.

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Elementary Science Transition to NYSSLS

Having spent a career teaching high school science, I am now engaged with the world of elementary science. The adoption of the New York Science P-12 Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS) in December 2016 has apparently rejuvenated interest in elementary science. Recently retired (meaning time on my hands?) and involved with the transition to our new science standards based on A Framework for K-12 Science Education and NGSS, I was drawn into professional development opportunities. I’ve learned a lot about how students should learn science, reasons to shift to significant core ideas, how to incorporate engineering, provide meaningful hands-on experiences, and engage with phenomena. These standards should address the needs of all students, incorporate real-world scenarios and when possible be community-based. What really excites me the most about the NYSSLS is the impact this will have on our youngest learners.

The hours spent with our elementary colleagues has given me some insight into their challenges teaching science. Besides the many times that their students are involved in activities outside their classroom, most admit their world is driven by and focused on ELA and math. Teacher evaluation, APPR, and district initiatives typically don’t elevate science learning to the level it deserves. Many are lucky if they get a couple of hours a week of science. Unfortunately, some only do “science” by using the literacy-based science in the ELA domains and modules from www.engageny.org. I’ve seen a wide variety of programs with science “push-ins”, STEM specialists, family STEM nights, STEAM classrooms and varieties of publisher and BOCES kits. Even with that support, most admit science can be short-changed. Since the past standards outlined in Elementary Science Core Curriculum Grades K-4 isn’t grade banded, each district has been left to develop their own scope and sequence so there may be a lack of coherence or much repetition based on “favorite topics.” Students that transfer between districts and sometimes other schools within a district can miss important foundations of science literacy. Sometimes, it’s the grade 4 teachers have the primary responsibility of preparing the students for the Elementary-Level Science Test given in grade 4.

Our New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards is very different for our young learners. Grade banded P-5 with specific Performance Expectations gives teachers and curriculum designers guidance as to what students are expected to know and do at the end of instruction. Coherence is presented by the progressions in grade blocks of K-2, 3-5, MS and HS for the three dimensions (Disciplinary Core Ideas, Science and Engineering Practices, and Crosscutting Concepts). This means that students learning science using curriculums developed from the NYSSLS will experience increasing expectations in how they learn (Practices), what they learn (Core Ideas), and what they look for in the questions they ask (Crosscutting Concepts). Students are expected to construct their understandings by doing science. Much greater depth in learning occurs when the focus shifts from knowing about science to them figuring out about science.

Many elementary teachers admit to me that their students say science is their favorite subject but the teachers are looking for support. The teachers I’ve worked with are among the most pedagogically talented teachers. I have seen them run with a token of an idea and turn it into fun activities, make ELA connections, and be totally appropriate to their school community. The challenge for STANYS and the science specialists across New York is how to support the transition of elementary teachers into NYSSLS. I’ve worked as a life science consultant with teams of elementary teachers and other science specialists writing grade 1 and 2 for Science21 and I can admit it is very challenging. Many elementary teachers feel they lack the background and confidence to dive into developing curriculum for science. They also wonder what these standards will look like on the student assessment which can help when developing curriculum. Our elementary programs need a good curriculum that maintains fidelity with the intent of the new standards. The elementary teachers and administrators need the training to recognize materials that are aligned and provide constructivist learning opportunities. They should be aware of the limits of the science content in the NYSSLS so they’re not compelled to teach well beyond and be sure to address science literacy for all the students.

This is an exciting opportunity for our elementary colleagues to teach science and for students to experience science as a platform for interdisciplinary learning. It has been shown that students that learn science this way not only show significant gains in science but students of high needs subgroups exhibit high gains, and positive gains are also demonstrated in subjects other than science.* Districts need a plan, decide on resources, and provide the support for the transition to an NYSSLS based elementary science program. It’s time we take advantage of our young student’s natural inquisitiveness and sense of wonder as an opportunity to teach and for students to learn science.

*Smithsonian Science Education Center. (2015). The LASER Model: A Systemic and Sustainable Approach for Achieving High Standards in Science Education. Executive Summary. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution.

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Calling All Elementary Science Teachers: Building Great Science Units Around Phenomena

Wild Rabbit by Tim Felce

When we think of phenomena, we usually think of things that are big and dramatic, hence the expression, “that’s phenomenal!”  The biggest science phenomenon of the summer may have been the solar eclipse – huge and spectacular (unless you watched it from Long Island, in which case it may have felt like a bit of a tease).  The devastating hurricanes that came at the end of summer are also awe-inspiring (although devastating) phenomena.

But “phenomena” has a broader meaning.  In Next Generation science, a phenomenon doesn’t have to be big –it can be anything that sparks curiosity and makes us want to know more. A tiny ant carrying a larger insect, a drop of water clinging to a leaf, a magnified grain of sand are all phenomena that can be used to introduce science units because, more than anything, they can inspire us to ask questions like:  What is this? What is happening?  How does that happen? Can we change what is going on?   In Next Generation science, phenomena may or may not awe and amaze us, but they always make us wonder.

As elementary teachers we know all about getting kids to wonder – it’s a key part of our job.  Now, as we begin to introduce Next Generation units, we’ll be thinking very deliberately about phenomena that can anchor units as well as phenomena that can introduce particular lessons within those units.  The key is to choose phenomena that will get the students wondering, questioning, and lead us into investigations that allow them to discover core science concepts and make connections across disciplines.

Phenomena can be introduced as photographs, videos, demonstrations, sensory experiences; but the best may be those we bring students outside to directly observe.  For example: Rabbits are everywhere this fall.  Take young students outside to observe them!  Then show a photograph that highlights the ears.   This will generate lots of questions: Why do they have such big ears?  Do they hear better with those ears?  What if their ears were not so big?  This can be an excellent way to induce a grade 1 unit on sound, or a grade 4 unit on external structures of animals.   After the rain, take young students out to see earthworms on the pavement. Then do some digging and observe them in the soil.   This will generate lots of questions: Why do they come up from the ground when it rains?  Will they die on the pavement?  Will they drown in the water?  How do they move in the soil?  This can be a way to introduce a grade 3 unit on environment and survival, grade K unit on push and pull.

Getting outside provides us with an endless source of phenomena to grab student interest, generate excitement and elicit the kinds of questions we need in order to build understanding as our youngest students discover for themselves the amazing way our world works.