Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Physical Science - Heating, Cooling, And Reversibility: Changes, Patrick Young

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Heating or cooling an object will always change its temperature and may alter other properties as well. The temperature change is reversible, but changes to other properties might be irreversible. Heating, in particular, often causes chemical changes in which atoms alter their bonding to form new substances. Cooking an egg changes the egg in ways that cannot be undone. It cannot be “uncooked” into a raw egg.

Phase changes are generally reversible. Water can be frozen, melted back into liquid, boiled into vapor, and then condensed back into its original liquid form. When considering a manufactured object, however, phase changes …

Additional Documents, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

No abstract provided.

Life Science - Tracking Matter: Movement Of Matter, Cassandra Armstrong

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Energy exists in many forms and is constantly being transferred between forms. All energy types can be sorted into two main categories: potential and kinetic. Potential energy is stored energy. Chemical energy, nuclear energy, stored mechanical energy, and gravitational energy are all examples of potential energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. Radiant (light) energy, thermal energy, sound energy, and electrical energy are all examples of kinetic energy. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred between the types of energy. Most energy we use on Earth stems from the nuclear energy from within the sun.

Earth Systems - Patterns In The Rocks: Changes In Landscape Over Time, Patrick Young, Peg Steffen

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Sedimentary rock layers are found in places all around the world. They can provide useful clues to the past. Sometimes a waterway cuts through the layers revealing a geologic record of the past. In other locations, scientists must dig trenches to see the layers. As the lower layers generally formed first, they are the oldest. Fossils within the rocks may allow some layers to be dated with accuracy. In other locations, clues may be sparse.

Searching for patterns in sedimentary rock layers is a bit like solving a puzzle. The picture emerges slowly, and the picture may tell a story. …

Earth/Space Science - Earth's Place In Space: Seasonal Change, Elizabeth Martinez, Peg Steffen

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

A key Disciplinary Core Idea for understanding our place in space is that the orbits of Earth and the sun and of the moon around Earth cause observable patterns. These include day and night; daily changes in the length of shadows; and different positions of the sun, moon, and stars at different times. There are many misconceptions about earth’s orbit but it is important to remember and to convey to students that Earth is moving around the Sun and the Moon is moving around us. What we see each day with the motion of the Sun moving across the sky …

Picture Books And Engineering: Dare To Tinker, Lindsey Herlehy

Professional Learning Day

Up for a challenge? Join us for a K-2 STEM integrated workshop based upon the picture book The Most Magnificent Thing. Connecting literature with engineering, questioning techniques and inferential reasoning strategies will focus on the trials and tribulations, frustrations, and successes achieved by the protagonist, a little girl. Participants will engage in a design challenge to construct their own magnificent thing while working within constraints. Counting, graphing, working with money, and measurement will be emphasized.

Dare to Tinker: including Teacher's Page and student resources

Students In The Lead: Game Design In The Classroom, Peggy Steffen

Professional Learning Day

Game design can be woven into any science curricula, providing a way for students to learn science content and to creatively apply what they have learned. Games are increasingly used in educational settings to help inspire curiosity, creativity, collaboration, optimism, and problem-solving skills among a wide variety of audiences. Serious games address real-world challenges, compress time and space, encourage systems thinking, and promote active engagement, making them particularly well suited to conservation and science education.

Inquiry Based Teaching & Learning Panel, Kelly Lofgren, Dave Devol

Professional Learning Day

In this session, IMSA students and faculty will share their experiences with using a strong inquiry model of teaching and learning. Students will share their excitement and frustrations with learning to ask questions to drive their learning. Faculty will share their successes and evidence on the power of this type of learning. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and engage in the conversation.

Code Of The Wild, Patrick Young

Professional Learning Day

K-2 students love to create stories about their favorite animals. Using free software called ScratchJr, participants will learn to teach basic Computational Thinking skills that allow K-2 students to create animated stories about animals in their natural environments. Participants should bring a laptop or tablet.

Dna, Rna, & Proteins, Oh My!, Cassandra Wissink Armstrong

Professional Learning Day

A staple topic in any life science classroom, we will take a look at some innovative ways to not only teach these topics, but assess them using the Next Generation Science Standards.

Analyzing Student Work, Valentina Sorescu, Christine Loos

Professional Learning Day

No abstract provided.

Stem, Not S-T-E-M! A Workshop On Integrative Teaching, Nicole Ross

Professional Learning Day

Are you tired of experiencing STEM activities that really only focus on one content area within the acronym? Join us for a workshop on integrative STEM. We will begin with a general introduction to what an Integrative activity entails, move on to some quick examples and then jump into developing an original integrative STEM activity. Be prepared to think creatively and take risks as we explore the "multi-content-verse" in which STEM lives

Universal Mental Health Screening: Why Is It Needed And How To Get Started, Kevin Kusy

Professional Learning Day

Schools screen for physical and medical purposes, but less than 15% of schools in the United States screen for mental health needs. The purpose of this session is to discuss what mental health screening is, how it can help your community, and how to start the process of implementing it based on community needs.

Climate Change - Designer Bags, Allison Albert

Professional Learning Day

This session will focus on repurposing materials to reduce landfill debris. Participants will plan, design, and develop a new product from plastic. This fun hands on activity is great for problem centered learning.

Stress In Education: Finding Solutions To Combat Negativity And Burnout, Kevin Kusy, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll

Professional Learning Day

Working in education can be one of the most fulfilling jobs, but the current climate for many staff is filled with stress and frustration. With teachers feeling underappreciated and overworked, mental health issues are on the rise and the climate of many schools has had a negative turn. This session will discuss topics around compassion fatigue, negativity, not feeling connected, and overall discomfort to change.

