Compatible Content Creates Coherent Curriculum One Small Step at Kindergarten Leads to One Giant Lea

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Compatible Content Creates Coherent
CurriculumOne Small Step at Kindergarten Leads
to One Giant Leap at High School Graduation

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. HER-0315060
2
Goals/Outcomes for LCF Focus what to teach

• Have a better understanding of the AAAS resources
• Focus on Benchmarks and Atlas
• Increase comfort level using the resources
• Compatibility with GLEs
• Begin thinking about coherent curriculum
  development
• Begin K-12 conversation

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. HER-0315060
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Informed and Reformed

• Hello? Are you a big idea?
• Page Keeley Curriculum Topic Study
• Science Literacy- Science For All Americans
• From teaching units to... Whats to be learned?
• Whats important and understandable

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under Grant No. HER-0315060
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Voyage of Discovery

• Began with Curriculum Topic Study
• More time spent with resources, more learned
  about learning goals for grade band
• Unburdened my teaching
• Liberating
• Using the resources

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. HER-0315060
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Project 2061 Tools for Reform

• Why Help the radical reform of the education
  system in America
• Goal All students will be literate in science
  (mathematics, natural science, social science,
  engineering)
• Strategy Develop and disseminate tools for
  reform (including helping you help students pass
  the WASL!)

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. HER-0315060
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A Little History

• 1985 Project started by Jim Rutherford at AAAS
• 1989 Published Science for All Americans
• 1993 Published Benchmarks for Science Literacy
• 1996 Hired me as director, Published Resources
  for Science Literacy Professional Development
• 1998-2000 Developed and applied Curriculum
  Analysis Tool, Published Blueprints for Reform,
  and analysis of middle school mathematics and
  science materials
• 2001 Published Designs for Science Literacy,
  Atlas of Science Literacy, and analysis of H.S.
  biology materials
• Today Developing curriculum and assessment
  development tools, about to publish Atlas II

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. HER-0315060
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Project 2061s Learning Goals Tool set

• Science for All Americans
• Benchmarks for Science Literacy
• Atlas of Science Literacy
• Intended as curriculum design tools
• What to teach

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Science for All AmericansDefining Science
Literacy

• Describes adult literacy
• Necessary knowledge and skills for all citizens
• Science, mathematics, and technology core
• Emphasize connections across disciplines

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Benchmarks for Science Literacy Establishing
Goals

• Grades 2, 5, 8, and 12
• Specific learning goals  standards
• Avoids technical language
• Informed by research
• Also See boxes

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What are Literacy Learning Goals (Benchmarks and
Standards)?

• What every child should know and the skills every
  child should have
• A coherent set leading to Science Literacy
• Not everything children should know or be able to
  do
• High standards does not mean more or harder
  material, it means students are expected to
  achieve the learning specified by the goals

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A New Way of Looking at Benchmarks and Standards

• Until now, we have had lists, but benchmarks is
  really a connected web of ideas. Maps display
  these connections
• Maps have really been a part of Project 2061s
  thinking from the beginning
• Developed by the Project 2061 school district
  teams
• Led by Dr. Andrew Ahlgren, Associate Director and
  Chief Cartographer

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Map-like thinking was part of Benchmarks from the
start
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Integration is not a requirement
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Atlas of Science LiteracyCo-published with NSTA

• Large-format collection of maps displaying
  knowledge and skills acquired over time leading
  to understanding of major concepts.
• Explicit display of connections across time and
  across disciplines
• Soren Wheeler, Ted Willard, Ryan Arndt,
  cartographers

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Atlas Components

• Complete set of literacy goals for major topics
• Does not specify or advocate any particular style
  or type of instruction
• Explicit connections among benchmarks
• contributes to
• Connections to other maps
• Story lines
• Notes, research summaries, reflections on mapping

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Benchmarks make up the boxes
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The connecting arrow implies contributes to
The connections are often learning goals, too!
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Strands tell a story of connected ideas
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How can you use the Atlas?

• Studying, Understanding, Sorting Standards
• Professional Development
• Understanding growth of understanding and role of
  each grade level
• Curriculum Analysis, Design, and Development
• Grade-by-grade and interdisciplinary coherence
• Prerequisites and What comes next
• Assessment Analysis, Design, and Development
• Aiding curriculum selection

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Maps help in choosing materials
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Analysis What the reviewers looked for
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Analysis What the reviewers found
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Future Atlas Components

• Next edition will include all the benchmarks
• Electronic version will allow navigation among
  maps with common benchmarks
• Resources can be attached to individual
  benchmarks to integrate all Project 2061 tools
• Connections to State Standards
• Assessment items
• Recommended Curriculum materials and trade books
• Video clips
• Research
• Phenomena -- and much more!

