Our system responded quickly to the new Massachusetts' science standards by buying FOSS kits. Our team reacted to the FOSS kits by dividing up the kits and using rotations so that each teacher is teaching one kit and content strand to all three fifth grades.
The kits and standards present some challenges that we've had to navigate.
First, fifth graders in the state are tested on standards from all of elementary school with an emphasis on grades three to five standards. This is a lot of learning to review and master prior to the tests.
Next, the FOSS kits have lots and lots of lessons and we don't have that much time on top of all the other curriculum we are teaching.
So the challenge is to teach and review multiple standards and lessons in engaging, memorable ways with the time we have. Needless to say this is a somewhat stressful challenge.
After considerable thought and reading, I highlighted the main concepts and standards to teach in memorable ways. I decided to make sure that the learning experiences were fun and engaging. Also at the suggestion of colleagues, I am using a blend of modeling experiments in front of the class and engaging students in the experiments themselves. For example last week students watched me pop popcorn as we discussed why that chemical reaction occurs. I also boiled water and then we discussed why that's a physical reaction rather than a chemical reaction. Later though students created catapults with their kindergarten buddies to review the concept of potential (stored) and kinetic energy. Using buddy time to engage in simple experiments/activities that review the science standards is a good way to add time to this curriculum.
I'm using the FOSS kits' many wonderful tools for science learning, and synthesizing their lessons and enrichment opportunities to teach the students' the fifth grade standards. I am also weaving in DIY activities and Mystery Science films and activities to broaden and deepen the learning to include past physical science concepts students need to know.
The use of a
class physical science website allows students to continue the learning at home via reading, simple experiments/activities, and videos. An end-unit project gives students a chance to deepen their understanding of the unit's main ideas. The website provides all the information students need to complete the end-of-unit project too. I will also include crossword puzzles, comic creation, and reading/writing activities to support their learning.
At the end of the unit, students will take an MCAS like test using a Google Form and paper copy. I'll allow the students to take the test as many times as they'd like until they gain a score they are happy with (hopefully they'll all take the test until they get 90%-100%).
Since this is the first year with the new standards, it will be a learning year for all of us. I think we're off to a good start, and as a teaching team we're sharing our ideas for this regularly thus helping one another to teach the content well. I know that this unit of study will deepen and get better the more we teach it.
