May 2021 News 

Growing Elementary Science - Literacy Integrated Science Storylines 

 

Are you looking for science ideas that will work in remote learning environments, are aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards, and include integration with Math and English Language Arts?  

During two Zoom sessions, participants will experience a short weather based storyline as learners and gain all of the resources and tools that they need to implement the idea with their students.  

These mini units can be done virtually or face to face depending on your current situation. 

K-2  Session

Zoom Sessions (must attend both):
Thursday, June 3rd, 4 - 6 PM
Thursday, June 10th, 4 - 6 PM

Zoom registration link will be sent before the event.

Participants must attend both sessions, and complete an implementation survey to collect a $100 stipend.  Please plan to join both sessions on a computer with a camera, speakers, and microphone.

5 STEM Clock Hours (4 synchronous Zoom hours and 1 asynchronous hour)

Register Here

3-5 Session
 

Zoom Sessions (must attend both):
Tuesday, June 1st 4-6 pm 
Tuesday, June 8th 4-6 pm

Zoom registration link will be sent before the event.

Participants must attend both sessions, and complete an implementation survey to collect a $100 stipend.  Please plan to join both sessions on a computer with a camera, speakers, and microphone.5 STEM Clock Hours (4 synchronous Zoom hours and 1 asynchronous hour)

5 STEM Clock Hours (4 synchronous Zoom hours and 1 asynchronous hour)


Register Here

Climate Change and COVID: 
 

Course description: We are concurrently experiencing two global crises - the climate crisis and COVID-19. What are connections between the two? Why are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities disproportionately affected by both? Participants will have the opportunity to explore these questions and more and this FREE online asynchronous canvas course. The canvas course includes recordings from two guest speakers. Dr. Isabel Carrera Zamanillo from Stanford University will present on climate justice connections. Dr. Carrie Tzou, Professor and Director of the Goodlad Institute for Educational Renewal at UW Bothell, will share strategies and instructional resources for teaching about COVID-19. 
 
The course is open from May 17, 2021 to June 13, 2021 at 5 PM.
 
This is an asynchronous course through Canvas to be completed at your own pace. Teachers currently employed by a WA school district (or private school) are eligible for a $150 participation stipend upon completion of the entire canvas course.
 
 Register Now
 

 

How can you advance equity and justice through science teaching?

We just published a new STEM Teaching Tool that describes seven key, intersecting EQUITY PROJECTS that should guide science teaching. The approaches build directly from the vision in the NRC Framework and NGSS—and highlight important areas for future work. This resource is multifaceted and links off to 80 supporting resources that can support hours of extended professional learning. This resource was co-authored by Deb L. Morrison, Kathleen Arada, Maya Garcia, and I. We worked in partnership with hundreds of collaborators including members and partners of the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS). They provided powerful guidance on earlier versions of the resource. This equity project framework is now guiding future STEM Teaching Tools resource development—so this resource can be considered a jumping off point of sorts.

 

How can arguing from evidence support sensemaking in elementary science?

Arguing from evidence is a key scientific practice to support sensemaking in a learning community. As children collect and grapple with patterns in data to understand phenomena, differing perspectives naturally arise. Scientific communities—including PK-12 learning communities—negotiate agreement based on evidence to construct the strongest explanations about how the world works, building new knowledge together. Young children are capable of engaging in this challenging scientific practice, yet argumentation argumentation rare in elementary school science. That needs to change in order to take educational equity seriously.
Read more here...
 

OpenSciEd Middle School Units - Test a Unit Next Fall 
 

OpenSciEd is a project to develop, pilot, revise and then release high quality, NGSS aligned instructional materials free of cost to school districts across the United States. Washington State has been supporting the pilot project since 2018 and we recently just rolled out the last of the pilot units. The complete MS Scope and Sequence will be available for the 2021-2022 school year but many titles are available right now. Please visit the OpenSciEd website to review the materials (requires you register for the site). If you are interested in getting professional learning or in trying one of the units please contact me at jryan@oesd114.org

Currently Olympic ESD 114 has middle school units available to field test to teachers and middle schools in the region. We have a limited number of units so reach out and ask about the various titles and recommended professional learning to prepare to teach the units. 

For more information please contact jryan@oesd114.org