Grade 9 Destreamed Science

             My grade 9s get to see the final assessments on the first day of class. This is one of them:

             As we go through the course, I point out activities we do and how they could contribute to student NOS portfolios. When we talk about things like differences between inferences and observations or theories and laws, this gives me another opportunity to make NOS explicit for students. The major assignments in this course that I suggested students could reflect on for the final were:

• A history of science experiments where students consider an experiment that they feel changed the world and look at three scientists involved in it, then focus on one for the assignment. Students research the scientist’s socioeconomic background, what their initial research was, how those may have affected their later experiment, and whether or not the experimental conclusions are still valid today. (Historical Case Study)

• An ecology website created by students. Students make weekly observations around the outside of our school for the first three or so months of the semester, using their devices to take pictures. The last course unit is ecology, using that data gathered. Students demonstrate curricular concepts in biology with their own pictures and connect with current research on those concepts (such as invasive species, adaptations, niches, etc.) (Contemporary Case Study)

• A research project on a curricular topic on Earth and Space Science, presented as a gallery walk. This topic could be current or historical, based on technology or discoveries. Topic idea brainstorming begins with exploration of Earth and Space Science topics found in the news through media analysis. (Historical Case Study or Contemporary Case Study, as applicable)

• Various investigations into chemical behaviour (such as qualitative analysis of an unknown and a superhero/ supervillain element/ compound research project) and electricity usage and production (such as making circuits to light bulbs, drawing circuit diagrams to explore series and parallel circuits, and wiring a model room in a house to determine power consumption). Students also conduct their own research and create a safety video explaining safe use of equipment from a list so that their classmates could use it and create a science fair project on a topic of their choice. (Investigations)