6th to 8th Grade - Gateway 3
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Teacher & Student Supports
| Score | |
|---|---|
| Gateway 3 - Meets Expectations | 88% |
| Criterion 3.1: Teacher Supports | 13 / 14 |
| Criterion 3.2: Student Supports | 3 / 4 |
| Criterion 3.3: Intentional Design |
Criterion 3.1: Teacher Supports
Information on Multilingual Learner (MLL) Supports in This Criterion
For some indicators in this criterion, we also display evidence and scores for pair MLL indicators.
While MLL indicators are scored, these scores are reported separately from core content scores. MLL scores do not currently impact core content scores at any level—whether indicator, criterion, gateway, or series.
To view all MLL evidence and scores for this grade band or grade level, select the "Multilingual Learner Supports" view from the left navigation panel.
The program includes opportunities for teachers to effectively plan and utilize materials with integrity to further develop their own understanding of the content.
Indicator 3a
Materials provide teacher guidance with useful annotations and suggestions for how to enact the student materials and ancillary materials, with specific attention to engaging students in figuring out phenomena and solving problems.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6–8 meet expectations for providing teacher guidance with useful annotations and suggestions for how to enact the student materials and ancillary materials, with specific attention to engaging students in figuring out phenomena and solving problems.
Across the materials, teacher guidance is provided at both the unit level and the lesson level through Unit Overview materials, teacher resources, margin notes, callout boxes, and embedded instructional guidance.
The Unit Overview includes several sections that provide comprehensive guidance to support implementation of the materials. These sections include the Unit Overview, Unit Storyline, and Teacher Background Knowledge. The Unit Overview focuses on the storyline at a high level and includes the Building Toward NGSS Performance Expectations section, which identifies the performance expectations addressed in the unit. The Unit Storyline provides a lesson-by-lesson overview, while the Teacher Background Knowledge includes safety guidance, information that contextualizes the unit within the OpenSciEd Scope and Sequence, the unit structure, NGSS connections, common student ideas, pacing guidance, and suggestions for developing personal glossaries. Together, these resources provide teachers with an overview of the unit, explain how the unit connects to grade-level standards and other units in the program, highlight important science content, and identify ideas students may bring to the learning.
Lesson-level teacher guides also include embedded guidance to support implementation throughout instruction. The materials include margin notes, callout boxes, and lesson guidance titled Building Toward NGSS, What Students Will Do, What Students Will Figure Out, Materials Preparation, Where We Are Going, Where We Are Not Going, timestamps for each lesson segment, Strategies for..., Attending to Equity, Supporting Students in... (specific Science and Engineering Practices and Crosscutting Concepts), Additional Guidance, Key Ideas, and Alternate Activity. These embedded supports identify the specific NGSS elements addressed within the lesson, anticipate student ideas and misconceptions, highlight safety considerations, and provide guiding questions and instructional suggestions that help teachers support students as they make sense of phenomena and solve problems.
In Grade 7, Unit 7.3, Lesson 3: Why do molecules in the small intestine seem like they are disappearing?, an Additional Guidance note states, "Encourage students to come to the front of the room to present a noticing around the molecular models that everyone has analyzed. This provides a concrete reference point for other students to add their ideas to a discussion. It also grows a culture in which students see that for them to make progress in figuring things out together, students need to have space to present their ideas for their classmates to work with." This guidance supports teachers in facilitating productive student discourse while reinforcing the collaborative nature of figuring out scientific ideas.
In addition, the Teacher Tools and Resources manual provides instructional supports for implementing Science and Engineering Practices, engineering design, tracking ideas across lessons, classroom discussions, and peer feedback. Resources include sentence frames, scaffolds, rubrics, graphic organizers, charts, checklists, and instructional templates that help teachers support students throughout the learning process. For example, the materials include an Asking Questions Tool: Open and Closed Questions and a Working with Data Template, which provide teachers with concrete strategies and resources for supporting student sensemaking.
Indicator 3b
Materials contain explanations and examples of grade-level/course-level concepts and/or standards and how the concepts and/or standards align to other grade/course levels so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6–8 partially meet expectations for containing explanations and examples of grade-level/course-level concepts and/or standards and how the concepts and/or standards align to other grade/course levels so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject. The materials provide multiple supports that help teachers understand the focus of student learning and the progression of concepts across the series. However, support for developing teachers' own science content knowledge is limited. While the materials provide strong support that helps teachers understand the focus of student learning, the progression of concepts across the series, and the intent of the standards, they provide limited adult-level explanations of grade-level science concepts and expected student practices. Instead, teachers are primarily supported through contextual information, connections to prior learning, and recommended external resources rather than comprehensive in-program explanations designed to deepen teachers' own content knowledge.
