6th to 8th Grade - Gateway 1

​The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 partially meet expectations that they consistently integrate the science and engineering practices (SEPs), disciplinary core ideas (DCIs), and crosscutting concepts (CCCs) into student learning opportunities. Throughout the series, some learning sequences integrate SEPs, CCCs, and DCIs in student learning opportunities, while others do not integrate all three dimensions, often excluding the CCCs.

Each lesson includes one or more investigations. In some lessons, students engage in three-dimensional learning integrating SEPs, CCCs, and DCIs within an investigation. The remaining investigations are consistently two-dimensional with the integration of SEPs and DCIs occurring most often.

Examples where materials integrate the three dimensions in student learning opportunities:

• In Grade 6, Segment 3: Regional Climates, Global Warming, and Living Systems, Lesson 17: How the Ocean Affects Climate, students monitor temperatures, map global circulation, and model the flow of energy through the ocean system. Students apply their understanding of climate (DCI-ESS.D-M3) to create a plan measuring average ocean temperature and provide feedback to classmates’ plans (SEP-INFO-M5). After analyzing different video models of currents, temperature, and wind patterns in the oceans, students draw and compare diagrams of the impact of wind and density on currents. Using the diagrams, students create models to show how energy flows through ocean systems and impacts coastal climates (CCC-EM-M4).
• In Grade 6, Segment 1: Systems and Subsystems in Earth and Life Science, Lesson 1: Earth’s Atmosphere, Investigation 1: Journey to the Exosphere, students collect temperature and density data for atmospheric layers and plot the data on a graph. Students look for patterns (CCC-PAT-M2) then analyze the results to better understand the properties of each atmospheric layer (DCI-ESS2.D-M1). Students explain their understanding (SEP-CEDS-E4) by writing a proposal of what travelers need for a balloon ride.
• In Grade 7, Segment 3: The Distribution of Earth’s Resources, Lesson 23: The Motion of Particles, Investigation 1: Modeling States of Matter, students model (SEP-MOD-M5) the states of matter using their bodies to represent molecular motion and structure on a microscopic level (CCC-SPQ-M5). Students use a digital simulation to model states of matter (SEP-MOD-M3) through a lens of energy (CCC-EM-M2). Students use the models as a simplified representation of a system to explain and predict particle motion (DCI-PS1.A-M1) in different states of matter.
• In Grade 8, Segment 6: Sustaining Local and Global Diversity, Lesson 31: Artificial Selection, Investigation 1: Comparing Natural and Artificial Selection, students compare natural selection and artificial selection processes. They simulate (SEP-MOD-M5) successive generations of aurochs by measuring their aggressiveness with each simulated generation. Students use the data to discuss cause and effect relationships (CCC-CE-M3) and how the average of these changes differed in the population experiencing natural selection compared to artificial selection (DCI-LS4.B-M2).

Examples where materials do not integrate the three dimensions in student learning opportunities:

