SVVSD board approves new elementary, middle school science curricula…

The St. Vrain Valley school board approved new elementary and middle school science curricula at its Wednesday meeting, following a committee review and teacher pilots of the new materials this school year.

Kahle Charles, St. Vrain’s assistant superintendent for assessment, curriculum and instruction, said the new state science standards, combined with the new materials, are giving the district a better way to teach science.

“It really gives us the opportunity to have our students put their thinking caps on, be creative and really think like scientists,” he said.

At the elementary level, the board approved Discovery Education’s Mystery Science curriculum and Mystery Packs kits, at a cost of about $468,000. At the middle school level, the board approved Discovery Education’s Science Techbook curriculum, as well as PASCO’s science probes and Explore Learning’s Gizmos simulations. The middle school curriculum and materials will cost about $1.2 million.

Michael O’Toole, the district’s science coordinator, said the new materials will support teachers as they are being asked to change how they teach science using a “3-D” instructional model. The model starts by presenting a phenomenon, such as earthquakes, and asking students to figure out what’s happening based on science.

“It really asks (students) to think and work like scientists and engineers,” O’Toole said.

The elementary and middle school adoption committees started last school year by evaluating science curriculum options. Their reviews included looking at the state’s science standards, research on science instruction and the district’s current science materials. Next, teachers piloted the selected materials and gave feedback, with the piloted programs receiving support overall.

“The lessons are highly engaging, transdisciplinary and inquiry based,” said Alpine Elementary third-grade teacher Michelle Drangeid, who was part of the pilot. “My students cheer when it’s time for science.”

A total of 24 elementary teachers and about 600 students participated in the pilot this school year. The district’s teachers also had used Mystery Science during remote learning as a digital enhancement to existing science materials.

At the elementary level, the pilot included looking at how teachers can better connect science resources with the elementary literacy program, as well as identifying instructional strategies that will help students learn research, communication and analytical thinking skills.

Strengths identified by the pilot teachers included alignment with state standards, high quality and engaging lessons, materials that reflect the perspectives of diverse groups, a robust digital platform, and access to audio versions of the texts.

At the middle school level, 28 middle school teachers and about 2,500 students participated in the pilot this school year.

Along with similar strengths to the recommended elementary curriculum, the middle school pilot teachers noted the digital probes, which work with iPads, are helpful in collecting real time data. The simulations also resemble what students will see on the statewide science exams, according to the feedback.

Tami Root, a seventh-grade science teacher at Westview Middle, said students now are using content to acquire skills as opposed to only learning the content.

In one lesson, she said, students explore the phenomenon of earthquakes in Puerto Rico. Students ask questions, wonder, make observations, notice patterns, build evidence and plan investigations around the ideas of plate tectonics.

“These materials make a difference in how students experience science,” she said.

The school board on Wednesday also approved Art of Education instructional materials for K-12 visual art classes, at a cost of about $200,000.

Janay Bird, the district’s fine arts coordinator, said the materials provide a “giant library of videos, resources and assessments” that is accessible for K-12 students across all content and is based on state standards.

“What captivates our teachers is it is flexible to support what students are passionate about,” she said.