i

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE

NGSS and ELLs: Using Science to Support the Academic Language Acquisition of

Hispanic ELL Populations

A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

For the degree of Master of Arts in Education, Elementary Education

By

Victoria Garcia

May 2015

California State University, Northridge

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The graduate project of Victoria Garcia is approved:

__________________________________________ _______________

Ms. Wendy Demaria Date

__________________________________________ _______________

Dr. David Kretschmer Date

__________________________________________ _______________

Dr. Shartriya Collier, Chair Date

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Acknowledgements

For their assistance in helping and supporting me as I went through this graduate

project, I would like to thank the following: My mother, for pushing me to continue even

when I really wanted to quit and for listening when all I wanted to do was complain, my

dad for his constant support and understanding, and my brothers, thank you for all of the

welcomed and unwelcomed distractions.

I would also like to thank all of the professors I have worked with while

completing this STEM Master’s program. Thank you, Dr. Belgrad, Dr. Brie, Dr. Knotts,

and Dr. Lutz. The knowledge that I have received in each one of your courses has truly

helped me become a better, more reflective educator. It has also put me in a position

where I can take a leadership role in my school and teach my fellow teachers about

STEM and upcoming changes to the elementary curriculum.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my graduate committee, special thanks to

my chair, Dr. Collier, for the countless read-throughs, e-mails and phone calls, as I

worked and re-worked this project. Thank you to Dr. Kretschmer for teaching me how to

make science fun and hands-on, and for teaching me how to read the NGSS standards.

And a very special thanks to Ms. Wendy Demaria for listening to my endless whining,

for all of the delicious cookies, the Real World breaks (IT WAS MY ONLY SOURCE

OF PROTEIN!), and for all of the editing.

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Table of Contents

Signature Page .................................................................................................................ii

Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................iii

Abstract ............................................................................................................................vi

Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................1

Chapter 2: Literature Review ...........................................................................................5

Chapter 3: Methodology ..................................................................................................18

Setting ..................................................................................................................18

Participants ...........................................................................................................19

Project Description...............................................................................................20

Resource Guide ....................................................................................................24

Chapter 4: Project and Resource Guide ...........................................................................27

Professional Development Presentation ..............................................................28

Lesson Plan ..........................................................................................................55

Resource Guide ....................................................................................................61

Chapter 5: Discussion and Implications ..........................................................................71

References ........................................................................................................................74

Appendix A: Educator Pre-Survey ..................................................................................78

Appendix B: Educator Post-Survey .................................................................................79

Appendix C: “Straw Rockets” Educator Feedback Form ................................................80

Appendix D: “Straw Rockets” Lesson Plan Vocabulary Cards.......................................81

Appendix E: “Straw Rockets” Lesson Plan Rocket Template.........................................88

Appendix F: “Straw Rockets” Lesson Plan Student Worksheet ......................................89

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Appendix G: “Straw Rockets” Lesson Plan Rubric .........................................................91

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Abstract

NGSS and ELLs: Using Science to Support Academic Language Acquisition in Hispanic

ELL Populations

By

Victoria Garcia

Master of Arts in Education, Elementary Education

This project sought to address the need for science instruction in elementary classrooms,

educators’ lack of knowledge regarding the Next Generation Science Standards and

develop educators’ knowledge on how to support the academic language needs of

Hispanic English Language Learners during science instruction. In order to address these

needs, kindergarten through sixth grade educators in an urban school in Los Angeles

were led in a professional development session about the Next Generation Science

Standards and participated in a hands-on science activity in which they implemented

research-based strategies to support the academic language acquisition of Hispanic ELLs.

After the professional development session, educators in grades three through five were

asked to implement the lesson and provide feedback which was used to create an

educator guide. The author’s work on this project indicates a need to educate teachers

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more thoroughly on the Next Generation Science Standards. Educators also need to be

provided support, whether through professional learning communities or resource guides,

to plan for science instruction that meets the needs of their Hispanic English Language

Learners.

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Chapter 1: Introduction

As we continue to become a more globalized and technologically driven world

where information is freely shared across various platforms, we need students who are

not only prepared and willing to enter fields in science, technology, engineering, and

mathematics (STEM), we also need to have a population that can think critically and not

mindlessly accept any information that is told to them. Yet if we look into the average,

American, public-school classroom we will find that there is a large disconnect between

the skills students need for the future and the skills they are being taught.

Nowhere is this disconnect more apparent than in science instruction. In my

personal experience as an educator, I have witnessed first-hand how the emphasis on

getting students to perform well on state exams and district assessments has all but driven

science out of the classroom. Furthermore, discussions with my colleagues regarding how

much they engage in science instruction has shown me that science instruction is simply

not happening, especially in the primary grades, where many of my fellow teachers have

confided in me that they only discuss science when it comes up in their reading program.

This lack of science instruction is not just a problem that is occurring in my

school. A lack of high-quality science instruction is occurring in classrooms nationwide.

For example, a study published by The Center for Future Teaching and Learning at West

Ed (2011), found that only about 10% of elementary classrooms, in California, are

providing students with the opportunity to engage in high quality science instruction on a

daily basis (Dorph, Shields, Tiffany-Morales, Hartry, & McCaffrey, 2011). Clearly, this

is a problem that is running rampant throughout classrooms as continued emphasis on

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testing causes more and more time to be dedicated to language arts and mathematics and

less time to be dedicated to high-quality science instruction.

The consequences of not providing students with a science education are an issue

for both our nation and for students themselves. As a nation, failing to educate students in

science and its related fields, in a manner which shows students how science affects their

daily lives and the world around them, prevents students from developing science literacy

(Hurd, 2000). Science literacy is critical for students and for creating an educated

populace because it makes students question the information they hear, see, and read, and

it also creates a population that can engage in arguments and discourse to support its

ideas.

Furthermore, the lack of science instruction hurts students both academically and

in their future. For no group does this hold more true than for Hispanic English Language

Learners (ELLs). The lack of science instruction not only hinders their understanding of

science concepts, it also limits their career opportunities in the future. This is a further

damaging blow to a group that already suffers from a large achievement gap. In fact the

2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress found that only 12% of fourth grade

ELL students reached, “at or above proficient” scores in math (Editorial Projects in

Education Research Center, 2011). It is evident that not providing Hispanic ELLs with

high-quality science instruction that supports their language needs, only places them

further behind their peers and prevents them from acquiring the types of careers that are

available to their fluent English-speaking classmates.

So why do we care? Why do we care about teaching students about science and

preparing them for careers in STEM and why do we care about meeting the needs of

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Hispanic ELL students, especially in science? We should care for several reasons. The

first reason is that the number of English Language Learners in our schools is growing

dramatically and quickly. Figures from the National Clearinghouse for English Language

Acquisition found that from 1997 to 2008 the number ELLs enrolled in schools rose from

3.5 million to 5.3 million (Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, 2011).

Further figures from the state of California show that the rate of growth in numbers for

ELLs, especially those that identify as Hispanic/Latino, has continued and does not

appear to be stopping soon.

Secondly, we should care about teaching students science and encouraging them

to enter STEM professions because of the larger role that STEM takes in the continuing

economic growth of our country. The number of STEM jobs in our country continues to

grow, yet the number of students who are leaving schools ready to fill these positions is

insufficient to meet the workforce demands (U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee,

2012). Furthermore, with the pending retirement of many already in STEM fields the job

market is only projected to grow (Smith-Barrow, 2014). In order for the United States to

stay competitive in a global market we need more students engaging in science.

Finally, we should care about meeting the needs of Hispanic ELLs during science

instruction because of the lack of representation that they have in STEM careers. When

looking at the ethnic background of those in STEM fields, Hispanics/Latinos(as) lag far

behind (U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, 2012). As educators we need to not

only expose our students to high-quality science instruction, we also need to make sure

we are supporting the language growth of our Hispanic ELL populations. In this manner

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they will be able to gain the skills necessary to enter STEM fields at the same rate as their

non-Hispanic, fluent-English speaking peers.

This project sought to examine the best practices for science instruction that not

only teach science concepts but also promote the learning and use of academic language,

in the elementary grades, for Hispanic ELLs. The project had several goals. First, this

project seeks to educate teachers on the Next Generation Science Standards, and using

these standards to support the academic language acquisition of their Hispanic ELLs.

Second, it seeks to promote quality instruction of science lessons that integrate research-

based strategies to improve and promote the language acquisition of ELLs through

guiding educators in a hands-on science activity that integrates several strategies that

support ELL academic language growth. Finally, this project seeks to help educators plan

NGSS based lessons that meet the needs of their Hispanic ELL populations by creating

and providing teachers with an educator guide.

Through the implementation of this project, I aim to empower educators by

exposing them to the Next Generation Science Standards and encouraging them to

support the academic language needs of Hispanic EL students through the use of hands

on science activities and research-based strategies. I also aim to encourage educators to

integrate their science curriculum to incorporate reading, writing, speaking and listening

skills thereby improving the academic language of Hispanic ELLs and meeting the

English Language Development (ELD) standards and the Common Core State Standards

(CCSS). Finally, I aim to give educators tools they can use immediately in their

classrooms by developing a resource guide for educators that will help them create

science lessons that meet the needs of their Hispanic ELL populations.

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Chapter 2: Literature Review

Next Generation Science Standards

In addressing the needs of Hispanic English Language Learners and preparing

educators to meet those needs, we need to develop a context for the standards that

students and educators are being held accountable to in California and throughout the

United States. In the state of California, recent policy has indicated that students and

educators will be held accountable for learning and teaching science under the framework

of the Next Generation Science Standards.

