Welcome to the fall 2021 edition of Science News and Updates. 

This month our focus in on the intersecting equity project, Cultural Pedagogies, from STEM Teaching Tools Practice Brief 71. STEM Teaching Tools uses the term “equity projects” to signal key initiatives where intentional action is needed. Promoting equity and justice in science education requires collective action by everyone. Cultural Pedagogies is one of the seven intersecting equity projects that support the goal of equitable science and engineering learning. STEM Teaching Tools defines Cultural Pedagogies as, “All deep learning happens in ways that are culturally significant to learners and their communities. Diversify learning by rooting instruction in the cultural knowledge, worldviews, and ways of knowing of students’ communities. Form partnerships with community [sic] to revitalize and sustain their cultural practices and assets.”

To understand more about cultural pedagogies and the asset-based approach, we lean into the Eight Common Competencies of Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Educators, a resource published by New America and highlighted on the California Department of Education (CDE) Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching — Educator Excellence webpage. New America developed the eight common competencies of culturally responsive educators from their extensive research on culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining pedagogies.

Think about the work you can do in your school and district to support culturally and linguistically responsive teaching. It is up to each of us to ask the hard questions and do the work. If you’re not sure where to begin, here is a question you can start with; Qualitatively, do my/our pedagogical practices welcome the brilliance of all students? Are all learners’ varied identities and experiences honored, and used to bridge rigorous new learning? Quantitatively, are all students equally successful based on report card grades? 

If you have not yet had the chance to read the SDCOE Equity Blueprint for Action, we encourage you to read the document and consider attending any or all sessions of the Equity Blueprint Learning Cycles offered by our SDCOE Equity department colleagues.

Please share this link with others so they can receive future Science News and Updates.

Chelsea Cochrane, Crystal Howe, and John Spiegel

The California Association of Science Educators collaborated with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to publish a special journal on climate change. The journal is intended to support classroom teachers and other science educators so they can better meet the needs of pedagogical shifts and climate-related standards called for by the NGSS. View the California Journal of Science Education Special Edition on Climate Change. SDCOE’s own Crystal Howe is one of the authors of this amazing resource. Her article, Lesson Series Companion to How We Know Human CO₂ Emissions Are Causing Climate Change, highlights using Ralph Keeling’s data about the role humans play in climate change in high school chemistry courses.

Last month the STEM Teacher Leadership Network hosted a webinar about the new The Call to Action for Science Education report. Members of the committee that developed the report shared their vision of a better, more equitable K-16 science education and described the critical role that science teachers can have in this extraordinary community effort to transform science education. Watch the recorded webinar from STEM Teacher Leadership Network. Chelsea Cochrane participated in this national webinar and you can hear her share about our SDCOE Phenomena Design Team work at 51:40. And in true Zoom-from-home fashion you can even hear her dog Luna share a few thoughts.

Starting in early childhood, children are capable of learning sophisticated science and engineering concepts and engage in disciplinary practices. They are deeply curious about the world around them and eager to investigate the many questions they have about their environment. A new consensus study from the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) provides guidance on effective approaches to science and engineering instruction in prekindergarten through 5th grade that support the success of all students regardless of race, socioeconomic status, home language, learning ability and needs, or the community in which they live. The report includes considerations for policies and practices that enhance science and engineering experiences for all students. View the Science and Engineering in Preschool Through Elementary Grades: The Brilliance of Children and the Strengths of Educators report and webinar recording.

The updated California Science Test (CAST) item specifications are now posted on the CDE CAST Item Specifications webpage! A total of 175 item specifications are organized by grade and science domain — 45 for 5th grade, 59 for 8th grade, and 71 for high school. These resources help educators gain a better understanding of the three-dimensional nature of the CAST. Along with the 2016 Science Framework, they can be used to develop items for classroom assessments. A useful flyer, Introducing the CAST Item Specification, is located on the CDE CAST webpage.

Formal and informal educators are invited to explore Lake Hodges on Dec. 11 from 9 to 11 a.m. while honing observation techniques that can be used anywhere, whether you are in a nature reserve, schoolyard, or local park. Register for the Hike-Explore-Learn event. 

Inspired by John Muir Laws, be the first to join San Diego’s first Nature Journaling Club to be launched in January 2022! Co-sponsored by San Diego Children and Nature and SDCOE, this hybrid program will be open to formal and informal educators and will meet on the second Wednesday and Saturday of the month. On Wednesdays we will meet virtually from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday morning will be an in-person, two-hour field program. Registration will be available in December on the SDCOE Environmental Literacy webpage. If you want to learn more about this exciting program, email Tara at tfuad910@gmail.com.

Save the date! Let’s come together from 9 to 11 a.m. Dec. 17 to practice some new educational field techniques and celebrate the holiday season. Register for the Program Spotlight and Holiday Celebration.

Not all questions are created equal. Come learn and practice how different prompts and behaviors may encourage or discourage student exploration and learning. Register to attend the Questioning Strategies learning event that will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, Jan. 13. The location has yet to be determined.

