The following project consists of the professional development session, hands-on science activity, and resource guide that were created in order to meet this project’s stated objectives of informing educators about the Next Generation Science Standards,
promoting science instruction in the elementary classroom, and educating teachers on research-based strategies they can use during science lessons to promote and improve the academic language acquisition of their Hispanic ELL students.
As stated in the previous section, this sixty-minute professional development session was created for kindergarten through sixth grade educators, and walked teachers through the Next Generation Science Standards. Throughout the presentation, educators learned about how and why the NGSS were developed, how the Next Generation Science Standards are different from the current science standards used in the state of California, the different components of the NGSS, and how to interpret the standards. During this presentation educators were also engaged in a hands-on activity which integrated effective research-based strategies to support the academic language acquisition of
Hispanic ELLs that were described during the literature review. The strategies used in the presentation and lesson given to educators include:
Direct instruction of the vocabulary
Not simultaneously introducing words with the same prefix Cognates and Cognate Wall
Multiple opportunities to use the language taught.
The sixty-minute hands-on science lesson that participating educators in grade three-six were then given a copy of to use in their classrooms and provide feedback on
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also employed the same strategies. Furthermore, the lesson plan developed for educator use employs the 5E model of instruction. The lesson consists of an engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. The lesson plan covers the grades 3-5 Engineering Design band of the Next Generation Science Standards.
Finally, this project contains the educator guide that was developed based on educator feedback from conducting the “Straw Rockets” lesson plan, as well as the post- survey. The resource guide contains links, brief descriptions and guiding questions for various websites that educators can use to learn more about the Next Generation Science Standards. The resource guide also contains links, brief description, and tips for tools that educators can use when creating or modifying a lesson to promote the academic language acquisition of Hispanic ELLs.
Professional Development Presentation
On the following pages, I will outline the professional development presentation that was given to K-6th grade educators in an urban, public school setting. This
presentation complied to the objectives of this project by educating teachers on the Next Generation Science Standards. It also encouraged educators to engage in hands-on science activities in their classroom through the completion of the “Straw Rockets” activity. Finally, through a de-construction activity at the end of the presentation, educators were made aware of the research based strategies they took part in that they could implement within their own classroom. Attached below are the slides shown during the professional development activities. On slides 1-4, I set the objective of the
professional development session, as well as get educators to begin thinking about the strategies that can be used to support the language needs of English Language Learners.
29 Slide 1 Victoria Garcia
NGSS AND ENGLISH
LANGUAGE LEARNERS:
USING SCIENCE TO
SUPPORT ACADEMIC
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IN
HISPANIC ELL
POPULATIONS
30 Slide 2
Please fill out the survey.
While we wait, please brainstorm a list
of teaching practices you use to support
ELL students.
31 Slide 3
DISCUSSION: WHAT STRATEGIES DO YOU
USE TO SUPPORT YOUR ELLS?
32 Slide 4
Goal: Educators will leave the profession development with a better understanding of the Next Generation Science
Standards, as well as, strategies they can employ to support the development of academic language in ELL students.
Overview of the Next Generation Science Standards
Activity
Deconstructing the lesson
Reflection
AGENDA FOR PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT SESSION
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In slides 5-8, we began to meet the objectives of this project. In this set of slides, educators learned about the Next Generation Science Standards. Educators were walked through a brief background of the standards, how they compare to the current science standards, the three components of the standards, and how to read the NGSS.
Slide 5
Next Generation Science Standards
Developed through the Achieve organization along with 26 lead states.
Based on the Framework for K-12 Science Education by the National Research Council.
Released April 2013
Adopted by 13 states and the District of Colombia
Implementation slated to begin the 2017-2018 school year.
ABOUT THE NGSS
34 Slide 6
Performance based rather than knowledge based.
Engineering
Interdisciplinary
Designed for real-life context
Problem solving and critical thinking for college and career readiness.
