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You
are here: The Need for High Quality Science Instruction
For Pre-K through 5th Graders
by Elaine Woo
Introduction
Report after report speaks to the urgency of helping our students become scientifically literate, yet, science is not viewed as a core subject at the elementary grades. If Pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students do not begin to construct conceptual understanding, practice and learn basic science process skills, and begin to develop an understanding of scientific inquiry, they cannot be prepared to succeed in middle school or high school science. This early foundation is essential for our nation's children to become scientifically literate in their adult lives. In Before It's Too Late, A Report to the Nation from the National Commission of Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, Senator John Glenn and other authors say, "In an age driven by the relentless necessity of scientific and technological advance, the current preparation that students in the United States receive in mathematics and science is, in a word, unacceptable." (September 2000) In the winter of 2001, the Commission on National Security for the 21st Century writes, "…the inadequacies of our systems of research and [science and mathematics] education pose a greater threat to U.S. national security over the next quarter century than any potential conventional war that we might imagine." [1]
The National Science Education Standards were published in 1996 to help our nation achieve its goal that ALL students will achieve scientific literacy, so that they are prepared more adequately for the rapidly changing workforce and to ensure that they will become responsible, informed citizen. This goal applies to ALL students, not just those at the secondary levels. Traditionally, science has been an accepted course of study in the secondary levels, which now usually includes sixth through twelfth grades. As a society, we are not all so accepting that science must be a core subject for Pre-K through the fifth grades. In order to prepare for secondary science, students must have science as a core subject in all the elementary grades, often including Pre-K for those who attend. Just as young children must begin to learn reading and mathematics early on, in an equivalent way, they need to experience developmentally appropriate science investigations in an ongoing manner and over several years in order to construct an understanding of grand ideas such as plate tectonics, the periodic table of elements, or DNA in the secondary levels. [2] Minorities and girls particularly need to have these experiences early on if they are to stay in the pipeline of science study at the secondary and college levels.[3]
Shifting into the New Paradigm
In order to help elementary students succeed, teachers must be prepared to teach inquiry-based science. There is a critical need for professional development support for teachers and administrators in providing high quality, standards-based science education in the Pre-K through fifth grades. In Science Magazine, Greenwood and North write, "While our world has moved on to ever more science and technology dependence, the basic education we provide for our children has handicapped them by not keeping pace in curriculum or pedagogy." [4] In addition, Pre-K through fifth-grade teachers are usually generalists and teach a number of subjects; science is a subject they are least prepared to teach. Fewer than 10% of first through fourth-grade teachers have even an undergraduate minor in science or science education. Even in middle school, fewer than 20% of the teachers of science are undergraduate science majors. [5]
There are some successful efforts and a highly effective model that can help districts in their work to meet the goals in science that our nation has defined. In the last fifteen years, the National Science Resources Center (NSRC), sponsored by the Smithsonian and the National Academy of Sciences, has researched best practices for implementing standards-based science. They have found through their research that the following elements must be in place in order to provide high quality standards-based science instruction. If any one element is missing, the quality of science education will not be as successful.
Through a Local Systemic Change Grant from the National Science Foundation, Seattle School District's educators have been implementing a district-wide K-5 science program that has followed this researched model. The grant efforts began in August 1996 and will come to a close in August 2002. The goal was to develop systemic change that would increase student achievement and build scientific literacy.
The program now serves over 23,000 children and more than 1000 teachers in the 71 Seattle elementary schools and nine elementary schools outside of the public school system and outside the city. With the Local Systemic Change Grant efforts, Seattle's schools have been supported with the five components required for maintaining strong science instruction.
1. High Quality Curriculum
The science units meet the District, State, and National Science Education Standards.
There are eighteen hands-on, inquiry-based science units from three different publishers.
Units provide a balance of physical, life, and earth/space science as well as a continuum of content knowledge and skills reinforced throughout the elementary years.
Emphasis is on exploration, experimentation, data collection, recording, communication, and expository writing.
These materials are working well in all schools including those with high levels of poverty, alternative schools, and schools and programs with students categorized as highly capable.
2. Sustained Professional Development
Classroom teachers have participated in 100 hours of professional development. They attend:
Summer Institutes focused on guided inquiry, the learning cycle, grade level science units, and science content.
Initial Use classes for implementing the units.
Subtle Shifts, Lesson Observations, Data Analysis, and Science Notebooks classes as second level professional development.
Science Resource Teachers (SRTs) provide the professional development. They:
design and implement the professional development at both district and school levels.
support classroom instruction through modeling, co-teaching, monitoring student behaviors, making connections to other content areas, and responding to teacher requests.
receive their own professional development in cognitive coaching, facilitation and leadership skills, science content, and inquiry-based science pedagogy.
The Lead Teachers help provide the professional development. They:
Scientists teach the science content. They:
Linda Darling-Hammond stated in an interview, "In my policy research, I've seen how hundreds of curriculum reforms have failed because, where the rubber meets the road, no curriculum reform succeeds if teachers do not have the knowledge of the content and strategies to teach it well. It is the balance between deep knowledge of content and deep knowledge of children that leads to success." [6]
3. Dependable Materials Support
Under the leadership of a Materials Manager, the center refurbishes science units and delivers them to the schools. The goals of the center are to:
- search out free and readily available materials and match them to our needs.
- improve the materials to enhance the learning and/or the science content.
- organize materials in such a way that the kits will be easier to refurbish when returned.
- reduce the time teachers must spend setting up and putting away materials.
4. Assessment and Evaluation
All science units have embedded formative assessments and some have end-of-unit assessments. ITBS Science Assessments are implemented at the 5th grade.
Teachers provide feedback on evaluation forms after each workshop.