The Next Generation Science Standards were developed by the Achieve

organization in an association with 26 lead states. This new set of science standards,

released in April 2013, and currently adopted by 13 states and the District of Columbia,

are based on The Framework for K-12 Science Education developed by the National

Research Council. The standards were developed in order to update the science

curriculum for the twenty first century, as the last time that our national science standards

were revised was fifteen years ago. Furthermore, proponents of the NGSS saw that there

were not enough students entering STEM fields or leaving high school ready to enter

college or the job market. In order to combat those trends, the developers of the Next

Generation Science Standards focused on problem solving and critical thinking skills

when developing the standards (Why K-12 science standards matter, 2014). In turn the

NGSS are unlike any science standards seen before.

As a result, educators need to know how the Next Generation Science Standards

differ from the ones that are currently being implemented in the state of California. The

Next Generation Science Standards are different from the California Content standards in

many ways. The most evident manner in which these standards differ is in what they call

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for in order to show mastery of the material. While the current California science content

standards focus on science content the Next Generation Science Standards focus on the

skills that students need to engage in science and are therefore performance rather than

content based (Compare NGSS to existing state standards, 2014). For example, the NGSS

asks for students to be able to do things such as conduct an experiment to show the

effects of force of an object, rather than just knowing that force affects the speed at which

an object travels or its direction (NGSS, 2013).

The NGSS are also different because unlike previous standards, the Next

Generation Science Standards integrates Engineering and engineering practices into the

science curriculum. This is done to further develop critical thinking and problem solving

skills, as well as to provide a real-life context and application to the content that students

are learning. Finally, the Next Generation Science Standards are different from the old

standards in their push for integrated instruction. The NGSS actively demands that

English Language Arts and mathematics content is integrated into the science curriculum

by pairing the standards to applicable Common Core State Standards (Compare NGSS to

existing state standards, 2014). Every topic in each grade level of the NGSS has a section

strictly devoted to indicating the CCSS that can be used during instruction.

The Next Generation Science Standards are also revolutionary in the way they are

structured and careful attention needs to be paid in educating teachers on how to read the

standards. Since the NGSS are not solely content based, they contain many different

components that educators need to understand in order to fully implement the standards.

The Next Generation Science Standards consist of three main components. They are: the

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disciplinary core ideas, the science and engineering practices, and the crosscutting

practices (National Science Teachers Association, 2014).

The disciplinary core ideas identified by the NGSS are (1) life science, (2) earth

and space science, (3) physical science, and (4) engineering, technology and the

application of science. These four categories act as the content standards and indicate the

science concepts that students should learn as they progress from kindergarten to twelfth

grade (Disciplinary core ideas, 2014).

The science and engineering practices consist of eight practices that engineers and

scientist engage in as they work. The NGSS expects students to see themselves as

scientists and engineers and asks that students engage in asking questions and defining

problems, developing and using models, planning and carrying out investigations, and

analyzing and interpreting data. (Science and engineering practices, 2014)

Finally, the Next Generation Science Standards also consists of the crosscutting

concepts. These seven concepts include patterns, cause and effect, scale, proportion and

quantity, system and system models, energy and matter, structure and function, and

stability and change. The NGSS calls for students to use these processes in order to make

sense of the information they gather. The crosscutting concepts also serve to connect the

four disciplinary core ideas as these crosscutting concepts are present in all science areas

(Crosscutting concepts, 2014).

The implications of these standards for students are greater cohesion in instruction

and an assurance that all students are receiving an equitable science education. The push

continues for all fifty states to adopt the standards (Making connections to common core,

2014). Furthermore, because there is such a strong emphasis on integrated instruction, the

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Next Generation Science Standards are paving the way for students to receive science

instruction more frequently.

The connection between the NGSS and the CCSS is what makes it of critical

importance for educators to learn how to meet the needs of their English Language

Learners. This is due to the fact that the NGSS place a strong emphasis on language as it

asks for students to communicate their ideas and findings to others, build and support

arguments, work in collaborative groups, and critique others work (Making connections

to common core, 2014). It is imperative that educators learn research-based strategies that

will help support the language needs of Hispanic ELLs in order to allow them to be

successful during science.

It appears that the state of California also notices the need to provide further

support to their ELL populations due to these more rigorous standards, as the state of

California has recently developed and implemented new English Language Development

Standards.

The New ELD Standards

As previously mentioned, in response to the changing content standards in

language arts, mathematics and science, the superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom

Torlakson, with the assistance of the State Board of Education have re-vamped the old

ELD standards in order to better align to the new content and to provide support for

English Language Learners (State of California Department of Education, 2012). In many

ways, these new ELD standards mirror the CCSS and NGSS in that they also allow and

encourage integrated instruction rather than teaching each subject as a separate category.

Furthermore, there is a key shift in the manner that the new ELD standards look at

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language. While previously the standards saw English as a set of rules to be taught the

new English Language Development standards recognize that language is much more

complex (Holguin-Brown, 2014).

While the context of this project looks more towards the Next Generation Science

Standards and strategies that educators can use during science instruction to promote the

acquisition of academic language through science rather than educating teachers on the

new ELD standards, it is important to note the change in the English Language

Development Standards as its development highlights the importance of supporting the

needs of ELLs in contexts outside of ELD instruction. It is also important to note these

changes in ELD standards as the integrated approach that these standards take towards

language instruction means that educators will be held accountable to supporting ELLs

needs and documenting their progress in all subjects.

Hispanic/Latino Presence in Schools, State and Nation

While the shifts in curricula, such as the Next Generation Science Standards and

new English Language Development Standards, demonstrate the need to educate teachers

on changes in instruction and prepare them to be able to implement these new standards,

we must also be cognizant of the need to teach educators how these educational shifts

will impact ELLs. Within this project we place an emphasis in particular on Hispanic

ELL populations.

Hispanics/Latinos(as) make up a significant portion of the population within our

local districts, state, and nation (United States Census Bureau, 2014). As a result,

research into the particular needs of this group should be conducted, especially in regard

to students who are classified as ELLs. In order to gain an appreciation for the size of

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Hispanic ELL populations we must look at the bigger picture of Hispanic/Latinos(as)

prevalence in our country. According to 2013 U.S. Census data Hispanics/Latinos(as)

make up 17.1% of the population in the nation, looking at California, 38.4% of residents

are Hispanics/Latinos(as). Finally, looking within the city of Los Angeles, 48.5% of the

population identifies as Hispanic/Latino(a).

With a clear awareness of the size of Hispanic/Latino(a) populations relative to

the city of Los Angeles, state, and nation, we can better understand the populations

within our schools and the critical nature of research into the needs of Hispanic ELL

populations. According to statistical data released by LAUSD (2011), Latinos(as) make

up 73.4% of student enrollment. The number of Hispanic/Latino(a) students enrolled

within LAUSD is significantly larger than the state total of 53.25% enrollment for the

same population (Fingertip Facts, 2013).

English Learner populations in California make-up 22.7 % of students enrolled in

schools within the state (Facts about English Learners, 2013) and within the LAUSD

(2009) ELLs make up 33% of enrollments. According to figures published by the

California Department of Education in the 2013-2014 school year, 84.21% of ELLs

identified Spanish as their native language (Dataquest, n.d.). Furthermore, it is

noteworthy to mention that of students who are identified as socioeconomically

disadvantaged in the state of California, 89.15% of students identify Spanish as their

native tongue. Within LAUSD, 93.29% of students classified as ELLs identify their

primary language as Spanish, and of those labeled as socioeconomically disadvantaged,

95.02% of ELLs identify Spanish as their native tongue.

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This information is important to note because there is no data that breaks down

the ethnicity of ELLs and the language they speak at home. However, Pew Research Data

(2011) finds that 37.6 million people in America speak Spanish at home with only 2.8

million of those participants identifying themselves as non-Hispanic. This information, in

addition to the previous statistics given regarding languages spoken by ELLs, suggests

that although not all ELLs who speak Spanish are Hispanic, there is strong evidence that

the majority do. As a result, we can infer that the number of Hispanic ELLs is quite large

both in LAUSD and the state of California, thereby emphasizing the need for research

into the specific needs of Hispanic ELL populations.

STEM-Integrated Instruction

It would be virtually impossible to talk about science instruction without also

addressing the issue of STEM. STEM, and more specifically STEM careers, also play a

key role in why it is so important to conduct further research into the needs of Hispanic

English Language Learners. STEM stands for science, technology, mathematics, and

engineering. According to a meta-analysis conducted by the National Science and

Technology Council (2011), STEM is defined as including, “physical and natural

sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines, topics or issues

(including environmental science education or environmental stewardship)” (p. 5). STEM

instruction focuses on teaching science, technology, mathematics and engineering in the

classroom and in informal settings.

STEM instruction is very important in the role it plays in the growth of our

economy. Research into the positive economic impact of STEM has found that STEM

careers are more lucrative, with STEM workers earning about 26% more than non-STEM

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workers. Not only do workers in STEM careers make more money, but careers in STEM

fields are also expected to continue to grow. According to figures presented by the U.S.

Congress Joint Economic Committee (2012), careers in STEM are projected to grow

17%, while 14% growth is projected for non-STEM careers. It is important to note that

the growth percentage for non-STEM careers includes jobs recovered after the economic

crisis, while the 17% growth projected for STEM careers is primarily due to new job

creation. In fact, figures cited by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee found

that during the recession, unemployment in STEM careers peaked at 5.5% in 2009 while

for non-STEM careers unemployment reached an all-time high of about 10% in 2010.

