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/

This is a new experience for our middle schools for summer. We are planning on having 7 different sites with 7 different themes. The students will follow the Past Foundation's P3 model (Problems, Projects, Product). Anyone with any licensure can apply. It is more about your interest in the topic and bringing your discipline knowledge to that topic. Teachers will receive additional hours for training and writing support. Sign up if you are interested!

ExploreAg 2020 Free Camp: Hurry...deadline for application is March 6! Students will interact with and learn directly from teachers, scientists and researchers. Subject areas include food science, precision agriculture, animal science, natural resources, management skills, technology, and agricultural business. In addition to the classroom experience, scholars will participate in field experiences that highlight cutting-edge research and meet industry partners to provide a glimpse of various careers in related fields. There will also be sessions focused on soft skills such as interviewing, resume building and public speaking to prepare participants for the workforce. The ExploreAg camps are FREE to attend. Program costs covered include on-campus accommodations, meals, staffing, course supplies, program materials, and transportation. Supervision is provided at all times by faculty, staff, and program counselors who are current college students in related majors.

Free Movie Event: Screening of INVENTING TOMORROW on Saturday April 4th. INVENTING TOMORROW is a documentary following teen scientists from Indonesia, Hawaii, India, and Mexico who propose innovative solutions to fix some of the most complex environmental issues facing humanity today – right in their own backyards. You can learn more about it here: https://www.inventingtomorrowmovie.com/

The film is part of a series assembled called Wild + Wonder, a six movie event that's focused on the outdoors. While many of the films will have an admission, Inventing Tomorrow is free. Even though there is no admission charge, they are encouraging people to register to hold seats: https://ticketing.useast.veezi.com/purchase/1720?siteToken=b1yb10caevf0vy3tvyqdpe6y28

Franklin Park Conservatory Teen Corps: Are your students 15–18 years old with an interest in GARDENING FOOD and NATURE? They can be a part of the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens fun summer training program! TEEN CORPS PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE 8 WEEKS PAID TRAINING at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. They LEARN ABOUT Gardening • Plant Care • Growing Edibles Cooking • Farmers’ Markets • and much more. Please see flyer below.

Interested in Materials Science? https://www.asmfoundation.org/ ASM Materials Camps® are held across North America. These are usually five-day camps. Typical schedule is 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (Monday-Thursday) and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (Friday). Please note that applications for ASM Materials Camps®-Teachers and the Advanced and Materials Genome camps are separate. Applicants are admitted to the program on a first-come-first-served basis.

Registration: https://www.asmfoundation.org/who-we-impact/teachers/camp-calendar-application/

2020 Global Teacher Seminar: The Center for Latin American Studies is very excited to host the 2020 Global Teacher Seminar. This week-long event will take place on Monday, June 1-Friday, June 5 in 160 Enarson Classroom building. Please see the attached flier for more information. This event is open to all teachers, regardless of subject area. Application deadline: April 24, 2020. See flyer below. https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bPF6yAi8UqldrrT

Genes in SPACE Contest is now Open

Calling all students in grades 7 through 12: Are your students passionate about space exploration? Are they fascinated by the power of DNA? Do they love designing science experiments? If the answer is yes, then Genes in Space is for you! Genes in Space is a science contest that invites students to design original DNA experiments to improve space exploration. The winning experiment is conducted by astronauts on the International Space Station! The contest is free and does not require equipment. All you need is a good idea and the passion to pursue it! Submission deadline is April 17th, 2020.

https://www.genesinspace.org/

Registration window for the 2019-2020 Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge open through January, 2020

Are you an educator looking to build creative and engaging learning experiences that strengthen critical thinking skills for your students? The Youth Design Challenge can help you give the next generation a unique opportunity to be inspired by nature. Sign up now to gain exclusive access to a clear framework that meets science standards and enables students to solve real-world and local sustainability problems.

