Post on 11-Jan-2016
Middle Grades Science/ELA meeting
Oct. 2014
Next meeting
2nd Semester3rd grade Thur., Jan 22, 20154th grade Mon., Jan. 26, 20155th grade Thur., Feb. 5, 20156th grade Tue., Feb. 10, 2015
7th gradeMon., March 9, 2015
8th gradeMon., March 16, 2015
Science Chairs group email• Not just for official science chair people• Give me your name if you’d like to get all
of my mail
Magic trick• kids want to know how that works.• Figuring out how things work is science.
• Little kids like science!
• Good lessons (math, ELA, Sci, SS) take advantage of this human instinct.
• Everyone starts life as a scientist/artist
Good news
Middle School
• Where we grind the interest out of most kids
• “I can’t draw...I’m no good at science.”
Science confidence• Guys have more of it than girls.• Fact: guys get worse grades in science,
but take more science classes—have more science careers
How to destroy confidence:• Make ‘em memorize facts
Memorizing is hard work• Need a reason to do this work – a
grade isn’t always enough
Easy to get hung up with facts
• Base of Blooms pyramid• Easy to write tests for• In the world of Google it’s hard to get
kids to see the point of memorizing facts.
Focus on concepts
Fact
Concept
Fact
Fact
Fact
Fact
Fact
Fact
Fact
Facts are easily forgotten—concepts stick with you
Example:
infi
ltratio
n
Water Cycle
tran
spora
tion
pre
citatio
n
run
off
eva
pora
tion
gro
un
d
wate
r
co
nd
en
satio
n
sub
limatio
n
Teach Concept 1st Teach Vocabulary 2nd
• A new word needs something to attach to.
• If at all possible, give students understanding of concept before using the vocabulary.
• e.g. A toddler learns the word “chair” only after becoming familiar with the concept of chairs.
Project Based Learning (PBL)• A hassle, but research says it’s worth it
• Requires content knowledge from all content areas
• Science Fair!!!!• Start soon! (district Science Fair Jan. 17, 2015)• A good project takes weeks to do right.
Science Fair timeline• Google Doc shared with all science contacts• MS Word doc on website
Science Fair categories(detailed doc. on my website)
1. Biological Science A2. Biological Science B3. Chemistry4. Earth/Environmental Science5. Physics and Astronomy6. Technology/Engineering
Science Fair cont.• Student must have your approval
before experimenting!• Student is responsible for getting
their project to District Fair.• No logos• Photos must be credited• Culturing must be done in a safe lab
setting—Not at home
Benchmarks
• For your benefit• NOT a teacher evaluation tool!• Please do NOT teach the test.
Know your content!
• Allows you to ask probing questions
WCPS Science Resources
Know your Science NCES
Unpacking document
Sometimes tells you what not to bother teaching.
Pacing Guide• Small change for 6th grade this
year!!!1st 6P2.1, 2.2, 2.3 atoms, states of matter
6P1.1, 1.2, 1.3 waves-light sound, seismic
6P3.1. 3.2, 3.3 thermal, electromagnetic energy ----------------------------------------------------------------------2nd 6E1.1, 1.2, 1.3 Earth/Moon/Sun system ----------------------------------------------------------------------3rd 6E2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 Plate tectonics, rocks and dirt ----------------------------------------------------------------------4th 6L1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 plants
Each school received a set of these seven Page Keeley books. (In your Media Center)
DPI has produced a document that links NC Essential Standards to each probe within these books.
That PDF can be downloaded from your teacher resources page on the WCPS Science site
Cl-Ev-R and Formative probes
Smart Scopes
• USB microscope you can plug into your computer
• Also in your Media Center
WCPS Science webpagesWCPS homepage, Academics tab, Science
my email: andrewforsleff@wcps.org
How long does it take for the Earth to rotate once?
A. 29 daysB. 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 secondsC. 24 hoursD.365 days