By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2013-07-07
“Engaging in argument from evidence” is one of eight practices described in A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the NGSS. Teachers may be wondering what this might look like in a middle school classroom, where students seem to have a lot of experience in arguing over events in their social lives but not much in argumentation in science.
If you’re new to this type of activity in class, see how the editor of Science Scope (in the Editor’s Roundtable) describes her experiences in implementing argumentation. She suggests learning more about the practice, being patient and persistent with students (and yourself), helping and encouraging all students (not just the more vocal ones) to participate, providing frequent opportunities and modeling, and establishing a positive environment for students to learn. The featured articles address these with examples of real classroom activities as well as in-depth discussions of the process of argumentation.
Many of us provide opportunities for students to learn the difference between observations, opinions, and inferences. The article Helping Students Evaluate the Strength of Evidence in Scientific Arguments describes how to use the concept of inferential distance to examine the strength of an argument. The authors define this as the “size of the conceptual leap made in going from evidence to conclusion.” They use an example of an afterschool project in which students studied pond ecosystems to illustrate three types of inferential distances, and they include some instructional activities to teach about inferences. [See SciLinks for more on science content related to Aquatic Plants and Animals, Aquatic Ecosystems, Lakes and Ponds]
If you’re concerned about how to connect argumentation with the development of core ideas, A Negotiation Cycle to Promote Argumentation in Science Classrooms has some suggestions. The authors describe six phases of the cycle: identifying a research question, small group investigation, presenting group arguments, comparing arguments with published information, presenting revised arguments, and individual reflection. Using the human respiratory system as the content, the article describes and illustrates each phase with handouts and examples of student work. Guidelines and a rubric are included. [See SciLinks for more on science content related to the Respiratory System]
Assessing Students’ Arguments has tools for teachers and students to use to assess the strength of student arguments. The checklist is student-friendly and includes places to annotate the presence (or absence) of a claim, the appropriateness of the justifications, and the type of rebuttal. The authors include examples of what the use of the checklist looks like in a class in which students read about the construction of a dam in a remote part of the Amazon basin. They also provide examples of student work and a brief look at how the process was applied to an investigation of density. [See SciLinks for more on science content related to the Rainforest and Density]
Growing plants from seeds is a common activity in science classrooms. Let’s Talk Science shows how to kick this up a notch and incorporate argumentation about cells and plant growth. Three activities are described that focus on the question “Are seeds alive?” The author also provides a rubric, activity sheets with directions, and samples of student work. For assistance in modeling the process of argumentation, the author also includes some scenarios for role-playing and a list of prompts to scaffold the process. [See SciLinks for more on science content related to Seed Germination, Plant Growth]
The authors of Turning the Science Classroom Into a Courtroom describe a courtroom metaphor to help students understand argumentation. Most students are familiar with courtrooms through popular television programs, so this seems to be a good way to scaffold their understanding. The next step might be to “debate” topics that are more complex or controversial or about which students have misconceptions. A sample list of topics is provided, and they illustrate how scientific argumentation aligns with literacy standards in reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
In many classrooms, discussions consist of the teacher asking questions and providing the structures for student interactions. The authors of The Practice of Critical Discourse in Science Classrooms differentiate between higher levels of communication, including conversation (“the dynamic exchange of ideas and reflection”), critical discourse (“accentuating connections between ideas and evidence”), and argumentation (“use of evidence to process and learn about ideas)”). The authors use a demonstration of the sublimation of dry ice in beakers of hot and cold water to illustrate what this could look like in a classroom. They then describe six elements to foster this level of thinking and communicating. The article also has suggestions for applying argumentation in a class in which the students have a diversity of background experiences. Students learn that science is not merely a set of established facts, but a process involving critical thinking and processing new ideas.
Show Me the Evidence describes several strategies that can be use to support teachers as they incorporate more evidence-based discourse in the classroom: analyzing the teacher-student and student-student conversations in video clips, role-playing, peer coaching, the use of wait time, and fostering a “safe” environment in the classroom for argumentation.
“Engaging in argument from evidence” is one of eight practices described in A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the NGSS. Teachers may be wondering what this might look like in a middle school classroom, where students seem to have a lot of experience in arguing over events in their social lives but not much in argumentation in science.