Support for teachers' understanding of grade-level concepts and standards is found throughout the Unit Overview and Teacher Background Knowledge sections of each unit. The Unit Overview summarizes the anchoring phenomenon, focal Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs), and the NGSS Performance Expectations toward which the unit builds. The Teacher Background Knowledge provides additional information about the anchoring phenomenon, identifies the NGSS elements developed within the unit, and describes ideas students may bring from previous grade levels.
Example of supports provided around grade-level concepts and/or standards:
In Grade 6, Unit 6.5: Natural Hazards, the Unit Overview states, "This unit begins with students experiencing, through text and video, a devastating natural event that caused major flooding in coastal towns of Japan. This event was the 2011 Great Sendai or Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami that caused major loss of life and property in Japan. Through this anchoring phenomenon, students think about ways to detect tsunamis, warn people, and reduce damage from the wave. As students design solutions to solve this problem, they begin to wonder about the natural hazard itself: what causes it, where it happens, and how it causes damage." Additionally, in Grade 7, Unit 7.3: Metabolic Reactions, the Teacher Background Knowledge explains that students may enter the unit with the understanding that new substances can be formed through chemical reactions but are unlikely to have a particle-level model to explain how matter changes during those reactions.
The materials also support teachers in understanding how concepts and standards align across grade levels. The Teacher Background Knowledge identifies ideas students are expected to bring from previous grades, while the section titled What are recommended adult-level learning resources for the science concepts in this unit? directs teachers to external videos, podcasts, articles, and relevant sections of A Framework for K–12 Science Education to further develop their understanding of the science content and the progression of core ideas.
Example of supports provided around how concepts and/or standards align to other grade levels:
In Grade 8, Unit 8.1: Contact Forces, the What are recommended adult-level learning resources for the science concepts in this unit? section includes resources related to forces, position and kinematic equations, vectors, and energy transfers between systems, along with links to relevant sections of A Framework for K–12 Science Education that illustrate the progression of the core ideas addressed in the unit.
Indicator 3c
Materials include standards correlation information, including connections to college- and career-ready ELA and mathematics standards, that explains the role of the standards in the context of the overall series.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6–8 meet expectations for including standards correlation information, including connections to college- and career-ready ELA and mathematics standards, that explains the role of the standards in the context of the overall series.
Standards correlation information and explanations for science standards are provided throughout the program at the unit and lesson levels. The materials include element-specific information, learning progressions, and explanations that describe how the identified standards are developed within the unit and across the OpenSciEd series. Mathematics standards correlations and explanations are provided at the unit level and, where appropriate, at the lesson level. English Language Arts (ELA) standards correlations and explanations are provided within lesson-level teacher guidance, where applicable.
Examples of correlation information and explanations for grade-level/grade-band science standards:
Each Unit Overview contains several sections that provide information about science standards and learning progressions.
The section What are the NGSS Dimensions developed in this context? explains how students use the identified Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs), and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs) to make sense of the unit phenomenon or solve the unit problem. A table identifies the Performance Expectations and three-dimensional elements developed within the unit.
The section Where does this unit fall within the OpenSciEd Scope and Sequence? includes a visual representation of all Grade 6–8 OpenSciEd units. Units are color coded by disciplinary area and connected with arrows illustrating instructional relationships, while icons identify prior Performance Expectations that support the learning in the current unit.
The section What additional ideas will my students have or know from earlier grades or OpenSciEd units? identifies prior grade-level DCIs and previous OpenSciEd units that provide the foundation for the current unit. Related units, titles, and content elements are identified to help teachers understand how concepts develop across the series.
Examples of correlation information and explanations for grade-level/grade-band ELA and mathematics standards:
Each lesson's Teacher's Edition includes a section titled Supporting Students in Making Connections in ELA, which identifies the relevant CCSS-ELA standards, provides the full standards language, and explains how students engage with those standards during the lesson.
For example, in Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 4, the Additional Lesson 4 Teacher Guidance: Supporting Students in Making Connections in ELA explains that students engage in both small-group and whole-class discussions as they develop arguments with partners and build consensus about what happens to bedrock after an earthquake. The lesson identifies CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1 and explains how the discussion activities support students in engaging effectively in collaborative discussions.
Each Unit Overview also includes a section titled What mathematics is required to fully access the unit's learning experiences? This section explains the role of mathematics within the unit, identifies the applicable CCSS Mathematics standards, and provides a rationale for how students use those concepts during instruction. Where appropriate, additional mathematics connections are included within the Additional Lesson Teacher Guidance at the lesson level.
