WELCOME,
WATERBURY TEACHERS!
STC-MS SCIENCE PROGRAM
DIANA COREY -4 NOVEMBER, 2014
GOALS FOR THIS SESSION
Set up a sample notebook
 Discuss STC pedagogy
 Learn about kit contents & materials
management
 Conduct inquiries from your unit
 Answer your questions

SETTING UP NOTEBOOKS
Begin table of contents…………………..fold page
to add date column
 Number pages (ODD #’s on right hand page)
 Word Bank, Question Bank in back pages


Before – During - After
B Focus Questions can serve as titles
D Use NB pages &/or student sheets
A Opportunity for formative assessment
Goals of the STC Middle School Curriculum
• To enable students to work as scientists do,
through experimentation and investigation
• To provide a continuum of inquiry activities,
from guided to open-ended
• To provide opportunities for problem solving
• To develop skills, knowledge, and a positive
attitude towards science
• To make science relevant and accessible to
SUCCESS THROUGH INQUIRY!
• To engage students with materials and
concepts through the process of inquiry
YOUR STC UNITS

Earth in Space


Catastrophic Events
Human Body Systems
YOUR STC UNITS, CONT’D.

Properties of Matter

Energy, Machines & Motion
MATERIALS
LISTINGS IN TG

Listing by lesson # & quantity needed

NBNS –materials that you
already have…
CONCEPT STORYLINE

Lesson-by-lesson sequencing,
with key concepts
Each unit consists of 3 main parts
 Lesson 1 is a Preassessment
for the unit
 Final lesson is a summative assessment in 2
parts:

Selected Response
 Performance Assessment






Materials & Classroom Management:
Setting up lessons –”tote that tote”
Distribution centers
Cooperative group roles
Embedded management tips
Materials organization schemes
Refurbishment of consumables…?
COOPERATIVE GROUPS /
“COLLEAGUES”
SAMPLE NOTEBOOK FOR A LESSON
Lesson # __
Focus Question or Lesson Title
Work can be recorded here, or
tape or staple a student sheet
on the page
L
e.g. Sentence starter____________
Or Exit question
DATE:
WORD WALL
Always post vocabulary on WW
AFTER students have had
experience with the real thing!
TIPS:
 Allow students to add words –keep postits handy
 Use color coding for various types of
words.
CONCEPT STORYLINE FOR POM

Let’s review what comes before lesson 4…

“I heart density”
DENSITY =
INQUIRY 4 –FINDING THE DENSITY OF AIR
FOCUS
 P.30: demo, use NB for #2, 4, 5

EXPLORE –p. 33
 Use NB for #1 –write a procedure & ‘results
table’

INQUIRY 4 –FINDING THE DENSITY OF AIR
 REFLECT
–
 P. 33 –we’re using a chart:
Why Do Some Things Float In Air?

APPLY: readers, Deadly Density & Air Heads
CONCEPT STORYLINE FOR POM

Let’s Review What Comes After Lesson 4…

Part 2: Mixtures And Solutions

Part 3: Compounds, Elements, And Chemical
Reactions
LESSON 9- THE MYSTERY OBJECT
FOCUS
 Getting Started p.79 –read instructions


EXPLORE / ASSESS –Inquiry 9.1
‘open book’ –use NBs, student sheets, SG…
 Identify substance that makes up your mystery
object

This is an embedded assessment
 Rubric provided, TG p.104

PROPERTIES OF MATTER LESSON 10 ---ANCHOR
ACTIVITY
Given a simple object, what is it made from and
what are some of its historical implications and
uses?

A research project in 4 parts:
…….choosing a compound
…..research (SG p.90)
……..making the cube
…..oral presentation
DID WE MEET OUR OBJECTIVES?
Set up a sample notebook
 Discuss STC pedagogy
 Learn about kit contents & materials
management
 Conduct inquiries from your unit

What are your questions now?
 What are your next steps?

