new york city department of education -...

New York City Department of EducationModule A: Accessing Program ResourcesOutline, materials and preparationGrade 4

Session title Module A: Accessing Program Resources

(flexible time 60-100 minutes, which can be customized by site)

Session outcomes

Participants will be able to:

Explain the structure of Amplify Science units and lessons. Navigate the Teacher's Guide and locate supporting resources. Plan for managing resources and materials within a unit.

Materials Protocols and handouts: Module A Participant Notebook:

Module A: Key Understandings Amplify Science elementary curriculum course structure Amplify Science unit structure Navigation within a lesson Lesson-level scavenger hunt Managing materials and planning to teach Unit guide resources Unit guide scavenger hunt

Participants will bring: Computer or tablet

Other materials N/A

© 2018 Amplify Education, Inc. All rights reserved. amplify.com

Date and time

Flexible

Module A Condensed Outline Part Overview

A1. Navigating within a Lesson (flexible time 25-40 min)

1. Review A1 plan, lead participant temperature check2. Introduce Amplify Science (5 min)

a. Lawrence Hall of Science & Amplify Partnershipb. Amplify Science elementary curriculum course structure

i. Identify first unit by grade levelc. Amplify Science unit structure

i. Review the structure of the program, including: Courses (grade levels) Units (# per grade level) Chapters Lessons (# and approximate length) Activities

d. Planning for pacing i. Review pacing options for K–2 and 3–5 grade bands

e. Experience the Teacher's Guide (5-15 min)f. Guided tour of Teacher’s Guide (Amplify Science link:

learning.amplify.com/science-guided tour) or presenter-ledg. Teacher’s Guide Partner discussionh. Log in to Amplify Science

3. Lesson-level scavenger hunt (10–20 min)

A2. Managing resources and materials (flexible time 25-40 min)

1. Review A2 plan2. Introduce components of the Amplify Science curriculum (5 min)

a. Instructional materialsb. Student materials (and Spanish translations)c. Formative and summative assessments

3. Managing materials and planning to teach (20–35 min)

a. Kit Materialsi. Unpacking a kitii. Turn and talk about kit materials

b. Access Unit guide resourcesi. Materials and preparation

© 2018 Amplify Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

ii. Getting ready to teachiii. Reflection

A3. Navigating unit-level resources(flexible time 15-20 min)

1. Review A3 plan2. Unit guide scavenger hunt (10–15 min)

a. Revisit unit guideb. Point out the unit guide resources page in the Participant

Notebookc. Participant work time

3. Closing

Module A: Accessing Program ResourcesFacilitator’s ScriptGrade 4

Part Overview

Opening activity (optional — 10 min)

● Welcome and introductions ● Welcome participants● Describe your role/experience as an educator. ● Invite participants to share their role, regions, grade-level and a

response to the following question: Which aspect(s) of Amplify Science are you most excited about?

● Objectives ● Review workshop learning objectives.

● Agenda● Review agenda● Point out the Participant Notebook that participants have in

front of them. Give them a moment to review the Module A: Key understandings.

● Norms ● Review norms and ask participants if there are other norms that

should be added.


● Introduce Module A: Accessing Program Resources

● Review each Module A component. We’ll start with a high-level overview of the scope and

sequence of the Amplify Science elementary curriculum. Then we’ll dive into an exploration of the lesson level of the Teacher’s Guide.

Next, we’ll get acquainted with the components the Amplify Science and the materials included in each unit kit. You’ll have some time to plan how to manage these materials in your classroom.

Finally, we’ll spend some time navigating the resources found in the Amplify Science Unit Guide.

● Review Module A objectives. These objectives encompass the learning outcomes across all three components of Module A.

When we’ve completed this module, we’ll be familiar with the structure of an Amplify Science unit. We’ll also understand how to navigate the Teacher’s Guide and manage the resources included within a unit.

A1: Navigating the Teacher’s Guide ● Introduce A1: Navigating the Teacher’s Guide.

We’ll start by learning how to navigate the digital Teacher’s Guide.

Review and share agenda for A1: Navigating the Teacher’s Guide.

● Lead the Temperature Check Invite your colleagues to rate themselves on a scale of 1 to 5

according to their comfort level accessing Amplify Science materials and navigating a digital curriculum.

On a sticky note or scratch sheet of paper, ask them to provide a bit of rationale to support their rating.

1 (extreme discomfort) 2 (discomfort) 3 (mild) 4 (comfortable) 5 (extremely comfortable)


Ask those participants who rated themselves as a 4 or 5 to distribute themselves equally around the room, to support and thought-partner with their colleagues throughout this, and future, sessions.

● Introduce the Lawrence Hall of Science – Amplify partnership[Note: The purpose of these talking points is to provide a high-level overview of the partnership behind the Amplify Science digital curriculum. You may decide to skip this slide/content if your participating colleagues have already established a foundational understanding of the curriculum through one of your other turnkey modules.]

The first thing I’d like to talk about is the Amplify partnership with the University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science.

The Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) has over 50 years of experience developing amazing science programs. You may be familiar with some of their legacy programs: FOSS, Seeds of Science, Roots of Reading, and SEPUP. Those programs were developed in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, before the Next Generations Science Standards (NGSS) were created.

The team at LHS wanted to develop a program specifically designed to support student learning around the NGSS. LHS partnered with Amplify to develop Amplify Science… the only LHS program developed from the ground up to address the Next Generation Science Standards!

The way the partnership works is this: LHS is 100% responsible for developing the instructional materials. They have a team of science, math, engineering, and literacy experts who developed the program. Amplify has a team of designers and engineers that developed the technology, which serves up Lawrence Hall of Science’s content.

● Introduce the elementary curriculum course structure This slide shows the 21 units that make up the K-5 curriculum. You can see that there are 3 units per year for Grades K-2 and 4

units per year for Grades 3-5. What is the first unit you will teach this year?

[Note to facilitator: a copy of this table is located in the Module A Participant Notebook.]

● Introduce the Amplify Science unit structure The curriculum is easy to navigate. Courses are grade levels

which contain units, chapters, lessons, activities. As we just learned, each course in Amplify Science consists of


3-4 units. Each unit is broken into instructional sequences called chapters.

There are 3-6 chapters per unit. Within each chapter there are lessons. Across chapters, there

are a total of 22 lessons per unit. So, for example, if you were to teach all three units in 1st

grade, it would mean 66 lessons in order to teach all NGSS standards at that grade level. If you were to teach all four units in 4th grade, it would mean 88 lessons.

The lessons are further broken down into activities. Lessons in K-1 units are generally 45 minutes in length, lessons

in 2-5 are generally 60 minutes in length. We can always expand or contract the timing to fit our needs. We’ll have a chance to explore more about the digital

curriculum after reviewing the materials Amplify Science provides us.

[Note to facilitator: a copy of this graphic image is located in the Module A Participant Notebook. Encourage your colleagues to refer to this resource as they explore their first unit, chapters, lessons, and activities.] ● Introduce the plan for pacing

There are several pacing options you can use to ensure adequate time to teach Amplify Science at your grade level.

At grades K-2, there are 3 units per year If you opt to teach 2 lessons per week, you would need

approximately 11 weeks to teach a unit, or about 33 weeks to teach all units at your grade level.

If you opt to teach 3 lessons per week, you would need approximately 8 weeks to teach a unit, or about 24 weeks to teach all units at your grade level.

At grades 3-5, there are 4 units per year If you opt to teach 3 lessons per week, you would need

approximately 8 weeks to teach a unit, or about 32 weeks to teach all units at your grade level.

If you opt to teach 4 lessons per week, you would need approximately 6 weeks to teach a unit, or about 24 weeks to teach all units at your grade level.

It’s important that the lessons in each unit are taught in sequence, so abiding by a schedule will be key.

As your time permits, you can extend some lessons to include additional time for writing, multiple reads of books, engaging in optional reflections pages in the Investigation Notebook, or increased time for investigations.

● Introduce the tour of the Teacher’s Guide


Option 1: Amplify Science Guided Tour The goal is for each participant to take 10-15 minutes to

complete the guided tour individually. Each participant should have a device and internet

access (Safari or Chrome) in order to follow the guided tour.

Provide participants with the Amplify Science Guided Tour URL: (learning.amplify.com/science-guidedtour)

Option 2: If you feel that your colleagues would benefit from the

opportunity to pause and ask questions while learning about the teacher’s guide, you might opt to project the teacher’s guide and model navigating through each component of a lesson.

[Note: Although participants will have an opportunity to navigate the unit-level resources in greater depth in Part A3, it’s important that they are introduced to the location of the Unit Guide by the end of this tour in order to support the work they will do in Part A2.]

● Introduce the guided tour partner discussion Once you’ve completed the guided tour, take a few minutes to

discuss these questions with a partner: What is the structure of Amplify Science units and

lessons? What questions do you have about navigating the

curriculum during instruction?

● Use this slide to help teacher’s login to access the digital Teacher’s Guide.

● Lesson-level scavenger hunt Direct participants to the Lesson-level scavenger hunt in the

Module A Participant Notebook. Review the directions for the scavenger hunt and invite your

colleagues to work in pairs or small groups (depending on group size) to explore the Teacher’s Guide and respond to the questions on the page.

Encourage participants to use the Navigation within a lesson (also in the Module A Participant Notebook) as an additional resource for supporting lesson-level navigation.


