page background

Grades 6-12

November 2019 Newsletter

Grades 6-12November 2019 Newsletter
zoom_out_map

New, Revised Standards Update

We will be hosting 3 days of professional development provided by ODE to learn about the new standards. Several representatives will attend and will then touch base with your schools. In the meantime, please watch the webinars put out by ODE through SECO.

Update on revisions: http://bit.ly/SECOSept2019Webinar

The Nature of Science: http://bit.ly/SECOOct19


Have you checked out the new, revised standards and model curriculum yet? 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.

zoom_out_map

Opportunities

Please note: If you choose to attend a conference that is during school hours, you must fill out the Request to Attend Conference form; okay it through your principal; and your principal must pay for your sub coverage.


International Field Studies, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Columbus operating a field station on Andros island in the Bahamas. They work with many other schools in neighboring school districts across Ohio and would like to reach out to us with a professional development opportunity. They are hosting a field-based Climate Change Course with Wright State University in July of 2020 and would love to extend this opportunity for professional development including graduate level college credits or CEU hours to the teachers in our district. See the attached flyer below with additional information. Please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions. You may also contact Professor William Slattery for details or application instructions: william.slattery@wright.edu.


Grow Next Gen Check out some of the programs and virtual field trips available through Grow Next Gen https://grownextgen.org/events?mc_cid=1e81c3c50d&mc_eid=e58c1f5f34


The Fairchild Challenge is a free, multidisciplinary, standards-based, STE(A)M-focused environmental education program for Middle School and High School classrooms and educational organizations. It provides educators with another tool to deliver core curriculum and gives students an opportunity to shine. Consider participating in any or all of the challenges. See link below for information.


Columbus State Fantastic Fridays Please see the links below for possible dates and registration forms. Please note...If you plan to request the Anatomy Exploration activity in our cadaver labs, please be aware: the policy for this activity has changed. Student groupls will still be admitted, but because of increased liability, only 12 students will be admitted during each session. This will limit the group to a total of 36 visitors. There will be alternative activities for students who are part of the group, but will not visit the cadaver laboratory. For more information, contact: slongenb@cscc.edu


OSU Extension Project Green Teacher: Many of our teachers have attended the classes for project green teacher and have only positive things to say about the experience! The next session will take place one night a week from January to March 2020. You can watch for details at franklin.osu.edu or email hogan.239@osu.edu.

zoom_out_map

The Grid Method

Have you heard of this? The developer of the grid method, Chad Ostrowski, puts it this way:


"The Grid Method is a student centered, competency based system, created at the classroom level and designed to fit any teacher’s style, within any curriculum, in any classroom. Most importantly, it was built to reach all students…not just some.


As a Grid Method teacher, you will be facilitating and guiding your students in learning, while increasing motivation, building relationships, and helping every student succeed at their own pace and on their own terms."


Have you ever experienced:

  • a lack of ownership in learning
  • failure to reach ALL learners
  • management issues
  • low student performance


This may be for you! It will help you to:
  • hold learners accountable
  • make content more targeted and accessible
  • let learners set the pace
  • maintain high expectations through a master-based system
  • help students evolve and adapt to thrive


What is it?

Learners work through a “grid” with scaffolded assignments aligned with tiered standards-based learning targets increasing in complexity and Depth of Knowledge. They access content and activities (learning opportunities) at their own pace. They move on only after 80-85% competency on any given learning opportunity. Formative assessment data is gathered on every learning opportunity. Individualized intervention and differentiation is employed as needed.


But what does it look like?

  • Learners write goals daily to focus.
  • Learners are assessed constantly.
  • Learners are working on different tasks.
  • Peer to peer instruction
  • Every student is working at his/her level.


7 things to help you change your teaching:

  • Plan backwards
  • Let learners set the pace
  • Hold students accountable
  • Trust that students want to learn
  • Take back your first 5 minutes with established routine
  • Stay organized
  • Start making changes. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it.



Jenny Nord will be conducting a PD on the Grid method at the next content experts. After that, if you would like her to come meet with your team and explain the process, please contact her.

And...as Always...SAFETY!

