My son was recently invited to participate in an area Eco-Meet. They chose three fourth grade gifted students and two fifth grade students from each of the participating districts to make up that district’s team. This is quite the inquiry based science event, it seems! Each team member received a packet about an inch thick of materials they need to study to prepare. Additionally, they will be working with the gifted and talented teacher, who is the coach, each week leading up to the event in mid-May.

The Eco-Meet is a day long event held at a local park high above the Mississippi River. The park rangers and Army Corps of Engineers will involve the students in activities and presentations on different subjects, including Fish of the Mississippi. After each event, the teams will take a test. The tests will be graded and winners announced.

Volunteers, university students, scientists, engineers, other STEM professionals and, more broadly, members of the community are working together with educators and students to bring discovery-based science experiences to students in grades K-12."

There will be a nationwide celebration of this in early May with activities across the country. If you click on the "Projects" tab, you'll find that projects are posted from literally one end of the country to the other: Alaska to Florida, and California to Virginia. What a great way to encourage inquiry based science and the use of elementary school science textbooks, middle and high school chemistry and physics textbooks that use that learning model!

Kendall Hunt supports National Lab Day, so don't forget to check out all our inquiry based science programs! I'll keep you posted on what's coming up in the May celebration!
 

Remember, when you were a student? Didn’t you always wonder what was behind those mysterious doors labeled “Faculty Lounge?” I did. Well, Kendall Hunt Publishing now has a slightly different version of the faculty lounge. It’s where we’re putting all sorts of goodies on sale. And as we continue to build the lounge, you’ll not only find everything from elementary school textbooks to high school science textbooks on sale, you’ll find articles about our different specialties, including inquiry based science and talented and gifted resources.

Check it out here when you have a chance!

I guess it’s not THAT big a sale, but we do have some special pricing on classroom combo packs for our BSCS Science Track and Insights, our elementary school science textbooks and programs. Most classroom packs include a teacher’s guide, some student books, sometimes a lab kit; it varies by program and module. You can find them here: http://www.kendallhunt.com/insights and here: http://www.kendallhunt.com/tracks. Check them out and save some money!

NSTA’s NCSE (National Science Teachers Association’s National Conference on Science Education is getting closer! NSTA events always offer great opportunities for those of us in science text book publishing to share our outstanding inquiry based science programs. The NCSE is no exception. Whether it’s a high school biology textbook, a high school physics textbook, teacher edition textbooks, or any other science resource, we’ll be there ready to share our best work. See you there!
 

I’m wondering about the differences in public school textbooks versus those used in private and parochial schools. Do most private schools use different elementary school textbooks, or high school science textbooks than the surrounding public schools? 

This is something we’re talking about a lot here at Kendall Hunt as we’re expanding our offerings for private and parochial schools. It’s a good point, what’s the added value to paying for private school if the textbooks are the same? Of course I know there are other reasons people send their children to private school: religious considerations, class size, special classes, and many others; but wouldn’t it be an even greater incentive to tell parents, “Yes, we have a curriculum we designed ourselves, around the educational philosophy of our school.

KH has been publishing Pathways, a reading program used in Seventh Day Adventist schools, for several years now, and we will soon be publishing an elementary school science program to accompany it. We’re working on several other exciting projects too, so if you have a chance, take a look at our private & parochial school offerings!
 

Well, Kendall Hunt Publishing is for sure! And we’re taking some of our top authors, including Kelly Deters, author of Kendall Hunt Chemistry! So if you want to learn more about inquiry based science, any of our high school science textbooks and programs, or perhaps you’re interesting in discussing science textbook publishing with one of our reps, stop by and see us at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, March 18-21. And find out all about the special events planned by checking our convention schedule here.

If you have begun looking at elementary school science textbooks, many publishers create programs which have the illusion of inquiry in an effort to meet NSES. Few truly understand that inquiry is more than providing a hands-on activity. Biological Science Curriculum Study (BSCS) developed the 5e learning cycle, found in most of its Prek-12 curriculum, in an effort to prove student the opportunity to learn science through true inquiry.  

The 5e learning cycle is an instructional design model that defines a learning sequence based on the on the experiential learning philosophy of John Dewey and the  experiential learning cycle proposed by David Kolb. Attributed to Roger Bybee of BSCS , the model presents a framework for constructivist learning theories and can be effectively used in teaching science.

