Grades 6-12

Secondary Science Coordinator

Email: jnord5257@columbus.k12.oh.us
Website: ccsoh.us/science
Location: 3700 South High Street, Columbus, OH, USA
Phone: (380)997-0466
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColumbusCitySchools

We have several new teachers to the district this year. Please take time to welcome our new science teachers into your building. We are so excited to have them as a part of our team!

We have started gathering and cataloging books for our Lending Library for you. Right now, we are focusing on pedagogy books but would love to add science content literature. If you have read a book that you think would really benefit other science teachers, please email Jenny Nord so that we can get copies. Check out our selection and let Jenny Nord know if you would like to check one out!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kdvxI0MA3YU89SYpZkloPilupiVgIBY0q0pB03f9z4I/edit?usp=sharing

NSTA is celebrating its 75th anniversary. The regional conference will be held in Cincinnati this year:

Area Conference in Cincinnati: November 14–16, 2019
Science: The Bridge to Endless Possibilities

To help you make the most of the professional development opportunities available at the Cincinnati conference, the Conference Committee has planned the conference around three strands that explore topics of current significance, enabling you to focus on a specific area of interest or need.

Bridging the Three Dimensions of Science Teaching and Learning: Practices, Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts

Constructing Bridges: Building Lifelong Appreciation and Passion for Science

Building Strong Bridges: Reinforcing the Connection Between Science and Literacy

Follow the link for more info and to register:

https://www.nsta.org/conferences/area2.aspx

As we begin the year, we need to continue to be mindful about safety in our classrooms/labs. Middle School teachers are being asked to submit a Safety Check-Off List for your classroom along with a Chemical Inventory. If you are in high school, you should be signing a weekly check-off list for your classroom. We will be collecting these at the end of the year.

As you begin the year, make sure you are considering all safety precautions with your labs and activities. Please do NOT use any chemicals or equipment with which you are not familiar or do not have the lab facility to safely use.

Check out the document for Laboratory Safety Guidelines.

We addressed Learning Intentions and Success Criteria last year. The Learning Intention is what you intend the student to learn and the Success Criteria is how you/they know they learned it. The Success Criteria must match the Learning Intention.

This month, we are going to add Learning Progressions. Involved in this process is unpacking the standards. Learning Progressions spell out the pathway to proficiency of the standard. They are the intermediate steps students use to reach mastery. It is too broad of a leap to move from the standard to a daily lesson. The Learning Progressions are the essential core concepts and processes that underlie the standard.

As you begin to review the new revised standards, look for steps to break down the standard into learning opportunities. Here is an example as spelled out in The Teacher Clarity Playbook (p. 11):

Conduct an experiment to provide evidence that living things are made of cells-either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.

Possible Learning Progressions: I am learning about...

-the differences between living and nonliving things.

-the characteristics of unicellular and multicellular living things.

-using a microscope and related scientific equipment to identify cell types.

-data gathered from a cell investigation and how to extract and analyze data.

-arguments supported by evidence to support or refute the claim that living things are composed of cells.

From here, you would decide the Learning Intentions and Success Criteria for each Learning Progression.

The new, revised science standards and model curriculum are now available. You can find them here:

http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Learning-in-Ohio/Science/Ohios-Learning-Standards-and-MC/SciFinalStandardsMC060719.pdf.aspx?lang=en-US

Please note: These standards are for the 2020-2021 school year. They are NOT to be used this school year. There are changes that will be reflected on the 2020-2021 state testing; but those changes will not be addressed on this year's testing.

Middle school Content Experts will begin this September and continue every other month through May. Please check your email for the sign-up form. The stipend will be up to $100 per meeting. The first meeting this year is Tuesday, September 17th from 4:00-6:00 pm. There are limited spots and it will be the goal to get one teacher per school first. Once it looks like the interest has stopped, then we will fill in with teachers from the same schools. Please hurry...we have a great time at these meetings!

Biology - CRISPR Babies: When will the world be ready?