A2: Managing resource and materials● Introduce A2: Managing resources and materials.

Now we’ll transition to learning about resources and materials included in the Amplify Science kits.

● Review and share agenda for A2: Managing resources and materials

● Introduce the instructional materials We just had a chance to explore the Teacher’s Guide. As you

observed, this guide contains: Step-by-step instructions for implementing each lesson Embedded supports and strategies for each lesson

In addition to the lesson-level supports we observed, the digital Teacher’s Guide also has a Unit Guide with unit-support information to help you feel prepared and confident to implement the unit. We’ll explore some of these resources a bit later in the module. Examples include:

A science background document An overview of the assessments and rubrics An overview of the standards addressed in each unit An overview of the hands-on materials that are included

in the kit and which lessons they’ll be used in The really amazing thing is that Amplify has established a

partnership with the Lawrence Hall of Science until the year 2032, which means they are committed to continuous improvement of program for many years to come. Unlike many other programs, Amplify will continue to keep the program up-to-date and incorporate improvements that they get from teachers.

As a perfect example, Amplify received feedback after the first year that teachers loved the digital Teacher’s Guide, but some still wanted to have a print version. So now Amplify offers a print version of the Teacher's Guide.

● Introduce the student materials For students, Amplify offers a program that consists of digital,

print, and hands-on student materials. For grades 2-5, there are digital apps and Simulations

included in about 1 of every 3-4 lessons. Students work together in the simulations and apps; therefore one


device per student is not needed. Every unit includes a kit which consists of student books

and hands-on materials. At K-2, there are enough materials for 2 uses in a classroom size of 25 students. At 3-5, there are enough materials for 2 uses in a classroom size of 30 students.

For each unit, there are five original student books written specifically for the program by the literacy and content experts at the Lawrence Hall of Science. Each kit includes one copy of each for book for every two students to support the program’s partner reading approach. At K-1, there is also a big book version of each student book.

The kit also includes an Investigation Notebook for students to complete written work. Notebook pages include a combination of open-ended prompts, data sheets, and scaffolded pages to support students in writing and reflecting like scientists.

● Introduce the Spanish translations of student materials All student-facing materials are available in Spanish – this

includes student books, Investigation Notebooks, and classroom wall materials.

● Introduce the Assessment System The Assessment System for each Amplify Science elementary

unit is designed to provide teachers with actionable and diagnostic information about students’ progress toward the three-dimensional learning goals for the unit.

The Assessment System includes formal and informal opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding and for teachers to gather information throughout the unit. Examples of assessment features include:

Formative assessments Summative assessments Rubrics Suggestions for follow-up instructional support

[Note: Module P provides a more in-depth introduction to the Assessment System.]

● Unpacking an Amplify Science kit Direct participants to the Managing materials and planning to

teach page in the Module A Participant Notebook. Have them go to the NYC Resources site (URL:


amplify.com/science/nycresoures) to access and watch the video for their grade level unit.

Encourage participants to respond to the questions in ‘Part 1: Unpacking the Kit’ as they watch the video for their unit.

● Turn and talk about Amplify Science kit materials Ask your colleagues to turn and talk about the following

questions. What materials did you see? What materials are you excited about? Which materials do you have questions about? Where might you store these materials in your

classroom? Invite volunteers to share their ideas with the group.

● Revisit accessing unit-level resources Participants were introduced to the location of the unit guide

during the digital Teacher’s Guide tour. Use this slide as needed to support participants in locating the Unit Guide for their work with the remainder of the Managing materials and planning to teach activity.

● Managing materials and planning to teach Direct participants to the remaining sections of the Managing

materials and planning to teach pages in the Participant Notebook.

Use the following slide to help teachers login to access the Teacher’s Guide.

Provide participants with time to navigate the teacher’s guide and complete the remaining sections of the activity.


A3: Navigating unit-level resources● Introduce A3: Navigating unit-level resources

We’ll conclude the module by familiarizing ourselves with resources available in the Unit Guide.

● Review and share agenda for A3: Navigating unit-level resources.


● Unit Guide scavenger hunt Direct participants to the Unit guide resources page and the

Unit guide scavenger hunt in the Module A Participant Notebook.

Review the directions on the page and invite your colleagues to work in pairs or small groups (depending on group size) to explore the Unit Guide and respond to the questions in the notebook.

Use the following slide to help teachers login to access the Teacher’s Guide and if needed, revisit the Accessing Unit-Level Resources slide from A2 to support participants in locating the Unit Guide within the digital Teacher’s Guide.


Congratulations!


New York City Department of EducationModule M: Multiple Sources of EvidenceOutline, materials and preparationGrade 4

Session title Multiple sources of evidence (Module M)

(100-175 minutes total)

Session outcomes

Participants will be able to:

● Explain the Amplify Science Approach and how it supports three-dimensional learning.

● Understand how reading and writing is incorporated in service of scientific understanding.

● Recognize and utilize the program’s instructional routines.● Analyze modeled reading, small group, and writing components of

a lesson to support students gathering scientific evidence.

Materials Protocols and handouts:● Module M section of AMP Participant Notebook:

Module M: Key understandings Amplify Science Approach Multiple modalities in Amplify Science Unit Map Coherence flowchart structure Analyzing coherence Coherence flowchart Unit essentials and instructional builds NYSSLS reference sheet Analyzing 3-D learning

Participants will bring:● Computer or tablet

Other materials


● For the 15-minute Energy Conversions activity sequence: 1 copy of Systems Lesson 1.3 Investigation materials

● 1 solar panel

● 1 electric motor

● 1 fan blade

● 2 cables with alligator clip

● Optional: Clamp lamp and light bulb Note: See Material and Preparation in the Lesson 1.3 lesson

brief for essential preparation for the simple electrical systems activity.

● For the 30-minute Energy Conversions activity sequence: For each pair:

● 1 copy of Systems

For each group of 4, place the following items in a bag (Lesson 1.3 Investigation materials):

● 1 solar panel


● 1 fan blade


● Optional: Clamp lamp and light bulb Note: See Material and Preparation in the Lesson 1.3 lesson

brief for essential preparation for the simple electrical systems activity.

● For the 60-minute Energy Conversions activity sequence: 1 cherry pitter 4 cherries (optional) For each pair:

● 1 copy of Systems

For each group of 4, place the following items in a bag (Lesson 1.3 Investigation materials):

● 1 solar panel



● 1 fan blade


● Optional: Clamp lamp and light bulb

Note: See Material and Preparation in the Lesson 1.3 lesson brief for essential preparation for the simple electrical systems activity.

Date and time

Flexible

Multiple Sources of Evidence OutlineM1. Figuring out like a scientist (flexible time 45-90 min)

1. Opening question: How do scientists learn about the natural world?2. Amplify Science Approach (10 min)

a. Figure out, not learn aboutb. Problem-based deep divesc. Introduce the Energy Conversions unit problem

3. Experience how students collect evidence from multiple sources (flexible time 15-60 min)

a. 15-minute version of Energy Conversions activity sequence (Version 1)

i. Introduce Chapter 1 question and first investigation question

ii. Summarize a “READ”: Read and excerpt from Systems (Lesson 1.2)

iii. Demonstrate a “DO”, engage participants in a “WRITE,” and summarize a “TALK”: Demonstrate building a simple electrical system, have participants draw/label the system, and summarize the debrief discussion of the system’s parts and function of its parts (Lesson 1.3)

iv. Summarize a “TALK/WRITE”: Explaining Defenses (Lesson


2.7) v. Reveal Chapter 1 key concepts

b. 30-minute version of Energy Conversions activity sequence (Version 2)

i. Introduce Chapter 1 question and first investigation questionii. Engage participants in a “READ”: Participants skim Systems

and use the strategy of synthesizing (Lesson 1.2)iii. Engage participants in a “DO/WRITE,” and summarize a

“TALK”: Participants build a simple electrical system, have participants draw/label the system, and hear about the debrief discussion students would have had of the system’s parts and function of its parts (Lesson 1.3)

iv. Reveal Chapter 1 key conceptsc. 60-minute version of Energy Conversions activity sequence

(Version 3)i. Introduce Chapter 1 question and first investigation questionii. Engage participants in a “READ”: Participants read System

and use the strategy of synthesizing (Lesson 1.2) iii. Engage participants in a “DO/WRITE,” and summarize a

“TALK”: Participants build a simple electrical system, have participants draw/label the system, and hear about the debrief discussion students would have had of the system’s parts and function of its parts (Lesson 1.3)

iv. Introduce Chapter 1 key concept (Lesson 1.3)v. Introduce new Investigation Question (Lesson 1.3)vi. Engage participants in a “DO/VISUALIZE”: Participants

explore electrical energy in the Electrical Conversations Sim (Lesson 1.4)

vii. Introduce key concept (Lesson 1.5) viii. Summarize a “WRITE”: Writing an argument about the

Blackout (Lesson 1.6)4. Reflecting on the Amplify Science approach (20 min)

a. Introduction to multimodal instructionb. Work time: Participants use unit maps to familiarize themselves

with the grade-level unit they’ll teach first and discuss the Amplify Science approach in their units

c. Introduction to the coherence flowchartd. Work time: Participants use analyzing coherence and grade-

specific coherence flowcharts to analyze how ideas build in Chapter 1 of their units

e. Reflection: returning to how scientists learn about the natural world.