For example, in Grade 7, Unit 7.2, the Unit Overview explains that students calculate maximum temperature changes for different quantities of reactants and use positive and negative numbers to represent increases and decreases in temperature. The materials identify CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.NS.C.5 and explain how this prerequisite mathematics knowledge supports students' investigations within the unit.
Indicator 3d
Materials provide strategies for informing all stakeholders, including students, parents, or caregivers about the program and suggestions for how they can help support student progress and achievement.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6–8 include opportunities for informing all stakeholders about the program and suggestions for how they can help support student progress and achievement.
Each unit includes a Home Communication letter designed to inform caregivers about the upcoming unit and ways they can support student learning. The letter provides a brief overview of the unit, including the anchoring phenomenon or design challenge and the types of learning experiences students will engage in throughout the unit. The Home Communication letter also includes a section titled Helping your child make sense of their learning, which provides discussion prompts and suggestions for supporting students as they develop explanations and solve problems related to the unit content. In addition, a section titled Having conversations about science encourages caregivers to support students' curiosity by discussing scientific ideas and observations in everyday contexts. The Home Communication letter is available in English.
For example, in Grade 8, Unit 8.1: Contact Forces, the Home Communication letter explains that students will develop models throughout the unit and apply their understanding during a design challenge in which they create a solution to protect an object of their choice during a collision. The Helping your child make sense of their learning section encourages caregivers to ask questions such as, "Ask how they might have arrived at a particular conclusion," to support students in explaining their thinking. The Having conversations about science section suggests that caregivers encourage their child's curiosity by discussing observations and questions about the world during everyday activities, such as running errands or taking a walk.
In another example, Grade 7, Unit 7.3: Metabolic Reactions, the Home Communication letter encourages caregivers to support students' sensemaking by providing opportunities for them to think aloud using drawings, objects, or verbal explanations. The letter explains, "Provide your child space and time to think aloud with a drawing, objects, or their voice about different (maybe conflicting) ideas for processing. Sometimes processing ideas won't lead to a clear 'answer' or solution yet." This guidance helps caregivers understand how students develop scientific ideas and how they can support that process at home.
Indicator 3e
Materials provide explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6–8 meet expectations for providing explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.
The program includes a Teacher Handbook that explains the instructional approaches used throughout the materials and identifies the research that informed the program's design. The handbook provides detailed information about the Science Storyline approach, alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the instructional design elements that support three-dimensional learning. It explains each instructional routine used throughout the program, including the purpose of the routine, its individual components, and examples of how the routine is implemented in the instructional materials. References are cited throughout the handbook and compiled in a complete reference list at the end of the document. The Program Overview also provides an abbreviated description of these instructional approaches.
The materials also provide unit- and lesson-level guidance that supports teachers in implementing the program's instructional model. The Teacher Background Knowledge section within each Unit Overview explains the rationale for the anchoring phenomenon, describes how the unit develops three-dimensional learning progressions, and includes strategies to support equitable science instruction. The Teacher Reference Materials included with each unit provide implementation guidance for instructional strategies used throughout the program, such as developing anchor charts and applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) during jigsaw readings, along with supporting references where appropriate. Each lesson-level teacher guide also contains a section titled Where We Are Going and NOT Going, which explains how student learning develops across the unit and how the storyline instructional model supports students in building understanding over time.
Examples of how the materials identify research-based strategies that are used in the design:
The Teacher Handbook explains that the materials are built using a Science Storyline approach and identifies the research that informed this instructional model, including work from the NextGen Science Storylines and NGSX projects. References are embedded throughout the handbook and supported by a complete bibliography.
The Teacher Reference Materials included within each unit provide research-based implementation guidance for instructional strategies such as using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to support student access during jigsaw readings and developing classroom anchor charts to support student sensemaking. Supporting references are provided, where appropriate, to explain the research underlying these instructional practices.
Indicator 3f
Materials provide a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6–8 meet expectations for including a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support the instructional activities.
At the lesson level, each Teacher Guide includes a Learning Plan Snapshot with a table identifying the lesson parts, duration, lesson summary, presentation slides, and the materials needed for each portion of the lesson. The Learning Plan also identifies the materials needed for each part of the lesson. At the unit level, the Teacher Edition includes a PDF of all materials required for each unit. A separate Materials List section provides an inventory of materials organized by what is needed per student, per group, and per class. The materials also include preparation guidance identifying items that require advance preparation and the estimated time needed for preparation.
