Identifying Important Content
Western Connecticut State University
Lesson 3:
Building the Framework
for Science Instruction
Learner Outcomes:
As a result of the next set of experiences, candidates will…
1. Learn how to clarify what students should understand
about science concepts, as the first step in a new
method for planning effective lessons
2. Practice identifying rigorous, appropriate, worthwhile
content
3. Participate in a reflective process to check your units
and lessons to make sure they are focused on important
learning goals
The Puzzle of Learning
The Puzzle of Learning
1. Each person receives 4 puzzle pieces.
2. These four pieces, when put together, form a
square.
3. Your effort on this task will be timed.
4. When completed, the square does not have a
hole in the middle
Debrief
1. How persistent were you in solving the problem?
2. What was your response when you found out
others could solve the problem faster or slower
than you could?
3. What did you learn during the activity?
4. What strategies would have helped you to solve
the problem?
5. What strategies can teachers use with students
who are struggling with a science concept?
Possible Solutions
Review of the Research
1. Teachers often try to teach too much and there isn’t enough
time for students to learn everything. (Stigler & Hiebert, 1998).
Teachers can unburden their curriculum by




Cutting major topics
Pruning subtopics from major topics
Trimming technical vocabulary
Reducing wasteful repetitions
American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2000
2. Teachers must clearly identify learning goals for students.
Setting objectives and providing feedback will result in a 23
percentile gain in student achievement



Instructional goals narrow what students focus on
Instructional goals should not be too specific
Students should be encouraged to personalize the teacher’s goals
Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001
Review of the Research
3. By taking the time to study a topic before planning a unit,
teachers build a deeper understanding of the content,
connections, and effective ways to help students achieve
understanding of the most important ideas and skills Keeley, 2005
4. Don’t overestimate what students can learn at a given age or
underestimate what they can learn at any age.
AAAS, 1993
5. Assessing for prior knowledge and preconceptions must occur
to make certain that the content being taught is appropriate for
students.
Students come to the classroom with [preconceptions] about how the
world works. If their initial understanding is not engaged, they may
fail to grasp the new concepts and information that are taught, or
they may learn them for purposes of a test but revert to their
[preconceptions] outside the classroom Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000,
p, 14-15
Review of the Research
6. The standards themselves are not the curriculum. Standards
and science frameworks must be unpacked so that the
appropriate concepts are taught at each grade level.
Teachers must know how the understanding of concepts
develops as a part of learning trajectory. Expert researchers