EARTH IN SPACE
The underlying theme of the module:
Systems and Motion
Shadow patterns, eclipses, phases, and
seasons are the direct result of rotational and
orbital motion within the Sun-Earth-Moon
system.
Gravity governs orbital motion within the
solar system.
PART 1
SUN-EARTH-MOON
LESSON 1 - THINKING ABOUT PLANET
EARTH
Concepts: Earth is a planet in
our solar system; Earth has
evolved through history;
seasons, day and night, and
gravity can be explained within
the context of Earth being a
planet
Students
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
 Record their ideas and
questions about Earth in space.
What do you know about the
 Record and examine their
Earth in space?
responses to 10 common
questions about space.
 What do you want to know?
LESSON 2 - INTRODUCING THE EARTHMOON SYSTEM
Concepts: The Sun is a star; the Earth and Moon rotate on their
axis; the Moon orbits the Earth; the Earth orbits the Sun
FOCUS QUESTION:
What
do you know about the
Sun-Earth-Moon system?
Students
• Use models to demonstrate their
knowledge of the Sun-Earth-Moon.
Examine the diameters and distances
between the Earth, Moon, and Sun.
•
Compare the relative distances between
two objects based on their apparent and
true diameters.
•
Record the times that the Moon rises and
sets over a two-week period.
•
LESSON 3 - TRACKING SHADOWS
Concepts: Relationships between shadows and the apparent
position of the Sun; shadow changes with time of day and year;
position of the Sun in different seasons; the ecliptic as the
apparent path of the Sun across the sky; rotation of the Earth and
the apparent movement of the Sun across the sky
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
What
do shadows tell us about the S-E-M system?
How do daily shadows change?
What do they tell us about the Earth’s rotation?
How are summer and winter shadows alike and
different?
What do they tell us about the Earth’s revolution?
LESSON 3 - TRACKING SHADOWS
Cont’d.
Students
Record the length of shadows.
• Relate shadow length with the Sun’s
position in the sky.
• Model winter and summer shadows.
• Model the Earth’s rotation and relate it to
the Sun’s apparent motion across the sky.
• Create a definition of rotation.
•
LET’S EXPLORE TRACKING SHADOWS
FOCUS QUESTION:
How
are summer and winter shadows alike and
different?
In 3.1, students
collect actual sun
shadows & in 3.2,
use computerized
shadow data to
compare summer &
winter shadows
INQUIRY 3.3 - TRACKING SHADOWS
FOCUS QUESTION:
How
are summer and winter shadows alike and
different?
 FOCUS
P. 22 –read Introduction
 EXPLORE -Inquiry 3.3
 Pp. 31-32
 Let’s work in 2 groups: Summer & Winter
 REFLECT –p. 33
 APPLY: reader,
The Anasazi: Ancient Skywatchers
LESSON 4 - SEASONS ON EARTH
Concepts: Seasons result from the Earth’s tilt; Earth’s northern
axis points to the Pole Star; shadows change with time of day and
year; day length varies at different latitudes
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
What
causes seasons?
How do the length of days and the apparent path
of the Sun differ at different latitudes?
Students
• Model Earth’s orbit.
• Compare sunset and sunrise at different latitudes throughout the year.
• Relate changes in the apparent path of the Sun and the length of day to
Earth’s orbit on its tilted axis.
• Create a definition of a revolution or orbit.
LESSON 5 - INVESTIGATING LUNAR
PHASES
Concepts: Moon reflects light; phases of
the Moon; cause of phases of the Moon;
predictability of lunar phases
FOCUS QUESTION:
What causes the predictable cycle of
changes in the Moon’s appearance?
Students
• Analyze data they have collected on the Moon’s appearance.
• Model lunar phases.
• Identify phases by name and analyze the time of day in which each phase
is visible from Earth.
LESSON 6 - SOLAR AND LUNAR ECLIPSES
Concepts:
The alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Earth to produce
solar and lunar eclipses; planetary shadows have an umbra and
penumbra; the location of the planetary body within the shadow cone
determines the type of eclipse
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
What causes eclipses?
During what lunar phase does a lunar eclipse occur and why?
During what lunar phase does a solar eclipse occur and why?

Students
• Watch video footage of an eclipse and then model shadows produced by the Moon
and the Earth.
SUN, EARTH, MOON VIDEO NOTES:
@ 2:45…………………….Sun as energy source
@ ~8-11 mins…………. ‘Summer/ Winter’ demo
@ 15-18 mins…………. Tides
@ 18-23:30……………..Eclipses
LESSON 6 – CONT’D.
Students
Analyze
the conditions under which the Moon and Earth
shadows cause eclipses.
Describe the phases during which lunar and solar eclipses
occur.

