3rd Grade - Gateway 1

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet expectations that they are designed to elicit direct, observable evidence of the three-dimensional learning in the instructional materials.

Materials consistently provide three-dimensional learning objectives for each unit and include a table that provides the elements of the three dimensions that constitute the learning objectives for the unit. Each unit includes a post-assessment with five to six questions on the unit content. Additional summative assessments are taken from student work produced during individual lessons. These are typically student responses in their journals, but also include additional activities, such as a product prototype. In several instances, the materials cite whole class discussions or group activities as summative assessments, but those miss the opportunity for individual students to demonstrate their understanding of the three dimensions. While each unit includes a table that identifies the summative assessments, it is often difficult to distinguish what is an instructional activity, what is an assessment, and which assessments are formative vs. summative. 

Overall, the assessment system does not assess several of the elements associated with the learning goals. Additionally, many summative assessment tasks miss the opportunity to connect to the targeted three-dimensional learning objectives and do not assess any of the targeted objectives.

Examples where the materials provide three-dimensional learning objectives for the learning sequence, but summative tasks do not measure student achievement of all of the targeted three-dimensional learning objectives:

• In Grade 3, Forces and Interactions, the three-dimensional learning objective comprises 12 elements. Assessments include a unit Summative Assessment and various work products collected during instruction, primarily journal entries. The Summative Assessment is divided into three sections designed to be administered at three points during the unit. Students analyze data on a toy car’s movement to determine which solution to the problem of a dangerous and difficult to use wheelchair ramp is best (DCI-PS2.A-E2, CCC-PAT-E2), design an investigation to find out why a soccer ball is difficult to kick on a field (SEP-INV-E1), model why mowing a field would have an effect on the ball’s motion (DCI-PS2.A-E1, DCI-PS2.B-E1), develop an investigation question about magnets (SEP-AQDP-E3), and develop a model for why a magnet makes paper clips move without touching them (DCI-PS2.B-E2, CCC-CE-E1). Many questions in the summative assessment address elements not present in the learning objectives. In Lessons 4C and 4D, students ask investigation questions about the effect a surface’s texture has on motion (SEP-AQDP-E3) and plan and conduct an investigation to collect evidence to support their answer (DCI-PS2.A-E1, DCI-PS2.B-E1, SEP-INV-E1, and SEP-INV-E3). Students analyze their data to explain the effects of different materials (CCC-CE-E1, CCC-PAT-E2). Across the remaining assessments, the materials miss the opportunity to assess SEP-AQDP-E5 and CCC-CE-E2.

• In Grade 3, Life Cycles and Survival in an Ecosystem, the three-dimensional learning objectives comprise 23 elements. Assessments include a unit Summative Assessment and various work products collected during instruction, primarily journal entries. The Summative Assessment includes seven questions and is administered at the end of the unit. Students compare the life cycles of different animals (DCI-LS1.B-E1), analyze data to make a claim about the effects of runoff on plants (DCI-LS2.C-E1, SEP-DATA-E2, SEP-ARG-E4, SEP-CEDS-E2, and CCC-CE-E1), and answer a question about fossils (DCI-LS4.A-E2). In Lesson 2B, students use a text to explain how adaptations and living in a group can help an organism survive in its environment (DCI-LS2.D-E1, DCI-LS4.C-E1). In Lesson 4C, students describe which of a frog’s traits are inherited and which are influenced by the environment and how the traits help the frog survive (DCI-LS3.A-E1, DCI-LS3.A-E2, DCI-LS3.B-E2, and DCI-LS4.B-E1). In Lesson 5C, students predict what would happen to a deer population if there were a forest fire (DCI-LS2.C-E1, DCI-LS4.C-E1, SEP-CEDS-E2, CCC-CE-E1, and CCC-SYS-E2). Across the remaining assessments, the materials assess SEP-MOD-E4 and CCC-SYS-E2, but miss the opportunity to assess several CCCs.

