FOSS for Middle School
Full Option Science System
Aspen, Colorado 2010
Charlotte McDonald
FOSS Consultant
cmcdonald54@comcast.net
Introductions
Goals for You
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Participate in FOSS Investigations and see
how they are part of the larger goals.
See how inquiry learning models are woven
into the lessons/investigations
Get to know the FOSS Investigations,
equipment, manual, assessments, fossweb,
DVD, Lab Notebook and Resource Book.
Get answers to your questions.
Feel more confident about teaching FOSS
Quick Write
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Write down everything you can about
how you can tell if something is living
or not.
Include examples that distinguish
between living and nonliving things.
What is Life?
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Overhead-Projector observations:
Observe the activities in the petri
dish. Record what you see.
Observe & Describe?
Living and Nonliving
With a partner – discuss
each card one at a time
then sort the cards into
“Living” and “nonliving”
piles.
What is Life?
Typical Student Responses
Life is where you do the things you want, take risks, get in trouble and
do your job.
Well if it was living, then it would probably be running around. If it
was dead on the ground then it would be laying down.
You can tell what things are living just by looking. Living things move
and grow They move by themselves, not because someone moves
them. Living things occur naturally. They aren’t man-made like a
bicycle and cars. Bicycles and cars move, but it’s because someone
makes them move. Living things also breathe.
Some examples of living things are people, dogs, cats, fish (they
breathe water), horses, and cows. I think plants are living, but they
don’t move on their own. Rocks are nonlinving, because even though
they are natural, they don’t move.
Evidence of Life
Start a chart
“Evidence of Life”
Evidence of Life
Moves on its own
Has a brain
Needs food
Breathes
Has eyes
Has offspring
Communicates
Has hair
Uses energy
Has feelings
Fights (defends itself)
Needs water
Grows
Needs air
Gives off waste
Has a heart
Has blood
Has arms and legs
Has other organs
Dies
Reacts to things
Organization
Of Science Notebooks
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Table of Contents
Numbered Pages
Documentation of Work
Glossary and/or Index
Appendix for inserts or
rubrics to be used for
assessment
Table of Contents
Use the first 1-2 pages for the Table of
Contents…
DATE
ACTIVITY
PAGE #
Number your pages
1
Number through 10
2
3
Cards
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As we work through this course, we
may get more evidence about the life
that will allow us to move these pictures
from the undecided category to the
living or nonliving category.
Organism
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An organism is any living thing
– plant, animal or other. An
organism is the most general
word used to refer to an
independently living thing.
Characteristics of Organisms
Glossary
Organism p
8
Index or Glossary: References
Vocabulary
Example:
Definitions
Living - Things are living if they show the
characteristics of life. Living things are
organisms.
Dormant - Things are dormant when they do not
show characteristics of life until they are placed
in the right environment. Dormant organisms
are alive, but inactive.
Dead - Things are dead if they were alive at one
time but no longer are.
Nonliving - Materials that have never been alive.
Full Option Science System
FOSS Middle School Program Courses
Life
Science
Physical Science
and Technology
Earth and
Space Science
Human Brain
and Senses
Electronics
Planetary
Science
Populations and
Ecosystems
Chemical
Interactions
Earth
History
Diversity of Life
Force and Motion
Water and Weather
Teacher Guide
Comprehensive Resource
 Step-by-step lesson plans and guide to:
• Preparing for and conducting
investigations
• Administering assessments
• Integrating language arts and math
• Using the interactive CD
 In-depth science background for each
investigation and module
Kit and Materials
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Equipment designed and selected for most
effective learning
Packaged for 5 classes of 32 students
Complete kits - few materials supplied by
the teacher
Minimal consumables
to reduce refill cost
Plan with the “End in Mind”
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Mid-Summative Exams: At the end of each investigation
Final Summative Exam: At the end of the course
Formative Assessments
Purpose - Students and teachers monitor student progress continually
1. Have students consider their own knowledge base and understanding
2. Give insights into student thinking and level of prior knowledge
3. Help teachers make instructional decisions
4. Provide a “base line” to measure growth
Tools and Strategies
 Teacher observation, formal and informal
 Student sheets
 Quick writes
 Response sheets
 Self-assessment
 Student journals
Before Summative Assessments
Before summative assessments, students should
be given time to
•Reflect on their learning.
•Brainstorm what is important
•Review what they have done
Throughout the course keep a “Big Ideas” chart.
Summative Assessments
Students demonstrate learning with regard to
the three assessment variables.
Three assessment variables – major areas of
focus
 Content Knowledge
 Conducting Investigations
 Building Explanations
Tools and Strategies
 Mid-summative exams for each investigation
 Final summative exam
Plan your school year
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Use the teacher’s guide “Overview” to
plan your school year.
See pages 18-21 in DOL guide.
What we’ve learned from brain research
Vocabulary and reading come AFTER the
experience.
Student Resource Book
The Resource book is NOT the major
source of the content information in the way
a traditional textbook is.
The lab experiences and resulting discussions
recorded in a lab notebook is the primary
source of content information.
Readings come after the experience.
Student Resource Book
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Student reading to enhance science
content
Full-color images are engaging and
instructional
About 100 pages of data, images, and
readings
Student Lab Notebook
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Student recording sheets
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Organizers
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Students record and organize inquiry in
order to analyze data and make
conclusions.
A pdf file of the Lab Notebook
is available online at
www.fossweb.com
Interactive CD
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Integrated multimedia to conduct investigations not
practical in the classroom
Provides additional content coverage
Ideal for class demos, as well as individual or small
group work
Specifically designed for each course
The multimedia is available
online at www.fossweb.com
Is Anything Alive in Here?
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“Characteristics of Life” display
Develop operational definition for living
organisms
Are these 5 materials alive?
Characteristics of Life
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Are there any cards that you want to
change? Living or Non-living?
Time for lunch!
CD ROM
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Microscope work on interactive CD
ROM or website www.fossweb.com
Using the Microscope
View water from the minipond
 View Brine Shrimp
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Technical Drawing
Accurate
 Big
 Colorful
 Detailed
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Lima Bean Seed Dissection
A Formative Assessment Sample:
Response Sheets
Look at the Response Sheet:
“Seeds of Life” in your Lab
Notebook Sampler.
Do you agree with the students
thinking?
Line of Learning
This strategy allows students to add to their written ideas with
additional ideas generated in class.
After writing their own ideas in their notebooks, students draw a
line underneath their work.
During class discussion, students add new ideas below their line
of learning.
The Line of Learning gives students the opportunity to continue
to construct a concept through the discussion and ideas of other
students.
Where did the water go?
What data do you need to collect?
- 20 ml of water was added to the vial
yesterday
- The mass of your celery yesterday is written
on the vial in grams
Decide how you will display your data.
Make a prediction on the mass of your celery now.
Mass the celery using an electronic balance.
Design an experiment
Investigation 9: ROACHES
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Observe Madagascar Hissing
Cockroaches
Read pages 269 - 271 to learn about
the roaches
Taking care and safety
In FOSS courses:
There is a storyline to FOSS.
The skills and concepts used in one
investigation are applied in answering
questions and solving problems in
subsequent investigations.
It’s not the experience that makes the
learning.
It’s the reflection on that experience.
Kansas Standards Correlation
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7.1.1.1., 7.1.1.2., 7.1.1.3., 7.1.1.4.,
7.1.3.2., 7.3.1.1., 7.3.1.2., 7.3.2.1.,
7.3.3.1.*, 7.3.4.1.*, 7.3.4.3.*, 7.3.5.2.*,
7.3.5.3.*