Develop
working definitions of the terms umbra and penumbra.
LESSON 7 - THE SUN AS AN ENERGY
SOURCE
Concepts: Radiation as the direct transfer of energy by
electromagnetic waves; solar radiation as the major source of
Earth’s energy; variation of electromagnetic energy with distance
from source; effect of atmosphere on absorption and reflection of
solar energy
Students
• Investigate the effect of
distance on the amount of energy
received from a light source.
• Design an investigation to
determine how different variables
affect the energy received from a
light source.
LESSON 7 - THE SUN AS AN ENERGY SOURCE
FOCUS
P.
89 –read Using Eclipses To Study Solar Wind
EXPLORE -Inquiry 7.1
Pp. 90-91
For this inquiry, change only the distance from the bulb
 Teach the tool: STOPWATCH

INQUIRY 7.1 – RADIANT ENERGY
 Reflect –P. 91
 Apply: Reader,
Distance And Light
LESSON 7 - THE SUN AS AN ENERGY SOURCE





REFLECT –p. 89
Be sure to refer back to misconceptions, TG 85
APPLY: reader, p. 92
Distance And Light
*review questions D and E*
LESSON 8 - SUNSPOTS AND SPACE
WEATHER
Concepts: The nature, location and number of sunspots
changes. The location of sunspots reveal information about the
Sun’s rotation. Space weather Is a cause of solar disturbances.
Students
• Examine projected images of the
Sun.
• Analyze patterns in the locations
of sunspots.
• Graph sunspot data and identify
sunspot maximum and
minimums.
• Read about the effects of
sunspots and space weather on
Earth.
LESSON 8 - SUNSPOTS AND SPACE
WEATHER
Concepts: The nature, location and number of sunspots
changes. The location of sunspots reveal information about the
Sun’s rotation. Space weather Is a cause of solar disturbances.
www.space.com
HAS NEWS ABOUT DECLINING SUN SPOTS
A
photo of a sunspot taken in May
2010, with Earth shown to scale. The
image has been colorized for aesthetic
reasons….
CREDIT: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, V.M.J. Henriques (sunspot),
NASA Apollo 17 (Earth)
LESSON 9 - SUN-EARTH-MOON
SYSTEM ASSESSMENT
This lesson is the assessment for Part 1 of the module. The
assessment consists of three parts:
Part A - Performance-based
assessment in which students
investigate the relationship between
the temperature of a surface and its
distance from a light source.
• Part B - Selected response
(multiple choice) and short answer
questions.
• Part C - Revisiting an activity from
Lesson 2 to see how much students
have learned.
•
PART 2
THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Lesson 10 - Anchor Activity: Space
Exploration
The Anchor Activity challenges students, over a period of a few
weeks, to examine space science from a historical and
technological perspective.
Concepts: The influence of scientific
advancement; limits of science and
technology; role of the space
program in our understanding of the
solar system
•Cont’d….
Student research project
EARTH IN SPACE Lesson 10
–ANCHOR Activity
Design a travel brochure for one of the
planets in our system, including Earth.
Plan an exploration voyage for scientists to travel there.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED IS PROVIDED:
•ACTIVITY GUIDELINES
•ACTIVITY TIME LINE
•LETTER TO PARENTS
•ACTIVITY OUTLINE(S)
•SCORING RUBRICS
LESSON 11 - THE SOLAR SYSTEM:
DESIGNING A SCALE MODEL
Concepts: The solar system, its size, planets, comets and asteroids; the
nature of models; scale and scale models
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
• What does a scale model of the
solar system look like?
• How can it help us understand
the vastness of the solar
system?
Students
• Brainstorm what they
know about the planets
and the distances
between them.
• Use a set of scaled
items to model the solar
system.
• Explore the relative
diameters of, and
distances between, the
planets and the Sun.
Lesson 12 - Impact Craters
Concepts: The cause and different characteristics of impact
•
craters; ejected materials; erosion and destruction of craters on
Earth by weather, tectonics and volcanism
Students
• Classify photos of planets, moons
and asteroids on the basis of their
surface features.
• Model impact cratering.
• Design an experiment to
investigate how the size, shape, and
velocity of impact objects affect
crater formation.
Lesson 13 - Surface Features
Concepts: Planetary processes (wind erosion, tectonics,
volcanism and impact cratering) on Earth, other planets, and
asteroids; use of relative locations of lava flows and craters to
indicate the age of a planet surface
Students
• Examine photos of Earth’s surface.
• Identify features and consider
whether the processes that created
them occur on other planets.
• Brainstorm planetary processes.
• Analyze photos of planetary
surface features.
LESSON 14 - SURFACE GRAVITY
Concepts: Gravity as a force that attracts objects to each other;
surface gravity holds us to Earth’s surface; surface gravity
