Seeds to Ecosystems Teacher Education Storyline

Created Feb. 6, 2024 by Steven Rogg

TENFEE Environmental Literacy Action Plan


Teaching Context

Timeframe

Spring Semester, 2021

Audience

Elementary Science Methods Teacher Candidates in the undergraduate junior year methods/clinical block. EDU 3260: Effectively Teaching Science in the Elementary/Middle School

Abstract

Teacher Candidates (TCs) in elementary education will experience and evaluate an integrative environmental science storyline. This sequence of 3-D experiences [1] serves to model an intentional learning progression of inquiry while promoting TC content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and curricular knowledge (Shulman, 1986). Relevant learning standards intersect the Wisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability and the Next Generation Science Standards /Wisconsin Standards for Science. Anchoring phenomenon and inquiry questions foster investigation of systems at increasing scale and complexity (e.g, from seeds to ecosystems) and change over time. For convenience, we call this the “Seeds to Ecosystems” progression.

[1] See: https://www.nap.edu/read/13165/chapter/5#29

Institution

Carthage College, Kenosha, WI

Author(s)

Steven Rogg, Ph.D. | SRogg@Carthage.edu

Current Status of Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Preparation

At this time, environmental literacy and sustainability are represented in the science methods course as “something to know about” plus a few discrete experiences. The Wisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability (ELS) (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 2018) are provided in the syllabus, as a resource in the learning management system (Schoology), and TCs are encouraged to apply them in instructional design. However, effective implementation seems de facto in competition with the NGSS (National Research Council, 2013)/WSS (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 2017).

One experience, and the most substantial, is an ongoing collaboration with a local elementary school. Divided over two dates, approximately 110 Grade 2 students (plus teachers and chaperones) come to campus for field study of erosion and weathering. Investigations are based on FOSS Pebbles, Sand, and Silt [2], PLTW’s The Changing Earth [3], and specifications provided by the school’s teachers. Teacher candidates work in teams to prepare and host learning experiences at outdoor stations across campus. Locations include a beach on Lake Michigan, an outdoor classroom near an eroding bluff, and a river bank.

While TCs tend to focus their attention on what they want students to do (planned activities) a challenge is to prioritize student learning of erosion and weathering as processes that shape the Earth. If, for example, students are asked at a later date, “What happened at Carthage?”, would they only report the bus ride or going to the beach? Or, would they have enduring memories about how our natural environment is constantly changing? It is expected that attending more explicitly to the ELS can shift TC focus to activity as a means to learning — as an engaging and safe environment of inquiry — not an end unto itself. In my view, what is needed is “hands-on + minds-on + act upon (transfer learning)”.

[2]  See: https://www.fossweb.com/module-summary?dDocName=Y1392075
[3] See: https://www.pltw.org/our-programs/pltw-launch-curriculum

Evidence of Need

Comprehensive clinical service reports were prepared in 2018 (40 pages) and again in 2019 (74 pages). Both reports summarized the extent and nature of clinical service experiences, including TC reflections from each encounter. These were shared with the partner school and collaborating teachers. These indicate disconnects between experiences in schools and goals of standards documents. Notably, neither document contains any TC mention of the WI ELS. At present, no evidence is available to suggest that TCs are aware of the WI ELS, that TLCs are able to apply the standards in instructional design, or that TLCs are committed to teaching with the standards or advancing inquiry-based environmental education.

[4] These clinical service reports were prepared for internal program development - not publicly available.

Evidence of Success

Indicators of success are considered at three ordered levels, proceeding from a nominal learning target to advanced. These are:

Initial Awareness

An early indicator of success will be the presence of relevant and properly cited WI ELS in TC instructional plans and clinical service reports (see: ).

Proximal Application

This course uses standards-based assessment of Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) mapped from INTASC (CCSSO, 2013) and NSTA (2019) professional teaching standards. A second and higher level evidence is application of the WI ELS and inquiry during instruction. This will be assessed by means of the extant proficiency rubric on the Schoology (Mastery mode). Opportunities for application exist in the erosion/weathering field study described , and during clinical service (micro-) teaching. 

Transfer Forward

The final and capstone project for this course is the creation of a comprehensive and contextualized (site-based) action plan for the individual TC’s student teaching assignment and beyond. The capstone project serves as both a portfolio and a viable toolkit. As a portfolio (“container of evidence”), content adopted, developed, or modified by TCs is directly linked by them to SLOs. In other words, TCs are responsible for demonstrating convincingly that they have accomplished or exceeded each SLO.  Assessment of this portfolio/toolkit will require TCs to provide evidence of TC preparation to transfer WI ELS and inquiry methods during student teaching and beyond.