By admin
Posted on 2013-07-05
Further your STEM efforts with the Science of Golf video series from the partnership of NBC Learn, the United States Golf Association (USGA), Chevron, and NSTA. As the governing body for the sport, one aspect of the USGA’s role is to regulate and test all golf equipment for conformance to the Rules of Golf. In this installment, Science of Golf: Volume, Displacement & Buoyancy, students get a glimpse of how science practices transfer over to the working world of sports.
Try out the NSTA-developed lesson plan that provides you with ideas and guidance on how students might investigate associated questions. Worried about getting clubs for students to use as lab equipment? Look no further than a garage sale or your local used sporting goods resale shop. Used clubs and balls can be had for very low cost. Or check in with a nearby golf course. People leave behind clubs and balls on the course all the time and they might just have some unclaimed ones to give you. And, your students will likely have ideas of their own about how to build them!
Find the series—available cost-free—on www.NBCLearn.com. Check back often over the coming weeks as NSTA highlights each video in the series in this blog. We look forward to hearing from you about how you expect to use the videos as well as how the lesson plan works out in practice with your students. Once you try it out, please leave comments below each posting!
–Judy Elgin Jensen
Image of driver at the tee courtesy of Cliff Muller.
Video
SOG: Volume, Displacement & Buoyancy describes Archimedes’ principle and how it is applied to the problem of finding the volume of irregularly shaped club heads via the buoyancy force on them when submerged in water.
STEM Lesson Plan—Adaptable for Grades 7–12
The lesson plan—adaptable for grades 7 to 12—provides ideas for STEM exploration plus strategies to support students in their own quest for answers and as well as a more focused approach that helps all students participate in hands-on inquiry.
The SOG: Volume, Displacement & Buoyancy lesson plan guides students in the design an apparatus that determines the volume of a golf club or other irregularly-shaped object.
You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans: [contact-form 2 “ChemNow]
Further your STEM efforts with the Science of Golf video series from the partnership of NBC Learn, the United States Golf Association (USGA), Chevron, and NSTA. As the governing body for the sport, one aspect of the USGA’s role is to regulate and test all golf equipment for conformance to the Rules of Golf.
By admin
Posted on 2013-07-02
Welcome to the Science of Golf! NBC Learn has partnered with the United States Golf Association (USGA) and Chevron to bring you this video series highlighting the science, technology, engineering, and math behind the sport. And once again, NSTA has developed lesson plans to help you build on the videos as you carry out STEM initiatives in your middle- and high-school science courses.
Whether you’re a fan who follows Rory, Phil, Paula, and Suzann, a player yourself, or someone like my farmer father who says that hitting a little white ball around a pasture just doesn’t make much sense, the sport can bring STEM concepts to life for your students. Use the video Science of Golf: Work, Power, and Energy as a springboard for student investigations into these concepts. The lesson plan provides you with ideas and guidance on how to get started.
The videos are available cost-free on www.NBCLearn.com. NSTA will also highlight each video in the series in this blog over the next weeks, within the Videos and Lessons category, and we hope you will try them out in the classroom. When you do, please leave comments below each posting about how well the information worked in real-world classrooms. And if you had to make significant changes to a lesson, we’d love to see what you did differently, as well as why you made the changes. Leave a comment, and we’ll get in touch with you with submission information.
–Judy Elgin Jensen
Image of putt courtesy of Michelle Hofstrand.
Video
SOG: Work, Power, and Energy features professional golfer Suzann Pettersen and her putting prowess to show how work done on the ball changes energy from its potential to kinetic form.
STEM Lesson Plan—Adaptable for Grades 7–12
The lesson plan provides ideas for STEM exploration plus strategies to support students in their own quest for answers and as well as a more focused approach that helps all students participate in hands-on inquiry.
SOG: Work, Energy, and Power describes how students might investigate a question about how one might putt a golf ball and calculate energy gain or less and power delivered.
