6th to 8th Grade - Gateway 3

The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations for providing teacher guidance with useful annotations and suggestions for how to enact the student and ancillary materials, with specific attention to engaging students in figuring out phenomena and solving problems.

The materials provide a comprehensive set of teacher support documentation with detailed instructions for teaching steps through every individual activity. The teaching steps include actions to take with students in facilitating the activities and additional prompts/suggestions for navigating student discourse through each step. In addition to the teaching steps and notes provided, the teaching materials include all appropriate supplemental documents to support instruction for each activity, including student worksheets, supplemental reference materials for student activities, and slide presentations. 

The “Activity Overview” section in the teacher materials for each activity includes a summary of NGSS connections and correlations, a summary of what students do in the activity, a hyperlinked list of instructional materials for the activity (including slides, required physical materials, and student worksheets), and a Teaching Summary identifying actions to be taken to teach the lesson. 

The “Teaching Steps” section of the teacher materials for each activity in the unit includes a more detailed and comprehensive explanation of actions to be taken to support instruction within that activity and includes references to where each step falls within the 5 components of the SEPUP Unit Design (Issue-Oriented Approach, Curriculum Design for NGSS, Active Student Learning, Comprehensive Teacher Support, and Assessment). This section also incorporates possible student misconceptions and suggestions for how to address them, suggestions for guiding conversation with students, general teaching tips for modeling/explaining effective work strategies for the students, and hyperlinked references to both student and curriculum documents that support the individual activities. Examples include:

• In Unit: Chemical Reactions, Activity 6: Comparing the Masses of Reactants and Products, Teaching Step 3e, teachers are provided with explicit suggestions for how to connect the activity to the next activity and to the phenomena. “Point out to students that in this activity, they are observing the conservation of mass on a measurable scale; and in the “Explaining Conservation of Mass” activity, they will investigate this phenomenon on an atomic/molecular scale. Point out the measuring mass before and after a reaction can only be done if the system includes all reactants and products. An open beaker is not a complete reaction system if gaseous reactants or products can enter and/or leave the system.”

• In Unit: Ecology, Activity 7: Coughing Up Clues, Do the Activity, Teaching Step 2c provides a suggestion to help students reconstruct rodent skeletons found in an owl pellet. “Project Visual Aid 7.1, ‘Vole Skeleton’, to help students reconstruct the skeletons. Explain that voles are a species of small rodents. They are sometimes called field mice, but voles have shorter tails and stockier bodies than true mice. Small rodents such as mice and voles are the chief prey of owls.” “Consider distributing Student Sheet 7.1, ‘Owl Pellet Dichotomous Key,’ for students to identify the types of small mammals eaten by the owls. Students may complete this identification in pairs or individually. Explain that dichotomous means divided into two parts, and dichotomous keys always include two choices in each step. The key gives students a series of choices that will lead them to the correct animal skull.”

A “Quick Start” section is also available for every unit and provides a broad overview of both the general teaching steps and resources for the unit and a hyperlinked list of references that summarizes the individual components of instructions and activities that make up the unit as a whole. The “Unit Overview” document within this list provides a comprehensive summary of the individual activities within the unit and a description of each activity, topics covered, a list of items for advance preparation, assignments, and an approximate number of teaching periods the activity should take.

The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations for containing adult-level explanations and examples of the more complex grade/course-level concepts and concepts beyond the current course so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject.

The materials provide background information for teachers in two locations. On the SEPUP website, each unit has a resource page, sorted by activity, that provides brief descriptions and links to a variety of external resources with background information related to the science content in the activity. Within the Issues and Science Portal, under Activity Resources, there is a section titled Background Information which provides information specific to the activity. These resources do not exist for every activity, but they do exist for many activities and sufficiently support teachers in building their understanding of complex concepts and expected student practices both within the current course and beyond. 

Examples of supports provided for teachers to develop their own understanding of more advanced, grade-level concepts and expected student practices:

• On the Issues and Science Portal page for each unit, within the Quick Start and Quick References Tab, under the Additional Resources heading, there is an “Issues in Science and SEPUP Website: Teacher Link.” This resource provides a variety of additional links to external resources related to the unit, organized by activity, and with a short description of the resource. Some of the resources are student facing, but many are teacher facing and provide information for teachers to build their knowledge both within the current course and beyond the grade-level expectation. 

