Science Education Cooperative Coordinator Update
Thursday, September 24, 2015
3rd grade Changes Kit Materials Issue
Some Changes kits were repacked with lids that will not fit on certain plastic cups. If your teachers encounter this problem, contact Brian Kelley.
4th grade Electric Circuits Kit – New Lessons
Julie Vavricka is developing several new lessons for the Electric Circuits kit. The lessons will incorporate solar energy concepts. We hope to pilot the lessons this year so that they will be implemented in 2016-17.
4th grade GEMS Space Science Teacher Guides are in short supply!
The publisher of GEMS Space Science is revising the unit to align with the NGSS. They have stopped printing the original version of the Teacher Guides used in our classrooms. New guides won’t be available until 2016-17.
Districts are strongly encouraged to keep existing GEMS Space Science Teacher Guides when teachers transfer or change grades.
K-5 Kit Training planned for January-March 2016
A winter training schedule is being constructed and will be made public by November 2. There must be a minimum of 10 participants for a training. Please register your teachers as soon as the schedule goes live.
Science Co-op Transition to New Science Standards
Mike Brown has convened two work groups to gather data and propose solutions to align the curriculum program and professional learning provided by the Science Co-op to the Science Cooperative Executive Committee.
Some ideas that are emerging are:
· Provide NGSS professional learning to teachers and administrators so that NGSS innovations could be implemented with the existing kits.
· Pilot “Engineering is Elementary” (EIE) kits with Science Co-op kit trainers in 2015-16. If the pilot is successful, districts could opt to use these four lesson kits during kit refurbishment windows. The EIE units are designed for our STC kits and add non-fiction text, engineering, and technology activities.
· Wait for the Smithsonian to publish NGSS-aligned STC kits. It is possible that a pilot of NGSS-aligned Physical Science SCT kits may occur in 2016.
Science Teaching and Learning is Important!
While we wait for NGSS-aligned instructional materials, it is important to keep science part of K-5 student learning. Doing this supports ELA and Math standards, supports ELP standards, and prepares students for the WA 5th grade MSP. NGSS-trained teachers can start infusing dimensions of the NGSS with our kits.