You can use the following form to e-mail us edited versions of the lesson plans: [contact-form 2 “ChemNow]
Welcome to the Science of Golf! NBC Learn has partnered with the United States Golf Association (USGA) and Chevron to bring you this video series highlighting the science, technology, engineering, and math behind the sport. And once again, NSTA has developed lesson plans to help you build on the videos as you carry out STEM initiatives in your middle- and high-school science courses.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2013-06-30
I’ve been reading NSTA’s K-12 journals for many years. This is the first time I can remember that all three have the same theme at the same time. The summer issue for each—Science & Children, Science Scope, and The Science Teacher have featured articles on scientific argumentation. Teachers at all grade levels can find articles with suggestions for incorporating scientific discourse and argumentation into lessons.
Unfortunately, many students (and adults) have misconceptions about the word argument. They see TV shows where arguing is the most common activity. People shout at and interrupt each other, spout ideas that may have little or no truth to them, ignore facts and evidence, and have little tolerance for different points of view or experiences.
But argumentation in science has a different meaning. “Engaging in argument from evidence” is one of the Science and Engineering Practices in the NGSS. As students engage in investigations, they develop claims and support them with evidence. They critique ideas, propose alternate explanations, and communicate their understandings.
The skills involved in argumentation have to be taught and modeled. I’m looking forward to reading articles in these issues with suggestions and real-life examples of what this kind of activity looks like and sounds like in K-12 classrooms.
As part of an NSTA membership, we have access to all three of these journals. With a common theme, teachers can see what the process looks like from kindergarten through grade 12. I’d encourage teachers to skim the contents of all three. Secondary teachers can see what younger students are capable of doing and find ideas that can be kicked up a notch or two for their own students, Elementary teachers can see how what they’re doing can fit with what older students do and identify activities to challenge their students.
As I head to the beach for the holiday week, I’ve packed my iPad with all three journals.
See also: Who Doesn’t Like a Good Argument?
I’ve been reading NSTA’s K-12 journals for many years. This is the first time I can remember that all three have the same theme at the same time. The summer issue for each—Science & Children, Science Scope, and The Science Teacher have featured articles on scientific argumentation. Teachers at all grade levels can find articles with suggestions for incorporating scientific discourse and argumentation into lessons.
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2013-06-29
I’m trying to incorporate more inquiry activities into my fourth and fifth grade science classes. The students seem to enjoy them, and I can tell from talking to them and reviewing their notebook entries that they are learning content and skills. However , my principal has noted to me that students were off-task during his 10-minute walkthroughs. How should I respond? How can I tell if students are really on-task and engaged in the activities?
–Michael, Orlando, FL
You could ask your principal how he determined in a 10-minute visit that elementary students were off-task! In a busy science classroom, there will be many levels of activity that ebb and flow with the task itself, the time of day, the combinations of students, and other factors. The bottom line is that you have evidence they are learning from the activities. But before you approach him with your evidence, here are a few points to consider.
The writer Alfie Kohn suggests “When students are off task, our first response should be to ask, ‘What’s the task?’” It’s hard for fourth and fifth graders—or students at any other grade level—to sit still through class after class of worksheets, silent reading, death-by-PowerPoint lectures, or copying notes from the board without getting restless (just as it’s hard for their teachers to sit through similar activities at a meeting or workshop). Even videos or multimedia can become distracting or lose their ability to engage if students perceive them as time-fillers and don’t know how they relate to the learning goals. I could tell my seventh graders were not engaged when, after a few minutes at an assignment, the requests to use the restroom or get a drink or water began, along with “What time is this class over?” But when I structured the same activities as cooperative learning, provided a choice of activities, or when the activities required more student involvement, questioning, or creativity, the requests seldom appeared. Other positive signs were “Is the class over already? Can we continue tomorrow?” comment sat the end of the period.
However, with all due respect to Mr. Kohn, I think the first response to a student that appears to be off-task should be for you or your principal to ask the student “Hmm…What are you doing?” You might find out that what appeared to be an off-task behavior was very much on-task for that student.