  • In Unit: From Cells to Organisms, Activity 3: Evidence of Microscopic Organisms, there is a link to a TeacherTube video that is recommended “if it has been awhile since you used a microscope, you may wish to use the video to review the care and use of a microscope.” This helps teachers develop their own understanding of student practices within the current course. 

• Within some activities, under the Activities Resources tab, there is a section labeled “Background Information.” This section provides background information on the science content within the activity and is information teachers can use to build their knowledge both within the current course and beyond the grade-level expectation. 

  • In Unit: Land, Water, and Human Interactions, Activity 2: Does it Dissolve, there is Background Information about solubility and water that is on grade level, as well a information that is beyond grade level, including that “in a water molecule, two atoms of hydrogen are covalently bonded to an oxygen atom at 120-degree angle” and “as liquid water travels through the water cycle, its polar nature is conducive to dissolving the minerals and trace elements it encounters on Earth’s surface.”

Examples of supports provided for teachers to develop their own understanding of concepts beyond the current course:

• In Unit: Body Systems, Activity 10: Gas Exchange, within the Activity Resources tab, there is Background Information that explains the chemistry behind how the bromothymol blue indicator works, as well as providing additional information about cellular respiration.

• In Unit: Earth’s Resources, Activity 4: Per Capita Consumption, within the Additional Resources heading, there is a link to the World Resources Institute Data (https://datasets.wri.org/) where teachers can “Find featured data sets on topics such as water and forests. Download a pdf to read a factsheet and see more detailed maps.” 

• In Unit: Fields and Interactions, Activity 2: The Apollo Missions, within the Additional Resources heading, there is a link to a Youtube video that “shows how the Crawler-Transporter is able to move rockets from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launchpad.”

The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations for including standards correlation information, including connections to college- and career-ready ELA and mathematics standards, that explains the role of the standards in the context of the overall series.

Standards correlation information for the NGSS and CCSS is provided in several locations within the Teacher Edition materials at both the unit and activity level. Explanations of the role of the standards in the context of the overall series are provided within the Teacher Edition. NGSS-specific context is also provided within the Teaching Steps for activities, as appropriate. This information is indicated with an icon that links directly to the Teacher Resource page providing additional detail about how SEPs and CCCs are integrated within the program. The Teaching Steps themselves also offer support for the teacher to introduce the SEP/CCC to the students at that time in the activity. Explanations of the role of ELA and mathematics standards are also present within the materials. The Teacher Edition of each unit provides a description of how the ELA and mathematics standards are utilized within the unit along with a table that identifies the activities where each standard is addressed.

Examples of correlations specific to NGSS:

• In the Teacher Edition, NGSS Overview document for each unit, there is a list of the performance expectations (PEs) addressed in the unit as well as a table listing each activity, a description of each activity, and the connected DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs for that activity. The dimensions are listed at the component, rather than the element, level. 

• In the Teacher Edition, NGSS Correlations document for each unit, there is a table that lists each addressed DCI/SEP/CCC for the unit, along with element language for all addressed elements and the activity numbers where that particular element is addressed. 

• In the Teacher Edition, Activity Overview for each activity, there is an NGSS Correlations document that lists the PEs addressed in the activity (indicating if students are ‘working toward’ or ‘applying’ the PE) and then lists the particular element being addressed in the activity. 

• In the Teacher Edition, NGSS Learning Pathways document for each PE, grouped by unit, connections between the NGSS standards and CCSS standards are shown as related to that particular PE.

Examples of explanations of the role of NGSS standards in correlations in context of the series:

• In Teacher Resources, Issues and Science Designed for 3D learning, is a description of the role SEPs and CCCs play in the program based on the Framework. 

