Introduction
Each Insights unit is designed to offer students opportunities to explore science phenomena through observation, gathering and analyzing data, age-appropriate sensemaking, and discussion and reflection. The materials are designed to address the “three-dimensional” learning advocated by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), with a particular focus on promoting science practices. Activities (lessons) are organized into three parts:
- Engage: As a whole group, students share their ideas about the science focus for the day.
- Explore: Individually and/or in small groups, students explore the phenomenon.
- Reflect: In whole-class discussions, teachers support students’ sharing observations from their explorations and connecting their ideas to the science focus.
Throughout each module, students record observations in Science Notebook pages, share their observations with others, and use evidence from their explorations to discuss and debate their ideas.
Teacher Guides
Teacher Guides for each module include:
- Science background information for teachers
- Alignment of unit activities with NGSS
- For each activity:
- Explicit steps for implementation
- Overarching question(s) to guide your teaching and students’ learning
- Key Concepts and Practices that identify what children will learn and do
- Activity at a Glance summary that provides a brief overview of the activity
- My Teaching Plan—an optional template for teachers to record their own notes
- Preparation suggestions for getting teacher, students, and the classroom ready
- Additional Resources that include books and digital media
- Vocabulary suggestions with student-appropriate definitions
- Teacher Tips with suggestions to address specific situations and challenges
- Assessment Tips with guidance on identifying evidence of student learning
- Optional follow-up Extension and Connection activities