Dig It!

An Earth and Space Science Unit for High-Ability Learners in Grade 3

Clg Of William And Mary/Ctr Gift Ed

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000492248
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Dig It!, a third-grade Earth and space science unit, encourages students to investigate humanity's effects on the environment and the importance of conserving natural resources. The unit builds upon students' prior knowledge and the overarching concept of change by providing opportunities to relate local examples of environmental pollution and conservation with hands-on scientific experiments and demonstrations. Dig It! was developed by the Center for Gifted Education at The College of William and Mary to offer advanced curriculum supported by years of research. The Center's materials have received national recognition from the United States Department of Education and the National Association for Gifted Children, and they are widely used both nationally and internationally.Each of the books in this series offers curriculum that focuses on advanced content and higher level processes. The science units contain simulations of real-world problems, and students experience the work of real science by using data-handling skills, analyzing information, and evaluating results. The mathematics units provide sophisticated ideas and concepts, challenging extensions, higher order thinking skills, and opportunities for student exploration based on interest. These materials are a must for any teacher seeking to challenge and engage learners and increase achievement.Grade 3

Part I: Unit Overview

DOI: 10.4324/9781003234692-1

Introduction to the Clarion Units

DOI: 10.4324/9781003234692-2

The Project Clarion Science Units for Primary Grades introduce young students to science concepts, science reasoning, and scientific investigation processes. Macroconcepts, such as systems or change, help students connect understanding of science content and processes. The units use a hands-on, constructivist approach that allows children to build their knowledge base and their skills as they explore science topics through play and planned investigations. Students are engaged in creative and critical thinking, problem finding and solving, process skill development, and communication opportunities. Conceptual understanding is reinforced as units strengthen basic language and mathematical concepts, including quantity, direction, position, comparison, colors, letter identification, numbers, counting, size, social awareness, texture, material, shape, time, and sequence.

Introduction to the Dig It! Unit

Dig It!, a third-grade Earth and space science unit, engages students in a scenario-based approach to investigating the effects of humans on the environment, the importance of Earth's natural resources, and sound conservation practices. The unit focuses on the macroconcept of change to help students understand how natural resources change over time, how the environment changes, and how humans change the environment and impact natural resources. The Dig It! unit builds upon students' prior knowledge by providing opportunities to relate local examples of environmental pollution and conservation with hands-on scientific experiments and demonstrations. The first lesson in the unit introduces students to the role of a scientist. Students assume the role of environmental scientists working on a team to conduct investigations about natural resources, pollution, and conservation. While working to understand the role of natural resources and the impact humans have on the environment and natural resources, the team members seek to answer questions such as "How can we plan a prevention garden?"

Curriculum Framework

The curriculum framework (see Table 1) developed for the Project Clarion science units is based on the Integrated Curriculum Model (ICM), which posits the relatively equal importance of teaching to high-level content, higher order processes and resultant products, and important concepts and issues. The model represents a research-based set of differentiated curricular and instructional approaches found appropriate for high-ability learners (VanTassel-Baska, 1986; VanTassel-Baska & Little, 2003). The framework serves several important functions:

1. The curriculum framework provides scaffolding for the central concept of change, the scientific research process, and the content of the units.
2. The curriculum framework also provides representative statements of advanced, complex, and sophisticated learner outcomes. It demonstrates how a single set of outcomes for all can be translated appropriately for high-ability learners yet can remain accessible to other learners.
3. The curriculum framework provides a way for readers to get a snapshot view of the key emphases of the curriculum in direct relation to each other. The

