GED® 2014: Science in the classroom
Making Your Students Mad Scientists and Not Just Mad!
Terri Ferris, Lead ABE Teacher
Terri.ferris@aeoa.org
AEOA – Northeast Minnesota
Two of My Classrooms
•Completed every science
class my HS had to offer.
•Studied nursing my 1st year
of college
•Changed my major to
teaching (special education)
•Employed by AEOA for 20
years
•Have taught in a ABE for 14
years
•Teach 3 classes (2 one-room
school house, 1 college prep)
•Also have worked as a
vocational evaluator and an
employment counselor
About Terri Ferris
What do you know about Terri?
1. What are my favorite sports
teams?
2. What kind/how many pets do
I have?
3. What is one of my favorite
places?
4. What kind of technology is in
my classroom?
5. What color is one of my
classrooms?
Goals for Today:
Demystify some of the GED 2014 Science Practices
 Examine some of the GED 2014 Science Content
 Generate ideas for how to adapt current materials
to match GED 2014 test items
 Develop teaching strategies to use in your classroom
 Gain Resource ideas
 Have some fun!

Comparing our Students’
and Scientist’ Approach
to Science
Scientists
Perception of Purpose
 Hope to contribute new
knowledge through inquiry
Planning Process
 Debate, argue and challenge
explanations and evidence
 Draw from work of their
peers
 Extensively plan before
beginning
Our Students
Perception of Purpose
 Hope to complete a task
Planning Process
 Struggle to make sense of
what is being asked of them
 Have trouble making a
hypothesis
 Generally prefer to “get on
with it” rather than plan
Comparisons Continued
Scientists
Actions Taken
 Based on what will maximize
their chances of finding
answers
Making Meaning
 Debate even ‘straightforward” evidence
Making Meaning
 Ignore anomalous data and
make changes/adjustments to
the experiment
Our Students
Actions Taken
 Based on what their teacher
tells them to do
Making Meaning
 Assume that the correct
meaning of data will be evident
based on experiment results
Making Meaning
 Associate anomalous data with
mistakes
Instructional Shifts for 2014 Science



A greater need to teach higher order thinking and
problem solving skills
◦ Levels 1, 2, and 3 of Webb’s Depth of Knowledge
will be incorporated into the 2014 test
Integrate the content areas
◦ Data analysis will be measured on the science,
social studies, and math tests
Teach academic vocabulary that crosses content
areas
◦ Mean, median, mode, probability (math, science,
social studies)
Instructional Shifts (cont.)


Use content-rich materials and websites to teach
concepts
◦ Test takers will need a definitional understanding
of the assessment targets
◦ Develop each test takers background knowledge
Integrate digital literacy skills
◦ Dragging and dropping, navigating tabs, radio
buttons, etc
What Is It?
Science Practices
Basic scientific practices assessed on the 2014 test:
•Determining details and making inferences
•Determining central ideas, hypotheses, and conclusions
•Analyzing events and ideas
•Interpreting meaning of symbols and terms
•Analyzing structures
•Integrating content presented in diverse ways
•Evaluation reasoning and evidence
•Analyzing relationships between sources
•Reading and interpreting graphs, charts, and other data
representations
•Measuring the center of statistical dataset (Hand-out)
•Determining sample space and using probability models to interpret
data
•Understanding and applying the appropriate tools,
techniques and units in scientific investigations (Hand-out)
Hand-out
and
Activity
2014 Science Content
PD Survey
Areas of Concern
Molecular basis of
heredity
 Chemical
properties and
reactions related
to living systems

Activity: Bean Genes
Hand-out: Molecular Basis of Heredity
Hand-out: Identifying Chemical
Formulas
GED 2014 Science Test
MODIFYING CURRENT MATERIALS
AND
TEACHING STRATEGIES
Some Strategies for Teaching Science

Virtual Field Trips
◦ http://hubblesite.org





Case Studies
Role Playing
Mysteries
Posters
Webquests
◦ http://webquest.org



Concept maps
POE Method (Predict, Observe, Explain)
Five Es Method (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate,
Evaluate)
Strategies Continued




Multimedia Presentations
Creating Board Games
Collaborative Work
Problem Based Learning
The teacher
◦ Presents a problem or issue
The Students:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Explore the issue
List what they know
Develop a problem statement
List the possible outcomes/what they need to know
Research and experiment
Present and defend their conclusions
Strategies for Teaching Science Vocabulary



