Welcome to the GEMS-Net October 2018 newsletter. We hope everyone had a great start to the school year! The GEMS-Net team has some exciting updates to share for the upcoming school year. Please join us in welcoming Warwick as the newest school district to join the GEMS-Net community. We are excited for the opportunity to work with Warwick administrators and teachers and add them as a valuable resource to our expanding network of science educators throughout RI! The GEMS-Net team also has a new addition. Christina Broomfield from the North Kingstown School District has joined the GEMS-Net team as our newest Teacher-in-Residence! Her experience with FOSS courses, knowledge of best practice, and overall enthusiasm for science education are tremendous assets to the team! Finally, GEMS-Net has also transitioned to a new K-5 materials management system. For more information on these changes visit the Materials Management page on the GEMS-Net website. As we work through this new process, please contact the GEMS-Net team with any questions or issues that may arise related to science materials. As always, we love to hear and see what is happening in your science classrooms. So keep posting @gemsnet10 and be sure visit our Twitter and Instagram pages to get a glimpse into the GEMS-Net community. We hope everyone has a successful start to the school year. Enjoy diving into your Earth Science courses!

Best,

The GEMS-Net Team

Instagram and Twitter and Facebook, oh my!

The GEMS-Net team is on social media! Many of you have liked and followed our Twitter and Facebook accounts, but did you know we're now on Instagram? It's true!

Social media is a great way to stay connected with what's going on in our GEMS-Net community as well as collaborate and converse with other GEMS-Net teachers. We love to see our awesome science teachers in action so be sure to tag us on the platform of your choice so we can celebrate your successes along with you!

You can connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by tagging @gemsnet10 .

GEMS-Net Twitter Chat

This year we are also trying out our first Twitter Chat! A Twitter Chat is where a group of Twitter users meet at a pre-determined time to discuss a certain topic. A designated hashtag (#) is used for each tweet contributed. To learn more about Twitter Chats, watch this helpful video!

Our first Twitter Chat will take place on Wednesday, November 7, 2018 starting at 7:00pm. Simply log in to Twitter from your account and search the hashtag #gemsnetchats .

Once we start chatting, you will see numbered questions from us (Q1, Q2, Q3, etc...). To respond to questions simply type (A1, A2, A3, etc...) before your response. There are no right or wrong answers and everyone can contribute meaningful insights during our chat so stop by Twitter on the 7th and let's be social!

If the above Twitter Chat date doesn't work for you, no worries! You can join in on the conversation at any time by responding to the questions and hashtagging #gemsnetchats .

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

"The study of science and engineering should produce a sense of the process of argument necessary for advancing and defending a new idea or an explanation of a phenomenon and the norms for conducting such arguments. In that spirit, students should argue for the explanation they construct, defend their interpretations of the associated data, and advocate for the designs they propose." (NRC Framework, 2012, p.73)

The NGSS calls for students to argue a claim with evidence and reasoning starting in kindergarten. Therefore, the expectation for all our students is to engage with a phenomenon, collect data, identify evidence, and argue a claim. This process of argumentation can take many forms in your science classroom. Whether it's present in their science writing, during classroom discourse, or constructing a model, students need to have multiple and varied opportunities to argue claims and provide evidence to support their thinking. As students progress through the grades, they are expected to build upon prior knowledge and develop a deeper understand of this practice. For example, K-2 students focus on comparing ideas and representations about the natural and designed world; students in grades 3-5 begin critiquing scientific explanations constructed by their peers. Eventually, in grades 6-8, students are constructing convincing arguments that support or refute scientific claims based on their own evidence.

Using Sentence Frames to Promote Argumentation

Using sentence frames to support students as they communicate understanding of a concept is a strategy teachers use across all content areas. In the science classroom, sentence frames are a valuable tool for encouraging students to support their ideas with evidence collected through investigations and/or research. During the making meaning portion of your instruction, have sentence frames available for students to use as they start to discuss and make sense of the phenomenon just experienced. These frames will provide students with the language and structure needed to start expressing their ideas. They then can focus on grappling with the science content and making deeper meaning. As students go to communicate their understanding, whether through writing or class discussion, have the sentence frames prominently displayed in your classroom so students can access them as a resource. The more students use these frames in discourse, the more we can expect to see them appear in their writing!

Here are some possible sentence frames you could use with students when you are expecting them to provide evidence to back up a claim:

• For example...
• My evidence is...
• I observed...
• I noticed...
• My diagram shows...
• In my data table, I recorded...

You can learn more about the practice of "Engaging in Argument from Evidence" by clicking on the tabs below. Check out an article from STEM Teaching Tools which discusses the relationship between the practices of argumentation and explanation. Also, look over p. 13-14 of the "NGSS Appendix F: Science and Engineering Practices" to develop a deeper understanding of the progression and expectations of engaging in argument from evidence for students in grades K-12.

