One phenomenon... two ways

Choosing a good phenomenon to have students explain is a critical step in designing 3D lessons. Fortunately, the best phenomena can be used to address multiple Performance Expectations; it just depends on how you want to use them. Great phenomena can anchor lessons for multiple grade levels and subject areas.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2267504/The-sealed-bottle-garden-thriving-40-years-fresh-air-water.html

I was inspired to think about a lesson that would use this phenomenon when Saranac Middle School's Rebecca Shuman posted on Instagram about her students making these really cool biosphere ecosystems. (Secretly I just wanted to fill my classroom with cool stuff like this.) What I didn't realize at the time was that Becky had developed an awesome lesson sequence (called "There is no Planet B") with the biospheres as the culminating experience. Becky's biosphere lesson incorporates MS:LS2-1 and 2-3 and serves to compare the model biospheres to the closed system of the Earth as a whole.

In my classroom, we used our miniature biospheres as a model for the larger human-designed ecosystems such as Biosphere 2 and the eventual (?) biospheres used to colonize Mars or other distant places. (MS:LS2-5) We plan to observe the biospheres throughout the course of the school year to monitor changes and to model the matter and energy flow in the system.

Link to the Ecosystems in Space lesson

How do leaves change color in the fall?

Middle School Life Science

MS:LS 1-6: Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.

I've been looking for a good lesson to try out the Experimental Design & Report Sheet that Cookie Barker designed last year, and found it when thinking about the phenomenon of fall leaves. The series of lessons and investigations were really successful, and we stayed organized as a class for a whole week (due to an unfortunate series of fire drills interrupting class) thanks to Cookie's template.

Click here for a copy of the full lesson. 

Seed Dispersal

We explored mechanisms of seed dispersal with the 7th grade science students.

Fall Phenomena

3D Physics - Fun Flyers

3D High School Physics Lesson

HS-PS3-5. Develop and use a model of two objects interacting through electric or magnetic fields to illustrate the forces between objects and the changes in energy of the objects due to the interaction.
[Clarification Statement: Examples of models could include diagrams, texts, algebraic expressions, and drawings representing what happens when two charges of opposite polarity are near each other.] [Assessment Boundary:  Assessment is limited to systems containing two objects.]

Lesson by Charlene Rydgren, Malone CSD

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.

Chemistry Students Use Solubility Guidelines to Determine Unknown Solutions (3-D Style)

Cellular Energetics in 3-D

Engaging Students with Whiteboards - Earth Science

Earth and Space Science 5E Lesson: 
What do students already know about weathering and erosion? (HS - ESS2-5)

A sort and classify activity is the perfect way to introduce students to using group whiteboards... lots of engagement and collaboration under the direction of guidance tasks provided by the teacher.

This particular activity comes from the New Visions Earth Science Curriculum, which has a lot of great 5E learning activities.

Image source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/b7/8c/43/b78c436d12d7c61576e6f8fade0b626b.jpg

More about the 5E Model of Inquiry: https://bscs.org/bscs-5e-instructional-model

More about New Visions for Public Schools - Curriculum and Instruction Projects

Earth Science Curriculum Homepage

Unit Plan - Landscapes & Surface Processes

3-D Lesson Regents Chemistry - Chromatography

Chromatography Whiteboard  Meeting

♫ Audio of Meeting

(The audio shows that you will go places you might not anticipate - but there is always an opportunity to learn - even for the teacher...)

3-D Lesson - Regents Chemistry - Distillation

3-D Chemistry Lesson - Using Distillation as a Phenomenon: 

HS-PS1-10; HS-PS3-1

 

This lesson is an example of curriculum adaptation -