Action plan to revise, improve, or integrate inquiry-based environmental education

The following activities will be completed prior to the start of the Spring 2021 semester launch of EDU 3260: Effectively Teaching Science in the Elementary/Middle School. The task list is given in approximately temporal sequence.

  1. Between now and November 5, 2020: Complete preparations to co-present the storyline “Photosynthesis: Spatial and temporal impacts on this changing planet” at NABT 2020 [5]. My co-presenter is none other than Missy Holzer, Ph.D., Science Teacher, Chatham HS, NJ; Instructor, Rutgers Dept. of Geography. Dr. Holzer and I have been working on this project spanning more than two years and are pleased to be elevating the project another notch.

    The updated storyline will provide a new backbone for the EDU 3260 learning progression (Jin et al., 2019). In addition to modelling an inquiry-based NGSS 3-D storyline, the environmental and Earth science content is highly relevant preparation for future educators. My aim is to efficiently and effectively develop TC content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and curricular knowledge (Shulman, 1986). The session description is .

    Between November 9, 2020 and the start of Spring Semester 2021...

  2. Re-sequence and adapt extant EDU 3260 investigations to complement the new “Seeds to Ecosystems” progression. Current investigations are already well positioned for modification. For example, and investigation “Is bean soup alive?” — which also models the BSCS 5-E learning cycle (Bybee et al., 2006) — should continue to be useful for engaging TCs at the launch of the storyline. Likewise, TCs can still investigate scale and dynamics of ecosystems through modelling (Bottle Biology, 2015; HHMI BioInteractive, 2015). Field investigations may include a bioblitz (iNaturalist, 2020) and tree inventory (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2020) of Carthage College’s 80-acre Alice Moody Chapin Arboretum.

  3. Update Schoology guidance documents and rubrics for revised investigations.

    1. KTEC Erosion and Weathering Field Study (with cooperating teachers).

    2. Capstone Project Portfolio/Toolkit

    3. Investigations of the “Seeds to Ecosystems” storyline progression.

    4. Add course evaluation elements of inquiry practices and WI ELS impact as described in Evidence of Success.

Due to COVID-19, NABT 2020 has been moved from Baltimore, MD to an online format (in development). For more information, see: https://nabt.org/Events-2020-Conference.

In what ways will you address Wisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Standards Addressed?

Consider this in two ways. On one hand, the “Seeds to Ecosystems” progression is designed to model application of the Wisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy & Sustainability. Largely the focus will be with ELS.EX4: Analyze the interactions and outcomes of cycles and flows in natural and cultural systems. All performance expectations for this standard are considered relevant (see below) because TCs should possess adult literacy and because they will be licensed to teach broadly throughout the elementary and middle grades.

On the other hand, TCs will be expected to apply the WI ELS standards in planning and instruction. Selection of standards for these purposes will depend on context, including clinical placement, grade level, and curriculum expectations. In this case, all of the elementary and middle level performance expectations can be in play.

Primary Focus: Wisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability

2020 NABT Professional Development Conference - November 6-7, 2020

Session Title

Photosynthesis: Spatial and temporal impacts on this changing planet

Session Description

Explore free resources in a NGSS storyline sequence anchored by photosynthesis and climate change at vast spatial and temporal scales. Threaded resources include interactive simulations, data models, and systems modelling.

Presentation Abstract

Our Earth System is ever changing, at one time creating conditions suitable for life through critical processes such as photosynthesis. A fundamental process in plant growth, photosynthesis also plays a significant role in regulating atmospheric gases. Using an NGSS storyline approach, this session will zoom in and out on the mechanisms of photosynthesis as it occurs at a molecular level, at a global level, and over time. Environmental science, Earth science, and biology teachers will actively engage with current context, evidence, and tools that they can use to scaffold their own students’ 3D learning. This workshop will feature free BioInteractive exemplars, including Data Points, classroom-ready activities, and interactive Click & Learns. BSCS I2 and CER tools effectively guide participants to discover nuanced meaning from evidence. Deep Earth history and global change provide contexts for understanding photosynthesis as a fundamental life process of vast temporal and spatial significance.  With a focus on modeling and arguing from evidence, we employ a storyline instructional model, threading together resources centered on aspects of photosynthesis in the context of global change over geologic time. To engage thinking and to make initial conceptions visible, participants begin by creating graphic conceptual models of “photosynthesis” individually and then with a small group. As we investigate temporal changes in atmospheric gases (Data Point - I2), participants revise group models with new evidence. Cooperative groups analyze cases using CER and then “jigsaw” to share findings. After manipulating the Global Change model, they make final revisions and evaluate their models. Participants are invited to interpret their models to predict the future role of photosynthesis in regulating global change. Using a 3-2-1 reflection, participants reflect on how each activity can be utilized in a 3D classroom.

