West-Orange Cove CSD
The Third six
weeks has 30
instructional
days 11/5 –
12/21
Major Concepts
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11/9
Early Release
11/19 – 11/23
Thanksgiving
8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks

During week 1, students will demonstrate and calculate how
unbalanced forces change the speed or direction of an object's
motion.
During week 2 and 3, students will know that there is a
relationship between force, motion, and energy by
understanding and applying Newton’s Laws of Motion.
During week 4 and 5, students will know that natural events
can impact Earth systems by describing the historical
development of evidence that supports plate tectonic theory.
During week 6, students will interpret topographic maps and
satellite views to identify land and erosional features and
predict how these features may be reshaped by weathering.
2012 - 2013
Processes
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Demonstrate safe practices during laboratory and field investigations as outlined
in the Texas Safety Standards
Plan, design and implement comparative and descriptive investigations by
making observations, asking well-defined questions, and using appropriate
equipment and technology;
Collect and record data using the International System of Units (SI) and
qualitative means such as labeled drawings, writing, and graphic organizers;
Use models to represent aspects of the natural world such as an atom, a
molecule, space, or a geologic feature
Construct tables and graphs, using repeated trials and means, to organize data
and identify patterns; and
Analyze data to formulate reasonable explanations, communicate valid
conclusions supported by the data, and predict trends.
Scientific investigation and reasoning will be embedded
throughout the various lessons. The student uses scientific
inquiry methods during laboratory and field investigations.
In order to use time, resources, and hold students accountable for their own learning, we must agree to continue using:

Notebooking. Also, remember to refer back to files sent during the first six weeks to expand on the use of notebooks in the science classroom.
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SMART objective posted and used daily. For example, the TEKs for the lesson (week or weeks) is….
o Demonstrate and calculate how unbalanced forces change the speed or direction of an object's motion. 8.6A
o The SMART objective for the 1st week may be written in the following way,

Today, we (or I, based on preference) will demonstrate how unbalanced forces change the speed or direction of an object's motion by
using Rube Goldberg’s cartoons who created cartoon pictures of complicated machines to do simple tasks.

The next day, the underlined part of the objective may change for the next part of the lesson such as Today, we (or I, based on preference) will
demonstrate and calculate how unbalanced forces change the speed or direction of an object's motion by completing the Speed
Challenge Lab.

Developing Effective Science Lessons. During this first part of the semester, we explored how to develop effective science lessons by referring to Figure 1.1, from
Designing Effective Science Instruction: What Works in Science Classrooms. As we continue to make an impact in the lives of children as they engage in the
learning of science, we will focus on providing adequate time and structure for sense-making and wrap-up; enhancing the development of students’ understanding
and problem solving through teacher’s questioning; providing a classroom culture in which the climate encourages students to generate ideas and questions; and
having a quality classroom culture where intellectual rigor, constructive criticism, and challenging of ideas are evident (p.4).

Creating a Positive Learning Environment. At the beginning of the school year, we presented Table 4.1, from Designing Effective Science Instruction: What Works in
Science Classrooms, showing how to create a positive learning environment. During these third six weeks, we will explore the second strategy presented in this
book. Strategy 2: Think Scientifically – Teach students to think scientifically p.140 - 150.
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Using technology and interactive games to support student engagement.
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Collaborative grouping
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Formative assessment in science and other formative assessment strategies that will work depending the needs of your class(once you are in the page, click on
each formative assessment strategy to get more details)
West-Orange Cove CSD
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
8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks
2012 - 2013
Use of the 5E scientific model:
o Engage
o Explore
o Explain
o Elaborate
o Evaluate
Using a rubric or a criteria chart generated with the students, go over the expectations in the science lab as it concerns to safety, active participation, homework,
research and other projects.
Week 1
November 5 – November 9
Learning Standards
Force, motion, and
energy. The student
knows that there is a
relationship between
force, motion, and energy.
The student is expected
to:
Demonstrate and calculate
how unbalanced forces
change the speed or
direction of an object's
motion. 8.6A
Differentiate between
speed, velocity, and
acceleration. 8.6B
Force, motion, and
energy. The student
knows force and motion
are related to potential and
kinetic energy. The
student is expected to:
Compare and contrast
potential and kinetic
energy. 6.8A
Instruction
Vocabulary
Force, motion, energy, unbalanced forces, balanced
forces, speed, acceleration, velocity, potential energy,
kinetic energy, distance, Newton, resistance forces,
gravity.
Engage students daily by

