Science Education
Great Stuff |
This section will highlight "best practices" in science education.
Advanced Placement (AP) AP Central is the official online home for Pre-AP or AP Programs. Site describes content and test strategies for taking ACT content tests. Assessment Simple directions for writing pencil and paper tests. Linking Assessment to Instruction High school released items Chicago Public Schools site with rubrics in all subjects. A pdf file with common science rubrics Graphic Organizers http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/torganiz.htm Excellent site for templates. Learning Strategies Bill Daggett list of suggestions. Northern Illinois University collection of strategies. ACT survey describes what teachers consider the most importnat objectives in science.
Lesson Plans Uses Marco Polo to search lesson plans. Problem Solving Strategy This school developed problem solving formula highlighted by NCA in Elm Dale School in Greenfield, Wisconsin has produced dramatic increases in math scores. Identifying a need is only the first step in raising achievement. Through discussions at faculty meetings as well as small committee meetings, the staff decided that a school wide step-by-step formula that the students could follow would be a useful tool. One of the staff members created and presented a formula that had been successfully used in fifth grade classes. After considering the needs of the students, as well as their strengths and weaknesses relating to problem solving, consensus was reached on the formula that would be used. The staff felt that it was imperative that a common language be established to ensure continuity in instruction and practice throughout the grades. The formula was then modified for the younger students. Problem Solving Formula 1. Read the problem. 3. What do I need to find out? 5. Does this answer make sense? Why? Vocabulary The Visual Thesaurus is a 3D interactive reference tool, powered by Thinkmap, that gets students of all ages excited about words. |
Curriculum Committee Meeting Date |
High School meetings begin at 2:45 p.m., Middle School meetings at 3:30 p.m. and Elementary School meetings at 4:15 p.m.. Our next meeting will be on May 28, 2008 at Ten Eyck/ASC. |
MDSTA, MSTA, and NSTA News |
This section will feature news from our professional organizations. October 18, 2008: MDSTA Fall Conference at Lawrence Technological University |
District PD Information |
This section will highlight what is available at the next district PD date. |
Teaching & Learning Opportunities |
This link will give information about professional development opportunities in the metropolitan Detroit area. Summer Opportunities for Teachers |
MDE Updates |
This section will give the most recent information about GSCE's. Status of document - still under review by Achieve Group. |
District Curriculum Benchmarks |
Middle School -
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Teacher Resources |
This section will have links to popular lesson plan sites. MASER.Homepage (Clearinghouse of websites) MIBIG (Concept Map version of MIClimb) MCAS (Clearinghouse of sites on all science strands) Educator's Reference Desk (Resource guides, lesson plans, and question archives) www.sciencenetlinks.com (AAAS guide to standards-based Internet experiences for students) Discoveryschool.com (Site preview available videos from the Discovery channel and TLC) The Science Spot (Index of worksheets) |
Parent Resources |
bjscience (Clearninghouse of homework helper sites) parents (NSTA guide for parents) Virtual Middle School Library (Clearninghouse of background information) |
Specific Science Content Links |
Click on the following link to access specific science content links in astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, meterology, oceanography, physics, and physical science. |
INTERESTING! |
Spring Science Celebrations in the Classroom—Ideas at Your Fingertips Check out the NSTA Calendar and click on “Science Events” for the upcoming seasonal science celebrations including: * February 19-25 Engineer Week You’ll find a wealth and variety of ideas and suggestions for connecting to these events in your classroom. The site is your one-stop shop for information about upcoming summer programs, grants, workshops, and much more. And it’s not limited to science celebrations only. Visitors can search by category, grade level, or region, or submit your own upcoming event. Don’t miss out. Great Questions to “Chew On” Science magazine recently surveyed more than 100 leading researchers across a host of disciplines to compile a list of the Top 125 questions still unanswered by science. The only restriction given was that each question had to have a chance of being answered in the next 25 years. The list, referred to by the editors of Science as a "catalogue of bewilderment," shows the staggering breadth of scientific inquiry currently underway across the globe. Included in the list: · What is the universe made of? All of the atoms and detectable energy in the universe add up to less than 5% of what exists. Even by adding in what scientists call "dark matter", experts can account for only 30%. What else is out there? · How much can the human life span be extended ? In the 20th century alone, the average U.S. life span increased from 47 to 77 years, more than 50%. What are the upper limits of human age? The full list of questions, with essays on the top 25, is at Ask a Scientist This is a great resource to find answers to the questions you don't know the answers to. http://askascientist.org |
Inservice Sign up |
Whenever there is a professional staff development day, you need to go to Go Sign Me Up. You should also sign up if we're doing curriculum work, so that I know who is attending. |
EXPECTATIONS BYGRADE |
There are certain expectations that the State has for science students. If you would like to see the expectations for your child's grade level, please look HERE. |
Why is science reported differently on the new report card? |
Science is a unique content area. It is taught with individual kits of materials - two for Earth Science, Physical Science, and Life Science. The kits are rotated according to a schedule and one school may follow a different schedule from another. Because of that, progress is reported according to the kit that is used at the times before cardmarking. The first marking could have been assessed for Expectations for Life Science. That Life Science report will stay on the report card, but it will not change with the rest of the cardmarkings. |
Grade Level Specific Content |
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