Standards

Page Contents:

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

And Outdoor Science Education

    • In NGSS, using science process/scientific thinking is key, vs. memorization of facts

    • To begin to address NGSS in outdoor education, regardless of the topic, make sure students are engaged in practices, exploring science ideas, and figuring things out during science instruction. “In order to be fully engaged in the practices, it’s simply not enough to merely learn about the science idea, however creative and hands-on the task may be. To engage in the practices, really participate in them, a student has to frame the task as an exploration. The intellectual work... has to be centered on figuring out how or why something happens.“ — Cynthia Passmore, UC Davis School of Education

    • For more information on how Outdoor Education addresses NGSS and other standards, see http://beetlesproject.org/ngss/

NGSS has 3 Dimensions of learning: Disciplinary Core Ideas (traditional standards - content), Practice Expectations, and Cross-cutting Concepts., hence the cool logo! Another Way to look at these 3 key areas: What Students DO, What students KNOW, and How Students THINK. Teaching students to think like scientists and using the practices of science is 2/3 of science instruction!

TheThreeDimensions.pdf

Practices - what students do

PracticesVennDiagram.pdf

Outdoor Science Education is at the sweet spot right in the center of this Venn diagram of Science, Math, and English Language Arts Practices! THESE are the Science practices we want to develop in our selves and our students. What more "context-rich 'text'" is there than the natural world? My motto is "the best science classroom has no walls" and that is our strength - we are inside the subject matter.

MatrixOfScienceAndEngineeringPractices.pdf
AppendixF-ScienceAndEngineeringPracticesInTheNGSS_0.pdf

Disciplinary Core Ideas -what students know

Organized by Topic

5th grade Topic.pdf

Organized by DCI

5th Grade DCIs.pdf

The Branching Out 5th-Grade Program will focus on helping 5th-grade teachers meet their performance expectations for science and social studies in the following areas (details in above documents):

  • 5-PS3-1. Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.

  • 5-LS1-1. Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.

  • 5-LS2-1. Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.

  • 5-ESS3-1: Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect Earth’s resources and environment.

Cross-Cutting Concepts - how students think

MatrixOfCrosscuttingConcepts.pdf
Appendix G - Crosscutting Concepts FINAL edited 4.10.13.pdf
CCC_Critical questions _JML symbols.pdf
STEM-Teaching-Tool-41-Cross-Cutting-Concepts-Promptsv2.pdf

Environmental Principles & Concepts

These are now part of our standards!!

epandcs-flyer.pdf
EPC Matrix.pdf

Environmental Literacy

Our programs support these standards and help in creating environmentally literate citizens. The California Department of Education’s Blueprint for Environmental Literacy defines environmental literacy as follows:

“An environmentally literate person has the capacity to act individually and with others to support ecologically sound, economically prosperous, and equitable communities for present and future generations. Through lived experiences and education programs that include classroom-based lessons, experiential education, and outdoor learning, students will become environmentally literate, developing the knowledge, skills, and understanding of environmental principles to analyze environmental issues and make informed decisions.”

We think this is a worthy goal for our students and a benefit to our community and our world.

History / Social Science Standards

5th Grade

hssfwchapter8.pdf

Key Questions to Explore

Age of Exploration

  • Why did Europeans explore?

  • What exchanges were established as a result of the age of exploration?

  • How did European explorers and natives view each other?

Cooperation and Conflict in North America

  • How did European explorers and settlers interact with American Indians?

  • How did American Indians change as a result of the arrival and settlement of European colonists?

  • Why did American Indians fight with each other? Why did they fight with European settlers?

  • What role did trade play in both cooperation and conflict between and among European settlers?

The New Nation’s Westward Expansion

  • What did the West mean for the nation’s politics, economy, social organization, and identity?

  • How did westward movement transform indigenous environments and communities?

Specific Science/HSS Standards

What we hope to address in this program

    1. Science Standards

      1. 5-PS3-1. Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.

      2. 5-LS1-1. Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.

      3. 5-LS2-1. Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.

      4. 5-ESS3-1: Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect Earth’s resources and environment. ← this is key IMO - how Indigenous peoples have understood, used, and cared for the land forever

    2. History / Social Science (from HSS Framework for 5th-grade)

      1. Age of Exploration

        1. Why did Europeans explore?

        2. What exchanges were established as a result of the age of exploration?

        3. How did European explorers and natives view each other?

      2. Cooperation and Conflict in North America

        1. How did European explorers and settlers interact with American Indians?

        2. How did American Indians change as a result of the arrival and settlement of European colonists?

        3. Why did American Indians fight with each other? Why did they fight with European settlers?

        4. What role did trade play in both cooperation and conflict between and among European settlers?

      3. The New Nation’s Westward Expansion

        1. What did the West mean for the nation’s politics, economy, social organization, and identity?

        2. How did westward movement transform indigenous environments and communities? ← at least touch on how colonists disregarded Indigenous knowledge and the results have been disastrous for many environments - especially in how we understand the role of fire in the ecosystem, water use and care, native species, and more.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

SEL should be embedded in all of our teaching

CASEL_Competencies.pdf

SEL in Residential Outdoor Education

Grow-Outside.org: A Social and Emotional Learning Toolkit for Residential Outdoor Ed

Each year, Residential Environmental Learning Centers (RELCs) collectively touch the lives of roughly two million youth across the United States who spend multiple days with sleeping away from home, sharing meals with classmates, and learning in outdoor settings. In addition to their many other functions, RELCs serve as ideal settings for supporting student growth in social and emotional learning (SEL). This toolkit offers strategies for adopting a more intentional approach to incorporating SEL within RELC program settings, with applications for program improvement across the environmental education field at large.
Team-building activities, challenge courses, and games are common methods for teaching Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), but outdoor science experiences are rich with many more opportunities for SEL! Almost any outdoor experience—such as a science investigation, moving across challenging terrain, a discussion about environmental issues, nature observation activities, or a habitat restoration project—involves social interactions and poses opportunities to develop SEL skills. This routine offers a structure to support students in developing SEL competencies as they participate in any environmental education experience.

The 5-E Model of Instruction

Compare to the Learning Cycle for Outdoor Education

More Teaching and Learning Methods