M2. Multiple modalities and

1. Review of multiple modalities in Amplify Science (10 min)a. Overview of supports for engaging in different modalities;

emphasize how the NYSLSS (NGSS) and Amplify Science are literacy-rich


instructional builds (flexible time 25-50 min)

2. Work time (20-35 min)a. Introduce the unit essentials and instructional builds activity.b. If needed (depending on participants’ comfort with navigating the

teacher’s guide), demonstrate how to find more information about one of the Energy Conversions supports, and how to locate and analyze an example of students engaging with that support.

c. Participants use the unit essentials and instructional builds pages of the Participant Notebook to become familiar with the particular supports used in their grade-level unit, and to analyze how students use these supports in their unit.

3. Reflection (5 min)

M3. Three-Dimensional Learning(flexible time 30-35 min)

1. Introduce the three-dimensions (5 min)2. Analyzing three-dimensional learning in Amplify Science (20-25 min)

a. Presenter models, then group practices, analyzing three-dimensional learning in Energy Conversions activity sequence (from M1)

b. Presenter introduces 3-D Statements doc in Unit Guidec. Work time: Participants read about 3-D learning in Chapter 1 of

their unit and analyze 3-D learning using a graphic organizer.3. Reflection (5 min)


Module M: Multiple Sources of EvidenceFacilitator’s ScriptGrade 4

Part Overview


● Welcome and introductions Welcome participants Describe your role/experience as an educator. Invite participants to share their role, regions, grade-level and a


● Objectives Review workshop learning objectives.

● Agenda Review agenda Point out the Participant Notebook that participants have in

front of them. Give them a moment to review the Module M: Key Understandings.

● Norms Review norms and ask participants if there are other norms that

should be added.

● Welcome participants as they enter the room and ask them to discuss the projected question.

● Module M: Multiple Sources of EvidenceIntroduce Module M: Multiple Sources of Evidence

Amplify Science units are not the typical textbook based-science instruction, and they’re also not solely based on hands-on activities. Instead, Amplify Science supports students to learn about the natural world as scientists do.

Students construct understanding of science ideas by engaging with multiple sources and types of evidence.

We’ll get to know our units by looking at the types of evidence students engage with and how they engage with them.

● Review Module M components To see how students figure out like a scientists in Amplify

Science, I’ll lead us in a sequence of activities from the


kindergarten Animal and Plant Defenses unit. We’ll use this unit as an exemplar throughout this module, but you’ll have time to get to know your own units too.

Then we’ll reflect on the instructional approach. We’ll focus in particular on how students are supported to use multiple modalities — doing, reading, talking, writing, visualizing — to engage with different sources of evidence as they construct understanding.

● Review Module Objectives When we’ve completed this module, we’ll be familiar with how

the Amplify Science Approach supports three-dimensional learning, and with some of the program’s instructional routines, including those for reading and writing.

M1: Figuring Out Like a Scientist ● Introduce M1: Figuring out like a scientist

We’ll start by experiencing how students figure out like scientists.

● Review and share agenda for M1. Figuring out like a scientist.

● The NYSSLS, which align with the national Next Generation Science Standards, or NGSS, represent a major shift in teaching and learning science, which can be summarized as engaging students in figuring out, not learning about.

● To meet these new demands of the NYSSLS, Amplify Science uses a new instructional approach.

● The short version of the Amplify Science Approach is problem-based deep dives. In other words, students inhabit the role of scientists and engineers to explain or predict phenomena. They use what they figure out to solve real-world problems.

● To expand on what problem-based deep dives look like, here is a high-level view of how each unit in Amplify Science is organized.

First circle: Each unit begins by introducing a phenomenon, and a real-world problem related to it. Explaining the phenomenon will help students solve the problem.

Second circle: As students work to figure out the phenomenon, they collect evidence from multiple sources.


Third circle: The evidence they gather supports students in explaining the phenomenon.

Blue arrows: Explanations increase in complexity throughout the unit. Students might construct a relatively simple explanation early in the unit, but as they continue to dive deeper and gather more evidence related to the phenomenon, their explanations become more and more complex.

Fourth circle: Once students have constructed a deep causal explanation to help solve the unit’s problem, they apply their understanding to a new context to solve a different problem.

● Let’s look at how the problem in 4th grade Energy Conversions unit is introduced.

Students are introduced to a problem in the fictional city of Ergstown with a slide show. First they observe this image of Ergstown. What do you notice about this picture? [There are some tall buildings with lots of lit up windows.]

● Here is an image of the same town just a few moments later. What do you notice about this picture? [The lights went out.]

● Ergstown has a problem with blackouts. During a blackout, all the power in a city goes out. Blackouts happen much more often in Ergstown than in other places.

● Here is Ergstown again, later that night.● What do you notice in this picture? [The lights are back on.]● Why might blackouts be a problem? [People might get hurt if the heat

goes off and it is very cold outside; food in freezers at grocery stores and in homes might thaw and be spoiled; if streetlights stop working this could cause dangerous traffic conditions.]

● Students get this message from the mayor of Ergstown.● Read the message aloud.

What does the mayor want help with? [Solving the blackout problem in Ergstown.]

What information does the mayor want the team to give her? [Information about why the blackouts are happening and also how the system can be improved.]

● How does this phenomenon motivate students’ learning?● As participants share, guide them to the idea that the

phenomenon gives students a reason to learn—to figure out why Ergstown experiences blackouts. They need to understand


science concepts to explain what causes the blackouts to occur.

Direct participants to summarize the problem in the Energy Conversions unit and record under the first circle in Amplify Science Approach Graphic Organizer in their Participant Notebooks.

If presenting the 15 minute version of the Energy Conversions activity sequence, use the slides that follow. If presenting the 30 or 60 minute version of the Energy Conversions activity sequence, skip to the appropriate slides.

15 minute version● Now we are going to dive into some activities in the first chapter of

Energy Conversions unit to experience how students collect evidence from multiple sources.

● Point out the notes pages at the end of the Module M section of the Participant Notebook where participants can take notes during this activity sequence if they’d like.

● The Chapter 1 Question, which guides students’ learning throughout the chapter is: What happened to the electrical system the night of the Ergstown blackout?

● Before students can understand what happened to the electrical system the night of the blackout, they need to know exactly what the word system means, so they investigate the question: What is a system?

15 minute versionSummarize exemplar of students engaged in a “READ” activity:● Hold up a copy of Systems.

To gather evidence to answer the question, “What is a system?” students read this book.

Before reading the book, students are introduced to the reading strategy of synthesizing. Students use the strategy of synthesizing each time they read a book in this unit to help them make sense of the texts and construct new understandings.

● Show/read pages 4-9 to give participants a sense of the book. Then show participants a few other pages of the book and explain:

The book goes on to introduce several other systems—home plumbing, heating, and electrical systems, the public water system and electrical energy system.

How do you think synthesizing what they read with prior


knowledge or experiences could help students better understand systems?

15 minute versionDemonstrate exemplar of a “DO/WRITE” activity:With the foundational understanding of systems that they got from the Systems text, students explore electrical systems by building simple electrical systems in groups.● Hold up and introduce the materials students are given (solar panel,

electric motor, fan blade attachment, and 2 cables with alligator clips).● Review the directions on the projected notebook page.● With participant input, build the simple electrical system, then

test it under an incandescent bulb or in direct sunlight to get the fan to spin.

Troubleshooting tips: Make sure the parts are connected properly: alligator clips attached to the scratched off portions of the metal strips on the solar panel one end, and to the metal terminals on the motor. If you’re using a bulb, hold the solar panel relatively close to the bulb.

● Encourage participants to draw and label the simple electrical system in the notes pages at the end of the Module M section of the participant packet.

15 minute versionSummarize a “TALK” activity:

●After building and writing/diagramming their simple electrical systems, the class discusses the parts of their simple electrical systems and function of each part. Then they connect these parts and functions to similar parts and functions in the larger electrical energy system.

15 minute version● Through these experiences and a few others, students construct

understanding of this key concept: A system is a collection of interacting parts that work together. Each part in the system plays a role to perform an overall system function.

● Keep in mind that we only looked at a small subset of the all the activities students engage in in Chapter 1, so if it seems like this key concept goes beyond what we did, or would require more exposure or sense-making, remember that Chapter 1 of Energy Conversions spans 6 60-minute lessons, and we just got a snapshot.

● Skip over the Energy Conversions Activity Sequence Version 2 and 3 slides to the Amplify Science Approach graphic organizer.


If presenting the 30 minute version of the Energy Conversions activity sequence, use the slides that follow.






30 minute versionEngage participants in an exemplar of a “READ” activity:● Hold up a copy of Systems.


Before reading the book, you’d introduce students to the strategy of synthesizing by explaining that making connections between what they read and their prior knowledge and experiences will help them better understand the text. You’d also model synthesizing as you read the first few pages as a class.

Students use the strategy of synthesizing each time they read a book in this unit to help them make sense of the texts and construct new understandings.

● Distribute one book to each pair and give them 10 minutes to skim the book. Encourage participants to connect what they’re reading to prior experiences or prior knowledge to think about the question, What is a system? as students would in the unit.

● How do you think synthesizing what they read with prior knowledge or experiences could help students better understand systems?

30 minute versionEngage participants in a “DO/WRITE” activity:● With the foundational understanding of systems that they got from the


Systems text, students explore electrical systems by building simple electrical systems in groups.

