New Teacher Academy
New Teacher Academy
Working Document for Guided Planning
Book an appointment with Beth (help with materials prep, hands-on activity support, and more!)
Contact: Beth Fox bfox@lodiusd.net or text 209-452-2294
Planning Templates
Folder with Unit One Pagers (not all units completed yet)
Every Amplify Science unit includes many opportunities for students to address CCSS-ELA standards focused on reading informational text, writing, speaking and listening, and language. Read more about how Amplify Science is an integrated science and literacy program HERE.
Science Writing Genres (how to choose a unit to swap)
When you swap out a Journeys unit for a Science unit, quickly check the standards Correlations in the ThinkCentral Teacher eBook (as in image below) to ensure your students are accessing all literacy standards. If there are any standards that aren't covered in another Journeys unit or by the Amplify Science unit, make sure you hit those standards via additional lessons. EXAMPLES:
Use the Coherence Flowchart to visualize where ELA overlaps are (see next section below).
Turn and Talk - Clock Partners
Click on the below samples for what this might look like. Science coach can facilitate the hands-on activities, while you teach all the lessons in between. Or we can create a plan together. Email bfox@lodiusd.net to schedule for your upcoming unit.
Science can be taught during a literacy block.
Flip flop a science unit with a social studies unit (instead of 2 days/week science, 2 days/week social studies, for example)
Utilize the provided slide decks to teach each lesson.
Split lesson activities across multiple days as needed (activities are listed in the Lesson Brief as shown below)
Try to stick to suggested times as much as possible. The curriculum is purposefully repetitive - students are NOT expected to “get it” right away - they get multiple "at bats" to make sense of the phenomena.
Exception: students may need additional scaffolds depending on ELA skills (provide additional reading/vocabulary support, additional discourse routines (i.e. partner A shares first this time), sentence frames, etc to support students' literacy needs)
Build in Social and Emotional Learning in to science collaborative activities (i.e. how to work together, how to take turns sharing ideas, etc.)
Use the coherence flowchart to guide instruction and make planning decisions
Look for where ELA overlaps are to do during your ELA block.
If students are able to answer the investigation question, skip ahead to the next set of activities that help answer the next investigation question)
Found in “Printable Resources”
Make note of the required teacher provided materials and be sure to place those orders with your admin/site secretary ASAP.
Preparation - invite parent volunteers in to help prep materials or make time on your calendar for the days that require prep for hands-on materials.
Use the “Preparation at a Glance” table. (Planning for the Unit - Materials and Preparation - Scroll to Preparation at a Glance)
Science Program Hub has many great resources
Found in Program and Apps - at the very bottom of the page.
Videos ("On Demand Resources") to share with students (especially helpful for combo classes, absent students, or when you have a substitute)
Professional Learning Resources
PD Library (tips for getting started)