tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post8870226678257696144..comments2024-03-21T05:30:03.220-04:00Comments on Science teacher: NGSS and food: starving for accuracydoylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901661320505882735noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-5802916400196412172014-10-15T15:30:42.826-04:002014-10-15T15:30:42.826-04:00Dear Tom,
Swamped as I am with SGOs, UbDs, and ot...Dear Tom,<br /><br />Swamped as I am with SGOs, UbDs, and other acronyms that nip at my heels by day (and in dreams by night), I do not have the luxury to spend the time you deserve on a more nuanced response, so here's the brief version:<br /><br />I love the thrust of the NGSS, and yes, I critiqued a single statement. The language perpetuates the myth that sunlight is converted into food.<br /><br />Yes, a teacher with a solid background in science will not get this wrong. Too many of our teachers (at all levels) have misguided understandings on how the natural world works.<br /><br />It's a simple enough thing to fix the language. That way this cranky science teacher can spend more time pondering the mysteries of New Jersey SGOs and NSTA folks can spend more time teaching elementary teachers where food comes from.doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12901661320505882735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-49166702663846840642014-10-15T14:28:00.090-04:002014-10-15T14:28:00.090-04:00This post critiques one statement in Appendix E of...This post critiques one statement in Appendix E of the NGSS (a grade 3-5 progression statement: Energy can be “produced,” “used,” or “released” by converting stored energy. Plants capture energy from sunlight, which can later be used as fuel or food.).<br /><br />I'd like to look for more evidence in the NGSS grade 3-5 standards, and I'd like to invite a reexamination of the claims in this post related to the words "food" and "energy," and especially the claim made about whether NGSS has "given thousands of elementary teachers permission to keep getting this wrong."<br /><br />The way that educators use standards is pretty important. NGSS is calling for us to integrate three dimensions, and build coherence within and across grade levels. We are cautioned against viewing standards as checklists, and/or treating the three dimensions as separate pieces. I'd like to RE-contextualize the statement in Appendix E,looking at several related parts of the NGSS to more carefully understand that one statement.<br /><br />When I consider (1) the whole set of statements in the PS3.D progression, and (2) the numerous details of the grade 3-5 standards (Performance Expectations and their supporting Disciplinary Core Ideas), I do NOT come to the same conclusion that NGSS is perpetuating misconceptions that arise from a conflict between the everyday and scientific uses of the words, "food" and "energy." Consider this greater body of evidence, and see what you think...<br /><br /><b><i>Progressions (Appendix E)</i></b><br />Here's the complete NGSS progression, PS3.D - Energy in chemical processes and everyday life:<br />K-2: Sunlight warms Earth’s surface.<br />3-5: Energy can be “produced,” “used,” or “released” by converting stored energy. Plants capture energy from sunlight, which can later be used as fuel or food.<br />6-8: Sunlight is captured by plants and used in a reaction to produce sugar molecules, which can be reversed by burning those molecules to release energy.<br />9-12: Photosynthesis is the primary biological means of capturing radiation from the sun; energy cannot be destroyed, it can be converted to less useful forms.<br /><br /><b><i>Grades 3-5 NGSS Standards</i></b><br />Here are the details found in the specific Standards, Performance Expectations, and Disciplinary Core Ideas (grades 4 and 5):<br /><br />Grade 4, from the Standard 4-PS3 Energy:<br />DCIs that support the Standard:<br />PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and EnergyTransfer<br />Light also transfers energy from place to place. (4-PS3-2)<br /><br />PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life<br />The expression “produce energy” typically refers to the conversion of stored energy into a desired form for practical use. (4-PS3-4)<br /><br />Grade 5, from the Standard 5-PS3 Energy:<br />Performance Expectation 5-PS3-1: Use models to describe that that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun. <br />[Clarification Statement: Examples of models could include diagrams, and flow charts.]<br /><br />...and the DCIs that support the Standard 5-PS3 Energy:<br />PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life<br />The energy released [from] food was once energy from the sun that was captured by plants in the chemical process that forms plant matter (from air and water). (5-PS3-1)<br /><br />LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms<br />Food provides animals with the materials they need for body repair and growth and the energy they need to maintain body warmth and for motion. (secondary to 5-PS3-1)Tom Hathornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01664464903649938988noreply@blogger.com