February 20, 2009 Enjoy some breakfast and networking! We’ll begin at 9:00.

Group Norms  Start and end on time  Put cell phones on silent  Be respectful of all comments  Everyone participates  Exercise the rule of “two feet”  Come prepared for each meeting  Keep side conversations to a minimum 2

 Observations Debrief with Mike Howard ◦ OTOP Clarification ◦ Overall Strengths and Weaknesses  Teaching for Conceptual Change ◦ Sequoia Probe ◦ Chapter 3 in Ready, Set, Science!  Update on Properties of Matter ◦ Measuring Area and Volume

Looking Ahead To Year Three Observations: Old and New Metacognition Scoring Pre and Post Tests Solids and Liquids

 Continuation RFA just released  Requirements and parameters  Different scenarios to consider  Preferences and considerations for continuation grant

Part I: Strengths and Weakness ◦ Review Impressions ◦ According to the Data

 Strengths ◦ Used a variety of means to represent concepts ◦ Teacher as a facilitator ◦ Active role for students ◦ Use of manipulatives to explore ideas… 11 of of of of 15

 Weaknesses ◦ Emphasis on learning factual knowledge, skills/procedures ◦ Appropriate connections with other content ◦ Teacher encourages students to be reflective ◦ Students are encouraged to generate conjectures, alternative solutions… 6 of 15 3 of 15 2 of 15

Part II: Rubrics ◦ Review ◦ Revise

 What is it?  Why is it important to educators?  What does it look like when used effectively in a science lesson?

 Rate your current ability to answer the three questions posted about metacognition: ◦ Choose the color of post-it that matches your confidence level.  Green = very confident, I know it.  Yellow = fairly confident, still have questions  Red (pink) = I have no idea! ◦ Put your name on the post-it and place it below the question. ◦ Repeat for each question.

Know Want to Know Learned What is it? Why is it important? What does it look like?

 Read the pages copied from How Students Learn Science  As you read, look for answers to the three questions: What is it? Why is it important? What does it look like in use?  Write the appropriate bold term in the margin where you find an answer to the corresponding question.

 Move to the location your group was assigned and brainstorm answers to the question on the chart paper.  When time is called rotate chart paper (clockwise) to a new group.  When time is called repeat the rotation once more so that each group has had the chance to add ideas to all three charts.

 The person in your group who most recently went to the movies will post your chart and report out.  Take a look at your K-W-L Chart and make any revisions/additions you feel are needed at this time.

 Scan through the lesson on Day One in the third grade section of the “Force and Motion Instructional Module”  Identify segments/activities designed to have students thinking about their thinking.  Share what you identified with a partner.

 What did we do in our work today that was metacognitive in nature?  Complete your K-W-L  Questions?

 Individual Assignment: ◦ Share whether you agree or disagree with the statement. ◦ Share summary of support or refutation information. ◦ Include instructional implications related to the statement as well as any strategies provided.  2 minutes/person to share with whole group  If students are not taught how nor given the opportunity to talk about and argue about their current understanding, what might be some implications for student learning? Ch. 5 Making Thinking Visible: Talk and Argument

 Please work individually and mark if you agree or disagree.

Taken from the model developed by Norman Webb, University of Wisconsin, to align standards with assessments Used by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) for assessment alignment in more than ten states

Depth of Knowledge Focuses on the cognitive processing that is required to complete an assessment task Descriptive, not a taxonomy Not the same as difficulty

Mechanism to ensure that the intent of the standard and the level of student demonstration required by that standard matches the assessment items (required under NCLB) Provides cognitive processing ceiling for item development

Four levels of depth of knowledge: Recall and Reproduction - Level 1 Skills & Concepts/Basic Reasoning - Level 2 Strategic Thinking/Complex Reasoning - Level 3 Extended Thinking/Reasoning - Level 4

 For the following slides, chose which DOK level is appropriate.  Justify your choice  Share with a partner

requires recall of information, such as a fact, definition, term, or performing a simple process or procedure. A student either knows the answer or doesn’t. Answering a Level 1 item can involve following a simple, well-known procedure or formula. Simple skills and abilities or rote responses characterize DOK 1.

List animals that survive by eating other animals. Locate or recall facts explicitly found in text. Describe physical features of objects. Perform a routine procedure, such as measuring length. Perform a simple science process or a set procedure. Represent in words or diagrams a scientific concept.

includes the engagement of some mental processing beyond recalling or reproducing a response. Items require students to make some decisions as to how to approach the question or problem. These actions imply more than one mental or cognitive process/step.