Learner Outcomes

As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. Explain how interactions of key biological processes (e.g., photosynthesis and respiration) and Earth System processes (e.g., insolation, carbon sequestration and ocean acidification) correspond to changes in Earth environments over geological time and across biological-to-biogeological scales.

  2. Informed by data, develop a graphical model that illustrates major changes to Earth Systems in this Anthropocene era.

  3. Evaluate an NGSS-based storyline for 3-D learning potential.

  4. Explore a curated playlist of free high-quality open-source instructional resources.

Audience Participation

This NGSS-based storyline models how changes in Earth environments over geological time and over biological-to-biogeological scales are explained by key Earth System processes, especially: insolation, photosynthesis, respiration, carbon sequestration, and ocean acidification. A sequence of curated open-source instructional resources guides model development. Each resource in the storyline playlist is designed to support 3-D learning of specific phenomena. In aggregate, the full storyline portfolio is most strongly linked to the SEPs, CCs, and DCIs listed below. Only primary associations are listed; secondary or marginal connections are not shown.  Alignment with AP Biology and Vision and Change, while not reproduced here, are published with the instructional resources.

Crosscutting Concepts

CCC2: Cause and Effect: Mechanism and Explanation 

CCC3: Scale, Proportion, and Quantity 

CCC4: Systems and System Models 

CCC5: Energy and Matter: Flows, Cycles, and Conservation

CCC7: Stability and Change 


Science and Engineering Practices

SEP2: Developing and Using Models 

SEP4: Analyzing and Interpreting Data 

SEP6: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 

SEP7: Engaging in Argument from Evidence 

SEP8: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information 


Disciplinary Core Ideas in Earth and Space Science

ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems 

ESS2.E: Biogeology 

ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems


Disciplinary Core Ideas in Life Science

LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms 

LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems 


Works Cited

Bottle Biology. (2015, December 4). Bottle Biology. http://www.bottlebiology.org/

Bybee, R. W., Taylor, J. A., Gardner, A., Van Scotter, P., Carlson Powell, J., Westbrook, A., & Landes, N. (2006). The BSCS 5E Instructional Model: Origins and Effectiveness (p. 43). BSCS. http://bscs.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Research_The%20BSCS%205E%20Instructional%20Model%20Origins%2C%20Effectiveness%2C%20and%20Applications%20Executive%20Summary_5E%20Executive%20Summary.pdf

CCSSO. (2013, April). InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning Progressions for Teachers 1.0. https://ccsso.org/resource-library/intasc-model-core-teaching-standards-and-learning-progressions-teachers-10

HHMI BioInteractive. (2015, November 16). Winogradsky columns: Microbial ecology in the classroom | HHMI’s BioInteractive. http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/winogradsky-columns-microbial-ecology-classroom?utm_source=BioInteractive+News&utm_campaign=2efb0e1e95-BioInteractive_News_Vol_496_9_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_98b2f5c6ba-2efb0e1e95-69424289

iNaturalist. (2020). Bioblitz Guide · iNaturalist. INaturalist. https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/bioblitz+guide

Jin, H., Mikeska, J. N., Hokayem, H., & Mavronikolas, E. (2019). Toward coherence in curriculum, instruction, and assessment: A review of learning progression literature. Science Education, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21525

National Research Council. (2013). Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/18290

National Science Teaching Association. (2019). NSTA Standards for Science Teacher Preparation. https://www.nsta.org/preservice/

Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4–14.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. (2020). Wisconsin Community Tree Map. https://pg-cloud.com/Wisconsin/

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. (2017, November). Wisconsin’s standards for science. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. https://dpi.wi.gov/science/standards

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. (2018). Wisconsin standards for environmental literacy & sustainability. Author. http://eeinwisconsin.org/Files/eewi/2018/Wisconsin_Standards_for_Environmental_Literacy_and_Sustainability_2018.pdf


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