Earth Science | Life Science | Physical Science |
1.About this Evaluation Report 2.Content Analysis 3.Instructional Analysis
Categories | |
I. | [Explanation] This category consists of criteria for determining whether the curriculum material attempts to make its purposes explicit and meaningful to students, either in the student text itself or through suggestions to the teacher. The sequence of lessons or activities is also important in accomplishing the stated purpose, since ideas often build on each other. |
II. | [Explanation] Fostering understanding in students requires taking time to attend to the ideas they already have, both ideas that are incorrect and ideas that can serve as a foundation for subsequent learning. This category consists of criteria for determining whether the curriculum material contains specific suggestions for identifying and addressing students’ ideas. |
III. | [Explanation] Much of the point of science is to explain phenomena in terms of a small number of principles or ideas. For students to appreciate this explanatory power, they need to have a sense of the range of phenomena that science can explain. The criteria in this category examine whether the curriculum material relates important scientific ideas to a range of relevant phenomena and provides either firsthand experiences with the phenomena or a vicarious sense of phenomena that are not presented firsthand. |
IV. | [Explanation] Science literacy requires that students understand the link between scientific ideas and the phenomena that they can explain. Furthermore, students should see the ideas as useful and become skillful at applying them. This category consists of criteria for determining whether the curriculum material expresses and develops the key ideas in ways that are accessible and intelligible to students, and that demonstrate the usefulness of the key ideas and provide practice in varied contexts. |
V. | [Explanation] Engaging students in experiences with phenomena (category III) and presenting them with scientific ideas (category IV) will not lead to effective learning unless students are given time, opportunities, and guidance to make sense of the experiences and ideas. This category consists of criteria for determining whether the curriculum material provides students with opportunities to express, think about, and reshape their ideas, as well as guidance on developing an understanding of what they experience. |
VI. | [Explanation] This category consists of criteria for evaluating whether the curriculum material includes a variety of aligned assessments that apply the key ideas taught in the material. |
VII. | [Explanation] The criteria in this category provide analysts with the opportunity to comment on features that enhance the use and implementation of the curriculum material by all students. |
References |
I. Providing a Sense of Purpose
Conveying
unit purpose (Rating = Poor)
Conveying lesson/activity
purpose (Rating = Poor)
Justifying lesson/activity
sequence (Rating = Fair)
II. Taking Account of Student Ideas
Attending to prerequisite
knowledge and skills (Rating = Fair) PRIME Science provides many prerequisite
experiences to the key physical science ideas in the
chapters where these key ideas are developed and in
earlier chapters. For example, comparisons of the behavior
of collections of objects with the behavior of the individual
object can help students make sense of the idea that
properties of substances can be due to the arrangement
and motion of a collection of tiny, seemingly
invisible particles. Specifically, it may be helpful
to have students first observe and describe the behavior
of large collection of pieces and consider that the
collections may have new properties that the individual
pieces do not have (American
Association for the Advancement of Science, 1993,
p. 76). PRIME Science offers a similar
experience with fabrics. In level B, Chapter 9: Wear
and Tear, students first explore the idea that some
properties of fabrics (like the ease of pulling them
out of shape) depend more on the arrangement
of their threads—felted, loosely or closely woven,
or knitted—than on the properties of the threads
themselves (p. 184s). Then they are to examine the properties
of threads to determine that some properties of threads
can be explained by the properties and arrangement of
their fibers (level B, p. 185s). Finally, the properties
of fibers are related to the properties of tiny particles
(polymers) that cannot be seen. However, the prerequisite ideas are not identified
as such in the Teacher’s Guide. Furthermore, rarely
are there connections between the key ideas and the
prerequisites. A case in point is the previous example.
Although students have an experience with a prerequisite
idea, teachers are not alerted to the fact that this
activity addresses the prerequisite idea nor are they
told to relate this activity to the later lessons that
address the kinetic molecular theory.
Alerting teachers to commonly
held student ideas (Rating = Poor)
Assisting teachers in identifying
their students’ ideas (Rating = Poor)
Addressing commonly held
ideas (Rating = Poor)
III.
