Kindergarten - Gateway 3
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Usability
| Score | |
|---|---|
Gateway 3 - Meets Expectations | 92% |
Criterion 3.1: Teacher Supports | 9 / 10 |
Criterion 3.2: Assessment | 10 / 10 |
Criterion 3.3: Student Supports | 5 / 6 |
Criterion 3.4: Intentional Design |
The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet expectations for Gateway 3: Instructional Supports & Usability; Criterion 1: Teacher Supports meets expectations. Criterion 2: Assessment meets expectations. Criterion 3: Student Supports partially meets expectations. Criterion 4: Intentional Design incorporates evidence in narrative format.
Criterion 3.1: Teacher Supports
The program includes opportunities for teachers to effectively plan and utilize materials with integrity and to further develop their own understanding of the content.
The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet expectations for the Criterion 3a-3h: Teacher Supports. The materials provide teacher guidance with useful annotations and suggestions for enacting the materials, contain adult-level explanations and examples of the more complex grade-level concepts beyond the current grade so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject, include standards correlation information that explains the role of the standards in the context of the overall series, provide explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies, and provide a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities.
Indicator 3a
Materials provide teacher guidance with useful annotations and suggestions for how to enact the student materials and ancillary materials, with specific attention to engaging students in figuring out phenomena and solving problems.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet expectations for providing teacher guidance with useful annotations and suggestions for how to enact the student materials and ancillary materials, with specific attention to engaging students in figuring out phenomena and solving problems. The materials include teacher guidance at the beginning of each unit in the Curriculum Overview and Module Overview as well as guidance embedded in the lessons in the form of margin notes, callout boxes, and built-in guidance.
The Module Overview includes several sections that provide comprehensive guidance that supports implementation of the materials. These sections include: Phenomenon and Problems Storyline, the Module Alignment to NGSS, Assessment Map, Series Connections, Module Background Information, Common Naive Student Ideas, and Materials Management and Safety. These sections provide teachers with an overview of the module, how the module connects to the standards, how the module connects to other modules in the program, important science content information, and ideas about the science content that students may have.
Individual Lessons also include embedded guidance on a variety of elements for implementing the materials. The materials name the following types of margin notes, callout boxes, and lesson guidance: NGSS, Common Core, Good Thinking, Plan Ahead, Digital Resources, EL Strategies, Series Connections, Teacher Tips, Tech Tips, Guiding Questions, Safety Notes, and Class Period Breaks. These embedded supports provide teachers with things like guidance on what specific elements of the NGSS are being addressed, where students may have alternative ideas about the science content, how to accommodate for multilingual learners, safety considerations, and guiding questions that will help students make connections and understand content.
Example of a margin note providing embedded support:
In Kindergarten, Earth and Space Science, How Can We Be Ready For The Weather?, Lesson 8: Stormy Weather, the activity sequence includes a Teacher Tip callout box that states, “Remind students who act out lightning that thunder is the sound of lightning. Suggest students who act out snow think about how cold snow is.”
The digital version of the Kindergarten materials also includes a Digital Resources section that provides additional support for teachers. This includes professional learning videos that provide instruction on topics like integrating diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion in the classroom, the materials’ three-dimensional assessment system, and using student notebooks. There are also Teacher Resource Videos that walk the user through each lesson in the module and include video instructions on setting up classroom activities, examples of classroom activities, explanations of what students should do, samples of student work, and what students should be able to understand and do after each lesson.
Indicator 3b
Materials contain adult-level explanations and examples of the more complex grade/course-level concepts and concepts beyond the current course so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet expectations for containing adult-level explanations and examples of the more complex grade/course-level concepts and concepts beyond the current course so that teachers can improve their own knowledge of the subject.
Support for teachers’ understanding of science content is found in the Module Background Information section of the Module Overview at the beginning of each unit. This section includes narrative information that explains the relevant DCIs in adult terms. These explanations go beyond the DCIs as written and provide additional context and content that can help teachers improve their own knowledge of the subject. This section also includes a deeper analysis of the SEPs and CCCs that are included in the module. These explanations describe the SEPs and CCCs in detail, how their scientific meaning is different from the everyday meaning of the word, and what ideas students may have about them. The digital Kindergarten materials include the same information in the Module Background Information tab in the Module Overview tab of each module page.
Example of supports provided for teachers to develop their own understanding of more advanced, grade-level concepts and expected student practices:
In Kindergarten, Physical Science, How Can We Change An Object’s Motion?, the Module Background Information states, “Identifying a pattern may help students explain a phenomenon such as going to bed when it is dark outside in the winter and light outside in the summer. As students get older, they may be able to identify a pattern in a set of data. For this reason, the crosscutting concept of patterns is often used together with the science and engineering practice of analyzing and interpreting data.”
