How does wind change the Earth’s surface? This is one of the recent questions that Danielle Stone’s 7th grade science class was seeking answers to. The concept of erosion was a topic of study in a series of December classes and the students engaged with it from the start. As were 8th Graders in Bonnie Freeman’s science class at Pentucket Regional Middle School, as they sought to understand the absorption and release of thermal energy. With 100 watt light bulbs, sand and water, the students carefully took temperature readings and worked their way through an experiment to test their hypothesis.
The high levels of student dialogue around natural world examples could also be seen in Trina Forrest’s 6th Grade classroom at Page Elementary in West Newbury. Students had completed models of rock layering and were using digital tools to carefully examine different examples of rock strata, comparing them to their model they created, and analyzing the fossil record to provide relative dates. Their end product was a collaborative construction of scientific explanation based on evidence gathered that demonstrated their understanding of the principles of relative-age dating.
8th Graders conducting the thermal energy lab
Phenomena Centered Science Learning
This is the Phenomena-Driven Learning. It stands at the center of the new science curriculum program the district adopted for the 2022-2023 schools year for grades 6-8. The middle school program has provided the district with a consistent and high quality science program for its 6th graders from three different schools, and for the 7th and 8th graders, who had been engaged in varied learning experiences in science class in past years. McGraw Hill Inspire Science is a digital and consumable book product that is a recent release as a phenomena-based, inquiry-driven curriculum aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. McGraw Hill also has developed a Massachusetts specific sequence of all their materials to specifically align to the state standards, which vary some from the National Next Generation Science Standards in terms of sequencing.
7th Grade students conducting multiple investigations on the impact wind (the hair dryer model) has on different soils
Each grade level moves through organized modules with print, digital and hands-on resources to learn about phenomena in Earth and Space, Life, and Physical Science, along with principles of Engineering that are integrated within the main science domains. The modules provide anchor texts with concrete information and critical vocabulary and concepts. The modules are designed to build interest and empower students to ask more questions, think more critically, and generate innovative ideas. Students communicate collaboratively about observations and their analysis, while also being expected to routinely write about what they are learning. The students are first introduced to an anchoring phenomenon in each module, then engage with lesson-level investigations about that phenomenon and continue to dig deep into the science and engineering concepts.
The design of the program focuses on four phases for each lesson. First, the students are introduced to an 1) Engage phase where the phenomenon is made central to what the students will seek to explore and eventually explain. Then the lessons place students into an opportunity to 2) Explore/Explain, expecting students to investigate a concept and begin to formulate an explanation while gathering evidence. We then see students 3) Elaborate, as they have gained more evidence along with vocabulary and background knowledge. The lessons, sometimes multiple days, conclude with an 4) Evaluate phase, placing high level thinking and communication skills on the shoulders of students. This structure is known as the 5Es.
In a 2020 article, Making Everyday Phenomena Phenomenal - Using phenomena to promote equity in science instruction in NSTA Science and Children, author Okhee Lee, outlined how the Next Generation Science Standards identified three key instructional shifts that science instruction needed to move towards with all students: (a) explain phenomena or design solutions to problems, (b) engage in three-dimensional learning, and (c) build learning progressions over time.
Lee further described that “making sense of phenomena could be the most important instructional shift for students who have not experienced science as real or relevant to their lives or future careers.” Making science tangible to student’s own lives gives them a sense of ownership over their own learning. Placing phenomena at the center of learning, makes the science visible for students, even for concepts that can be abstract. When a science program and learning experience combines phenomena based learning with structures for learning, varied examples, and conceptual vocabulary, the learning can become transformative.
When asked about their experience thus far with this new program, one 7th grader responded, “I liked how we had a physical model to look at. This helped me to understand erosion more.” Another student shared, “I just really liked the hands on aspect of the investigation.”
Claim, Evidence Reasoning Model
While phenomena centered science learning provides the personal connections to concepts and begins each lesson with an engaging purpose, students still benefit from structures to organize their thinking. Inspire Science makes continuous use of the Claim, Evidence and Reasoning model of student writing and response.
Trina Forrest, 6th Grade teacher at Page, helps to provide her students with an anchor chart to refer to throughout their engagement, which becomes especially helpful when students are asked to transfer their learned knowledge to written communication.
This structure, known as CER, is a common method that is evidence based and used in scientific study and writing. The hands-on activities are the “fun” part that most students are more than happy to engage with. While some feel more like science labs, others may be more inquiry based activities or investigations. Regardless of the format of the hands-on activity, science requires us to make sense of what we observe. The CER framework provides that structure. Dr. Katherine L. McNeill, an assistant professor of science education at Boston College, spent many years refining the CER framework and how to instruct students to use it independently. She has published multiple studies of its use in public school science classrooms. In her 2011 article titled Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning published in Science and Children, she described how the structure of the CER is what helps students work through their own thinking. She saw how students were enthusiastic when engaging in hands-on investigations, but then found it challenging to make sense of their data and to create explanations using evidence from their investigations. Through a year-long process of supporting multiple classrooms, the CER structure with graphic organizers, sentences stems and starters, and vocabulary concept maps, students made great progress.