Outside evaluators from Inverness Research Associates, Inverness, California, visit program classes and participating sites and interview teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of the program's training and materials.
- The Science Resource Teachers are developing classroom-based assessments to be used with the units. In many cases, the assessments within the units are formalized. These are currently being piloted and will be ready for use in the school year 2002.
- The Science Resource Teachers have participated on state-level committees to help develop the upcoming Science WASL (Washington Assessment of Student Learning) that will be mandated in 2005.
5. Administrative and Community Support
- Principals and Central Office staff have participated in professional development and the Leadership Team Meetings.
- A Family Science Program provides information and events for parents and families at each school.
- Local and regional businesses, foundations and universities provide financial and volunteer help.
Since Seattle's teachers began to implement these five elements, the NSRC has expanded its efforts to help more districts other than those who attend the National Strategic Planning Institute in Washington, D.C. They now help in eight regions or states: Washington; Orange County, California; Oklahoma; Tri-State Region (New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, Southern Connecticut); Rhode Island; Southwestern Pennsylvania; Alabama; and South Carolina. These eight sites are called LASER sites; LASER stands for Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform. The new Washington State LASER organization, working in collaboration with the NSRC and supported by State Superintendent Terry Bergeson, helps districts learn about these five elements for grades K-8. Eighty-six districts in Washington have participated in the NSRC/LASER Strategic Planning Institutes, which provides substantial support to districts beginning the journey of science education reform. Washington State LASER has been sited as the model in the country and the leader for the other LASER sites.
The Literacy Connection
A number of educators feel that if children study science in the elementary grades, it will take time away from reading and prevent children from succeeding in reading and in other literacy skills. There is now more and more evidence showing that science enhances skills and motivation for reading and writing. The new science curriculum programs developed with funds from the National Science Foundation often provide or suggest reading materials after the students have completed a number of inquiry-based investigations with hands-on materials in the units. This is because children are successful in reading about a topic after experiencing the concepts through inquiry and in context. There is growing evidence that such curriculum combined with the use of trade books is improving reading, language arts, and other skills. 7]
The National Science Foundation has funded work in El Centro, California, which also indicates that science can help improve literacy skills. El Centro is one of California's poorest school districts. After four years in the inquiry-based science program, fourth and sixth graders are showing approximately 30% (NPR) gain in science, reading, and mathematics. There is an average of about 7-8% gain per year. This data also shows that El Centro's educators are reducing and closing the achievement gap among children qualifying for free and reduced lunch and those who do not and among children with limited English proficiency and those who are fluent in English. [8]
In Fresno, California, again with work funded by the National Science Foundation, educators helped some of the most underachieving elementary students make substantial gains in summer school where students spent two hours in an instructional reading program and one hour of science instruction followed by one hour of writing and reading about the science investigations. Teachers in the program had special, ongoing professional development before and during the summer school program focusing on literacy development and on the specific reading and science curriculum materials. Principals had professional development as well on how they could support the efforts of the teachers, students, and parents. Taking pre- and post- tests, students demonstrated growth both in science and literacy skills. One of the strongest gains was in fourth grade in a reading comprehension assessment where the students made a mean percentage gain of 37.4% in the five-week summer school. [9]
In Seattle, as in other areas where educators are taking substantial steps in science education reform, we are implementing strategies for helping students write about their science investigations in science notebooks. In Seattle, there is a focus on expository writing in the science notebooks with the following outcomes: enhanced student performance on state and district tests in science and expository writing, especially for underachieving students; increased reasoning and problem solving abilities; and improved skills in such expository forms as observation, comparison, explanation, and analysis. Through the continued professional development workshops, we help teachers further develop and strengthen their students' thinking and technical writing capabilities, which also will improve those skills in other content areas. We have seen substantial growth and success in this project over the last one and a half years. Learning to write through science holds much promise in helping our students gain literacy skills as well as deepen their understanding in science and further lay the foundation for becoming scientifically literate adults.
Notes:
[1] The National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, Before It's Too Late – A Report to the Nation, September 2000; The Commission on National Security for the 21st Century, Winter 2001.
[2]Lowery, Larry, How New Science Curriculums Reflect Brain Research, Educational Leadership, Volume 56, No.3, November 1998, p.29.
[3] AAUW Report, How Schools Shortchange Girls, Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, 1992; Clewell, Anderson, & Thorpe, Breaking the Barriers: Helping Female and Minority Students Succeed in Mathematics and Science, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1992.
[4] Greenwood, M.R.C. & North, Karen Kovacs, Science Through the Looking Glass: Winning the Battles But Losing the War?, Volume 286, No. 5447, December 10, 1999, pp. 2072.
[5] Greenwood, M.R.C. & North, Karen Kovacs, Science Through the Looking Glass: Winning the Battles But Losing the War?, Volume 286, No. 5447, December 10, 1999, pp. 2072.
[6] Goldberg, Mark, An Interview with Linda Darling-Hammond: Balanced Optimism, Phi Delta Kappan, Volume 82, No. 9, pp. 687-690, 2001.
[7] Lowery, Larry, How New Science Curriculums Reflect Brain Research, Educational Leadership, Volume 56, No. 3, November 1998, p. 28.
[8] Klentschy, Michael, El Centro, California: Case Study, Lead-Scientist Institute on K-8 Science Education Reform, The American Physical Society, Washington, D.C., January 7, 2002.
[9]Garcia, Paul A. & Spencer, Jeanette B., Evaluation Report for the 1998 Demonstration Summer School, Fresno Unified School District, September 1998.
Elaine Woo is the Project Director for the K-5 Inquiry-Based Science Program in the Seattle School District in Seattle, WA. You may contact her via email at ElaineWoo@aol.com.
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