Using Annotated Student Drawings, students will
reflect on the question “What does the word
Force makes you think about?” Students will
share within the group and then choose a few to
share with the class.
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

Having students arm wrestle to show balanced
forces (when the same amount of force is applied
by each person) and unbalanced forces (when one
person wins). The students will learn the effects of
unbalanced forces by sharing what they felt as they
were winning or losing.
Using the Roller coasters: Momentum and Energy
in Action segment of the Physical Science: Motion
video to have students discuss and describe the
changes in position, direction, and speed when
acted upon by various forces.
Using the A & D statement, students will discuss
the following statement “THERE HAS TO BE AN
ENERGY CHANGE TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN!”
Resources
Products, Projects, Labs
https://www.scientificmin
ds.com/Teacher/Ancillary
Data.aspx
Use the following lessons
to support students’
understanding and
knowledge by using
Gateways to Science 8th
grade Lesson Unit 3
Lesson 1 Speed, Velocity,
and Acceleration T.E 168 –
188
Students will participate of
this lesson to gain a better
understanding of how
speed, velocity, and
acceleration differ from each
other. Use engage card
sort, task cards, data and
graph paper, distance
markers, walking description
cards, and other resources
are available; however,
students can use notebooks
to record information RM 1 RM 5 in CD or SMART
Notebook file
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Science Starter 31
Potential and Kinetic
Energy
Science Starter 35
Force and Motion
Science Starter 36
Measuring and
Graphing Motion
Science Starter 37
Speed
Discovery Education
Science TEKS Toolkit
Rube Goldberg
Transfer of Energy
Teachers’ Domain
Florida Standards
Students will participate in
Speed Challenge Lab and
complete a lab report to
EXPLORE speed.
ELABORATE / EVALUATE
Students will create a Venn
diagram to compare and
contrast speed, velocity, and
acceleration
Assessment
EVALUATE
Using the Rube
Goldberg's pictures
(included in SMART
Notebook File or
teacher may select
own pictures) student
groups:

explain the
relationship
between the
force and the
motion

Identify and
describe the
changes in
position,
direction, and
speed of an
object when
acted upon by
unbalanced
forces

groups will
explain their
findings in the
group’s picture.
EVALUATE
Students will use 3 - 5
examples from a set
of pictures to identify
West-Orange Cove CSD


8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks
Prepare six stations with the following: (1) a straw
and a Ping Pong ball, (2) a paper airplane, (3) a
pinwheel, (4) marbles, (5) a pendulum apparatus
with varied weights, and (6) a spinning top. Ask
students the following questions: How can each
object be made to move? How would you know if
the object moved? How could you measure this
movement? What will happen if different forces are
applied to the objects?
Using the Force and Motion segment of the
Physics of Motion video to have students discover
the forces that are at work when objects are in
motion in a variety of different situations
Teachers will facilitate students’ learning and discovery
to reinforce skills and concepts by

EXPLORE / EXPLAIN – Using the Velocity and
Acceleration video segment to show students a
visual of these terms.

EXPLORE / EXPLAIN- Introduce the students to
Rube Goldberg. He was an US cartoonist who
created cartoon pictures of complicated machines
to do simple tasks. Using This Too Shall Pass Rube Goldberg Machine version, students will
practice the graffiti writing technique to write down
observations and wonderings about what they
observe. Observations and wonderings include
identifying and describing the changes in position,
direction, and speed of an object when acted upon
by unbalanced forces. Keep poster paper or
construction paper where students wrote down
observations and wonderings to have students
reflect on learning at the end of the lesson