• In Grade 6, Segment 3: Regional Climates, Global Warming and Living Systems, Lesson 20: Climate Today and Tomorrow, students examine how climate change can impact humans and propose plans to adapt and mitigate human impact on the environment (DCI-ESS3.C-M1, SEP-AQDS-M8) to design a solution (SEP-CEDS-M4). The materials do not integrate a CCC as students design a solution to mitigate human impact.
• In Grade 7, Segment 1: Organisms and Nonliving Things Are Made of Atoms, Lesson 2: Molecules and Extended Structures, students ask and answer questions (SEP-AQDP-M1) about different materials to explain the 92 naturally occurring elements but many different materials (DCI-PS1.A-M1, DCI-PS1.A-M2). The materials do not integrate a CCC as students examine pictures and their classroom for examples of materials.
• In Grade 7, Segment 1: Organisms and Nonliving Things Are Made of Atoms, Lesson 3: Substances and Their Properties, students compare the buoyancy of cans of regular soda and diet soda. Students are given various spheres, predict which they think will sink or float, and test if heavier objects sink and lighter objects float (DCI-PS1.A-M2). They record the mass of the objects first, but decide what evidence they will need to support the explanation (SEP-INV-M4). The materials do not integrate a CCC as students investigate density.
• In Grade 7, Segment 2: Matter Cycles and Energy Flows, Lesson 15: Chemical Engineering and Society, students read about the synthetic material, sodium lauryl sulfate, in three sources. Students evaluate the information and the different sources of information. The lesson primarily focuses on students evaluating competing information in science and technical texts (SEP-INFO-M3), but connects to part of the DCI from PE-MS-PS1-3, understanding that synthetic materials impact society. The materials do not integrate a CCC as students evaluate resources.
• In Grade 8, Segment 1: The Speed of Objects and Waves, Lesson 4: Types of Waves, Investigation 2: Identifying Waves, students watch videos of a variety of phenomena and use their model of waves to decide whether the phenomenon in each video is a wave. Students determine if the phenomenon in each video aligns with their definition of waves (DCI-PS4.A-M1). Students make a claim whether each video shows a wave or not (SEP-ARG-M3). The materials do not integrate a CCC as students apply their understanding of the characteristics of a wave to their claims.

​The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 partially meet expectations that they are designed to elicit direct, observable evidence of the three-dimensional learning in the instructional materials. The materials consistently incorporate summative tasks at the end of every unit, at least one or two per segment.

Since the materials inconsistently include explicit three-dimensional learning objectives for students, the performance expectations are assumed to be the learning objective. Units consistently list multiple performance expectations and the corresponding Performance Assessments frequently list a subset of the unit performance expectations, but do not consistently measure all targeted performance expectations of the respective unit.

Materials provide additional opportunities to assess learning by providing lesson-level multiple choice and constructed-response tests and assessment banks. Test banks are included at the end of each lesson, are specific to each lesson, and are not designed to be the primary mechanism for assessing student learning across the unit. Additionally engineering design PEs are more consistently assessed through Engineering Challenges at the lesson level.

Examples of assessments that do not address the targeted three-dimensional learning objectives:

• In Grade 6, Segment 1: Systems and Subsystems in Earth and Life Science, Performance Assessment: Modeling Synthetic Cells, the prompt is intended to assess two performance expectations (PE-MS-LS1-1, PE-MS-LS1-2). Students plan an investigation to discover if a structure is a living or non-living thing, including how cells will be observed at a different scale in the investigation. The task does not measure student achievement of one targeted SEP (SEP-INV-M2) and a focus DCI (DCI-LS1.A-M1); additionally, the student task to create a clay model of a cell is aligned to an SEP below the middle school grade-band (SEP-MOD-E4). Therefore, the summative task does not elicit evidence of students’ three-dimensional learning of both performance expectations in this unit.
• In Grade 6, Segment 3: Regional Climates, Global Warming, and Living Systems, Performance Assessment: Conserving Coral Reefs Using Genetics, the prompt is intended to assess two performance expectations (PE-MS-LS1-5, PE-MS-LS3-2). The assessment elicits student learning of why asexual and sexual reproduction have different results in offspring genetics (PE-MS-LS3-2) and how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms (PE-MS-LS1-5). The assessment does not assess one targeted performance expectation of the unit (PE-MS-LS3-1) for students to model the relationship between chromosomes, DNA, and genes.
• In Grade 7, Segment 1: Organisms and Nonliving Things Are Made of Atoms, Performance Assessment: Determining the Best Material for a Makeup Pen Base, the prompt is intended to assess one performance expectation (PE-MS-PS1-1). Students test three substances for the properties of solubility, density and melting points (DCI-PS1.A-M2). After comparing data (SEP-DATA-M7), they develop a pitch as to which material would make the best makeup base. Neither the DCI nor SEP are associated with the learning objective (PE-MS-PS1-1), but they do work together to provide evidence of two-dimensional learning. Students are also provided models and identify the chemical formula for each. The assessment task does not measure student achievement in developing models (SEP-MOD-M5). In addition, the scientific concept of chemical formulas is not connected to the DCI or CCC (DCI-PS1.A-M2, CCC-SPQ-M1) associated with the targeted performance expectation. The assessment does not assess one targeted performance expectation for the unit (PE-MS-ETS1-1) and partially assesses another targeted performance expectation for the unit (PE-MS-PS1-2).
• In Grade 8, Segment 2: Modeling Light in the Solar System, Performance Assessment: Designing a Light Art Piece, the prompt is intended to assess one performance expectation (PE-MS-PS4-2). Students include the following concepts into the design and explanation of the light art piece they design: refraction, absorption, reflection, and transmission (DCI-PS4.B-M1). Although students must construct an explanation of the light properties in the art piece (SEP-CEDS-M4), the summative task solely elicits evidence for learning about structure and function (CCC-SF-M2). Other crosscutting concepts taught during the lessons but not included in the summative task include: patterns (CCC-PAT-M3), cause and effect (CCC-CE-M2), and system and system models (CCC-SYS-M2). The assessment does not assess one targeted performance expectation for the unit (PE-MS-ETS1-4).
• In Grade 8, Segment 3: Noncontact Forces Influence Phenomena, Performance Assessment: Investigating a Drone Motor Design, the prompt is intended to assess three performance expectations (MS-PS2-3, MS-PS2-4, MS-PS2-5). Students explain the effect of gravitational force on the drone and earth (DCI-PS2.B-E3) and demonstrate magnetic fields on a test object (DCI-PS2.B-M3). To evaluate the design of the drone, students determine how the drone’s mass would affect its flight and determine which motor would be the strongest (CCC-SYS-M2). Students discuss the drone design with classmates and communicate how a drone motor works (SEP-INFO-M5). The assessment does not assess the remaining six targeted performance expectations for the unit (MS-ESS1-2, MS-ESS1-3, MS-ETS1-1, MS-ETS1-2, MS-ETS1-3, MS-ETS1-4).

​The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 partially meet expectations that phenomena and/or problems are connected to grade-band disciplinary core ideas. Materials consistently connect phenomena to grade-band DCIs and their elements. Problems in the materials are included as Engineering Challenges. Although they are connected to the grade-band engineering, technology and application of science (ETS) DCIs, problems are not consistently connected to grade-band physical, earth and space, and life science DCIs. Further, some Engineering Challenges are connected to DCIs below grade level.

Examples of phenomena and problems connecting to grade-band DCIs:

• In Grade 6, Segment 3: Regional Climates, Global Warming, and Living Systems, Lesson 22: Inheriting Genes, the phenomenon is some organisms, like bacteria, are identical to their parents but other organisms, like dogs, are not. The phenomenon connects to understanding variations of inherited traits between parent and offspring arise from genetic differences resulting from the subset of chromosomes inherited (DCI-LS3.A-M2). As students explain how some offspring are not identical, they focus on the mechanism behind how sexually reproducing organisms vary from one generation to the next as opposed to asexually reproducing organisms (DCI-LS3.B-M1).
• In Grade 7, Segment 1: Organisms and Nonliving Things are Made of Atoms, Lesson 8: Investigating Rock Strata, the phenomenon is rock layers at the bottom of the Grand Canyon are much older than those at the top. This phenomenon connects to understanding how scientists interpret a relative, geologic time scale from rock strata (DCI-ESS1.C-M1).
• In Grade 8, Segment 3: Noncontact Forces Influence Phenomena, Lesson 14: Gravity, the phenomenon is when a piece of paper is placed on top of a book, and both are dropped together, they fall straight to the ground without the paper fluttering. Students engage in an investigation and simulation on gravitational force to explain the gravitational forces (DCI-PS2.B-M2). In addition, the lesson incorporates a study of forces acting at a distance (DCI-PS2.B-M3).
• In Grade 8, Segment 1: The Speed of Objects and Waves, Engineering Challenge: Preventing Coastal Erosion, students address the problem by engaging in a challenge to design a seawall to prevent erosion on beaches. Prior to building their seawall, students investigate seawalls and other structures already in use to prevent erosion. In order to evaluate solutions (DCI-ETS1.B-M2), students apply their understanding of waves (DCI-PS4.A-M1) to solve the problem of coastal erosion.

