Welcome to Strategies for
Teaching ACT Science Skills
Please go to
http://tinyurl.com/WSSTcrsSurvey
to complete a quick questionnaire.
About us...
Laura Corado Koeppel - AP Biology, Biology,
Environmental Studies at Waukesha South
Emily McHugh - AP Physics 1 & AP Physics 2 at Waukesha
South
http://tinyurl.com/CRSatWSST
Goals of Session
• Become (re)acquainted with the ACT science
skills
• Learn new strategies for teaching the skills
http://tinyurl.com/CRSatWSST
What are the ACT Science CRS?
The CRS standards are
“designed to assess the
knowledge and the thinking
skills, processes, and
strategies students acquire
in high school science
courses.”
- “Connecting College Readiness Standards™ To The Classroom for Science Teachers”
http://tinyurl.com/CRSatWSST
College Readiness Skills
◼Three Strands: IOD, SIN, EMI
◼Left-hand side = ACT Score Range
◼Code = Name of Standard (e.g. IOD 201)
ACT’s Science
Skills Website
Ideas for Progress
• ACT’s suggestions for activities to move students from
one level to the next.
Trouble Distinguishing Between Skills?
• “Although many of the ideas cross more than one strand, a
primary strand has been identified for each in order to facilitate
their use in the classroom.”
• Example: "In the 20–23 range, the statement ‘evaluate whether
the data produced by an experiment adequately support a given
conclusion’ brings together concepts from all three strands.
However, it is primarily linked to the EMI strand.”
- “Connecting College Readiness Standards™ To The Classroom for Science Teachers”
Importance of Teaching Skills
How often do we teach kids how to do a skill,
versus just providing practice on a skill?
Importance of Teaching Skills
• Students are unlikely to just “absorb” science thinking skills
without receiving explicit instruction in them.
• They must be taught what we want them to do - reason
scientifically.
• We argue that our students will become better critical
thinkers, more independent, take more ownership of their
learning, and be better able to analyze and evaluate other
scientists’ results if they are provided with explicit
instruction in how to do each skill, rather than just
practice.
Importance of Teaching Skills:
The Question of Lab Experiences
To what extent do we expect labs, in and of
themselves, to teach skills like evaluating data,
interpreting models, etc.?
Do we expect students to improve
these skills simply through repetition?
Strategies for Teaching ACT Skills
Master List of Strategies
IOD Strategies
SIN Strategies
EMI Strategies
Examples:
Interpreting Data
Annotation of Graphs and Tables
Develop Inner Monologue Via
Teacher Modeling
Develop Inner Monologue Via
Peer Modeling and Practice
Quick Graph Sketches
Examples:
Scientific Investigations
Multipart Experiment Analysis
Describing an Existing
Experiment
Annotate the Experiment
Evaluating Hypotheses
SIN 503.
Determine the
experimental
conditions that
would produce
the specified
results.
Pre-Lab Questions
1. What scientific concept(s) is this lab about?
Identify the scientific concept(s) (principle, theory, law) of the lab and write what you
know about the concept(s) from the lab manual, textbook, class notes, handouts, etc.
2. What are the objectives for this lab?
Describe the specific actions you are being asked to perform in the lab, such as measure
something, analyze something, test something, etc.
3. What is the overall purpose of the lab?
Describe how what you are being asked to do in the lab (the objectives) will help you
learn about the lab's scientific concept(s) - show the link between what you will do in
the lab (question #2) what you are supposed to be learning about by doing the lab
(question #1).
Examples:
Evaluation of Models, Inferences,
and Experimental Results
Compare and Contrast /
Conflicting Viewpoints
Developing Inner Monologue Teacher Modeling
Inquiry Circles
Question Stems for Evaluating
Data and Conclusions
1-12
1.
2.
What is the purpose of this model?
What is the critical information that can be found from this model?
13-15
1. Which model best represents the information present?
2. If the following factor was changed in this model, how would that affect the model?
3. Does the evidence support or refute the claim? Why?
16-19
1.
2.
3.
4.
Analyze if the stated conclusion support or contradict the hypothesis?
What are possible hypotheses, predictions or conclusions based on this data?
What conditions must be assumed for this model to be accurate?
What are the strengths/weaknesses of these different models?
20-23
1.
2.
3.
4.
Evaluate if the data produced in this experiment support the conclusion that you made?
Examine the data collected in this new experiment, does it support or contradict the previous experiments data?
Predict and discuss some of the limits of this model? Why doesn’t this model work in all situations?
Determine how these new findings impact predictions previously made with the model?
Whiteboarding - Round Robin
To share your work with others, we will be using a RoundRobin format. This means that one member of the group
will stay at your work station to share your groups’ ideas
while the other group members will go to the other group
one at a time in order to listen to and critique the
explanations developed by your classmates.
·
Is their explanation adequate (it explains
everything it needs to) and coherent (it is free from
contradictions)?
·
Did they use genuine evidence (they organized
their data in a way that shows a trend over time, a
relationship between variables, or a difference between
groups) and did they use enough evidence to support their
ideas (they used more than one piece of evidence and all
their ideas are supported by evidence)?
Annotation of Models
Assessment Resources
Common Rubrics
Interpreting Data Assessment - Biology Example (ecology)
Interpreting Data Assessment - Biology Example (evolution)
Evaluating Models/Data Assessment - Physics Example
Scientific Paper - Biology Example
Lab Report Rubrics and Directions - Physics Example
Further Questions or Thoughts?
Please feel free to contact us if you have any other
questions or thoughts on ACT CRS.
Laura: [email protected]
Emily: [email protected]