Using the Inquiry Board the teacher will scaffold
students’ identification of independent and
dependent variables in order to formulate a
testable hypothesis or a testable question.
Energy Education
2012 - 2013
and describe the
motion.
Reflection- You and
your friends got
together for a game
of Tug of War.
During the game, one
of the teams pulls
with a force of 30N
(Newtons) to the left
and the other team
pulls with a force of
50N to the right.
Students will draw a
diagram to represent
the net force acting
on the object. The
students will describe
how the forces will
affect the motion of
the object and
determine if the
forces are balanced
or unbalanced.
West-Orange Cove CSD
Week 2 and Week 3
November 12 – November 30
Learning Standards
8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks
Instruction
Resources
Force, motion, and
energy. The student
knows that there is a
relationship between
force, motion, and
energy. The student is
expected to:
Students experiment with the relationship between forces
and motion through the study of Newton's three laws.
Students learn how these forces relate to geologic
processes and astronomical phenomena. In addition,
students recognize that these laws are evident in
everyday objects and activities. Mathematics is used to
calculate speed using distance and time measurements
https://www.scientificmin
ds.com/Teacher/Ancillar
yData.aspx
Use the following
lessons to support
students’ understanding
and knowledge by using
Investigate and describe
applications of Newton's
law of inertia, law of force
and acceleration, and law
of action-reaction such as
in vehicle restraints,
sports activities,
amusement park rides,
Earth's tectonic activities,
and rocket launches.
8.6C
Vocabulary
Force, motion, energy, Newton’s Laws, gravity, friction,
net force, inertia, acceleration, speed.
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ENGAGE daily using one of the following
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Throw a ball into the air and catch it. Roll it across
the room. Place a book on a table. Blow up a balloon
and let the air out. Ask the students what happened
when you did the preceding activities and why those
things happened
Using the Lodge McCammon Songs: Newton's First
Law with Velocity, Acceleration, and Momentum to
describe Newton's first law of motion while
introducing such key terms as velocity, acceleration,
and momentum. Students will have lyrics
available….singing is highly encouraged!
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Using the imagery of NASA shuttle launch, students
will reflect and share observations as it relates to
motion and the study of Newton’s Laws of Motion.
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Students will work in groups of 2-3 to use Newton’s
Laws of Motion picture sort. In this activity, students
will classify the pictures based on the law that is best
represented by each picture under the heading of
First Law of Motion, Second Law of Motion, Third
Law of Motion. Students will justify the placement of
each card
Science Starter
114
Newton’s Laws of
Motion
Discovery Education
Science TEKS Toolkit
Teachers’ Domain
Florida Standards
Energy Education
Gateways to science 8th
2012 - 2013
Products, Projects, Labs
Assessment
Gateways to Science 8th
grade Lesson Unit 3
Lesson 3 Newton’s
Second Law of Motion T.E
198 – 209
Students will participate of
this lesson to investigate
and describe applications of
the law of force and
acceleration.
EVALUATE:
Using magazines,
newspaper or other
pictures, students will
create a poster
describing how each
picture demonstrate
Newton’s Laws of Motion
Gateways to Science 8th
grade Lesson Unit 3
Lesson 4 Newton’s First
Law of Motion T.E 210 –
220
Students will participate of
this lesson to investigate
and describe applications of
the law of inertia. Use
explore lab station cards,
concept map, elaborate
station cards, and
observation chart. RM 25 –
28 in CD or SMART
Notebook File
Gateways to Science 8th
grade Lesson Unit 3
Lesson 5 Newton’s Third
Law of Motion T.E 221 –
228 and the Rocket Races
Lab
Students will participate of
this lesson to investigate
and describe applications of
the law of action and
reaction. Use explore lab
station cards, picture cards,
and balloon racer rubric. RM
30 – 33 or SMART
Notebook File.
Reflection
Think of an example
from everyday life where
you experience Newton’s
Laws of Motion. Draw a
diagram that illustrates
the law or the laws of
motion that applies to
your experience. The
teacher may scaffold
using a favorite sport
such as basketball,
soccer, tennis, and
football among others.
West-Orange Cove CSD
8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks
Teachers will facilitate students’ learning and discovery to
reinforce skills and concepts
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Students will watch the Laws of Motion video to show
how gravity, friction, and inertia are related to mass,
force, and momentum. Exciting graphics and recreations allow students to see how Newton's laws of
motion relate to real life.
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EXPLORE / EXPLAIN – the teacher will facilitate this
activity by taking the class to the playground and
have a student hit a baseball with a bat. Students will
make observation and draw a diagram showing
various forces. What happens to the ball? Why does
it travel? Have the class explain the relevance of this
experiment to Newton’s third law of motion.
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EXPLORE / EXPLAIN – Students will use their
knowledge about Newton’s Laws of Motion to
successfully put together a puzzle. Students will
place the Laws of Motion Puzzle pieces on the
puzzle template so that every side of each puzzle
piece is facing another puzzle piece that correctly
matches the description. Refer to T.E 230 if needed.
2012 - 2013
EXPLAIN
Students will create a
foldable book to write down
information and applications
of Newton’s Laws of Motion.
Students will draw a picture
or a diagram to assist in
understanding each law of
motion.
West-Orange Cove CSD
Week 4 - and 2 days of Week 5
December 3 - December 11
Learning Standards
Earth and space. The
student knows that natural
events can impact Earth
systems. The student is
expected to:
Describe the historical
development of evidence
that supports plate
tectonic theory. 8.9A
Relate plate tectonics to
the formation of crustal
features. 8.9B
8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks
Instruction
Students identify the role of natural events in altering
Earth systems. Students will illustrate how Earth features
change over time by plate tectonics.
Vocabulary
Evidence, Plate tectonics, crustal features, continental
drift, Alfred Wegener, supercontinent, Pangea,
Lithosphere, convection currents, asthenoshphere,
divergent, convergent, transform, ridge, trenches, sea
floor spreading, oceanic rift, strikeslip, subduction, faults,
mantle, crust, magma, lava, volcanoes, mountain,
earthquakes
ENGAGE students daily