• In the Teacher Edition, the Teaching Steps for each activity contains teacher guidance on how to introduce or embed a particular CCC/SEP within the activity. For example, in Unit: Energy, Activity 2: Drive a Nail, Teaching Step 5, teacher guidance is provided on how to introduce the CCCs of Patterns and Cause and Effect. 

Examples of correlations specific to college-and-career ready standards in ELA and Mathematics:

• In the Teacher Edition, NGSS Overview document for each unit, a table is provided that lists each activity and the connected NGSS and CCSS that are addressed for that activity. This information is also provided in the Teacher Resources, NGSS Overviews, and NGSS Correlation Tables document. 

• In the Teacher Edition, Common Core State Standards Correlations Document for each unit, is a table that lists connected categories for ELA and mathematics, including specific standards language and the activities that address each standard. This information is also provided in the Teacher Resources, Common Core State Standards Correlations document.

• In the Teacher Edition, Activity Overview for each activity, there is an NGSS Correlations document that lists the CCSS language for ELA and mathematics standards that are addressed in the activity.

• In the Teacher Edition, NGSS Learning Pathways document for each PE, grouped by unit, connections between the NGSS standards and CCSS standards are shown as related to that particular PE.

Examples of explanations of the role of the specific grade-level/grade-band ELA and Mathematics:

• In the Teacher Edition, Common Core State Standards: Connections and Correlations document for each unit, a description titled “Making Connections in ELA” or “Making Connections in Mathematics” is provided detailing how students engage with the ELA and mathematics standards present in the unit. For example, in Unit: Chemistry of Materials, part of the description for the ELA standards states, “ Students also collaboratively discuss and come to consensus on the central ideas in the text (RST.6-8.2), relating them to the concept of scale, proportion, and quantity and how this information relates to what they have investigated in previous activities. In the final activity of the unit, students synthesize their understanding of chemistry concepts related to various materials by integrating technical information from text with diagrams in a reading as well as with models, diagrams, and other visual representations from previous activities (RST.6-8.7).”

• In the Teacher Resources, NGSS and Common Core, Common Core State Standards: Connections and Correlations document, explanations and correlation information for ELA and mathematics standards is provided. This information is identical to that provided in the Teacher Edition for each unit. Headings within the document indicate the different units.

The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations for providing explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.

The materials fully explain the instructional approaches of the program including an overview, individual lesson routines, alignment to CCCs, SEPs, and DCIs, and assessments. All materials are research based and include citation pages in each section of the teacher resources. 

The Teacher Resource Binder, also available digitally within the Issues and Science Portal, is divided into five sections which provide explanations of the instructional approaches of the program. Part 1 explains how the curriculum uses an issue oriented approach with guiding questions to guide learning. Part 2 describes alignment with the NGSS, DCIs, CCCs, and SEPs. Part 3 provides a comprehensive list of student learning routines and protocols used within the curriculum. Lastly, Part 4 outlines comprehensive teacher supports and Part 5 provides assessment overviews. Each section of the Teacher Resources also provides citations and the associated research. For example:

• In Teacher Resources, Curriculum Design for NGSS, within the Issues and Science: Designed for Three-Dimensional Learning section, the materials state “SEPUP strove to align its changes in teacher practice with the vision of the Framework and the NGSS, a process described by DeBarger and colleagues (2017) as bringing ‘existing materials into alignment with new visions for science learning by adding to, adapting, or transforming’ them (p. 4).” A full citation of the reference is included in the Citations section.

In Teacher Resources, Comprehensive Teacher Support, within the Student Sensemaking section about Driving Question Boards, the materials state “In the first few activities of each unit, the teacher works with students to establish a Driving Questions Board, which allows students to connect their own ideas and questions to the anchoring phenomenon and unit issue. Connecting the unit content to students’ interests and experiences engages students and creates a shared sense of purpose (Weizman, Shwartz, & Fortus, 2008, 2010)." A full citation of the reference is included in the Citations section.

The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations for including a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities.

All units contain a materials list at the beginning of each unit and each activity. A comprehensive list of the contents for each materials kit drawer for each unit of the program are found on the Issues and Science Portal, Teacher Content main page. The Teacher Resource Binder and online platform contain Overview Tables for each unit that list several descriptors for each activity including any advanced preparation needed. Specific materials needed for each activity are also provided through a Materials Provided in the Kit document, available in each unit, and in the Activity Overview for each activity.

