Designing Curriculum for In-Depth Learning in Science

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Designing Curriculum for In-Depth Learning in
Science
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• Moving Forward

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Lessons LearnedCONCLUSION

• Although there have been improvements in student
  performance in science, the task force has
  identified that students continue to struggle
  with developing a deeper understanding of
  scientific concepts.
• Students need more practice in demonstrating and
  explaining, especially in writing, scientific
  concepts, and scientific processes.

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Lessons LearnedCONCLUSION

• Teachers should provide a broader focus on
  scientific concepts and processes in a big
  picture sense and not overemphasize the parts of
  the scientific concepts and processes.
• In other words, whole systems, such as the water
  cycle, must be taught so that students can
  explain the entire system starting at any given
  point within the system otherwise, students can
  only explain the parts in isolation.

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Lessons LearnedCONCLUSION

• As revealed through the data, common
  misconceptions still hamper students ability to
  demonstrate full scientific knowledge. Teachers
  should modify instruction to address these
  misconceptions, especially after classroom
  assessments reflect these misconceptions.

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Why Bother with Design?

• To provide a conceptual framework to make sense
  of discrete facts and skills
• To uncover big ideas of content
• To engage students in inquiry
• To promote transfer of learning

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Understanding by Design

• A tool to build consensus about
• The meaning of standards and benchmarks
• Implications of the standards on student learning
• Ways to monitor and evaluate progress of all
  students in mastering the standards
• Instructional interventions needed to promote
  maximum student achievement and organizational
  effectiveness

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Avoid the Twin Sins of Traditional Design

• Activity Based

• What are students learning?
• Whats the point?

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Avoid the Twin Sins of Traditional Design

• Coverage

• Students march through a textbook,
• page by page
• in a valiant attempt to traverse all the factual
  material within a prescribed time. (p. 16)

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Just ask a student

• What are you doing?
• Why are you being asked to do it?
• What will it help you do?
• How does it fit with what you have previously
  done?
• How will you show that you have learned it?

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Learning for Understanding

• Knowledge/Skills
• Transfer
• Application
• Self-Assessment
• Transfer involves determining what knowledge and
  skills are needed and adapting them to fit the
  situation.

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More efficient?

• Teaching specific topics or skills without
  making clear their context in the broader
  fundamental structure of a field of knowledge is
  uneconomical. Jerome Bruner, 1960

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Stages of Backward Design
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Identify Desired Results

• What are the established goals?
• What understandings are desired?
• What essential questions will be considered?
• What key knowledge and skills will students
  acquire as a result of this instruction?

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Established Goals

• Sunshine State Standards
• Course descriptions
• District curriculum guides
• Specialized programs
• IB, AICE, etc.

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Big Ideas Explain Phenomena

• Model of the AtomPhysics
• Periodic LawChemistry
• Big Bang TheoryAstronomy
• Plate Tectonics ModelGeology
• Scientific Theory of EvolutionBiology
• Wynn and Wiggins,1997

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Big Ideas

• Provide a conceptual focus
• Provide breadth of meaning by connecting and
  organizing facts, skills, and experiences
• Point to ideas at the heart of expert
  understanding
• Require uncovering because it is not obvious,
  may be counterintuitive, or prone to
  misconceptions
• Have transfer value across content and time

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Established Goals
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Unpacking the Standards

• Standard 5 Earth in Space and TimeThe origin
  and eventual fate of the Universe still remains
  one of the greatest questions in science. Gravity
  and energy influence the development and life
  cycles of galaxies, including our own Milky Way
  Galaxy, stars, the planetary systems, Earth, and
  residual material left from the formation of the
  Solar System. Humankinds need to explore
  continues to lead to the development of knowledge
  and understanding of the nature of the Universe. 
• Standard 6 Earth Structures The scientific
  theory of plate tectonics provides the framework
  for much of modern geology. Over geologic time,
  internal and external sources of energy have
  continuously altered the features of Earth by
  means of both constructive and destructive
  forces. All life, including human civilization,
  is dependent on Earth's internal and external
  energy and material resources.
• STANDARD 7 Earth Systems and Patterns The
  scientific theory of the evolution of Earth
  states that changes in our planet are driven by
  the flow of energy and the cycling of matter
  through dynamic interactions among the
  atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, geosphere,
  and biosphere, and the resources used to sustain
  human civilization on Earth.

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Earth and Space Science

• Earth Systems and Patterns
• Changes in our planet
• Flow of energy and cycling of matter
• Interactions among the atmosphere, hydrosphere,
  cryosphere, geosphere, and biosphere
• Resources to sustain civilization

• Earth in Space and Time
• Origin and fate of the Universe
• Influence of gravity and energy on galaxies
• Understanding the nature of the Universe

• Earth Structures
• Plate tectonics
• Energy alters features of the Earth
• Life depends on energy and resources

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Unpacking the Benchmarks

• SC.912.E.5.1 Cite evidence used to develop and
  verify the scientific theory of the Big Bang
  (also known as the Big Bang Theory) of the origin
  of the universe.