• In Grade 3, Weather, Climate, and Natural Hazards, the three-dimensional learning objective comprises eight elements. Assessments include a unit Summative Assessment and various work products collected during instruction, primarily journal entries. The summative assessment includes nine questions and is administered at the end of the unit. Students analyze weather data to make claims and predictions about the weather (DCI-ESS2.D-E1, CCC-PAT-E2), identify climate based on weather patterns (DCI-ESS2.D-E2), and explain how to reduce the impact of hurricanes (DCI-ESS3.B-E1). In Lesson 2B, students use a model to explain how the position of the sun causes changes in temperature (CCC-CE-E1). In Lesson 6B, students use information from several texts to develop a model that explains what causes snow and what causes freezing rain (SEP-INFO-E4). The remaining assessments miss the opportunity to assess SEP-DATA-E1and SEP-ARG-E6. 

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet expectations that phenomena and/or problems drive individual lessons or activities using key elements of all three dimensions.

The materials provide multiple lessons that use phenomena or design challenges to drive student learning and engage with all three dimensions. The majority of lessons, however, are not driven by a phenomenon or design challenge. In instances where there is a phenomenon present but it does not drive learning, the phenomenon is only addressed at the beginning and, sometimes, the end of the lesson, and the activities in the lesson are not directly connected to explaining the phenomenon. When a phenomenon or design challenge does not drive learning or is not present, the lessons are typically driven by a science concept or disciplinary core idea, and a few are driven by an activity. When a phenomenon or problem drives the lesson, students consistently engage with the three dimensions as they develop explanations or solutions.

Phenomena and design challenges are presented in several ways including anchoring problems and design challenges that span multiple activities and lessons within a unit, activity level phenomena and design challenges that span a few lessons within an activity, and phenomena that are present at only the lesson level.

Examples where phenomena or problems drive student learning and engage students with all three dimensions:

• In Grade 3, Weather, Climate, and Natural Hazards, Activity 2, Lesson 2B: Variations in Air Temperature, the phenomenon driving learning is that temperature varies at different times during the same day. In this lesson, students work to build an understanding of why temperature changes throughout the day based on how much direct or indirect light from the sun there is (DCI-ESS1.B-E1). Students analyze data to observe the relationship between sunlight and temperature (SEP-DATA-E2) and compare and contrast data collected by different groups in order to discuss similarities and differences in their findings (SEP-DATA-E3). Students research and develop a model to represent how the sun's position relative to the earth affects how the sun heats up a specific location (SEP-MOD-E6). Students observe their models and use evidence about direct and indirect light to try to explain why it would be hotter at some times of day versus others (CCC-PAT-E3).

• In Grade 3, Weather, Climate, & Natural Hazards, Activity 2, Lesson 2C: Variations in Air Temperature, the phenomenon driving learning is that the temperature along the shore is cooler than the temperature further inland. In this lesson, students work to build an understanding of why temperature is different in different places based on direct/indirect light from the sun using models of the rotation and orbits of the sun and earth (DCI-ESS1.B-E1). Students investigate how the same amount of energy will raise the temperature of different materials by different amounts due to the properties of the materials being heated (DCI-ESS2.D-M1). Students use a model to observe how the sun affects the temperature of various materials (SEP-MOD-E4), collect evidence from their models to build an explanation for why the temperature is different in different places (SEP-INV-E3), and investigate how materials that are heated by the same amount of energy can cause changes in air temperatures (CCC-CE-E1).

• In Grade 3, Weather, Climate, and Natural Hazards, Activity 3, Lesson 3A: Air Has Pressure, Too!, the phenomenon driving learning is that water flows at a different rate out of three different vertically aligned holes in a milk jug. To make sense of the phenomenon, students collaboratively develop and share models to show what happens before, during, and after water flows out of a container with three vertically aligned holes (SEP-MOD-E4) and discuss the connections between air pressure and their observations. During a Science Talk, students discuss what causes water to gush out of the bottom hole faster and relate this to more weight pressing down on the water at the bottom hole versus less weight pressing down on the water near the top hole (DCI-PS2.A-M2, CCC-CE-P2). 