Ask students the following about the region where
they live:
o Do you know if there have been any
earthquakes in this area? Do you think an
earthquake is likely to occur in the future?
Why or why not?
o Are there signs of past volcanic activity in
the area? If so, where? Do you think future
volcanic activity is likely? Why or why not?
o Depending on whether or not there are
mountains in the region, ask students to
suggest reasons for their presence or
absence.

Students will use Commit and Toss to answer
“Earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain
formation all have a common cause. What might
that be?”

Students will watch segments of the video
Continents Adrift: An Introduction to Continental Drift
and Plate Tectonics to explore the causes of land
masses splitting. Starting with the theory that
continents can move (continental drift) to the idea
that the earth’s shell is broken into plates that move
(plate tectonics), the narrator explains divergent
boundary, convergent boundary and transform
boundary.
2012 - 2013
Resources
Products, Projects, Labs
https://www.scientificmi
nds.com/Teacher/Ancill
aryData.aspx
Use the following
lessons to support
students’ understanding
and knowledge by using

Science Starter 40
Forces in Geology
 Science Starter 44
Continental Drift
 Science Starter 45
Plate Tectonics
Gateways to Science 8th
grade Unit 5 Lesson 5
Evidence of the Plate
Tectonics Theory T.E 427
– 438
Students will participate of
this lesson to investigate,
describe, and create models
to learn and understand the
historical development of the
evidence that supports plate
tectonic theory.
Discovery Education
Indiana University
Use SMARTBoard –
Quiz 5 as bell ringer for
students to answer 1
question daily. It can be
used as a formative
assessment to find out
students’ previous
learning and any
misconceptions
students may have.
Gateways to Science 8th
grade Unit 5 Lesson 6
Determining Plate
Boundaries T.E 439 – 455
Students will participate of
this lesson to investigate,
describe, and create models
to relate plate movements to
the formation of crustal
features such as volcanoes,
mountains, mid-ocean
ridges, and trenches.
Assessment
EVALUATE
Students will create a
concept map describing
the historical evidence of
the plate tectonics
theory. Students can
ELABORATE by
including an essay to
explain their concept
map. See RM 34 in CD
or Plate Tectonics
SMART Notebook File.
EVALUATE
Using a rubric, students
will create their own
representations, such as
poem, newspaper article,
song, play, game, or
computer presentation
that demonstrates their
knowledge of the
historical development of
the plate tectonic theory.
West-Orange Cove CSD
8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks
Teachers will facilitate students’ learning and discovery
to reinforce skills and concepts