● Hold up and introduce the materials students are given (solar panel, electric motor, fan blade attachment, and 2 cables with alligator clips).

● Review the directions on the projected notebook page.● Distribute bags of materials and give participants about 10 minutes

to build and test their systems under an incandescent bulb or in direct sunlight to get their fans to spin.

● Troubleshooting tips: Make sure the parts are connected properly: alligator clips attached to the scratched off portions of the metal strips on the solar panel one end, and to the metal terminals on the motor. If you’re using a bulb, participants may need to hold the solar panel relatively close to the bulb.

● Encourage participants to draw and label their simple electrical system in the notes pages at the end of the Module M section of the participant packet

30 minute versionSummarize a “TALK” activity:● After building and writing/diagramming their simple electrical systems,

the class discusses the parts of their simple electrical systems and function of each part. Then they connect these parts and functions to similar parts and functions in the larger electrical energy system.



● Keep in mind that we only looked at a small subset of the all the activities students engage in in Chapter 1, so if it seems like this key concept goes beyond what we did, or would require more exposure or sense-making, remember that Chapter 1 of Energy Conversions spans 6 60-minute lessons, and we just got a snapshot.

Skip over the Energy Conversions Activity Sequence Version 2 and 3 slides to the Amplify Science Approach graphic organizer.

If presenting the 60 minute version of the Energy Conversions activity sequence, use the slides that follow.







60 minute versionEngage participants in an exemplar of a “READ” activity:● Hold up a copy of Systems.


Before reading the book, you’d introduce students to the strategy of synthesizing by explaining that making connections between what they read and their prior knowledge and experiences will help them better understand the text. You’d also model synthesizing as you read the first few pages as a class.

Students use the strategy of synthesizing each time they read a book in this unit to help them make sense of the texts and construct new understandings.

● Distribute one book to each pair and give them 15 minutes to read the book. Encourage participants to connect what they’re reading to prior experiences or prior knowledge to think about the question, “What is a system?” as students would in the unit.

How do you think synthesizing what they read with prior knowledge or experiences could help students better understand systems?

60 minute versionEngage participants in a “DO/WRITE” activity:With the foundational understanding of systems that they got from the Systems text, students explore electrical systems by building simple electrical systems in groups.● Hold up and introduce the materials students are given (solar

panel, electric motor, fan blade attachment, and 2 cables with alligator clips).

● Review the directions on the projected notebook page.● Distribute bags of materials and give participants about 10 minutes


to build and test their systems under an incandescent bulb or in direct sunlight to get their fans to spin.

Troubleshooting tips: Make sure the parts are connected properly: alligator clips attached to the scratched off portions of the metal strips on the solar panel one end, and to the metal terminals on the motor. If you’re using a bulb, participants may need to hold the solar panel relatively close to the bulb.

● Encourage participants to draw and label their simple electrical system in the notes pages at the end of the Module M section of the participant packet.

60 minute versionSummarize a “TALK” activity:● After building and writing/diagramming their simple electrical systems,

the class discusses the parts of their simple electrical systems and function of each part. Then they connect these parts and functions to similar parts and functions in the larger electrical energy system.



● Keep in mind that we only looked at a subset of the all the activities that students would have engaged with to construct this idea, so if it seems like this key concept goes beyond what we did, or would require more exposure or sense-making, be assured that there’s more than what we just did.

● With this understanding of systems, students move on to investigate on a new question to help them understand what’s causing Ergstown’s blackouts: What can electrical energy in a system be used for?

60 minute version● One way they investigate this question is by using the Energy

Conversions Simulation, one of this unit’s digital apps.● Help participants login and access the Energy Conversions

Simulation.● Let participants explore the Simulation for a couple minutes

before gathering their attention for a more structured activity.

60 minute versionEngage participants in a “DO/VISUALIZE”:● This is the investigation notebook page that students will use after the

free exploration time to support their understanding of how electrical


systems work. Read aloud the directions. Explain that it’s suggested

that students work with digital apps in pairs so that they make sense of them together.

● Since you don’t have this page in your participant notebook, instead, make a t-chart (devices that have electrical energy as an input / devices that don't have electrical energy as an input) in the notes section of your participant notebook. As you explore the Sim and figure out which devices do and do not use electrical energy as an input, record their names in the appropriate columns.

Give participants about 10 minutes to complete the activity. Circulate as they’re investigating and ask: How can you tell if a device is using electrical energy?

● Discuss: How does the Energy Conversions Sim support students in figuring out what electrical energy in a system can be used for?

60 minute version● Through the Simulation and a few others experiences, students

construct understanding of this key concept: Light, motion, sound, and thermal energy are all forms of energy. You can observe evidence of these different forms as outputs of electrical devices.

● Again, keep in mind that we only looked at a subset of the all the activities that students would have engaged with to construct this idea, so if it seems like this key concept goes beyond what we did, or would require more exposure or sense-making, remember that we’re just looking at a snapshot of Chapter 1, which spans 6 60-minute lessons.

60 minute versionSummarize a “WRITE”:● At the end of the chapter, students are able to apply the concepts they

constructed throughout the chapter back to the chapter question: What happened to the electrical system the night of the blackout? With the teacher’s guidance, students review the sources of evidence they have looked at, then use evidence to construct an argument for one of the claims.

● Discuss: How did students gather evidence throughout the chapter in order to be successful in this writing opportunity?

● Direct participants to the middle box in the The Amplify Science Approach Graphic Organizer in their participant notebooks. Read the prompt aloud.

Ask participants to reflect on the activity sequence they just engaged in as they discuss the prompt in pairs then record


responses in the graphic organizer. Invite volunteers to share their ideas.

● Ask participants to recall how grouping in the activity sequence varied (i.e. which activities were whole class, which were in small groups, which were individual, etc.). Ask how this variation in grouping/format could support students in gathering scientific evidence.

● Have participants discuss in pairs: What do you notice about the different types of evidence sources that led to the key concepts?

● Lead a whole group share out and guide discussion towards the different modalities in the model activity sequence: students collect evidence from hands-on investigations (DO) and books (READ), and make sense of them through talking and writing (and for the 60 minute version, visualizing with the Simulation).

● Students collect and make sense of evidence through multimodal instruction. What does this mean?

If you did the 15 minute version of the Energy Conversions activity sequence: We saw how students collect evidence by reading a book and doing an investigation with simple electrical systems. We also saw that they make sense of that evidence through talking and writing, for example in the discussion of parts and functions with their simple electrical systems, and in drawing and labeling their simple electrical systems. In addition, students engage with a digital simulation to visualize how devices get energy, though this wasn’t part of the sequence we did. Throughout each Amplify Science unit, students learn science through these five modalities: Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize.

If you did the 30 minute version of the Energy Conversions activity sequence: We experienced collecting and making sense of evidence through reading a book and doing an investigation with simple electrical systems. We also saw that students make sense of that evidence through talking and writing, for example in the discussion of parts and functions with their simple electrical systems, and in drawing and labeling their simple electrical systems. There are other more robust opportunities for talk and writing that we didn’t look at, as well as an opportunity for students to visualize how devices get energy. Throughout each Amplify Science unit, students learn science through these five modalities: Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize.

If you did the 60 minute version of the Energy


Conversions activity sequence: We experienced collecting and making sense of evidence through reading a book and doing both a hands-on investigation with a simple electrical system, and an investigation with the digital simulation, which helped us visualize how devices get energy. We also saw that students have opportunities to talk and write, as in their discussion of parts and functions with their simple electrical systems, and the arguments they write at the end of the chapter. Throughout each Amplify Science unit, students learn science through these five modalities: Do, Talk, Read, Write, Visualize.

● Direct participants to the Multiple Modalities in Amplify Science page of their Participant Notebooks and give them time to briefly read the descriptions of how students engage with each modality in Amplify Science.

● Direct participants to the bottom box in the Amplify Science Approach graphic organizer in their participant notebooks. Read the prompt aloud.

● Ask participants to reflect on the activity sequence they engaged in and the multimodal instructional approach as they discuss the prompt in pairs then record responses in the graphic organizer. They may also refer to the Multiple Modalities in Amplify Science table to support their thinking.

● Invite volunteers to share their ideas.

● Transition: Now that you have a sense of Amplify Science’s multimodal

approach to instruction, you’re going to have some time to look at this approach in your own unit.

First, we’re going to use unit maps to get a high-level overview of our units.

This is the unit map for the Energy Conversions unit we just looked at, but in your participant notebook, you have the unit map for the first unit you’ll teach at your grade level.

If you are teaching Energy Conversions, you just learned what the phenomenon is and saw some activities from Chapter 1, so focus on what happens in the other chapters as you read your Unit Map.

● Give participants time to read their unit maps and encourage them to think about the questions in Amplify Science Approach graphic organizer as they read. They may also discuss these questions with other teachers from their grade level.


Introduce the Coherence flowchart.● Now I want to show you another tool—the Coherence flowchart—for

getting to know your unit. Again, I’ll show you an example from the Energy Conversions unit and then you’ll have time to work with the Coherence flowchart for your own unit. As I walk you through the Energy Conversions Coherence flowchart, don’t worry about the specifics of the unit so much as the structure and flow that the Coherence flowchart tool shows. The general chapter structure I’ll talk through holds across every chapter in every unit, even though the content is different.