Example of supports provided for teachers to develop their own understanding of concepts beyond the current course:
In Kindergarten, Earth and Space Science, How Can We Be Ready For The Weather?, the Module Background Information states, “Earth’s daily temperatures are controlled by energy from the Sun. During the day, the Sun’s radiation causes both Earth’s atmosphere and surface to heat up. When light of any sort is absorbed by an object, thermal energy is transferred from the light to the object.”
Indicator 3c
Materials include standards correlation information, including connections to college- and career-ready ELA and mathematics standards, that explains the role of the standards in the context of the overall series.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten partially meet expectations for including standards correlation information, including connections to college- and career-ready ELA and mathematics standards, that explains the role of the standards in the context of the overall series. The materials provide many explanations of the connections and correlations to the NGSS at the series level, unit level, and lesson level. However, connections to standards for ELA and mathematics are only present at the lesson level.
NGSS correlations are present in a variety of locations and explain connections at different levels. At the series level, the Curriculum Overview section provides a curriculum framework for the series that shows which performance expectations are addressed in each grade level and each unit for the grade band. At the unit level, the Module Overview section includes several places that explain the connection to the NGSS. The Module Alignment to NGSS provides the module objectives and the performance expectations, DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs connected to those objectives. At the lesson level, the Assessment Map in the Module Overview provides the assessment objectives and associated DCI, SEP, and CCC elements for each individual lesson. The Lesson Planner at the beginning of each module provides similar information but only names the larger SEP or CCC and not the specific element. Additionally, NGSS margin notes embedded in the lessons provide guidance on what DCIs, SEPs, or CCCs are connected to specific portions of each lesson.
Example of a Lesson-Level Connection to the NGSS:
In Kindergarten, Physical Science, How Can We Change An Object’s Motion, Lesson 7: Wall Tests, the NGSS margin note states, “Carrying out investigations: Students make observations to collect data that will later be used to compare materials.”
Lesson-level connections to ELA and mathematics are located in the Lesson Planner for each module and as embedded guidance in the lessons. The Lesson Planner includes an ELA and Math Connections column that cites the Common Core standard connected to each lesson (e.g., “Language, Vocabulary acquisition and use (L.1.6)”), where applicable. Individual lessons also include Common Core margin notes that connect specific portions of a lesson to components in the Common Core (e.g., comprehension and collaboration, presentation of knowledge and ideas). There is a missed opportunity to make series-level connections to standards in ELA or mathematics.
Example of a Lesson-Level Connection to ELA and Mathematics
In Kindergarten, Earth and Space Science, How Can We Be Ready For The Weather?, Lesson 2: What Is Weather?, step 3 of the Getting Started procedure “Invite students to tell a shoulder partner about an experience they had with weather,” is accompanied by a “Presentation of knowledge and ideas” Margin Note.
Indicator 3d
Materials provide strategies for informing all stakeholders, including students, parents, or caregivers about the program and suggestions for how they can help support student progress and achievement.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten include opportunities for teachers to effectively plan and utilize materials with integrity and to further develop their own understanding of the content. Each module includes an accompanying Family Letter that is found in each module’s companion website. The letter provides the module title and information about the final module challenge, asks the family for feedback on the student experiences relevant to the module, and provides sample prompts family members can use to foster conversations at home about the module to provide student sensemaking. The digital materials for Kindergarten also include a Family Letter translated into Spanish.
Example of a Family Letter used to communicate to stakeholders:
In Kindergarten, Engineering Design, How Can We Stay Cool In The Sun?, parents are asked to list books students might know about engineers and to share a story about a hat that someone in the family wears in the sun. Questions are provided for parents to ask students during the module: “I hear you saw a video about a playground that was too hot to play on. Why did the playground get hot? How did you figure that out? Are you designing a solution for the hot playground problem? Tell me about your design. Why did you design it like that?”
Indicator 3e
Materials provide explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet expectations for providing explanations of the instructional approaches of the program and identification of the research-based strategies.
The beginning of each Module includes the same curriculum overview that describes and explains the instructional approaches of the program. This includes sections titled: Curriculum Framework, Designed for the NGSS, A Coherent Storyline, Centered on Student Ideas, Group Work, Literacy Integration, Support for All Students, Assessment, Home Connections, and Support for Implementation. Each section describes how that component contributes to the program’s instructional approach. For instance, the section titled A Coherent Storyline explains that the program was developed using backward design and started with bundles of performance expectations as the goal. The Curriculum Overview also includes a References section, and cites the relevant research throughout all sections of the Curriculum Overview.