Education Week:

When Teacher Are Tough Graders, Students Learn More: https://tinyurl.com/vv5pwsm

AI Could Free Up 13 Hours a Week for Teachers: https://tinyurl.com/ruq7uvn

A Creativity Conundrum: https://tinyurl.com/rx5k9f2

Using Amazon Echo to Learn: https://tinyurl.com/vdemm8w

Giving Proper Feedback: https://tinyurl.com/vynvohf

5 Things Big Business Wants Students to Know: https://tinyurl.com/vnekdct

How Games Take the Stress Out of Formative Tests: https://tinyurl.com/rbqyqvk

Teenagers' Emotions about School: https://tinyurl.com/w2obusf

5 Things Big Business Wants Students to Learn: https://tinyurl.com/tnncqef

Edutopia: 6 Scaffolds that Deepen Independent Learning: https://tinyurl.com/u7yn4b2

San Diego Union Tribune: Teachers, Experts Question Traditional Grading: https://tinyurl.com/vrhxah8

Just a reminder as you put together your units of instruction that we need to teach beyond just content. O.D.E. has written guidelines to assist us with this. We have spoken about each of these in the past, but it can be confusing to think about what it all actually looks like in daily instruction.

As you create your unit of instruction, you should be following the 5 E's of instruction. This is not a daily occurrence, but rather it is a unit goal. Each unit begins with some type of Engage. This might be a story, video, phenomenon, small activity, discrepant event, etc. What one teacher might use as an Engage item, another might use elsewhere in the cycle. It is all about how you employ the strategy with the students that you know. After you have piqued their interest, the next step is to allow them to Explore. Typically, in science, this is accomplished through some type of activity that allows the students to begin making assumptions and observations. You have not really taught them anything yet. The next step is Explain. There is nothing wrong with the dissemination of information. If you are choosing lecture, then it is recommended that it is truly an interactive lecture. Elicit responses to high-level questions from the students as you are sharing information. If you are a teacher who often uses a PowerPoint presentation, stop every 4-6 slides to allow the students to interactively process the information somehow. The next step is Elaboration/Extend. This is a great place for differentiation. By now, you know the students who are not quite getting the information and need more individualized help. This is also a great place for an Achieve 3000 article as you make real-world connections to the material. The final E, Evaluate, should be done throughout the entire process. How else will you know if your students are understanding the material unless you have been conducting some types of formative evaluation throughout the unit?

As you are creating your instruction around the 5 E's, bare in mind the state's recommendation for the Nature of the Science you are teaching. As they define it:

One goal of science education is to help students become scientifically literate citizens able to use science as a way of knowing about the natural and material world. All students should have sufficient understanding of scientific knowledge and scientific processes to enable them to distinguish what is science from what is not science and to make informed decisions about career choices, health maintenance, quality of life, community and other decisions that impact both themselves and others.

You can accomplish this by looking at the standards and noting what the state recommends for grade-appropriate evidence in Scientific Inquiry, Practice and Applications; Science as a Way of Knowing; Science as a Human Endeavor; and teaching that Scientific Knowledge Is Open to Revision in Light of New Evidence. The state has a table explaining each of these items and explaining what this looks like in our students.

(http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Learning-in-Ohio/Science/Ohios-Learning-Standards-and-MC/SciFinalStandardsMC060719.pdf.aspx?lang=en-US) Page 10 for middle school and page 11 for high school.

Finally, as you go through your unit, make sure you are giving the students experiences in as many of the Cognitive Demands as you can. Too often, we are hanging out in the Recall demand. The new Ohio State Tests will find most their questions in the C & D categories. Recall can be rigorous. But this is about how the students can process the information; not about the rigor. Even if your students are not all at that particular cognitive demand, by giving them these experiences throughout the unit, they will have been exposed to this type of thinking. Just as a quick review, here they are:

Recall (R): Requires student to provide accurate statements about scientifically valid facts, concepts and relationships. Recall only requires students to provide a rote response, declarative knowledge or perform routine mathematical tasks. This cognitive demand refers to students’ knowledge of science fact, information, concepts, tools, procedures (being able to describe how) and basic principles.

Interpreting and Communicating Science Concepts (C):Requires student to use subject-specific conceptual knowledge to interpret and explain events, phenomena, concepts and experiences using grade-appropriate scientific terminology, technological knowledge and mathematical knowledge. Communicate with clarity, focus and organization using rich, investigative scenarios, real-world data and valid scientific information.

Demonstrating Science Knowledge (D): Requires student to use scientific practices and develop the ability to think and act in ways associated with inquiry, including asking questions, planning and conducting investigations, using appropriate tools and techniques to gather and organize data, thinking critically and logically about relationships between evidence and explanations, constructing and analyzing alternative explanations, and communicating scientific arguments. (Slightly altered from National Science Education Standards)

Designing Technological/Engineering Solutions Using Science Concepts (T): Requires student to solve science-based engineering or technological problems through application of scientific inquiry. Within given scientific constraints, propose or critique solutions, analyze and interpret technological and engineering problems, use science principles to anticipate effects of technological or engineering design, find solutions using science and engineering or technology, consider consequences and alternatives, and/or integrate and synthesize scientific information.

