Curriculum & Assessment: Science

Science is an inquiry process used to investigate natural phenomena, resulting in the formation of theories verified by directed observations. Inquiry challenges students to solve problems by observing and collecting data and constructing inferences from those data. In doing so, students acquire knowledge and develop a rich understanding of concepts, principles, models, and theories. (National Science Education Standards, 2004, p.214) Inquiry requires the use of scientific thinking skills to address open-ended problems through non-prescriptive procedures and allows students to construct their own knowledge of the specific concepts. This validates different ways of gathering, synthesizing and communicating knowledge.

This site provides information and resources that support the teaching and learning of science for all students.

Next Generation Science Standards Development

New National Science Standards are currently under development. These standards, called the Next Generation Science Standards, are in the process of being written and the state of Montana is playing a role in this work. The plan is that, once these standards are complete, states will adopt them as their standards in much the same way Mathematics and English/Language Arts has done with the Common Core State Standards. However, they aren't being called "Common Core" standards because a different organization is overseeing the writing of these science standards. The process for the development of the Math and ELA Common Core Standards was led by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) ; the writing of the Next Generation Science Standards is being facilitated by Achieve, Inc. and funded through the Carnegie Foundation. These new science standards will be almost entirely based upon the new Framework for K-12 Science Education. You can download this document for free at the following site: Framework for K-12 Science Education.

A writing team that consists of educators from around the nation is working on the standards with input from 26 lead states. Montana joined this lead state effort in November of 2011. The first public draft of these standards will be available at the end of April 2012 and the final version is expected to be finished by the end of 2012. For more information about the public draft and press releases concerning the lead states' involvement, visit the following site: www.nextgenscience.org.

Content Standards and Assessment

For professional development on the Montana Science Content Standards please view the Professional Development tab.

Science CRT
Science CRT Released Items – View & download released items, answer keys, and example student answers from constructed response questions.

Highlights for Montana Science Educators

Safety in the Science Classroom

Science as Inquiry

During the 2008-2009 school year, the Office of Public Instruction distributed an inquiry-based reference to all Montana public schools. The reference is titled Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards. This book is a follow-up book to the National Science Education Standards and was written by the National Research Council. The book explains and illustrates how inquiry-based education helps students learn science content, master how to do science, and truly understand the nature of science. Important questions about structure, guidance, and assessment are addressed, including administrative support, communication with parents, and appropriate teacher evaluation. This reference was distributed to schools in a variety of ways (i.e. 2008 MEA-MFT conference, via county superintendents, delivery by OPI staff). If you are unable to locate this reference in your school library please contact Kristen Crawford, OPI Science Curriculum Specialist, for information about the specific delivery method to your school.

Inquiry Continuum - This continuum describes the variations in the amount of structure, guidance and coaching the teacher provides for students engaged in inquiry, broken out for the five essential features on inquiry-based learning. Student should have opportunities to participate in all types of inquiries in the course of their science learning, with the end goal of having students working in situations that are more learner self-directed.
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory: Science Inquiry
Center for Inquiry-Based Learning – What is Inquiry
Center for Inquiry-Based Learning – Inquiry Exercises
WISE: Web-based Inquiry Science Environment
Exploratorium Institute for Inquiry– The scientific process of asking questions and seeking answers serves as the foundation of the Institute for Inquiry. The Institute provides a variety of workshops, forums, and resources to support an international community of scientists and educators dedicated to developing innovation and leadership in science education. Facilitator Guides for professional development workshops are available for FREE download– Please check these out as they also have a plethora of information about inquiry–based teaching and learning.

Science Education Resources

Year of Science 2009 http://www.yearofscience2009.org – The goal of the Year of Science 2009 (YOS 2009) is to engage the public in science by showcasing how science works, who scientists are, and why science matters in our communities and everyday lives. Visit the website for information about engaging resources and highlights free events connected to the monthly theme such as science cafes, festivals, open houses, blogs, podcasts, and school visits by scientists to share their work.
21st Century Skills Map for Science http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/21stcskillsmap_science.pdf – The map provides educators with teacher-created models of how 21st century skills can be infused into classroom instruction and highlights the critical connections between science and specific core skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and communication.
Exploratorium – Online since 1993, the Exploratorium was one of the first science museums to build a site on the World Wide Web. The site now contains over 18 thousand award winning Web pages exploring hundreds of different topics. Resources include experiments, online exhibits, webcasts and podcasts all with a focus on investigating the science behind the ordinary subjects and experiences of people's lives.
National Science Resources Center – Established by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academies, the center offers resources for educators and administrators.
National Science Digital Library – Created by the National Science Foundation to provide educators with organized access to high quality resources and tools that support teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.
Teachers Domain – Provides multimedia classroom resources and professional development courses through the use of public television content. The resources provided consist of lesson plans, Quick Time videos, interactive tutorials, and animations. Teachers and students can create their own accounts which allow them to organize resources into folders.
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence – Links to over 1500 federally supported teaching and learning resources.
Project 2061 – The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) founded Project 2061 in 1985 to help all Americans become literate in science, mathematics, and technology. Its work has earned the project a reputation as the "single most visible attempt at science education reform in American history".
National Science Education Standards – National standards for science teaching, professional development, assessment, content, systems and programs.
Curriculum Topic Study – A systematic approach to utilizing national and state standards to improve teaching and learning in science and math.
PRISMS: – Phenomena and Representations for Instruction of Science in Middle School - Resources are evaluated for how well they support learning goals in Science for All Americans, Benchmarks for Science Literacy and the National Science Education Standards and are grouped in the main menu by categories used in the Science Curriculum Topic Study.
ENSI: Evolution and the Nature of Science Institute – While focused towards biology teachers, this site provides excellent lessons on teaching the nature of science, an integral topic in any science classroom.
Big6 Checklists – Assist students in research using the Big6 Process, site has a Checklist for Evaluating a Science Fair Project
Science Notebooks in K-12 Classrooms – Contains example student notebooks, classroom tools, teacher resources and more all focused on integration of science notebooks into curriculum and assessment.