Examples of phenomena or problems not connected to grade-band DCIs:

• In Grade 6, Segment 3: Regional Climates, Global Warming, and Living Systems, Engineering Challenge: Designing a Microclimate, students address the problem by engaging in a challenge to build a microclimate to grow one specific vegetable. The activity connects directly to DCI-ETS1.B-M2, but designing a microclimate for a specific plant does not require students to use or apply their understanding of interactions affecting climate, weather, and oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns (DCI-ESS2.D-M1).
• In Grade 7, Segment 4: Sustaining Living Systems in a Changing World, Engineering Challenge: Designing a Fishing Net, students address the problem by engaging in a challenge to design a fishing net for a specific species. While this challenge falls within the unit on biodiversity, the challenge does not call for students to use the concept in their design. The data collected includes counting what is caught from the targeted species and from the non-targeted species; however, the role of biodiversity is not incorporated into designing the net. This engineering challenge is not connected to a life science grade-band DCI even though it connects to engineering DCIs, DCI-ETS1.B-M2 and DCI-ETS1.C-M1.
• In Grade 8, Segment 4: Major Collisions in the History of Life, Engineering Challenge: Engineering a Damping Device, students address the problem by engaging in a challenge to design a damping device for filming on a space station (DCI-ETS1.B-M4, DCI-ETS1.C-M2). The problem does not connect to the DCI of gravity, which is the focus of the unit (DCI-ESS1.B-M1).

​The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 partially meet expectations that phenomena and/or problems in the series are presented to students as directly as possible. Materials present phenomena and/or problems to students as directly as possible in multiple instances, but not consistently across the series. Materials present all Integrated Phenomena and Anchoring Phenomena as videos and some also include photographs and text. Phenomena at the lesson level are mostly presented to students as images; problems and some phenomena are presented with a video, text description, or explanation; and several phenomena are presented through teacher demonstration or student participation in an activity.

The different types of presentation are used for instances where first-hand observations are not accessible, but are also used in place of opportunities where phenomena lend themselves to more direct means of observation. In some lessons, the publisher provides guidance for teachers on how to present the phenomena more directly than videos, photographs, and text, but these recommendations often do not fully represent the entirety of the science ideas connected to the lesson phenomenon. Few lessons across the series present the phenomena or problems through first-hand observation.

Examples of phenomena or problems presented to students as directly as possible:

• In Grade 6, Segment 2: Earth Systems, Weather, and Organisms, Lesson 10: Traits for Survival, the phenomenon is humans have opposable thumbs, but turtles do not. Students compare and contrast their own hands to images of animals and engage in a hands-on activity simulating not having opposable thumbs.
• In Grade 6, Segment 2: Bodies, Engineering Design Challenge: Designing a Prosthetic Hand, the challenge is to design a prosthetic hand with movable parts. Students are presented with an image of a prosthetic hand and students examine their own hands, making observations about all of the ways their hands and fingers can move.
• In Grade 7, Segment 1: Organisms and Nonliving Things Are Made of Atoms, Lesson 3: Substances and Their Properties, the phenomenon is some liquids do not mix with others and form distinct layers in a bottle. The materials provide instructions to the teacher on how to make a solubility and density column to provide students with first-hand experience of directly observing the density column, shaking the column, and discussing what happens after shaking it.
• In Grade 7, Segment 2: Matter Cycles and Energy Flows, Lesson 13: Atoms in Chemical Reactions, the phenomenon is burning steel wool causes its mass to increase. The teacher demonstrates burning steel wool and records the mass of the steel wool before and after burning.
  