35 Slide 7
NGSS has three components
Disciplinary Core Ideas
Life science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, Engineering, Technology and Application of Science
Science and Engineering Practices
Asking questions and defining problems, Developing and using models, Planning and carrying out investigations, Analyzing and interpreting data
Crosscutting Concepts
Patterns , Cause and effect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity, System and System Models, Energy and Matter, Structure and Function, Stability and Change
36 Slide 8
HOW TO READ THE NGSS
Science and engineering practices Crosscutting concepts Connection to CCSS Science Content Assessment
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In slides 9-17, educators were then transitioned into applying the Next Generation Science Standards through a hands-on science activity. This set of slides shows how educators were walked through the initial stages of the activity and how educators could present the activity to students. Through this activity, the second and third set of project objectives were met through having educators engage in a hands-on science activity that implemented the Next Generation Science Standards and incorporated research-based strategies that support ELLs acquisition of academic language. In the following slides, educators are shown how they can access the prior knowledge of students, make connections to reading, and introduce academic vocabulary that uses Spanish cognates when available.
38 Slide 9
What do you know about rockets?
I know rockets are…
I know that rockets…
One thing I know about rockets is…
39 Slide 10
Tall, thin, round vehicles powered by rocket engines.
NASA and other space agencies use rockets to launch satellites, astronauts, and rovers to different locations in space.
Informational reading connection “What is a Rocket?”
Today we will design rockets that can go a long distance.
K-2: Explore how the amount of force used to launch affects distance. 3-5: What variables increase the distance a rocket flies.
40 Slide 11
Rocket
Tall, thin, round
vehicles powered by
rocket engines.
The Saturn V rocket is
the heaviest and
largest rocket ever
used.
41 Slide 12
Fin
A thin piece of metal
attached to the bottom
of a rocket that help a
rocket fly straight.
I wonder how the
shape and size of a
rocket’s fins affect the
flight of the rocket.
VOCABULARY
42 Slide 13
Nose
Cone
The top or tip of a
rocket.
Nose cones can be
many different shapes
and sizes.
43 Slide 14
Distance
The space between
two objects or points.
The length something
travels.
Distancia
44 Slide 15
Angle
The amount of turning
between two lines
meeting at the same
point.
ángulo
45 Slide 16
Data
A collection of facts
(numbers, words,
measurements,
observations or
descriptions of things)
Dato(s)
VOCABULARY
46 Slide 17
Record
To write down or keep
track.
Ms. Garcia records the
number of times
students follow
directions.
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Slides 18-23, introduce the hands-on portion that educators would engage their students with after they have introduced the academic language. The slides walk educators through creating the rockets and modifying the rockets. The following slides also model how educators may want to create collaborative teams. Finally, outlined through this set of slides, the presentation engaged educators in a discussion regarding their findings and created a word wall for the lesson. Educators could in turn follow this model within their classroom.
Slide 18
Cut out the pieces.
Roll the long rectangle around a pen or pencil, Not too hard!
Tape the cylinder.
Attach the fins to the rocket’s body. Fold the fins so they are at 90˚ angle.
Slide the rocket off the pen/pencil.
Fold about 2mm down and tape to form the nose cone.
Place rocket on the straw.
To launch blow on the straw.
48 Slide 19
Red dot-Speaker
Green dot-Recorder
Yellow dot-Materials Manager
Purple dot-Measurement Person
Brown dot-Task Manager
Blue dot- Conflict Manger/Cheerleader
JOBS
49 Slide 20
Before we can experiment on a way to make our rocket fly a longer distance we need to find out how well our rockets fly. This is called setting the control.
With your rockets set at 45˚ launch your rocket five (5) times and record your data.
50 Slide 21
What can we change to make our rockets fly a longer distance?
One thing we can change is… Another thing we can change is… Something else we can change is…
I would like to add to _________ idea by _________________.
As a group decide one thing you can change, and write the question you will seek to answer with your group.