Examples of lists of supplies needed at the unit and activity level:

• In Unit: Body Systems, the Quick References section includes a link titled Equipment Refill Lists which takes users to the page on the Lab-Aids website where refill kits can be ordered for each unit.

• In Unit: Chemistry of Materials, the Quick Reference section includes a link titled Materials Provided in the Kit. This document lists the materials provided by the kit and the materials not provided by the kit, as well as any solution preparations. The drawer number, quantity, and appropriate activity number for each material is also provided. The online link for this document only lists the materials provided by the kit.

• In Unit: Force and Motion, Activity 6: Changing Direction, the Activity Overview tab includes a section titled Materials and Advanced Preparation where information is provided regarding materials the teacher will need as well as the materials for each group of four students and individual students. This includes any kit materials as well as links to documents like Student Sheets and Visual Aids.

The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations for embedding clear science safety guidelines for teachers and students across the instructional materials.

Safety information is provided in both the student materials and teacher materials at the activity level where appropriate. A few instances exist where safety guidance is provided in teacher materials but not student materials. Appendix B of the student materials also includes Safety Guidelines and a Safety Contract that teachers may use if they do not have a local version. It is important to note that teachers should always locate and adhere to local policies and regulations related to science safety in the classroom. 

In the Teacher Edition, Activity Overview, Materials and Advanced Preparation Section (per activity as applicable), is a Safety Note. Safety Notes are found in bold, red print and contain activity-specific safety measures to be taken, including appropriate PPE, disposal of materials, and response to hazardous materials exposure. Introductory unit activities requiring a Safety Note also include general guidance to develop a safety plan. “Develop a classroom safety plan. Review any safety materials provided by your district. Select the safety contract and guidelines you will use in this course, either developing your own, using those provided by your district, or using Student Sheet 1.2, ‘Guidelines for Safety in the Science Classroom.’ Copy the materials for each student. Students can find ‘Science Safety Guidelines’ in Appendix B: Science Safety in the Student Book.”

In the Student Book, within the materials section for each activity, SAFETY is found in red, bold letters if the activity contains a safety consideration. This section contains guidance regarding proper PPE and other precautions along with a reminder to report any accidents to the teacher. Appendix B contains Science Safety Guidelines with information regarding proper behavior and procedures before, during, and after an investigation. 

Examples of activity-level science safety guidelines:

• In Unit: Chemical Reactions, Activity 1: Producing Circuit Boards, the student materials advise, “Wear chemical splash goggles at all times during this lab investigation. Do not allow solutions to touch your skin or clothing. Clean up any spills immediately. If accidental contact occurs, inform your teacher and rinse any exposed areas. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after you finish the activity.” 

• In Unit: Ecology, Activity 7: Coughing Up Clues, the Teacher Activity Overview states, “If you haven’t already, develop a classroom safety plan. Review any safety materials provided by your district. Select the safety contract and guidelines that you will use in this course - either developing your own, using those provided by your district, or using Student Sheet 7.2, ‘Guidelines for Safety in the Science Classroom.’ Owl pellets used for classroom dissections have been thoroughly heat treated to eliminate biohazards to students. Even so, instruct students to wash or sanitize their hands after completing the investigation.” The corresponding student materials state, “Wash or sanitize your hands when you finish the investigation.”

• In Unit: Weather and Climate, Activity 8: Investigating Water, the safety notes in the Activity Overview from the Teacher Guide states, “This activity requires water that might be hot enough to cause scalding of the skin and pain to students. Tell students to be especially careful when pouring the warm water.” No safety guidance is provided in the student materials.

The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations for providing assessment information to indicate which standards are assessed.

The teacher materials identify where standards are addressed throughout the curriculum. Overview documents highlight the location of all standards as well as more focused documents identifying where standards appear within each unit or activity. Assessments are often flagged in the materials as individual analysis questions within the activities, with specific NGSS standards identified for assessments. Further, the assessment blueprints for the series account for 59 of the 60 Middle School NGSS Performance Expectations within the items identified as assessments. 