Student Competitions

Montana State Science Fair
Department of Energy National Science Bowl
Montana- Big Sky Regional Science Bowl
Montana- Middle School Regional Science Bowl
Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge – Entries are now being accepted for the 2010-2011 competition. This is a national sustainability challenge that empowers students in every grade level to develop and share environmental solutions that may change the world. The challenge asks students in kindergarten through twelfth grade to team up with their classmates to create replicable solutions to environmental issues in their classroom (grades K–2), school (grades 3–5) and community (grades 6–8) and high school students (grades 9-12) are challenged to research an energy-related issue using scientific investigation, and create a replicable solution using web-based curriculum tools powered by Discovery Education
Junior Science and Humanities Symposia – This program invites high school students to conduct an original research investigation in the sciences, engineering, or mathematics, and to participate in a regional symposium sponsored by universities or other academic institutions. Montana students can compete regionally at the Intermountain Competition hosted by the University of Utah.
Intel Science & Math Competitions – Intel supports science and math education through two student competitions: Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and the Intel Science Talent Search.
Montana Science Olympiad
USA Biology Olympiad
Research Science Institute

Fellowships, Grants, and Awards

Professional Development

NASA Beginning Engineering, Science and Technology K-8 Educator Workshop.

August 19, 2010 (8 hour session) in Great Falls or via video conference to sites around Montana. There will also be two online Elluminate sessions - 30 minutes each: one Aug 16th at 7:00 pm and the follow-up on Aug 23rd at 7:00 pm.

This NASA BEST program was developed by at team from the NASA Space Flight Center’s Office of Education in support of NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD). It is designed to teach students the Engineering Design Process. The Engineering Design Process is a series of steps that engineers use to guide them as they solve problems. The emphasis is for students to understand that engineers must “imagine and plan” before they begin to build and experiment. ESMD serves as a stepping stone for future exploration of Mars and other destinations.

If you are interested in participating in this workshop please contact Kay Fladstol, by telephone 406.750.4379, or by e-mail kay.fladstol@vision.net.

New Montana Science Content Standards and Performance Descriptors: Level 1 Workshop – The Office of Public Instruction is working in collaboration with the Montana Educational Service Areas to provide K-12 science educators with professional development that focuses on the revised Montana Science Content Standards and Performance Descriptors. The workshop utilizes group discussions and an inquiry-based activity to provide educators with an introduction and orientation to the revised science standards. The workshops are referred to as Level 1 because they are the first step in a long-term plan of professional development opportunities focused on the science standards and their implementation in the classroom.

If you would like to have a facilitator conduct a workshop for educators in your district and/or if you are interested in becoming a workshop facilitator please contact the regional service area nearest to you or Kristen Crawford, Science Curriculum Specialist, kcrawford@mt.gov or (406) 444-3557.

National Science Teacher Association (NSTA)
New Teacher Academy
The NSTA New Science Teacher Academy is a year-long professional development program intended for science educators entering their second or third year of teaching. The Academy is designed to help promote quality science teaching, enhance teacher confidence and classroom excellence and improve teacher content knowledge.

For this academic year, NSTA will select 185 teachers to participate as fellows in the 2009 Academy. NSTA Fellows chosen for the program receive a comprehensive membership package, online mentoring with trained mentors who teach in the same discipline, and the opportunity to participate in a variety of web-based professional development activities, including web seminars. In addition, each NSTA Fellow receives financial support to attend and participate in NSTA’s National Conference on Science Education, taking place in Philadelphia, March 17-21, 2010.

The application deadline for 2009-2010 has passed, but you are encouraged to visit the link above for more information and begin thinking about applying for the 2010-2011 school year.

National Teachers Enhancement Network – Offers online, graduate-level science courses from a world-class public research university. NTEN was one of the first online professional development programs for K-12 teachers, and has offered courses since 1993. NTEN is a program of Extended University at Montana State University and was created with funding from the National Science Foundation.

Master of Science in Science Education through Montana State University

American Museum of Natural History’s Seminars on Science Program – Designed for K–12 educators, the seminars consist of a six-week course led by an experienced classroom teacher and a research scientist. In-depth readings and assignments paired with rich web-based discussions assure that educators come away from each class with a deeper understanding of both the science and the tools of scientific inquiry. Each participant receives a CD of course resources suitable for classroom use. Graduate and professional development credit are available.

Michelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy – This academy is a one-week all-expense-paid intensive professional development program for third- through fifth-grade teachers. The Academy faculty follow the 5E teaching and learning model based on the theory that students learn best when they are allowed to work out explanations for themselves over time through a variety of learning experiences structured by the teacher. The 5E’s include engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration and evaluation. The structure of the 5E model demonstrates the benefit of teachers guiding students through the learning process which is key to students fully understanding the critical subjects of math and science.

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