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Science IMAGES

Dorcas Gonzalez-Lantz, 6th Grade

The Visual Library illustrates four characteristics of effective science instruction. These characteristics are drawn from Benchmarks for Science Literacy, by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Elementary School Science for the 90's, by Loucks-Horsley and her colleagues; and In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms, by Brooks and Brooks, as well as the work of the National Research Council (NRC), the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).
These characteristics involve:

Inviting students to learn by posing problems of emerging relevance, structuring learning experiences around the big ideas of science, and adapting curriculum to build on students' knowledge and concerns.
Promoting exploration, discovery, and creation as students ask scientific questions and plan and conduct simple investigations, gather data using simple equipment, and use data to propose explanations and solutions.
Creating a collaborative learning community by sensing and valuing students' points of view, encouraging communication about investigations and explanations, and encouraging students to take action on their learning.
Assessing learning continually and authentically through a variety of assessments including student performance and portfolios.

Characteristic Physical Sciences: Tape VI (Sixth Grade)

Inviting to Learn Ms. Gonzalez-Lantz poses the "Big Idea," What is matter? She discusses what it is and where it can be found to determine her students' conceptual understanding. She then poses real-life situations illustrating states of matter and molecular theory.

Explore, Discover, Create Students discuss the questions posed and develop investigations to find possible explanations. They gather data from real-world experiences to study water as it changes states and they begin a discussion of molecules.

Community of Learners Students work in collaborative groups to discuss and share ideas, develop a plan of investigation, and carry out the investigation. Then they create a presentation for the class of the results of their investigation, using data to support their conclusions.

Authentic Assessment Students share, discuss, and analyze their theories. They must be able to defend their answers and answer classmates' questions, thus demonstrating conceptual understanding.
Teacher Self-Assessment: Ms. Gonzalez-Lantz assesses what the students already know about matter and decides the direction for the lesson. As students investigate, she listens and questions for understanding, adjusting the lesson to fit the needs of the students.


Characteristic		Physical Sciences: Tape VI (Sixth Grade)

Inviting to Learn		Ms. Gonzalez-Lantz poses the "Big Idea," What is matter? She discusses what it is and where it can be found to determine her students' conceptual understanding. She then poses real-life situations illustrating states of matter and molecular theory.

Explore, Discover, Create		Students discuss the questions posed and develop investigations to find possible explanations. They gather data from real-world experiences to study water as it changes states and they begin a discussion of molecules.

Community of Learners		Students work in collaborative groups to discuss and share ideas, develop a plan of investigation, and carry out the investigation. Then they create a presentation for the class of the results of their investigation, using data to support their conclusions.

Authentic Assessment		Students share, discuss, and analyze their theories. They must be able to defend their answers and answer classmates' questions, thus demonstrating conceptual understanding. Teacher Self-Assessment: Ms. Gonzalez-Lantz assesses what the students already know about matter and decides the direction for the lesson. As students investigate, she listens and questions for understanding, adjusting the lesson to fit the needs of the students.