This new network will focus on student curiosity and using science as a lever for literacy and language development. Participants will continue to deepen their understanding of three-dimensional learning and phenomena-based instruction with an emphasis on student writing and productive talk. The network will meet on a monthly basis. Register to attend the Elementary Science Network today.

The Science Leaders Network is offered monthly as an ongoing opportunity for science education leaders across San Diego to come together monthly to share best practices and highlight current efforts to support science learning for all students. Target audience is district or site administrators, teachers on special assignment (TOSAs), lead teachers. Register for the Science Leaders Network today.

The CA NGSS Statewide Implementation Professional Learning Series: Building Student Sensemaking Through Disciplinary Literacy is now open for registration. Building student sensemaking through disciplinary literacy in science is a critical topic for the continued growth and implementation of the CA NGSS. Four strands have been developed to address literacy including using text, argumentation, discourse, and notebooking. Each strand has both an elementary and secondary section. Choose from one of the four professional learning strands. Register for the collaborative as a team of two or more, at the same time, to receive a $50 discount per attendee.

This four-part virtual miniseries is now underway! Learn from experts in the field on how to create equitable learning environments for all students. The one-price registration includes attendance to all four parts of the miniseries. You can opt to attend all four of the 2.5-hour Saturday sessions; drop in on one (or more sessions), or view them as your schedule permits. The last 30 minutes of each session will be a roundtable discussion for participants to ask additional questions and/or share their own experiences and stories. Registration for the miniseries is open and registrants will be able to access the recorded sessions for 90 days after the miniseries ends. 

More information and registration information can be found on the conference website.

This section of Science News and Updates highlights districts and schools across San Diego County focused on bringing high-quality science learning experiences to all students.

As we looked at state, county, district, and school CAST data for success stories, we found the highlight was right in our own county with a school that was on the NGSS journey with us since our first Elementary Science Academy professional learning cohort. Looking for examples of small-scale success brought us to Wolf Canyon Elementary School in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. The 5th-grade CAST data at Wolf Canyon showed amazing results compared to the district-, county-, and state-level data. The 5th grade was led by Marlys Williamson, one of our NGSS in Action video series feature educators. She was joined by fellow 5th-grade educators Jason Cross and Erin Marmion. The 5th-grade team focused their year on science, each starting the year using curriculum from The Inquiry Project with their core students. During this opening unit, they focused on the discourse strategies and Talk Moves from the Inquiry Project and started having students use science notebooks. After the opening unit, they each focused on a science domain and their three classes rotated through each domain throughout the year. This approach allowed each of them to deeply understand one unit and teach it three times. They used the FOSS Next Gen Mixtures and Solutions module for the physical science rotation, developed an Earth and space science unit using NASA’s Sun as a Star as a foundation, and created a life science unit based on the instructional design of FOSS and The Inquiry Project. Each unit continued to focus on students’ use and development of language and literacy skills through hands-on inquiry science using science discussions and science notebooks. This approach saw students enthusiastically engage in science learning. Students' growth in their ability to think and reason scientifically was evident in the change in student notebooks from the beginning of the year to the end. 

We know other amazing work is happening throughout our county. We’d love to showcase you and your students. To have your school or district featured in the next edition of Science News and Updates, please share your NGSS story by completing this Google form. 

What if you could build a better world? The Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education at the University of San Diego is calling for middle- and high-school educators to join the effort to make a local and global impact. In the 2022 Jacobs Teen Innovation Challenge, educators and teenagers will develop an innovator’s mindset and the skills to create solutions to local and global problems. Register to attend information sessions by clicking the date and time: 

Low tide at Cabrillo National Monument reveals a hidden world of fascinating creatures — meet some of them during this live field trip with Cabrillo National Monument! Join Community Engagement Manager Lauren Marino Perez and Cabrillo National Monument Biologist and Science Educator Sam Wynns for a field trip to the rocky intertidal zone. Explore the diverse adaptations of tide pool life and learn how you can help science by uploading your nature photos to iNaturalist. Afterward, stick around for live discussion and question-and-answer session. This 30-minute program will be offered as a Zoom webinar on Nov. 20 at 10 a.m, streamed with live captioning on Facebook Live. If you want to receive a digital resource packet and/or submit questions before we meet, advanced Zoom registration is required. Recommended for grade 3 and up, but all are welcome. 

Teachers, the Living Coast Discovery Center offers virtual field trips to allow your students to experience the wildlife and science programs normally offered at the Living Coast. All virtual field trip programs are based on NGSS and State Standards. Choose from a live animal encounter, pre-recorded field trip, or live Zoom field trip (or all three). 

The Living Coast Discovery Center offers sponsorships for teachers at Title I schools for its virtual field trip programs. Sponsored teachers will receive a recorded lesson, Zoom lesson, animal encounter, and additional resources (a $300 value) at no cost for Title I schools.

The San Diego River Distance Learning Station offers several printable worksheets (writing, drawing, and nearby nature activities), video lessons, and storytelling. These activities are most appropriate for students K-8 and focus mainly on ecology, environmental education, and nature connection.  