Know the structure of the knowledge in their disciplines
Know the conceptual barriers that are likely to hinder learning
Have a well-organized knowledge of concepts and inquiry
procedure and problem-solving strategies
Donovan, Bransford, & Pellegrino, 1999
7. To produce a coherent approach to teaching and learning, a
teacher must acknowledge the relationship of content to
instruction and assessment, address important content and
appropriate instructional strategies, and provide multiple
opportunities to assess learning.
Congruence Triangle
Types of Knowledge
Declarative Knowledge: The information -facts,
concepts, and generalization - within content
knowledge
Procedural Knowledge: Requires the learner
to perform a process or to demonstrate a skill
The most effective learning occurs when
students develop an in-depth understanding
of important concepts so that they can use
that knowledge in school and life!
Levels of Generality of Knowledge
Declarative Knowledge
Organizing
Procedural Knowledge
General
Ideas
1. Concepts
2. Principles
3. Generalizations
Details
4. Episodes
5. Cause-effect Sequences
6. Time Sequences
Process
7. Tactics
8. Facts
Vocabulary
Specific
9. Algorithms
Skills
Adapted from Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock. (2001).Classroom instruction that works.
What did you notice about
your STC Unit ?
What did you wonder about
your STC Unit?
Distinguishing Between
Facts and Concepts
Scientific Fact
 An understanding based
on confirmable
observations
 Subject to test and
rejection
Scientific Concept
 A broad idea that can only be
understood by linking several ideas
into a more comprehensive
framework of ideas.
 Unify ideas within a discipline into
general principles of understanding
Example: The speed of light Example: Sound travels in waves, and
is 186.000 miles per
waves are propagated by
second
compression and expansion of air
molecules.
Fact or Concept?
1. Vibrations produce sound.
2. When you challenge the amplitude of vibration of a guitar string, you
produce a louder sound.
3. Waves that travel in a direction perpendicular to the direction of motion
are known as transverse waves.
4. When you pluck a guitar string, it tends to vibrate at a specific resonant
frequency, creating a standing wave pattern.
5. Sound waves travel through liquids and solids in the same way they
travel through air.
6. An echo is caused by a sound wave that is reflected back.
7. Sound travels at about 344 meters per second.
8. When a sound source moves away from you, you hear a lower
frequency due to the Doppler Effect.
9. When things blow up in outer space, they don’t make any sound.
10. When you talk, the vocal cords vibrate and set up a column of vibrating
air in your throat.
Quality of Science Content
 Content is significant and worthwhile
 Content information is accurate
 Content is appropriate for the developmental levels of
students
 Teacher displays understanding of concepts
 Elements of abstraction are included when important
 Appropriate connections are made to other areas
 Students are intellectually engaged with important ideas
 Subject is portrayed as a dynamic body of knowledge
 Degree of sense-making is appropriate for the lesson
Identifying Important Content
1. Identify the big ideas, key concepts,
knowledge, and skills that describe what the
students will understand
The big ideas provide a way to
connect and recall knowledge
The Parallel
postulate
S.A.S.
Congruence
A2 + B2 = C2
2002 Wiggins & McTighe
Like rules of a
game
Big Idea:
A system
of many
powerful
inferences from
a small set
of givens
Like Bill of
Rights
Some questions for identifying
truly “big ideas”
 Does it have many layers and nuances, not obvious to the
naïve or inexperienced person?
 Can it yield great depth and breadth of insight into the
subject? Can it be used throughout K-12?
 Do you have to dig deep to really understand its subtle
meanings and implications even if anyone can have a
surface grasp of it?
 Is it (therefore) prone to misunderstanding as well as
disagreement?
 Are you likely to change your mind about its meaning and
importance over a lifetime?
 Does it reflect the core ideas as judged by experts?
2002 Wiggins & McTighe
There is a clear focus in the unit
on the big ideas
Implications:
1. Organize content around key concepts
2. Show how the big ideas offer a purpose and
rationale for the student
3. You will need to “unpack” Content standards in
many cases to make the implied big ideas clear
LET’S START WITH THE BASICS…
What are standards and where do they come from?
National
State
Local
National Science Teachers Association
www.nsta.org
Connecticut Science Curriculum Standards & GLE’s
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/curriculum/sci
ence/PK8_sciencecurriculumstandards2009.pdf
Key Concepts: How to “Unwrap” or
“Unpack” Standards
1. Underline the key concepts (important nouns and phrases)
2. Circle the skills (verbs)
Concepts
Skills
1. Underline the key concepts (important nouns and phrases)
2. Circle the skills (verbs)
Grade 1: Structure and Function
1.3 — Organisms change in form and behavior as part of their
life cycles.
1.3.a. Some organisms undergo metamorphosis during
their life cycles; other organisms grow and change, but
their basic form stays essentially the same.
Students should be able to:
1. Explain that living things experience a life cycle during
which they undergo a predictable sequence of changes
from birth, growth, reproduction and death.
2. Distinguish between animals that are born alive (e.g.,
humans, dogs, cows) and those that hatch from eggs
(e.g., chickens, sea turtles, crocodiles).
Connecticut Prekindergarten–Grade 8 Science Curriculum Standards
Including Grade-Level Expectations March 2009
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/curriculum/science/PK8_sciencecurriculumstandards2009.pdf page 11
Once You Unwrap the Standards…
You now have a list of
concepts and skills from
which to build your unit
and lessons!
Identifying Important Content
1. Identify the big ideas key concepts, knowledge, and
skills that describe what the students will understand
2. Prune extraneous subtopics, technical
vocabulary, and wasteful repetition
Pruning Practice….
Energy can be converted from one form to
another. Kinetic energy can be converted into
potential energy, and potential energy can be
converted into kinetic energy. Thermal energy is
often one of the forms of energy that results
during energy conversion. When energy is
converted from one form to another, the quantity
of energy before the conversion equals the
quantity of energy after the conversion.
Un-pack the key concept (concepts v. facts)
Unpack the Key Concept
1. Select two colors of highlighter…. Highlight
concepts in (YELLOW) and Facts in (PINK)…
2. Then, list the concepts and facts below….
Concepts
Adapted from: CALI
Facts
Facts
Concepts
Energy can be converted from one form to
another. Kinetic energy can be converted
into potential energy, and potential energy
can be converted into kinetic energy.
Thermal energy is often one of the forms of
energy that results during energy
conversion. When energy is converted from
one form to another, the quantity of energy
before the conversion equals the quantity of
energy after the conversion.
Adapted from: Tweed, A. (2009). Designing Effective Science Instruction
Identifying Important Content
1. Identify the big ideas key concepts, knowledge, and
skills that describe what the students will understand
2. Prune extraneous subtopics, technical vocabulary, and
wasteful repetition
3. Create essential questions that engage
students with the content
Essential Questions
Select questions which….
 are arguable - and important to argue about?
 are at the heart of the subject?
 recur - and should recur - in professional work, adult
life, as well as in classroom inquiry?
 raise more questions – provoking and sustaining
engaged inquiry?
 often raise important conceptual or philosophical
issues?
 can provide organizing purpose for meaningful &
connected learning?
Adapted from: 2002 Wiggins & McTighe
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How do I know if my students have
learned what I have taught them?
Essential Question
What is the relationship between the
Earth and the Moon?
Chasing the Moon – grade 3
Application: Moon Phases