Examples of how the materials identify research-based strategies that are used in the design:
In the Curriculum Overview, the Literacy Integration section states “Through the use of a science notebook, students will engage in the writing process…and write for a variety of purposes,” and cites Bollinger et al., 2012, Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers: A Practice Guide.
In the Curriculum Overview, the A Coherent Storyline section states “Multiple phenomena and problems are usually needed to fully cover the PEs in the bundle. Multiple phenomena and problems also spark the curiosity of a diverse group of students,” and cites Penuel, et al., 2017, Developing NGSS-Aligned Curriculum that Connects to Students' Interests and Experiences: Lessons Learned from a Co-design Partnership.
In the Curriculum overview, the Group Work section states “[Group work] can lessen individual competitiveness and develop problem solving skills,” and cites Lin, 2006, Cooperative Learning in the Science Classroom.
Indicator 3f
Materials provide a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet expectations for providing a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities. The Module Overview at the beginning of each module includes a list of all the materials needed for the entire module based on a class of 24 students and notes the quantity of each item needed per lesson. A second materials list includes items not supplied in pre-packaged module kits (e.g. chart paper, tape, computers, water, etc.) and in which lesson they are used.
In addition, each lesson includes a list of materials needed for the lesson, with a reminder for materials that need advance preparation, if needed (e.g., ice). Materials are listed as needed by the teacher, students, and/or groups of students.
Indicator 3g
Materials provide clear science safety guidelines for teachers and students across the instructional materials.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet expectations for providing clear science safety guidelines for teachers and students across the instructional materials. At the beginning of each unit, the Module Overview includes a Safety section that includes general guidelines for safety along with module specific considerations such as live materials handling, chemical information (with a QR code link to MSDS sheets), and a reproducible “Stay Safe! Contract” for students and parents to sign. The digital version of the Kindergarten materials include this information in the Materials Management and Safety tab that is part of the Module Overview.
When applicable, specific safety instructions are included at the lesson level within activity instructions in the printed teacher’s guide. These are in the form of a red call-out section labeled with a red exclamation bubble and “Safety”. These callouts are not included in the digital version of the Kindergarten materials.
Example of a lesson-level Safety note:
In Kindergarten, Physical Science, How Can We Change An Object’s Motion?, Lesson 2: Move That Ball, after instructions for Activity Step 3, a call-out states “Students should not share straws. They should put their mouth on and touch only their own straw.”
Indicator 3h
Materials designated for each grade are feasible and flexible for one school year.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten are feasible and flexible for one school year but do not provide guidance for adjusting instruction and/or pacing based on local contexts.
There are four modules in the Kindergarten materials and each module consists of 10 lessons. Most lessons are estimated to take 30 minutes, but some lessons span two days. The materials list how many class periods comprise each lesson in the lesson planner, but do not include a comprehensive pacing guide that provides the total number of class periods and expected duration of each module at a glance. However, based on the lesson planner, Kindergarten’s 56 anticipated class periods are feasible for a single year.
The materials do not contain any other pacing guidance or suggestions on how to modify instruction and/or pacing when there is not sufficient time to implement the full program.
Criterion 3.2: Assessment
The program includes a system of assessments identifying how materials provide tools, guidance, and support for teachers to collect, interpret, and act on data about student progress towards the standards.
The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet expectations for the Criterion 3i-3l: Assessment. The materials indicate which standards are assessed and include an assessment system that provides multiple opportunities throughout the courses to determine students' learning and sufficient guidance for teachers to interpret student performance and suggestions for follow-up. The materials also provide assessments that include opportunities for students to demonstrate the full intent of course-level standards and practices.
Indicator 3i
Assessment information is included in the materials to indicate which standards are assessed.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet expectations for providing assessment information to indicate which standards are assessed. All of the assessments in the materials are clearly tied to NGSS standards and elements in a variety of locations. Each unit includes an Assessment Map that is part of the Module Overview. The Assessment Map is a table that includes the type of assessment, the assessment objective, and the specific elements of the DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs associated with the assessment. Each lesson also includes an assessment section that provides a table with the assessment objectives, suggested assessed tasks, the associated elements of the DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs, and descriptions of indicators of success and difficulty.
Indicator 3j
Assessment system provides multiple opportunities throughout the grade, course, and/or series to determine students' learning and sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow-up.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet expectations for providing an assessment system with multiple opportunities throughout the grade to determine students' learning and sufficient guidance to teachers for interpreting student performance and suggestions for follow-up.