The model

Engage

Here the task is introduced. Connections to past learning and experience can be invoked. A demonstration of an event, the presentation of a phenomenon or problem or asking pointed questions can be used to focus the learners' attention on the tasks that will follow. The goal is to spark their interest and involvement.

Explore

Learners should take part in activities that allow them to work with materials that give them a 'hands on' experience of the phenomena being observed. Simulations or models whose parameter can be manipulated by learners, so that they can build relevant experiences of the phenomena, can be provided. Questioning, sharing and communication with other learners should be encouraged during this stage. The teacher facilitates the process.

Explain

The focus at this stage is on analysis. The learner is encouraged to put observations, questions, hypotheses and experiences from the previous stages into language. Communication between learners and learner groups can spur the process. The instructor may choose to introduce explanations, definitions, mediate discussions or simply facilitate by helping learners find the words needed.

Elaborate/Extend

Using the understanding gained in the previous stages, now learners should be encouraged build and expand upon it. Inferences, deductions, and hypotheses can be applied to similar or real-world situations. Varied examples and applications of concepts learned strengthen mental models and provide further insight and understanding.

Evaluate

Evaluation should be ongoing and should occur at all stages, in order to determine that learning objectives have been met and misconceptions avoided. Any number of rubrics, checklists, interviews, observation or other evaluation tools can be used. If interest in a particular aspect or concept is shown, further inquiry should be encouraged and a new cycle can begin that builds upon the previous one. Inquiries may branch off and inspire new cycles, repeating the process in a spiraling fractal of interrelated concepts, where instruction is both structured and yet open to investigation.

I thought I'd share a little more information on our outstanding Professional Development department. They have recently become an affiliate of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is the leading advocacy organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into education.  The organization brings together the business community, education leaders, and policy makers to define a powerful vision for 21st century education to ensure every child's success as citizens and workers in the 21st century by providing tools and resources to help facilitate and drive change.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills Professional Development Affiliate Program equips individuals and organizations with resources and assistance in integrating 21st century skills into their professional development practice.
Kendall Hunt is a professional development affiliate of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills which supports the integration of 21st century skills into all aspects of teaching and learning.

Kendall Hunt's Professional Development experts can help with training and support for any of our programs, including our talented and gifted resources, and our science programs, from elementary school science textbooks, through our high school chemistry and physics programs. Check out what they can offer you!

Last week I was part way through reading the sample chapter from our high school physics textbook, Physics That Works, which is available for download from our website here. So, I’m reporting back now that I’ve read the chapter from start to finish, all 23 pages of it. I really enjoyed it, and I learned a bunch of new things, including the difference between average speed and average velocity. I love all the callouts, Did You Know blurbs, the Focus Questions, and the integrated activities which seem like such a natural progression. It’s really quite engaging, for a high school science textbook (!) and I can see how the inquiry based science concepts are built right in and carry throughout the unit.

Now, I realize no one asked for a review (let alone and uneducated review) of PTW, but it’s pretty interesting to look at these books as an adult and see how the inquiry based science structure can make a difference in the way students learn.

What does inquiry science mean to you and your students? How does it differ from, say elementary school science textbooks to high school science textbooks? Obviously the levels, intensity, etc. are vastly different. But do you do inquiry based science differently in third grade than tenth? These are some questions I’d love to hear from teachers about.

I was looking at A Human Approach, one of our high school biology textbooks the other day and thinking about my high school biology textbook, which I happen to remember because I LOVED biology, and wondering how much textbooks had changed over the years. It seems like today’s high school science textbooks, and I guess, textbooks in general, have much more visual organization and interest, for one thing. And it’s obvious that the activities and the pedagogy are so much more engaging to students. I found myself being drawn in pretty quickly. Offhand, I would think that’s all good, right?

So, we learned today that our Middle School Life Science program, which is just out in its new edition, has won the Peoples Choice Award at the Chicago Book Clinic and Media Show! It's a given that we all think our inquiry based science programs, ranging from primary school textbooks to high school science textbooks are great, but this award confirms it because the award is given by publishing professionals.

The Chicago Book Clinic, founded in 1936, encourages excellence in publishing by providing a platform for educational, social & professional interaction of its members. Its members are professionals in book and media publishing, printing, editorial, design, and all business aspects of the industry.

Middle School Life Science meets the needs of all students better than most science programs because it is designed around the learning cycle--that is, concepts are introduced with hands-on experiences and then developed through discussions, mini-lectures, and/or readings. This approach provides the concrete experiences that are so important for students with learning disabilities while also providing the solid science experiences that can motivate gifted students.
 