• In Grade 3, Forces and Interactions, Activity 1, Lesson 1B: Testing Motion: Toy Vehicle, the design challenge driving learning is to change the motion of an electric toy to go from the playroom to the kitchen and back with a load. In this lesson, students test, observe, and discuss the motion of a constant-velocity vehicle. Students discuss patterns that can be used to predict future motion (DCI-PS2.A-E2, DCI-PS2.B-E1). Then, students work with a team to brainstorm ideas that will help solve the design challenge (DCI-ETS1.B-E3). Students carry out a trial-and-error investigation to observe how the constant velocity vehicle moves and what happens when it strikes a wall or barrier (DCI-ETS1.B-E2, SEP-INV-E1). Students share ideas and notice that when a truck hits a wall the truck's direction changes. They use this information to predict what causes the truck to change direction, identify patterns in data that could be used to predict future motion, explain what happens when a variable is changed, and apply it to their solution (CCC-PAT-E2). 

Examples where phenomena or problems do not drive student learning:

• In Grade 3, Weather, Climate, and Natural Hazards, Activity 5, Lesson 5C: Where the Water Goes, a phenomenon or problem does not drive learning. Instead, an activity where students build a plastic resealable bag to model water in a puddle is the focus of instruction. Students build a model that will be used in future lessons to collect data and help them figure out how rainwater fills lakes, ponds, rivers and oceans. Students use plastic bags to make a model to find out what happens to water in puddles, ponds, lakes and streams. Students share ideas about how to make models, discuss where to hang the models, and share what they think will happen to them.

• In Grade 3, Life Cycles and Survival in an Ecosystem, Activity 2, Lesson 2B: Who Lives Here?, a phenomenon or problem does not drive learning. Instead, the focus of the lesson is the disciplinary core idea that for any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well, some less well, and some cannot survive at all. Students are given a set of six Habitat Picture Cards that contain images of a desert, beach, forest, prairie, ocean, and pond. Students describe each habitat and the traits of animals that could live there in their Student Journal. The teacher reads the trade book, When Rain Falls, which describes how different animals in different ecosystems respond to rain. The class discusses the different adaptations animals in the book have that help them survive in their environment. Students are given Animal and Plant Picture Cards sets, which they sort to match the six Habitat Picture Cards using prior knowledge and information from the book. Students then select one Habitat Card and one Animal Card and write a paragraph that describes the different traits the animal has that help it live in that habitat. 

• In Grade 3, Life Cycles and Survival in an Ecosystem, Activity 4, Lesson 4A: Unusual Traits, the phenomenon that some students can roll their tongues and others cannot roll their tongues does not drive learning. Instead, the concept that students in the class possess different observable traits is the focus of the learning. Students are presented with a picture of a person rolling or curling the sides of their tongue. After determining who in the class can and cannot roll their tongue, students investigate other observable traits, like eye color, and record them in their Student Journals and on a class data chart. They look for patterns in the data and for a description of how the traits are different. This lesson introduces the idea that different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information.

The instructional materials reviewed for Grade 3 partially meet expectations that they intentionally leverage students’ prior knowledge and experiences related to phenomena or problems.

Across the grade, the materials consistently elicited students’ prior knowledge and experiences by engaging students in a discussion in which the teacher asks them about their prior knowledge and experiences related to phenomena and problems. However, there are limited instances where prior knowledge and experiences are leveraged in instruction.

Lessons that do not elicit students’ prior knowledge and experiences often provide opportunities for teachers to elicit knowledge and experience from a previous lesson, or ask about a science topic, but not the phenomenon/problem that was presented. The materials guide teachers to record what students' initial thoughts are and track how they change over the course of the lesson. While students may use their background knowledge or experience to develop initial explanations or predictions about phenomena, problems, or science topics, in some cases the materials do not explicitly ask students to think about their prior experiences related to the phenomena and problems.