The push for STEM education has also come from a need to compete in an

increasingly global market and our current difficulty in measuring up to other countries in

terms of education. According to figures published in the article, “Why K-12 Science

Standards Matter-And Why the Time is Right to Develop Next Generation Science

Standards” the United Stated ranked 25th

in math and 17th

in science out of 65 countries

on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Furthermore, in the 2011

National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) science assessment which assesses

8th

grade students in the United States on what they know regarding science content

found that almost one third of the students tested scored below basic and only 32% of

students scored proficient or advanced (U.S. Department of Education, 2011). One of the

primary reasons for the development of the Next Generation Science Standards comes

from the desire to improve our scores on assessments, such as these and become more

globally competitive in terms of education.

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So what does this mean for our Hispanic ELL population? It means that they are

also struggling in learning science concepts. A breakdown of the scores finds that

Hispanic students rank only slightly above African-Americans, who were the lowest

performing group (NAEP, 2011). While there is no breakdown comparing how English

Language Learners did in comparison to native English speakers it is clear that Hispanic

students face a large achievement gap when it comes to science. This gap in achievement,

when it comes to science, manifests itself in the job market as well, especially in STEM

careers. Figures indicate that Hispanic populations make up only 6% percent of the

STEM workforce but 14% of the total U.S. workforce (U.S. Congress Joint Economic

Committee, 2012). The positive impact that having a STEM career will have on students

who are disadvantaged makes it important to focus on educating teachers to meet the

needs of Hispanic ELLs during science education.

Clearly there is a dire need for educators to receive training on how to effectively

implement STEM education and support the needs of Hispanic ELLs. One of the most

pressing concerns in implementing STEM instruction in our schools is funding. Only 1%

of the 1.1 trillion dollars that are spent on education by the U.S. each year go toward

STEM education (National Science and Technology Council, 2011). In 2011, only

$311.71 million dollars of the $1.1 trillion spent on education were allocated to

improving teacher effectiveness in STEM. This demonstrates that even though we have

recognized the importance of teaching students about STEM fields and want to boost the

number of Americans entering STEM careers, we have not been placing enough

emphasis on training teachers to be effective purveyors of STEM teaching or meeting the

needs of ELL populations. As a result it has become imperative that educators take up the

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mantle and through research and professional development provide our colleagues with

the empirical data they need to be successful implementers of STEM curriculum.

Strategies for Promoting Academic Language Acquisition

Vocabulary Instruction

There are many different types of vocabulary instruction strategies that educators

may implement when educating students within and outside of science. However all of

the strategies for teaching vocabulary fall into three categories: direct, indirect

(integrated), and incidental. According to File and Adams (2010), integrated vocabulary

instruction centers on teaching students the meaning of the word within the context in

which it is being taught. In direct instruction, students are taught the target vocabulary

words in isolation. Incidental vocabulary learning, on the other hand, places expectation

on the students learning relevant, scientific words and terminology as a result of simple

exposure to them. While the teacher does not formally instruct the vocabulary, student

engagement draws the need to identify and learn specific words as a way to acquire

knowledge about the science experience.

Delving further into vocabulary instruction, Shore, Ray, and Goolkasian (2013)

found that students have a more difficult time learning vocabulary terms in science when

the terms they are learning contain the same prefix. Researchers found that regardless of

the strategies they employed, students had a difficult time distinguishing between the

words antigen, antibody, and antibiotic because of the prefix that all three words share.

Despite the fact that this study focuses on middle school students and not ELL students

the general implication would be that educators need to be mindful when teaching

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vocabulary in science to assure that students are not being taught words with the same

prefix at the same time and unintentionally confusing students.

Vocabulary Instruction for ELLs

Many studies have been conducted in determining how to best teach ELL

populations within a language arts setting. In a study of ninety-six English-learning,

Chinese young adults, Hill and Laufer (2003) found that students who were asked to use

the target words in an activity showed higher rates of retention (defined as the students’

ability to remember the meaning of the word) than students who just read the assigned

article. Hill and Laufer took this result to mean that incidental learning only leads to

small gains in vocabulary knowledge over long stretches of time. Therefore, instruction

in vocabulary, regardless of the form of instruction, is better than none at all. In the same

study, researchers also noted that students’ use of a dictionary while completing the

reading assigned had some correlation with the increased ability of students to remember

the word. This implies that the greater the number of times students interact with a word

and its meaning, the more likely they are to remember it.

In much of the literature available regarding instruction of Latino(a)/Hispanic

populations, the importance of honoring the backgrounds and culture of students was

prevalent. When teaching Latino students, educators are told to take into account the

differences between the Hispanic community and the American view of life. One notable

example is given by Ivey (2011) in a qualitative study that looked at how to promote

Latino academic success in elementary school. As a result of her interviews with teachers

and administrators, Ivey notes that the Latino culture is community-centered, unlike

American culture which is centered on the individual. Ivey also notes that while Hispanic

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parents are less likely to become involved within the school, it is not for lack of caring,

but rather out of respect for the teacher. As a result, educators should be aware of the

need for Latino(a) parents to be invited into the classroom and schools in order to

increase parental presence on school campuses. The focus that is placed on the culture of

Latino students and its correlation to their academic success demonstrates a need for

research in how an educator may honor a student’s culture within a science setting.

Furthermore, the focus on culture of Hispanic students demonstrates the need for research

in specific teaching strategies that may benefit Hispanic ELL populations the most. In a

meta-analysis of research regarding ELLs and Science instruction, conducted from 1982-

2004, Lee (2005) found that there was still much to be learned about how to best teach

science to ELLs in a way that is culturally relevant to them and makes science accessible.

Some research has been done on the subject of teaching strategies that benefit

Spanish-speaking ELLs in particular. According to Krashen (as cited in Ivey, 2003),

because it is nearly impossible to know the extent of students’ knowledge of their first

language (L1), students should receive additional instruction in their native tongue in

order to facilitate learning a second language. The implications of Krashen’s research are

that in order to effectively teach ELLs, students must be taught using bilingual education,

a topic that is outside the scope of this research. In order to promote the use of cognates

in science instruction, to support students in their acquisition of science academic

vocabulary, the use of cognates is integrated into the science activity educators engaged

in.

In summary, while the Next Generation Science Standards call for a change in the

manner in which science is being taught, a growing emphasis on integrated instruction

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that merges various subjects together, calls for the shift in instruction. Furthermore, the

growing importance of STEM in the job market makes educating students in science of

critical importance for the sake of our economy and nation. As we begin preparing to

implement the new standards, it is important that as educators, we take the necessary

steps to accommodate the needs of our Hispanic ELL population, which includes being

cognizant of the manner of vocabulary instruction, the words we present to students, and

their culture. The next section discusses the methodology used for this project.

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Chapter 3: Methodology

This project sought out to address several objectives. First, it sought out to

address the lack of knowledge educators have regarding the Next Generation Science

Standards. Secondly, it sought to address the lack of science instruction in the elementary

classroom by exposing educators to a hands-on science activity that they could conduct

with their students. Finally and most importantly, this project sought to educate teachers

on strategies that they can easily integrate within their science instruction in order to

promote and improve the academic language acquisition of Hispanic English Language

Learners. This was done by integrating research-based strategies within the science

lesson that educators participated in, and then de-briefing the lesson in order to make

educators cognizant of the strategies used.

Setting

This project was implemented in an urban school setting within the Los Angeles

Unified School District. The PreK-6th

grade school enrolls 723 students. This urban

school serves the needs of students from primarily poor socioeconomic backgrounds,

with 93% of students classifying for free or reduced lunch. The school serves a

predominantly Hispanic population, with students who identify as Latino making up 93%

of the school’s population. The familial backgrounds of students that attend this school

vary widely. Some students come from recent immigrant families where the parents have

received very little formal education, while some students come from single family

homes and others from nuclear families where the parents are college educated. Thirty-

three percent of students are classified as English Language Learners. Due to the

statewide transition to the Smarter Balance Assessment, there is no current data on the

19

academic achievement of students at this school. The two years previous (2012-

2013/2011-2012), the school did not meet the 800 Annual Performance Index (API) score

goal for schools in California.

Participants

The participants in the professional development session were twenty-six,

kindergarten through sixth grade educators. Within the population of educators present,

there were three long term substitutes, one resource teacher and one student teacher. As

such, the range of experience in the classroom for the educators that participated in this

professional development session varied greatly, from zero years of teaching experience

to 53 years of experience in the classroom. The average number of years in the classroom

of the twenty-three educators who provided this information was 15 years of teaching

experience.

Of the twenty-six educators present, seventeen teach in classrooms where ELLs

make-up the majority of their classroom’s population, with the exception of one teacher

who only has one ELL student in their classroom. In total, the educators present serve the

needs of 581 students. Classrooms ranged in size from 9 to 34 students, with an average

classroom size of 23.24 students.

At the beginning of the professional development session, educators were asked

to fill out a survey. From that survey, I discovered that their knowledge of the Next

Generation Science Standards was minimal, with the majority of the participant educators

ranking their knowledge of the NGSS as non-existent. The survey also allowed me to

learn more about the science teaching practices of these educators. What I learned about

the population of educators I was working with was that although they all covered

20

science topics to some extent, the primary source of science content was through the

school’s adopted reading program. This was especially true in the lower grades (K-2). In

the upper grades, educators stated that they attempted to teach science at least once a

week, with the caveat that time often prevented them from getting to science instruction.