About EDC

The Center for Science Education (CSE) is a division of Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC). CSE’s roughly 35 staff members comprise a diverse group of professionals—scientists, science educators and administrators, curriculum writers and developers, policy analysts, journalists, social and educational researchers, and educational program evaluators. We count among our staff experts who have an almost unrivalled depth of experience in the improvement of science education, here and abroad, and authors who have created some of the most highly regarded science instructional materials in the field. Together, our CSE team develops and supports projects and programs that are internationally recognized for their innovative approaches to the teaching and learning of science.

From after-school science programs to teacher mentoring to research into pedagogy, CSE’s work covers a broad range of science education initiatives. Most often, our initiatives fall into the following three categories:

• Research and evaluation of such facets of science education as inquiry teaching, teacher retention, capacity building, and the sustainability of reform efforts
• Professional development and technical support programs—online, and in-person—to encourage leadership and to build the capacity of teachers and administrators
• Development of science instructional materials, resources, and tools both for use in school for grades preK–12 and out of school

Working with funders, foundations, and corporations, we identify needs in the science education community and respond with programs and initiatives. Through this work, we develop resources and publications, provide customized services and support, and conduct comprehensive research and evaluation studies covering topics such as assessment, curriculum implementation, leadership, literacy, and that cover all grade levels—early childhood through high school.

Instructional Materials

Since 1958, EDC has produced high-quality science instructional materials. An in-depth understanding of education and scientific research and knowledge about how students learn and teachers teach continues to provide the foundation for all of our curricula.
Our materials are not only about students; they also support teachers. We acknowledge the professionalism of teachers by offering strategies to enhance their own skills and knowledge in science teaching and learning.

All of our curricula reflect the National Science Education Standards, adapted to the needs and interests of all students. They have been extensively pilot- and field-tested in classrooms across the country. All of our materials reflect:

• a focus on depth of understanding, rather than breadth of information.
• academically rigorous content framed in contexts relevant to students’ lives.
• a focus on scientific thinking and reasoning through a careful balance of direct experience with phenomena, use of secondary resources, discourse, and writing.
• close attention to the needs of a diverse student body.
• the use of formative assessment to guide instruction and learning.

We know that knowledge of science has many facets and to attain science literacy, students must master the concepts of subject matter, understand the nature of scientific inquiry, and gain insight into the many ways scientific knowledge affects them and their world.

Have you been reading Susan Rusts’ posts here? She’s been taking us through the essential features of inquiry based science one step at a time. I always thought I knew what inquiry based science was - you know, hands-on, engaging, get students to actually “do” science. But Susan’s posts really describe the nitty gritty of what’s makes science truly inquiry based. 

Step by step it’s become clearer to me how each of these features, when incorporated in a high school chemistry textbook or in elementary school science textbooks can help students develop a real understanding of science. What could be more important in science class than that? I’ll be awaiting the next feature, Susan!

Here at Kendall Hunt Publishing we talk about inquiry based science a lot. But even I didn’t realize how cool some of our inquiry based science programs are until I was going through a couple of them looking for some specific information the other day. For instance, our Forensic Science for High School program isn’t typical of high school science textbooks. It not only teaches elements of chemistry, physics, math, technology, life science and social studies, making it truly multidisciplinary, it has a great website with really engaging virtual labs letting students engage in the same types of activities they can see on the popular crime scene investigation shows. I would have LOVED a high school science textbook/program like this when I was in school!
 

Then I looked through Kendall Hunt Chemistry, again, not your typical high school chemistry textbook. Now, to be honest, I barely passed chemistry, and we had open book, open note tests! It wasn’t for lack of intelligence (at least I don’t think it was!), but is was just…so…DULL. I was completely uninterested in it. But much of how we learned was from the book, and when we were in the lab, the experiments were rarely about anything that had any application to my life at that point. But when I looked at KH Chemistry, one of the first things I saw was the Alka Seltzer™ Cannon. What? A cannon? In Chemistry class? AAAAWESOME! ---was all I could think (yes, my thoughts often sound like those of a 14 year-old boy). I want to do it. In the process I’ll apparently learn about acids and bases. All I need is an empty film canister, water, and an Alka Seltzer™. Assuming I don’t put my eye out (always wear eye protection, kids!), I’ll let you know how it goes when I try it this weekend!