Indicator 3g
The assessment system provides consistent opportunities to determine student learning throughout the school year. The assessment system provides sufficient teacher guidance for evaluating student performance and determining instructional next steps.
The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations for providing an assessment system with opportunities to determine student learning throughout the school year and sufficient teacher guidance for evaluating student performance and determining instructional next steps.
The assessment system for the program consists of formative, summative, pre-, self-, and peer assessments. Within the unit-level Teacher Files Unit Overview, the Assessment System Overview provides a section titled “Overall Unit Assessment” and includes a table with information about each assessment, including the lesson in which the assessment is located, any assessment and scoring guidance provided, and the purpose of the assessment. Each assessment type is identified within the purpose. After this summary table, the Lesson-by-Lesson Assessment Opportunities section includes a table that lists each lesson, the Lesson-Level Performance Expectations (LLPEs) included in that lesson, and assessment guidance related to each LLPE. Guidance is provided about when to check for understanding as well as what to look for and listen for in the moment. Within each lesson-level teacher guide, the Learning Plan Snapshot contains a box with a checkmark icon that indicates assessment opportunities within the lesson. In the Lesson-Level Learning Plan, the checkmark icon is again present along with an Assessment Opportunity box that includes information about what to look for and listen for in the moment and what to do based on student responses. Various assessment opportunities are located across the unit, with pre-assessments taking place at the beginning, formative, self-, and peer assessments taking place throughout, and summative assessments taking place at the end of a lesson set and/or unit.
Throughout the units, summative assessments include answer keys, rubrics, and scoring guidance that identify what should be present in student responses to support teachers in evaluating student performance. Point values are not assigned to the summative assessment answer keys or rubrics. Some rubrics provide scoring components that teachers evaluate as “Missing,” “Developing,” or “Mastered.”
Examples of guidance for evaluating student performance on summative assessments include:
In Grade 6, Unit 6.1, Lesson 8: Why do we sometimes see different things when looking at the same object?, the Answer Key provides examples of student-written explanations, drawn explanations, and open-ended feedback.
In Grade 7, Unit 7.3, Lesson 15: What questions on our Driving Question Board can we now answer?, the Bears Assessment Modeling Rubric identifies essential components and interactions to evaluate in student models using the categories “Missing,” “Developing,” and “Mastered.”
Formative assessments do not include rubrics or scoring guides at the lesson level. However, throughout the materials, guidance for following up on formative assessments, including self-assessment, modeling, and peer review, is provided within the Teacher Edition. The materials provide examples of acceptable student responses along with suggestions for what teachers can do when student responses indicate missing or incomplete understanding. This guidance supports teachers in interpreting student performance and determining instructional next steps.
Example of guidance for interpreting student performance and determining instructional next steps includes:
In Grade 7, Unit 7.2, Lesson 10: How can we decide between competing designs?, the materials provide follow-up guidance for a question when a student answers incorrectly to support clarification of student understanding.
Indicator 3h
Materials provide clear science safety guidelines for teachers and students across the instructional materials.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6–8 meet expectations for embedding clear science safety guidelines for teachers and students across the instructional materials.
Each unit-level teacher guide contains safety guidelines within the Teacher Background Knowledge section. A section titled "Lab Safety Requirements for Science Investigations" provides general science safety guidance and notes that lesson-specific safety precautions are identified throughout the instructional materials with a yellow safety triangle containing an exclamation point. Each lesson-level teacher guide also includes safety guidance, as appropriate. The Materials Preparation section provides safety considerations related to particular investigations and student activities. Within the Learning Plan, the safety triangle icon appears alongside the heading "Safety Precautions" and provides activity-specific safety guidance. The slide deck accompanying each lesson also includes the safety triangle icon and additional safety language on relevant slides.
Examples of specific safety measures described:
In Grade 6, Unit 6.2, Lesson 10: What is the difference between a hot and a cold liquid?, the materials state, "Reiterate safety precautions for working with hot liquids. Review why wearing safety goggles for the entire lab is required and how you expect students to obtain and handle the hot water throughout the lab. To ensure greater safety, you should pour the hot water from the kettle into an additional cup or beaker for each group."
In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 8: How can particles of a new substance be formed out of the particles of an old substance?, the materials state, "Over the next couple of lessons students will be engaging in these investigations. There are safety considerations and protocols that will need to be followed for each investigation. It can't hurt to remind students often that they will have the opportunity to do both of these investigations in the science classroom with safety precautions in place and they should not go home and try either of them on their own."
