Science Department

December 1, 2008 Visit the Science Department website for more information and science updates at www.sandi.net/science.		Previous SDUSD Science Updates November 11, 2008
Announcements
Teacher Leadership Academy The Science Deparment announces the 2008-2009 Science Teacher Leadership Academy. Information and the application can be found by visiting www.sandi.net/science and clicking on "Teacher Leadership Academy". The deadline for applications is December 10, 2008. Download a copy of the information packet and application by clicking here. Site-Based Professional Development Offerings The Science Department stands ready to support schools in science professional development. Please review letters for elementary school, middle school, and high school and contact the Science Department to arrange site-based professional development. E3 Professional Development Dates The Energy Efficiency Education Program (E3), a partnership with SDG&E, SDUSD, and SDCOE, invite teachers to participate in upcoming professional development. See the flyer here for more information. Biomedical Research Saves Lives - Classroom Presentation Click here for information about a 50-minute classroom presentation on biomedical research from a local scientist from the SALK institute.
Science News
Share your classroom or school stories with science teachers around the district. Send contributions to jspiegel@sandi.net. From the Classroom (Jeff Talsky, Challenger Middle School) Our seventh grade students had an opportunity to meet a Park Ranger Jennifer Langer from Crystal Cove State Beach through a live video conference on Wednesday and Thursday (11/12 and 11/13). Students were prepped for the occasion by learning about tide pools in class and doing research about California State Parks on the internet. It was very engaging for the students to talk to the Ranger and ask her questions while she was standing at the water's edge and showing us the real animals swimming around in the real tide pools. We watched on our screen in class as she submerged an underwater camera in order to show the algae and other marine organisms living there. We were dazzled as a tide pool wooly sculpin swam by and even more so when the 5 inch opal eye swam into view and began grazing on algae while curiously checking out the strange camera in its home. It had no idea that there were 35 of us spying on him from 35 miles away. Totally cool!!! For more information about this program, please visit the Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students at http://ports.parks.ca.gov.
Upcoming Science Professional Development
December 2, 2008 High School Course-Alike Meetings (Chemistry) Plan, implement, and refine units of study for high school courses; develop common assessments. Place: IMC Science Classroom Time: 8:00am – 3:30pm Compensation: Visiting Teacher Provided Grade Level: 9-12 Audience: Open to All Chemistry Teachers Registration: Click Here December 4, 2008 High School Course-Alike Meetings (Marine Science) Plan, implement, and refine units of study for high school courses; develop common assessments. Place: IMC Science Classroom Time: 8:00am – 3:30pm Compensation: Visiting Teacher Provided Grade Level: 9-12 Audience: Open to All Marine Science Teachers Registration: Click Here December 9, 2008 High School Course-Alike Meetings (Earth Science) Plan, implement, and refine units of study for high school courses; develop common assessments. Place: IMC Science Classroom Time: 8:00am – 3:30pm Compensation: Visiting Teacher Provided Grade Level: 9-12 Audience: Open to All Earth Science Teachers Registration: Click Here December 10, 2008 High School Course-Alike Meetings (Physiology) Plan, implement, and refine units of study for high school courses; develop common assessments. Place: IMC Science Classroom Time: 8:00am – 3:30pm Compensation: Visiting Teacher Provided Grade Level: 9-12 Audience: Open to All Physiology Teachers Registration: Click Here December 11, 2008 High School Physics Lesson Share Day Sharing and delivering of model lessons in physics. Place: IMC Science Classroom Time: 8:00am – 3:30pm Compensation: Visiting Teacher Provided Grade Level: 9-12 Audience: Open to All Physics Teachers Registration: Click Here
Science Articles and Links
San Diego Science Festival 2009 http://www.sdsciencefestival.com The Inaugural San Diego Science Festival will unite our community to showcase the Science & Innovation that makes San Diego unique! Join us for the first fullscale celebration of Science the West Coast has ever seen! Check the link on how you and your students can get involved. Energy Efficiency Education Program http://www.k12e3.org Introducing E3, an energy efficiency education program aligned to California Califoria Content Standards. Students and their families will learn the benefits of conserving energy and how their actions can save energy, save money, and save the planet. Check out the online professional development available for teachers. Zamzar - Free Online File Conversion http://zamzar.com Convert files without the need to download software. Teachers' Domain http://www.teachersdomain.org/ Looking for a replacement for United Streaming? Check out Teachers Domain... it's not quite as easy to navigate, but it has some great links to download clips from PBS and other resources... best part - it's free. (You do have to register, but it's free!)
SDUSD Science Performance Data
SDUSD High School Science Teachers are to be commended for the substantial gains in student performance achieved in the last three years. A significant contributing factor to this expansion is the introduction of earth science. Driven by a grassroots effort by classroom teachers and university faculty, Earth Science 1,2 represents a attractive choice for students looking to complete a year of science with a UC “G” elective. Another contributing factor is the expanded number of students enrolled in biology in 10th grade. Continuous improvement in student performance is expected from the thriving professional learning community of high school science teachers who are meeting regularly through course-alikes. All high school teachers are encouraged to attend these meetings. Go to www.sandi.net/science and click on Professional Development for upcoming course-alike dates. Enrollment in high school science courses continues to shift as schools resequence course offerings.