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Project 2061s Curriculum Tool set

• Designs for Science Literacy
• Resources for Science Literacy
• Professional Development
• Instructional Materials (in work)
• Assessment (in work)
• Help with What and How to Teach
• Still not Instructional Materials

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Designs for Science LiteracyDesigning K-12
Curriculum

• Critical criteria for reformed curricula
• Redesigning current curricula
• How to get started today

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Resources for Science LiteracyProfessional
Development

• Collected resources for pre- and in-service
  reference and training book and CD
• Recommended trade books
• Cognitive research abstracts
• College Courses
• Comparisons of Benchmarksto national standards
• Complete scripts and materials for workshops

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How is NCOSP using the tools?

• Using Curriculum Topic Study
• Understanding the specific content of a lesson
• Understanding the GLEs and EOLs (that were based
  on the Benchmarks)
• Thinking about curriculum coherence over time
  (and eventually across subjects)
• Evaluating instructional materials for alignment

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. HER-0315060
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Tying Benchmarks/Atlas to GLEs/EOLs

• You are responsible for the EOLs
• Benchmarks and Atlas are tools for helping you
  use the EOLs to help your students succeed
• The Benchmarks describe knowledge, the EOLs
  behaviors that demonstrate the knowledge
• The WASL may not be true to the EOL verbs so the
  knowledge is the goal!

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under Grant No. HER-0315060
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Flow of Energy and Matter Through Ecosystems
Survey

• To get big ideas out on the table
• Complete learning goals for grade band that you
  teach
• Elementary, Middle, High School
• Complete what you think are the learning goals
  for grand bands that you do not teach
• Elementary, Middle Elementary, High Middle, High

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under Grant No. HER-0315060
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Atlas/GLE Work Session

• Explore compatibility, similarities and
  differences of Science K-10 Grade Level
  Expectations and Benchmarks
• With focus on what to teach
• Working in pairs, read introduction to Flow of
  Matter and Energy in Ecosystems pgs 76 and 78

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under Grant No. HER-0315060
34
Atlas Exploration

• Questions to consider
• Do learning goals match your survey answers?
• Are there learning goals that you did not
  consider?

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under Grant No. HER-0315060
35
Matching GLEs to Learning Goals

• GLE Review
• Matching learning goals to the GLEs/EOLs
• Now you try it!

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under Grant No. HER-0315060
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Break Time! - Before taking a break
shuffle seating - Elementary, Middle
and High school represented at each table

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under Grant No. HER-0315060
37
Curriculum Coherence

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under Grant No. HER-0315060
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Curriculum Coherence Across Grade Levels

• Why?
• Provides a story that students can follow
• Defines specific learning goals at grades
• Avoids needless redundancystudents learn it
  right the first time!
• Liberates teachers to really apply Less is More
• Helps students learn more science that will stay
  with them throughout their lives

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. HER-0315060
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Curriculum Coherence Across Grade Levels

• How?
• Work together in multi-grade groups to sort
  learning goals into coherent maps
• Eliminate the extraneous and redundant to make
  room for the essential (this is the hardest part)
• Identify instructional materials and assessments
  (this is the second hardest part)
• Coordinated PD (Content, CSP, Collaboration)
• Establish trust in grades above and below

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under Grant No. HER-0315060
42
Using the Atlas

• Make a GLE/EOL map
• Assess which learning goals your instructional
  materials target
• Look for gaps, holes, extras, and redundancies

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. HER-0315060
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What if the Curriculum Falls Short?

• Coherence over a few important topics is more
  important the hitting all the EOLs
• Modify or supplement only in response to evidence
  of student learning (student work, valid
  assessments)
• Dont forget that learning about Inquiry is also
  content that must be addressed explicitlynot
  just done (Chapter 1)

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. HER-0315060
45
Coherent Curriculum Work Session

• Compare findings of grade band maps
• Begin conversation across grade level
• Look at the roles of each grade band in creating
  coherence.
• How does what is taught in kindergarten affect
  what is taught in high school?
• Compare the learning goals/GLEs to the survey
  results at each grade band.

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. HER-0315060
46
Review of Goals/Outcomes Focus what to teach

• Have a better understanding of the AAAS resources
• Focus on Benchmarks and Atlas
• Increase comfort level using the resources
• Compatibility with GLEs
• Begin thinking about coherent curriculum
  development
• Begin K-12 conversation

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. HER-0315060
47
Conclusion

• Progression of understanding
• What going to take back and apply to the
  classroom?
• Revisit resources during May Learning Community
  Forum

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. HER-0315060