In Grade 8, Unit 8.3, Lesson 4: What can we figure out about the invisible space around a magnet?, the materials state, "Ask students why, for safety reasons, they should make sure to not actually touch any electronic device that is plugged in, nor the cord, nor the socket the cord is plugged into. Establish that this is to ensure that they don't accidentally get shocked by any faulty electrical wiring or sockets in their house. Remind them that by keeping the compass at a distance and not touching any of those things, they can safely explore whether there are magnetic fields in the space around the objects they select to explore."
It is important to note that teachers should always locate and adhere to local policies and regulations related to science safety in the classroom.
Indicator 3i
Materials designated for each grade are feasible and flexible for one school year.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6–8 are feasible and flexible for one school year.
Within the materials, pacing information is provided at the program, unit, and lesson level. The Program Overview document provides a broad view of pacing for the program, including the estimated number of instructional days for each unit. For example, Grade 7, Unit 7.6: Earth's Resources & Human Impact is estimated to take 33 instructional days. Overall, Grade 6 accounts for approximately 169 instructional days, Grade 7 for 170 instructional days, and Grade 8 for 174 instructional days, based on a 45-minute class period.
The Scope and Sequence document identifies the intended order of units and provides guidance for teaching units out of sequence, implementing "intentionally developed" versus "not a focus" SEPs and CCCs, and integrating NGSS elements throughout the Grades 6–8 program. Within each unit-level teacher guide, the Unit Storyline provides an overview of every lesson along with the suggested number of instructional days. For example, Grade 6, Unit 6.4: Plate Tectonics & Rock Cycling indicates that Lesson 1 should be taught over four instructional days.
The Teacher Background Knowledge section contains the subsections "How will I need to modify the unit if taught out of sequence?" and "How do I shorten or condense the unit if needed? How can I extend the unit if needed?" These sections provide lesson-specific guidance for adjusting instruction to accommodate different course structures or available instructional time. For example, Grade 8, Unit 8.6: Natural Selection suggests, "Lesson 15: If time allows, consider making this a two-day lesson and giving students more time to reflect on their Progress Trackers."
At the lesson level, pacing is supported through the Learning Plan Snapshot, where each numbered part of the lesson includes a suggested duration, to the minute. Guidance is also provided for dividing lessons across multiple instructional days. The detailed Learning Plan similarly annotates each lesson segment with its intended instructional time, providing teachers with clear guidance for implementing the program within a single school year.
Criterion 3.2: Student Supports
Information on Multilingual Learner (MLL) Supports in This Criterion
For some indicators in this criterion, we also display evidence and scores for pair MLL indicators.
While MLL indicators are scored, these scores are reported separately from core content scores. MLL scores do not currently impact core content scores at any level—whether indicator, criterion, gateway, or series.
To view all MLL evidence and scores for this grade band or grade level, select the "Multilingual Learner Supports" view from the left navigation panel.
The program includes materials designed for each child’s regular and active participation in grade-level/grade-band/series content.
Indicator 3j
Materials provide strategies and supports for students in special populations to support their regular and active participation in learning grade-level/band science and engineering.
The materials reviewed for Grades 6–8 meet expectations for providing strategies and supports for students in special populations to support their regular and active participation in learning grade-level/grade-band science and engineering.
The Teacher Handbook provides an overview of how the program has been designed to provide strategies, supports, and resources for students in special populations. The supports and strategies are grounded in the program's Universal Design for Learning (UDL) philosophy and provide broad guidance for increasing access to science learning, although they include limited identification of specific student populations. Within the lessons, UDL guidance is provided, when applicable, through Attending to Equity callout boxes in the margins, which frequently include differentiation strategies to support student participation. Additional supports are also embedded within the Additional Guidance sections of the Teacher Edition. The majority of these supports are designed to benefit all students and generally do not identify specific student populations or differentiate by reading level.
Examples of embedded support for students:
In Grade 6, Unit 6.3, Lesson 21: Why is there less precipitation further inland in the Pacific Northwest than further inland from the Gulf Coast?, the materials provide additional support for students who may need assistance interpreting information from a graph. Suggested strategies include having students work with a partner to read and annotate the graph or allowing a competent aide, partner, or intervener to interpret observed graph patterns aloud.
In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 5: What gas(es) could be coming from the bath bomb?, an Attending to Equity callout box explains that students have multiple opportunities to express their understanding during the lesson discussion. The guidance notes that providing varied forms of expression helps students internalize the strategies used when constructing arguments from evidence.
In Grade 8, Unit 8.4, Lesson 7: Why do we see eclipses and when do we see them?, the materials explain that some students may benefit from expressing their understanding through modalities other than drawing. For example, students may use a physical model to demonstrate the cause of a solar eclipse instead of relying solely on a drawn model.