Observation
Anchor Activity – Learning Centers
Longitudinal Study
Flip book
How it’s done…
The science behind the experience
Phases of the Moon Calendar
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
September 12 September 13 September 14 September 15 September 16 September 17 September 18
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
September 19
September 20
September 21
September 22
September 23
September 24
September 25
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
September 26
September 27
September 28
September 29
September 30
October 1
October 2
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
October 3
October 4
October 5
October 6
October 7
October 8
October 9
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Time:
Weather:
Identifying Important Content
1. Identify the big ideas key concepts, knowledge, and
skills that describe what the students will understand
2. Prune extraneous subtopics, technical vocabulary, and
wasteful repetition
3. Create essential questions that engage students with
the content
4. Develop Assessments that correlate to the
conceptual understanding and related
knowledge and skills
FORMATIVE AND
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
IN THE CLASSROOM
39
Summative Assessment



Assessment of learning
Employed mainly to assess cumulative
student learning at a particular point in time
Traditionally used to assign a grade
Summative Assessments



Test
Quiz
Paper
Formative Assessment



Assessment for learning
Process used by teachers to determine
how to adjust instruction in response to
student needs, and by students to adjust
learning strategies.
Used to inform and
adjust instruction
Formative Assessment






Observation
Inventories
Checklists
Rating Scales
Rubrics
Performance
Assessment





Portfolio Assessment
Participation
Peer Evaluation
Self Evaluation
Discussion
Performance Assessments
Performance assessments are authentic!
Designing authentic assessments:
1. Rich context permitting inquiry
2. Fill context with wide variety of questions
3. Identify critical indicators for learning
44
Identifying Important Content
1. Identify the big ideas key concepts, knowledge, and
skills that describe what the students will understand
2. Prune extraneous subtopics, technical vocabulary, and
wasteful repetition
3. Create essential questions that engage students with
the content
4. Develop Assessments that correlate to the conceptual
understanding and related knowledge and skills
5. Clarify and sequence the learning activities
to focus instruction on conceptual
understanding
Advance Organizers
 The evidence mentioned before a unit or
lesson begins is usually delivered in written
form.
 Advance organizers allow students to
organize and analyze as they read.
 Ideas and theories are usually “put together”
through written responses
 Advance Organizers allow students to
organize evidence as it is written
Application: Final Project
 You will be assigned to a group
 Your group will initially discuss the development of the
mini-unit in class and continue online in Blackboard in
Discussions, forming a continuous discussion thread
 You will identify a mock class, for which the mini-unit
will be designed.
 The final project will be a mini-unit, based on one of the
STC units from Carolina Biological.
Grade
Levels
K-1
Group 1
2-3
Group 2
4-5
Group 3
2-3
Group 4
6-8
Group 5
STC Program
Alignment
Weather
Life
Science
Earth
Science
X
X
Rocks and Minerals
X
Motion and Design
Sound
Catastrophic Events
X
X
Physical
Science
Technology
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
MOCK CLASS
Mock Class
Intellectual Profiler:
Ace
GT identified in Math & Language Arts
King GT identified in Language Arts, not math but functioning @ grade level
Queen GT identified in Math, not language arts but functioning @ grade level
Jack
Strong in Arts
10
Strong in Leadership qualities
9
Strong intellectually, not identified GT, ADHD
8
Functioning slightly above grade level in all subjects, loves Reading
7
Functioning at grade level in all subjects
6
Functioning at grade level with some assistance (tier 1)
5
Struggles with math (tier 1), slightly below grade level in Reading (tier 1)
4
Struggles with Reading and Writing (tier 1)
3
Identified LD in reading/language arts (tier 2), at grade level, loves math
2
Identified LD reading/language arts &math (tier 2), good communicator
GT = Gifted/Talented
LD = Learning Disability
ADHD – Attention Defecit Hyperactive Disorder
Tier 1 & 2– refers to intervention levels of CTScientific Research-Based
Interventions (SRBI)
Mock Class
Personality Characteristics:
Spades
Social leaders in the classroom
Diamonds
Self-motivated, easy to get along with
Hearts
Quiet students who are often anxious to
perform
Clubs
Nonconformists; all clubs are discipline
problems