How does changing _________________ affect the distance the rocket travels?
Once everyone in your group has their idea written down begin to experiment.
Record your data.
Answer the questions.
51 Slide 22
What were your team’s findings?
We changed________________. We found that________________. We would/wouldn’t recommend you make this change because _______.
Based on the class’ findings draw the ideal rocket. Label the parts.
52 Slide 23
Create a word tile for the science word wall.
Work as a group Include:
Word
Definition in your own words
A picture/artifact to show the definition of the word
Present your word tile as a class
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Slides 24-25 provided educators with an opportunity to deconstruct the lesson that they had just participated in. Through the deconstruction and reflection activity,
educators gained an understanding of how they could easily integrate research-based strategies to improve Hispanic ELLs access to academic language.
Slide 24
Direct instruction of the vocabulary
No words introduced with the same prefix
Cognates
Cognate Wall
Interactive Word Wall
Multiple opportunities to use the language taught.
DE-CONSTRUCTING THE LESSON
54 Slide 25
Take a minute to reflect on today’s activity and presentation.
What is one thing you learned during today’s PD? Is there anything you can use in your classroom?
If you would like to do this activity with your students indicate it on the bottom of the survey.
Turn in reflection and survey.
55 Lesson Plan
Following the professional development activity, educators in grades 3-6 were asked if they would like to implement the lesson that they had just conducted within their classrooms and provide feedback, that would be used to create an educator guide. This was done for several reasons. First, through giving educators access to this activity, the project goal to encourage teachers to engage their students in hand-on science was met. Secondly, through the feedback that educators provided, I was better able to understand the needs of educators as they moved forward with the Next Generation Science
Standards and address those needs in the educator guide created. Finally, providing educators access to this activity to implement with their students gave educators hands on experience implementing strategies to support the academic language acquisition of their Hispanic ELL populations.
The “Straw Rockets” lesson plan lists the grade level this activity is appropriate for, as well as the time duration of the activity, academic vocabulary used, and the NGSS standards it covers. The lesson plan follows the 5E model of instruction. The 5E model of instruction includes, engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate.
Students are engaged in the activity through a quick demonstration, accessing their prior knowledge on rockets, and direct instruction of the academic vocabulary of the activity (Appendix D). Cognates were used in this activity when available. Students were then given the opportunity to explore through the creation of their straw rockets, initial launch, and modification of the rockets (Appendix E and F). Next, students were able to explain their findings to the class with their group. Finally, students were given the opportunity to elaborate and synthesize the knowledge they gained from the other groups
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presentations by designing the ideal rocket. Finally, students were evaluated based on the rubric, which looked at components such as students’ project design, their discussion of their results, and their ability to synthesize other groups’ data in the design of the ideal rocket (Appendix G).
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Straw Rockets
Grade 3-5 Time 60 minutes Science VocabularyRocket, Fin, Nose Cone Academic
Vocabulary
Distance, angle, data, record
Cognates Distance-Distancia, Angle-Ángulo, Data-Datos NGSS 3-5 Engineering Design
3-5-ETS1-1: Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and
constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2: Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the
criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-5-ETS1-3: Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify
aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved. Student
Objectives
Develop a question to investigate. Identify limits on materials or time.
Conduct an experiment in which students choose one variable in order to identify what part of the rocket can be improved.
Language Objectives
Students discuss ideas with a partner, in a small group, and in a class discussion.
Students can explain the reasoning behind their ideal rocket design. Materials Completed rocket
Bendy straws (1 per student) Scissors
Tape
Pens/Pencils (1 per student) Construction paper
Notecards
Measuring Devices
Older students: Protractor, string and small weight (washer, penny, two paperclips)
Straw Rocket Template (See Attached) Vocabulary Cards (See Attached) Student Worksheet (See attached) Rubric (See attached)
58 Part of the
Lesson
Teacher Engage Tell students, This is called a straw rocket.