Indicator 3k
Materials provide extensions and/or opportunities for students to engage in learning grade-level/band science and engineering at greater depth.
The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 partially meet expectations for providing extensions and/or opportunities for students to engage in learning grade-level/grade-band science and engineering at greater depth.
There are some instances where students have the opportunity to work with data at a higher level of complexity. For example:
In Grade 6, Unit 6.4, Lesson 10: Where were Africa and South America in the past?, students analyze maps to determine past plate locations. Additionally, two maps are available for teachers to decide to use if students could benefit from a greater cognitive challenge.
There are opportunities for students to develop and apply higher-level thinking. There is one opportunity in Grade 7 for students to develop and apply higher-level thinking, but this adds additional work compared to their classmates. The summative assessment at the end of this unit has two parts. Part 1 is for everyone. Part 2a is for the majority of students, and Part 2b is recommended for students who would benefit from a challenge.
In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 3: What’s in a bath bomb that is producing the gas?, students investigate how different substances found in bath bombs react with water. The extension is meant to allow space for some students to reason through why they would want to collect data about mass and then actually collect the data. This “supports high-interest students in going deeper with SEP3 (Planning and Carrying Out Investigations).” (NOTE: This would be in addition to the regular work.)
Within the unit-level teacher guide, the Unit Overview contains a section titled, “How do I shorten or condense the unit if needed? How can I extend the unit if needed?” This section lists the locations and describes the extensions available in each unit. The majority of extensions are dependent upon the teacher making the decision to extend the thinking for all students. If a single student chooses to do them, they are in addition to the standard activities of the lesson. These extensions are for all students and not solely advanced students. For example:
In Grade 8, Unit 8.3, Lesson 2: What can a magnet pull or push without touching?, the suggested extension is, “Draw on students’ experiences with magnets to help them see why this content is relevant to them. Consider asking students to each bring in a magnet from their own refrigerator or locker to test in this investigation. Would one of those magnets also make the speaker work? If there is time, try it. If students bring in magnets, give some space for them to share the magnet with the class and where it came from. Is it from a family trip? Is it sent from a relative who lives elsewhere? Is it an advertisement from a local company? Is it a picture of a loved one? Use these examples to highlight how common magnets are in our lives across a variety of contexts, even when we don’t notice them.”
Indicator 3l
Materials provide varied approaches to learning tasks over time and variety in how students are expected to demonstrate their learning with opportunities for students to monitor their learning.
The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 include varied approaches to learning tasks over time and variety in how students are expected to demonstrate their learning with opportunities for students to monitor their learning.
Across the materials, students engage with a variety of approaches to learning tasks including initial thinking activities, investigations, discussions, engineering design, model development and revision, questioning, reading scientific texts, revising thinking, and assessments. Students also engage in these tasks in different ways including whole-class discussions, partner work, small-group collaboration, and individual learning. Teachers are provided with guidance on how to use student responses to determine next steps in learning.
Students are also provided a variety of ways to demonstrate their learning. Throughout the materials, students demonstrate their understanding through discussions, models, explanations, engineering design solutions, assessments, and written and oral responses. Students are provided opportunities to receive and provide feedback from peers and teachers and engage in self-reflection to monitor their learning throughout the program.
Opportunities for students to monitor their learning are also present through self-assessments, peer feedback, and ongoing reflection. The self-assessments, including classroom discussion self-assessments, teamwork self-assessments, general self-assessments, and giving and receiving feedback self-assessments, support students to reflect on and monitor specific skills they are learning. Rubrics and teacher guidance support the use of the student self-assessments. For example:
In Grade 8, Unit 8.2, Lesson 5: How do the vibrations from a sound source compare for higher-pitch versus lower-pitch sounds?, students participate in a Scientist Circle during a Building Understandings Discussion about frequency and pitch. Students use the discussion rubric to reflect on their participation and monitor their discussion skills.
The materials also provide guidance for multiple strategies for peer feedback. The Overall Unit Assessment chart included in each unit teacher guide identifies opportunities for peer feedback and includes a Peer Feedback Facilitation: A Guide entry with guidance for implementing peer-to-peer feedback opportunities. For example:
In Grade 8, Unit 8.1, Lesson 11: What can we design to better protect objects in a collision?, students receive feedback from a partner about their protective device designs. Students use guiding questions from Slide H to structure their discussions and are encouraged to revise their designs based on the feedback received. Students are also encouraged to take their designs home to receive additional feedback from family members.
Indicator 3m
Materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.
The materials reviewed for Grades 6–8 include opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.