● Suggest that participants follow along on the Coherence flowchart structure page in their Participant Notebook.

● Click through the animations on the slide as you describe the flow of questions, activities, and ideas:

Recall that the problem students are trying to solve in the Energy Conversions unit is: Why does Ergstown keep having blackouts? The Chapter 1 question is: What happened to the electrical system the night of the Ergstown blackout?

This chapter question leads to the Investigation Question: What is a system?

Students collect and reflect on evidence from multiple sources using multiple modalities, which leads to key concepts.

These key concepts lead to a new Investigation Question: What can electrical energy in a system be used for?, and more experiences, which help students construct more key concepts.

Putting together everything they’ve figured out throughout the chapter, students come back to the problem of the blackout and construct an explanation to answer the Chapter Question.

● Though the content is different in different chapters and different units, and the number of Investigation Questions, evidence sources, and key concepts differ in different chapters, this flow of real-world problems motivating questions, which drive students to collect and reflect on evidence from multiple sources, which helps them construct understanding, which they apply to solve problems is common to every chapter in every Amplify Science unit.

Direct participants to turn to the Analyzing Coherence page in their participant notebooks.● Let participants know they’ll work with other teachers at their grade

level, to gain confidence in using a Coherence flowchart as a tool to see how ideas build across a chapter.

● Review the directions. Have participants fill in the blanks for the chapter number with Chapter 1. Point out that participants have the


coherence flowchart for their units in their participant notebooks (following the Analyzing Coherence page), and that they will be opening up the digital Teacher’s Guide to find and read about activities.

● Guide participants in forming grade-level groups of about 4 people.

● If necessary, support participants in logging back in to access the Teacher’s Guide. Or just have them return to the login page and choose the Amplify Curriculum icon instead of the Elementary Science Apps icon.

● As needed, support participants in navigating the Teacher’s Guide to complete the activity.

● If participants need more support with navigation, suggest that they refer to the Annotated Teacher’s Guide Reference included in the participant notebook pages for Module A.

Lead a discussion of the prompt.

M2: Multiple Modalities and Instructional Builds● Introduce M2: Multiple modalities and instructional builds

In this part of the module we will take a deeper look at how students are supported to engage in multiple modalities in Amplify Science.

You’ll leave with a stronger understanding of how students are supported throughout a unit to gather and make sense of evidence through multiple modalities.

● Review and share agenda for M2. Multiple modalities and instructional builds

● Direct participants to the Multiple Modalities in Amplify Science page of their Participant notebooks and view modalities.

In each Amplify Science unit, students are supported to engage in multiple modalities: doing, talking, reading, writing, and visualizing.

● Doing has been central to hands-on, activity-centric, inquiry-based science instruction for a while.

● However in Amplify Science, Doing is more nuanced than just engaging in a hands-on activity. Students are supported to “do”


science through different science and engineering practices called out by the NYSSLS, including Developing and Using Models, Planning and Carrying Out Investigations, and Designing Solutions.

● Each Amplify Science has a particular focal practice, which means that students receive explicit instruction with this practice, have repeated opportunities to engage in this practice, and gradually assume greater independence with it across a unit. That said, students also engage in multiple practices throughout every unit.

● For example, the focal practice in Energy Conversions is designing solutions, where students make an evidence-based argument for one solution as the best of multiple options.

● Throughout the unit, students are introduced to various design problems and the criteria for solutions to each problem. Students consider these criteria as they design solutions, for example designing wind turbines, and as they write design arguments about how to best improve Ergstown's electrical system.

● Notice that several of these modalities, in particular talking, reading, and writing, are things we more commonly associate with literacy. In alignment with the NGSS’s (NYS Science Learning Standards’) emphasis on science and engineering practices, which include constructing explanations, engaging in argument, and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, Amplify Science is a literacy-rich science curriculum.

● Listening, speaking, reading, and writing are integrated throughout each Amplify Science unit.

Each unit includes one or more discourse routines. Each unit has a focal sense-making strategy used in both

reading-focused and science-focused activities. Each unit also has a focal writing genre, either argumentation

or explanation, and students writing is supported through a gradual release of responsibility.

● Supported by routines, strategies, and scaffolds, students are expected to engage with each of these modalities with increasing complexity and independence throughout each unit.

● For example, in Energy Conversions, each time students read a book, they use the strategy of synthesizing to make sense of the text. The teacher models this in the beginning of the unit, but students gradually assume more responsibility for synthesizing to understand texts.

● Finally, all Amplify Science units engage students in visualizing. This takes a variety of forms, including:

supporting students to use the strategy of visualizing to make


sense of texts; creating or analyzing diagrams; and developing physical or digital models.

● Direct participants to turn to the “Unit essentials and instructional builds” page in their Participant Notebooks.

There are several unit essentials in Amplify Science which support students in gathering and making sense of evidence through multiple modalities. This activity will familiarize you with those unit essentials and deepen your understanding of how students engage in multiple modalities throughout a unit.

● Review the directions. Point out that Table 1 is provided as a reference, and participants may choose to read more information as indicated in the right column, but they may also choose to prioritize working through Table 2 to analyze builds. Point out the reflection questions to think about how these instructional builds support students engagement with multiple modalities. Let participants know how long they’ll have to work so they can decide how to structure their time.

● Point out that the tables for the grade 4 and 5 units include an extra support: Simulations. Remind participants that simulations only exist in the grade 4 and 5 units of Amplify Science elementary and enable students to investigate and visualize phenomena in a digital environment.

● Work time Use the following slide to help participants login to

access the Digital Teacher’s Guide. If needed (depending on participants’ comfort with

navigating the Teacher’s Guide), demonstrate how to find more information about one of the Energy Conversions unit essentials, and how to locate and analyze an example of students engaging with that unit essential.

For example: For Table 1: Open up Standards and Goals from

the Energy Conversions Unit Guide, scroll down to the Focal Practice Trajectory section and point out that this provides more information about the focal practice in Energy Conversions.

For Table 2: Navigate to the Early-in-Unit Example of engagement with the focal practice (Lesson 2.4, Activity 4, Writing a Design Argument) and reflect on how the teacher heavily guides students in creating an argument in this


lesson. Think aloud about how you might pay attention to how much guidance the teacher provides in the Later-in-Unit Example, and record what you find in the What I Notice column.

Give participants time to: Review Table 1 to become familiar with the unit

essentials in their unit; Use the digital Teacher’s Guide to complete Table 2 to

analyze how students’ engagement in the modalities builds in complexity and independence across the unit.

Answer the reflection questions in part 3. Let participants know when they have five minutes

remaining until you bring them together for a debrief discussion.

● Support participants in logging in to access the Teacher’s Guide. As needed, support participants in navigating the Teacher’s Guide to complete the activity.

If participants are struggling to find Unit Guide resource(s), review how to access them and suggest that they refer to the Unit Guide Resources included in the participant notebook pages for Module A for additional information.

If participants need more support with navigation, suggest that they refer to the Annotated Teacher’s Guide Reference included in the Participant Notebook pages for Module A.

● Invite participants to discuss the projected questions in pairs, then lead a whole group discussion.

● Synthesize or guide takeaways: Explicit instruction, repeated opportunities for practice, and a

gradual release of responsibility model support all learners in developing the complex language, science, and engineering skills required to engage with scientific content as scientists or engineers.

M3: Three-dimensional Learning● Introduce M3: Three-dimensional learning

In this part of the module we will look at how the Amplify Science approach engages students in three-dimensional learning.

You’ll leave with a stronger understanding of what the three dimensions of the NYSSLS are and how students engage with


them in Amplify Science lessons.

● Review and share agenda for M3. Three-dimensional Learning● Clarify the sequence:

First, we’ll discuss the three dimensions of science teaching and learning called for in the NYSSLS.

I’ll model analyzing an activity from our Energy Conversions sequence in terms of three dimensional learning. Then, we’ll practice analyzing a different activity from that unit together.

Once we’ve learned how to do this type of thinking, you’ll think about what three dimensional learning looks like in your unit.

● Introduce the three dimensions. The NYSSLS call out three dimensions that students should

engage with to figure out science ideas. Students engage in science and engineering practices to construct understanding of disciplinary core ideas—what you might traditionally think of as content, and use crosscutting concepts—concepts which hold true across different disciplines, to support their engagement with practices and disciplinary core ideas.

● Direct participants to the NYSSLS Reference page in their Participant Notebooks.

Here is a list of all the disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts in the NYSSLS.

Note that there are fewer core ideas than in previous standards. The intent here is that teachers and students can go deeper with fewer core ideas rather than teaching a wide range of topics with little depth each year.

Looking at the list of practices, you can see that these cover more than just inquiry. They also incorporate the math and literacy practices that are integral to science.

Finally, the crosscutting concepts represent big ideas, or themes, that help students make sense of disciplinary core ideas across life science, physical science, earth science, and engineering.

● Discuss how the exemplar activity sequence from Energy Conversions (from M1) engages students in three-dimensional learning

Think back to the sequence of activities we looked at from Chapter 1 of the Energy Conversions unit, including the book, Systems, the building simple electrical systems activity, and the key concepts those activities (and others in the chapter) led to.

● Think aloud to model analyzing 3-dimensional learning in the


Systems reading activity

I’ll start by modeling, thinking about reading the Systems text. I want to consider how students engage with the three

dimensions in that activity. I’ll use the NYSSLS reference to help me.