Visit the I Love A Clean San Diego events calendar to learn more about each upcoming webinars:

I Love A Clean San Diego education team has transformed in-person environmental education presentations into live online classroom learning opportunities. Virtual presentations can be scheduled via Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams as needed. They are free to public and private K-12 classrooms within I Love A Clean San Diego’s service areas. Topics included recycling and household hazardous waste, ecosystems and marine pollution, food waste, watershed pollution, ocean acidification, living a zero waste lifestyle and more. Our programs are NGSS-aligned and vary in length from 45 to 60 minutes. You and your students can expect interactive elements including polls, Menti questions, multiple short discussions and group activities. Also, many programs come with optional follow-up materials to help extend students’ learning opportunities outside of our live presentation. If you are interested in learning more or looking to schedule a virtual presentation, email email education@cleansd.org or fill out a presentation request form.

Learning from home is a new and challenging situation for many of us. The Energy Coalition supports students with PEAK@Home, available in English and Spanish. PEAK@Home is a library of K-8 environmental-STEM lessons and recorded activity webinars modified for an at-home environment. Students can explore topics related to energy, water, waste, and climate through hands-on science and engineering activities. All materials required for the lessons or lesson webinars are items that can be easily found in students’ homes - all a student needs is a little curiosity! Students can also tune in to My Energy Future webinars, where STEM professionals describe their current career in STEM, skills for success, journey into their career, and advice for students. Each My Energy Future video recording includes guided activities that solidify students' knowledge. Register to access the lessons. Visit the PEAK Students website for more information about the full K-8 PEAK Student Energy Actions program offerings. Email education@energycoalition.org with any questions.

Free online library of Green Careers Webinars where students can view presentations from sustainability professionals who share about their green career pathway. It's an awesome virtual resource for students to use independently with SEI career exploration activities, or browse through if they're juniors/seniors thinking about next steps after high school. Teachers and students can easily request instant access to this free resource.

Students are invited to boost their resumes and build their knowledge of energy conservation and efficiency with SEI's Energy Specialist Certificate. Through a series of four challenges, students develop a deeper understanding of their relationship with energy, make changes to live more sustainably, and become leaders as they spread awareness of resource conservation. Students can earn their certificate by requesting free access to the learning materials.

SEI has distance learning resources to help teachers continue providing learning opportunities for students. Bring hands-on projects to your students using the units which include climate change, energy auditing, renewable energy, and air quality. The units are teacher-facing resources that will fit into many subject's scope and sequence and are designed for engaging students in synchronous, virtual instruction. SEI also offers a student-facing distance learning curriculum that is designed to get your students thinking about sustainability across a range of topics from air quality to green transportation. All student-facing curriculum is ready to share with your learners and includes background content and engaging activities. The student-facing curriculum can be implemented with or without internet access. 

ArtsBusXpress is a nonprofit organization that connects students with arts and science venues for field trip opportunities, and is preparing for in-person and virtual field trips to over 100 museums, theaters, discovery centers, and more to supplement teachers' STEAM lessons. K-12 teachers can visit the Places to Go page on the organization's website to see a list of field trip destinations, including options for virtual experiences. For more information, visit the ArtsBusXpress website.

Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students (PORTS) provides free, interactive virtual field trips for K-12 students to stay connected to our state's natural, cultural, and historical resources. Designed for in-person and virtual classrooms, the programs are customizable for all grade levels and include additional teacher resources built around the program. The fall calendar includes topics such as California's indigenous cultures, towering trees, marine protected areas, immigration stories, gold rush history, and desert ecology. Visit the PORTS website to browse programs by location or topic and for booking details.

Our science simulations incorporate hands-on learning with relevant topics to boost comprehension and retention. Each simulation contains an interactive exploration of real-world scenarios, built with the virtual learning experience in mind. CK-12 science simulations can be filtered and searched according to keyword and concept. You'll find a range of topics for middle school and high school physics and chemistry. Find out more about the simulations through this video and explore the simulations.

The STEM Teaching Tools site can help you teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Each tool is focused on a specific issue and leverages the best knowledge from research and practice. Practice Brief 79, How can we confront and dismantle systemic racism through science learning? was just released.

Through a partnership with DonorsChoose, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has set aside $250,000 in shareholder funding to help local educators supplement classroom education with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) projects. Teachers at public schools within SDG&E’s service territory can visit the DonorsChoose website to apply, and also view the matched projects. Eligible projects at schools in disadvantaged communities as defined by CalEnviroScreen will have donations to their projects matched with $2 for every $1 that they raise. The campaign will run until funds are exhausted.

SACNAS is an inclusive organization dedicated to fostering the success of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans, from college students to professionals, in attaining advanced degrees, careers, and positions of leadership in STEM. 

The Indigenous STEAM website is full of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics resources for families, teachers, and communities that foreground Indigenous knowledge systems — roles, relations, responsibilities, and gifts between and within human and other-than-human communities — and intergenerational arrangements in teaching and learning. 

From the structure of a molecule to the design of a vehicle, your students can create a model using Google Sheets and Google Drawings with this new applied digital skills lesson, Develop a Model in Google Drawings, from Google for Education. Explore the growing Science collection and see how you can use Google tools to support and plan for instruction.

To have your event or resource considered for a future edition of SDCOE’s Science News and Updates provide your information via this Google form.