@SDUSDScience

Science: bit.ly/sdusdscience

STEAM: bit.ly/sdusdsteam

This month we are proud to be able to release our updated Science Critical Concepts. This special mid-year update is only happening in Science and is specifically in response to your feedback. In future years Science Critical Concepts will be updated at the end of the school year along with the other content areas. Here is a Screencast Overview of the Updates

• 6th grade Critical Concepts 2022

• 7th Grade Critical Concepts 2022

• 8th grade Critical Concepts 2022

• Bio:LE Critical Concepts 2022

• ChemES Critical Concepts 2022

• PhysU Critical Concepts 2022

Key Changes include:

1. The Science and Engineering Practices have been separated out from the content and given their own Proficiency Scale, allowing for greater flexibility.

2. Language has been simplified to "I can" Statements.

3. Critical Concepts and Level 3 "Claims" have been numbered for ease of referencing.

4. In some cases there have been updates to the number of critical concepts, in most cases they have been reordered, and all have been reformatted.

Updated portfolios, curriculum maps, aligned assessments and other support resources will be out as soon as possible.

Questions/ Comments/ Concerns? Submit this form: https://forms.gle/TWmDC8Xntx6JiveTA

If you would like to see more frequent updates on secondary science standards based grading, learning, and reporting, to help review resources, give input etc, please visit this document, which will be updated each Thursday

• Read the Amplify January Newsletter

• We would love to visit your classroom, learn from your work, and hear your feedback and wishes. Please contact Tali tlerner@sandi.net and we will visit you soon!

Check out the great work creating active learning ! Students are examining their own heart rate, looking at evidence, and working with a model of the human body.

Share photos and other exciting news from your class with us! We would love to feature it here, on our site and on social media.

Instructional Segments 4 and 5 have been added to the course. Instructional Segment 6 is coming soon!

The Volcanic Hazards module engages students in modeling tephra fallout from volcanic eruptions and analyzing the risk tephra poses to people and places near the volcano. Tephra is composed of glass fragments produced when magma from a volcano cools very quickly.

Students use a block-based programming tool called GeoCoder to write code to input, iterate, and investigate the effect of environmental variables such as wind speed, wind direction, and Volcanic Explosivity (VEI) on tephra distribution outputs. Students gain an understanding of how each factor influences the location and thickness of tephra fallout.

The material comes with pre- and post-tests, teacher support materials, NGSS standards alignment, a code cheatsheet, and much more!

https://concord.org/blog/geocode-volcanic-hazards-module-released-to-the-public/

Spend two weeks in Washington, DC, working with education and STEAM experts to explore the connections between informal STEAM education and authentic learning. Propose and develop goals for your own professional development, gain the skills to incorporate museum learning into your practice, and meet colleagues from around the country. There is no cost for teachers to participate and most expenses are paid by the Museum.

The National Air and Space Museum's Teacher Innovator Institute (TII) will welcome up to 10 teachers from across the United States in Summer 2022. Teachers will remain with the program for two summers, returning to Washington, DC, in year two to reconnect, develop their practice, and mentor the newest class of Teacher Innovators.

https://airandspace.si.edu/learn/educator-resources/teacher-innovator-institute

Here is the landing page for SDCWA assembly shows: https://showsthatteach.com/sdcwa-2/

Teachers guide for virtual show

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PiMb8d0KITmUkBgZsP3s446n4QGGjfjx9aDNDPWCBa4/edit

Here are the preshow videos: http://startwithheart.populr.me/pre-water-assembly-videos

and Post-show: http://startwithheart.populr.me/post-water-assembly-videos

Watch this video to see what X-STEM is all about.

When: April 19, 2022, 9:30AM-2:00PM

Where: San Diego Convention Center

Who Should Attend: Middle & High School Students (grades 6-12)

How to Attend: Advance Registration is Required - there is NO COST to attend.

