phd science curriculum

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• PhD Science Curriculum Support

PhD Science Product Components

In this article, we'll review the product components of PhD Science:

Teacher Edition

Science logbook.

• Material Kits

Module Overview and Appendices

The Teacher Edition begins with a module overview, which contains an introduction to the anchor phenomenon, an explanation of how the module lessons address the phenomenon, a module map, focus standards, key terms, information about the preparation of materials, safety considerations, a summary of knowledge and skills built across levels, and professional resources for teachers. Each module contains approximately 25 to 30 lessons organized into two to four concepts that help students make sense of an anchor phenomenon. Each concept contains lesson sets that develop key conceptual understandings.

At the end of each module’s Teacher Edition, appendices provide support for teachers before and during instruction.

• Appendix A : Module Resources—a set of lesson-specific resources to aid instruction: full-size photographs, informational texts, investigation procedure sheets, materials preparation, and supplemental information
• Appendix B : Module Storyline—a more detailed version of the Module Map section in the Module Overview that summarizes the progression of concepts in the module
• Appendix C : Module Glossary—level-appropriate definitions for new terms in the module and the lesson in which the definition appears
• Appendix D : Domain-Specific Words, General Academic Words, and Spanish Cognates—a list of key terms in the module and their Spanish cognates to support English language development

Lesson Sets

Lesson sets consist of 35-minute lessons in Kindergarten through Level 2 and 45-minute lessons in Levels 3 through 5. The lessons in each lesson set are grouped by specific phenomena. This structure and the pacing suggestions in each lesson’s Agenda give students flexibility to explore phenomena and analyze their findings to arrive at conceptual understandings.

All lesson sets have a Prepare section, which contains the following information:

• Opening Paragraph : a brief introduction to the lesson set and its three-dimensional learning
• Focus Question : a question that guides learning throughout the concept (remains the same throughout a concept)
• Phenomenon Question : a question that guides learning throughout the lesson set (changes with each lesson set)
• Knowledge Statement : a statement that reflects the scientific understanding students will develop during a lesson set (to guide teachers, not to post for students)
• Objectives : learning outcomes for each lesson (to guide teachers, not to post for students)
• Standards Addressed : a summary of the focus Performance Expectation(s), SEPs, DCIs, and CCs the lesson set addresses
• Materials : a list of materials needed for each lesson, including necessary preparation (includes optional materials and substitutions where applicable) 

Each lesson is organized into these sections:

• Launch : the lesson opening, which engages students as they begin thinking about the lesson phenomenon
• Learn : the heart of the lesson, during which students develop new knowledge and apply prior knowledge to explore phenomena
• Land : the lesson closing, in which students reflect on what they have learned
• Optional Homework : suggestions for applying and extending science learning in students’ homes and communities (does not occur in every lesson).

The Science Logbook is a consumable student resource. It enables students to record evidence and to document their learning. In most lessons, students use their logbooks to develop models or record observations, predictions, data analysis, explanations, claims, and other information as they complete scientific tasks.

Materials Kits

PhD Science provides hands-on experiences that enable students to engage in science activities that align with the SEPs. Materials kits that support these experiences are available for purchase through Great Minds and sourced by an external supplier. These specially designed kits contain the supplies needed to implement the PhD Science investigations and activities in all four modules of each level. Organized by module, the materials kits arrive in bins that can store reusable materials from year to year. Refill kits are available to replace consumable supplies. Optional safety kits containing goggles and latex-free gloves are also recommended and available for purchase. Each lesson set contains a list of necessary materials and a summary of required materials preparation.