Destreamed 9 Science

We have been running a destreamed Grade 9 science course at my school for the last 4 years as part of the TDSB Academic Pathways initiative. This compares very closely with the new grade 9 destreamed curriculum that the government has released this spring. The resources on this page will help you learn about the approach we have taken to teaching grade nine students of all academic levels in our one science class. There will be details that are different from the new government curriculum, but there is much in common!

The design of our grade 9 science course

Modeled on expert scientific thinking and habits. This course is not dumbed-down science. The type of thinking students regularly engage in is much more sophisticated than that found in traditional science classrooms. It more closely matches how experts and practitioners explore our world and use their scientific understanding.

An Inquiry-based, student-centred learning model. Students learn by developing scientific ideas based on observations and inferences. The course has a careful mixture of direct instruction and cooperative group work that allows students to construct their own understanding of scientific ideas. Students are always writing their own thoughts and ideas about science under the careful guidance of the teacher.

A collaborative classroom culture. Students are successful in this learning model because of the classroom culture. Their peers provide a lot of support through their collaboration in groups. Students are carefully trained in productive group work behaviors.

High structure supports all. Lessons are carefully scaffolded to support students of all levels. Struggling students benefit from explicit models and detailed steps to follow. Strong students benefit from the emphasis on clear communication, conceptual understanding, and careful explanation.

How to adjust for destreamed science

Change the emphasis on direct instruction. Direct instruction, where the teacher shares ideas with students and students take notes, is effective for transmitting information but not for developing scientific understanding. Science instruction should prioritize the latter. This will benefit all students in the class.

Change the emphasis on content. Content is important, but the overall expectations of each curriculum strand are more so. Emphasizing understanding will require covering less content. Building a good understanding simply takes time. This will benefit all students in the class.

Assessment should be continuous. Assessment is a very flexible concept. Learning requires regular and immediate assessment in the form of feedback. This should be built into the structure of every lesson. Regular feedback allows students to build their understanding accurately and with confidence. This will benefit all students in the class.

Ask yourself “who does this outside of school?” There are many habits baked into education that are only useful for passing tests in high school; they are of little use in the world beyond! When you answer “um, nobody” to this question, stop asking students to do this.

Students of all ability levels can do science. The range of abilities in our science classrooms will be much greater. We are used to prioritizing and rewarding students who process and manipulate information rapidly. However, students of all ability levels can be curious, ask questions, search for patterns, and make predictions. But they won't if we fail to give them opportunities do practice this. An emphasis on conceptual understanding, visual representations, and reasoning based on evidence is within the abilities of almost all our students. Our expectations of our students need to be adjusted!