Examples of information about assessment opportunities and connections to standards:

• Within the Quick Start tab in the Teacher Edition for each unit is the NGSS Overview document that provides an overview of the Performance Expectations (PEs) addressed in the unit. Additionally, the document provides a table that lists the specific DCIs, SEPs, CCCs, and CCSSs addressed for each activity within the unit. 

• Within the Quick Start tab in the Teacher Edition for each unit is the Assessment Blueprint which outlines the assessments throughout the unit in regard to the nine SEPUP scoring guides. Additionally, assessments related to NGSS PEs are indicated by a shaded box. 

• Within the Activity Overview tab in the Teacher Edition for each activity is a section titled NGSS Correlations with the specific PEs, SEPs, and CCCs addressed in the activity. Where assessments are present, the Teaching Summary section briefly explains the assessment, references the appropriate scoring guide to be used, and exemplar response criteria, if applicable. 

• Within the Teaching Steps tab in the Teacher Edition for each activity, assessment items that address a PE include the appropriate scoring guide and exemplar response criteria. For example:

  • In Unit: Weather and Climate, Activity 14: Build Understanding, Teaching Step 3b: “(MOD ASSESSMENT, MS-ESS2-6) Assess students’ understanding of the relationship between atmosphere, weather, and climate. Analysis item 4 in this activity can be assessed using the MOD Scoring Guide. A sample Level 4 response is shown in the Sample Resources to Analysis. Analysis item 4 also provides an opportunity to assess Performance Expectation MS-ESS2-6. Before asking students to complete this step, consider reviewing the key concepts from this and previous activities identified in the Learning Pathway for this performance expectation.”

The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations for providing assessment opportunities for students to demonstrate the full intent of grade-level/grade-band standards and elements across the series.

Each unit in the SEPUP curriculum has an assessment blueprint that lists all summative assessments for the unit, which activity they are located in, and the SEPUP science and engineering practice or NGSS Performance Expectation they align to. Each unit also contains an Assessment Item Bank with approximately 25-35 multiple choice and short answer response questions that relate to the unit. Formative assessments are included within the activities and usually called out as Quick Checks and/or tagged with the symbols D, S, and/or C indicating if the assessment focuses on a DCI, SEP, and/or a CCC. The Teacher Edition includes the following note in the first activity of each unit, “These icons, SDC , indicate where you can formatively assess students’ proficiency with the three dimensions: S=SEP, D=DCI, C=CCC.” The Teacher Resources, Assessment section also mentions that places in the activity where Literacy Strategies are identified could be another area for formative assessment.

While most assessment questions are structured as constructed response items, students also build and use models, evaluate and compare data, and construct arguments. Each activity has at least one formative and/or summative assessment where students respond using what they have learned in the activity.

Examples where students are provided opportunities to demonstrate the full intent of the standards and practices across the series:

• In Unit: Body Systems, Activity 4: Digestion: An Absorbing Tale, the Assessment Blueprint lists Constructing Explanations (EXP) as the Quick Check and Developing and Using Models (MOD) as the assessed SEPUP SEP for analysis question 2. In this question, students are asked “Imagine taking a bite of a burrito. Follow the beans in the burrito through the organs in the digestive system. Draw a model of the digestive system. Label any parts of the digestive system that help digest the food or help the body get nutrients from the food. Explain what happens at each step of the way.” 

• In Unit: Ecology, Activity 16: Presenting the Facts, students prepare and deliver a 5-10 minute group presentation. The presentation is assessed using the Communication Concepts and Ideas (COM) Scoring Guide. Level 4 of the guide states “The student communicates clearly and correctly about a phenomenon or problem, presenting connections between relevant disciplinary core ideas and relevant crosscutting concepts.” This allows teachers to assess students on understanding of the phenomena of introduced species. 

• In Unit: Evolution, Activity 13: Embryology, the Assessment Blueprint lists MS-LS4-3 as the assessed PE for analysis question 3. In this question, students are asked, “What relationships across different animal species can you see in embryological data that you cannot observe by comparing mature animals? Use data from your investigation to support your answer.” 