Examples from the 7th Grade text demonstrating more sophisticated expectations and supports for advanced evidence and revised claims.
Inspire has built in the CER framework through the digital system and paper/consumable textbooks. It becomes increasingly sophisticated from the earlier grades to the more advanced grades, as the concepts and forms of evidence develop. This ensures every student is engaged in rigorous scientific inquiry and argument from evidence.
Conceptual Vocabulary and Complex Text
The district has focused a great deal of time on professional learning with developing literacy skills across content areas and has invested in numerous text updates at the secondary level to ensure students have access to complex text. Within content areas, learning vocabulary related to concepts is a key tenet of literacy skills in content areas. For content teachers, like science teachers, vocabulary that needs some instruction and scaffolds comes in two forms. Sometimes, there are words in complex text that are not directly related to science, yet they require direct teaching so that all students can understand what is meant. Typically, we call these Tier 2 vocabulary words and they may appear in texts from many different content areas. In November of 2021, our blog had a post about the many ways we are building knowledge through vocabulary instruction and a good deal focused on the different types of words that are taught as Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3. Read about it at Building Knowledge Starts with Vocabulary.
Within Inspire Science, students are exposed to vocabulary in a variety of formats. The blended tools for learning allow students to engage with vocabulary and concepts through digital means, or through written means, as shown below. Many of the words that we do encounter through Inspire are more likely to be Tier 3 words, and have direct relation to concepts, rather than straight definitions. Using tools such as concept maps and diagrams, help students to make the connections between concepts.
When students are able to make connections between concepts and anchor that understanding of scientific phenomena in key terms and vocabulary, their explanations and reasoning become powerful demonstrations of learning. While many students find purpose and connection with the inquiry based lessons and hands-on investigations, it is the written answers to essential questions that can elevate a student’s learning.
Connecting it all
Trina Forrest, the 6th Grade Science Teacher at Page states, “We allow the students to develop their own understanding through reading, research, and hands-on activities.” Ms. Forrest ensures the students use their collaborative opportunities to talk about their learning and advance their oral language skills by speaking and listening. When their discussions may be slightly off or missing the key vocabulary, she draws them back in by asking questions about the key concepts and vocabulary, modeling the use of evidence and key words. Ms. Forrest further elaborates, “Then they circle back to their original claim in order to revise and support it with evidence.” Ms. Forrest also noted “It is definitely taking me a bit longer on each concept this year, because we are going back to key learnings so students can revise, a step we really did not include previously.”
Any core program can always benefit from added learning opportunities. Among them, Ms. Forrest and other science teachers in grades 7 and 8, use supplemental readings to help further students’ background knowledge. The example below was a task her students were asked to complete with partners following their construction of layered rock models and after conducting multiple examinations of visual models.
The use of paired reading selections from sources such as Discovery Education, Common Lit, and Read Works, are known to provide access to reading selections on the same or similar topic that the students are learning about. This approach matches the common core state standards expectations about teaching literacy skills across content areas by ensuring students are engaged in a volume of conceptually related texts to build knowledge around non-fiction topics. We are reminded that literacy learning and teaching is not restricted to English Language Arts class. While text complexity can vary, making it difficult for some students to read paired selections, planning from that text and ensuring students know all of the words that are not the science specific words, can help with this access. Achieve the Core developed a fantastic tool that helps teachers know what Tier 2 or Academic Vocabulary words they may want to focus on in preparing students to read a text. Just copy and paste a short text (up top 20,000 words) into the Academic Word Finder and identify the grade level, then you will have your word list ready.
Ensuring access to concepts and complex topics is a must for all of our students. Adam Belanger, a Special Education Teacher at the Page school, supports students in the general education classroom during science instruction. Adam works with the classroom teacher for an inclusive learning opportunity. “We emphasize collaborative learning with peers in order to increase opportunities to discuss newly learned information and scientific vocabulary.” says Belanger. With a clearly outlined curriculum, that has key learning objectives outlined and evidence based tools, such as CER frameworks and vocabulary concepts maps included, Adam’s work to be sure all students are engaged in high level science learning, is made much easier.
Pam Endyke, the Science Department Chair for Grades 7-12, summarized the recent implementation,
"It is wonderful to have the science classes in grades 6-8 aligned using Inspire science. Using this phenomenon based approach to learning science has increased student engagement; with the hope to foster an interest in science and the natural world with all students. These students will have a strong foundation in science when they reach high school where they will continue their engagement through higher level science courses in the future."
Brent Conway
PRSD Assistant Superintendent