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. These were due by the end of September, so if you have not submitted yours yet, please do so ASAP. 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.


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.


For middle school, we are asking that you do not have any chemicals in your rooms that carry a safety warning higher than 0-1 for fire, health, and instability; even if you are only using this chemical for a demonstration. The issue is that middle schoolers can be unpredictable and many of our middle school rooms simply don't have the proper storage facilities that are necessary to maintain safety.


Check out the document for Laboratory Safety Guidelines.

zoom_out_map

Articles that May Interest You

NewsELA:PBS: Stormquakes https://tinyurl.com/y2mtp2g5

Education Week: Students Learn More from Inquiry https://tinyurl.com/y6bp4tax

Fisher Scientific:

NSTA October Science Scope https://tinyurl.com/y3yrzp47
zoom_out_map

6th - 9th Grade...Don't Forget Achieve 3000

Please remember that you have an excellent literacy resource with Achieve 3000 articles. Research shows that if a student completes 40 integrated units/year that his/her Lexile level will increase. Since it was pushed out through science and social studies, that is 20 articles a year for us.


These need to be integrated. Please don't just assign the article and nothing more. They should do the pretest, article, Dig Deeper, and the post evaluation. There should be rich conversation in class as a whole about the article and how it pertains to the standard you are studying.


You can access these on the Secondary Digital Binder or the district website. The middle school articles have been color coded as life, physical, or Earth science. They have then been placed in the quarter you would teach them by topic so that hopefully you will only have to read through 1-2 to make a decision for your unit. The same is true for physical science except they have been color coded by physics, chemistry, and universe. The lists are links.


You can access Achieve 3000 through Clever. Once you have done so, you can open the list and click on any article to bring it up. If you have any issues with Achieve 3000 or Clever, please contact Tim Wangler.


https://sites.google.com/columbus.k12.oh.us/secondarycurriculumresources/science

https://www.ccsoh.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=2577

zoom_out_map

Think about Being Involved

Do you belong to a professional organization? SECO is the Ohio arm of NSTA. They have a membership of more than 1200 science educatiors from across the state of Ohio to help one another be the best they can in science. They maintain alliances with a wide network of educational stakeholders at the local, state, and national levels. SECO offers webinars, workshops, conferences, and online PD. They will be opening up their members-only site from November 15 through December 15 so that you can go on and look through all the new badges they are offering for CEUs. ODE has helped to create several of these. This is a great way to earn more CEUs if you are in need. The membership cost for SECO is $30/year with a discount if you join both NSTA and SECO at the same time. http://bit.ly/JoinSECO


If you know of any other science organizations that you think would be beneficial for our teachers, please contact Jenny Nord so she can put the information in the newsletter.


zoom_out_map

Resources You Might Find Helpful

Videos:

Ward's Activity Guides: (you may need to purchase materials)

Ditch that Textbook:

Teachers Pay Teachers:

Infohio: Science Online https://online.infobase.com/HRC/Browse/Product/8

Education Week: Formative Assessment Webinar https://tinyurl.com/yxan25tg

Free: Bingo Card Generator https://myfreebingocards.com/bingo-card-generator

NSTA:

Education Week: Activities for Engaging Students https://tinyurl.com/y5phm89v
zoom_out_map

Spruce Run Nature Center

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.


Spruce Run offers public programming 1 Saturday a month!Please visit this link to see all the opportunities:

https://www.smore.com/084ux-spruce-run-environmental-center


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.

zoom_out_map

Happy Thanksgiving

Remember...if you use any lab or activity that you find online, be sure to follow all safety guidelines. Make sure that it is safe and appropriate to our safety guidelines before you ever attempt it. Also, be certain that it aligns to the standards.


Thanksgiving Science: 6 Experiments You Can Do with Food

https://www.weareteachers.com/thanksgiving-food-experiments/


Chemistry of Thanksgiving Food https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/students/highschool/chemistryclubs/activities/thanksgiving.html

zoom_out_map

Fun Time!

zoom_out_map

Do You Resemble This?!

zoom_out_map

Chemistry Humor

zoom_out_map

Office of Teaching and Learning

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