Adapting current lessons by applying a 3-dimensional approach

3D Earth and Space Science:

Lesson Adaptation from current NYS Regents Earth Science standards

This lesson is an example of how teachers could shift current Regents instruction to incorporate a 3-dimensional approach, while still maintaining progress toward the Regents science exams. Introducing students to the crosscutting concepts serves to enhance current curriculum as well as prepare them (and us!) for the shifts taking place with the adoption of the NYSSLS.

Here's a great set of universal graphic organizers that supports the crosscutting concepts:

In this lesson, it is crucial for students to be able to understand the structure and function of the system so they can model what is happening in the chosen phenomena.

Click the "Read More" link to view student work examples and teacher reflection.


Below are examples of student work after a class discussion using the two graphic organizers. After the video and analysis of the flooding event, student groups used whiteboards to model solutions to the pollution problem presented in the "pollutants and runoff" video. Once groups shared their models, we looked together at the pervious pavement video and compared its structure/function to the groups' proposed models.

My observations of the class during this lesson just continued to solidify that students respond extremely well to this 3-dimensional approach to instruction. In Earth science, they love figuring out the "puzzle" of what's going on and why. They were able to model both systems with relative accuracy without having any idea of what's truly under the ground. This lesson served to introduce the concepts of porosity, permeability, and capillarity without ever having to use those vocabulary terms. Now that students have seen real examples of where these variables exist, they are much better prepared to examine the relationships between them.