Ask, How can we make this (show completed rocket, launch for dramatic effect) go the farthest distance possible?
Think-Pair-Share: Have you ever heard about rockets? What do you know about rockets?
o I know rockets are_________. o I know that rockets___________.
o One thing I know about rockets is___________.
State the objective: NASA uses rockets to launch supplies, people
and satellites or rovers into space. Today we will be creating our own rockets and conducting an experiment to see how we can make our rockets go the farthest distance.
Go over the vocabulary words. o Have students say the word. o Read the definition.
o Look at the picture.
o Read the sentence or cognate Explore Hand out the Straw Rocket Template.
Walk through the steps of creating a rocket with students. (Tips: Do not give students the straws until after they are done building the rockets and after the class rules have been established.)
o Cut out the pieces.
o Roll the long rectangle around a pen or pencil. Not too hard! o Tape the cylinder. Don’t tape the cylinder to the pencil. o Attach the fins to the rocket’s body. Make a fin sandwich with
the cylinder in the middle. Fold the fins so they are at 90˚ angle. o Slide the rocket off the pen/pencil.
o Pinch the top of the rocket and fold down. Tape to form the nose cone.
o Place rocket on the straw. o To launch blow on the straw. Form student groups, possible jobs:
o Speaker: Presents the data found by the group.
o Recorder: Writes down any data collected by the group. o Materials Manager: Collects/Cleans up all materials.
o Measurement Manager: Does all of the measuring, is in charge of measuring device.
o Task Manager: Keeps group on task, makes sure everyone has written down any data collected.
o Conflict Manager/Cheerleader: Solves any group disputes and cheers classmates on.
Tell students, Today we will be changing something about our
rockets in order to see if we can make the go a longer distance BUT before we can do that we need to find out how well our rockets fly
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originally.
Ask students, What are some things we can do to make sure we can
compare one flight to the next? Should we keep things the same? Should I blow really hard one time and really soft the next? Tell students, With your teams you are going to launch the rocket 5
times, record the distance the rocket travels, and answer the questions after the table on your student worksheet.
Older students can also calculate the average.
Hand out rocket engines and allow students to launch rockets and measure distance.
Monitor students, ask questions:
o Is the rocket flying the same distance every time? Why yes or no?
o What parts of the rocket can we change to make it fly a longer distance?
o What can we change about how we launch the rocket to make it fly a longer distance?
Reconvene the class
o Ask students about their experience and challenges that may have arisen.
Think-Pair-Share: Now that we know how well our rockets fly, let’s think of what are some things we can change in our rockets that might make them go farther? What are limits on what we can change?
o One thing we can change is__________.
o We can’t change _______________ because______________. During the class discussion write down things that students can
change.
Ask students, Why would you only want to change one thing and
keep everything else the same? Why might a scientist or engineer choose to change only one thing?
Tell students, Now as a group decide what you will change what is
going to be the question you want to answer as scientist.
o How does changing _________________ affect the distance? Tell students, Now that you have decided what to change and have
stated your question, you are going to make the change to your rocket and launch it five times, recording the data. Remember you have to make the same change each time (shorter and shorter or
steeper and steeper angle) and you get up to six tests. Give students time to test.
Monitor students, ask questions: o What did your group change?
o Is it going farther than before? How do you know? o Would you recommend other students make this change? o Students write down their findings and answer the student
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Explain After students have conducted their test, have the class reconvene. Have student groups share their results:
o We changed ___________________ o We found that _________________ o We would recommend __________
Have groups write down, on the board or poster paper, what change they made to make the rocket fly the furthest. If their change did not yield positive results have them write down what they should not change.
Elaborate Based on student results, have students draw the ideal rocket on the back of the student worksheet. Have students label parts and write an explanation on why they would make the changes they did.
Have student groups create word tiles for one of the vocabulary words and share the tile with the class (post on word wall).