Examples of phenomena or problems not presented to students as directly as possible:

• In Grade 6, Segment 1: Systems and Subsystems in Earth and Life Science, Lesson 2: Taking Earth’s Temperature, the phenomenon is ice melts faster on a metal surface than a ceramic surface. The phenomenon is presented to students as a photograph of a park with snow on the grass and puddles on the sidewalk or road.
• In Grade 7, Segment 2: Matter Cycles and Energy Flows, Lesson 10: Energy in Earth’s Systems, Observing a Phenomenon, the phenomenon is water being heated, rising, cooling, and falling. This phenomenon is presented in a video, with teacher guidance to explain that a special camera is used to show warm areas red, white, and yellow and cold areas are blue and purple. Further, the teacher tells the students “when the bottom of a tank of water is heated, warm water rises, cools, and falls back again.” In the Connections to Your Life button, students are asked to think about a bowl of hot soup or a mug of hot cocoa in a cold room and to think about how their senses tell them something. However, this is not a common experience all students are having with the phenomenon.
• In Grade 8, Segment 2: Modeling Light in the Solar System, Lesson 10: Phases of the Moon, the phenomenon is the moon changes appearance every night. The phenomenon is presented to students as a photograph showing a full moon over a city.
• In Grade 8, Segment 3: Noncontact Forces Influence Phenomena, Lesson 15: Electricity, Observing Phenomena, the phenomenon reaching for a doorknob and experiencing a shock or seeing a spark. Students watch a video to see and hear the spark. Suggestions are provided to the student in Connections to Your Life button that suggests for students to turn off the lights and rub a silk on a glass rod prior to touching another object to see the phenomenon. However, there is not silk or glass rod on the materials list nor supports for the teacher in providing the experience to all students.

​The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 partially meet expectations that phenomena and/or problems drive individual lessons or activities using key elements of all three dimensions. While the materials provide multiple lessons across the series using problems (Engineering Challenges) to drive student learning, phenomena do not consistently drive student learning and use of the three dimensions in lessons or activities.

Each lesson begins with students watching a video or viewing an image with a description intended to engage students with a phenomenon. However, some of the publisher-identified phenomena are actually scientific concepts, core ideas, problems, or directions and not observable occurrences requiring students to generate questions or develop an explanation to advance their own learning. Throughout the lesson, students engage in one or more investigations but there is often no direct connection between the lesson-level phenomenon and the focus of the investigations. While the lesson often builds understanding of the three dimensions, students do not interact with the phenomenon while engaging in the activities. Students only interact with the lesson-level phenomenon at the end of the investigations when they reflect on their learning and review their initial notes about the phenomenon.

The materials contain 18 Engineering Challenges throughout the series, which are included across all three grades and within most segments. The Engineering Challenges present students with a problem they must solve, typically in the form of a design challenge. After being presented with the challenge, students develop their own, add to, or revise a list of specific criteria and constraints before creating and testing a prototype, and then use data from their tests to improve their original design. The problem presented in the Engineering Challenge usually drives student learning of the lesson, but not all Engineering Challenges engage students in all three dimensions. Additionally, the challenges are designed to build student understanding of ETS DCIs, but often miss opportunities to connect to the grade-band DCIs in physical, earth and space, or life science.

Examples of problems driving student learning and engaging students with all three dimensions:

• In Grade 6, Segment 3: Regional Climates, Global Warming, and Living Systems, Engineering Challenge: Designing a Microclimate, students address the problem by engaging in a challenge to build a microclimate to grow one vegetable from outside of their climate zone. The challenge drives the use of three dimensions throughout the lesson. Students design and construct an artificial microclimate (DCI-ESS2.D-M1) of a vegetable growth system. The system design supports the growth of a plant by creating and maintaining a microclimate meeting the needs of the particular plant. In designing the system (SEP-ADQP-M8), students note and are aware of inputs, outputs, and the system impact of those factors (CCC-SYS-M2).
• In Grade 7, Segment 3: Resources in Ecosystems, Engineering Challenge: Preserving Frog-Bat Interactions, the problem is there are plans to build a highway through the rainforest very near to a major pond, which could impact a population of frogs and bats living near the pond. Students identify the possible disturbances a noisy road would have to the ecosystem (DCI-LS2.A-M1). Students use information about how bats and frogs rely on acoustic interactions, and the impact this disruption could cause to the ecosystem as a whole. Students create a structure that can reduce the environmental impact of the highway’s sounds on the frogs and bats (CCC-SF-M2). Students place their sound shield between a speaker and sound meter to model the actual conditions between the road and ecosystem to test their prototype and generate data about how well their solution works, comparing their data to data in a provided table showing examples of decibel level equivalents (SEP-MOD-M7).
• In Grade 8, Segment 1: Mechanical Waves, Engineering Challenge: Preventing Coastal Erosion, students address the problem by engaging in a challenge to design and test a seawall to prevent erosion of the coast and save the nearby highway. Prior to building their seawall, students investigate (SEP-INV-M4) seawalls and other structures already in use to prevent erosion. They apply understanding of waves (DCI-PS4.A-M1) and identify criteria and constraints (DCI-ETS1.B-M2) as they evaluate how the proposed structure (CCC-SF-M2) can solve the problem of coastal erosion.

Examples of phenomena and problems not driving student learning:

• In Grade 6, Segment 2: Earth Systems, Weather, and Organisms, Lesson 6: Air Pressure and Wind, the phenomenon is some days are windy and others are not. During the investigations, students collect data and calibrate a barometer to answer what correlation exists between the local weather (e.g., wind, storms, etc.) and the barometer readings. While the investigations provide content knowledge required for understanding air pressure, students interact with the phenomenon—why some days are windy and others are not—at the start and end of the lesson, when they respond to questions in their notebook, but not during the investigations.
• In Grade 6, Segment 3: Changes in Genes, Lesson 24: Genetic Mutations, the phenomena are some people have six fingers on one hand and some grapefruit are bright red. During the investigations, students show the relationship between genes, proteins, and traits. Students create a flowchart showing structure and function of genes and proteins, the mechanism for how changes in genes can cause changes in proteins, and how mutations can affect an organism’s survival in different environments. While these investigations provide content knowledge required for explaining mutations, students interact with the phenomena—some people have six fingers on one hand and some grapefruit are bright red—at the start and end of the lesson, when they respond to questions in their notebook, but not during the investigations.
• In Grade 7, Segment 1: Organisms and Nonliving Things are Made of Atoms, Lesson 7: Global Cycles of Matter, the phenomenon is fertilizer runoff into a pond triggers the growth of green muck. During the investigations, students develop understanding of the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles and how the elements move between biotic and abiotic systems. While the investigations provide content knowledge required for explaining biogeochemical cycles, students interact with the phenomenon of algal blooms at the start and end of the lesson when they respond to questions in their notebook, but not during the investigations. Students do not explain the role of nutrients in the formation of algal blooms
• In Grade 8, Segment 2: The Earth-Sun-Moon System, Lesson 9: Earth’s Tilted Axis, the phenomenon is each year, “trees sprout leaves which grow, change color, die, and fall off.” During the investigations, students learn the axial tilt of earth and energy from the sun during different parts of the year contribute to the different seasons. While the investigations provide content knowledge required for explaining what causes the seasons, the lesson does not support students in explaining the mechanism of the phenomenon of tree leaves sprouting, growing, changing color, dying, and falling off.

​The instructional materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 partially meet expectations that materials intentionally leverage students’ prior knowledge and experiences related to phenomena or problems. The materials elicit, but do not leverage students’ prior knowledge and experiences of phenomena.