Compare desert and tropical environments Identify and summarize the major events, problem, solution, conflicts in text Explain the cause-effect of events Predict a logical outcome based on information in a reading selection Select a procedure according to specified criteria and perform it. Classify plane and three dimensional figures Collect and display data.

requires deep knowledge as exhibited through planning, using evidence, and more demanding cognitive reasoning. The cognitive demands at Level 3 are complex and abstract. An activity that has more than one possible answer and requires students to justify the response they give would most likely be a Level 3.

Interpret information from a complex graph. Use reasoning, planning, or evidence. Justify a response when more than one answer is possible. Research and explain a scientific concept. Form conclusions from experimental or observational data. Explain thinking beyond a simple explanation or using a word or two.

requires high cognitive demand and is very complex. Students are expected to make several connections—relate ideas within the content or among content areas—and have to select or devise one approach among many alternatives on how the situation can be solved. Due to the complexity of cognitive demand, DOK 4 often requires an extended period of time.

However, extended time alone is not the distinguishing factor. TaskDOK Level Collecting data samples over several months DOK 1 Organizing the data in a chartDOK 2 Using this chart to make and justify predictions DOK 3 Developing a generalized model from this data and applying it to a new situation DOK 4

Gather, analyze, organize, and interpret information from multiple (print and non print sources) to draft a reasoned report Conduct an investigation, from identifying the problem to designing and carrying out the experiment, to analyzing the data and forming conclusions. Relate ideas within the content area or among content areas.

DOK 1- List two animals that survive by eating other animals. (simple recall) DOK 2- List two reasons that desert environments do not support large carnivores. (requires conceptual understanding of how organisms interact with their environments) DOK 3- List the data you would need to collect and the experimental steps you would take to investigate the impact of precipitation amounts on the bear population of an island. (requires deep understanding of how a scientific investigation is conducted) Same verb—three DOK levels

An item/standard written to DOK 3 often also contains DOK 1 and DOK 2 level demands

Sample Science Assessment Limit (based on Webb) Example A: Perform a simple science process or a set procedure to gather data Example B: Represent data collected over a period time, making comparisons and interpretations Example C: Interpret data collected for a research question for a scientific problem related to your environment DOK Ceiling Level Potential DOK Levels for Assessment 1 (Measure temperature of water) 1 (Measure temperature of water at different times/places) 2 (Construct a graph to organize, display, and compare data) 1 (Measure temperature of water at different times/places) 2 (Construct a graph to organize, display, and compare data) 3 (Design an investigation to explain the affect of varying temperatures of the river in different locations)

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) is a scale of cognitive demand. DOK requires looking at the assessment item/standard-not student work-in order to determine the level. DOK is about the item/standard-not the student. The context of the assessment item/standard must be considered to determine the DOK not just a look at what verb was chosen.

 Read through the 4 th grade student test on Force and Motion.  Working with a partner, mark the DoK level for each item.  Examine the related standards and determine if the items are congruent to the standards and the ceiling DoK level(s) in the standards.  Identify strengths and weaknesses of the test as related to the standards and DoK level(s).

 Examine the verb frequency count in PoS and CCA for Elementary Science.  What are some implications for classroom instruction?  What are some implications for classroom assessments?

 I can describe properties of solids and liquids.

 Working with a partner, sort the items into those that are a solid and those that are not.  As you sort, give justifications for your sorting.  When finished, write down the rule you used for your sort.

Looking Ahead To Year Three Observations: Old and New Metacognition Scoring Pre and Post Tests Solids and Liquids

 Data from classroom observations, which use an instrument designed for effective science instruction, can be useful in determining strengths and weaknesses in science classroom instruction for individual teachers and for building needs.  Teaching students to be metacognitive is an essential component of effective teaching and learning.  Summative assessments in the classroom should be congruent to the assessed standards and at the specified DoK levels.  Both teachers and students need to uncover their current understanding of a concept in order to move students to a more scientifically accurate conception. Classroom activities must be purposefully planned to do this.

"I know your teachers are very demanding and all the kids avoid you, but you have to go to school, Dear. You're the principal!"

 Read chapter 4 in Active Learning Through Formative Assessment.  Questions to consider while reading: ◦ What is dialogic talk and what role should it play in the classroom? ◦ What are some important ‘lessons learned’ about ensuring quality talk in the classroom? ◦ What are some different/new techniques for improving and increasing the amount of quality talk in your classroom? ◦ If dialogic talk is improved in the classroom, what might be some instructional implications?