KS Science Education Newsletter

I hope you all had a great year with your students and in this newsletter I wanted to place a spotlight on phenomena. Phenomena driven learning is a major shift in our Kansas Science Standards and here are some resources to help you in your journey with this shift.

• On August 21st we will be able to observe the solar eclipse from Kansas. Check out these resources HERE from the University of Missouri including a teacher toolkit created to help students make sense of what they are seeing.
• The KATS site has a great resource HERE including a map to see if your local library is receiving glasses for the solar eclipse as well as NSTA extra resources HERE.
• There are great resources to help you learn more about phenomena driven learning HERE and a science teacher organization collecting phenomena ideas HERE for each grade level.

• Find out how we can change the equation by including more science at the elementary level HERE.
• Find a resource HERE to help you promote equity in your science classroom and find more from STEM Teaching Tools HERE.
• Check out these case studies HERE that include strategies for diverse learners to ensure our standards are accessible for all students.
• How are we ensuring all of our students are accessing instruction for all standards? Check out these resources HERE to map out courses at the MS and HS level.

• Promoting Meaningful Student Discourse: Check out this past webinar about how to promote students making sense through discourse in the science classroom.

• Newer Practice of Developing and Using Models: This past webinar helps us understand more about how to move away from "models of " to "models for" when using this practice in the classroom.

• Selecting Phenomena to Drive Your Units: Finding a natural discrepant event to drive student sense making can be challenging. Check out this past webinar to make that process easier!

• Developing a Storyline for Units: Sign up to attend this webinar with me on July 12th. This will PD opportunity will have great resources to help develop a flow of sense making in your units.

The district implementation indicators found HERE are a list of key common indicators of successful implementation of our Kansas Science Standards. Use this resource to check on your district's progress with the shifts in our standards.

This workbook HERE provides assistance in tackling challenges your district might have with implementation of our Kansas Science Standards. Choose the chapters you need help with and find resources to help you.

Help communicate the shifts in our standards with parents by using these parent guides HERE that you can edit and customize.

Find a tool HERE that can help you implement our standards (curriculum, instruction, assessments) no matter what phase you might be in!

Sign up for the NSTA Next Gen Navigator Newsletter! The May 2017 issue has a great focus on how to incorporate the cross cutting concepts into instruction including prompts and videos on how to do this towards the bottom of this site HERE.

This was our first operational year of a state science assessment that was created using our 2013 Kansas Science Standards. On June 20th and 21st science educators from across the state met to determine performance cut scores.

You will be receiving scores in your buildings that look similar to the Math & ELA reports seen HERE in early fall. You can find more information HERE about the specifics of each assessment.

Email: lburks@ksde.org
Website: www.ksde.org/science
Location: 900 SW Jackson St, Topeka, KS, United States
Phone: 785-296-8108
Twitter: @lizette_burks