Next Generation Science Standards © Copyright 2013 Achieve, Inc. All rights reserved. NGSS is a registered trademark of Achieve. Neither Achieve nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards was involved in the production of, nor do they endorse, this product.

We are grateful for our Teacher Leaders who continue their own professional development, promote science education for their colleagues, and impact their students daily. This year we are lucky to have two former Teacher Leaders who are currently Teachers-in-Residence with our team.

Zachary Orefice of Foster School Department and Christina Broomfield of North Kingstown School Department share a little of what's been going on at GEMS-Net this summer!

Being a Teacher Leader is a rewarding opportunity that allows teachers to dive deeper into our science courses and become advocates for quality science instruction within their schools and districts. Teacher Leaders receive all of the same support as our teachers, but with additional professional development opportunities. They gain leadership skills and frequently act as a liaison between teachers and GEMS-Net staff. Teacher Leaders meet throughout the school year to collaborate and learn more about the wonderful things going on in our classrooms and schools.

This summer, we culminated the school year with an event called "A Night at the Zoo with GEMS-Net" which took place at Roger Williams Park Zoo. This successful event allowed our Teacher Leaders to meet with a variety of individuals who play a role in the science education of our students. From administrators, research scientists, and political stakeholders to parents and community members, we took the time to come together and share the work going on in our partnership. Discussions focused on the topics of environmental/place-based education, technology/blended learning, science and literacy integration, and conversations about where we will go in the future as we work toward continuous improvement in STEM education in our small but influential state. Thanks to Roger Williams Park Zoo for being such an incredible host and to everyone who attend the event. It was truly a night to celebrate the amazing work happening within the GEMS-Net partnership!

Another exciting opportunity our Teacher Leaders have is the chance to be a part of various research committees. This summer, three classroom teachers, one media specialist, three environmental educators, and four university researchers came together to target the development of three-dimensional learning by forming a collaborative research committee focused on place-based experiences within a variety of learning environments. This team looked at case studies and came together to participate in activities that helped us explore the value and challenges of virtual reality experiences and field experiences. First, we examined each as a separate experience and then had discussions about the impact of combining them to create a more comprehensive and valuable experience for our students. This work will help the team strengthen an existing National Science Foundation (NSF) grant proposal with the goal of resubmitting for funding in 2019.

We look forward to another exciting year with our Teacher Leaders and will continue to provide updates about what we've been working on and all that we learn from one another.

RIEEA is a network of individuals and organizations working together to promote effective environmental education throughout the state. As a way to continue increasing environmental literacy among your students, remember to look for field trips and experiences which help localize and contextualize science. Check out the following programs which support Earth Science connections being offered by RIEEA organizations this fall and winter!

Looking for an organization/program or other opportunity to help get your students engaged in environmental learning? RIEEA has compiled a comprehensive and diverse list of environmental education organizations and opportunities in the state that offer these services. Check out the Educator Resource Directory on the RIEEA website for more information! Be sure to ask about scholarships and other funding opportunities if necessary.

Outdoor Classroom Day is taking place on Thursday, November 1st. The goal of this global campaign is to promote the benefits of an outdoor learning environment and encourage teachers to take student learning outside. Many of you are finding great opportunities to connect the learning in your classroom with the outdoors. Participating in the event would be a great way to showcase this work or support you in starting the process. To learn more about the campaign and find out how to sign up visit the Outdoor Classroom website.

Each year the Environmental Council of RI's Education Fund gives out small grants to Rhode Island schools and school-based after-school programs for hands-on environmental projects by students that benefit the local environment.

The Environmental Council of RI's Education Fund is pleased to offer 3 grants of up to $250 in support of school-based projects that:

1. Have student participation
2. Lead to measurable improvement in an environmental condition
3. Involve the community beyond a school in some way

The application deadline is November 21, 2018 and awards will be made in January 2019 for projects to be undertaken in the spring of 2019. Application and further information is available here https://www.environmentcouncilri.org/news/applications-2019-tisdale-awards-now-available

The 2018 Ocean Literacy Summit is taking place November 15 & 16, 2018, in Boston, MA, hosted by the University of Massachusetts at Boston and Northeastern University Marine Science Center. Register NOW and join the New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative for two days of engaging workshops, field trips, networking opportunities, and presentations! There are still opportunities to sponsor, exhibit, present during the science and education fair, and participate in the art show! Single-day registration rates are also available. Please remember, however, that online registration will close November 1. If you are interested in learning more about this event, you can visit the 2018 Ocean Literacy Summit website.

Email: gemsnet@etal.uri.edu
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Twitter: @gemsnet10