REGISTER and Learn More HERE

Parking for school buses is FREE

Classroom Connections:

An opportunity for direct-to-classroom support and engagement. This year the San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering will pick classroom clusters at different grade levels to cultivate STEAM excitement and to provide resources that many classrooms go without. Sponsors and community partners will have the opportunity to pick one or multiple classrooms as a part of this program. As part of the matching process, they will be guided with some curriculum ideas to create project kits for each student in the classroom. The program delivery will take place between March 14 – April 15. Depending on the COVID-19 protocols of the schools this spring, employee volunteers will have the opportunity to deliver the lessons in-person or virtually to the classes.

San Diego Science Festival | San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering

The 2021 Virtual Festival will take place March 5-13.

Please help the OpenSciEd curriculum writing team choose the best phenomena for a future unit about Momentum that will be piloted next year. OpenSciEd is building phenomena based open resources for MS and HS teachers and some of our teachers are testing them as well.

Survey link

You are invited to a free PD for high school biology teachers and middle school life science teachers on Saturday, February 5, 9-12 AM EST. Our Zoom PD will include:

Session 1 – ~9-10:45

• The Genetics of Sickle Cell Anemia and Sickle Cell Trait – How One Gene Affects Multiple Characteristics (https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/bioactivities/geneticsSCA)

• Gene Editing with CRISPR-Cas – A Cure for Severe Sickle Cell Anemia? (https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/bioactivities/GeneEdit)

Session 2 – ~10:45-12

• Soap Opera Genetics – Genetics to Resolve Family Arguments (https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/bioactivities/SoapOperaGenetics)

If you plan to attend, please register by filling out the form at https://forms.gle/B7G7DZP54e8qRcA49. Please register by Monday, January 31.

Please note: hours are mentioned in EST, the hours in California are 6am-9am

Science Friday Educate has a set of GoogleDoc assignments that can be easily assigned via Google Classroom or emailed to students directly.

Science Friday Remote Learning Kit

SDCOE Units of Study

Facing educator shortages? Looking for flexible options for your class, or schoolwide lesson plans? Take a look at the units SDCOE wrote. https://bit.ly/SDCOE-Learn

Exposure to STEM careers increases a student’s likelihood to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Encourage your students to pursue a career in STEM by bringing an Amazon professional to the classroom. Our Class Chat volunteers will share their personal career story and insight into work in tech and answer your students' career questions. Class Chats are free, live, interactive, and available to everyone.

https://www.amazonfutureengineer.com/classchats

Welcome back to school! Salk Institute has been eagerly awaiting the return to school and our SciChats @ Salk. SciChats are a free and unique opportunity to bring a scientist into your classroom virtually. SciChats’ mission is to function as an interactive learning experience for students and a hands-on communication exercise for scientists.

Your students will be able to learn about current research, what life looks like as a scientist, and how they too can become a scientist. If you and your students are interested in a specific topic, let us know! We might have the perfect fit for you.

Request a SciChat for your classroom or alternative learning here: https://bit.ly/scichat2021

If you have additional questions, please reach out through our email, education@salk.edu

Every year North Island Credit Union acknowledges exceptional students through their scholarship program. This year they are awarding 10 scholarships of $1000 each! Please see the information below if you would like to apply.

• Resident of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego or Orange Counties OR a North Island Credit Union member/dependent of a member who may live outside of our core service area
• Graduating high school senior enrolling into a two- or four-year college OR community college student transferring into a four-year university
• Minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA)
• Evidence of community and/or school involvement

Selection criteria include academic performance, school or community involvement, a letter of recommendation, and an essay submission.

For more information click here.

Applications are available through Friday, April 8, 2022. Interested students can apply at northisland.ccu.com/studentscholarship.

I have an RNA joke, but it might get lost in translation.

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• Learn what is going on with PBL in our district. Click here to check out the newsletter and "follow" to subscribe!

• Instructional Technology Department http://bit.ly/sdusdtechtips