EXPLORE / EXPLAIN- Students will conduct a
research using encyclopedias, online databases,
and library books. Include
o Information about the layers of the Earth
o Information about the formation of the
plates
o Location of tectonic plates around the world
o Information on how tectonic plates move
o Plate boundaries. What forms at each
boundary?
o Seafloor spreading
o Continental drift
o Earthquakes statistics and locations
Students will write a report including key facts
about tectonic plates using bullets as a
reference. At the end of the research report,
provide students with notes created by the
teacher using web resources provided by
students.
The Web sites below are a good starting point for
online research:
Extreme Science: A Lesson in Plate Tectonics
http://www.extremescience.com/PlateTectonics
map.htm
Major Tectonic Plates of the World
http://geology.er.usgs.gov/eastern/plates.html

Use the Plate Tectonics SMART Notebook File for
supporting the presentation of these lessons.
2012 - 2013
West-Orange Cove CSD
3 days of Week 5
December 12 - 14
Learning Standards
Earth and space. The
student knows that natural
events can impact Earth
systems. The student is
expected to:
Interpret topographic
maps and satellite views
to identify land and
erosional features and
predict how these features
may be reshaped by
weathering. 8.9C
8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks
Instruction
Students identify the role of natural events in altering
Earth systems. Students will interpret land and erosional
features on topographic maps.
Vocabulary
Topographical maps, satellite images, contour lines,
contour intervals, depression contour, elevation
weathering, erosion, deposition, canyons, valleys, deltas,
glaciers, Alluvial fans.
ENGAGE students daily in one of the following activities

Using the pictures included in the Topographic and
Satellite Maps SMART Notebook File, students will
use the Graffiti Writing Strategy to write down
observations and wonderings in a poster paper or
construction paper.

Review all about weathering, erosion, and
deposition.
Teachers will facilitate students’ learning and discovery
to reinforce skills and concepts

EXPLORE / EXPLAIN- Students will use the Maps
PowerPoint presentation to identify how land
features are depicted in maps in order to assist
students in creating own topographic map.

EXPLAIN / ELABORATE – Weathering and erosion
change rocks by breaking them down and
transporting than to different places where they are
deposited. Students will use Weathering and
erosion and EXPLORE stations in Gateways to
Science 8th T.E 458 to better understand how land
features are constantly changing.
2012 - 2013
Resources
Products, Projects, Labs
Assessment
https://www.scientificmi
nds.com/Teacher/Ancill
aryData.aspx
Use the following
lessons to support
students’ understanding
and knowledge by using

Science Starter 41
Weathering

Science Starter 42
Erosion and
Deposition

Science Starter85
Topographic Maps
Gateways 8th grade Unit 5
Lesson 7 Topographic and
Satellite Maps
T.E 456 - 470
Students will use this lesson
to learn and understand
various land features and the
processes involved to
reshape these features. Use
RM 42 – 48 in CD or
Topographic and Satellite
Maps SMART Notebook File
EVALUATE
Students will match
Landforms and
Maps. Then, they
will draw a
topographic map,
with an explanation,
of what the area will
look like in the future
based on wind and
water weathering.
Teacher will model 1
included in
Topographic and
Satellite Maps
SMART Notebook
File
Discovery Education
Use SMARTBoard –
Quiz 5 as bell ringer for
students to answer 1
question daily. It can be
used as a formative
assessment to find out
students’ previous
learning and any
misconceptions
students may have.
ELABORATE / EVALUATE
Students will create flipbooks
illustrating how land features
result from gradual changes,
such as those occurring
along the Texas coast, in the
Hill Country, or in the
Panhandle.
West-Orange Cove CSD
Week 6
December 17 - 21
Learning Standards
Earth and space. The
student knows that
climatic interactions exist
among Earth, ocean, and
weather systems. The
student is expected to:
Recognize that the Sun
provides the energy that
drives convection within
the atmosphere and
oceans, producing winds
and ocean currents. 8.10A
Identify how global
patterns of atmospheric
movement influence local
weather using weather
maps that show high and
low pressures and fronts.
8.10B
Identify the role of the
oceans in the formation of
weather systems such as
hurricanes. 8.10C
8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks
Instruction
Students identify the role of natural events in altering
Earth systems. Students learn how interactions in solar,
weather, and ocean systems create changes in weather
patterns and climate.
Vocabulary
Solar energy, radiant energy, conduction, convection,
specific heat, ocean, convection currents, wind,
upwelling, prevailing winds atmosphere, ocean currents,
density, land breeze, sea breeze, high pressure, low
pressure, fronts
These lessons will continue during the 4th six weeks
(extra week due to complexity of content and having 38
days in the 4th six weeks)
ENGAGE students daily by