In fact, the majority of educators that participated in this study listed time as the

primary reason that they did not engage in science instruction. After the lack of time,

materials were the next big obstacle listed in engaging in science instruction within the

classroom.

Educators that participated in this professional development session were also

asked about strategies that they employ when teaching their ELL population in order to

gauge their knowledge of strategies that can be used to promote the academic language

acquisition of students. Many of the educators answered that they use visuals, realia,

gestures, think-pair-shares, vocabulary instruction, and sentence starters.

In summary, the population of educators that participated in this project engage

their students in some form of science instruction. In general, primary teachers taught

science content through reading; while upper grade teachers were more likely to use the

science materials the school has available (FOSS kits). The educators in this school also

engaged and integrated many strategies to support the academic language needs of ELLs.

However, the educators in this school had a very limited or non-existent knowledge of

the Next Generation Science Standards.

Project

The project was designed to improve educators’ knowledge of the Next

Generation Science Standards, promote science education in the classroom, and provide

21

teachers with research-based strategies and resources to improve the academic language

acquisition of Hispanic ELLs through science. The project took place over the course of

three weeks.

The first part of this project consisted of a professional development session

designed for K-6th

grade educators. The professional development took place during the

school’s banked time day and lasted approximately one hour. Before the session began,

the participant educators were given a pre-survey in order to create a baseline in regards

to educators’ prior knowledge of the Next Generation Science Standards and use of

strategies to support the academic language acquisition of ELLs. Aside from asking basic

background questions, which were discussed previously, the educator pre-survey

(APPENDIX A) asked the following:

How often do you teach science in the classroom? If you don’t teach science,

what obstacles prevent you from teaching science in the classroom?

How often do your students engage in science discourse (this includes

collaborative groups, class discussions, student presentations, science journals and

partner work)? What types of science discourse do your students engage in?

What strategies do you use to support students’ acquisition of academic language

in content areas other than Language Arts?

During the professional development session educators were given an overview of

the Next Generation Science Standards, and then engaged in the hands-on science

activity, “Straw Rockets,” a modified version of a NASA/JPL activity of the same name

(Aguilar, 2010). The activity was modified to engage educators in inquiry and to

incorporate research-based strategies to improve the academic language acquisition of

22

ELLs. After the lesson, the participant educators were engaged in a de-briefing of the

activity in which the strategies used to support the use and learning of academic language

for ELLs were made explicit. Finally, at the end of the professional development

educators in grades 3-5 (for which the lesson “Straw Rockets” was developed) were

asked to indicate if they would be willing to conduct the lesson with their students and

provide feedback within the week. The feedback survey educators (APPENDIX C) were

asked to complete included the following questions:

Did you find that lesson was successful in your classroom? If not, what

component(s) of the lesson made it difficult for students to complete the

objectives?

Did you need to make any modifications to better suit the needs of your students?

If so, what were they?

Did you feel that the lesson provided sufficient support for your ELL students? If

not, why?

Were students able to communicate their ideas and use the vocabulary

successfully?

After being given a week to implement the activity, teachers feedback was

collected and used to create a resource guide for educators to use when creating or

modifying science lessons to meet the needs of their ELL students. The resource guide

was then provided to teachers during the third week of this project.

Furthermore, a post-survey was also conducted a week after the professional

development session, in which all educators that attended the original professional

23

development session were asked to participate. The post survey (APPENDIX B) asked

educators:

After attending the professional development session, how would you rate your

knowledge of the Next Generation Science Standards? (On a scale from 1 to 5,

where 1 = no knowledge and 5 = expert.)

What knowledge did you gain after attending the professional development

session? Did you find the session useful?

What (if any) tools or strategies to support the needs of ELLs have you used in

your classroom that were shared during the professional development?

How would you rate yourself in regards to willingness to engage students in

science instruction that meets the needs of ELLs, after this professional

development session? (On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 = not willing and 5 = very

willing.)

If the opportunity for further professional development sessions on the Next

Generation Standards and how to support the needs of ELLs arose, what are some

topics you would like discussed?

This survey was used to measure what knowledge regarding the Next Generation

Science Standards and strategies to support the academic language of Hispanic ELLs was

acquired and whether the project’s objectives to educate teachers on the NGSS and

promote science instruction were met. Furthermore, despite being outside of the realm of

focus of this project’s objectives, educators were also asked to provide suggestions on

what aspect of the Next Generation Science Standards and supporting the use of

24

academic language by ELLs they would want to learn more about in order to attain data

regarding educators’ needs.

Resource Guide

In order to assist educators in the implementation of science activities that not

only met the requirements set forth by the NGSS, but also met the needs of their Hispanic

ELL populations, a resource guide was created based on the feedback educators that

implemented the science lesson “Straw Rockets” provided. The resource guide serves

three purposes. The first purpose of the resource guide is to increase educators’

knowledge of the NGSS. The second purpose is to provide educators with access to

science activities that they could engage in with their students. The final purpose of the

resource guide is to provide educators with resources they could use in order to adapt or

create lessons that meet the needs of their Hispanic ELL students by implementing the

research-based strategies presented during the professional development session.

The resource guide further served to support teachers in learning about the Next

Generation Science Standards. The professional development session served to expose

educators to the new science standards and teach them how they were different from the

old standards, as well as how to read the NGSS while creating lesson plans or adapting

pre-made curricula. In order to create a greater depth of knowledge within educators

regarding the standards, the resource guide was created to provide more in-depth

information by directing educators to sources where they could learn more about the

standards in their own time.

The resource guide was also designed to provide access to curriculum that already

exists and is aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. This portion of the

25

resource guide was created for two reasons. First, it is not only important that educators

know about the standards; it is also important to know where to look when trying to find

lesson plans or activities that cover a particular standard or set of standards. Secondly, in

order to meet the project goals of encouraging educators to engage their students in

hands-on science activities, it is beneficial to provide them with a library of lesson plans

and activities at their disposal. This was especially important for the group of educators

this professional development activity served, as time constraints were the biggest reason

educators did not engage in science instruction. Therefore, not providing educators with

this tool would make teachers less likely to engage their students in science instruction.

Finally, this educator guide was created in order to provide educators with easy

access to tools that they can use to better adapt their science lessons to meet the needs of

Hispanic ELL students based on the research based practices that were covered during

the professional development activity. Through these resources, educators will easily be

able to find simple definitions of academic science vocabulary and cognates to better

meet the needs of their Hispanic ELLs and allow them access to the academic language.

The goals of creating this educator guide, which provides educators to resources

on the Next Generation Science Standards, science lesson plans and activities, and tools

to make content accessible to Hispanic ELLs, are to further support the goals of this

project. It is through the creation of this resource guide, that the author aims to educate

teachers about the NGSS, encourage educators to engage in more hands-on science

activities, and have educators use research-based practices to improve the academic

language development of their Hispanic ELL students.

26

The next chapter of this project further elaborates on the professional

development activity educators engaged in, as well as the hands-on activity educators in

grade 3-5 were asked to implement and the educator guide.

27

Chapter 4: Project and Resource Guide

The following project consists of the professional development session, hands-on

science activity, and resource guide that were created in order to meet this project’s stated

objectives of informing educators about the Next Generation Science Standards,

promoting science instruction in the elementary classroom, and educating teachers on

research-based strategies they can use during science lessons to promote and improve the

academic language acquisition of their Hispanic ELL students.

As stated in the previous section, this sixty-minute professional development

session was created for kindergarten through sixth grade educators, and walked teachers

through the Next Generation Science Standards. Throughout the presentation, educators

learned about how and why the NGSS were developed, how the Next Generation Science

Standards are different from the current science standards used in the state of California,

the different components of the NGSS, and how to interpret the standards. During this

presentation educators were also engaged in a hands-on activity which integrated

effective research-based strategies to support the academic language acquisition of

Hispanic ELLs that were described during the literature review. The strategies used in the

presentation and lesson given to educators include:

Direct instruction of the vocabulary

Not simultaneously introducing words with the same prefix

Cognates and Cognate Wall

Multiple opportunities to use the language taught.

The sixty-minute hands-on science lesson that participating educators in grade

three-six were then given a copy of to use in their classrooms and provide feedback on

28

also employed the same strategies. Furthermore, the lesson plan developed for educator

use employs the 5E model of instruction. The lesson consists of an engage, explore,

explain, elaborate, and evaluate. The lesson plan covers the grades 3-5 Engineering

Design band of the Next Generation Science Standards.

Finally, this project contains the educator guide that was developed based on

educator feedback from conducting the “Straw Rockets” lesson plan, as well as the post-

survey. The resource guide contains links, brief descriptions and guiding questions for

various websites that educators can use to learn more about the Next Generation Science

Standards. The resource guide also contains links, brief description, and tips for tools that

educators can use when creating or modifying a lesson to promote the academic language

acquisition of Hispanic ELLs.

Professional Development Presentation

On the following pages, I will outline the professional development presentation

that was given to K-6th

grade educators in an urban, public school setting. This

presentation complied to the objectives of this project by educating teachers on the Next

Generation Science Standards. It also encouraged educators to engage in hands-on

science activities in their classroom through the completion of the “Straw Rockets”

activity. Finally, through a de-construction activity at the end of the presentation,

educators were made aware of the research based strategies they took part in that they

could implement within their own classroom. Attached below are the slides shown during

the professional development activities. On slides 1-4, I set the objective of the

professional development session, as well as get educators to begin thinking about the

strategies that can be used to support the language needs of English Language Learners.