Across the materials, students have the opportunity to work individually, in pairs, in small groups, and as a class. Guidance for grouping students is provided in several locations, including the Unit Storyline, Materials List and Preparation Information, lesson guidance throughout the Teacher Edition, and Attending to Equity boxes in the margins of lessons. However, generally group guidance is generic and more about the number of students to have in each group and the tasks students need to complete rather than specific guidance around purposeful grouping. For example:
In Grade 6, Unit 6.5, Lesson 8: Which emergency communication systems are the most reliable in a hazard?, guidance embedded within the lesson states, “Have students gather in small groups, either with one device or each individually with a device.”
In Grade 7, Unit 7.5, Lesson 17: How can we redesign the way land is used in Indonesia to support orangutans and people at the same time?, the Unit Storyline states, “Working in groups of three, students use a computer simulation to redesign the way land is used in Indonesia to support orangutans and people at the same time.”
Indicator 3n
Assessments offer accommodations that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills without changing the content of the assessment.
The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 include assessments that offer accommodations that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills without changing the content of the assessment.
In the summative assessments present in all units, some provide alternate assessments. For example, in Unit 8.1: Contact Forces, two assessments are provided that are similar in content, yet one is designed for students capable of a more challenging assessment. In Unit 7.3: Metabolic Reactions, two similar assessments are provided, yet one is modified to include more information for students who may struggle with processing and reading and for students who have other disabilities. While these options occur in some instances, they are not consistently present across formative or summative assessment opportunities.
All assessments are open-ended in nature and allow teachers to use their discretion in assessing knowledge of content and mastery. Some assessments have rubrics available to support the teacher’s interpretation, but not consistently for all assessments.
Indicator 3o
Materials provide a range of representation of people and include detailed instructions and support for educators to effectively incorporate and draw upon students’ different cultural, social, and community backgrounds to enrich learning experiences.
The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 include a range of representation of people and include detailed instructions and support for educators to effectively incorporate and draw upon students’ different cultural, social, and community backgrounds to enrich learning experiences.
Across the materials, there are a variety of supports provided to teachers and students to help ensure that learning experiences take into account the various backgrounds, cultures, and experiences that exist in the classroom. Within the unit-level Overview Materials, the Teacher Background Knowledge contains a part titled “What strategies are available to support equitable science learning in this unit?” that contains guidance and support around how to promote “equitable access to high-quality science learning experiences for all students.” The part includes a summary of the types of strategies provided within the lessons of the unit to support equitable science learning. Depending on the unit, additional teacher guidance is provided at the unit and lesson levels to support students with different cultural, social, and community backgrounds.
In Grade 7, Unit 7.3: Metabolic Reactions, the unit-level Teacher Background Knowledge contains a part titled “A special note about food security,” that provides teachers with information and ideas for identifying community experiences, recognizing signs of food insecurity, and using trauma-informed practices.
Within the lesson-level teacher guide, Attending to Equity callout boxes contain guidance and suggested strategies for bringing in students’ cultural and community backgrounds, as appropriate. Other notes within the teacher guide, such as those in the Additional Guidance section, also contain suggestions. In some lessons, guidance is also provided about co-developing community agreements that the class returns to throughout the unit to help ensure an environment where all students can comfortably learn. The Teacher Handbook contains additional guidance and strategies around developing community agreements and attending to equity within the classroom.
In Grade 8, Unit 8.5, Lesson 1: How do organisms get their differences?, teacher guidance for an optional at-home assignment notes that students may or may not share traits with members of their families and that not all students may be living with or in contact with biological family members. Teachers are therefore directed not to have students explore inheritance with their families. Instead, the Home Learning activity focuses on nonhuman examples of trait variation, while allowing students to share human examples if they choose to do so.
There are also instances within the materials where cultural and social connections are considered as part of the learning. Students watch videos and read case studies about different people and communities and their connections to the content, as well as make connections to their own communities through specific learning activities and Home Learning opportunities. For example:
In Grade 6, Unit 6.6, Lesson 14:, students learn about people with different disabilities as they continue investigating how the body heals itself. Students watch a video about Matt, who was born with a disability, and Jeremy, who experienced a permanent injury to his legs. Both enjoy playing basketball using wheelchairs. Students analyze changes to a disability icon from 1968 to 2010 and discuss what the icons suggest about people with disabilities. Students also listen to the stories of two women, including one with an invisible disability, autism, and another with dwarfism, whose visible disability is often overlooked in the design of facilities and fashion.
Indicator 3p
Materials provide supports for different reading levels to ensure accessibility for students.
