FOSS for Middle SchoolFull Option Science System

Aspen, Colorado 2010Charlotte McDonald

FOSS Consultantcmcdonald54@comcast.net

Introductions

Goals for You

Participate in FOSS Investigations and see how they are part of the larger goals.

See how inquiry learning models are woven into the lessons/investigations

Get to know the FOSS Investigations, equipment, manual, assessments, fossweb, DVD, Lab Notebook and Resource Book.

Get answers to your questions. Feel more confident about teaching FOSS

Quick Write Write down everything you can

about how you can tell if something is living or not.

Include examples that distinguish between living and nonliving things.

What is Life?

Overhead-Projector observations: Observe the activities in the petri dish. Record what you see.

Observe & Describe?

Living and Nonliving

With a partner – discuss each card one at a time then sort the cards into “Living” and “nonliving” piles.

What is Life?

Typical Student ResponsesLife is where you do the things you want, take risks, get in trouble and do your job.

Well if it was living, then it would probably be running around. If it was dead on the ground then it would be laying down.

You can tell what things are living just by looking. Living things move and grow They move by themselves, not because someone moves them. Living things occur naturally. They aren’t man-made like a bicycle and cars. Bicycles and cars move, but it’s because someone makes them move. Living things also breathe.

Some examples of living things are people, dogs, cats, fish (they breathe water), horses, and cows. I think plants are living, but they don’t move on their own. Rocks are nonlinving, because even though they are natural, they don’t move.

Evidence of Life

Start a chart “Evidence of Life”

Evidence of LifeMoves on its own Has a brain

Needs food Breathes

Has eyes Has offspring

Communicates Has hair

Uses energy Has feelings

Fights (defends itself) Needs water

Grows Needs air

Gives off waste Has a heart

Has blood Has arms and legs

Has other organs Dies

Reacts to things

Organization Of Science Notebooks

Table of Contents Numbered Pages Documentation of Work Glossary and/or Index Appendix for inserts or

rubrics to be used for assessment

Table of Contents

Use the first 1-2 pages for the Table of Contents…

DATE ACTIVITY PAGE #

Number your pages

1

Number through 10

32

Cards As we work through this course, we

may get more evidence about the life that will allow us to move these pictures from the undecided category to the living or nonliving category.

Organism

An organism is any living thing – plant, animal or other. An organism is the most general word used to refer to an independently living thing.

Characteristics of Organisms

Glossary

Organism p 8

Index or Glossary: References Vocabulary

Example:

DefinitionsLiving - Things are living if they show the characteristics of life. Living things are organisms.

Dormant - Things are dormant when they do not show characteristics of life until they are placed in the right environment. Dormant organisms are alive, but inactive.

Dead - Things are dead if they were alive at one time but no longer are.

Nonliving - Materials that have never been alive.

Full Option Science System

FOSS Middle School Program Courses

Life Physical Science Earth and Science and Technology Space Science

Human Brain Electronics Planetary and Senses Science

Populations and Chemical Earth Ecosystems Interactions History

Diversity of Life Force and Motion Water and Weather

Teacher Guide

Comprehensive Resource Step-by-step lesson plans and

guide to:• Preparing for and conducting

investigations• Administering assessments• Integrating language arts and

math• Using the interactive CD

In-depth science background for each investigation and module

Kit and Materials

Equipment designed and selected for most effective learning

Packaged for 5 classes of 32 students Complete kits - few materials supplied

by the teacher Minimal consumables

to reduce refill cost

Plan with the “End in Mind” Mid-Summative Exams: -

At the end of each investigation Final Summative Exam: -

At the end of the course

Formative Assessments

Purpose - Students and teachers monitor student progress continually 1. Have students consider their own knowledge base and understanding

2. Give insights into student thinking and level of prior knowledge

3. Help teachers make instructional decisions

4. Provide a “base line” to measure growth

Tools and Strategies Teacher observation, formal and informal Student sheets Quick writes Response sheets Self-assessment Student journals

Before Summative Assessments

Before summative assessments, students should be given time to

•Reflect on their learning.•Brainstorm what is important•Review what they have done

Throughout the course keep a “Big Ideas” chart.

Summative Assessments Students demonstrate learning with regard to

the three assessment variables.

Three assessment variables – major areas of focus Content Knowledge Conducting Investigations Building Explanations

Tools and Strategies Mid-summative exams for each investigation Final summative exam

Plan your school year Use the teacher’s guide “Overview” to

plan your school year. See pages 18-21 in DOL guide.

What we’ve learned from brain research

Vocabulary and reading come AFTER the experience.

Student Resource Book

The Resource book is NOT the majorsource of the content information in the waya traditional textbook is.

The lab experiences and resulting discussions

recorded in a lab notebook is the primarysource of content information.

Readings come after the experience.

Student Resource Book Student reading to enhance science

content Full-color images are engaging and

instructional About 100 pages of data, images,

and readings

Student Lab Notebook

Student recording sheets

Organizers

Students record and organize inquiry in order to analyze data and make conclusions.

A pdf file of the Lab Notebook is available online at www.fossweb.com

Interactive CD

Integrated multimedia to conduct investigations not practical in the classroom

Provides additional content coverage

Ideal for class demos, as well as individual or small group work

Specifically designed for each course

The multimedia is available online at www.fossweb.com

Is Anything Alive in Here? “Characteristics of Life” display Develop operational definition for living

organisms Are these 5 materials alive?

Characteristics of Life Are there any cards that you want to

change? Living or Non-living?

Time for lunch!

CD ROM Microscope work on interactive CD

ROM or website www.fossweb.com

Using the Microscope

View water from the minipond View Brine Shrimp

Technical Drawing

Accurate Big Colorful Detailed

Lima Bean Seed Dissection

A Formative Assessment Sample: Response Sheets

Look at the Response Sheet: “Seeds of Life” in your Lab Notebook Sampler.

Do you agree with the students thinking?

Line of Learning

This strategy allows students to add to their written ideas with additional ideas generated in class.

After writing their own ideas in their notebooks, students draw a line underneath their work.

During class discussion, students add new ideas below their line of learning.

The Line of Learning gives students the opportunity to continue to construct a concept through the discussion and ideas of other students.

Where did the water go?What data do you need to collect?

- 20 ml of water was added to the vial yesterday

- The mass of your celery yesterday is written on the vial in grams

Decide how you will display your data.

Make a prediction on the mass of your celery now.

Mass the celery using an electronic balance.

Design an experiment

Investigation 9: ROACHES Observe Madagascar Hissing

Cockroaches Read pages 269 - 271 to learn about

the roaches Taking care and safety

In FOSS courses:

There is a storyline to FOSS.

The skills and concepts used in one investigation are applied in answering questions and solving problems in subsequent investigations.

It’s not the experience that makes the learning.It’s the reflection on that experience.

Kansas Standards Correlation 7.1.1.1., 7.1.1.2., 7.1.1.3., 7.1.1.4.,

7.1.3.2., 7.3.1.1., 7.3.1.2., 7.3.2.1., 7.3.3.1.*, 7.3.4.1.*, 7.3.4.3.*, 7.3.5.2.*, 7.3.5.3.*