   Table 1
   Project Clarion Curriculum Framework for Science Units

   Goal	Student Outcomes The student will be able to:
   1. Develop concepts related to understanding the world of science.	• Provide examples, illustrations, and salient features of important science and math concepts. • Categorize and/or classify various concepts. • Identify counterexamples of specific concepts. • Create definitions and generalizations about various concepts.
   2. Develop an understanding of the macroconcept of change as it relates to science content goals.	• Understand that change is everywhere. • Demonstrate the impact of time on change. • Articulate the nature of natural versus manmade change. • Evaluate the nature of change (predictable or random) in selected phenomena.
   3. Develop knowledge of selected content topics in Earth science.	• Identify sources of energy on Earth, including sunlight, water, and wind. • Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable natural energy sources. • Describe how human activity affects the quality of air, water, and habitats. • Describe how conservation and resource renewal protect the quality and quantity of natural resources. • Provide examples of human dependency on several major sources of energy found on Earth. • Articulate that fossil fuels are formed from decayed plants and animals. • Articulate how soil provides support and nutrients for plants. • Identify components of soil, including rock, clay, silt, and sand. • Identify topsoil as the upper soil surface and a natural product of the subsoil bedrock. • Distinguish between subsoil and bedrock as layers of soil under topsoil and understand that topsoil is formed over a long period of time by the action of water. • Analyze how soil is created over time as weather, water, and living things break down rocks.
   4. Develop interrelated science process skills.	• Make observations. • Ask questions. • Learn more. • Design and conduct an experiment. • Create meaning. • Tell others what was found.
   5. Develop critical thinking skills.	• Describe problematic situations or issues. • Define relevant concepts. • Identify different points of view in situations or issues. • Describe evidence or data supporting a scientific question. • Draw conclusions based on data (making inferences). • Predict consequences.
   6. Develop creative thinking skills.	• Develop fluency when naming objects and ideas. • Develop flexible thinking. • Elaborate on ideas presented in oral or written form. • Create products that replicate and extend conceptual understanding.
   7. Develop curiosity and interest in the world of science.	• Express reactions about discrepant events. • Ask meaningful questions about science topics. • Articulate ideas of interest about science. • Demonstrate persistence in completing science tasks.

   model also provides a way to traverse the elements individually through the continuum of grade levels.

Moreover, the framework may be used to implement the William and Mary units and to aid in new curriculum development based on science reform recommendations.

Standards Alignment

Each lesson was aligned to the appropriate National Science Education Standards (NSES), Content Standards: K-4 (Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education, CSMEE, 1996). Table 2 presents detailed information on the alignment between the NSES Content Standards and fundamental concepts within the unit lessons.

Macroconcept

The macroconcept for this unit is change. A concept paper on change is included in Appendix A. The second lesson in this unit introduces the concept of change. Students are asked to brainstorm examples of change, categorize their examples, identify "nonexamples" of the concept, and make generalizations about the concept (Taba, 1962). The generalizations about change incorporated into this unit of study include:

• Change is everywhere.
• Change relates to time.
• Change can be natural or manmade.
• Change may be random or predictable.

The concept of change is integrated throughout the unit lessons and deepens students' understanding of natural resources and how resources may change. Students examine the relationship of important ideas and issues about natural resources through application of the concept generalizations. This higher level thinking enhances the students' ability to "think like a scientist." More information about concept development is provided in Appendix B: Teaching Models.

Key Science Concepts

By the end of this unit, students will understand that:

1. Sources of energy on Earth include sunlight, water, and wind.
2. Some natural energy resources are renewable and some are not.
3. Human activity affects the quality of air, water, and habitat.
4. Conservation and resource renewal protect the quality and quantity of natural resources.
5. Humans depend on several major sources of energy found on Earth.
6. Fossil fuels are formed from decayed plants and animals.
7. Soil provides support and nutrients for plants
8. Rock, clay, silt, sand, and humus are components of soil.
9. Topsoil is the upper soil surface and a natural product of the subsoil and bedrock.
10. Subsoil and bedrock are layers of soil under the topsoil from which topsoil is formed over a long period of time by the action of water.
11. Over time, weather, water, and living things help break down rocks and create soil.

Practice in using concept maps supports students' learning as they begin to build upon known concepts (Novak & Gowin, 1984). Students begin to add new concepts to their initial understandings of a topic and to make new connections between concepts. The use of concept maps within the lessons also helps teachers to recognize

Table 2
Dig It! Alignment to National Science Education Standards

Standard	Fundamental Concepts	Unit Lesson
Content Standard A: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry	• Ask a question about objects, organisms, and events in the environment. • Plan and ...