• Content Focus (Nouns and Adjectives)
• Big Bang Theory
• Evidence

• Stated or Implied Performances (Verbs)
• Cite evidence used to develop or verify

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Unpacking the Benchmarks

• SC.912.E.5.3 Describe and predict how the
  initial mass of a star determines its evolution.

• Content Focus (Nouns and Adjectives)
• Initial mass of a star
• Evolution

• Stated or Implied Performances (Verbs)
• Describe
• Predict how

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Enduring Understandings

• What we want students to come to understand about
  the big idea/standard.
• Full-sentence statements, not objectives
• Give the content meaning
• Connect the facts to the skills

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Unpacking the Benchmarks

• SC.912.E.5.1 Cite evidence used to develop and
  verify the scientific theory of the Big Bang
  (also known as the Big Bang Theory) of the origin
  of the universe.

• Content Focus (Nouns and Adjectives)
• Big Bang Theory
• Evidence

• Stated or Implied Performances (Verbs)
• Cite evidence used to develop or verify

• Understanding
• The Big Bang Theory of the origin of the universe
  was developed and verified through scientific
  evidence.

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Unpacking theBenchmarks

• SC.912.E.5.3 Describe and predict how the
  initial mass of a star determines its evolution.

• Content Focus (Nouns and Adjectives)
• Initial mass of a star
• Evolution

• Stated or Implied Performances (Verbs)
• Describe
• Predict how

• Understanding
• The initial mass of a star determines its
  evolution.

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Determining the Enduring Understandings

• What does this benchmark really mean for this
  grade level or course?
• What questions would we ask to determine whether
  the student has mastered the enduring
  understanding?
• If we looked at a body of work by a student,
  what would we see that indicated the student has
  mastered this benchmark?

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Identify Priorities
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SSS Science Regional Workshops May, 2008
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Enduring Understanding

• Represent big ideas having enduring value beyond
  the classroom
• Reside at the heart of the discipline
• Require uncoverage of abstract and often
  misunderstood ideas
• Provides a clear focus to guide instruction.

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Important To Know and Do

• Knowledge
• Facts
• Concepts
• Principles
• Skills
• Processes
• Strategies
• Methods

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Worthwhile

• Worth Being Familiar With
• Range of topics
• Related skills
• Resources

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How do you decide?

• Identify the desired results.
• K-8Big Ideas and Benchmarks
• 9-12Standards and Benchmarks
• What are the enduring understandings that
  students will retain?
• What important knowledge and skills must students
  master?
• What worthwhile content might be examined in the
  course?

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Earth and Space Science
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Earth and Space Science

• Classify statements by levels of understanding.
• Atmosphere
• Biosphere
• Space Science
• Geosphere
• Hydrosphere

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Earth and Space Science

• Prioritize by Importance
• Enduring Understanding
• Important to Know and Do
• Worth Being Familiar With

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Designing Curriculum

• At the heart of all uncoverage,
• is the deliberate interrogation of the content
  to be learned,
• as opposed to just the teaching and learning of
  material.
• Wiggins and McTighe
• Understanding By Design, 2005

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Curriculum Design Begins with

• Guides and Frames the Instructional Decisions
• Which leads to Essential Questions
• Enduring Understandings
• NGSSS Benchmarks

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What is an Essential Questions?

• Organize the course and corresponding units
  around Enduring Understandings and their
  Essential Questions
• Important questions
• Questions that provide the focus and direction
  for inquiry
• Questions that are used to make meaning of
  learning activities

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Essential Questions

• Go to the heart of the discipline
• How do scientists discover new knowledge?
• How did life on Earth originate and develop?
• Where did the atoms of the universe originate?
  What is their destiny?

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Essential Questions

• Raise other important questions, often across
  subject-area boundaries
• Why is the impact of humans on the Earths
  biosphere an increasing concern to the
  government?
• How can solar power be captured more
  economically?

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Essential Questions

• Recur naturally and are important enough to
  show up in several science units
• What pattern of change is illustrated
  within(the rock cycle, seasons, adaptation)?

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Guidelines for Writing Essential Questions

• Questions should be framed for maximal
  simplicity.
• Questions should be worded in student-friendly
  language.
• Questions should provoke discussion.
• Questions should lead to larger essential and
  unit ideas.

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Your Turn

• Transform an Enduring Understanding into
  Essential Questions that is appropriate for the
  student level.
• Example
• Circulation patterns in the oceans are driven by
  density differences and wind

• What effect does wind and ocean density have on
  the ocean currents?
• OR
• A cargo ship dumped thousands of rubber duckies
  into the Pacific Ocean. How did the rubber
  duckies end up across the world in the Atlantic
  Ocean?

