SDUSD Science

March 2021

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Unified Science sparks curiosity and creativity, empowering the next generation to enact change in our local and global communities.

Science: bit.ly/sdusdscience

STEAM: bit.ly/sdusdsteam

Science Office Hours by appointment, please email smoynes@sandi.net

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Critical Concept Think Tanks: Secondary Science

Attention Middle School and High School Teachers!

Please join us to share ideas about how to refine our existing science critical concepts and proficiency scales.

March 24th 2:30-3:30pm Zoom Registration Link
May 18th 2:30-3:30pm Zoom Registration Link

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Celebrate DNA Day with Illumina this April

Throughout the month of April, classrooms and non-profit organizations from around the world will have the opportunity to connect with Illumina employees through the “Future is Bright” campaign to lead career chats, implement genomics curriculum, and even perform hands-on experiments from home. During a time where we are all apart, we are excited to bring this community together to inspire students about genomics wherever they are learning, whether you are in a classroom or at home. The next step is knowing how to get started…

We have attached a flyer with more information and you can find a list of FAQ’s here. Once you know if and how you want to participate, take our registration survey to let us know.

Opportunities include:

Inviting a genomics professional to speak to my group/class about their career
Receive a free Strawberry DNA Extraction CLASSROOM kit (32 experiments) or a single kit to demo for their students
Watch a LIVE Skype a Scientist session focused around DNA and Genomics
- How to Bring DNA & Genomics into my classroom (for teachers)
- Careers in Biotech (High School students)
- Crazy Cool DNA (Elementary students & families)
Access free genomics curriculum at DNA Decoded (high school curriculum)
Sign up for assorted virtual STEAM sessions through San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering (April 25 - May 1)

Key details and dates:

The registration survey should be filled out by the teacher, program coordinator, or educator who will be leading the students.
If you are interested in the hands on strawberry DNA activity, you MUST sign up prior to March 5th. Please note, supplies are limited and we suggest registering as early as possible. We will do our best to accommodate as many teachers as we can.

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2021 Teacher Workshops in Conservation Science Application is Open

Teacher Workshop Flyer | Apply/Register HERE!

This is the best workshop! If you haven't attended yet, you should consider it! If you have attended prior to 2015, they are inviting you back! Ask your principal for funds!

Any alum who has access to professional development funds can now attend TW again under our registration option! The registration fee is $2,000. Additionally, if you attended TW during or prior to 2015 you are eligible to apply for grant funding again, however keep in mind only a handful of spots are available for alum. If you aren’t sure what year you attended, just send us an email and we will look you up in our records. Applications close April 11th, 2021.

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When You Picture a Scientist, Who Do You See? A panel conversation on advancing diversity and inclusion in STEM.

Sponsored by ProQuest, Scientific American, ro*co films, and FILM PLATFORM

Scheduled for Wednesday, March 24 at 3:00pm

Join us for a candid conversation with world-renowned scientists on advancing diversity and inclusion in STEM. Register here!

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Scripps Community Outreach for Public Education

The Scripps Community Outreach for Public Education team (SCOPE) has just launched virtual tours of the Hubbs Hall Experimental Aquarium and the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier. These short YouTube videos (16 and 11 minutes, respectively) are an excellent introduction to some of the research conducted at Scripps and are intended for a public or student audience.

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Skype a Scientist

Skype a Scientist creates a database of thousands of scientists and helps them connect with teachers, classrooms, groups, and the public all over the globe. We want to give students the opportunity to get to know a real scientist and get the answers to their questions straight from the source.

https://www.skypeascientist.com/

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TK/K STEAM Training

TK/K Human Impact Project

March 16th 1-3 p.m.

Zoom Registration Link/Professional Learning Registration

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Virtual Dissection Software Access & Training

email smoynes@sandi.net if you don't have access yet.

Sign up for training 3/9 2-3pm Please register through Professional Learning

#14760 eMind Virtual Dissection Training

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Middle School: Amplify Science

Amplify PD

3/23 Back to Basics 1-3 pm Please register in Professional Learning #14766 Amplify Science Back to Basics
4/20 Amplify AssessmentsPlease register in Professional Learning #14765 Amplify Science Assessments

Please help Amplify improve their assessments by completing this 10-15 min assessment survey. Amplify will take all teacher feedback into account and very much appreciates you taking the time to complete the survey.

Amplify February Newsletter

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Scholarships Available for Birch Aquarium at Scripps Virtual School Programs!

Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography is proud to offer financial aid for students in need so that all students may have access to high-quality virtual science programming. We connect your PreK-12 students to our ocean planet through our virtual experiential learning programs, where students meet and observe ocean organisms, explore and analyze data about changing conditions in ocean habitats, or ask questions about aquarium careers and current conservation issues.

Our programs are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and designed to be engaging for students joining virtually from their home or classroom.
Programs are 30 to 45 minutes long and are available Monday through Friday.
Learn more about our programs and apply for financial aid on our website. Most schools in Southern California with a Title 1 status or other need will receive full support and are encouraged to apply.

Now Posted: New CAST Practice Test Constructed Response Annotated Examples

The California Science Test (CAST) practice test constructed response annotated example guides for grades 5, 8, and high school have been posted! These documents are intended for use in conjunction with the companion CAST practice test scoring guides.

The new examples provide the prompts, rubrics with exemplars, and scored student responses with annotations. Each of the guides contains two constructed-response prompts, and each prompt has nine sample answers — three at each score point (i.e., 2, 1, and 0). Educators can use these examples to assist them as they develop their own constructed-response items for use in their classrooms. In addition, educators and students, working together, can use these examples to help students better understand how to respond to CAST constructed-response items.

To access both the new practice test constructed response annotated examples and the practice test scoring guides, visit the CAASPP Online Practice Test Scoring Guides and Directions for Administration web page.