I learned this from the experiences my siblings and I had in elementary school (and I can only imagine the phone calls my parents received). For example, during seatwork or a class discussion, I would gaze out of the window or stare into space. I wish teachers would have asked me what I was thinking about instead of telling me to stop daydreaming and pay attention or get back to work. I could have told them I was thinking about what was being said or visualizing the connections between the new information and what I already knew (and yes, once in a while I was lost in space and just needed a gentle reminder to come back to Earth). My brother was a socializer in school. He loved to talk and listen to people. Perhaps he and his friends were talking about unrelated topics, but some of their sidebar conversations may have been relevant to the class topic or consisted of more in-depth discussions. The teachers could have discovered this with a simple question instead of giving detentions or sending them to the office for talking in class. If teachers would have looked at or asked about my sister’s doodles instead of telling her to put her pencil down, they would have seen an artist at work, taking in the information and reformatting it graphically. (By the way, all three of us applied our dreaming, talking, and drawing to successful careers in science, business, teaching, and the arts.)
Your principal may even find that asking students to explain what is happening or what they’re doing can be helpful in other situations, including discipline referrals, as described in a recent blog.
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fontplaydotcom/504443770/
I’m trying to incorporate more inquiry activities into my fourth and fifth grade science classes. The students seem to enjoy them, and I can tell from talking to them and reviewing their notebook entries that they are learning content and skills. However , my principal has noted to me that students were off-task during his 10-minute walkthroughs. How should I respond? How can I tell if students are really on-task and engaged in the activities?
By Peggy Ashbrook
Posted on 2013-06-28
Many children investigate the natural world more fully in summer, building their understanding of natural materials and phenomena through small moments and large.
Moving water with tools
Climbing a tree
Wondering if it will rain, feeling the heat, and mixing to make mud!
June 29th, is International Mud Day, recognized by the Nature Action Collaborative for Children, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children, among many organizations.
Do you have plans to celebrate, and then investigate, the nature of mud?
Legislative Update
By Jodi Peterson
Posted on 2013-06-28
In this edition:
In light of recent claims from teachers and administrators that the transitions brought about by new accountability and assessments under common core standards were moving too quickly, last week in a letter to chief state school officers Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced he will consider requests from states around teacher and principal evaluations and testing.
Duncan wrote:
In recent months, we have heard from many of you and from thousands of teachers, principals, and education advocates. While there is a broad sense that recent far-reaching changes [raising standards and upgrading curricula, developing new assessments, rebuilding accountability systems, and adopting new systems of support and evaluation for teachers and principals] carry enormous promise for schools, children, and the future of our country, there is caution that too much change all at once could undermine our collective progress …. With that in mind, the Department is open to additional flexibility for states in two critical areas.
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) is asking other Senators to join him on a Senate Dear Colleague letter to the Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee to restore STEM education programming to NOAA, NASA, and NSF. The Senate CJS Appropriations Subcommittee will decide funding for these programs in mid-July. As reported in earlier NSTA Legislative Updates, the President’s FY2014 budget proposes $3.1 billion to support federal STEM education programs, a 6.7 percent increase over FY2012–13 levels, but it consolidates or restructures 114 of 226 currently existing federal programs, 78 of which would be terminated. Funds totaling $176 million would be directed from NASA, NOAA, NIST to other agencies, (the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the Smithsonian.) The budget proposes 13 new STEM initiatives, most of which would require separate Congressional authorization.
In this edition:
By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2013-06-28
Today’s news features Voyager 1 as it appears to be reaching the edge of the solar system. It’s hard to believe that Voyager 1 and 2 were launched in 1977—36 years ago—and they’re still sending data (although it takes 17 hours for the data to reach the Earth). It has traveled farther than any other man-made object. What a technological accomplishment!
What else was happening in 1977? Gas in the US was 62 cents per gallon, Jimmy Carter was president, Elvis Presley died, the original Star Wars was the highest grossing movie, the first Apple II computers went on sale, hydrothermal vents were discovered near the Galapagos, the world population was 4.2 billion (compared to 7 billion today), US unemployment was 7.1%, cell phones began public testing, and the space shuttle Enterprise made its first test glide.
NASA’s Voyager website has complete information on the Voyager project—past, present, and future.
Other Voyager news:
New York Times
LA Times
National Geographic
BBC News
Image: NASA
Today’s news features Voyager 1 as it appears to be reaching the edge of the solar system. It’s hard to believe that Voyager 1 and 2 were launched in 1977—36 years ago—and they’re still sending data (although it takes 17 hours for the data to reach the Earth). It has traveled farther than any other man-made object.