● Disciplinary Core Ideas: In Chapter 1 of Energy Conversions, students are working

towards understanding ideas related to Energy. The Energy DCI is a focus in the Physical Science set of

disciplinary core ideas. The specific ideas students work towards in Chapter 1 of Energy

Conversions are embodied by the key concepts on the slide. The first key concept, though not explicitly about energy lays some foundation for understanding how energy moves through an electrical system.

● Practices: I’m referring to my NYSSLS reference to analyze which

practices students are engaged with. When students are reading, they’re obtaining information

through the reading strategy of synthesizing. So they’re using Practice 8: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information.

● Crosscutting Concepts: Now, I’ll think about crosscutting concepts, the big themes that

help students make sense of the ideas they’re figuring out. I see evidence of System and System Models in this activity.

The book uses familiar systems to introduce key ideas about this important crosscutting concept.

● Have the group work together analyze 3-dimensional learning in the Magnet Tricks activity.

Let’s think about the simple electrical systems activity, where students figure out how to connect the parts of the system to make the fan spin.

They’re discovering ideas about energy and energy transfer, which connects to that same Physical Science Energy DCI.

Let’s think about the other two dimensions, the Practices and Crosscutting Concepts.

Practices: Which science practices were students engaged with as they created models? Talk to a partner and refer to the NYSSLS reference.

Have participants discuss then share their ideas. Encourage them to explain their thinking. They


may mention: Practice 3: Planning and Carrying Out

Investigations Practice 4: Analyzing and Interpreting Data Practice 6: Constructing Explanations and

Designing Solutions Practice 2: Developing and Using Models Practice 1: Asking Questions and Defining

Problems Crosscutting Concepts: Now, let’s think about crosscutting

concepts. Which crosscutting concepts helped students make sense of what they observed?

Have participants discuss then share their ideas. Encourage them to explain their thinking. They may mention:

Crosscutting Concept 4: System and System Models

Crosscutting Concept 5: Energy and Matter● As students worked with models to figure out ideas about animal and

plant defenses, they engaged in a few different practices, and made sense of ideas using crosscutting concepts. Simple Electrical System was a three-dimensional activity.

● All Amplify lessons are designed to be 3 dimensional. In fact, there is a document in the Unit Guide section that describes each chapter and lesson in 3-D terms. Let’s look at it.

● PLACEHOLDER SLIDE: Navigate to the Unit Guide for Energy Conversions in the Teacher’s Guide.

Click Unit Guide Scroll to the 3-D Statement document Scroll down so the Lesson 1.2 and 1.3 statements are

visible. Read the Lesson 1.2 Statement aloud. Clarify the

color coding: orange text for DCIs, blue text for Practices, green text for Crosscutting Concepts.

● Have participants turn to the Analyzing 3-D Learning page of their Participant Notebook.

● Review the directions. Have participants fill in the blank for the chapter number with Chapter 1. Clarify the notes table is meant for them to record big takeaways – they do not need to record details from every lesson.


● Support participants in logging in to access the Teacher’s Guide. As needed, support participants in navigating the Teacher’s Guide to complete the activity.

If participants are struggling to find Unit Guide resource(s), review how to access them and suggest that they refer to the Unit Guide Resources included in the participant notebook pages for Module A for additional information.

If participants need more support with navigation, suggest that they refer to the Annotated Teacher’s Guide Reference included in the Participant Notebook pages for Module A.

Lead a discussion of the prompt.● Synthesize:

As students gather evidence from multiple sources, they’re engaging in a variety of science and engineering practices, and using crosscutting concepts to make meaning across multiple activities.

Because of Amplify’s multimodal approach, students are continually supported to make meaning of the world like scientists do.

● Congratulations!


Module P: Progress BuildsOutline, materials and preparationGrade 4

Session Title Progress Builds (Module P)(flexible time 70-120 minutes, which can be customized by site)

Session outcomes

Participants will be able to:● Explore 3-D formative and summative assessment resources and

discuss how to use assessment results to inform instruction.● Discuss ways to use the program’s formative assessment

resources to organize small-group instruction.

Materials Protocols and handouts:● Module P section of AMP Participant Notebook

Module P: Key Understandings Connecting Progress Build levels to chapter explanations Assessment system reference Assessment types cards Formative assessments: Planning for small group instruction Three dimensions (3-D) in the end-of-unit assessment

organizer NYSSLS reference sheet

Participants will bring:● Computer or tablet

Other materials ● N/A

Date and time Flexible


Module P: Multiple Sources of Evidence Condensed Outline

Part P1. Building ideas within a unit (flexible time 20-40 min)

1. Instructional Approach overview (5 min)a. Amplify Science Approach (4 Circles)b. Progress Build structurec. Energy Conversions example Progress Build

2. Connecting Progress Builds to unit phenomena (5 min)a. Introduce Energy Conversions phenomenonb. Discuss science conceptual understanding needed to explain the

phenomenonc. Connect Progress Build to explanations of phenomenon d. Discuss connection between generalizable science concepts in the

Progress Build and phenomena-specific explanations students construct

3. Connecting Progress Build levels to chapter explanations activity (10–20 min)a. Participants analyze the build of ideas in their unit, and how they

connect to end-of-chapter explanations

Part P2. Amplify Assessment System(flexible time 15-25 min)

1. Introducing opportunities for Assessment along the Progress Build (5 min)a. Identify each assessment type (7 total)b. Placement of assessment types along the Progress Build

2. Activity: Opportunities for assessment (10–20 min)a. Presenter models how to locate assessment resources in Teacher’s

Guideb. Participants follow navigation pathways on cards in their participant

notebook to practice locating opportunities for assessment in the units they will teach

i. Participants consider how assessments they read provide credible, actionable, and timely information about student learning.

c. Solo reflection followed by group share out

P3. Using Formative Assessment to Inform Instruction

1. Planning to use formative assessmenta. Presenter models planning to use formative assessment data to

inform instruction, using assessment resources in the Teacher’s Guide (5 min)


(flexible time 20–25 min)

b. Participants use graphic organizer to analyze formative assessments from their unit (10 min)

2. Participants reflect on how to collect data to plan for individual and small group instruction. (5-10 min)

P4: Summative Assessment(flexible time 15-30 min)

1. Locating summative assessment and resources (5-10 min)a. Participants reflect on how they have used summative assessments

in their teachingb. Presenter models locating resourcesc. Participants locate resources

2. 3-D summative assessment (10-20 min)a. Participants read summative

assessment rubricsb. Participants complete a graphic organizer

about the three dimensions in their summative assessmentc. Group reflects on 3-D assessment and Amplify assessment

resources


Module P: Progress BuildsFacilitator’s ScriptGrade 4

Part Overview


● Welcome and introductions ● Welcome participants● Describe your role/experience as an educator. ● Invite participants to share their role, regions, grade-level and a


● Objectives ● Review workshop learning objectives.

● Agenda● Review agenda● Point out the Participant Notebook that participants have in front

of them. Give them a moment to review the Module M: Key Understandings.

● Norms ● Review norms and ask participants if there are other norms that

should be added.

Welcome the group, introductionsModule P: Progress Builds● Introduce Module P: Progress Builds

Amplify Science units are structured around a conceptual build of ideas – they call this learning progress a Progress Build.

We’ll get to know our units by looking at Progress Builds.● Review Module P components

The conceptual build of ideas in a unit structure student learning and the program’s assessment system. We’ll get a chance to look at how ideas build through a unit, and to think about the different assessment opportunities that exist.

● Review Module Objectives When we’ve completed this module, we’ll be familiar with

available assessment resources and how to use them, and we’ll learn some ways to use assessment data for organizing small-group instruction.


P1: Building Ideas Within a Unit● Introduce P1: Building ideas within a unit

We’ll start by thinking about how ideas build in a unit.

Review and share agenda for P1: Building ideas within a unit

● Introduce Amplify Science Approach. If participants have already worked through Module M, you may want to call on a few volunteers to share what they remember about what this graphic represents.

Amplify Science units at every grade level have a similar structure. We’ll return to this graphic a few times, and may have seen it before. I’d like to emphasize one part that connects to our work with Progress Builds.

Point at the middle circles and the blue arrows:● The middle circles, and the blue arrows around them,

really show the ideas we’ll be working with today.● Amplify Science units are designed to deepen

understanding around a set of science concepts, rather than cover a few topics at a surface level.

● Students continually collect evidence that deepens their conceptual understanding, which helps them build increasingly complex explanations.

● A Progress Build structures this sequence.

● Discuss participants’ ideas about the image This graphic is useful for understanding the goal of a Progress

Build. ASK: What do you notice? What do you think this image shows?

● Discuss the parts of the image Prior Knowledge: On the left-hand side, you can see “Prior

Knowledge.” At the beginning of a unit, instruction starts with what students already know. The designers of the program researched to see what prior understanding students at a unit’s grade level typically have.

Layers: Then, piece by piece, instruction is meant to deepen that understanding. At the beginning of a unit, students work to figure out Level 1, which is the most foundational or basic understanding in the unit. Once they understand the first level,


that use that understanding to build Level 2, which is more complex, and Level 3.

Deep, Causal Understanding: By the end of a unit, students have a deep conceptual understanding which they can use to construct an explanation of their unit’s problem.