29

Slide 1

Victoria Garcia

NGSS AND ENGLISH

LANGUAGE LEARNERS:

USING SCIENCE TO

SUPPORT ACADEMIC

LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IN

HISPANIC ELL

POPULATIONS

30

Slide 2

Please fill out the survey.

While we wait, please brainstorm a list

of teaching practices you use to support

ELL students.

WELCOME

31

Slide 3

DISCUSSION: WHAT STRATEGIES DO YOU

USE TO SUPPORT YOUR ELLS?

32

Slide 4

Goal: Educators will leave the profession development with a

better understanding of the Next Generation Science

Standards, as well as, strategies they can employ to support

the development of academic language in ELL students.

Overview of the Next Generation Science Standards

Activity

Deconstructing the lesson

Reflection

AGENDA FOR PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT SESSION

33

In slides 5-8, we began to meet the objectives of this project. In this set of slides,

educators learned about the Next Generation Science Standards. Educators were walked

through a brief background of the standards, how they compare to the current science

standards, the three components of the standards, and how to read the NGSS.

Slide 5

Next Generation Science Standards

Developed through the Achieve organization along with 26

lead states.

Based on the Framework for K-12 Science Education by the

National Research Council.

Released April 2013

Adopted by 13 states and the District of Colombia

Implementation slated to begin the 2017-2018 school year.

ABOUT THE NGSS

34

Slide 6

Performance based rather than knowledge based.

Engineering

Interdisciplinary

Designed for real- l ife context

Problem solving and crit ical thinking for college and career

readiness.

OLD STANDARDS VS. NGSS

35

Slide 7

NGSS has three components

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Life science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, Engineering,

Technology and Application of Science

Science and Engineering Practices

Asking questions and defining problems, Developing and using models,

Planning and carrying out investigations, Analyzing and interpreting data

Crosscutting Concepts

Patterns , Cause and ef fect, Scale, Proportion and Quantity, System and

System Models, Energy and Matter, Structure and Function, Stability and

Change

HOW TO READ THE NGSS

36

Slide 8

HOW TO READ THE NGSS

Science and

engineering

practices

Crosscutting

concepts

Connection to

CCSS

Science

Content

Assessment

37

In slides 9-17, educators were then transitioned into applying the Next Generation

Science Standards through a hands-on science activity. This set of slides shows how

educators were walked through the initial stages of the activity and how educators could

present the activity to students. Through this activity, the second and third set of project

objectives were met through having educators engage in a hands-on science activity that

implemented the Next Generation Science Standards and incorporated research-based

strategies that support ELLs acquisition of academic language. In the following slides,

educators are shown how they can access the prior knowledge of students, make

connections to reading, and introduce academic vocabulary that uses Spanish cognates

when available.

38

Slide 9

What do you know about rockets?

I know rockets are…

I know that rockets…

One thing I know about rockets is…

ACTIVITY

39

Slide 10

Tall, thin, round vehicles powered by rocket engines.

NASA and other space agencies use rockets to launch

satellites, astronauts, and rovers to dif ferent locations in

space.

Informational reading connection “What is a Rocket?”

Today we will design rockets that can go a long distance.

K-2: Explore how the amount of force used to launch affects distance.

3-5: What variables increase the distance a rocket flies.

WHAT ARE ROCKETS?

40

Slide 11

RocketTall, thin, round

vehicles powered by

rocket engines.

The Saturn V rocket is

the heaviest and

largest rocket ever

used.

VOCABULARY

41

Slide 12

FinA thin piece of metal

attached to the bottom

of a rocket that help a

rocket fly straight.

I wonder how the

shape and size of a

rocket’s fins affect the

flight of the rocket.

VOCABULARY

42

Slide 13

Nose

ConeThe top or tip of a

rocket.

Nose cones can be

many different shapes

and sizes.

VOCABULARY

43

Slide 14

Distance

The space between

two objects or points.

The length something

travels.Distancia

VOCABULARY

44

Slide 15

AngleThe amount of turning

between two lines

meeting at the same

point.ángulo

VOCABULARY

45

Slide 16

Data A collection of facts

(numbers, words,

measurements,

observations or

descriptions of things)

Dato(s)

VOCABULARY

46

Slide 17

Record To write down or keep

track.

Ms. Garcia records the

number of times

students follow

directions.

VOCABULARY

47

Slides 18-23, introduce the hands-on portion that educators would engage their

students with after they have introduced the academic language. The slides walk

educators through creating the rockets and modifying the rockets. The following slides

also model how educators may want to create collaborative teams. Finally, outlined

through this set of slides, the presentation engaged educators in a discussion regarding

their findings and created a word wall for the lesson. Educators could in turn follow this

model within their classroom.

Slide 18

Cut out the pieces.

Roll the long rectangle around a pen or pencil, Not too hard!

Tape the cylinder.

Attach the fins to the rocket’s body. Fold the fins so they are

at 90˚ angle.

Slide the rocket off the pen/pencil.

Fold about 2mm down and tape to form the nose cone.

Place rocket on the straw.

To launch blow on the straw.

CREATING THE ROCKETS

48

Slide 19

Red dot-Speaker

Green dot-Recorder

Yellow dot-Materials Manager

Purple dot-Measurement Person

Brown dot-Task Manager

Blue dot- Conflict Manger/Cheerleader

JOBS

49

Slide 20

Before we can experiment on a way to make our rocket fly a

longer distance we need to find out how well our rockets fly.

This is called setting the control.

With your rockets set at 45˚ launch your rocket five (5) times

and record your data.

SETTING THE CONTROL

50

Slide 21

What can we change to make our rockets fly a longer

distance?

One thing we can change is…

Another thing we can change is…

Something else we can change is…

I would like to add to _________ idea by _________________.

As a group decide one thing you can change, and write the

question you will seek to answer with your group.

How does changing _________________ affect the distance the rocket

travels?

Once everyone in your group has their idea written down begin

to experiment.

Record your data.

Answer the questions.

DISCUSSION

51

Slide 22

What were your team’s findings?

We changed________________. We found that________________. We

would/wouldn’t recommend you make this change because _______.

Based on the class’ f indings draw the ideal rocket. Label the

parts.

CLASS DISCUSSION

52

Slide 23

Create a word tile for the science word wall.

Work as a group

Include:

Word

Definition in your own words

A picture/artifact to show the definition of the word

Present your word tile as a class

WORD WALL

53

Slides 24-25 provided educators with an opportunity to deconstruct the lesson that

they had just participated in. Through the deconstruction and reflection activity,

educators gained an understanding of how they could easily integrate research-based

strategies to improve Hispanic ELLs access to academic language.

Slide 24

Direct instruction of the vocabulary

No words introduced with the same prefix

Cognates

Cognate Wall

Interactive Word Wall

Multiple opportunities to use the language taught.

DE-CONSTRUCTING THE LESSON

54

Slide 25

Take a minute to reflect on today’s activity and presentation.

What is one thing you learned during today’s PD? Is there anything

you can use in your classroom?

If you would like to do this activity with your students indicate

it on the bottom of the survey.

Turn in reflection and survey.

REFLECTION

55

Lesson Plan

Following the professional development activity, educators in grades 3-6 were

asked if they would like to implement the lesson that they had just conducted within their

classrooms and provide feedback, that would be used to create an educator guide. This

was done for several reasons. First, through giving educators access to this activity, the

project goal to encourage teachers to engage their students in hand-on science was met.

Secondly, through the feedback that educators provided, I was better able to understand

the needs of educators as they moved forward with the Next Generation Science

Standards and address those needs in the educator guide created. Finally, providing

educators access to this activity to implement with their students gave educators hands on

experience implementing strategies to support the academic language acquisition of their

Hispanic ELL populations.

The “Straw Rockets” lesson plan lists the grade level this activity is appropriate

for, as well as the time duration of the activity, academic vocabulary used, and the NGSS

standards it covers. The lesson plan follows the 5E model of instruction. The 5E model of

instruction includes, engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate.

Students are engaged in the activity through a quick demonstration, accessing

their prior knowledge on rockets, and direct instruction of the academic vocabulary of the

activity (Appendix D). Cognates were used in this activity when available. Students were

then given the opportunity to explore through the creation of their straw rockets, initial

launch, and modification of the rockets (Appendix E and F). Next, students were able to

explain their findings to the class with their group. Finally, students were given the

opportunity to elaborate and synthesize the knowledge they gained from the other groups

56

presentations by designing the ideal rocket. Finally, students were evaluated based on the

rubric, which looked at components such as students’ project design, their discussion of

their results, and their ability to synthesize other groups’ data in the design of the ideal

rocket (Appendix G).

57

Straw Rockets Grade 3-5

Time 60 minutes

Science

Vocabulary

Rocket, Fin, Nose Cone

Academic

Vocabulary

Distance, angle, data, record

Cognates Distance-Distancia, Angle-Ángulo, Data-Datos

NGSS 3-5 Engineering Design

3-5-ETS1-1: Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a

want that includes specified criteria for success and

constraints on materials, time, or cost.

3-5-ETS1-2: Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a

problem based on how well each is likely to meet the

criteria and constraints of the problem.

3-5-ETS1-3: Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are

controlled and failure points are considered to identify

aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

Student

Objectives Develop a question to investigate.

Identify limits on materials or time.

Conduct an experiment in which students choose one variable in order to identify what part of the rocket can be improved.

Language

Objectives Students discuss ideas with a partner, in a small group, and in a

class discussion.

