Rigorous! Challenging! Engaging!

ABOUT THE SERIES:
Too often students’ curiosity is dampened when science education is seen as reading a chapter in a textbook and answering the questions at the end. These units use standards as the focal point but open the door to exploration, student engagement, and thinking scientifically because Science as a discipline is about questioning, investigating, solving problems and discovering how the world and the things in it work. Learning experiences are rigorous, yet not overwhelming.

The units provide opportunities to explore the scientific knowledge to question, probe, problem solve, and communicate with others.

The units are based on A Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2012) and The Next Generation Science Standards (May 2012 Draft: NRC, 2012). The teaching model is well grounded in research. It includes problem solving, exploring student interest, consensus building, and authenticity

Each unit in the book includes (a) an overview of the unit, (b) four hands-on inquiry lessons, written in a step-by-step fashion for the teacher, (c) a choice summative menu with a rubric for students to self-grade and for teachers to use in the final grading of the unit, (d) an extension menu, and (e) a scaffold and support document as well as notes for older and/or younger students giving teachers all of the information they need to adjust the units to their students’ needs, as well as their school, district, and state requirements. The authors provide the Common Core Standards most applicable to the units.

This book contains 3 units: Life Cycles, Classification, and Ecosystems. Grades 3–6.