● Summarize What’s important to note here is this idea of adding layers little

by little. Students use what they learn in early chapters to make meaning in later chapters. Let’s see an example.

● Introduce the Energy Conversions Progress Build structure Let’s see an example of how students construct a deep

understanding little by little in the Energy Conversions unit. Amplify Science units sequence the science ideas in a way that

is supportive for student learning. The ideas become more complex and build on previous levels through a unit.

● Read and explain the Energy Conversions Progress Build At the first level, students figure out that devices work by

converting electrical energy to another form (motion, light, thermal, sound).

They need these ideas about an electrical system in order to progress to the Level 2 understanding that electrical energy is converted from a source—motion energy (wind, water, steam) is converted by a generator and light energy by solar panels.

Energy has to come from somewhere, so energy must be supplied from a source and converted or there is no electrical energy available for devices to convert (the system does not function).

At the third level, they use ideas about an electrical system and the source of electricity, to explain electrical energy can be transferred by wires connecting the source converter to the device. If that connection is broken, the wires cannot play their role and the system does not function.

● Point to the grey boxes on the left side of the slide This progression of ideas builds from students prior knowledge –

they have experience with electrical devices from their own life. The unit adds complexity piece by piece until students have a

deep understanding.● Note the Progress Build represents conceptual understanding,

and is not related to the unit’s phenomenon. You know Amplify Science units are designed for students to

solve a problem, but note the levels of the Progress Build


describe generalizable science content, not an explanation of a phenomenon.

Let’s look at how these ideas connect to the problem in Energy Conversions unit.

Introduce the Energy Conversions phenomenon In this unit, students are introduced to a scenario—the rapidly

growing city of Ergstown suffers from frequent blackouts and the mayor is seeking help in designing improvements to the electrical system in order to reduce future disruptions.

Students will be challenged to figure out why the blackouts occurred and how the electrical system can be improved to prevent future blackouts.

While students try to figure out how to design an improvements to Ergstown’s electrical system, they are building a conceptual understanding of energy and energy transformations.

Introduce the solution to the problem that students construct by the end of the unit:

By the end of the unit, students have built a conceptual understanding of the functions of and relationships between the parts of an electrical system.

They explain that the blackouts are caused by two issues: device converters use more energy than exists in the

electrical grid and wires connecting energy source converters to

devices in the grid break during extreme weather

Students write design arguments explaining these causes for the power failure in Ergstown and proposing solutions. Students analyze criteria and develop arguments about the best improvements to address both problems, including building an energy source converter that is sustainable, like wind turbines or solar panels and backing up the wires, either by moving them underground, strengthening their connections, or adding a backup set

Point out the grey text summarizes the solution to the problem. Invite participants to turn and talk in response to the orange

text. If necessary, think aloud to model: One idea that students would need to come up with this

explanation is the idea that electrical devices need energy to


function and that energy must come from somewhere, such as the electrical grid. If they do not know that devices can convert electrical energy to other forms of energy (e.g. light energy), they won’t be able to explain why the blackouts are happening.

ASK: What other science ideas do students need to understand to come up with this explanation?

Guide discussion to include:● Devices need a certain amount of energy to function● Energy comes from a source● Wires transfer electrical energy from place to place

Connect the Progress Build ideas back to the unit problem As you can see, the levels of the Progress Build aren’t related to

the blackouts – they’re related to science concepts: energy. Students can apply understanding represented in the Progress

Build to explain the blackouts. The slide shows some pieces of the explanation students

construct at each level.● The Progress Build is a tool students use to explain the

unit problem, piece by piece. Connect the Progress Build to other phenomena

They can use these same understandings to explain other phenomena they encounter.

● For example, a student can use the Level 2 understanding of energy sources to explain why the fan in a simple circuit of wires, a solar panel, and a fan won't spin if it's not getting direct light.

Introduce the work time activity You’ll get a chance to learn about the Progress Build for your

unit and how it connects to your unit’s phenomenon. We’ll use a useful resource in the digital Teacher’s Guide called

the Unit Map. We will log in to locate this resource.

[Slide is animated]● Show teachers how to navigate to their first unit’s Unit Map in

the digital Teacher’s Guide.● Explain the steps:

1. Once at your unit’s landing page, select “JUMP DOWN TO UNIT GUIDE”

2. Select “Unit Map”


3. You can click on “Open printable unit map” or just view as is on the screen.

● Mention participants could also refer to the copy of the Unit Map for their unit in the Module M section of their Participants Notebooks.

Have participants turn to the “Connecting Progress Build Levels to Chapter Explanations” page in their participant notebook.Review directions, then provide participants about ten minutes to work in pairs:● Read each level of the Progress Build (it’s described in more detail than

on the Progress Build slide shown earlier)● Read each explanation in the right-hand column.● Draw a line from each Progress Build level to the explanation(s) that

apply the content.● Discuss with a partner how each explanation applies the content of the

relevant Progress Build level.● Identify in which chapter(s) students construct understanding of each

Progress Build level. [If participants have completed Module M, note that they may choose to use the Coherence Flowchart to figure this out, but if they have not completed Module M, they should use the Unit Map. Both of these resources are in the Module M section of the Participant Notebook.]Call participants together to share reactions.● Synthesize understanding

A Progress Build maps the conceptual understanding students build through a unit. It is structured around generalizable science concepts, not related to the unit’s problem or phenomenon.

Throughout the unit, students gather additional evidence to add complexity to their conceptual understanding.

Each level of the Progress Build builds on the level or levels before it.

The Progress Build does work for students in terms of explaining the unit problem. They apply the conceptual understanding to the unit’s problem.

As students build this increasingly complex science understanding, they are able to apply it to construct an increasingly complex and complete explanation of the unit’s central problem.

Students can apply this conceptual understanding in other contexts, too. They can explain a variety of phenomena using the ideas represented in the Progress Build.


P2: Amplify Science Assessment System● Introduce P2: Amplify Science Assessment System

In this part of the module we will learn about the Assessment System provided by Amplify Science.

You will be introduced to all seven assessment components and leave with a stronger understanding of where they are located in the curriculum and their purpose for informing instruction.

● Review and share agenda for P2: Amplify Science assessment system

● Introduce formative assessment approach: Assessments are designed to provide credible information

about student understanding of science concepts, or about their dexterity with practices, crosscutting concepts, or reading comprehension strategies.

Assessments are actionable by providing specific suggestions for supplementing instruction based on the information provided.

Assessments are timely in the way they are embedded into instruction - they provide insight to teachers as they’re teaching, meaning instruction can be immediately adjusted based on the data they provide. This is different than traditional assessment, where teachers must wait until the end of the chapter or unit to find out what students understand.

We’ll use a lens of “Credible, actionable, and timely” as we get to know the different types of assessments in the assessment system.

● Introduce Pre-unit and End-of-Unit Assessments The Pre-unit and End-of-Unit Assessments, represented by the

gray bars at the base and top of the Progress Build, occur at the beginning and end of the unit and are often similar, or even identical tasks, but have very different purposes.

The Pre-Unit Assessment lets you know what preconceptions and alternate conceptions your students are bringing to the unit so that you can teach accordingly.

The End-of-Unit Assessment can be used summatively and comes with rubrics you can use for scoring students’ work along the Progress Build, as well as their facility with science and engineering practices and cross-cutting concepts.


● Introduce Critical Juncture Assessments Critical Juncture Assessments, represented by the hummingbird

icons, typically occur at the end of a chapter. They allow you to gather data about students’ understanding of

a level of the Progress Build before they move onto the next level.

Critical Juncture Assessments are meant as formative assessments that provide information you can use to adjust your teaching to address gaps in student understanding.

● Introduce On-the-Fly Assessments On-the-Fly Assessments, represented by the smaller

hummingbird icons, occur approximately once per lesson. On-the-Fly Assessments are embedded in the lessons

themselves and provide additional opportunities to formatively monitor student learning.

● Introduce Self-Assessments Self-Assessments, represented by the smiley face icons,

typically occur at the end of each chapter and provide opportunities for students to reflect on their learning.

● Introduce Portfolio Assessment The Portfolio Assessment, represented by the rectangular box

around the progress build, allows students to select artifacts throughout the year. This process allows students to reflect on their understanding during the year, and then to examine and articulate how that understanding has deepened over time. Take a moment at the beginning of the year to determine when artifacts will be collected, where they will be stored, and determine guidance for student reflection.

● Introduce Investigation Assessment An Investigation Assessment occurs once per grade level and

provides an opportunity to assess students’ facility with the practice of investigation.

The Grade K Investigation Assessment occurs in the Sunlight and Weather unit. In some grades, the Investigation Assessment occurs in the first unit of the year.

You will now get the opportunity to explore many of the assessment components just shown. Because the Investigation Assessment is only located in certain units and the Portfolio


Assessment is not located within the Teacher’s Guide, you will not locate those in the activity today.

● NOTE: For reference, Investigation Assessments occur in the following units:

Grade K: Sunlight and Weather (Unit 3) Grade 1: Light and Sound (Unit 2) Grade 2: Plant and Animal Relationships (Unit 1) Grade 3: Balancing Forces (Unit 1) Grade 4: Vision and Light (Unit 2) Grade 5: Patterns of Earth and Sky (Unit 1)

● Introduce the assessment types activity You will now practice navigating to different types of

assessments to identify the purpose of different types of assessment in the assessment system.

