KISD Secondary Science Newsletter

Hello, Science Team!

April is here, bringing both STAAR testing season and the rainy days that promise blooming flowers in May. As we near the end of the school year, we are wrapping up instruction on our new science standards. This is also a great time to reflect on our teaching practices and explore ways to improve for the next school year. Stay focused—we’re in the home stretch!

Sandra

Earth Day is observed annually on April 22 to honor and protect our planet. Please check out some valuable resources (links below) and plan to celebrate with your students.

• EPA Earth Day Resources: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers information and tools to help individuals and organizations participate in Earth Day initiatives.​

Earth Day is a time to honor and appreciate the beauty of our planet while inspiring meaningful action to protect it. This Earth Month Calendar offers a variety of engaging, educational activities throughout April. Each day features a unique theme and includes resources and activities tailored to different grade levels. Please click on calendar for more information.

On April 25th, National DNA Day commemorates the 1953 publication of the DNA double helix structure by James Watson and Francis Crick.

National DNA Day:

• Purpose: To commemorate the 1953 publication in the journal Nature by James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin, and their colleagues, which detailed the structure of DNA.

• Website: National Human Genome Research Institute (.gov)

• Activities: The National Human Genome Research Institute (.gov) organizes events and activities to promote DNA science education and awareness.

The following blueprints indicate the TEKS that are assessed on the 4th 9-Weeks Benchmark Assessments.

Please note that the Biology 4th 9-Weeks Benchmark Blueprint has been revised as of April 2025.

A mini-professional development session will be offered each quarter to support science teaching and learning in the classroom. Click on image below to watch the video.

Summary Salad is a collaborative summarization activity that engages students in identifying, discussing, and sequencing the most important ideas from a reading passage. Working first in pairs and then in groups of four, students create summary cards, mix them together, and use guided discussion prompts (R-E-S-P-E-C-T) to evaluate and select the best six cards. The process concludes with students writing individual summaries based on the collaboratively chosen cards.

Purpose:
To deepen comprehension, promote academic discussion, and support writing through cooperative summarization.

Instructions:

1. READ:

Students buddy read (take turns whispering) the assigned text with a partner.

2. SUMMARIZE:

Work together to create 6 separate cards that summarize the most important ideas.

3. MIX:

Join another pair to form a SQUARE (4 students) and mix the 12 cards together, like a salad.

4. PICK SIX:

Collaborate, discuss, and negotiate to pick out the 6 BEST cards to summarize the text, using the R-E-S-P-E-C-T discussion starters below.

5. SEQUENCE:

Work together to sequence the 6 best cards into an appropriate, logical order.

6. WRITE:

Individually create a written summary using the 6 best cards.

September 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/5vb9h

October 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/1jray

November/December 2024: https://secure.smore.com/n/bf09kq

January 2025: https://secure.smore.com/n/fp1uq

February 2025: https://secure.smore.com/n/z5pn7

March 2025: https://secure.smore.com/n/audpr

Hello, I am Sandra Marcussen the District Instructional Specialist for Secondary Science. I'm excited to help you in any way that you need. You can reach me at sandra.marcussen@killeenisd.org, text at 254-371-9692 or call my desk phone at 254-336-0300.