Teachers’ instructional planning is focused on the learning targets, as they are the end goal for students. Learning targets are the path students will take to master the standards. Targets do not represent pacing and teachers are cautioned to not view each target as the objective for a single day of instruction. These learning targets guide teachers in selecting materials and resources to use in the classroom. Following class- room experiences, students should be able to fully address the target, confidently saying “ I can do what this learning target asks of me. ” Learning Experiences Learning experiences are not lesson plans but descriptions of what students should encounter in biology class. These strategies are not intended to provide a detailed list of everything that should happen in a biology class. However, they will give educators an idea of the kinds of experiences that would meet the learning targets. Learning experiences are described broadly, focusing on the verbs of instruction – investigating, constructing, proposing, testing. This approach provides teachers flexibility in how they structure classroom experiences aimed at specific types of thinking students must engage in to meet the target and ultimately the standard. These learning experiences are written in student-centered language, painting a clear picture of what students will be doing, thinking, building, and writing. This represents the clear shift in instructional focus called for by the new COS. For teachers, this shift requires thinking of lesson planning in new ways focused on building experiences where students actively wrestle with concepts, leading and being responsible for their own learning. In modern biology classrooms, teachers function as facilitators of student inquiry, providing opportunities to experience science concepts in real-world contexts. Teacher Resources The Teacher Resources in the Compendium are not intended as an exhaustive list of required activities or labs. Instead, they are a compilation of resources that have been evaluated for alignment to the new COS, providing teachers with a set of quality resources that are appropriate for meeting the learning targets. Included are in-depth multi-day investigations, probing strategy options, reading passages, video resources, web-based simulations, and short descriptions of teaching strategies. It is not expected that teachers would use every resource from the list to meet the target. The listed resources serves as a menu of options for building the experiences described for students, with teachers selecting the option(s) that best meet the needs of individual classrooms.
Modifying instruction to meet the new COS is challenging. Gone are the days when a single lab activity could check a box and fulfill an objective. In that light, no single resource provides mastery of any biology standard, and educators must think about how to deploy resources differently. In the Compendium, specific resources may appear in multiple places. These resources address multiple learning targets and support mastery of aspects of more than one standard. Alternatively, a resource may only address some aspects of a standard, and additional effort may be required of the teacher to bring all three dimensions of learning into any given lesson.
Page Example:
Learning Targets
Learning Experiences
Misconceptions
V Cells are not made of atoms. V Biological materials
1 I can describe the particles that compose an atom and relate these particles to types of chemical bonding such as covalent, ionic, and hydrogen and describe Van der Waals forces. 2 I can identify patterns in the elements that compose each macromolecule and the arrangement of mono- mer units in carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. (1)
Active learning strategies re-acquaint students with basic chemistry con- cepts from prior science courses, such as elements, atomic structures and types of bonding. Sample strategies are included in the resource list. Students also review the four mac- romolecules that compose life and identify the elements that compose the monomer subunits that combine to form each macromolecule polymer. The focus of this introductory experi- ence is to review general biochemistry knowledge rather than a deep dive into detailed content.
are not made of matter.
Teacher Tip The intent of these learning targets is to review basic chem-
istry concepts during the first few days of school. The targets can be incorporated into other first days of school activities.
Teacher Resources
Dogs Teach Chemistry — YouTube This video clip uses cute dogs to review simple chemistry concepts. bit.ly/dogs-teaching-chemistry
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A Field Guide to the Alabama Standards
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The Biology Compendium
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