The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 include supports for different reading levels to ensure accessibility for students.
Across the materials, supports for different reading levels are provided in the form of reading strategies, guidance for annotations, questions to consider while reading, and prompts that focus students on the purpose of a text and the evidence it contains. In some cases, the materials provide teacher guidance for supporting struggling readers, including creating audio versions of readings, although the audio recordings are not provided. At times, the materials also provide reading options at different Lexile reading estimates or teacher guidance for differentiating reading based on students' reading needs. For example:
In Grade 6, Unit 6.6, Lesson 4: Why is there blood in all of these places in the body?, students are provided with Guidance for Reading About Blood prior to reading an article. The document provides a purpose for reading and directions for what to do while reading. Students consider questions such as, “What are all those parts of the mixture doing for the body?” and “Why is blood so important that it goes everywhere?” Students underline or highlight key ideas in the text and record new questions that could be added to the Driving Question Board.
In Grade 7, Unit 7.1, Lesson 11:, the materials include teacher guidance to create an audio version of the readings for students who struggle with reading; however, an audio version is not provided with the materials.
In Grade 8, Unit 8.5, Lesson 9: How do farmers control the variation in their animals?, a lesson-level slide titled While You Read prompts students to identify the goals of the text, the claims presented in the reading, the evidence used to support those claims, the sources of the evidence, and whether those sources are cited. The slide also provides questions for students to consider as they read and prompts them to make connections to what they already know.
Indicator 3q
This is not an assessed indicator in Science.
Criterion 3.3: Intentional Design
The program includes a visual design that is engaging and references or integrates digital technology, when applicable, with guidance for teachers.
Indicator 3r
Materials integrate interactive tools and/or dynamic software in ways that support student engagement in the three dimensions, when applicable.
The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 integrate interactive tools and/or dynamic software in ways that support student engagement in the three dimensions, when applicable.
Across the materials, videos and simulations are used to support students with an introduction to the phenomenon or problem, modeling, collecting data, and/or designing investigations. The simulations and computer interactives are most often used when the concepts are difficult for students to visualize due to challenges of scale or changes over time. The majority of the program is designed for in-person engagement, leveraging digital engagement only as necessary. Examples include:
In Grade 6, Unit 6.2, Lesson 11: Why do particles move more in hot liquids?, students engage in a simulation. In this simulation, students make observations and ask questions as they observe particle movement as the liquid in the simulation is heated and cooled.
In Grade 7, Unit 7.5, Lesson 8: Why do orangutans need so much forest space?, students engage in a simulation. In this simulation, students gather data about individual orangutans that are competing for food resources.
In Grade 8, Unit 8.3, Lesson 5: How does the magnetic field change when we add another magnet to the system?, students engage in a computer interactive. In this computer interactive, students map the magnetic field around a magnet and a coil of wire in different configurations for distance (how close the magnet and coil of wire are) as well as whether they are attractive or repulsive.
Indicator 3s
Materials include or reference digital technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other, when applicable.
The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 do not include or reference digital technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other, when applicable. The materials are consistently designed for in-person student collaboration.
Indicator 3t
The visual design (whether in print or digital) supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject, and is neither distracting nor chaotic.
The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 include a visual design that supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject, and is neither distracting nor chaotic.
Materials are consistently organized and support students and teachers in engaging with the lessons. Both teacher and student materials maintain consistent formatting throughout and incorporate supportive images, graphics, and models. Visuals, text, and models are often presented in color and are large enough for students to read and interpret without being visually distracting.
Teacher and student materials, videos, and other content are organized in drop-down menus within each unit landing page. Materials can be downloaded or opened in various formats and are often available as Google Docs, PDFs, and Microsoft Word documents. Icons are used throughout both teacher and student materials to identify norms and routines consistently.
Print and PDF versions of the materials are consistent in formatting. In a few instances, Google Doc versions contain minor formatting issues; however, these issues are not visually distracting.
Indicator 3u
Materials provide teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning, when applicable.
The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 provide teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning, when applicable.
Within the unit-level Teacher Handbook, a materials preparation section directs teachers to where embedded technology can be found and provides general instructions on how to use it. Detailed instructions are provided at the point in the lesson where students engage with the technology. Hyperlinks are also included, as appropriate, to make technology easy to access. Student materials include detailed instructions, as applicable, for how to use the embedded technology within the lesson. Teacher guidance includes information for using simulations and computer interactives and facilitating the related activities, including suggestions for time spent using the technology and how to support students with intended outcomes, such as making observations, asking questions, collecting data, and engaging in discussions.