Engaging Students with Relevant Phenomena
Providing variety of phenomena
(Rating = Satisfactory)
Providing vivid experiences
(Rating = Very
good)
IV. Developing and Using Scientific Ideas
Introducing terms meaningfully
(Rating = Very
good)
Representing ideas effectively
(Rating = Poor)
Demonstrating use of knowledge
(Rating = Poor)
Providing practice (Rating
= Fair)
V. Promoting Students' Thinking about Phenomena, Experiences, and Knowledge
Encouraging students to
explain their ideas (Rating = Poor)
Guiding student interpretation
and reasoning (Rating = Poor) In several instances, the middle grades materials require
students to make big leaps from observations to inferences.
For example, students do some activities that show that
a solid residue (calcium carbonate) is left when tap
water evaporates (level C, p. 53s). The Teacher’s
Guide suggests that, “[i]n discussion of the results
the students can see that the solid residue
must have come from the water, which had tiny particles
of the dissolved substance spread out through it”
(emphasis added) (level C, p. 130t). This is the introduction
to the notion of tiny particles in this chapter. Not
only is this too big a leap from observation to inference,
but also there are no questions that engage students
in considering this phenomenon using the particle theory
in the student book. In some instances, the high school materials include
relevant questions to help students make sense of readings
and activities about the kinetic molecular theory (e.g.,
level 1, p. 316s). However, in other instances, they
do not (e.g., Getting an airing, in level 1, p. 320s).
Encouraging students to
think about what they have learned (Rating = Poor)
Aligning assessment to
goals (Rating = Poor)
Most of the key physical science ideas are not adequately
assessed in PRIME Science.
For the idea that all matter is made up of particles
called atoms and molecules (Idea a), students explain
(in terms of small particles) how milk mixes with coffee
(level C, p. 153t, Sample Assessment Items, item 4c).
For the idea that atoms and molecules are perpetually
in motion (Idea c), students explain (in term of particles)
how one can smell coffee some distance away (level C,
p. 153t, Sample Assessment Items, item 4a). For the
explanation of dissolving (part of Idea f), students
explain at the molecular level how solid sugar “disappears”
into coffee (level C, p. 153t, Sample Assessment Items,
item 4b). Two items are included to assess students
on changes of state and the different arrangement and
motion of particles in solids, liquids, and gases. Students
imagine that they and their friends are “a group
of water particles in a block of ice that is floating
south along the east coast of America” and write
a story about what happens to them over a period of
one year using what they know about particles in solids,
liquids, and gases (level C, p. 65s, Things To Do, item
4). For the idea that increased temperature means greater
molecular motion, so that most materials expand when
heated (Idea d), students explain why bubbles come out
of an empty dishwashing liquid bottle held upside down
in hot water (level 1, p. 330s, Things To Do, item 1).
In addition, students explain the following phenomena
in terms of what they know about gas particles: “[a]
dented ping-pong ball can sometimes be fixed by putting
it into a pan of hot water”; a sponge cake “shrinks”
a bit after it cools; “[i]t is very dangerous
to throw an aerosol can onto a fire”; and a bicycle
tire takes in air in a volume that is larger than the
inner tube to become hard (level 1, p. 330s, Things
To Do, item 6). No other tasks are provided to assess
students on the key physical science ideas.
Testing for understanding
(Rating = Poor)
Using assessment to inform
instruction (Rating = Poor)
Providing teacher content
support (Minimal
support is provided.) The material rarely provides sufficiently detailed
answers to questions in the student text for teachers
to understand and interpret various student responses.
Most answers are brief and require further explanation
(e.g., “There should be explanations of the differing
properties of the states of matter and the processes
involved in changes of state and the formation of solutions”
[level C, p. 151t, Answers to Things To Do, item 4]).
Some questions go unanswered (e.g., level 1, p. 764t,
Answers to Things To Do, items 1–5 and 7). The material provides minimal support in recommending
resources for improving the teacher’s understanding
of key ideas. The introductory notes of the Teacher’s
Guide include a list of “Optional Resources”
(printed matter, video, computers, and resource centers
[e.g., level C, pp. 29–34t]), and additional “Optional
Resources” are listed at the beginning of each
chapter (e.g., “The World of Chemistry: Acids
and Bases, Periodic Table, Oxidation Reduction of Metals.
American Chemical Society” [level 1, Videos, p.
94t]). Limited descriptions for some of the references
identify topics addressed, but few of the references
are explicitly linked to specific text sections or key
ideas.
