REGISTERING
Program Cost: $450
SEPUP
Are you looking to deepen your science content knowledge? Do you ever wonder how different students might be thinking about the same concept? Would you like the chance to connect with other science teachers?
If so, this community is for you!
About this community
WHO: This community is designed to support middle school science teachers. Topics will be focused specifically on SEPUP Issues and Science Topics, but all middle school science teachers are welcome!
WHAT: On each of the four days we will dig deep into a specific science topic in order to better understand all that is involved in grappling with frequently challenging concepts. We’ll build our own knowledge of the subject while also learning what research says about how students learn these topics. We’ll learn how others have supported students in learning these topics and determine strategies and resources that we can use to better support our own students.
WHEN: Four release days throughout the school year; 8:30am – 2:30pm with a half hour lunch break; Each release day will be followed by a 1 hour virtual meeting after school. Stipends will be provided for time spent outside of the school day.
WHERE: These meetings will be held in person in Estabrooke Hall at the University of Maine in Orono
CONTENT AREAS
Each year we offer 2 of the 3 science content areas. Life science will be offered next year!
EARTH SCIENCE
LIFE SCIENCE
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Topics: Astronomy, Erosion and Deposition, Weather and Climate, Natural Resources, Plate Tectonics
Earth science is a wonderfully integrated and complex topic. It can be both tangible and abstract and it encompasses phenomena on a wide range of scales. This can provide all sorts of challenges for learners in addition to endless opportunities to make connections across multiple disciplines. And in a state where much of the jobs and policy are connected to our environment, whether it be fisheries, agriculture, forestry, or tourism, understanding how our planet works is a crucial skill that will benefit our students for the rest of their lives. How can we support our students when integrating knowledge across multiple disciplines and grapple with scale? Let's find out!
Topics: Ecology, Cells, Reproduction, Evolution, Body Systems
Life science brings its own excitement and challenges to the classroom, and often outside the classroom! While we aren't able to offer this series currently, check back next year to dive into middle school life science topics!
This community will be offered in 2022-23!
Topics: Force and Motion, Waves, Energy, Electricity and Magnetism
Students have ample opportunities to learn about the physical world they live in even before they get to our physics classroom. Even if you don't have a background in physics you have probably thrown a ball, turned on a light, or pushed on the wrong side of a door to open it. Why is that so hard?! We'll talk through challenging physics concepts and explore how to successfully leverage students' prior knowledge in addition to identifying common stumbling blocks and strategies for helping students navigate them.