depends upon mass and planetary radius; mass as the amount of
matter in an object; weight as a measure of gravity
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
•What does the weight of an
object on a planet’s surface
tell us about the planet?
•What is the difference
between mass and weight?
LESSON 14 - SURFACE GRAVITY
Cont’d.
Students
• Use a model to compare the
weight of a can on different
planetary surfaces.
Relate an object’s weight on a
planet to a planet’s mass and
diameter. Describe how mass and
weight are related.
•
LESSON 15 - GRAVITY AND ORBITAL MOTION
Concepts: All objects attract others with gravity; gravity governs all
motion; most objects in the solar system are in regular and
predictable motion; unbalanced forces (gravity) can change the
speed and direction of an object
FOCUS QUESTION:
•How does gravity affect orbital motion?
Students:
• Observe a computer animation of
the movement of bodies around the
Sun.
• Conduct inquiries that focus on
orbital motion.
•
LESSON 16 - GRAVITY AND TIDES
Concepts: Tides as the periodic rise and fall of bodies of water;
gravitational attraction between the Moon and the Earth and the
Sun and the Earth as the cause of two high and low tides per
day; the change in time of tides each day
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
1.How
does gravity affect periodic
rise and fall of Earth’s oceans?
2.What patterns exist in tidal
data?
3.How are tides, lunar phases and
the position of the Moon and
Earth in the S-E-M system related
to tides?
LESSON 16 - GRAVITY AND TIDES
Students
Read about the effect of tides.
• Brainstorm ideas about tides.
• Watch a video that models tides.
• Analyze and draw conclusion about tides from data.
• Look at tidal processes on the Earth and other
bodies within the solar system.
•
PART 3
EARTH’S HISTORY AS A PLANET
Lesson 17 - Asteroids, Comets, and
Meteors
Concepts: Solar system includes smaller objects such as
asteroids and comets; the nature and location of asteroids,
comets, and meteors; the catastrophic effects of asteroid
impacts
Students
• Look at ways asteroids, comets,
and meteoroids have contributed
to changes in Earth’s history.
• Examine the effect of asteroid
and comet impact.
• Analyze the ability of scientists to
predict asteroid impact.
• Read about Earth-observing
missions.
Lesson 18 - Fossils as Evidence of
Asteroid Impact
Concepts: Fossils are evidence for once-living organisms;
fossils provide evidence of how life and environments have
changed; molds and casts are examples of two fossilizing
mechanisms.
Students
• Examine fossiliferous limestone.
• Brainstorm their knowledge of
fossils.
• Use illustrations to examine the
relative ages of fossils.
• Model fossil formation.
• Watch a video and read about
extinctions and asteroid impact.
LESSON 19 - COMPARING PLANETS: IS THE EARTH UNIQUE?
Concepts: Similarities and differences between Earth and other
planets; the possibility and possible nature of life on other planets;
climate and how climate change can cause
extinction; the role of living organisms on Earth
FOCUS QUESTIONS:
•What has the space program
told us about the planets in our
solar system?
•How does the Earth compare
with other planets?
•What might future missions to
the planets look like?
Students
• Present their travel brochures and
mission designs; explain how a planet’s
features affect scientists’ ability to study
it.
• Compare Earth to other planets in the
solar system.
• Explore the effects of climate change on
Earth.
Lessons 20–21 - Exploring Space
Technology
Concepts: Products and processes developed for space
technology can enhance the quality of life; science and
technology have been advanced by the space program;
scientists and engineers work in many different settings;
technological designs have constraints
Students
• Read about spinoffs from the space program;
research a spinoff product; and create a
presentation and “Space Technology and
Research” (STAR) poster about it.
• Present and discuss their STAR posters.
• Evaluate designs or products that use space
technology.
• Review Parts 2 and 3 of the module.
Lesson 22 - Solar System Assessment
This lesson is an assessment of the concepts and skills
addressed in Parts 2 and 3 of the module. The assessment
consists of three parts:
• Part A - Performance assessment in
which students plan an investigation to
model how distance affects planetary
orbital period.
• Part B - Written assessment consisting of
multiple choice and short answer
questions.
• Part C - Duplicate of the pre-module
assessment. By comparing results from this
and data from the preassessment, you may
obtain data that indicate student growth in
knowledge and skills.
DID WE MEET OUR OBJECTIVES?
Set up a sample notebook
 Discuss STC pedagogy
 Learn about kit contents & materials
management
 Conduct inquiries from your unit

What are your questions now?
 What are your next steps?