By Christine Royce
Posted on 2013-06-27
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released its annual report, The Condition of Education. This year’s report presents 42 indicators of important developments and trends in U.S. education. These indicators focus on population characteristics, participation in education, elementary and secondary education, and postsecondary education.
Reports like these that crunch data and utilize statistics to provide a snapshot or several snapshots of education are popular and often fuel comparisons between the United States and other countries or individual districts/schools and other locations in the United States.
Often the information and findings presented are either the “positive” reports that include statements such as “enrollment in full-day preschool increased” and the simple statement associated with this such as “In 2011, almost two-thirds of three to five year olds were enrolled in preschool, and nearly 60 percent of these children were in full-day programs.” The other side of the coin is the “negative” or where we are falling short statements that are made such as the point about more schools being classified as high poverty schools with a finding that states “At the elementary and secondary level, about one in five public schools was considered high poverty in 2011, meaning that 75 percent or more of the students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch. This number was closer to 1 in 8 in 2000.”
So, the questions at hand for this discussion are “what do you think of this report?” Is it useful, what type of information will you personally use from it? How will it be interpreted from media in your local area? Will it be examined by your district?
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released its annual report, The Condition of Education. This year’s report presents 42 indicators of important developments and trends in U.S. education.
By Carole Hayward
Posted on 2013-06-24
For the lesson on Amazing Caterpillars in Emily Morgan and Karen Ansberry’s new Even More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons, K–5, Using Children’s Books to Guide Inquiry, over the course of several class periods, you get to read Houdini The Amazing Caterpillar, then to show illustrations from From Caterpillar to Butterfly, and engage in a hands-on activity with students to help them learn key facts about the butterfly life cycle. Imagine your elementary students being completely captivated by these picture books and learning some valuable science lessons as you read together.
For more than a decade, NSTA’s popular Picture-Perfect Science series has helped elementary science teachers deliver engaging, hands-on, inquiry-based science lessons. In this latest volume, the lessons are connected to the Framework for K–12 Science Education and the English Language Arts and Literacy Common Core State Standards. The lessons are written according to the BSCS 5E Instructional Model, so students can construct their own understanding of science concepts as they engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. Guided questions are embedded throughout each lesson. Each lesson also includes an “Inquiry Place” box that suggests ideas for developing open inquiries.
The authors explain that “we wrote Even More Picture-Perfect Science Lessons to supplement, not replace, an existing science program. Although each lesson stands alone as a carefully planning learning cycle based on clearly defined science objectives, the lessons are intended to be integrated into a more complete unit of instruction in which concepts can be more fully developed.”
The format of picture books stimulate students on both the emotional and intellectual levels. The following list presents the various lessons included in this volume, the appropriate grade levels, and the picture books for each lesson.
GRADE | PICTURE BOOKS |
K-2 | Wemberly’s Ice Cream Star; Why Did My Ice Pop Melt? |
3-5 | Toy Boat; Captain Kidd’s Crew Experiments with Sinking and Floating |
3-5 | The Wind Blew; I Face the Wind |
3-5 | The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind; Wind Energy: Blown Away! |
K-2 | What’s That Sound?; Sounds All Around |
K-2 | Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?; What’s Alive? |
K-2 | Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move; Who Will Plant a Tree? |
K-2 | Unbeatable Beaks; Beaks! |
3-5 | Just Ducks!; Ducks Don’t Get Wet |
K-2 | Houdini the Amazing Caterpillar; From Caterpillar to Butterfly; The Very Hungry Caterpillar |
3-5 | Fossil; Fossils Tell of Long Ago |
K-2 | The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle; Michael Recycle |
3-5 | Come On, Rain!; What Will the Weather Be? |
3-5 | Twilight Comes Twice; Next Time You See a Sunset |
3-5 | Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin; Build It: Invent New Structures and Contraptions |
Reading aloud is appropriate in all grade levels and for all subjects. The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy states that “children in the early grades—particularly kindergarten through grade 3—benefit from participating in rich, structured conversations with an adult in response to written texts that are read aloud.”
Sounds like the very best reasons to read some great picture books to your students!
The entire Picture-Perfect series is also available as a set.
For the lesson on Amazing Caterpillars in Emily Morgan and Karen Ansberry’s new Eve