The materials provide multiple assessment opportunities per unit to assess student progression towards mastering the module objective. The assessment system includes four types of assessments: pre-assessments, checkpoint assessments, formative assessments, and summative assessments. Each lesson has at least one assigned assessment along with embedded student self assessments. Pre-assessment opportunities are provided for the beginning of a module and when the content of the lesson changes. Checkpoint assessments require students to make sense of a phenomenon or solve a problem by using all three NGSS dimensions and assess student understanding of the phenomenon or problem. Formative assessments include tasks that require students to use their skills and knowledge in complex ways and the tasks involved incorporate at least two and most often three of the NGSS dimensions. At the end of the module, students complete a summative assessment in the form of a science challenge (Life, Physical, and Earth and Space Science) or design challenge (engineering modules).
Each assessment, except the pre-assessment, includes supports for evaluating student performance. Formative, checkpoint, and summative assessments include a table with each assessed DCI, SEP, and CCC and a “look for” that teachers should see in student work to indicate their performance on the task.
All checkpoint and formative assessments include suggestions for remediation following the rubrics. The lesson procedures include the guidance to “Use the remediation strategy at the end of the lesson to provide additional support for students.” The remediation guidance provides specific ways to support students who struggled with the assessments. Remediation and follow-up guidance is not provided for summative assessments.
Example of Remediation Guidance:
In Kindergarten, Engineering Design, How Can We Stay Cool In The Sun?, Lesson 6: Design a Shade, the remediation guidance for the formative assessment is “If you anticipate some students will have difficulty making their physical model, meet with the teams, or have a teaching assistant or volunteer meet with the teams, before Lesson 6. Ask the team members to use their drawings and materials tables and describe their design. Pre-build parts of their design for them so that they can tape or glue the sections together during the activity.”
Indicator 3k
Assessments include opportunities for students to demonstrate the full intent of grade-level/grade-band standards and elements across the series.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet expectations for providing assessment opportunities for students to demonstrate the full intent of grade-level standards and elements across the series. The assessment system consistently provides three-dimensional assessments that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and mastery in a variety of ways. Pre-assessments, formative assessments, and checkpoint assessments are typically integrated into lesson activities. Across the assessments, students provide verbal explanations, discuss in whole-class and small-group settings, and produce artifacts such as models and drawings. Summative assessments are made of performance tasks where students work individually and collaboratively to explain or solve a novel phenomenon or problem. The assessments consistently integrate the three dimensions by requiring students to use crosscutting concepts as they model, construct an argument, provide an explanation, ask questions, and design solutions connected to the DCIs.
Indicator 3l
Assessments offer accommodations that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills without changing the content of the assessment.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten do not include assessments that offer accommodations that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills without changing the content of the assessment. However, the program uses the universal design approach where assessments are offered in multiple modalities (e.g. drawings with verbal responses), use a large font, and provide picture-based or simple text. In addition, Spanish materials are available both in print and digitally. The materials miss the opportunity to provide specific examples for access or accommodation for the assessments for disabled students or multilingual learners beyond Spanish speakers.
Criterion 3.3: Student Supports
The program includes materials designed for each student’s regular and active participation in grade-level/grade-band/series content.
The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten partially meet expectations for the Criterion 3m-3v: Student Supports. The materials provide strategies and supports for students in special populations to support their regular and active participation in learning grade-level science. The materials also provide multiple extensions and/or opportunities for students to engage with grade-level science at higher levels of complexity. While suggestions for multilingual learners appear consistently across lessons, they do not consistently provide the support necessary for multilingual learners to regularly participate in learning grade-level/grade-band science and engineering.
Indicator 3m
Materials provide strategies and supports for students in special populations to support their regular and active participation in learning grade-level/grade-band science and engineering.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet expectations for providing strategies and supports for students in special populations to support their regular and active participation in learning grade-level/grade-band science and engineering.
The materials include two main supports for students from special populations – suggestions for remediation after assessments and naive student ideas. Each formative and checkpoint assessment includes a suggestion for supporting students who struggle with the assessment. Each unit also includes a table of Common Student Naive Ideas in the Module Overview that lists possible misconceptions and things students may say that will help teachers identify the naive ideas. The majority of units cite Naive Ideas based on DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs. Naive ideas are also presented in the Lesson Planner at the beginning of each module, and embedded in individual lessons in Good Thinking callout boxes.
The materials also employ several strategies of universal design for learning to accommodate students’ individual needs, most typically for visually impaired students. This includes accommodations such as large, clear font and text-to-voice options for digital texts. There are also occasional Teacher Tip callout boxes that provide additional supports.
Examples of embedded support for students:
In Kindergarten, Life Science, What Do Plants And Animals Need To Live?, Lesson 8: Sidewalk Solutions, the materials include a Naive Idea where students may fixate on a single solution for the broken pavement and add on for teachers that students who are budding engineers will learn over time how to consider problems from different points of view.
