The framework clearly lays out what it wants teachers to cover in every grade level. However, the connection to the natural environment where so much science takes place is grossly understated and often ommitted. No mention is made of Gardner’s Eight Multiple Intelligences and the importance of presenting concepts and information in a wide variety of ways. A larger percentage of instructional time should be hands-on science and hands-on environmental education.
Students are drawn to the natural environment. The framework should encourage teachers to use environmental education approaches to teaching science as well as other content areas. There is a wealth of EE resources available to teachers and these should be mentioned in general fashion throughout the document. I would suggest mentioning the statewide projects such as CREEC, Project WET, PLT, and Project Wild which could assist teacher in their efforts to cover the standards.
The layout is easy to read and the standards are presented clearly. The document is a bit lengthy but I would guess a teacher would only read the applicable grade levels anyway.
Page 2, line 39: Request a greater amount of time be spent teaching science through hands-on instruction, including field based instruction and environmental education. Instruction should enable students to connect science concepts taught in the classroom to real world examples. Reference can be made to Gardner’s eight Multiple Intelligences, especially Bodily/Kinesthetic and Naturalist.
Page 3, line 23: Science, technology, and societal issues are strongly linked to environmental issues such as population growth, conservation of natural resources, environmental quality, etc. Students should understand the relationship between the science content in the standards to local, regional, national, and global impacts to be fully environmentally literate and science literate.
Page 11, line 28: The framework should also ensure that students are environmentally literate which can be accomplished by strong environmental education programs connected to science content standards.
Page 17, line 4: Inquiry-based teaching methods can include the use of local resources such as school site environments and nearby natural areas.
Page 19, line 30: Field trips to local natural areas can be cross-curricular. Teachers can cover the standards from several content areas. When thought through carefully, field based environmental education can actually be a wise use of instructional time. It also provides an opportunity to see and experience science in action.
Page 20, line 16: Add a paragraph that states: An effective science program uses hands-on, field based, inquiry and discovery-based opportunities that provide students with a connection between the myriad of science concepts taught in the classroom and the natural environment. The natural world is “life” and it is one in which students can truly understand how many things work.
Page 21, line 16: Another place to recommend greater than 25% of hands-on instruction.
Page 22, line 32: Environmental education is a better fit with science than all the subjects listed. Add EE to the idea of cross-curricular instruction.
Page 27, line 32: School site gardens are an excellent play for kindergarteners to study the structures of plants and seeds as well as care for them.
Page 34, line 1: Differences in animals can be seen in the local wildlife from in California’s diverse habitats.
Page 34, line 34: The care of animals can also be accomplished by taking on the role of stewards of the local environment near a school. In addition to visiting an area, students who regularly visit one place will assume the responsibility for making sure the animals that live there have a good habitat.
Page 35, line 5: Here is another great opportunity to recommend that the teacher take students outdoors to a nearby environment to study animal and plant interdependence. Students will develop a greater understanding of the concept of interdependence when they see it in “real life.”
Page 59, line 28: Greatly expand on this idea. Teachers should be referred to the CREEC website, etc. for local resources available to them. Numerous groups offer free or low cost programs for students that enable them to see plant and animal adaptations in a variety of habitats. Again, these field based experiences can be cross-curricular with an easy link to instruction of the science standards.
Page 60, line 13: Most schools will have a location nearby that has undergone some change. Students can study this area over the course of the school year to observe and record the changes that occur.
Page 60, line 34: Add the study of endangered species found in California and particularly in the local region of the school. Students can study the factors that lead to an organism being considered endangered as well studying those that are extinct
Page 69, line 33: To enhance of the understanding of food webs and pyramids, teachers can take students out into the natural environment to find various animals that the students could then use to diagram a food web. This way students know what lives nearby and little by little will take care of their local habitats.
Page 70, line 25: This is an excellent place to suggest vermiculture for the classroom. Students love studying worms. They can really understand the concept of decomposition by have worm bins at their school. Cafeteria waste programs can be developed to reduce solid waste at the school as well.
Page 71, line 22: Here is another good opportunity for students to select a local area to study over time.
Page 74, line 25: A visit to any local landform can yield a discussion about erosion, weathering, and water transport of sediments.
Page 83, line 24: Elaborate on the possibilities that a school site garden can provide, including photosynthesis, plant structure, and stewardship.
Page 84, line 21: Get students to the ocean whenever possible. Not just to study the water cycle but all the ways human are linked to oceans. Even students who live near the coast do not necessarily understand the role the ocean plays in the environment.
Page 85, line 20: Students should know their local watershed and have opportunities to visit the headwaters of creeks and streams whenever possible. Drinking water often comes from one than one watershed. There is a tremendous amount of material available on water from a variety of government agencies and local organizations. The CREEC data base will assist the teacher in finding these resources.
Page 92, line 5: A strong statement should be made to support the attendance by every California 5th or 6th grader to a COSA certified residential outdoor science school for a one week program. Outdoor schools have correlated their curriculum to the content standards and the experiential philosophy of these programs helps student retain the concept presented. The week long program is academic and creates life long positive experiences about the natural environment.
Page 95, line 20: Once again, students should visit local landforms to really see plate tectonics in action. It is much more impressive to see translation, subduction, etc. in the natural environment than to see a model or a picture.
Page 97, line 28: Students should visit a local stream or creek to observe the effects of water on the local landscape.
Page 105, line 27: Students can study photosynthesis in the plants found near their school.Wherever and whenever possible, connect students to their personal surroundings.
Page 106, line 13: Take students into the natural environment to record local animals found and then place animals into a food chain, food pyramid, or food web.
Page 107, line 17: Same as previous suggestion. Use actual data from the natural environment to teach this concept.
Page 109, line 29: The big picture of recycling all of our renewable resources should be strongly emphasized here. Not only should students know the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources, but they should learn how their actions on a daily basis can make a difference to protect and preserve precious resources.
Page 119, line 29: Students could study the changes in local species of plants and animals found in nearby environments.
Page 121, line 23: Students could study local areas to observe different size rocks, layering, and the formation of new sediment.
Page 127, line 1: Students can study local plants to see structure.
Unable to review by GSEEC meeting. Sorry!
Page 286, line 24: Good environmental education programs get students to think, to have an understanding of concepts in science and math, and encourage students to enjoy these content areas. As they relate to the ‘real world’, they will assess higher. Reference Gerry Lieberman’s work from Closing the Achievement Gap and the more reference California study.
Page 289, line 9: The natural environment is a universal language. Science concepts taught in the natural environment can translate across languages. Environmental education can help build the bridge to greater science achievement among our English Language Learners.
Page 291, line 40: Outdoor Schools have done a tremendous job at accommodating students with disabilities. These students should also be encouraged to participate in residential outdoor schools whenever possible.
Page 299, line 12: All pre-service teachers should learn how to incorporate environmental education into their instruction of all content areas as a part of their coursework. Pre-service teachers should be offered certification in PLT, WET, Wild, ACPE. In-service teachers should also be required to demonstrate proficiencies in EE.
No time to evaluate.
No time to evaluate.
AEOE > Online Articles & Issues > Science Framework Field Review
