KISD Secondary Science Newsletter

Happy October, Science Educators!

As the air turns crisp, let’s channel the spirit of curiosity this season brings. It’s the perfect time to explore new ideas, deepen learning, and foster meaningful learning experiences for our students.

October also reminds us to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month—a time to celebrate strength, promote awareness, and inspire hope through science, knowledge, and community.

Sandra

TEKS in Focus highlights key concepts and student expectations to assist educators in implementing the science Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). A clear understanding of the changes taking place in science TEKS for the 2024 school year can directly impact student success. TEKS in Focus will highlight those changes along a vertical continuum from elementary school to high school for specific key concepts.

The elementary science TEKS for force and motion significantly increased rigor from previous TEKS, moving pushes and pulls with magnets to kindergarten and investigation of forces to grade 1. In middle school, each grade level focuses on one of Newton’s laws, and grade 8 investigates the three laws together. High school physics now studies Newton’s laws as separate student expectations, and Integrated Physics and Chemistry (IPC) studies the four fundamental forces. Download the full TEKS in Focus, October edition, for a complete view of the vertical changes within the study of force and motion.

The Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Guide defines phenomena (the plural of phenomenon) as naturally occurring, detectable events observable through the senses.

Do you know how many times phenomena are mentioned in the Science TEKS? These grade bands mention phenomena multiple times.

• Kindergarten through Grade 5: 9 times
• Grade 6 through Grade 8: 10 times
• Biology: 7 times

Why Phenomena?

In our new science standards students must be able to explain, ask questions, define problems, and describe and represent phenomena. So why are phenomena in the Science TEKS such a big deal?

As Activate Learning (2023) states, “By engaging with real-world phenomena and complex problems, students can develop a deeper understanding of science and engineering concepts and learn to apply them in new and meaningful ways.” (What is phenomena-based learning in STEM?)

Types of Phenomena

Phenomena can be anchoring, investigative, or everyday.

• Anchoring phenomena are phenomena that kick off a unit or scientific investigation.
  • Example: If I were starting a unit on the physical properties of matter with a focus on states of matter, I might show them a short video of icebergs in Greenland and have them capture what they notice and wonder.
• Investigative phenomena often follow anchoring phenomena, where students test out some of their initial questions and make observations.
  • Example: Perhaps one of the questions posed by the iceberg video is whether an iceberg can float the same in salt and non-salt water. Students then plan, conduct an investigation, and gather data.
• Everyday phenomena occur in our daily lives and can be explained through science.
  • Example: Types of weather, reflection of light, and volcanic eruptions are everyday phenomena.

Providing opportunities for students to engage in these phenomena reinforces skills in observing, questioning, conducting investigations, and making connections.

Ways to Get Students Working with Phenomena

Sometimes, phenomena occur in our daily lives and spark a conversation, like everyday phenomena. When it comes to anchoring and investigating phenomena, creating a plan and setting aside dedicated time can significantly enhance their impact on student understanding.

Beardsley, C. (n.d.). Discovering the wonders of phenomena in the Science TEKS. ESC Region 13. https://www.esc13.net/blog/phenomena-in-science-teks
(Adapted from)

Below is a snapshot of First Nine Weeks District Science Data results.
As you review your own campus data, take time to reflect on these guiding questions to support intentional planning, reteach, and spiraling for mastery.

💡 Reflect & Plan

• Have you planned or completed your reteach lessons?

• Biology & 8th Grade teachers: Are you using Lowman Warm-Ups daily to reinforce key skills?

• What are your plans to spiral and retest for mastery?

🔁 Reteach with Purpose

• What reteach strategies will directly address the specific misconceptions identified?

• How will you spiral previously missed skills into upcoming lessons or warm-ups?

• How will you use Lowman Warm-Ups or station rotations to target these TEKS?

• What will reteach look like for students who mastered vs. those who did not master the concept?

📈 Monitor Impact

• What evidence will show that your reteach worked?

• What timeline have you set for reteach, reassessment, and progress tracking?

Middle School Science

The 8th Grade Science STAAR is now called the Middle School (6-8) STAAR and it is administered in Grade 8. The test will include 28-30 questions and feature new question types such as: match table grid, inline choice and cluster items.