Encouraging curiosity
and questioning (Some
support is provided.) The material provides many suggestions for how to respect
and value students’ ideas. Introductory notes
in the student text generally elicit and value students’
ideas by stating, “Write your thoughts down to
see how they sound, and take a moment from time to time
to see if you have changed your ideas or have more evidence
that your thoughts were right in the first place”
(level 1, p. xvis). Also, teacher’s notes state
that multiple student answers should be acceptable for
some questions (e.g., level A, p. 74t, Answers to Student
Book Page 23, item 3) and ask students to record their
own ideas in many tasks (e.g., level C, p. 150t, Time
to think again). In addition, students and their ideas
are highlighted throughout the text. For example, drawings
of students with dialogue balloons illustrate students
discussing scientific ideas to be studied (e.g., level
C, pp. 62–63s), and students are specifically
referenced in some tasks (e.g., level A, p. 18s, Testing
the idea). The material provides a few suggestions for how to
raise questions such as “How do we know? What
is the evidence?” and “Are there alternative
explanations or other ways of solving the problem that
could be better?” It also encourages students
to pose such questions themselves. Introductory notes
in the student text ask students to review their ideas
periodically and determine if they have more evidence
that their “thoughts were right in the first place”
(level C, p. xiiis). In addition, the material includes
a few tasks that ask students to provide evidence or
reasons in their responses (e.g., level C, p. 56s, What
happens when you make tea? bullet 3; level C, p. 150t,
student sheet 8a). The material provides some suggestions for how to avoid
dogmatism. Introductory teacher’s notes emphasize
the human focus of the material, stating that ideas
are “introduced through personal and social contexts”
(e.g., level B, p. 1t), and introductory student notes
emphasize the use of multiple resources to increase
student understanding (e.g., level C, p. xiiis). The
student text portrays the nature of science as a human
enterprise in which students may participate (e.g.,
level A, pp. 28–29s, Expansion and contraction).
Student dialogues throughout the material often present
multiple perspectives on a scientific issue (e.g., level
A, p. 22s, Getting hotter?). However, the material also
contributes to dogmatism by giving little attention
to the work of particular practicing scientists and
changes over time in scientific thinking. In addition,
single specific responses are expected for most student
tasks. The material does not provide examples of classroom
interactions (e.g., dialogue boxes, vignettes, or video
clips) that illustrate appropriate ways to respond to
student questions or ideas. However, a limited sense
of desirable student-student interactions may be gained
from procedural directions for laboratories and cooperative
group activities (e.g., level C, p. 137t, Lab work 1;
level C, pp. 58–59s, Licoriceade: a new product,
pp. 138–139t, Text application/Design/Lab work
4).
Supporting all students
(Some
support is provided.) The material does not provide illustrations of the contributions of women and
minorities to science and as role models. Few contributions of any scientists
are included, in that the material instead emphasizes the role of science in
students’ everyday lives. The material suggests multiple formats for students
to express their ideas during instruction, including
individual investigations (e.g., level 1, p. 330s, Things
To Do, item 1), cooperative group activities (e.g.,
level C, p. 147t, Classifying data), laboratory investigations
(e.g., level C, p. 57s), whole class discussions (e.g.,
level 1, p. 99t, Discussion 2), essay questions (e.g.,
level 1, p. 316s, item 1), creative writing (e.g., level
C, p. 65s, Things To Do, item 4), and visual projects
(e.g., level B, p. 351t, Modeling). In addition, multiple
formats are suggested for assessment, including oral
discussion (e.g., level B, p. 351t, Discussion), essay
(e.g., level 1, p. 330s, Things To Do, item 7), and
performance (e.g., level 1, p. 330s, Things To Do, item
2). However, the material does not usually provide a
variety of alternatives for the same task. The material does not routinely include specific suggestions about how teachers
can modify activities for students with special needs. The material provides many strategies to validate students’ relevant
personal and social experiences with scientific ideas.
Introductory teacher’s notes emphasize the material’s
focus on “personal and social contexts”
and the “applications of science” (level
B, p. 1t). Many text sections relate specific personal
experiences students may have had to the presented scientific
concepts (e.g., level C, p. 45s). In addition, some
tasks ask students about particular personal experiences
they may have had or suggest specific experiences to
have. For example, a question following text examples
of a glass bottle and metal strips on a bridge asks
students to give their own “examples of solid
materials that contract and expand” (level A,
p. 28s, What is happening?, item 2). However, the material
rarely encourages students to contribute relevant experiences
of their own choice to the science classroom and sometimes
does not adequately link the specified personal experiences
to the scientific ideas being studied (e.g., level A,
p. 54s, Things To Do, item 4).