Science in Cobb County

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Science in Cobb County

• Myths, Misconceptions, The Truth

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1. Students in grades K-2 should be learning
curriculum outlined in the Quality Core
Curriculum (QCC) and not GPS.
False

• K-2 students should be taught using the new GPS
  for science. Course guides, unit outlines, and
  lessons on PICASSO are all GPS based, not QCC.

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2. CCSD is implementing Science GPS in grades
3-5 in the 2006-2007 school year and grades K-2
during the 2007-2008 school year.
False

• CCSD is implementing K-5 GPS Science this school
  year, 2006-2007.

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3. Students in grades 1-5 will be asked to
complete a science section on this years CRCT.
False

• Students in grades 3-5 will be completing a
  science section on the CRCT.
• There are no plans, that we know of, to add a
  science section for 1st or 2nd grades.

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4. Students will have to make a certain score on
the science portion of the CRCT, in order for
schools to make AYP for the 2006-2007 school year.
False

• AYP will not be based on science CRCT scores for
  the 2006-2007 school year.

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5. The science and social studies departments
will be doing a program evaluation this year.
True

• Advanced Learning (ALP), Science, and Social
  Studies will all be completing a program
  evaluation this year.

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6. Students, Parents, Teachers, and
Administrators in grades K-12 will be asked to
complete a survey about the Science, SS, and ALP
programs.
True

• Teachers and administrators will be asked to
  complete an on-line survey.
• Parents and students (grades 3-12) will given a
  paper and pencil survey.

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7. The new science GPS has two different types of
standards, content standards and characteristics
of science standards.
True

• The content standards tell teachers what to
  teach.
• The characteristics of science standards tell
  teachers how to teach.

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8. It is important to teach specific lessons on
science process skills.
False

• Whenever possible it is best to teach process
  skills embedded into content. For example
  Integrate a lesson on how to use a magnifying
  glass into a lesson on types of soil.

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9. Links to the elementary science BLOG can be
found on PICASSO under each science course guide
on PICASSO.
True

• www.cicobb.typepad.com/es/ is the address for the
  BLOG.
• You can click under any science course guide to
  access the BLOG.
• You can also access the BLOG from the
  instructional resources tab.

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10. A teacher demonstration of a science concept
is just as powerful as having students do a
hands-on experiment.
False

• There is no substitute for allowing students to
  actually experience science. Student hands-on is
  the best way to help students learn a new concept.

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11. Teachers in any grade can reserve the Starlab
mobile planetarium to use with their students.
False

• Currently only trained teachers in grades 4, 6,
  8, and HS Astronomy can reserve the Starlab.
• We have five working Starlabs for 103 schools.
  We are doing to best we can to ensure that we
  accommodate all schools wanting to schedule the
  Starlab.

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12. Science consumable funds can be used to buy
resource books and bulletin board kits from the
School Box.
False

• Science consumable funds can be used to purchase
  hands-on science consumable items only.
• Office supplies, vertebrate animals, and
  bulletin board kits can not be purchased.

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13. JoAnn Wood is the new Social Studies
Supervisor and Sally Creel is the Science
Supervisor.
True

• Amy Krause is the Mathematics Supervisor.
• Jan Hollis is the new Language Arts Supervisor.
• Contact any of them or any of the literacy
  coaches or math facilitators if you have
  curriculum questions.

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True
14. CCSD has purchased AIMS resource books,
electricity kits, simple machine kits, and magnet
kits for each elementary school in the district.

• These resources are in your buildings. We want
  you to be aware that you have them.
• We hope to purchase even more GPS support
  materials this year.

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False
15. CCSD has purchased butterfly garden kits to
be used in all first grade classrooms.

• This is no longer a 1st grade standard.
• Life cycles have moved to 2nd grade. (Standard
  S2L1)
• All 2nd grade classrooms will be getting
  butterfly garden kits in March.

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16. The science course guides located on PICASSO
were based on the Harcourt science textbooks.
False

• CCSD teachers worked collaboratively to create
  the course guides on PICASSO, based on the new
  Georgia Performance Standards.
• Our Harcourt textbooks are a curriculum
  resource, not our curriculum.

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17. There are plans to revise the science course
guides on PICASSO over the summer.
True

• The 2006-2007 course guides will be revised over
  the summer.
• Teachers should continue to send their comments,
  ideas, concerns, and general feedback regarding
  the course guides to Sally Creel.

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False
18. During the 2nd 9 weeks students in first
grade will be learning about sound, light, and
shadows.
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True
19. Charting and discussing characteristics of
daily weather during calendar math, is a simple
way to integrate math and science instruction.

• To teach students standard S1E1, you can keep a
  weather chart and look for weather patterns.

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True
20. First grade students need to understand that
water in the solid form weighs the same as water
in liquid form. They should do an experiment to
prove this fact.
This exactly what students much understand to
master standard S1E2 c Determine that the
weight of water before freezing, after freezing,
and after melting stays the same.