Examples where students’ prior knowledge and experiences of problems and/or phenomena are elicited and leveraged:

• In Grade 3, Weather, Climate, and Natural Hazards, Activity 1, Lesson 1A: Weather Observations, the phenomenon is that weather conditions vary in different places at the same time. Teachers guide students in a class discussion, prompting them to answer "What do we already know about the cause of weather conditions and what causes them to change?” and record their responses in a What We Think chart. Then, in small groups, students develop three questions about weather, what causes different weather, and why weather changes. In their Student Journals, students write about what they think causes different weather conditions to occur and questions they could investigate to find out why the changes occur. The students’ prior knowledge is leveraged as they continue to investigate weather across the lessons in the activity and modify their initial models using new knowledge and experiences.

• In Grade 3, Life Cycles and Survival in the Ecosystem, Activity 6, Lesson 6A: Finding out about Fossils, the phenomenon is that scientists found fossils of extinct organisms. Teachers guide students in a class discussion, prompting them to discuss animals they have heard about that are extinct and how scientists know these animals once roamed earth. Students are also asked to share prior experiences fossil hunting, what they know about Michigan’s Petoskey Stone, and if they have found a rock with imprints that look like they could have been made by an animal or plant. As students look at fossils, draw pictures, and guess what they might be from, the teacher leverages their prior knowledge and experience by prompting them to apply what they have seen before or know about to their analysis of the fossils.

Examples where students’ prior knowledge and experiences of problems and/or phenomena are elicited but not leveraged:

• In Grade 3, Weather, Climate, and Natural Hazards, Activity 5, Lesson 5A: Cloud Observations, the phenomenon is that puddles form after rain and then disappear over time. Prior to an investigation about what happens to water in puddles, students are asked to "share their experiences with areas that have puddles right after a rain storm and then the puddle ‘dries up’ and ’goes away’.” Students also share their initial ideas of where the water goes. After the puddle investigation is set up, the remainder of the lesson focuses on observing clouds. While this lesson elicits prior experience from students, it misses the opportunity to support the teacher in leveraging what students bring to the lesson.

• In Grade 3, Life Cycles and Survival in an Ecosystem, Activity 1, Lesson 1A: What is That Sound?, the phenomenon is that frogs make sounds in a pond. Students listen to an audio recording of sounds they might hear in nature (like frogs) and are encouraged to have active conversation to link their previous experiences with animal sounds to the sounds they hear in the recording. While this lesson elicits prior experience from students, it misses the opportunity to support the teacher in leveraging what students bring to the lesson.

• In Grade 3, Forces and Interactions, Activity 6, Lesson 6C: Forces at a Distance - Spinning Magnets, the phenomenon is that when students rub a balloon on their hair or clothing and then pull it away, their hair or clothing fibers will “follow” the balloon. Students are asked a series of "have you ever” questions and share their prior experiences with scenarios that are similar to the phenomenon. While this lesson elicits prior experience from students, it misses the opportunity to support the teacher in leveraging what students bring to the lesson.

Examples where students’ prior knowledge and experiences of problems and/or phenomena are not elicited nor leveraged:

• In Grade 3, Weather, Climate, and Natural Hazards, Activity 6, Lesson 6A: Measuring Rain, the phenomenon is that precipitation varies in different places. Students watch a video and wonder about precipitation in other places but there is a missed opportunity to explicitly elicit students’ prior knowledge and experience related to the phenomenon. 

• In Grade 3, Life Cycles and Survival in an Ecosystem, Activity 4, Lesson 4A: Unusual Traits, the phenomenon is that some students can roll their tongues and others cannot roll their tongues. Students are asked to create a My Observable Traits chart. The teacher is directed to "listen for initial ideas of inherited traits", but there is a missed opportunity to explicitly elicit prior knowledge and experiences related to the phenomenon of tongue rolling.