Program Overview

     . . . . Skip down for Grading and Expectations

I've designed this program to address several goals:

   >  students enjoy doing science and engineering, and while working hard
   >  they develop confidence in their abilities to do science well
   >  students become proficient at problem solving and answer-seeking
   >  our 5th graders meet the Massachusetts Science & Technology Framework expectations, as assessed in the MCAS

It is hands-on. This means students are using things to support their learning. If we must study something we can't handle, I use activities. For example, to learn about Earth's rotation, changes in shadow length and direction were documented.

It is also inquiry-based. This means students work with questions - and the questions are those they are (in most cases) truly interested in. They learn to form answers based on evidence, which they have collected. This collecting and recording and working with evidence is what science and engineering design are all about. Getting good at all this takes means practicing many skills.

It is standards-based. I supplement the district's science curriculum to bridge it with the Massachusetts Science and Engineering Frameworks standards and to meet the needs of the particular students each year.

It is technology-rich. Computer work is frequently embedded in the program (Kindergarten is introduced to them around February). Technology means much more than computers - it means using typical science tool - and learning to use them appropriately.

It uses a lot of resources - the district-provided kits and more stuff beyond what they provide. One of my great resources is my teaching space, the Manning Science & Technology Center (which most refer to it simply as the Science Room).

The Manning Science & Engineering Center is on the second floor. Within this very crowded space are materials to meet those 'need to know' unscheduled topics which arise from time to time. When there is a driving curiosity among students - or when one hears something and brings a question into the room - instead of delivering an answer or waiting - I can whip together an "instant investigation" so students can learn through question-answering (=inquiry). It's important to me that I be ready for nearly all kinds of science work. And this is one reason my room is so jam-packed. All the grades come each week. The younger students come twice, 45-minutes each time. The older students come once, 90-minutes. The fifth grades come a second time (and sometimes the fourth grades do, too) for 45-minutes. Overall, it is a very active place. While I work at being strict about rules and routines and procedures, things get quite lively. The students work in a "workshop" setting, which combines short instructional segments with active work carried out in small groups. Students work to develop solid science skills and knowledge. Students work with "real things" much of the time. For example, if we're learning about animals, we're working with real ones. (Students are never required to handle or touch any of our critters, by the way.) If we're learning about physics, we're working with appropriate objects. I never know where curiosity will take us.

Grading

Each student will be assessed in terms of participation, growth, and written work, mostly notebook work (= NB). For an end-of-term grade, I look at all the grades and at the trend (which means that usually grades later in the term are more heavily weighted). Each earns points as follows, approximately:

"Level" is used for the scoring; most often NB work receives a Level 2 or Level 3. Levels are determined by points, generally earned as follows:

Work Expectations

You (the student) will:

Stay safe & keep everyone and everything else safe. ("Do no harm" "Be a team player" "Contribute honestly")

Follow directions. Be creative but follow the directions! You are here to learn, not be entertained.

Know what 'done' means for this assignment. (This will help you - and will help out the other students working near you.)

Listen to the feedback you get - if you don't understand the feedback - ask! The feedback will let you know exactly what you can do to show your learning.

Continue working - there is no time when you decide to do something else. If you think you're done - ask me to check. (Remember - a Level 1 or Level 2 means you are not yet done!)

 

{Following Not Yet Edited - just miscellaneous ideas}  Students have the opportunity (with guidance) to

Experiences are hands-on and guided inquiry

The program is coherent across all the sciences (and many technologies) and up through the grades (students who enter by second grade and stay through fifth have a rich curriculum with great depth that prepares them well for further education; those who enter in later years experience is matched to their prior background with critical analysis and inquiry).

Important is taking time to build understanding, not just knowledge of the basic terms and facts. This article summarizes recent research into what prepares students for success in college science courses: 'Depth' Matters in High School Science Studies' by Sean Cavanagh (published March 2009 in Education Week).


Program design links activities together (in a storyline) to promote deeper understanding of important concepts and the unlearning of misconceptions, while developing 1 or 2 process goals. Various instructional strategies are used to meet the needs of all children and to reflect the variety of experiences bring to us. Some are about simplifying complexities and providing bridges.

Modeling is often used - both to support learning and to develop the skill in the learners to master as a skill (modeling includes physical ones (3D) technical drawings, maps, and mental models)