• In Unit: Land, Water, and Human Interactions, Activity 14: Building on the Mississippi, the Assessment Blueprint lists MS-ESS2-2 as the assessed PE for analysis question 5. In this question, students are asked “5. Based on the evidence presented in this activity and previous ones, which geological processes along the Mississippi… 5a. Changed the land's surface features? Identify the process(es) and the evidence. 5b. Worked over millions of years? Identify the process(es) and the evidence. 5c. Work over a short period of time? Identify the process(es) and the evidence.”

• In Unit: Waves, Assessment Item Bank, both multiple choice and constructed response items are provided. The Assessment Item Bank contains 18 multiple choice questions followed by 12 short answer response questions. Most multiple choice questions are focused on content knowledge. For example students are asked to define the term amplitude by choosing from a list of four options. Some short answer questions are also CCC or SEP focused. For example, question 22 states “If the frequency of a sound increases, what happens to its wavelength?” and question 30 states “Draw a model of how the signals will change if transmitted over a long distance without amplification.”

The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations for providing strategies and supports for students in special populations to support their regular and active participation in learning grade-level/grade-band science and engineering.

Within the Teacher Edition, Teaching Steps for each activity is a section titled “Strategies for Teaching Diverse Learners”. The section provides suggestions for three groups of students including students with learning disabilities. While each activity may not provide suggestions for all three groups, suggestions for students with learning disabilities are often present and contain support for struggling students.

Examples of embedded support for students: 

• In Teacher Resource Guide Section 4- Comprehensive Teacher Support- Differentiated Instruction, the materials contain modifications for multiple groups/levels. Optional student sheets with pre-constructed data tables, graphic organizers, and/or Science Skills sheets are available to scaffold/differentiate according to literacy level, as well as guidance to reduce teacher assistance for accelerated students.

• In Unit Chemical Reactions, Activity 1: Producing Circuit Boards, Teaching Steps, Strategies for Teaching Diverse Learners, teachers are directed to allow students with learning disabilities to provide answers orally before transferring their ideas to paper.

• In Unit Fields and Interactions, Activity 12: Electric and Magnetic Fields, Teaching Steps, Strategies for Diverse Learners, teachers are directed to review student results from each step of the Procedure before encouraging students to move on to the next section.

The materials reviewed for Grades 6-8 meet expectations for providing extensions and/or opportunities for students to engage in learning grade-level/grade-band science and engineering at greater depth.

Throughout the materials, extensions and opportunities to engage at a greater depth are indicated in two locations. First, guidance is listed in the Teaching Steps part of the Teacher Edition under the section titled Strategies For Teaching Diverse Learners - Academically gifted students. This section contains guidance for English learners, Students with learning disabilities, and Academically gifted students, as applicable for each activity. Often, guidance for advanced students consists of things like conducting research on or investigating a connected topic, completing an extension activity, and/or sharing information with the class. Also within the Teaching Steps, and indicated in the Student Materials, are Extension activities that provide opportunities for students to engage at higher complexity. These activities include things like visiting additional links where students can learn more about a topic, continuing an investigation beyond the classroom, and/or adding on to an investigation to explore further. Throughout the materials, there is consistent guidance within the Teaching Steps with opportunities for students to extend their learning at either a higher level or increased level of complexity. 

Examples of opportunities for advanced students to engage in grade-level/grade-band science at a higher level of complexity:

• In Unit: Biomedical Engineering, Activity 3: Bionic Bodies, Extension, a link is provided to the SEPUP website where students can explore the bionic man in more depth. 

• In Unit Earth’s Resources, Activity 1: Observing Earth’s Resources, Extension, the teacher is guided to have students bring in natural resources they have collected. A link to the SEPUP website is also provided that contains links to sites with additional photos of natural resources. 

• In Unit: Land, Water, and Human Interactions, Activity 7: Cutting Canyons and Building Deltas, Extension 1, teachers are guided to have students model a steeper river and compare their results to the results from Part A of the investigation.