In Kindergarten, Engineering Design, How Can We Stay Cool in the Sun?, Lesson 2: Warmer or Colder?, a Teacher Tip suggests the teacher carry materials to students who are unable to come to the materials station.
Indicator 3n
Materials provide extensions and/or opportunities for students to engage in learning grade-level/grade-band science and engineering at greater depth.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten meet expectations for providing extensions and/or opportunities for students to engage in learning grade-level science and engineering at greater depth. Except for Summative Assessments, each assessment is followed by suggested Remediation and Enrichment activities for teachers to implement based on students’ performance. The enrichment activities typically require students to apply DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs in novel situations and engage students in new or more complex thinking related to the lesson content. None of the enrichment activities simply add on additional work for advanced students. The materials also provide Extension activities that connect lesson content to new contexts, such as math, arts, or ELA. These extension activities do not always require more complex science. However, they are not limited to advanced students but provide all students with extension opportunities at the teacher’s discretion.
Example of an enrichment activity:
In Kindergarten, Physical Science, How Can We Change An Object’s Motion?, Lesson 2: Move That Ball, students develop models to show how the motion of a ball started with a push or pull. To further the lesson, the extension provided states ”Have students use a push or pull to start the ball’s motion. Then have them use a push or pull to try to stop or slow down the ball’s motion.”
Indicator 3o
Materials provide varied approaches to learning tasks over time and variety in how students are expected to demonstrate their learning with opportunities for for students to monitor their learning.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten include varied approaches to learning tasks over time and variety in how students are expected to demonstrate their learning with opportunities for students to monitor their learning.
The materials provide multiple multi-modal approaches to presenting and engaging with the material throughout the grade. Students engage with content by reading, listening to reading, watching videos, and making first-hand observations. Students participate and respond through writing, discussion, oral presentation, drawing, and building models. The materials also utilize a variety of participation structures and students engage in whole-group instruction and discussions, small-group work, and partner work. For instance:
In Kindergarten, Life Science, What Do Plants And Animals Need To Live?, Lesson 6: World of Webs, students observe a projection of a caterpillar web in a cup and discuss with a partner what they see. They share with the class what they heard their shoulder partner say and discuss what is happening in the photo. After viewing a live-view caterpillar cup, students draw the parts of the caterpillar’s habitat they can observe and label each part. Teachers facilitate a class discussion with guiding questions about what they have observed.
In Kindergarten, Earth and Space Science, How Can We Be Ready For The Weather?, Lesson 3: Making Sense with Models, students come together and share what they found out during their water investigation using a model of rain and wind. Students use what they have learned to draw where they should stand in relation to a building if they want to stay dry.
The materials also provide students with multiple opportunities to share, revise, and reflect on their thinking. Instruction typically begins with a phenomenon or problem, and students share or record their initial thinking on the phenomenon. They often return to the phenomenon or problem multiple times and adjust their thinking based on new activities or instruction. For instance:
In Kindergarten, Engineering Design, How Can We Stay Cool In The Sun?, Lesson 2: Warmer or Colder, students ask questions about the problem of it being too hot on the playground. After an investigation, students think back to the questions and take a class poll to decide how to determine how hot the playground is. In Lesson 3, after investigating how hot the playground is, students return to “Our Questions about the Problem Chart” and review the list to decide what to investigate next.
Indicator 3p
Materials provide opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten include opportunities for teachers to use a variety of grouping strategies.
Throughout the modules, lessons include teacher directions to have students work independently, in pairs, in small groups, or to conduct lessons as a whole class. Students frequently work with a partner for reading, turn-and-talks, brainstorming, conducting investigations, and designing solutions to problems. Examples include:
In Kindergarten, Life Science, What Do Plants And Animals Need To Live?, Lesson 8: Sidewalk Solutions, from a whole-class setting, students turn and talk to their shoulder partner about their observations from a picture. Then, the lesson resumes as a whole-class discussion.
In Kindergarten, Physical Science, How Can We Change An Object’s Motion?, Lesson 8: Design My Hockey Game, students work with a partner to develop and test the walls for their new hockey game. Then, pairs of students join another pair to create a group of four students to tell each other about their games. They are given sentence frames to guide the discussion.
Rationale for increased pair collaboration in Kindergarten is provided in the front matter of each teacher guide in the Curriculum Overview, Group Work section, citing that pair collaboration increases engagement as well as vocabulary use and development. Teacher guides provide clear instructions for what type of grouping to use for each activity within the activity’s instructions. However, there is a missed opportunity to provide guidance for teachers about needs-based pairing or grouping, or to offer adaptations for different student needs. Examples include:
In Kindergarten, the Curriculum Overview, Group Work, provides rationale for teachers about the importance of student group work. The rationale explains that scientists regularly work with others so engaging in structured collaboration is important for students. It explains that in lower elementary, students are often paired to provide increased opportunities for growth in communication skills and vocabulary use.
