K-5 Storylines by Topic
Primary Resource #1: Kindergarten Reasoning and Questioning Strategies (video)
Primary Resource #2: Second Grade Rocks discussion (video)
Primary Resource #3: Handling Children's Questions (chapter)
Sample Task Analysis
Survey 1 (complete after engaging with resources)
Survey 2
Survey 3
Survey 4
Survey 5
Upper Elementary Resource: Why is Talk Important? (video set)
Lane Science Project Hybrid NGSS Module #2 - Talk & Equity
Overview
The Lane Science Project Module #2 is designed for K-12 and nonformal educators who want to learn more about NGSS, with an emphasis on the central role student discourse and talk play in the K-12 NGSS classroom. It is designed to provide 3-4 hours of work and asks learners to create something new to contribute to the work.
Who talks and why?
Engaging All Students
Why Is Science Talk Important? Individual Work
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Module #2 Components:
Task #1 - Why is Science Talk Important? Individual Work
Task #2 - Why is Science Talk Important? Group Reflection and Discussion
Task #3 - What Does Science Talk in the Classroom Look Like? Individual Work
Task #4 - What Does Science Talk in the Classroom Look Like? Group Reflection and Discussion
Task #5 - How Do We Increase Science Talk? How Do We Show Others? Individual Work
Task #6 - How Do We Increase Science Talk? How Do We Show Others? Group Reflection and Discussion
On Your Own:
Components: Readings, visuals, and survey response to prepare for Task #2 Relevance: Choose between primary, elementary, and secondary options Preparation: This individual work portion prepares you to engage in reflective discussion with a small group in Task #2
Questions driving our work together in this module:
Q: Why is it important to engage all of our students in science talk?
Q: How do students engage in talk during science in your classroom (what protocols, norms, or framing do you use)?
Q: How would you like them to engage?
Students' attitude, motivation, and identity grealy impact how, and if, they participate productively in science in the classroom. The impact of these traits on student learning vary greatly K-12. Research also shows that the teacher's framing of the classroom is essential for promoting students' feeling of belonging and participation necessary for them to share their ideas and make their thinking public.
"I can do science."
"I want to do science."
"I belong."
Use the resources below that best relate to your practice and interests (choose either the set of three "primary" resources or "upper elementary" resource -- or you may look at all of them if you have time). As you engage with them, think about how you frame your classroom to promote productive participation for your students, and what is needed to include more students. After reviewing one of the resource sets, complete Survey #1 below. You will use your responses from Task 1 to aid in the group discussion of Task 2.
Additional information and context:
Primary Resource #1 is a video of Kindergarten students talking about where the water went after it is dropped onto their wood. This is one of the teachers' first times teaching science and it is the first time she tried out some science talk moves. Her class is a K/1 community where all students are hard of hearing and have other special needs as well.
Primary Resource #2 is a short video of a 2nd grader reading their notebook entry, a result of a lesson where students explored different types of rocks for the first time. This teacher traditionally teaches science in a lecture format and this was his first year trying out notebooks. The notebooks helped students prepare their ideas and questions to share with others.
Primary Resource #3 is a chapter from W. Harlen, The Teaching of Science in Primary Schools (1996).
The Upper Elementary resource is a set of videos capturing classroom discussions. The link opens up to the introductory video. Use the links to the left of the video to watch the remaining 7 videos in the series (around 25 minutes total).
Survey #1 - complete after engaging with relevant resources
Why is Science Talk Important? Group Reflection and Discussion
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In A Small Group:
Components: Survey with question prompts to drive reflective discussion. Every person completes their own survey. Relevance: Although the resources vary by grade level, this group task is not grade-level specific.
Bring your thinking and reflections from Task 1 so you are ready to contribute to the group discussion. Please collaboratively complete the survey by discussing questions together as each of you fills out your own survey.
In our large group meeting in February, we will review your small group discussion responses and examine any significant differences.
What Does Science Talk in the Classroom Look Like? Individual Work
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On Your Own:
Components: Grade-appropriate video examples and resources Relevance: Choose between primary and upper elementary options Preparation: This individual work portion prepares you to engage in reflective group discussion
"Instruction can be designed in ways that foster a positive orientation toward science and promote productive participation in science classrooms. Such approaches include offering choice, providing meaningful tasks and an appropriate level of challenge, giving students authority over their learning while making sure their work can be examined by others, and making sure they have access to the resources they need to evaluate their claims and communicate them to others."
-- Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8 (2007)
Questions from prior work will continue to drive your discussion and should be considered as you engage with the materials below:
Q: Why is it important to engage all of our students in science talk?
Q: How do students engage in talk during science in your classroom (what protocols, norms, or framing do you use)?
Q: How would you like them to engage?
Please select the grade level that is most relevant for your practice and watch all video segments and engage with any readings or articles. Be ready to bring your observations and questions to your small group discussion in Task #4.
As you engage, make connections to your own practice and your vision for increased productive participation by more of your students.
Primary Grades
Upper Elementary
Talk Moves Primer (read pages 7-11)
There is no survey for this task. Be ready to engage in active discussion around what talk looks like for the next task.
What Does Science Talk in the Classroom Look Like? Group Reflection and Discussion
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In A Small Group:
Components: Survey with question prompts to drive reflective discussion. Every person completes their own survey. Relevance: Although the resources vary by grade level, this group task is not grade-level specific.
As a small group, please collaboratively complete the survey by discussing questions together as each of you fills out your own survey. Be sure to bring in your impressions, observations, and wonderings prompted by the resources in Task #3.
In our large group meeting in February, we will review your small group discussion responses and examine any significant differences.
How Do We Increase Student Science Talk? How Do We Show Others? Individual Work
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On Your Own:
Components: Blog post reading, task analysis survey, exploration of gradeband NGSS storylines Preparation: This individual work portion prepares you to engage in reflective group discussion
When we think of framing we are referring to "a set of expectations an individual has about the situation in which she finds herself that affects what she notices and how she thinks to act."
-- Resources, Framing, and Transfer
1) Please read this short blog post linked in the image below comparing two different classrooms using the idea of framing to set the context for student exploration, learning, and understanding as envisioned by the NGSS.
2) Look at the "Sample Norms and Expectations" below and think of your own classroom. As you set the context and frame your classroom for productive participation, look closely to see how you are asking students to productively participate. Below is an example from the Inquiry Project where teachers worked collaboratively when approaching their students to develop norms for equitable participation.
3) Please complete the Sample Task Analysis below on your own by imagining a hypothetical group of students. Consider students engaged in the task who are similar to students you work with in your own practice. How can the NGSS practices guide planning for rich language use and development by students? One tool that can help us is a task analysis process.
4) The "storyline" documents below contain narrative paragraphs for each grade level K-5 describing the progress in science topics and DCIs in that grade level. The narratives (which are identical in both documents) are followed by performance expectations, organized by either topic or DCI.
Please read the narrative and skim the performance expectations for the grade level most relevant to you. The goal of this exercise is to set the stage for your group assignment: to create and analyze a relevant task that could provide opportunities for productive student participation by engaging them in NGSS practices. The task should be very small, requiring only 10-20 minutes of work by students. Any larger, and the task analysis is no longer a useful tool. Using the NGSS storylines as a tool covers the core ideas of your grade(s) and lets us connect to our ideas of hands-on explorations. You are also welcome to go further into the documents and work from a performance expectation, but the task for this must be small in comparison to the large performance expectations. You will be crafting the task with the support of your small group in Task #6.
How Do We Increase Student Science Talk? How Do We Show Others? Group Reflection and Discussion
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In a Small Group:
Components: Two surveys to drive reflection and creation.
1) Collaboratively complete Survey #4. Utilizing your new knowledge of framing, productive partcipation norms, and task analysis, please collaboratively go through Survey #4 below. One at a time each participant should share their draft ideas for a task they planned on their own in Task 5. You will submit your task (remember small grain size!) on this survey and discuss your task with your small group members. We will look at all tasks in our large group meeting in February.
Here is an image of the 3 dimensions to quickly reference as you create your tasks.
2) Collaboratively complete Survey #5. Each person will have the group analyze their newly created task. Each person submits a survey for their task only. Directions on survey.
We will review all of the tasks in our large group meeting in February and discuss how you could use this in your practice to communicate the importance of talk in the science classroom.