You’ll think about about how the different assessment types are credible, actionable, and timely.

● Direct teachers to the Assessment System Reference sheet in their Participant Notebook. Here they will find an overview of the assessment system. This reference document will be used in the next activity.

In groups of 5, each decide on an assessment type to become an “expert” on. Over the next 10 minutes you will use the pathway on the left side of your card to navigate to your chosen assessment type in your first unit, and the questions on the right side to learn about that assessment type.

Use the Assessment System Reference sheet to support you in answering the questions about the assessment. There is a lot of information in that reference you’ll find useful when you start teaching. For now, just focus on the descriptions of the assessment types.

(NOTE: Conducting this worktime as a JIGSAW is optional. If you are not going to facilitate the Jigsaw in groups of 5 teachers, you can have teachers work through all 5 cards on their own.)

● Use this slide to help participants login to access the digital Teacher’s Guide to navigate to the assessments noted on the Assessment types cards. If participants are struggling with navigating the Teacher’s Guide, suggest they use the Navigation within a lesson in the Module A section of their Participant Notebooks.

● After 10 minutes or sooner if participants are finished exploring, prompt them to take turns sharing out to the rest of their group one at a time - sharing responses to the questions


on the slide.

● Prompt participants to write a response to the prompt on a notes page in their Participant Notebook. Then, ask several participants to share out.

● Synthesize takeaways: All assessments provide credible information about student

understanding along the progress build, and their dexterity with practices, crosscutting concepts, and reading comprehension strategies. They indicate exactly what to look for as evidence of this

understanding. Formative assessments are actionable by providing

specific suggestions to support understanding for students who demonstrate the need for supplemental instruction.

Formative assessments are timely in the way they are embedded into instruction.

A teacher can see and address gaps in student understanding immediately, rather than needing to wait until the end of the chapter or unit to find out what students understand.

● Summative assessments do not provide suggestions for supplementing instruction and are stand-alone rather than embedded into instruction.

The actionable and timely nature of the formative assessment system means teachers will have a sense of how students will perform on a summative assessment as the unit closes.

P3: Using Formative Assessment to Inform Instruction● Introduce P3: Using formative assessment to inform

instruction You’ve thought about how different formative assessment

opportunities can be used as tools to inform instruction in the classroom.

Our purpose for this next part of the module is to think about planning for individual or small group instruction in response to formative assessments.

● Review and share agenda for P3: Using formative assessment to inform instruction


● Review formative assessment system: On-the-Fly Assessments monitor student learning along a level

of the Progress Build Critical Juncture Assessments provide insight about student

learning along the entire Progress Build. They occur at critical moments in the unit, when

instruction will move to the next level of the Progress Build.

● Review formative assessment approach: Formative assessments provide credible information about

student understanding along the Progress Build, and their dexterity with practices, crosscutting concepts, and reading comprehension strategies.

They indicate exactly what to look for as evidence of this understanding.

Formative assessments are actionable because they provide specific suggestions to support understanding for students who demonstrate the need for supplemental instruction.

Formative assessments are timely in the way they are embedded into instruction.

A teacher can see and address gaps in student understanding immediately, rather than needing to wait until the end of the chapter or unit to find out what students understand.

● Introduce the analyzing formative assessment activity You now have an understanding that the assessment system in

Amplify Science is primarily formative in nature to support teachers in monitoring student understanding along the Progress Build.

Let’s look at a specific example of one formative assessment opportunity called an On-the-Fly Assessment.

● Have participants turn to the Formative Assessments: Planning for Small Group Instruction page in their Participant Notebook.

We will use this template as we analyze how this assessment opportunity could be used to inform our instruction.

As a model, we’ll examine an assessment found in Chapter 1, Lesson 1.2, Activity 4 of the Energy Conversions unit.

I would note that I’m in the Energy Conversions Unit, Chapter 1, on my graphic organizer.

● Describe the activity and the assessment At this point in the lesson students are partner a book called

Systems. As they read, students are asked to connect what they read to other sources of information and to discuss new


ideas about systems with their partners. The instructional guide for this activity suggests that the

teacher circulate to offer support while pairs are working. The instructional guide calls out that this is an On-the-Fly

Assessment opportunity to informally assess students’ ability to discuss why animals can live in certain habitats and not others.

I would note this is an On-the-Fly Assessment on my graphic organizer.

● Model using the Assessment System reference document to analyze the three dimensions of the assessment

When planning for formative assessment opportunities, it is helpful to read all the resources provided in the curriculum.

You can read about each opportunity in the Unit Guide’s Assessment System document seen here.

I would note on my organizer what this assessment is assessing in terms of the three dimensions

For this assessment I can see that it is formatively assessing student understanding of DCIs: PS3.A: Definitions of Energy, PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer; SEPs: Practice 1: Asking Question.

You'll notice that the Assessment System document in the Unit Guide refers to the Next Generation Science Standards. These are the national standards with which the NYSSLS align. Both sets of standards have the same three-dimensional structure.

If participants ask about how synthesizing ideas about systems addresses disciplinary core ideas about energy, point out that an understanding of systems provides foundation for understanding how energy is transferred, converted, and conserved in an electrical system.

● Model reading the assessment to determine what data can be collected

In the instructional guide of a lesson, look for the orange hummingbird icon to find notes to help you plan what you will look for/listen for from your students and suggestions for next steps for instruction.

From reading these “look for” notes I understand that I should collect data on whether my students are connecting the text to relevant other sources of information to synthesize ideas about systems.

I would note what I discovered on my graphic organizer.

● Show partially completed graphic organizer as a model


This is how I would record the thinking I was modeling for you so far.

You’ll record your ideas when you analyze assessments in your unit.

● Model thinking through the bottom three rows. Now that I’m familiar with the assessment, I’ll think more to

connect the assessment to my classroom. I’d consider how I’d collect the data, how I’d plan for small

groups, and my ideas for how to select students.

● Review instructions on the slide. Work only in the first column for now, you’ll move onto

analyzing a second assessment after we discuss the first one.● If necessary, use the following slide to help participants login

to access the Teacher’s Guide.● Provide participants time to work on the “Formative

assessments: Planning for small-group instruction” graphic organizer, circulating to support their navigation. If participants are struggling with navigation, you might also suggest they use the annotated Teacher’s Guide Reference in Module A.

● Following work time, have a few participants share out what they discovered from the exercise.

[NOTE: If you do not have time for participants to analyze a second assessment, call the group together at this point and skip comparing and discussing two assessments. Let participants know they can analyze a second assessment and answer the reflection question at the bottom as a self-study.]

● Use this slide to help participants login to access the digital Teacher’s Guide to navigate to assessments.

● Review instructions on the slide. Provide participants time to work on “Formative

assessments: Planning for small-group instruction” graphic organizer, circulating to support their navigation

Following work time, have a few participants share out what they discovered from the exercise.

● Have participants discuss the reflection question with a partner.

● Have participants share ideas from their discussion.● Synthesize as a summary:

Since On-the-Fly Assessments assess the three dimensions of


science learning, they will reveal students’ needs for support in different skills. Student grouping for small-group instruction will vary according to data revealed on different assessments.

● Have participants discuss data collection methods and ideas with a partner.

● Invite participants to share. Suggested ideas to collect formative data: checklists, notes on a

seating chart, assessment-planning organizer

P4: Summative Assessment Introduce P4: Summative Assessment

Our purpose for this next part of the module is to become familiar with the 3-D summative assessments included in Amplify Science.

● Review and share agenda for P4: Summative Assessment

● Have participants discuss the reflection question with a partner.

● Have participants share ideas from their discussion.● Introduce analyzing a summative assessment

To prepare to learn about the summative assessments in your unit, I’ll walk you through the summative assessment in the Energy Conversions unit.

Use the Teacher’s Guide to show the End-of-Unit Assessment Navigate to Lesson 4.6 OPEN the End-of-Unit Writing copymaster (Version A).

There is also a version B of this copymaster, with scaffolded writing support for students who need it.

OPEN the Assessment Guide from Digital Resources. There are three rubrics, one for each dimension of the

NYSSLS. You'll notice that the Assessment Guide refers to the national Next Generation Science Standards, or NGSS, rather than the NYSSLS. Recall that the NGSS and NYSSLS have a parallel structure, i.e. the standards align and both are three-dimensional. So you can read these rubrics, which refer to dimensions of the NGSS as if they are referring to the NYSSLS.

You’ll locate and familiarize yourself with the End-of-Unit


Assessment for your unit.

Introduce the “Three dimensions in the End-of-Unit Assessment” graphic organizer and the NYSSLS reference sheet in the Participant Notebook.

Provide teachers time to analyze their unit’s End-of-Unit Assessment.

Circulate to support navigation. If necessary, use the following slide to help participants log in.

Following work time, invite participants to share takeaways about the rubrics in the Assessment Guide and responses to the reflection questions at the bottom of the page.

Use this slide to help participants log in to access the digital Teacher’s Guide.

To conclude, connect the summative assessment back to Progress Builds.

This module is titled Progress Builds. Through Parts 2-4, we’ve mostly talked about assessment.

This is because the assessment system is so closely tied to a unit’s Progress Build.

The data you collect in formative assessment provides credible, actionable, timely information about students progression through the progress build.

In a summative assessment, you’re assessing where students understanding falls on the Progress Build at the end of the unit.

Congratulations


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