Teacher guidance is given to indicate when and how students should be grouped. This guidance comes throughout the lesson as applicable. Examples include:
In Kindergarten, Life Science, What Do Plants And Animals Need To Live?, Lesson 2: Making a Plant Plan, teacher guidance states, “Organize the class into groups of three.”
Indicator 3q
Materials provide strategies and supports for students who read, write, and/or speak in a language other than English to regularly participate in learning grade-level/grade-band science and engineering.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten partially meet expectations for providing strategies and supports for students who read, write, and/or speak in a language other than English to regularly participate in learning grade-level/grade-band science and engineering concepts/skills. Every lesson embeds support for multilingual learners with at least one EL Strategy callout box that provides guidance for multilingual learners. However, these strategies are typically generic and miss the opportunity to provide context-specific support.
EL Strategy callout boxes suggest a variety of strategies, including: using gestures, looking for verbal and non-verbal cues from EL students who have ideas to contribute, drawings, discussions in both home language and English, asking clarifying questions, visual instructions beyond written and oral, pairing bilingual students with English language learners, and grouping students with common home language. The EL Strategy callout boxes typically provide generic guidance that is repeated across lessons and do not provide strategies specific to the lesson. For instance, the wording of the suggested wait time strategy is the same each time it appears in the materials.
Examples of EL Strategy Callout Boxes:
In Kindergarten, Physical Science, How Can We Change an Object’s Motion?, Lesson 4: Paddle Tests, the EL Strategy callout box prompts teachers to provide step-by-step visual supports of what students need to do in the activity in case they have difficulty following written or auditory instructions.
In Kindergarten, Earth and Space Science, How Can We Be Ready For The Weather?, Lesson 4: Snow, Snow, Go Away, the EL Strategy prompts teachers to pair bilingual students with English language learners or group students with a common home language. As students sort images of a melting snowman from least melted to most melted, students are able to discuss the phenomenon in their own language before expressing their thoughts in English.
In Kindergarten, Life Science, What Do Plants and Animals Need to Live?, Lesson 3: Plant Patterns, the EL Strategy prompts teachers to avoid correcting “poor English.” It suggests that teachers ask students to clarify what they said and have other students rephrase what they heard the EL student say.
The materials also include features that are designed to support all students, including those who read, write, and/or speak in a language other than English. Sentence starters and sentence frames are provided for all students in multiple lessons across the series. The digital materials include vocabulary cards to support all students, including multilingual learners. The vocabulary cards include an image supporting the meaning of the word and teachers are encouraged to use the cards to create a word wall as vocabulary is introduced and defined.
Examples of features designed to support all students, including multilingual learners:
In Kindergarten, Life Science, What Do Plants and Animals Need to Live?, Lesson 6: World of Webs, students use sentence frames, including, “I think [one part] relates to [other part] .” to explain how different parts of a habitat are related to one another.
In Kindergarten, Earth and Space Science, How Can We Be Ready for the Weather?, Lesson 10: Let’s Hit the Trail, students use sentence frames including, “We decided to include in the backpack because ,” to explain their choice of supplies to include on a walk.
In Kindergarten, Engineering Design, How Can We Stay Cool in the Sun?, Lesson 4: The Shade’s the Thing, a Teacher Tip callout box tells teachers to, “Add the shade device vocabulary cards to a word wall after this lesson.”
Overall, there are general supports for students who are performing on grade level, but there is a missed opportunity to provide supports for beyond grade level for those who may exceed grade-level understanding of content but who may have limited English proficiency. There are also missed opportunities to provide guidance for teachers to identify students at various levels of language acquisition and to provide specific supports for multilingual learners at differing levels of English language acquisition. As a result, while suggestions for multilingual learners appear consistently across lessons, they do not consistently provide the support necessary for multilingual learners to regularly participate in learning grade-level/grade-band science and engineering.
Indicator 3r
Materials provide a balance of images or information about people, representing various demographic and physical characteristics.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten include a balance of images or information about people, representing various demographic and physical characteristics. The texts in the accompanying Smithsonian Science Stories include depictions from a range of ethnicities, genders, and demographics and content and stories connected to a range of cultures. This includes a range of people being positively depicted as scientists and engineers. There are also representations of a variety of family structures, including images of single-parent, two-parent, multi-generational, and multi-ethnic families. Examples include:
In Kindergarten, Earth and Space Science, How Can We Be Ready For The Weather?, Lesson 5: What are you Wearing?, the three readings from What’s the Weather? include images that depict groups of students of multiple ethnicities, genders, and ages.
