5 things to know about quality K–12 science education in February 2025
1
Two New Quality Units Posted
Unravel Genetics to Raise the Steaks
Inthishighschoolunit,studentsbeginby observingaseriesofimagesofwild animalscomparedtoanimalsraisedby humansforfoodproductionaswellas cattleinhistorycomparedtopresentday. Studentsinvestigatehowbeefcattlehave gottenbiggerovertime,considering factorssuchasgenetics,climate, nutrition,andstress.Theunitearnedan NGSSDesignBadgebasedonareview byNextGenScience’sexpertcadreof reviewers.
SeetheRelevantClassroom/Vivayicunit andcorrespondingEQuIPReporthere.
Earth Changes
Inthis2ndgradeunit,studentsobserve thatanunderwatervolcanonearIceland leftbehindasurpriseislandin1963. Studentsinvestigatemanyaspectsof Earth’schangingland,includinganalyzing locallandsamplesanddesigninga systemtopreventalighthousefrom slidingintothesea.Theunitwas reviewedbytheNextGenScienceexpert cadreofreviewersandwasidentifiedasa qualityexample.
SeetheGreatMindsunitand correspondingEQuIPReporthere.
2
Supporting a state in developing a working theory of improvement for promoting equity in science education
Thisstudyexamineshowresearch-basedtoolsand changestrategiessupportedastateteamtomove towardamoreequitablesystemofscienceeducation. Amongotherfindings,thestudysuggeststhat curriculummaterialsthatconnecttostudents’everyday livesandcommunityprioritiesarekeydriversfor equitablechangeinthesystem,andthatprofessional learningactivitiesshouldbebasedonthatcurriculum.
Seethe Frontiers in Education articlehere.
3
Examining Science Teachers’ Conceptions of Student Interest as a Consideration in Designing Assessments
“One motivation for connecting science instruction to students’ interests in school is that it can help develop a 'sustained attraction for science' and help students appreciate how science can be 'pertinent to their daily lives' (p. 28). Another reason is that it can be a tool for promoting equity, to the extent that the interests of students from systematically marginalized underrepresented groups are prioritized (p. 28).”
See the Journal of Science Teacher Education article here
4 A Repository of Place-Based Data
Dataiseverywhereandfosteringdataliteracyiscritical tosupportstudentunderstandingofourcomplexworld. Withendlessamountsofdataatourfingertips,helping studentslearnhowtoaccessandinterpretdataisan importantskillforequitableparticipationinsociety.The WY-ADAPTwebsiteisacollectionofdashboardsto explorestreamgaugedata,currentconditions,climate modelingsimulations,andmorewithinWyomingand thelargermountainwestregion.Theseresourcesmight beusefulforcurriculumdevelopersseekingto incorporatereal-worldphenomenaanddata.
SeetheWY-ADAPTDataRepositorywebsitehere.
ICYMI: Authentic Science Experiences: Designing High School Science Learning to Reach
all Students
Toachievetheambitiousgoalssetby today’ssciencestandards,highschool studentsneedaccesstocarefully designedlearningexperiences.This resourcehighlightsfivefeaturesof authenticscienceexperiencesand underlyingresearchthatcansupportthe designandimplementationofmeaningful andenrichingsciencelearningforhigh schoolstudents.Italsoincludesaseries ofvignettesthatillustratewhatthese featureslooklikeinavarietyofhigh schoolscienceexperiencesfromacross thenation.
SeetheNextGenScienceresourcehere.
