1. Mr. Dane Jaber Ms. Vanessa Baker Ms. Cindy Jolicoeur
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Department of Science
Science ICAD: Middle School
Session 3
Mr. Dane Jaber
Instructional Supervisor
Ms. Vanessa Baker
Curriculum Support Specialist MS
Ms. Cindy Jolicoeur
Curriculum Support Specialist K-8
Welcome to the third Middle School Science ICAD Power cast for the school year.

2. Session Objectives Participants will be able to:
Identify and develop their reflective practices around instruction (planning and delivery).
Develop standards-based lessons through planning, implementation and feedback.
Cultivate student understanding of science inquiry through hands-on exploration of an essential lab.
This Power cast is intended to highlight expected outcomes for participants by discussing the explored content and applied strategies of the session.
Department of Science

3. To begin with, teachers explored content within the second quarter using the Element Builder Gizmo from explorelearning.com with the Senior Implementation Coordinator, Mario Junco, who demonstrated how to make Gizmos a STEM lesson through challenges. As this Gizmo explores how subatomic particles build elements, it can be used as a launching pad into standard SC.8.P.8.5 where elements combine to make a macrocosm of substances.

4. Zones of Comfort, Risk, and Danger (Protocol)
Participants reflected on their instructional methods, emphasizing areas that are easy and not as easy for them. Facilitators zeroed in on the most common dilemmas and allowed other participants the opportunity to provide solutions for many dilemmas that posed risk such as project-based lessons, open inquiry, and using technology. This protocol affirmed that everyone has different levels of comfort within different topics emphasizing that learning requires moving outside of our comfort zones and taking risks by challenging ourselves to meet the needs of diverse learners.

5. The role of the learner…
“The role of the learner is not to passively receive information, but to actively participate in the construction of new meaning”. B. Shapiro
This quote by science educator, anthropologist and University Professor, Bonnie Shapiro reminds us that when we teach science, we ask students to accept a specific method of seeing and explaining the world. To support student learning, we educators need to allow students the opportunity to construct their own meaning by reviewing prior knowledge, questioning new ideas and making connections.
The role of the learner…
Department of Science

6. Fostering Frequent Open Inquiry in the Science Classroom
Grade 8 : Essential Lab
Clay Elements, Molecules, and Compounds
In doing so, teachers can develop insight into the learners’ experience of science learning in the classroom through hands on activities such as the exploration of an essential lab for Grade 8 Science called Clay Elements, Molecules and Compounds that can be found in the science.dadeschools.net website under the teachers tab. This lab is intended to help students recognize that there are a finite number of elements and that their atoms combine in a multitude of ways to produce compounds that make up all the living and nonliving things that we encounter.
Big Idea 8: Properties of Matter
SC.8.P.8.5 (AA)
SC.8.P.8.9 (Assessed as SC.8.P.8.5)
Department of Science

7. Collaborative Lesson Exploration
TLO Protocol adapted from code.org
Teacher / Learner / Observer Protocol
is role-playing during PD to model a lesson. Each group gets the opportunity to practice and participate in the phases of lesson development under different “hats”
After the modeled lesson, the Observers lead a dialogue on the pedagogy of the lesson with everyone.
Teacher – Develop and teach a lesson
Learner – Actively participate as students
Observer – Observe, note and provide pedagogical feedback
Participants underwent a collaborative lesson exploration where using the Teacher/Learner/ Observer or TLO protocol adapted from code.org, teachers participate in the construction and delivery of the various parts of a lesson, viewing its implementation under a different lens each time to increase understanding of a learners’ interpretation of a lesson and ultimately construct more effective lessons.
Department of Science

8. How does this STEAM Activity fit into the curriculum?
To start the lesson, participants looked at how well this essential lab fit into the curriculum using the FCAT 2.0 Item Specifications for the standards addressed including how elements combine to make everything else we encounter and distinguishing among mixtures and pure substances.

9. Unwrapping the Standards
In groups, unwrap the standard below
Group 1: 2nd Nine Weeks: Standard: SC.8.P.8.5
Group 2: 2nd Nine Weeks: Standard: SC.8.P.8.9
Participants planned together and created a 5E STEAM lesson from the previously unwrapped standards from quarter two within topic six. This is a routine that should be instilled in their schools to promote effective planning.

10. Collaborative Lesson Exploration
TLO Protocol adapted from code.org
Planning
District
Resources
Essential
Labs
Lesson Plan
Create a STEM 5E Lesson Plan Using the standard that was previously unwrapped:
Standard: SC.8.P.8.5
Standard: SC.8.P.8.9
Present STEM 5E Lesson Plan
Next, participants showcased best practices such as RAFTs, songs, and manipulatives when modeling their lessons using the TLO protocol where each group got the opportunity to practice and participate in the phases of lesson development through different roles.
Department of Science

11. Collaborative Lesson Exploration
Teacher – Develop and teach a lesson
How does a small set of elements combine to form molecules, compounds and mixtures, which are used in your daily lives?
As the teacher, participants delivered a lesson around topic six underlining the importance of combining atoms.

12. Collaborative Lesson Exploration
Learner – Actively participate as students
As the learner, teachers actively participated in the lessons presented by their colleagues.

13. Collaborative Lesson Exploration
As the observer, teachers reflect on standard aligned and academic practices seen and shared them out with the group with an additional caveat where they observed the lessons using the Framework of Effective Instruction, noting identifiers in the Instructional Delivery component. This protocol can be integrated during common planning time and peer to peer support at the school site.
Observer – Observe, note and provide pedagogical feedback

14. Science Department Dr. Ava D. Rosales Executive Director Elementary
Middle School
High School
Mr. Dane Jaber
Supervisor
Dr. Millard Lightburn
Ms. Noreyda Casanas
Curriculum Support Specialist
Ms. Vanessa Baker
Mr. Daniel Gangeri
Ms. Yusimi Osteen
Curriculum Support
Specialist
Ms. Cindy Jolicoeur
Ms. Mary Tweedy
Ms. Mildred Farber
District Administrative Assistant
Phone:
We thank you for viewing this Power cast and look forward to seeing the application of reflective practices within your schools. Please share any additional questions or comments that you may still have with the appropriate staff member listed on the screen.
Department of Science