Students can explain the reasoning behind their ideal rocket design.

Materials Completed rocket

Bendy straws (1 per student)

Scissors

Tape

Pens/Pencils (1 per student)

Construction paper

Notecards

Measuring Devices

Older students: Protractor, string and small weight (washer, penny,

two paperclips)

Straw Rocket Template (See Attached)

Vocabulary Cards (See Attached)

Student Worksheet (See attached)

Rubric (See attached)

58

Part of the Lesson

Teacher

Engage Tell students, This is called a straw rocket.

Ask, How can we make this (show completed rocket, launch for

dramatic effect) go the farthest distance possible?

Think-Pair-Share: Have you ever heard about rockets? What do you know about rockets?

o I know rockets are_________.

o I know that rockets___________.

o One thing I know about rockets is___________.

State the objective: NASA uses rockets to launch supplies, people and satellites or rovers into space. Today we will be creating our

own rockets and conducting an experiment to see how we can make

our rockets go the farthest distance.

Go over the vocabulary words. o Have students say the word.

o Read the definition.

o Look at the picture.

o Read the sentence or cognate

Explore Hand out the Straw Rocket Template.

Walk through the steps of creating a rocket with students. (Tips: Do

not give students the straws until after they are done building the

rockets and after the class rules have been established.)

o Cut out the pieces.

o Roll the long rectangle around a pen or pencil. Not too hard!

o Tape the cylinder. Don’t tape the cylinder to the pencil. o Attach the fins to the rocket’s body. Make a fin sandwich with

the cylinder in the middle. Fold the fins so they are at 90˚ angle.

o Slide the rocket off the pen/pencil.

o Pinch the top of the rocket and fold down. Tape to form the

nose cone.

o Place rocket on the straw.

o To launch blow on the straw.

Form student groups, possible jobs:

o Speaker: Presents the data found by the group.

o Recorder: Writes down any data collected by the group.

o Materials Manager: Collects/Cleans up all materials.

o Measurement Manager: Does all of the measuring, is in charge

of measuring device.

o Task Manager: Keeps group on task, makes sure everyone has

written down any data collected.

o Conflict Manager/Cheerleader: Solves any group disputes and

cheers classmates on.

Tell students, Today we will be changing something about our rockets in order to see if we can make the go a longer distance BUT

before we can do that we need to find out how well our rockets fly

59

originally.

Ask students, What are some things we can do to make sure we can

compare one flight to the next? Should we keep things the same?

Should I blow really hard one time and really soft the next?

Tell students, With your teams you are going to launch the rocket 5 times, record the distance the rocket travels, and answer the

questions after the table on your student worksheet.

Older students can also calculate the average.

Hand out rocket engines and allow students to launch rockets and

measure distance.

Monitor students, ask questions: o Is the rocket flying the same distance every time? Why yes or

no?

o What parts of the rocket can we change to make it fly a longer

distance?

o What can we change about how we launch the rocket to make it

fly a longer distance?

Reconvene the class o Ask students about their experience and challenges that may

have arisen.

Think-Pair-Share: Now that we know how well our rockets fly, let’s

think of what are some things we can change in our rockets that

might make them go farther? What are limits on what we can

change?

o One thing we can change is__________.

o We can’t change _______________ because______________.

During the class discussion write down things that students can

change.

Ask students, Why would you only want to change one thing and keep everything else the same? Why might a scientist or engineer

choose to change only one thing?

Tell students, Now as a group decide what you will change what is going to be the question you want to answer as scientist.

o How does changing _________________ affect the distance?

Tell students, Now that you have decided what to change and have

stated your question, you are going to make the change to your

rocket and launch it five times, recording the data. Remember you

have to make the same change each time (shorter and shorter or

steeper and steeper angle) and you get up to six tests.

Give students time to test.

Monitor students, ask questions: o What did your group change?

o Is it going farther than before? How do you know?

o Would you recommend other students make this change?

o Students write down their findings and answer the student

worksheet questions as a group.

60

Explain After students have conducted their test, have the class reconvene.

Have student groups share their results: o We changed ___________________

o We found that _________________

o We would recommend __________

Have groups write down, on the board or poster paper, what change they made to make the rocket fly the furthest. If their change did not

yield positive results have them write down what they should not

change.

Elaborate Based on student results, have students draw the ideal rocket on the back of the student worksheet. Have students label parts and write an

explanation on why they would make the changes they did.

Have student groups create word tiles for one of the vocabulary words and share the tile with the class (post on word wall).

The word tile should include:

o The word

o The definition in the students’ own words

o A picture/artifact to show the definition of the word

Evaluate Collect worksheets

Use the rubric to access students’ ability to meet the standards.

61

Educator Resource Guide

The following is a resource guide created for educators. This resource guide was

created in response to educator feedback on the “Straw Rockets” lesson plan, as well as

educator feedback on the professional development session. The feedback provided by

educators demonstrated a need for further professional development regarding the Next

Generation Science Standards and creating lesson plans and science units that not only

met the NGSS, but also supported the needs of ELLs.

In addition to meeting educator needs as they continue to build their knowledge

regarding the NGSS and supporting the needs of ELLs in science, this educator guide

was also created with the project goals in mind. This resource guide was developed to

increase educator knowledge on the Next Generation Science Standards by providing

them with resources they could use as professional development, either in a group setting

or on their own. The educator guide was also designed to encourage educators to engage

in more science activities within their classroom by providing them with many online

resources that they can access to find lessons and activities. Finally, this educator guide

was designed to assist educators in creating science lessons that meet the needs of

Hispanic English Language Learners academic language development by providing them

with online tools that they can use to implement strategies like direct instruction of

vocabulary and cognates.

This guide consists of several online resources that are broken down into three

parts: professional development, lessons/activities, and tools for the support of academic

language of Hispanic ELLs. This resource guide is organized according to the category

the resource falls in. The name of the resource and how to access it are included; next, a

62

description of the resource is included, as well as a description of how to use the

resource. Finally, for professional development resources, discussion questions are listed

in order to aid educator thinking about the articles read and videos watched. Tips for use

are also included for non-professional development resources in order to aid in ease of

use.

In formatting the resource guide in this manner, educators will quickly be able to

identify the use of the resource and read the brief description in order to determine if it is

a tool that will be useful for them. In doing so, educators will be able to quickly access

the materials they need to fulfill their needs in their growing development of the Next

Generation Science Standards and integrating strategies that allow Hispanic ELLs to

develop academic language.

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Educator Resource Guide

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Resource: What are the Next Generation Science Standards? (Videos)

Where to find it? https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/next-generation-science-

standards-achieve

Description:

Learn more about the Next Generation Science Standards through watching videos on the

vision behind the NGSS. Also learn more about the three components of the standards

through videos on the crosscutting concepts, science and engineering practices, and

disciplinary core ideas. These videos are brought to you by the Teaching Channel, which

aims to build a community where educators can watch and share videos to improve

teaching practices and student learning.

How to use the resource:

Use this set of videos to build knowledge regarding the Next Generation Science

Standards. These videos can be used to build individual knowledge of the standards or

with a group of teachers in a professional development setting. The attached questions

can be used as a resource for self-reflection, thy can also be used in a group setting to

guide discussions regarding the standards.

Questions:

Video: “NGSS: A Vision for K-12 Science Education”

1. What are the three dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards?

2. How can you see educators engage in crosscutting concepts, science and

engineering practices, and disciplinary core ideas, in the video, “NGSS: A Vision

for K-12 Science Education?”

3. Why is it important that students engage in hands-on science activities?

Video: “NGSS: Disciplinary Core Ideas”

4. What are the disciplinary core ideas and how are they used in the standards?

5. How do the disciplinary core ideas build on each other?

6. How can you see the example of a science lesson given in the video, “NGSS:

Disciplinary Core Ideas” being applied (or influencing instruction) within your

classroom?

Video: “NGSS: Science and Engineering Practices”

7. What are possible effects of having students engage in hands-on science

activities?

8. What are the science and engineering practices? How are they used in the science

classroom?

9. Why is it important for students to engage in the science and engineering

practices?

Video: “NGSS: Crosscutting Concepts”

10. What are the crosscutting concepts? How are these concepts used in the science

classroom?

11. How can students engage in these crosscutting concepts in the classroom?

12. What role does questioning take in developing students understanding of the

activity they are engaging in?

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Resource: NGSS@NSTA

Where to find it? http://ngss.nsta.org/

Description:

This website from the National Science Teachers Association provides an extensive

amount of information about the Next Generation Standards. Using this website,

educators can learn what the standards are, download the standards and see the

progression of each discipline from K-12, gain assistance in planning and developing

science unit/lessons, and engage in professional development activities such as virtual

conferences, and web seminars.

How to use the resource:

Individuals and groups of educators can use this website to learn more about the

standards. One tool in particular that educators will want to look at, are the progressions

of the three dimensions of the NGSS from K-12 grade that are available on this website.

Using this resource can give educators a better idea of how the crosscutting concepts,

science and engineering practices, and disciplinary core ideas build upon each other.

Educators will also want to look at the professional learning section of the website to gain

access to information on the standards in a much more organized manner. The

professional learning section of this website offers three pods to build educator

understanding, these are: Understanding the Next Generation Science Standards, What do

the NGSS Look Like in Practice?, and Helping Others Implement the NGSS. Educators

can use the questions in the questions section to guide their own learning or to help guide

a discussion with educators regarding the standards.

Questions:

1. What are the NGSS?

2. How are the NGSS organized?

3. How are the Next Generation Science Standards different from the standards

currently in place in our state/country?

