Science: Grades 6-12

Revising Middle School Science PICASSO

Schedule for Revising M.S. Science Courses on PICASSO

COBB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Table: MS units to be revised

	6th Grade	7th Grade	8th Grade
Unit 1	Rocks & minerals Simpson MS	Interdependence of life Simpson MS	The science of sports Griffin MS
Unit 2	Weather & erosion Palmer MS	Energy flow & nutrient cycling Cooper MS	The science of food & cooking Dodgen MS
Unit 3	Inside the earth McClure MS	Structure & function of cells Dickerson & Hightower MS	Energy in our life Smitha MS
Unit 4	Water in earth’s processes Floyd MS	Organization of life Lindley MS	Light sound show Mabry MS
Unit 5	Climate & weather Campbell MS	Biological traits & heredity Lovinggood MS	Science with Toys Garrett MS
Unit 6	Universe & solar system Durham MS	Evidence of evolution Durham MS
Unit 7	Earth, moon, sun Pine Mt MS
Unit 8	Human impact Tapp & Hightower MS

·   Go to PICASSO, copy lessons into file & revise, with different name

Here is a new template page without the background color, but with color borders

Download LessonOutline21stCentScienceNov08.doc

Quick Review Approach:

What follows may help alleviate some anxiety

1) review what is there

-if misspellings, or poor instructions or wording, correct/revise

-if links do not work, get new link

-if time is wrong (# of minutes), give your best judgment

2) if you have better tasks

--add tasks, you might want to put "alternative tasks" Put in word documents & make sure file title makes sense, e.g., 6grdInteriorE_task1, or chemSolution_task2  Just something that makes it clear

--if adding lab, the same as above, or URL for where lab is found & put URL into the text of your tasks so that it makes sense

3) put your name on what you submit at top so if we have questions before submissions we know who to contact--we'll take names off before we put on PICASSO

4) put your name on anything that you are contributing that you want credit for

5) Some extras if you wish:

·   Go to gadoe.org, find State resources

·   Examine/revise big idea/essential questions

·   Recreate assessments

·   Create/revise lessons—make them independent of texts (Below is a quick review procedure)

·   List resources

·   Vocabulary (minimal, only terms in standards or EOCT/GHSGT content descriptors in bold, other secondary terms or for advanced students in italics)

·   Quality student work & evaluation of work

Each school will have less than 10 pages to review, edit, add to, and typically only a page or two for each lesson in that unit.

Schedule:

Oct 22, 2008               Schools select units

Dec 5, 2008                 Lesson 1 for unit completed & submitted

Jan 16, 2009                Lesson 2 for unit completed & submitted

Feb 13, 2009               Lesson 3 for unit completed & submitted

March 6, 2009             Lesson 4 for unit completed & submitted

March 20, 2009           Lesson 5 for unit completed & submitted (plus any other lessons)

All lessons will be submitted to the science office, Cobb County Public Schools

Revising High School Science PICASSO

Schedule for Revising H.S. Science Courses on PICASSO

COBB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Biology	Physics	Chemistry	Earth Systems	Environmental Science
Biological organization Kell HS	Conservation of Energy (short unit) Hillgrove HS	Finding order Pope HS	Atmosphere Harrison HS	Biosphere Sprayberry HS
Energy transformation Harrison HS	Kinematics Hillgrove HS	Finding patterns Lassiter HS	Landforms & landscapes Lassiter HS	Homeostasis
Growth & heredity Walton HS	Forces Walton HS	Exploring change South Cobb HS	Earth’s past Kennesaw Mt HS	Resource use & conservation Kennesaw Mt HS
Equilibrium North Cobb HS	Electromagnetism Pebblebrook HS	Exploring systems George	Earth’s depths Osborne HS	Human component Osborne HS
	Waves Allatoona HS		Life & citizenship

·   Go to PICASSO, copy lessons into file & revise, with different name

Here is a new template page without the background color, but with color borders

Download LessonOutline21stCentScienceNov08.doc

Quick Review Approach:

What follows may help alleviate some anxiety

1) review what is there

-if misspellings, or poor instructions or wording, correct/revise

-if links do not work, get new link

-if time is wrong (# of minutes), give your best judgment

2) if you have better tasks

--add tasks, you might want to put "alternative tasks" Put in word documents & make sure file title makes sense, e.g., 6grdInteriorE_task1, or chemSolution_task2  Just something that makes it clear

--if adding lab, the same as above, or URL for where lab is found & put URL into the text of your tasks so that it makes sense

3) put your name on what you submit at top so if we have questions before submissions we know who to contact--we'll take names off before we put on PICASSO

4) put your name on anything that you are contributing that you want credit for

5) Some extras if you wish:

·   Go to gadoe.org, find State resources

·   Examine/revise big idea/essential questions

·   Recreate assessments

·   Create/revise lessons—make them independent of texts (Below is a quick review procedure)

·   List resources

·   Vocabulary (minimal, only terms in standards or EOCT/GHSGT content descriptors in bold, other secondary terms or for advanced students in italics)

·   Quality student work & evaluation of work

Each school will have less than 10 pages to review, edit, add to, and typically only a page or two for each lesson in that unit.

Schedule:

Oct 22, 2008               Schools select units

Dec 5, 2008                 Lesson 1 for unit completed & submitted

Jan 16, 2009                Lesson 2 for unit completed & submitted

Feb 13, 2009               Lesson 3 for unit completed & submitted

March 6, 2009             Lesson 4 for unit completed & submitted

March 20, 2009           Lesson 5 for unit completed & submitted (plus any other lessons)

All lessons will be submitted to the science office, Cobb County Public Schools

Physical Science in High School

Questions about physical science

Cobb students should take biology, chemistry, and physics for their 1^st three high school science classes. Physical science should be offered only in the following two situations:

·     Self contained special education classess (the GAA or some of the Bridge special ed students

·     ELL students transferring in their junior year with weak science & needing to prepare for GHSGT

Some of your schools may be offering it for students who had flunked physical science before and you are purging your students and this course, which is fine.

Rationale:

·     Cobb students need to be prepared for the 21^st Century, and the global economy

·     Biology, chemistry, & physics provide the framework for all science & technology

·     Physical science is an abreviated course and can serve our lower 1% of our students

·     Research shows that high expectations will be met, particularly with scaffolding and performance based learning

·     The DOE needs to have a high school course for physical science for those districts where schools are limited in their ability to hire science teachers—Cobb is not in this category

Action Required: Do not schedule the course except for those situations mentioned above. Put students in biology (9^th grade), physics (taught conceptually, 10^th grade, or honors, 11^th grade), and chemistry.

Assessment: Formative & summative and where we are going

The Cobb County science leaders have been discussing formative assessments and looking at Page Keeley's work on formative assessment probes. Teachers are writing their own formative assessment probes and examining how to use them to engage students in thinking about and doing science. The attached Power Point presents some of the details of the discussion and where we are going.Download AssssmntPlanSciHS_MSNov2008.ppt