I currently teach third grade, and I’m a candidate for National Board Certification (NBC) for Generalist/Middle Childhood (7–12 year olds). I would like advice for studying for the Knowledge of Science assessment. I’d also appreciate any other tips for preparing for this certification.
—Lori, Evanston, Illinois
According to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) website, the Knowledge of Science exercise for your certification area states: In this exercise, you demonstrate your ability to identify and understand fundamental concepts and principles in science. You are asked to respond to a student’s inquiry about a real-world phenomenon by identifying scientific concepts and principles that are related to the real-world phenomenon. You are also asked to describe an appropriate learning experience with a rationale that will provide student understanding of a concept/principle that relates to the real-world phenomenon.
I don’t have much first-hand experience with the certification process, so I contacted some National Board Certified Teachers for their suggestions.

There is no way to know what specific “real-world phenomena” you will be asked about, but if you have an idea of the possibilities, you will be better prepared. Amy Fowler Murphy from Alabama poses a few questions to consider:

• What are examples of the “big ideas” in science that your students need to know? Use the National Science Education Standards (NSES) to help you figure this out (click here for a preview)
• What are some real-world phenomena that relate to these big ideas? Talk to colleagues to help you figure out as many as possible.
• How would you teach your students about these phenomena in terms of the big ideas? Since inquiry-based teaching methods are encouraged in the NSES and National Board Standards, focus on lessons that allow students to explore the concepts on their own as much as possible. If you use an inquiry format (such as the 5E or 7E model), then your experience as a teacher should allow you to fill in the pieces of the puzzle regardless of the given phenomenon.

Colette Dryden from South Carolina agrees that one of the most important things you can do is to understand the NSES. She also suggests identifying big ideas and looking at how your state standards support the NSES and the big ideas. She notes teaching science is not about memorization but about concept development. Ask yourself, “What is the best way to help my students develop the concept?” Inquiry needs to be an integral part of the classroom—not just for National Boards.  She recommends resources such as FOSS (Full Option Science System) or STC (Science and Technology for Children) kits.  Science notebooking as a reflection strategy can strengthen a unit of study. Notebooks should be used for data collection and analysis with you as the facilitator.
In addition to the NSES, Judy Allard suggests you check out the Benchmarks for Science Literacy and the Atlas of Science Literacy for science concepts at the pertinent grade levels.  If this exercise is a portfolio entry, you can choose the phenomenon, and there are lots of tools, such as those in NSTA resources and publications (e.g., Science & Children and the NSTA Learning Center), you could use to devise learning experiences to help students understand the concepts involved. NSTA’s elementary level resources are helpful here, both in devising learning strategies and in deepening your own content background. You might want to read Science Matters (available at the NSTA Store).
Donna Melpolder from North Carolina provides some specific ideas for a response to this exercise: A third-grade student might ask why are there puddles in the yard after it rains. To respond to this, ask the students to explain what might cause this. Record responses on chart paper. The responses would provide insight into the students’ understandings or misconceptions about how water moves through various soils. (Typically the larger the particles, like sand, the larger the pore space and the easier it is for the water to drain through.) Ask the guiding question: How does water drain through different soils? Use three different types of soil–clay, sand, silt. Cut off the tops of three identical 1-liter bottles and put a few holes (same size and location) in the bottom of each. Then fill the bottles with the same volumes of each soil and place the bottle in a container that can capture water after it has passed through each soil.  Using a timer and one cup of water, pour the water in the bottle and time how long it takes for the water to pass through the first bottle. Record the time on a chart.  Repeat it with the other two bottles.  Record other observations, too, such as the appearance of the water. Students could create a bar graph with the collected data. During the discussion ask the following questions: Which soil drained the fastest? The slowest? What does the water look like from the drained soils? Can we change the structure of the soil? Compare the total water quantity that drained with the amount added. Which soil retained the most water after drainage stopped? Why? After discussing their observations about how water drains through the different soils, connect the science lesson to which soil would cause a puddle. You can extend the lesson to investigate puddles on a cement or macadam playground, too.
June Sanders from Georgia recommends the elementary version of NSTA’s Pathways to the Science Standards. Students often ask about rainbows (investigate with a prism), shadows (connect to the movement of the Earth around the sun), and butterflies (relate metamorphosis to the growth and development processes). Jane Lee-Rhodes suggests you practice for this assessment using what your own students have asked about real-world phenomena. Depending on the level of your students, this could be as simple as “Why is the sky blue?” In the response, describe the concepts and principles at the level of adult understanding, and then describe how you would bring those concepts and principles to an appropriate level for your students and justify your choices for the learning experience based on your understanding of how students learn. Be sure to demonstrate an understanding of your students’ backgrounds and experiences as well as their special learning needs.

Lee-Rhodes also shared her experiences on preparing for the certification:

• Find a mentor. If there is a NBC cohort in the area, join them. If you can’t meet face-to-face with anyone in your area that you can meet with, seek out an electronic mentor via an email group. As well-meaning and experienced as your other educator friends may be, they probably do not understand the criteria for completing portfolio entries if they have not participated in the process themselves.
• Organize resource material for your certification area in a notebook. Include information about the specifics for each of your portfolio entries, the tested content, example responses, and a general overview of the process. Get out your highlighter and dig in. It will require a significant time investment.
• Many people begin with the fourth portfolio entry which relates to your interactions with parents and the community, your professional development, and how you support the professional development of other teachers. At first glance, this might seem to be a place to showcase your achievements and awards, but the focus in this entry is all about how what you do or what you’ve done supports, encourages, and increases student learning. The question my own mentor kept asking me about my activities was “So what?” If I presented workshops for my district, how did that affect student learning? I described how I followed up with teachers who attended the workshop by having them describe how strategies I shared with them influenced student learning in their classrooms.

Lee-Rhodes goes on to describe the NBC process as one of reflection and analysis: what did I do, why did I make the choices I made for instruction, how did those choices play out with my students, did my students reach the learning goals, how did I know they achieved understanding, how did I design follow-up instruction to meet student needs, and what (if anything) would I do differently in the future? NBC is a process, not a single event. The process of analyzing and reflecting on your work with students can result in profound changes to your professional self-image and professional practice. It requires honesty and a “no excuses” approach to evaluate what you do.
I’d like to thank our colleagues for their input. All of them join me in encouraging your efforts in this professional development milestone. If anyone else has additional suggestions, please add a comment!