In Kindergarten, Physical Science, How Can We Change An Object’s Motion?, Lesson 4: Paddle Tests, the teacher reads aloud “Court Surface Test” from Tennis Tests. The story describes how a sports engineer designs tennis courts and prepares for any type of player and includes an image of a male-presenting player in a wheelchair hitting a tennis ball.
Indicator 3s
Materials provide guidance to encourage teachers to draw upon student home language to facilitate learning.
The materials provide limited guidance to encourage teachers to draw upon student home language to facilitate learning. With at least one instance found in each lesson across the units, various strategies are suggested including: discussions in both home language and English, pairing bilingual students with English language learners, and grouping students with a common home language. Examples include:
In Kindergarten, Physical Science, How Can We Change An Object’s Motion?, Lesson 7: Wall Tests, the EL Strategy located in the callout box states, “Suggest students discuss content in both their native language and in English. This can help them become more familiar with the potential similarities between English and their native language.”
Additionally, for Spanish speakers, the digital materials include text and a text-to-speech reader in English and Spanish, Spanish versions of student-facing materials, and family letters for each unit. Vocabulary cards with images are also included to support English language learners. Translations are not available in other languages.
Indicator 3t
Materials provide guidance to encourage teachers to draw upon student cultural and social backgrounds to facilitate learning.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten include limited guidance to encourage teachers to draw upon student cultural and social backgrounds to facilitate learning. The materials primarily support teachers to draw upon students’ backgrounds and funds of knowledge through the Family Letters and when introducing phenomena and problems. The EL Strategy callout boxes also occasionally contain questions related to students’ cultural backgrounds. The materials do not provide overall guidance on drawing upon student cultural and social backgrounds.
Each module includes a Family Letter that is sent home at the beginning of the unit. The Family Letter is sent home and returned to gather background experiences with the science content and phenomenon and/or problem and provides students the opportunity to share their personal and cultural experiences. For example:
In Kindergarten, Life Science, What Do Plants And Animals Need To Live?, the Family Letter asks parents: “Is your child familiar with plants and the things they need to live and grow? Does your family care for plants and/or pets at home? Has your child had direct experience in nature and with insects?”
The materials also typically ask for students’ experience when introducing phenomena and problems. Sometimes the teacher prompts students for their experience and at other times this is embedded in the Ada Asks video that introduces the phenomenon and/or problem. For example:
In Kindergarten, Engineering Design, How Can We Stay Cool In The Sun?, Lesson 1: What’s the Problem?, the teacher asks students if they have ever heard the words “engineer” or “engineering.” Students share experiences of where or when they may have heard those words. Responses from the Family Letters may also be included in the discussion.
The EL Strategy callout boxes also occasionally include guidance for teachers to draw upon students’ cultural backgrounds. While the materials target these prompts to multilingual learners, the guidance is applicable to students of all backgrounds. For example:
In Kindergarten, Earth and Space Science, How Can We Be Ready For The Weather?, Lesson 2: What Is Weather?, the teacher invites students to, “tell a shoulder partner about an experience they had with weather” to activate prior knowledge and experience. This helps students activate memories and make sense of new information by seeing how it fits with what they already know.
Indicator 3u
Materials provide supports for different reading levels to ensure accessibility for students.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten include supports for different reading levels to ensure accessibility for students. Reading is primarily included through Smithsonian Science Stories. Lexile levels are provided for each reading in the Table of Contents. The Curriculum Overview in the front matter of each unit describes that each reader is, “carefully calibrated to grade-level appropriate Lexile measurements according to Common Core text complexity guidelines.” The digital versions of the texts have a text-to-speech function. However, this function is automated, headings and captions are read out of order, and the reading sometimes lacks fluency. The texts for Kindergarten are not offered at different Lexile levels, but the texts are primarily used as read-alouds by the teacher.
As an additional support, vocabulary card sets are available for all units. They are explained in the Teacher’s Guide in the Curriculum Overview to be used in supporting vocabulary acquisition for multilingual learners and struggling readers. These cards can also be used to create a word wall in the classroom for student access.
The materials also embed strategies to support comprehension into the lessons themselves. Reading is supported throughout each module by scaffolding expectations for students using read-alouds, comprehension prompts, jigsaw activities, annotation, discussion, and other strategies. Examples include:
In Kindergarten, Earth and Space Science, How Can We Be Ready For The Weather?, Lesson 8, Activity Steps 2-4, the teacher reads a letter from Ada to the class. Then, the teacher re-reads the letter from the beginning. Students think about what Ada is asking in the letter and they turn and talk to a shoulder partner about what they remember.