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Reading Science Text Cards
◦ True/false cards
◦ Agree/Disagree Cards
◦ Matching pairs
◦ Sequencing
◦ Classification
Word Lists/Word Banks/Word Wall
◦ Procedure Words (compare, contrast, …)
◦ Opposites
◦ Movement Words (accelerate, float, …)
Word Games (Hangman, Pictionary, …)
Word Parts [metamorphosis – meta (large), morph (change),
osis (process)]
Graphic Organizers
Multiple Meaning Words (matter, conductor, …)
Modify the Question
What do different scientists believe, but have not yet proved, to be true
about the effects of a reduced-calorie diet?
A. The diet can extend the maximum life span only of short-lived
animals.
B. The diet cannot extend the maximum life span of long-lived
animals.
C. The diet can extend the maximum life span of all animals.
1) A only
2) B only
3) C only
4) A and B only
5) A, B, and C
GED Science (Steck-Vaughn)
A. The diet can extend the maximum life span only of short-lived
animals.
B. The diet cannot extend the maximum life span of long-lived
animals.
C. The diet can extend the maximum life span of all animals.
What do different scientists believe, Move the correct answer(s) into
but have not yet proved, to be true
the box with the question.
about the effects of a reduced-calorie
diet?
A
B
C
TEACHING STRATEGY: TWENTY-FIVE
Write a summary for the following passage
The process of digestion begins with your first bite of
food. Digestion takes place in your mouth, stomach, and
intestines. During digestion, food is broken down into
small molecules that pass into the bloodstream. The
process of absorption comes next. During absorption,
food molecules, now in the blood, pass into cells. In the
next process, assimilation, cells use the food molecules
as a source of energy and for body growth and
maintenance.
From: Top 50 Science Skills for GED Success (McGraw Hill)
Skill 1: Summarizing the Main Idea
The answer the book gives:
Food nourishment
takes place in three
equally important
steps
Recreate Charts with Other Visuals
In our solar system, eight planets orbit the sun. The average distance of a
planet’s orbit is measured in astronomical units (AU). One AU is the average
distance between Earth and the sun, which is about 93 million miles, or 150
million kilometers. The table below shows the distance of each planet from
the sun; its period of rotation on its axis; and its period of revolution around
the sun.
Planet
Distance from sun
(AU)
Rotation
(hours)
Revolution
(days)
Mercury
0.39
1048
88
Venus
0.72
5832
225
Earth
1.00
23.9
365
Mars
1.52
24.6
684
Jupiter
5.20
9.9
4,330
Saturn
9.54
10.6
10,800
Uranus
19.18
17.2
30,700
Neptune
30.06
16.1
60,200
Based on the information in the table, what is the average distance
between Mars and the sun?
Keys to GED Success Science (Steck-Vaughn)
Activity
Solar System in Your Pocket
TEACHING STRATEGY: WHO’S THE EXPERT
Write an example that demonstrates a learned behavior
Below are five types of behaviors shown by all vertebrates –animals with
backbones.
Inborn behaviors
Reflex – an automatic response to a stimulus
Instinct – a complex, unlearned response that is not dependent on experience
Self-preservation – a reaction for the purpose of escaping life-threatening
danger
Learned behaviors
Conditioned response – Learning that connects an unusual stimulus with a
desired response
Intelligent behavior – a complex response that uses past learning in new
situations
From: Top 50 Science Skills for GED Success (McGraw Hill)
THE QUESTION/ANSWER IN THE BOOK
Each time Andy claps his
hands, his parakeet sings.
What type of behavior
is the parakeet showing?
conditional response
Modify the Question
Kingdom
Description
Monera
Single-celled organism (with no separate nucleus) such
as bacteria and blue-green algae that perform
photosynthesis.
Protista
Single-celled organism (with a separate nucleus) such
as protozoa and multi-celled organisms such as
seaweed.
Fungi
Molds, mildew, mushrooms; Usually multi-celled;
plantlike, but do not perform photosynthesis.
Plantae
Plants; multi-celled; perform photosynthesis.
Animalia
Animals, including mammals and insects; multi-celled.
Lydia works in a lab and examines a slide under a microscope. She sees
tiny one-celled organisms without nuclei. The genetic material is floating
inside the cells. In which kingdom should this organism be classified?
1) Monera
5) Animalia
2) Protista
3) Fungi
4) Plantae
GED Skill Workbook Science (New Readers Press)
Kingdom
Description
Monera
Single-celled organism (with no separate nucleus) such
as bacteria and blue-green algae that perform
photosynthesis.
Protista
Single-celled organism (with a separate nucleus) such
as protozoa and multi-celled organisms such as
seaweed.
Fungi
Molds, mildew, mushrooms; Usually multi-celled;
plantlike, but do not perform photosynthesis.
Plantae
Plants; multi-celled; perform photosynthesis.
Animalia
Animals, including mammals and insects; multi-celled.
Fill-in-the-blank
Lydia works in a lab and examines a slide under a microscope. She sees
tiny one-celled organisms without nuclei. The genetic material is floating
inside the cells. This organism is classified in the
kingdom.
GED Skill Workbook Science (New Readers Press)
TEACHING STRATEGY:VALUE LINE
What is the pH of acid rain?
The pH scale, from 0 to 14, measures the acidity or alkalinity of a
substance. Pure water, with a pH of 7, is neutral. Acids have pH
readings below 7; bases have pH readings above 7. The lower the
pH, the more acidic the substance. Normal rainwater ranges from
5 to 6.5. Tomato juice has a pH of 4; lemon juice has a pH of 2
Al hypothesized that acid rain (not normal rain) fell in his city. To
support his hypothesis, which pH range must his rainwater
readings fall into on average?
1-3
3-5
5-7
7-9
9-11
11-14
Pass the GED Science Test (New Reader Press)
Evaluate What You Read pages 10-11
THE BOOKS ANSWER
Acid rain has a
pH below 5
VALUE LINE
Additional Examples
On a scale of 1-10, 1 being I totally
disagree and 10 being I totally agree
Where do you stand on:
1.
2.
3.
Global warming is actually happening
Humans are causing global warming
If I drop a penny off the Empire States
Building it will make a hole in the
sidewalk when it hits
Resources
(Hand-out)
Match Card Science
Human Anatomy
www.kid-friendly-homeschool-curriculum.com
Dsc.discovery.com/videos