4. How do the three dimensions build on each other from grade level to grade level?

5. What are the NGSS for your grade level? The grade above? The grade below?

How do the build on one another?

6. What steps can you undertake as an educator to create science lessons that are

aligned to the NGSS?

7. What is the 5E Model?

8. How can you work with your grade level or school to integrate the NGSS?

9. What professional development activities are available to you as an educator to

learn more about the standards and how to apply them in your classroom?

10. What are tools you can access as you build your understanding of the Next

Generation Science Standards?

65

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Resource: Next Generation Science Standards

Where to find it? http://www.nextgenscience.org/

Description:

In the Next Generation Science Standards website, educators will find a plethora of

information about the NGSS. Educators can view the standards organized by disciplinary

core idea or topic. Through this website, educators can download a copy of the standards

either arranged by the disciplinary core ideas or the science topics covered. The version

of the NGSS that is grouped according to science topic may be the most helpful for

educators or grade levels as they plan science units. Furthermore, educators can conduct

searches within the standards for their grade level, disciplinary core idea, crosscutting

concepts or science and engineering practices. This website also contains resources

regarding the implementation of the standards and organizations that support the adoption

of the NGSS. Finally, educators can review more information regarding the development

of the standards.

How to use the resource:

Individuals and groups of educators will want to use this resource in order to view the

standards and conduct in-depth studies of the standards. Educators and groups of teachers

will also want to use these standards as they begin implementation to create science

lessons that meet the requirements set forth by the NGSS. Furthermore, educators and

groups of educators can read through the development process of the standards and the

reasoning of the standards to build a greater understanding of what the NGSS are and

why we are using them. Finally, educators will use the questions provided to guide their

individual study of the standards or to guide discussion in a professional development

setting.

Questions: 1. Look at the standards, how are they different from the ones previously taught?

2. What science topics are addressed in your grade level?

3. Look at the disciplinary core ideas for your grade level, what content knowledge

should students leave your classroom with?

4. How do the disciplinary core ideas in your grade level build upon the year before?

5. How are the disciplinary core ideas in your grade level built upon in the next grade

level?

6. Look at the science and engineering practices for your grade band, what should

students leave your classroom being able to do?

7. Look at the crosscutting practices for your grade level, what should students leave

your classroom being able to do?

8. How are the crosscutting practices, science and engineering practices, and

disciplinary core ideas interconnected?

9. Look at the standards in your grade level; what should students be able to do at the

end of the year?

10. How do the standards for your grade level build upon the year before?

11. How are the standards in your grade level built upon in the next grade level?

12. Why is it useful to have the aligned Common Core English Language Arts and

Mathematics standards listed within each grouped set of standards?

13. How do the Next Generation Science Standards encourage educators to teach across

curriculums, instead of in silos?

66

LESSONS/ACTIVITIES

Resource: NASA Teacher Resources

Where to find it? http://www.nasa.gov/education/materials/

Description:

Did you know that every mission NASA embarks upon dedicates a portion of their

budget to education and creating educational resources for educators? Using this

database, you can find a multitude of materials to use in your classroom. From videos to

educator guides, if it has been created by NASA for use in the classroom you can find it

here.

How to use the resource:

Educators and grade levels can use this web resource in order to find hands on science

activities that they can use in their classroom. Using the search function, educators can

find materials according to grade levels. They can also view materials according to type

such as bookmark, posters games, video clips, and educator guides. Finally, they can

view the materials in this archive by subject. Educators can then take these NASA

created resources and use them as the basis for science activities in their classrooms that

use the Next Generation Science Standards and support the academic language needs of

their Hispanic ELL populations.

Tips for use:

Selecting a grade band will greatly reduce the number of items listed in your search. However, you must select potential activities and note the grade levels that

individual activity is suggested for. Simply because the activity appears in the K-4

grade band does not mean every activity will be appropriate for students in K-4

grades.

Bookmark or save potential classroom activities to websites, such as Pinterest, in order to make finding the activity again easier.

Read through potential activities to make sure it is appropriate for students in your

grade level, supplies needed, and to take note for features, like academic

vocabulary, that students will need to be taught.

67

LESSONS/ACTIVITIES

Resource: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Teacher Resources

Where to find it? http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/index.cfm?page=115

Description:

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is another great resource for finding data and educator

resources to use with your students. Through exploring their educator resources, you’ll

find access to professional development opportunities which show you how to bring

NASA data into your classroom, as well as fun activities and videos for students.

How to use the resource:

Educators and grade levels can use this web resource in order to find activities, games

and videos that they can use in their implementation of the Next Generation Science

Standards. Educators can also participate in educator workshops hosted by the JPL

Educator Center or contact their offices for more information on materials available for

teaching a topic or grade level. Educators can then use this resource by taking the

activities or videos they find and building science lessons around them. Educators can

also gain access to JPL’s Digital Learning Network and have a video conferenced lesson

taught in their classroom by an education specialist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Tips for use:

While the lessons and activities section of the JPL Education website has many fun and engaging activities, it is not an exhaustive list of the resources they have

available, getting in contact with an education specialist will give you access to all

the educator resources they have available.

If you would like to participate in one of the many workshops hosted by JPL, check their website often as new opportunities appear frequently and are quickly

filled.

While the Digital Learning Network works best through video conferencing, they

have many other live-video streaming tools that you can use to have them teach a

lesson in your classroom.

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LESSONS/ACTIVITIES

Resource: NASA Space Math

Where to find it? http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Description:

Perfect for integrating science and mathematics, NASA Space Math creates perfect

problem solving opportunities for students, while using space and NASA missions as its

context. While this website is ideally suited for grades 3-12, there are several activities

for younger grades.

How to use the resource:

Educators and grade levels can use this web resource to create lessons that not only

integrate the Next Generation Science Standards, but also incorporate mathematics.

Educators can use these activities to supplement science lessons by showing the

connections between science topics and mathematics. They can also use these activities

as the foundation for their science lessons. The activities are searchable by grade levels,

science topic, the Next Generation Science Standards, and Common Core State

Standards-Mathematics.

Tips for use:

Searching by grade level is the easiest way to reduce the number of results in the archives.

It is a good idea to read through the activity and identify what portions are appropriate for your students. This is especially true for younger grades.

LESSONS/ACTIVITIES

Resource: NGSS Lessons

Where to find it? http://concord.org/ngss/

Description:

Choose your Science and Engineering Practice, pick your Disciplinary Core Idea, and

select the Crosscutting Concept you would like to employ and voila, Concord.Org will

present you with multiple Java-based applets that will give students the opportunity to

explore, discover, and think critically while learning science content. The activities from

this website require the use of Java, as well as the ability to download the activities onto

the computer.

How to use the resource:

Educators and grade level teams will want to use this resource in order to integrate

technology use with science. Educators will also want to use this guide in order to

support science instruction in the classroom. Finally, educators can use these resources to

engage students in hands-on science activities without the use of physical materials.

Educators can easily find an applet that will apply to what they are teaching by selecting

a cross-cutting concepts, disciplinary core idea, and science and engineering practice.

Tips for use:

Make sure that you can run Java-based applets on your school’s computers.

Try the activity for yourself before having students engage in any of the activities.

Solidify students’ conceptual knowledge by having the classroom engage in

science discourse to share their discoveries.

69

LESSONS/ACTIVITIES

Resource: Engineering Design Challenges

Where to find it? http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/ngss-eng/?topic_id=892

Description:

Are you wondering how you can introduce engineering to your students? PBS, and its

catalogue of educational television, along with the Engineering is Elementary have

teamed up to create a series of engineering videos and challenges you can engage your

students in while teaching them the process that real life engineers go through when

creating their own tools/products.

How to use the resource:

Educators and grade level teams can use this web resource to find videos that teach

students about the engineering design process. Educators and grade levels can also use

this resource in order to create science units that have students engage in engineering.

The videos can be used to show students the engineering process or to set the problem for

an engineering question educators want students to explore.

Tips for use:

All of the videos and activities have a link at the bottom with support materials. These can include the standards covered and directions on how to use the videos

in the classroom.

Videos may show the solution to the engineering problem. If you wish for students to solve the problem on their own you can just show them a small

segment so that they can come up with their own ideas.

If you want to provide an example for a possible solution students might modify,

you can have them view the entire video.

You can also show students the entire video for the design challenges in order to discuss the engineering design process.

TOOLS FOR THE SUPPORT OF ACADEMIC LANGUAGE OF HISPANIC ELLs

Resource: Spanish Cognates

Where to find it? http://spanishcognates.org

Description:

Find Spanish cognates for subject matter vocabulary using this website. Simply type in

the word in English into the search bar and a cognate (if available) will appear.

How to use the resource:

Educators can use this web resource in order to support the academic language needs of

their Hispanic ELL populations. Their needs can be met by introducing the vocabulary

through direct instruction and providing Spanish cognates when available. This web

resource allows teachers easy access to cognates in the field of science that they can pre-

teach their students.

Tips for use:

When dealing with English words that have multiple meanings double check

cognates through the use of a translator or native Spanish speaker as the words in

Spanish might not share the same multiple meanings.

70

TOOLS FOR THE SUPPORT OF ACADEMIC LANGUAGE OF HISPANIC ELLs

Resource: Kid-friendly definitions

Where to find it? http://kids.britannica.com/

Description:

Find kid-friendly definitions, diagrams and animations that will bring academic

vocabulary to life for your students.