In Kindergarten, Physical Science, How Can We Change an Object’s Motion?, Lesson 4: Paddle Tests, the teacher reads a story called Tennis Tests about the best tennis racket. Students predict what makes the best racket during the reading and answer comprehension questions after the reading to recognize key ideas and details. Students then watch a video that shows the tennis racket testing machine that was described in the story.
Indicator 3v
This is not an assessed indicator in Science.
Criterion 3.4: Intentional Design
The program includes a visual design that is engaging and references or integrates digital technology (when applicable) with guidance for teachers.
The instructional materials reviewed for Kindergarten have narrative evidence for Criterion 3w-3z: Intentional Design. The materials have limited technology integrations, such as interactive tools and/or dynamic software, that engages students in grade-band learning in Kindergarten. The materials have a visual design that supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject, and is neither distracting nor chaotic. The materials do not include or reference digital technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other, as much of the collaboration is designed for in-person engagement.
Indicator 3w
Materials integrate interactive tools and/or dynamic software in ways that support student engagement in the three dimensions, when applicable.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten integrate limited interactive tools that support student engagement in the three dimensions when applicable. In a small number of lessons, students use digital simulations, interactive maps, or digital games to support sensemaking. Some of the interactive tools are used in the optional Extension activities. When digital tools are used, guidance for teachers is centered around the facilitation of the tools for students to use in context with the lesson. There are no options to customize simulations for local use. Examples include:
In Kindergarten, Earth and Space Science, How Can We Be Ready For The Weather?, Lesson 9: Planning a Visit, students use a simulation that shows the hazards associated with different types of storms and provides options for how someone could prepare for each storm. Students use the Storm Sort simulation to identify the types of storms that might be likely where Ada lives.
In Kindergarten, Physical Science, How Can We Change An Object’s Motion?, Lesson 10: Mini Golf Mystery Part 2, there is an extension activity where student pairs use a computer game and place walls inside mini-golf features to cause a ball pushed into one part of the feature to come out of the feature and go into a hole. The first hole is similar to the science challenge completed during the module lessons.
Indicator 3x
Materials include or reference digital technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other, when applicable.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten do not include or reference digital technology that provides opportunities for teachers and/or students to collaborate with each other, when applicable. The materials are consistently designed for in-person student collaboration.
Indicator 3y
The visual design (whether in print or digital) supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject, and is neither distracting nor chaotic.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten include visual design that supports students in engaging thoughtfully with the subject and is neither distracting nor chaotic. The printed student materials across the series are visually appealing and support thoughtful engagement in the subject. There are no distracting images or unnecessary designs. Color-coding is deliberate and helpful as are icons and call-out boxes that remain consistent across all modules.
Student materials are consistent in layout with minimal worksheets for each unit. They are clear with a title followed by instructions in a legible font. There is ample space for student work with boxes or other scaffolds drawn for student use. Where writing is necessary, wide spaced lines are provided. Graphics and icons are bold and easily recognizable. However, the difference between Activity Sheets and Notebook Sheets is not clearly marked for student use.
Student digital resources are offered on a separate website that houses links for the lesson videos and PDFs of images. Videos are hosted through YouTube and are easy to navigate. Simulation links are also hosted on a separate website and are easy to find with directions that are clear and visually appealing. The student digital resources are not linked on the teacher digital resources page and instead are found in a separate URL printed within the Teacher’s Guide.
The printed teacher guides are arranged uniformly across each module. Each guide includes: Curriculum Overview, Module Overview, Lesson Planner, Guide to Module Investigations, individual lesson plans, and blackline masters. Teacher guides consistently use clear, purposeful color coding and iconography.
Digital materials for Kindergarten are generally easy to navigate and visually similar to print materials with the same symbols and color coding. However, navigating through the digital resources may pose challenges because of inconsistent or unclear labeling and filtering.
Indicator 3z
Materials provide teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning, when applicable.
The materials reviewed for Kindergarten provide teacher guidance for the use of embedded technology to support and enhance student learning, when applicable. Every lesson contains a Preparation Section that tells teachers which digital resources should be used and how to prepare them for each lesson. There is also teacher guidance around using the simulations or videos and how to facilitate the related activities. It offers suggestions for how to assist students with the outcomes (making observations, asking questions, collecting data, discussions, etc). It also includes suggestions for how students should view the technology (as a class, in pairs, repeated viewings, when to stop the video, etc). Examples include:
In Kindergarten, Life Science, What Do Plants And Animals Need To Live?, Lesson 4: What’s on the Menu?, the teacher plays the Ada Asks Caterpillar video. The video is interrupted as soon as Ada begins to explain how to take care of the caterpillars. Teachers are directed to replay it multiple times until students realize the information they need is missing. This engages the students in figuring out what caterpillars need to live and grow in order to construct an argument using evidence to support a claim about what caterpillars need to live.