You should find that as you work through these processes that you are actually attaining Teacher Clarity. Teacher clarity is about the teacher knowing why he/she is doing the particular work. The students should know what they are learning, why they are learning it, and how they will know that they learned it.

Carolina Biologic: skeleton infographic: https://tinyurl.com/upmhwd3

Education Week: What Teachers Can Do to Boost Student Motivation Videos: https://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/student-motivation-videos/what-teachers-can-do-to-boost-student.html

Ditch That Textbook:

• 20 free Google slides and PowerPoint themes: http://ditchthattextbook.com/free-google-slides-and-powerpoint-themes-for-teachers/
• 12 Social Media-Inspired Hooks for Class: http://ditchthattextbook.com/social-hooks/
• Tech Like a Pirate Page: http://ditchthattextbook.com/tech-like-a-pirate-use-tech-to-make-learning-come-alive/
• 20 Ways to Use Pear Deck to Engage Students: http://ditchthattextbook.com/20-ways-to-use-pear-deck-to-engage-students/

Moon and Lunar Phase Note Sheet Freebie: https://tinyurl.com/whmv34y

How are your microscopes and balances? If anyone is in need of repairs and did not have them done last year, please contact Jenny Nord to get this scheduled.

Have some BAR magnets that need to be remagnitized? We now have a machine to do that. Just let Jenny know!

As we are closing in on the last weeks of school, we need to continue to mindful of safety. Please be sure to have a physical copy of the SDS for any chemicals in your storage and have a copy of that filed in the office listed for your room. Should the fire department ever have to come, they need to know with which chemicals they are dealing.

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. This would include proper storage and storage facilities.

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.

High school teachers, it is that time of year to begin thinking about getting your chemical inventories completed. Your Department Chair will be requesting these probably in April. We are required to submit these each year. We will need your chemical inventory sheet (can be done in any format your department chooses; write "none" if you don't have any), your lab safety sheet, and your weekly lab safety check lists. Please see below for links to these forms.

MARCH 28

We will be "hunting" for peeping frogs, slippery salamanders and other creatures that come out in the spring. Come and experience what spring is like at Spruce Run. To see an actual salamander dance go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6ZaiVBavmc To register for this event CCS students and families can go to http://www.ccsoh.us/engagement

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

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 with the standards.

Middle School:

Color Changing Carnations: https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/colorful-carnations/

Leprechaun Green Snow: https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/store/leprechaun-green-snow.html

Blarney Beads Activities: https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/store/uv-color-changing-beads.html

Leprechaun Eggs: https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/store/jelly-marbles-clear-spheres.html

A Few Science Activities: https://www.teachhub.com/top-12-st-patricks-day-lessons

High School:

How to Make Gold Pennies: https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/gold-pennies/

Several Chemistry Activities: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/students/highschool/chemistryclubs/activities/saint-patricks-day.html

March 8: Daylight Savings Time Begins (2:00 am)

March 12: Plant a Flower Day

March 14: Learn about Butterflies Day

March 19: Spring (Vernal) Equinox

March 20: International Earth Day: International Earth Day was initiated to make earth inhabitants aware of their responsibility to care for the planet. This care includes environmental and natural resources. International Earth Day was founded by John McConnell, of Davis City, Iowa. In September, 1969, he proposed the establishment of Earth Day to the San Francisco, California Board of Supervisors. After approval, he gained support from many others, including then UN General Secretary, U Thant.

In 1970, McConnell wrote an Earth Day Proclamation which was ultimately signed by UN Secretary General U Thant on March 21, 1971.

This day is also called Sun-Earth Day

March 25: National World Agriculture Day: On February 29, 2012, Agriculture secretary Thomas J. Vilsack proclaimed March 8, 2012 to be National Agriculture Day. This proclamation stated a specific date and year. It can vary each year. The Agricultural Secretary annually proclaims the date of National Agriculture Day.

This day is organized and promoted by the Agriculture Council of America (ACA).

This special day originated in 1973.

March 31: Bunsen Burner Day: Bunsen Burner Day celebrates the birthday of its creator. German chemist Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen was born on March 31, 1811. And, you guessed it, von Bunsen created the Bunsen Burner.

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