KISD Secondary Science Newsletter

Welcome back, science teachers, to another exciting school year! As we prepare for the months ahead, we are met with fresh challenges and opportunities: new standards to navigate, new instructional resources to explore, and a new group of students eager to learn.

The importance of your role cannot be overstated. Teachers are the number one factor in a student's learning and achievement. Your dedication, creativity, and expertise shape the future, guiding young minds to explore, question, and discover the wonders of science.

Curriculum and Instruction department will focus this year on the 3 C’s: Content, Consistency, and Coaching. We have new instructional resources to teach our curriculum, and we will implement them consistently, monitor progress, and support you through coaching. Dr. Crayton, Assistant Superintendent of C&I, has shared this quote: "Discipline leads to habits. Habits lead to consistency. Consistency leads to growth."

Thank you for your commitment to science! Here’s to a year of growth, discovery, and success for both you and your students. Don't kill the wonder! Welcome back!

Sandra

TEA Releases Science TEKS Guide

The TEA Science Curriculum Team has launched the Science TEKS Guide. This tool will help provide a consistent and clear interpretation of the new science TEKS so that all science educators in Texas have the same understanding of the standards. To access this resource, use the dropdown menu to select science and the grade level.

New! TEKS Guide 101 Recording is Now Available

TEA has released a recording of one of the TEKS Guide 101 webinars held this summer. The Science TEKS Guide 101 sessions are designed to provide educators an introduction to the components of the Science TEKS Guide so they can learn how to integrate it as a planning tool. Access the recording here, and find the slide deck here.

TEA has released a resource—Recurring Themes and Concepts Question Prompts. This tool will help students connect scientific ideas across disciplines with intentional questions. You can also dive deeper into how these themes apply to both scientists and engineers here.

Key Changes in Forms of Energy:

Elementary

• Kindergarten–Grade 2: Forms of energy have been split between grade levels. Kindergarten focuses on light energy, while Grade 1 introduces thermal energy through heat, and Grade 2 focuses on sound energy.

• Grade 1: *1.8A is included for connection. Heat is the transfer of thermal energy, not a form of energy. Thermal energy is formally introduced in grade 3.

Middle School

• Grade 6: Kinetic energy is formally introduced. The types of potential energy are differentiated.

• Grade 7: Kinetic energy is linked to temperature.

High School

• Physics: Students now study light in more detail, including an exploration of quantum mechanics.

• IPC: There is a focus on practical and engineering applications of the scientific concepts studied. Students now study how light is produced.

TEKS in Focus: Forms of Energy

https://www.texasassessment.gov/practice-tests.html

High School Science Teachers: If you are offering review sessions for your December 2024 Biology EOC retesters, please be sure to familiarize yourself with the blueprint and assessed curriculum. Links are provided below.

December 2024 Retest-Biology EOC Blueprint

December 2024 Retest-Biology EOC Assessed Curriculum

STAAR Science 8 -Spring 2025 Assessed Curriculum (Transition Year)

Biology EOC- Spring 2025 Assessed Curriculum (Transition Year)

STAAR Science 8-Spring 2025 Blueprint

Biology EOC-Spring 2025 Blueprint

Students analyze and interpret data to drive meaning, identify patterns, and discover relationships or correlations that can be used as evidence when developing arguments or evaluating designs.

1. How does interpreting data help me make sense of what I am learning?

2. How does organizing and analyzing data help me connect what I'm learning to the real world.

3. How can I use the data I organize and analyze as evidence to make a claim?

4. How can I use data to identify or verify trends?

The K-8 recurring themes and concepts strand introduces and spirals the recurring themes throughout each grade level's Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). In high school, the recurring themes and concepts connections are addressed more broadly to include structure and function, systems, models, and patterns. The high school course introductions explain that all systems have basic properties that can be described in space, time, energy, and matter. Change and constancy occur in systems as patterns and can be observed, measured, and modeled. Models have limitations but provide a tool for understanding the ideas presented. Scientists and engineers analyze a system in terms of its components and how they relate to each other, the whole, and the external environment

Scientists and engineers develop evidence-based explanations and communicate findings, conclusions, and proposed solutions. This resource addresses the development and justification of scientific explanations and engineering design solutions as a means for engaging respectfully in argumentation using applied scientific explanations and empirical evidence. Reasoning and argument are essential for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of a line of thought, the best explanation of a phenomenon, or the best solution to a problem.

The following actions and strategies can be observed during class, incorporated into lesson plans, or reflected in student work. This is Part 1 of an observation tool designed for campus leaders and teachers to guide and enhance effective science instruction.

Instructional Focus:

Learning Experiences are . . .

• Aligned to the standards associated with the content focus of the lesson

• Centered on at least one phenomenon or problem

• Motivated by students figuring out the phenomena or solving the problems

• Structured to facilitate students making connections to and building understanding of the current content or phenomenon

• Based in real-world situations that engage learners in experiences specific to the phenomenon/problem

• Grounded in scientifically accurate information and data

https://sites.google.com/savvas.org/savvas-tx-science/

NASA is calling on middle and high school students to join the fourth NASA TechRise Student Challenge, which invites student teams to submit ideas for science and technology experiments to fly on a commercial high-altitude balloon. Students in grades 6–12 attending a U.S. public, private, or charter school — including those in U.S. territories — are challenged to team up with their schoolmates to design an experiment under the guidance of an educator. Administered by Future Engineers, the challenge offers participants hands-on insight into the payload design and suborbital flight test process, with the goal of inspiring a deeper understanding of space exploration, Earth observation, coding, electronics, and the value of test data. The challenge opens at the beginning of August, and teams should submit their experiment ideas by the challenge deadline on November 1, 2024.

A total of 60 winning teams will be selected to build their proposed experiment. Each winning team will receive $1,500 to build their experiment, a flight box to build it, and an assigned spot to test their experiment on a NASA-sponsored high-altitude balloon flight. Winning teams will also receive technical support from Future Engineers advisors, who will help students learn the skills needed to turn their experiment ideas into reality. No experience is necessary to join the NASA TechRise Challenge! To learn more about this exciting opportunity and how to get involved as a student, educator, or judge, visit the NASA TechRise Student Challenge page.

The Center for the Success of English Learners (CSEL) is a National Research and Development Center funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, to improve secondary education for English learners (ELs).

CSEL Science is hoping to recruit 4–6 science teachers at the 7th and/or 9th grade levels in each district that is interested in participating during the 2024–2025 school year. There is no cost for districts to participate; each participating teacher will receive a $1,800 stipend for implementing CSEL science methods for approximately 12 weeks.

The CSEL Science program focuses on developing the science knowledge and skills of secondary-level English learners and their English-proficient classmates. The methods used in CSEL have been validated as effective in experimental studies for both English learners and their English-proficient classmates. CSEL Science is aligned with state science standards and each district's scope and sequence.

For more information about CSEL Science, see the CSEL Science website. The information includes teacher and district benefits, teacher participation, science design principles, science resources, teacher testimonials, and teacher survey results.

Table Texting is a fun way for students to interact with each other through written expression. It can be used with any piece of text or topic. Students love it because they feel like they are getting away with “passing notes” or texting in class. It is a different strategy you can use to help mix up your instruction.

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.