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Science is For All!

CAL-MSCS Science Steering Team

Trending Tuesday!

September 24, 2024

4:00PM

CAL - MSCS

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AGENDA

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Welcome and Objectives

Active Engagement in Science

Connections: Accessibility & Belonging

CALMSCS Science Beliefs, Priorities & Support

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Compare the shade of two checkerboard squares labeled “A” and “B”.

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What if I told you that they are the same shade of grey? Is there a way to see if this is true?

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Why do you perceive them as different when they are the same?

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What’s going on with the image, your eyes, and your brain?

You can make a drawing to help you think. Discuss in the chat!

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Can you think of other examples where things were different than they seemed? It could be other senses than your eyes as well.

Share in the chat

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Connections & Belonging

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Connections: CA NGSS

MS-LS1-8 Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli by sending messages to the brain for immediate behavior or storage as memories.

“what students do”

“what students know”

“how students think”

(CCC) Cause and Effect

(DCI) LS1.D Information Processing

(SEP) Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

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Connections: Universal Design for Learning

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Connections: Universal Design for Learning

A framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.

How might the inquiry-based activity provide provide multiple means of engagement, representation, and action/expression for students?

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Using Padlet

Add a sticky note and share:

Where you see connections between the checkerboard activity and the framework

AND/OR

Opportunities for additional modifications to provide access and inclusivity

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Connections: Multilingual Learners

How might the inquiry-based activity support language learners to access the science content in the associated standard?

“The inclusion of the SEPs [in the NGSS] marks a movement from seeing science as something that you know to seeing it as something that you do in collaboration with others. This orientation aligns with the view of language development called language-in-use, which describes how students develop language through engaging in collaborative and purposeful activity.” (Toward Equity for Multilingual Learners, 2023)

Let’s imagine we were doing this inquiry activity in the classroom with students!

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What’s going on with the image, your eyes, and your brain?

Make a Model

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Procedural Vocabulary

Conceptual

Vocabulary

MS-LS1-8 Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli by sending messages to the brain for immediate behavior or storage as memories.

  • Object
  • Image
  • Light
  • Thing
  • Objeto
  • Eye
  • Back of eyeball
  • Retina
  • Rainbows
  • Ojo

Stimuli

Sensory receptors

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Connections: Multilingual Learners

Science supports multilingual learners by providing learning experiences that prompt curiosity and questioning through a universal experience.

Through inquiry-based activities, multilingual learners are given opportunities to build and develop language skills through scientific discourse and/or writing.

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Connections: Family Engagement

This activity can be used to spark families, educators and students to connect with science:

  • At a family science night
  • At a back to school night
  • As a homework assignment
  • And more!

What questions, prompts, and scaffolds might you provide to facilitate discussions? Please share them in the chat.

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Connections: Family Engagement

Questions to spark family/student/educator connections through science should be:

  • Tied to science content
  • Interesting
  • Not require science vocabulary or knowledge to discuss
  • Connected to STEM careers whenever possible
  • Tied to hands on experiences
  • Could connect resources for further exploration, eg M. C. Escher art in this case

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Connections: School/District Leaders

How might this activity be used to support administrators to:

  • See how science learning can be inclusive, joyful and standards aligned?
  • Support educators to approach science instruction inclusively?
  • Support family engagement in students’ learning experiences?

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Infinite Connections!

Everyone can access science.

Everyone belongs in science.

In fact, belonging is a science: the science of

belonging.*

*Belonging: The Science of Creating Connections and Bridging Divides by Geoffrey Cohen

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Core Beliefs, Priorities,

& Supports

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CAL-MSCS Science: Core Beliefs

All students are capable of excelling in science.

All educators are capable of fully serving students.

The best PL shifts mindsets & practices and supports educators, partners, and students to thrive

Students

Educators

Systems

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between families, community partners, & educators through science

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Strengthening

of science educators

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Supporting

RETENTION

CAL-MSCS Science: Priorities

system decision makers to articulate their community’s goals for equity and cultivate a climate of

Activate

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CA’s Science Leader Community as individual and local

Building educator/leader

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CAPACITY

for inclusive science learning

across content areas

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Creating opportunities for

COLLABORATION

CONNECTIONS

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Community of

Belonging in

CA Science Education

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Administrator Capacity Building in Science

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Retaining Science Teachers

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Supporting Upper Elementary Science Teachers

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CAL-MSCS Science:

2024-25 Trending Tuesdays Series

Cross

Content

Collab

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Scope & Sequence

CAL-MSCS Science:

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CALMSCS Vision: Each and Every

Growing Our

Own Capacity

EXPAND existing statewide infrastructure and capacity to provide MSCS professional learning

GENERATE and disseminate professional learning opportunities

SUPPORT local efforts to improve family and community engagement in MSCS

COORDINATE related statewide efforts

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Thank You!

calmscs@sjcoe.net