Unit 1: Motivation and Course Introduction

Summary :

Throughout Unit 1, students are building toward a deep understanding of the motivating question and developing a sense of community through discourse, active learning, and getting situated in this course that is focused on engagement in investigation and design. Students study methods, attitudes, and mindsets (growth⟺fixed) about science, units and conversions, and how this course is aligned with NGSS standards/best teaching practices. This introductory unit is designed to be implemented over approximately one week.

Motivating Question:

We are all engaging in the practice of science in the classroom and in our everyday lives. How can we learn to embrace and cultivate our inner scientist?

Time for this Unit:

This unit is designed to take about one week of class time. For classes without labs, that is 160-180 min. Add 125-180 min if you complete each of the extension activities (one in Unit 1.2, one in Unit 1.3).

Overview:

Throughout Unit 1, all tasks are building toward a deep understanding of the Unit's motivating question and developing a sense of community through discourse, active learning, and getting situated in this course that is focused on engagement in investigation and design, which is likely very different than any that the students have taken before. Students contemplate their own views on science, identify how this course might modify their own perceptions of physical sciences, and practice their own emerging qualitative and quantitative science skills while familiarizing themselves with the Science and Engineering Practices and Cross-Cutting Concepts. This course was designed for both a 3-credit and a 5-credit course. Throughout the unit, there are extension lab activities designed to provide students with the opportunity to practice the course concepts and deepen their understanding of the material.

• Unit 1.1: Introduction to learning (40-60 min) Who are we, why are we here, and why is this course probably different than your past science courses? In this first class meet-up, students break the ice by collaboratively making graphs about their peers' attitudes about science and learning, evaluating growth v. fixed mindsets, and creating individualized goals for the course.
• Unit 1.2: Introducing SEPs and CCCs (70 min + 70-110 min extension lab/activity) How is this class aligned in a way to help you with your future teaching? In this unit, we lay out the format of the class, how it aligns with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and how students can use these materials in their own future teaching. In an extension activity, the Bubbles Lab, students apply their Science and Engineering Practices to practice making qualitative observations as they discover properties of soap bubbles. The first Scientist Spotlight, on Agnes Pockels, relates directly to this Bubbles Lab.
• Unit 1.3 Units and Conversions (50 min + 55-70 min extension lab/activity) Why do we care about units anyway? In this unit, students are introduced to the concept of standardized units and given motivation for why a common set of units is desirable. Students are also introduced to some simple unit conversion/conversion factor exercises. Energy units and conversions are emphasized because the next unit begins with energy. In an extension activity, the Measuring Sticks Lab, students devise and test their own measurement system.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this unit, students will:

• Evaluate the role of science, scientists and attitudes about science and scientists among peers in their classroom in order to establish their own identity as a beginning scientist.
• Evaluate their own mindset (growth⟺fixed) and develop strategies and goals to improve learning and move towards a growth mindset.
• Explore the NGSS's Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) and Cross-Cutting Concepts (CCC) in order to gain a common language of learning and to establish a foundation for future work in this course.
• Explain the value of standard units of measurement and simple conversions for the practice of science. 

Summative Assessment

Students write a reflection synthesizing their understanding of, and comfort level with, cross-cutting concepts, science and engineering practices, and data. This assignment is not a substantial time commitment, which reflects that these materials only occupy about one week of class time.