Brainstorming with your class to elicit their ideas
about the wind and what causes it to blow. Ask them
to tell you if they have noticed any trends. What
direction is the wind blowing when they walk to
school? When they walk home?


Resources
Products, Projects, Labs
Assessment
https://www.scientificmi
nds.com/Teacher/Ancill
aryData.aspx
Use the following
lessons to support
students’ understanding
and knowledge by using

Science Starter 50
Catastrophic
Events

Science Starter 64
Weather

Science Starter 65
Water Cycle

Science Starter 91
Conduction,
convection , and
radiation.
Gateways 8th grade Unit 5
Lesson 1 Unequal Heating
in the Oceans
T.E 362 - 368
Students will participate in
this lesson to recognize that
the Sun provides the energy
that drives convection,
producing ocean currents.
Use RM 1 – 3 in CD or
Unequal Heating, Winds,
and Air Pressure SMART
Notebook File
EVALUATE
Students will design
a model to show how
air moves from a
high (cold) pressure
area to a low (warm)
pressure area.
Discovery Education
Reviewing about solar energy, water cycle and the
transfer of heat using annotated student drawings or
commit and toss
Ocean Oasis
Watching Heat and Weather: How energy from the
sun affects the weather and discussing how the
uneven heating of the earth by the sun creates our
weather. Students will recognize that convection is
the movement of heat in the air and that the oceans
retain and release heat through evaporation and
condensation.
Geography for Kids

Collecting daily weather data and recording it in a
weather table. Students will analyze the data at the
end of the weather lessons. Students will make an
anemometer and a barometer.

Interacting of the Wind PowerPoint presentation to
have a better understanding of the relationship
between air pressure and wind.
2012 - 2013
Middle School Portal
Gateways 8th grade Unit 5
Lesson 2 Winds and Air
Pressure
T.E 369 - 394
Students will participate in
this lesson to investigate
winds and areas of high and
low pressure. Use RM 5 –
15 in CD or Unequal
Heating, Winds, and Air
Pressure SMART Notebook
File
ELABORATE / EVALUATE
Research El Niño and La
Niña and how they cause
changes in the weather.
ELABORATE/
EVALUATE
Students will use the
sequencing cards to
show their
understanding of
how wind forms.
Reflection –
Students will
describe how the
uneven heating of
Earth’s surface and
oceans affects air.
Students will include
illustrations and the
importance of air
convections to
Earth’s weather
West-Orange Cove CSD
8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks
Teachers will facilitate students’ learning and discovery
to reinforce skills and concepts

EXPLORE / EXPLAIN- Teacher will demonstrate
convection current in a fish tank for students to
observe convection as a result of differentiated
heating.