Teaching With A Full Deck: Card Sorts, Lindsey Herlehy

Professional Learning Day

Card sorts tend to make students do the "thing" we value most: talk. Beyond making matches, card sorts provide opportunities for students to classify, rank, sequence, and mind map while setting a natural context for argumentation and use of the claim-evidence-reasoning framework. Join me for a series of card sorts to explore how this easy-to-prep tool will encourage your students to reason and think critically. Math and science resources will be shared.

Teacher and Student resources available for download

Applying An Equity Lense To The Danielson Framework, Comfort Akwaji-Anderson, Angela Rowley

Professional Learning Day

This session will focus on applying a lens of Equity to the Danielson Evaluation Framework. Although there are mentions of equitable practices and differentiation in the original Danielson Framework, this workshop will focus on the interpretation of that language and how districts can use the existing evaluation framework to promote Equity and Excellence for all learners.

Real-World Gps Stem Activities, Peggy Steffen

Professional Learning Day

Hands-on activities for students with no/low costs for materials include stories, videos, presentation materials, and career highlights Four modules (Earth, Life, Space, Movement) include 12 lessons designed to support the new science standards and the Common Core. Scenarios highlight STEM applications in satellites, orbital space clutter, energy grids, precision agriculture, global supply chains, aviation, weather forecasting, and conservation.

Code Of The Wild, Patrick Young

Professional Learning Day

K-2 students love to create stories about their favorite animals. Using free software called ScratchJr, participants will learn to teach basic Computational Thinking skills that allow K-2 students to create animated stories about animals in their natural environments. Participants should bring a laptop or tablet.

The Wright Stuff: An Integrative Approach To Stained Glass, Cassandra Wissink Armstrong

Professional Learning Day

In this session we'll explore the scientific and mathematical influences behind the artistic stained glass creations of Frank Lloyd Wright, and use them to create our own Wright-inspired stained glass designs. This is a truly integrative lesson that touches on properties of glass, linear functions, and artistic design.

Science For A Brainy Day, Nicole Ross

Professional Learning Day

Interested in Brain-Based-Learning? Come for an informative and hands-on approach about the topic. We will focus not just on understanding how brain development impacts learning, but on how to utilize this knowledge to engage our students with the content we teach every day. Activities will focus less on learning styles and more on how can we ask questions or write assessments that develop executive function in our students?

Inquiry Based Instruction In Chemistry With Games, Karen Ye

Professional Learning Day

Games can be a fun and motivating way to engage students, but they are often used as a means to practice, apply, or review learned content instead of introducing a new concept. In this session, participants will explore the use of common games as a tool for an inquiry-based approach to introducing topics in high school chemistry such as atomic structure and periodic trends.

Problem Centered Teaching By Tomorrow, Cassandra Wissink Armstrong

Professional Learning Day

Problem Centered Instruction is a great way to engage students, integrate content, and inspire learning. However, true problem centered instruction requires a major shift in both teaching and learning, requiring the one thing teachers don't have: time. In today's session, we will look at some simple strategies that teachers can put to immediate use within the classroom to help start the shift towards a student-led, problem centered learning environment.

Stress In Education: Finding Solutions To Combat Negativity And Burnout, Kevin Kusy, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll

Professional Learning Day

Working in education can be one of the most fulfilling jobs, but the current climate for many staff is filled with stress and frustration. With teachers feeling underappreciated and overworked, mental health issues are on the rise and the climate of many schools has had a negative turn. This session will discuss topics around compassion fatigue, negativity, not feeling connected, and overall discomfort to change.

Inquiry Based Instruction In Chemistry With Games, Karen Ye

Professional Learning Day

Games can be a fun and motivating way to engage students, but they are often used as a means to practice, apply, or review learned content instead of introducing a new concept. In this session, participants will explore the use of common games as a tool for an inquiry-based approach to introducing topics in high school chemistry such as atomic structure and periodic trends.

Climate Change - Lost Land, Allison Albert

Professional Learning Day

This session will focus on the impact of climate change on erosion. Participants will explore causes and design solutions through hands on activities and investigation.

Data In The Classroom, Peggy Steffen

Professional Learning Day

Put ocean data to work in your classroom. Students use real-time data to explore environmental issues such as coral bleaching, sea level rise and ocean acidification. Activities have a scaled approach from beginner to "design your own investigation" with data tools that will help students get started with online data sets. Please bring your own laptop for this session.

What's The Buzz?, Christine L. Moskalik

Professional Learning Day

A fun, interdisciplinary, hands-on activity with circuits, engineering, and bees Teachers will learn how to implement an activity with their students to explore circuit basics, energy transfer, and pollination through a hands-on toothbrush-bot activity that is coupled with a fun storyline involving honey bee communication and behavior.

Teaching In The Classroom With The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, José M. Torres, Robert Hernandez, Crystal Randall

Publications & Research

Engagement in the United nations Sustainability Goals (SDGs)

• As an academy

- What are the UN SDGs?
- IMSA history with the SDGs
- ISSF 2018

• In the classroom

- Introduction of UN SDG projects in core classes
- Development of a new core course that presents key concepts in real-world context
- Integrate UN SDGs into elective courses.

• As a faculty

- Across disciplines
- Sharing work through Digital commons
- Student independent research program

01. Intro To Government, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

EnACT

No abstract provided.