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Thursday, October 10, 2013

Kentucky Program Review Toolkit & Professional Portfolio Organizer

Attention Kentucky teachers, principals, counselors, and central office support staff:  Simplify your Program Reviews with this nifty toolkit:
Download from my TpT Store or my Teachers' Notebook Site

As a classroom teacher myself, I know the time limitations we have.  I designed this tool to make evidence collection for Program Reviews a piece of cake and reduce the workload for all involved.  I hope it saves you time, helps you identify areas of needed growth AND helps your school improve!

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Saturday, October 5, 2013

Kindergarten Next Generation Science Energy Complete Unit

I am proud as can be of my new Next Generation Science unit for Kindergarten!  I've already taught half the unit with my class and can't wait to finish after Fall Break.  My little ones are so super-smart!  And I know yours are, too.  Download this awesome unit today!
Get it at my TpT Store or my Teachers' Notebook shop!  Buy it and I'll send you the SmartNotebook OR ActivInspire version for FREE!
This unit is designed to do 2 things:
1) Meet Next Generation Science Standards for Kindergarten: Energy, AND
2) Make your life EASIER!

Included is everything (well, almost everything) you need for this unit. The teaching of science requires some materials, but I have chosen simple, everyday tools you most likely already have in your classroom.

There are 8 lessons in this unit (some may stretch over multiple days), covering major standards under Energy, PLUS the cross-cutting concepts AND connections to ELA and Math Common Core.

Materials Needed:

*containers of Earth surfaces--soil, sand, rocks, water, plants, ice
*2 bendable desk lamps
*cardboard for building bases (1 for each group you have)
*any building toys--craft sticks, blocks, unifix cubes--whatever you already have
*A book about the Earth (which mentions/shows Earth’s surfaces) and a book about the Sun’s energy.

UNIT OVERVIEW

Lesson 1:
K-PS3-1. Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface. [Clarification Statement: Examples of Earth’s surface could include sand, soil, rocks, and water] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment of temperature is limited to relative measures such as warmer/cooler.]
I can identify different Earth surfaces.

Lesson 2:
K-PS3-1. Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface. [Clarification Statement: Examples of Earth’s surface could include sand, soil, rocks, and water] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment of temperature is limited to relative measures such as warmer/cooler.]
I can observe the effect of sunlight on different Earth surfaces.
Planning and carrying out investigations to answer questions or test solutions to problems in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to simple investigations, based on fair tests, which provide data to support explanations or design solutions.
Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons. (K-PS3-1)
I can make observations to collect data that can be used to make comparisons.

Lesson 3:
Events have causes that generate observable patterns. (K-PS3-1),(K-PS3-2)
I can identify an observable pattern when something comes between the Earth's surface and the sun.

Lesson 4:
Presentation of problem: People get hot sitting in the sun for long periods of time. Your team has been hired to engineer a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area.
K.MD.A.2 Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has “more of”/”less of” the attribute, and describe the difference. (K-PS3-1),(K-PS3-2)
I can compare two different materials to see which objects reflects/absorbs more sunlight.
Materials: Lamp, different colors of cloth, thermometer
Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons. (K-PS3-1)
I can make observations to collect data.
I can use collected data to make comparisons.

Lesson 5:
Constructing explanations and designing solutions in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to the use of evidence and ideas in constructing evidence-based accounts of natural phenomena and designing solutions.
Use tools and materials provided to design and build a device that solves a specific problem or a solution to a specific problem. (K-PS3-2) (General) I can use tools and materials to design/engineer a device to solve a problem.
K-PS3-2. Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area.*
[Clarification Statement: Examples of structures could include umbrellas, canopies, and tents that minimize the warming effect of the sun.]
(Specific) I can engineer a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area.

Lesson 6:
I can use tools and materials to build a device to solve a problem. Materials: chosen cloth, Barbie doll or action figure, tinker toys/craft sticks Materials: list of materials that will be available, planning pages--steps/drawings

Lesson 7:
Standard for Lessons 7-8: Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons. (K-PS3-1)
I can make observations to collect data.
Materials: model built yesterday, lamp, thermometer

Lesson 8:
Standard for Lessons 7-8: Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons. (K-PS3-1)
I can use collected data to make comparisons. 

Also included is a K-friendly unit test with answer key. ADDED BONUS: Email me at primarilyteaching@gmail.com and I'll send you the SmartNotebook ready version OR the ActivInspire version FREE! Just mention your TpT username so I can verify you purchased the unit and I'll send you the whiteboard version of your choice for FREE!
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