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Break
How long have you know about Understanding by
Design? Have you attempted implementation of UbD
or parts of UbD in your district?
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Duvals Curriculum Today

• Working towards implementing an Understanding by
  Design format in all science curriculum since
  2003
• Design curriculums to have 3 stages
• Stage 1 Identifying the Goals
• Stage 2 Assessments
• Stage 3 Daily lesson planning
• Primary focus started on Stage 1
• Development of Stage 2 and Stage 3 was dependent
  on the Stage 1 product

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Experienced Teacher

• Madge Nanney
• Middle school science teacher-- 19 years
• Masters of Education
• National Board Certified Teacher Early
  Adolescence/Science
• Department Chair/Teacher Leader

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Traditional Lesson Planning

• Standards
• Curriculum Textbook
• Lesson Plans
• Assessments

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Designing Curriculum for In-Depth Learning
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Former District Curriculum

• District Performance Standards
• The student
• explains the source of energy that creates
  weather patterns and how heat moves through the
  atmosphere through the use of a thermometer.
  SC.A.2.3.3, SC.B.1.3.3
• illustrates and labels the relationship of the
  Earth to the Sun during the summer and winter
  seasons. SC.H.1.3.5, SC.A.2.3.3, SC.B.1.3.3
• uses sunlight or output from a lamp to heat water
  and soil and compares results with those of
  classmates. SC.H.1.3.4, SC.H.1.3.5, SC.A.2.3.3,
  SC.A.1.3.1
• illustrates the positions of atoms in a solid, a
  liquid, and a gas and describes the differences
  in the movement of the atoms in each phase and
  the variation of those movements with
  temperature. SC.A.1.3.3, SC.A.1.3.4
• predicts how warm air and cold air masses
  interact based on observations of a warm and cold
  water experiment. SC.H.1.3.4, SC.H.1.3.5,
  SC.B.1.3.5
• describes the history of hurricane tracking and
  how technology has improved humankind's ability
  to predict probable landfall sites. SC.H.1.3.1

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Designing Curriculum for In-Depth Learning
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Designing Curriculum for In-Depth Learning
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Uncovering MisconceptionsWhat causes
earthquakes?

• Pre-Conception Quiz
• Earthquakes are caused by plants that hold the
  earth together.
• The thing that causes earthquakes are the
  atmosphere forming clouds to make a earthquake.
• The moon might be the cause of earthquakes. I
  dont know.

• Post-Conception Quiz
• The plates move together against each other
• Plate movement
• Plates that move.

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Teacher Transformation

• Made a clearer connection between the standards
  and daily lessons Enduring understandings,
  essential questions, knowledge and skills became
  the pathway to lesson planning.
• Helped me to identify effective classroom
  materials and activities.
• Enduring understandings and essential questions
  act as a filter for activities and
  investigations.
• Broaden my perspective of assessment to guide
  instruction.
• Pre-conception quizzes to reveal student
  misconceptions
• Effective integration of technology to improve
  student learning.
• Web-based visualizations and real-time data.

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Designing Curriculum for In-Depth Learning
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Novice Teacher

• Amanda K. Wilson
• 1 year teaching experience
• Second Career Educator
• Biology major - New content
• Challenged Urban school
• Participated in ESbD summer 2005

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Prior to ESbD

• Modeled how I was taught
• Day by day teaching
• Never heard of a performance task
• Never heard of a Reflection (self knowledge)
• Text, text, text.. Inquiry, whats that?
• Student Misconceptions really?????
• Students learn because thats what students do,
  Right????
• Recall of information is sufficient

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Teacher Transformation

• Unit planning vs. Day to Day
• Inquiry vs. Text only
• Reflect on my teaching processes
• Real life connections
• Performance Tasks
• Integration of Technology
• Acknowledge student misconceptions
• change

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• As a novice teacher. ESbD gave me a foundation
  for teaching, that philosophically made sense to
  me.

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Lesson Learned

• Teachers
• Reflective
• Collaborative
• District
• Working towards a common focus
• Alignment of goals, assessments, and instruction

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Potential for District

• Quality Teacher Professional Development
• Science Office/District Growth
• Personal Leadership Growth/Teacher Leaders

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Further Information

• Margaret Hayden
• haydenm_at_duvalschools.org
• TERC
• Harold_mcwilliams_at_terc.edu

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Alice, speaking to Cheshire Cat Would you tell
me, please, which way I ought to go from
here? That depends a good deal on where you
want to get to, said the Cat. I dont much care
where, said Alice. Lewis Carroll, Alices
Adventures in Wonderland, 1865
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Then it doesnt matter which way you go,
said the Cat. so long as I get somewhere,
Alice added as an explanation. Oh, youre sure
to do that said the Cat, if you only walk long
enough. Lewis Carroll, Alices Adventures in
Wonderland, 1865