EXPLORE / EXPLAIN – Teacher will guide students
in dramatizing high and low pressure to have
students better understand the type of weather
related to high and low pressure systems.
2012 - 2013
West-Orange Cove CSD
8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks
2012 - 2013
SMART Objective
In the book, Learning by Doing, P. 126, Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Thomas Many, and Robert Eaker, talk about SMART goals and how
establishing these goals will assist stakeholders in creating a collaborative effort oriented by results.
According to Dufour et al, SMART objectives are Strategic and Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Oriented, Timebound. For our
purposes in the classroom, we will use SMART objectives in the following manner:
Standards-based – use the wording of the TEK
Makes a connection – find a way to connect to everyday situation
Attainable - do students feel they can learn the concept?
Results oriented – how will students know they have learned the concept?
Tell – Students are able to tell what they are learning
The objective does not have to change every day as you write it on the board or keep it in a prominent place. Keep in mind that by posting
the learning objective in this manner and using with the students before, during, and after the lesson then the students will know the what,
how, and why of the learning. Besides, using the standard will support the students learn the vocabulary they are expected to know and
master by the end of the lesson.
West-Orange Cove CSD
8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks
2012 - 2013
Some Examples of Formative Assessments in Science
(Source: Science Formative Assessments by Page Keeley)
Concept Cartoons
(p.71)
Familiar Phenomenon Probe/
Friendly Talk Probe
(p.85 & 102)
Interest Scale
(p.115)
I Used to Think…Now I Know
(p.119)
KWL (and its variations)
(p.128)
Pass the Question
(p.149)
Popsicle Stick Questioning
(p.158)
R.E.R.U.N.
(p.172)
Sticky Bars
(p.178)
Terminology Inventory Probe
(p.180)
-cartoon of people sharing their ideas on common, everyday phenomenon/concept
-students choose the cartoon they agree with most and explain their reasoning
-used to assess and address misconceptions, diagnostic
-see: www.conceptcartoons.com for examples
-a dialogue between characters addressing a concept
-students choose the character they agree with most and explain their reasoning
-used to assess and address misconceptions, diagnostic
-students use sticky notes to indicate their interest in a subject on a low to high scale (e.g. a
thermometer with the heading “How Hot is the Topic?”)
-kinesthetic, student interest
-at the end of a lesson, students reflect and compare what they knew at the beginning of a lesson to
what they know after a lesson
-metacognition, assessment as learning
KWL – what I know, what I wonder, what I learned
OWL – what I observed, what I wonder, what I learned
KWLH – KWL + H = how I learned it
-students begin to respond to a question; halfway through, they exchange responses and complete,
modify, or change each other’s responses
-can be done in pairs and then exchanged with another pair
-cooperative learning
-names of students are written on a popsicle stick
-pull popsicles sticks for name of student to call on (e.g. for questioning)
-reflection/exit card for a lab activity
-recall (summarize), explain the purpose, results (describe their meaning), uncertainties
(list/describe), new things you learned
-to answer a multiple choice question, students write their responses on a sticky note, hand in to
their teacher, teacher posts answers to show the variety of answers from all students
-diagnostic, metacognition
-give a list of terms to students
-students use a checklist to indicate what they know of a term using a range from “I have never
heard of the this” to “I clearly know what it means and can describe it”
-students revisit the list at the end of learning
-ask students to reveal their understanding by providing a description, drawing a picture, etc.
West-Orange Cove CSD
Synectics
(p.186)
Traffic Light Cups
(p.201)
A&D Statements
Annotated Student Drawings
Commit and Toss
Concept Card Mapping Concept
Missed Conception
8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks
2012 - 2013
-“the fitting together of different and apparently irrelevant elements”
-analogies/metaphors
e.g. a physical change is like a milkshake because different ingredients are put together and
combined to make something different but each ingredient can still be physically separated
-teacher can assess student’s conceptual understanding of a concept
-link to Marzano’s “identifying similarities and differences” instructional strategy
-red, yellow, and green stackable party cups
-used to signal whether a group does not need help from the teacher (green), needs some feedback
or assistance (yellow), or does not know what to do next (red)
-allows teacher to circulate and differentiate the process based on readiness
Students use A & D Statements to analyze a set of “fact or fiction” statements. In the first part
of A & D Statements, students may choose to agree or disagree with a statement or identify
whether they need more information. In addition, they are asked to describe their thinking
about why they agree, disagree, or are unsure. In the second part of the FACT, students
describe what they can do to investigate the statement by testing their ideas, researching what
is already known, or using other means of inquiry.