Additional Resources for 2025-2026:

Middle School Science Assessment-Eligible TEKS (Assessed Curriculum document)

Middle School Science Assessment STAAR Blueprint

Middle School Science Assessment STAAR Reference Materials (all MS students should keep a copy in their science notebooks).

Biology

The Biology EOC now reports across 4 strands instead of 5 reporting categories. The test has been reduced to 33-35. The Assessed Curriculum document outlines which student expectations are eligible to be assessed. Students will see a variety of question types: Drag and drop, hot spot, inline choice, match table grid, multipart, multiple choice, multiselect, short constructed response (SCR), text entry, and cluster question sets. Cluster question sets are composed of a stimulus (scenario with a graphic and/or data display) and 3–5 questions, each scored separately on the blueprint. Additional resource: Biology STAAR Blueprint

For additional information please visit: TEA Science Resources

1. The Tool for Expert Instructional Delivery:

• Teacher annotations are designed to be the tool for delivery. They provide teachers with a roadmap for implementing lessons effectively, ensuring that instruction is both intentional and impactful.
• Impactful annotations include time stamps, gradual release of responsibility, misconceptions, connections to themes or previously read texts, omissions, and genre characteristics. This process requires teachers to think deeply about their lessons, anticipate student needs, and make deliberate instructional choices.

2. Ensure Standards Alignment:

• Annotations help teachers be grounded in the K&S chart (Knowledge and Skills), ensuring that every lesson component directly connects to TEKS standards. This alignment keeps instruction focused on what students need to master and prevents instructional drift.

3. Prepare for Differentiation:

• One of the most valuable aspects of annotations is that they personalize the lesson for the teacher and students. By thoughtfully annotating, teachers can identify where to differentiate instruction based on their specific learners' needs, making the curriculum responsive rather than rigid.

4. Manage Pacing:

• Annotations assist with teacher pacing, helping educators allocate appropriate time to different lesson components. This prevents rushing through critical content or spending too much time on less essential elements, ensuring that instructional time is used strategically. Time stamping in science includes stamping within the lesson (minutes) and from lesson to lesson (days).

  
  

Round 1: Become familiar with the lesson

• DO the science. Note any adjustments needed for lesson delivery. (materials, facilitation strategies, student grouping, timing, etc.) Is there a part of the lesson you should practice before instruction (during PLC)?
• Identify focus SEP and RTC. How will you make these explicit to students? (How do students know when/why/how to use this SEP/RTC?)
• What do you need to prep in advance to be ready for the lesson?
• Identify key moments to ask guiding questions. Script out question(s). Plan opportunities for discourse, including strategy/strategies.
• Identify big ideas students are figuring out. Plan checks-for-understanding. (How will you know what students know?)

Round 2: Identify/address barriers

• What are potential barriers to student learning (background knowledge, prior experience, language supports, etc.)
• What supports/strategies could be used to address barriers?

Ideally, complete Round 1 on your own as pre-work (after having gone through the process in PLCs a few times). Then during PLC share your annotations with your colleagues during Round 1 and discuss and do Round 2 during PLC.

Also, please not that a “lesson” in science (e.g., one 5E lesson) typically takes several days to complete. For internalization purposes, you may focus on one or two days of instruction at a time so that it isn’t too overwhelming or time-consuming during PLC. You might consider the 5E lesson as a small unit and each “E” as one part of the lesson. It is important for you to understand the big picture/lesson flow first and then can dig into internalizing each part of the 5E lesson/”unit.”

As you are completing your annotations, see if any of the following opportunities are included for students to experience. If not, is there a way you can add a few of these for students to engage in?

Clarity before instruction creates consistency during instruction! Take a few minutes to watch the following video on how Know & Show charts bring focus and intentionality to lesson internalization in science.

This simple yet powerful technique invites students to pause after five to ten minutes of learning—whether from a video, reading, or discussion—and jot down the key ideas they remember. Writing immediately after learning helps solidify new content, boosts retention, and gives teachers quick insight into students’ understanding.

Consider:

• When during your lesson could this quick reflection make the most impact?

• What prompts might guide students to capture big ideas rather than details?

• How could you use their notes to check comprehension or address misconceptions?

Small shifts like this can make a big difference in helping students process and own their learning.

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

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

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September 2025: https://secure.smore.com/n/vhcfwp

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.