All Middle School resources

Journal Article

Designing Performance-Based Assessments that Engage!

Rather than feel stressful for students, an assessment should feel like a celebration of learning. Performance-based assessments allow students to demonstrate their understanding of one or more standards by accomplishing tasks that are engaging and f...

By Katie Coppens

Middle School Assessment Pedagogy Teaching Strategies

Journal Article

Introducing Engineering Aims and Values through Rover Wheel Design

Engineering activities often emphasize the practices of engineers, but pay less attention to aspects of the nature of engineering. One important aspect of the nature of engineering is an understanding of the aims and values that underlie engineers’...

By Jerrid Kruse, Isaiah Kent-Schneider, Dan Chibnall, Sarah Voss, Emma Marie, Bridgid Miller, Jayme Scheck

Middle School Earth & Space Science Engineering STEM Technology

Blog Post

The Final Push to Be Ready for the April 8 Solar Eclipse: Ways to Be a Resource to Your Community

By Dennis Schatz, Andrew Fraknoi, and Flavio Mendez

Kindergarten Elementary Middle School High School Informal Education Astronomy Earth & Space Science

Journal Article

Growing Beyond Earth: Cultivating 21st century science exploration

Citizen Science column for the Jan/Feb 2024 Science Scope Journal...

Middle School Astronomy Citizen Science Earth & Space Science Life Science Technology

Journal Article

Discover student thinking while analyzing data…and having fun! (Data Literacy 101)

Our students rarely practice data skills with data not related to our science content, which makes sense given all we must teach. But always asking our students to succeed at the data skill move (e.g., graphing, analyzing, interpreting) and the conte...

Middle School Literacy Sensemaking Three-Dimensional Learning

Journal Article

The Science Practice of Modeling as a Sensemaking Tool

Does the scientific practice of modeling actually support students in making thinking visible? Middle school teachers can build from the work of 12 K–8 teachers who wanted to learn how the practice of modeling is developed across grades and analy...

By , ,

Middle School Pedagogy Sensemaking Teaching Strategies Three-Dimensional Learning

Journal Article

Exploring Socioscientific Issues through Evidence-Based Argumentation with MEL Diagrams

Critical thinking skills are best taught as students participate in the scientific practice of argumentation. When engaged in scientific argumentation students are expected to engage in active listening and social collaboration through the process o...

Middle School Equity Inclusion Interdisciplinary Teaching Strategies Three-Dimensional Learning

Journal Article

Making Scientific Sensemaking Visible

Many teachers and schools are coming to recognize the importance of sensemaking in the science classroom. But what does an NGSS-informed sensemaking lesson look like in practice, and how might our students respond to this shift in our instruction? Th...

Middle School Crosscutting Concepts Disciplinary Core Ideas Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Practices Sensemaking Three-Dimensional Learning

Journal Article

Promoting Sensemaking Through an Impactful Instructional Sequence

A valuable framework for promoting sensemaking includes the convergence of two independent ideas: (1) the focus of modern education on teaching for understanding and transfer, and (2) a purposeful sequence of instruction with those ends in mind. In ...

By ,

Middle School 5E Crosscutting Concepts Disciplinary Core Ideas NGSS Science and Engineering Practices Sensemaking