“If a picture is worth a thousand words, perhaps drawing and visualizing can help science
students enhance their learning potential” (National Science Teacher Association [NSTA],
2006, p. 20. Annotated Student Drawings are student-made, labeled illustrations that visually
represent and describe student’s thinking about a scientific concept.
Commit and Toss is an anonymous technique used to get a quick read on the different ideas
students have in the class. It provides a safe, fun, and engaging way for all students to make
their ideas known to the teacher and the class without individual students being identified as
having “wild” or incorrect ideas. Students are given a question. After completing the question,
students crumple their paper up into a ball and, upon a signal from the teacher, toss the paper balls
around the room until the teacher tells them to stop and pick up or hold on to one paper.
Students take the paper they end up with the share the ideas and thinking that are described
on their “caught” paper, not their own ideas.
Card Mapping is a variation on the familiar strategy of concept mapping (Novak, 1998). Instead of
constructing their own concept maps from scratch, students are given cards with the concepts
written on them. They move the cards around and arrange them as a connected web of knowledge.
They create linkages between the concept cards that describe the relationship between concepts.
Moving the cards provides an opportunity for students to explore and think about different linkages.
A Missed Conception is a statement about an object or phenomenon that is based on a commonly
held idea noted in the research on students’ ideas in science. Students are asked to analyze a
statement, describe why some people may believe it is true, describe what one could do to help
someone change his or her “missed conception” in favor of the scientific idea, and reflect on their
own ideas in relation to the statement.
West-Orange Cove CSD
Two-Minute Paper
8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks
2012 - 2013
The Two-Minute Paper is a quick and simple way to collect feedback from students about their
learning at the end of an activity, field trip, lecture, video, or other type of learning experience.
Students are given two minutes to respond to a predetermined prompt in writing.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CHYQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdpcdsbcla.wikispaces.com%2Ffile%2Fview%2FSome%2BExamples%2Bof%2BFormative%2BAssessments%2Bin%2BScience.doc&ei=w5fmT6iMCIfm2
QXOueHZCQ&usg=AFQjCNGgWKsjp9jPPrnqbALNk3Gc7vpP5Q&sig2=cY2Br5Y_HYLjmrQRQ5MBGw
West-Orange Cove CSD
8th Grade Science –3rd Six Weeks
2012 - 2013
Graffiti Writing
Graffiti Writing is a cooperative learning structure that facilities brainstorming and also doubles
as a group energizer. Each cooperative group of 3 or 4 students is given a piece of chart paper
and different colored markers. Group #1 might have black markers; group #2 green markers,
etc. There needs to be a different color marker for each group so that the teacher can track
each individual group’s contribution. If you have small enough classes you can give each
student a different color marker and track individual performance, but this is not usually
possible. Each group is given a different question, topic, issue, or statement to which they
respond. All students can respond to the same topic but I find it more effective if three or more
different topics are used. For a short time period (3-5 minutes), every group writes their “graffiti”
(words, phrases, statements, pictures) on their particular topic. For example: Your students
have just read the book Who Moved My Cheese; I would use a graffiti sheet for each character
and have students describe these characters with words, phases, and pictures. All students in
the group write on the same piece of chart paper at the same time. It is very important that, as
the teacher you monitor total participation to get the most out of this activity. After about three to
five minutes, the teacher stops the groups and asks each group to pass their graffiti sheets to
the next group. The new group with the sheet reads what has already been written or drawn on
the sheet and adds additional new information. Continue the process until each group’s original
sheet has been returned to them. Once a group has their original sheet back, as a group, they
read all of the contributing comments, discuss them, summarize them, and prepare a brief
presentation to the class as outlined by the teacher. I often have the students categorize the
comments in order to draw conclusions as part of their presentation phase. A specific outcome
must be set by the teacher for the presentation part of this assignment in order for it to be
effective.
Graffiti writing works very effectively as an anticipatory set, a closure activity or as an energizer
during any lesson where the generation of ideas or the recall of facts is desired. Please
encourage your students to draw during graffiti writing as this will motivate students who love to
doodle and often are not super productive in your classroom. Also, for extremely large classes
the same lesson can be going on twice in your classroom which will result in two groups
presenting on the same topic at the end. This keeps both groups and the scope of the lesson
appropriate in size and depth.
http://keystoteachingsuccess.blogspot.com/2009/07/graffiti-writing.html