Portland Public Schools has developed this unit. Their hope is that ALL K-5 students will be able to access rigorous, standards-aligned science instruction that engages them in hands-on experiences and sense-making through student discourse. They want to encourage all students to be critical thinkers and lifelong learners. To that end, the science and ESL departments at Portland Public Schools, in consultation with NGSS writer Rita Januszyk, have developed units that are aligned with both Next Generation Science Standards and Oregon’s English Language Proficiency standards.

In this unit, students observe a video of the Scablands. Students test the effects of different rates of water flows in stream tables and use it as evidence to argue that the Scablands were formed by flooding. They then engineer and test flood mitigation in stream tables and also build a model of rock layers. Lastly, students observe maps of Oregon and argue where one could avoid earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes.

Portland Public Schools has developed this unit. Their hope is that ALL K-5 students will be able to access rigorous, standards-aligned science instruction that engages them in hands-on experiences and sense-making through student discourse. They want to encourage all students to be critical thinkers and lifelong learners. To that end, the science and ESL departments at Portland Public Schools, in consultation with NGSS writer Rita Januszyk, have developed units that are aligned with both Next Generation Science Standards and Oregon’s English Language Proficiency standards.

Students explore where the energy in our food comes from, the flow of energy in an ecosystem, and the cycle of matter. Students generate an initial model of a farm system and revise it throughout the unit as they learn more about the flow of energy and cycling of matter through seed investigations, observations, and discussions. The unit culminates in an engineering challenge using mostly recycled materials.

This lesson serves as a starting point for teachers who are interested in implementing Student Engaged Assessment and seek to use rubrics as assessments for, and of,  learning. By participating in a conversation about riding a bike and sequencing photos of cyclists according to skill, students create a “continuum of learning” that’s translatable to standard-based assessment and rubrics that they may encounter in the future. In order for formative assessment to be effective, students must feel respected, valued, efficacious, and engaged in their classroom. This lesson provides students the opportunity to participate in the development of the assessment language that they and their instructors will use to evaluate their performance. Students collaboratively create a continuum of skill-level descriptors that provide the framework for a mastery rubric. This lesson promotes an environment in which students participate fully in the assessment process, while developing the interpersonal and intrapersonal skills that they’ll need for success in school and life.