How to use the resource:

Educators can use this resource when using direct or indirect vocabulary instruction of

academic language or vocabulary in science in order to support the needs of Hispanic

ELLs by providing them with simpler definitions by using language they can understand.

Tips for use:

Depending on grade and ELL level you may want to switch from the Student Encyclopedia to the Children’s Encyclopedia in the search feature.

TOOLS FOR THE SUPPORT OF ACADEMIC LANGUAGE OF HISPANIC ELLs

Resource: Kid-friendly definitions

Where to find it? http://www.pbs.org/parents/sid/everyday-science-tools/glossary-

speaking-science/

Description:

This web resource from PBS and Jim Henson’s Sid the Science Kid provides a list of

academic vocabulary and science vocabulary terms that are easy for children, parents,

and educators to understand.

How to use the resource:

Educators can use this resource when teaching Hispanic ELLs academic vocabulary in

science, either through direct or indirect instruction, in order to support their acquisition

on academic language. This list, while not exhaustive, provides simple definitions to

various scientific terms and academic language used in science.

Tips for use:

There is no search function for this guide but the words are arranged in alphabetical order.

71

Chapter 5: Discussion and Implications

Through the use of a professional development session and the creation of a

resource guide, this project sought out to address the lack of science instruction in the

elementary classroom, educate teachers on the Next Generation Content Standards, and

teach educators about research-based strategies that they can integrate into their science

instruction to support the academic language acquisition of Hispanic ELL students.

Whether or not the outcomes of this project were met was measured through the use of

pre and post surveys, as well as educator feedback on the “Straw Rockets” lesson.

By administering the pre-survey, I learned many things about the current state of

science education in our average, urban, elementary classroom. I learned that, as many

studies suggest, science education is bumped out of the classroom curriculum due to time

conflicts and lack of resources. I also learned that science is primarily taught through

literature in the lower grades and taught more explicitly in the upper grades. I also found

that the majority of teachers in my school already implement some type of support for

ELL students. These supports included visuals, sentence frames, think-pair-share, and

vocabulary instruction.

As a result of the professional development, many teachers seemed to have a

renewed excitement about science and many stopped me in the hallways to comment on

how fun and engaging the lesson had been. This led to a discussion with several primary

teachers on how the lesson could be adapted for use in the lower grades. While these

conversations do not provide hard evidence that educators within the school will begin to

implement more science curriculum, it does indicate that educators are willing to

integrate more science into their classroom. Thereby, this informal finding demonstrates

72

that the objective to make educators excited and willing to engage in more science

instruction in their classroom was at least partially met.

Educator feedback on the “Straw Rockets” lesson mirrored the response I

received from educators informally in their positivity. Teachers were excited to see their

students engaging in conversations about science and working together to achieve a

common goal. In regards to integrating strategies to support the acquisition of academic

language by ELLs, the educators that participated and submitted their feedback forms felt

that their students were able to use the language appropriately and that they understood

what they were looking for and what they needed to be doing.

The results of the post educator survey indicated that while none of the educators

that attended the professional development session felt like experts after the session, they

did feel more knowledgeable about the Next Generation Science Standards than before.

When asked to name a piece of information that they took away from the presentation,

many responded that they now knew that unlike the previous California Science

Standards the NGSS calls for and supports integrated instruction.

In regards to the ELL component of this project, when asked what strategies

educators have now used in their classroom as a result of this professional development

the overwhelming response was a renewed emphasis on vocabulary instruction. While

none of the educators began to use all of the strategies presented, this shows progress in

supporting the academic language needs of our Hispanic ELL population.

Educator responses to what aspect of the standards educators would like to learn

more about should the opportunity arise for more professional development indicated that

educators wanted to delve deeper into the standards and see how the concepts progressed

73

from grade level to grade level. Educators also wanted to receive future support on

creating lessons and units that align to the Next Generation Science Standards and

support the needs of all their students.

The implication of this project is clear. While engaging in a one-time professional

development session and conducting a hands-on science experiment with students may

renew educator excitement and willingness to integrate science into their classroom

instruction, it is not enough to assure that educators will be ready or have the tools

necessary to implement a new set of standards. Furthermore, it does not assure that

educators will be able to fully support the needs of their ELL populations. While this

project has been successful in meeting its objectives, it is clear that in order to continue

this progress, educators must continue to learn and discuss the Next Generation Science

Standards and how to support the academic language needs in science of our Hispanic

ELL population.

The implications on a wider scope are that educators need to be given time,

whether through professional development sessions or professional learning

communities, to delve into new curriculum and adapt it to the needs of their students.

This is especially important now as there have been so many changes in curriculum and

instruction. Through projects like this one, it is the author’s hope that administrators,

school districts, and boards of education see that what educators need the most is time;

time to learn together, time to plan together, and time to implement instruction.

74

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APPENDIX A

Name (optional):

Grade:

Years teaching:

Number of Students:

Do you have a classroom

population with ELL

students?

How would you rate your knowledge of the Next Generation Science Standards?

(On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 = no knowledge and 5 = expert.)

How often do you teach science in the classroom? If you don’t teach science, what

obstacles prevent you from teaching science in the classroom?

How often do your students engage in science discourse (this includes collaborative

groups, class discussions, student presentations, science journals and partner work)?

What types of science discourse do your students engage in?

What strategies do you use to support students acquisition of academic language in

content areas other than Language Arts?

Would you be interested in conducting today’s science lesson with your class and

providing feedback?

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APPENDIX B

Name (optional):

Grade (optional):

After attending the professional development session, how would you rate your

knowledge of the Next Generation Science Standards?

(On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 = no knowledge and 5 = expert.)

What knowledge did you gain after attending the professional development session? Did

you find the session useful?

What (if any) tools or strategies to support the needs of ELLs, have you used in your

classroom that were shared during the professional development?

How would you rate yourself in regards to willingness to engage students in science

instruction that meets the needs of ELLs, after this professional development session?

(On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 = not willing and 5 = very willing.)

If the opportunity for further professional development session on the Next Generation

Standards and how to support the needs of ELLs arose what are some topics you would

like discussed?

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

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APPENDIX C

Name

Grade Level

Number of Students

Do you have a classroom

population with ELLs?

Did you find that lesson was successful in your classroom? If not, what component(s) of

the lesson made it difficult for students to complete the objectives?

Did you need to make any modifications to better suit the needs of your students? If so,

what were they?

Were students able to communicate their ideas and use the vocabulary successfully?

Did you feel that the lesson provided sufficient support for your ELL students? If not,

why?

Comments? Questions?

81

APPENDIX D

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

APPENDIX E

89

APPENDIX F

Name: ________________________________ Job: _______________

Straw Rockets Worksheet

Control:

Length of rocket (cm):______________ Angle of launch: _____________

Team member Launch

1

Launch

2

Launch

3

Launch

4

Launch

5

Average

What parts of the rocket can we change to make it fly a longer distance?

_________________________________________________________

What can we change about how we launch the rocket to make it fly a longer

distance?

_________________________________________________________

Is there anything we can’t change? Why?

_________________________________________________________

Experiment:

What are you changing? _______________________________________

What question are you looking to answer? __________________________

_________________________________________________________

Change Launch

1

Launch

2

Launch

3

Launch

4

Launch

5

Average

90

Compare the data you found from your control to your experiment.

Did the rocket fly a longer distance? How do you know? What evidence did

you find?

Which of your changes made the biggest difference in the distance

travelled?

Would you recommend that people make your change to their rockets?

91

APPENDIX G

Student (or Group):_____________________________________

Rubric

1

Needs

Intervention

2

Getting There!

3

Got it!

4

Above and

Beyond!

Question Student (or group)

does not create a

question to

investigate or the

question is

irrelevant.

Student (or group)

creates a question

to investigate but

the question may

have multiple

components or

require the use of

materials

unavailable.

Student (or group)

creates a question

to investigate using

the sentence frame

provided.

Student (or group)

creates a question

to investigate

without using the

sentence frame

provided and in a

complete sentence.

Constraints Student (or group)

does not identify

constraints on the

experiment/rocket

design.

Student (or group)

identifies one

constraint on the

experiment/rocket

design.

Student (or group)

identifies two

realistic constraints

on the

experiment/rocket

design.

Student (or group)

identifies 3 or more

realistic constraints

on the

experiment/rocket

design.

Experiment Student (or group)

does not conduct an

experiment or the

experiment is

irrelevant.

Student (or group)

conducts an

experiment but

have tested two

different variables

or experiment

shows a limited

amount of testing.

(1-2 variations)

Student (or group)

conducts an

experiment with

one variable with

an adequate amount

of testing.

(3-4 variations)

Student (or group)

conducts an

experiment with

one variable with

an extensive

amount of testing.

(5-6 variations)

Discussion Student (or group)

does not participate

in partner, group, or

class discussion.

Student (or group)

participates in

limited amount

within partner,

group, or class

discussion.

Student (or group)

participates a

reasonable amount

within partner,

group, or class

discussion.

Student (or group)

participates in

partner, group, or

class discussion

using complete

sentences and may

ask questions.

Ideal Rocket

Design

Student (or group)

does not create a

rocket design or

design is irrelevant.

Student (or group)

creates a rocket

design but changes

in design are

limited to what they

tested. Explanation

and labeling may

be limited.

Student (or group)

creates a rocket

design that

incorporates

various groups’

results. Explanation

and labeling is

acceptable.

Student (or group)

creates a rocket

design that

incorporates all

groups’ results.

Student explanation

uses complete

sentences and

extensive labeling

as well as a

materials list.