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01906-z

DNA Microscope "Sees through the Eyes of the Cell": A new imaging tool works more like Google Maps than a traditional microscope.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/20/science/microscopes-cell-biology-dna.html

Principles of Instruction: Research-based strategies that all teachers should know

https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/Rosenshine.pdf

NSTA Blog: Scaffolding the Process of Asking Questions and Defining Problems

https://tinyurl.com/yycyof3y

NIH Director's Blog: The Amazing Brain: Shining a Spot on Individual Neurons (video)

https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2019/08/13/the-amazing-brain-shining-a-spotlight-on-individual-neurons/

Education Week's Back to School Reading List (32 articles)

https://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/back-to-school/edweeks-back-to-school-reading-list.html?cmp=eml-eb-b2s-20190813&M=58580618&U=2965919

Newsela: Scientists Work on Creating their own Fossils

https://newsela.com/read/how-to-make-a-fossil/id/47707/?utm_source=aotd&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=test-1&utm_content=sci-product-1

Newsela: Fungi's Role in the Carbon Cycle

https://newsela.com/read/how-to-make-a-fossil/id/47707/?utm_source=aotd&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=test-1&utm_content=sci-product-1

Newsela: Humans Are Affecting Species' Biological Carrying Capacity

https://newsela.com/read/lib-biological-carrying-capacity/id/53812/

Dynamic Periodic Table: interactive periodic table

https://ptable.com/#Writeup/Wikipedia

Floating Balloons Video: gravity and air pressure

https://tinyurl.com/y3usfg8l

Teabag Rocket Video: convection

https://tinyurl.com/yyexuecz

Micropipette Technique: FREE resource

https://tinyurl.com/y24bmpeb

Infographic: Lab Safety Rules

https://tinyurl.com/ycy9vvzr

MS Free Download: Constants Exit Ticket

https://tinyurl.com/y4ol9tke

MS: Free Mosa Mack Lesson on C.E.R.

https://tinyurl.com/y5pwefak

Free Download: Parts of a Cell Trading Cards

https://tinyurl.com/y3ocxsrr

Flipping 1.1: Introduction to Flipped Classrooms Video

https://tinyurl.com/y5jy8ruv

MS: Free Mystery Game Download: Inferencing, Collaboration, and Critical Thinking

https://tinyurl.com/yxshzcfv

Spruce Run Nature Center is an excellent resource for outdoor education. What a wonderful experience for your students this year! Contact Geri Granger if you are interested in having an experience with your class. Make sure to save your date early in the school year as fall and spring dates fill up quickly.

Want to be personally involved or involved without physically being at the center? Spruce Run will be conducting 3 citizen science projects this year:

FeederWatch:

FeederWatch is a winter-long (November-April) survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. Participants periodically count the birds they see at their feeders and send their counts to ProjectFeederWatch. https://feederwatch.org

NestWatch:

NestWatch is a nationwide monitoring program designed to track status and trends in the reproductive biology of birds, including when nesting occurs, the number of eggs laid, how many eggs hatch, and how many hatchlings survive. Our database is intended to be used to study the current condition of breeding bird populations and how they may be changing over time as a result of climate change, habitat degradation and loss, expansion of urban areas, and the introduction of non-native plants and animals. https://nestwatch.org/

Elm Tree:

Last year the U.S.Forestry Service donated fifty Dutch Elm Resistant trees to Spruce Run Environmental Center.

Ten trees were placed in five different locations on site. Spruce Run will be monitoring the growth of the 50 trees, noting soil types, insect infestation, BHD.

Remember...if you use any lab or activity that you find online, be sure to follow all safety guidelines.

MS 6 First Days Activities: https://mscheska.wordpress.com/2017/08/29/my-5-favorite-first-week-middle-school-science-activities/

The Science Spot MS First Days of School; Classroom Management; Parent Involvement; Class Starters; Words of Wisdom for New Teachers

https://sciencespot.net/Pages/ideafactory.html#Anchor

Steve Spangler MS Back to School Activities

https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/2012/08/14/ten-back-to-school-activities-to-welcome-your-class-and-break-the-ice/

6 Back to School Activities

https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/science/6-back-to-school-activities-to-get-students-excited-about-science

Learning Library Science Activities

https://www.education.com/activity/science/high-school/

Office of Teaching and Learning (614-365-5727) is located at 3700 S. High St. Come down and visit us!

Sandee Donald, Executive Director, Teaching and Learning

Alyse Clark, Director of Secondary Curriculum

Heather Allen, K-5 Coordinator, hallen704@columbus.k12.oh.us

Jennifer Nord, 6-12 Science Coordinator, jnord5257@columbus.k12.oh.us

Geri Granger, K-12 Spruce Run Coordinator, ggranger9556@columbus.k12.oh.us