All units and lessons begin with a phenomenon presented through either videos, pictures, or demonstrations. The materials include the same prompt for all lesson-level phenomena: “What questions do you have about this phenomenon?” For the unit-level phenomena, all units elicit students’ prior knowledge and experiences through a Know-Want to Know-Learned (KWL) chart. The materials do not leverage the information elicited from the unit-level and lesson-level phenomena, and do not provide guidance for teachers to connect students’ responses to subsequent learning opportunities helping them apply what they already know as they make sense of the phenomena. Students return to their questions and KWL charts at the end of the units and lessons, but are not afforded the opportunity to incorporate their prior knowledge and experiences during the learning in the lessons.

The materials elicit but rarely leverage students’ prior knowledge and experience related to problems in a way that allows them to make connections between what they are learning and their own knowledge, and to build on the knowledge and experience students bring from both inside and outside of the classroom. The Engineering Challenges begin by presenting a problem as a design challenge, but do not consistently prompt students to ask questions or write notes on their prior knowledge and experiences. Instead, students are prompted in their notebooks to answer specific questions about the problem.

Examples where materials elicit but do not leverage student prior knowledge and experiences related to phenomena:

• In Grade 6, Segment 3: Regional Climates, Global Warming, and Living Systems, Lesson 15: Climate Patterns, the phenomenon is “Earth’s surface is warmer at the equator than it is at the poles.” The materials pose questions to the whole class about where they think it is warm and cold on earth, but students do not respond in their notebooks. While the questions elicit student knowledge related to the phenomenon, no guidance is provided for teachers to leverage student responses in subsequent investigations. Students are presented with a diagram showing various climate zones and write questions about the phenomenon in their notebooks before they begin investigations. Students return to their notebooks to record their understanding at the end of the lesson, but they are not prompted to incorporate, use, or build on prior knowledge during the investigations.
• In Grade 7, Segment 4: Sustaining Living Systems in a Changing World, Anchoring Phenomenon: Humans and Changing Ecosystems, the instructional materials present the Anchoring Phenomenon “abalone populations in southern California have been in decline since the 1960s.” Students write in a KWL chart what they already know about the phenomenon, but their experiences with this phenomenon are not explicitly elicited. Additionally, teachers are not provided guidance on how to incorporate the students’ prior knowledge and experiences to leverage this information during the lesson.
• In Grade 8, Segment 4: Major Collisions in the History of Life, Lesson 20: Formation of the Solar System, the phenomenon is humans weren't around to watch the solar system form, but have observed patterns which may explain its formation. At the beginning of the lesson, the materials ask students to record any questions they have about the phenomenon. After this point in the lesson, materials do not ask students to engage with, use, or build on their prior knowledge or experiences. Additionally, the materials provide no guidance to help teachers leverage students' prior knowledge and experiences.
• In Grade 8, Segment 6: Anchoring Phenomenon: Thermal Energy, the phenomenon is “jack rabbits' ears help them survive in the extreme heat of the desert.” Students are shown images and a short video mentioning heat transfer of jack rabbits’ ears. Students complete a KWL chart. In the subsequent lessons and performance assessment of the unit, students are not given any opportunities to connect their prior knowledge and experiences written in the KWL chart to make sense of the phenomenon.
  

Examples where materials elicit but do not leverage student prior knowledge and experiences related to problems:

• In Grade 6, Segment 1: Systems and Subsystems in Earth and Life Science, Engineering Challenge: Minimizing and Maximizing the Rate of Heat Transfer, the challenge is to create a device that will insulate or conduct heat energy using a beaker of ice water exposed to light energy. Students’ prior knowledge is elicited as students respond to questions in their notebooks, but not leveraged during the challenge.
• In Grade 6, Segment 3: Regional Climates, Global Warming, and Living Systems, Engineering Challenge: Designing a Microclimate, the challenge is to design a microclimate to support growth of a plant. When designing their solution, the materials instruct students to “Think about plants that do not naturally grow in your local environment. Developing the microclimate should be a challenge.” Within the scope of assigned criteria and constraints, students design and build their microclimate based on their group’s ideas and research. Student prior knowledge is elicited as students think about plants, but prior knowledge is not leveraged during the challenge.