Adapted from the 2007 ISTE TEMPLATE I Lesson Plan.

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Speaking Science

Grade level: High School
Content Area: Primary: Science (Biology) Secondary: ELA (could easily be adapted for
middle grades science or a different high school science class) (could also be a great
information literacy project for an ELA or technology class)
Title of Unit: Just a Theory: Why Speaking Science is so Important

Essential Questions or Driving Questions:
Essential Question(s) that allow learners to explore significant questions about
themselves and/or their world:
Some everyday words are the same as words used in the sciences. However, in everyday
usage, these words have different meaning. Is our understanding of these words necessary
for understanding scientific ideas? Why do you think these words are so often misused? Do
you think that this contributes to public misconceptions of scientific ideas? If so, does that
matter? Why or why not?

Standards:
What learners should know and be able to do.
Learners should be able to assess the validity of information they find on the internet,
especially that which uses words from the scientific disciplines in order to sound scientific.
Learners should be able to differentiate between valid scientific information and
pseudoscience. Learners should be able to use science vocabulary correctly in order to
accurately communicate scientific ideas.

Content Standards: (from the Next Generation Science Standards)
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
HS-LS4-
1.
Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and biological
evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence.
(The standard mentioned above is in regards to a foundational concept that is well
understood by scientists, but often misinterpreted by the public. The NGSS entry for this
standard includes related Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and
Crosscutting Concepts standards as well as Common Core ELA standards for Literacy. The
main purpose of the lesson is accurately evaluating scientific evidence and communicating
scientific ideas. Please view the full text of the standard at
http://www.nextgenscience.org/hsls4-biological-evolution-unity-diversity )

ISTE*S Standards (Pick 1-2 rather than including the whole list.):
3B: Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a
variety of sources and media
4C: Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions

Overview and Timeline
Adapted from the 2007 ISTE TEMPLATE I Lesson Plan.

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Students will share and discuss ideas about why it is important to understand and
discuss science concepts. Discuss how information can look like science, even when it is
not, and how to tell the difference.
This project is divided into four phases:
1. Discuss science literacy.
2. Explore evaluation resources from November Learning.
3. Research a commonly misunderstood science word/concept.
4. Present information about science word/concept and invite further discussion.
Assessment
Students will produce a PowToon that explains the real meaning of their chosen science
word. The PowToon should answer the following questions, as well as any other
information that will help explain the meaning of the word:
Give a few examples of how you have heard this word in everyday conversation. In
what context was it used? According to the context, what did you assume this word
to mean? If you have never heard this word before, ask at least five different people
what it means. Summarize their answers.
Does your word mean something different to scientists? Explain.
List the resources you used to find this out.
Why might this word have such different meanings between scientists and the
public?
Does understanding the meaning of this word affect whether or not you can
understand the larger scientific concept?

Resources
Educator Preparation:
Prepare an example PowToon. I have prepared one about the meaning of the word
evolution.
Prepare introductory PowToon explaining the idea of the project.

Tools and Resources Provided to Learners:
Links to information literacy resources from November Learning.
Link to PowToon instructional videos.
Links to science information sources.
Extra links to interesting science activities and information.

Tutorials and Templates Provided to Learners:
Prove It!: The Language of Science PowToon.
Example PowToon. Students will be able to copy the format, add their own
information, and alter it according to their own creativity.

Briefly explain how the resources, tools, and tutorials may be used to differentiate
content or process for learners:
This is a self-paced activity. Students should work and collaborate in groups. Video tutorials
are helpful because they can be paused and replayed to find the needed information. The
purpose is to be able to assess the validity of science information that students read.
Adapted from the 2007 ISTE TEMPLATE I Lesson Plan.

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Students are welcome to use a different platform or format for their project, so long it is
clear that they know how to find and validate information.

Reason(s) for chosen technology(s):
After using several animation/presentation programs, I found that PowToon was fairly easy
to use. I found it to be a quick way to present information without getting hung up on the
details of the technology. It can make a fairly nice looking presentation without spending
too much time, so that the focus can be getting the information across. However, it is
customizable enough that students can make their presentation look personalized.

Originally I was going to put my project on Google Sites, but now I am going to use Weebly
because it seems more user friendly and it looks better. It also has the built in option to add
blog pages, so students can share their work on the blog without needing to go to a different
site.


Instructional Plan
1. Students complete Step One: Science Words Discussion. This is posted on the blog
page of the Weebly site.
2. This should be followed by an in class discussion so that ideas can flow and
conversation can take place in real time.
3. Post-discussion, students should choose a misused science word. They can choose
from the provided list (a Wordle on the Weebly site) or choose another word if they
can show how the misunderstanding of this word affects understanding of the
scientific concept. Students can work in groups of four or less, or individually,
according to personal preference. Students will be encouraged to share their work
live with the class.
4. Weebly website: speakingscience.weebly.com will be accessible on student
computers. Teacher should give a very brief overview and direct students to start by
exploring the page What Information is Accurate?. This page contains links to
November Learning and information literacy resources.
5. First phase of student research should involve practicing using the November
Learning resources to help evaluate the research sources that students find.
6. Second phase of student research should focus on finding specific science
information related to their word/concept. Now that they have practiced with
November Learning in the first phase of the project, they should be able to evaluate
the resources that they find.
7. Third phase, students should compile their research and create a PowToon to teach
people about their science word.
8. Students should share their PowToon and invite other students to comment. They
will share their PowToon on the blog page of the Weebly site, which is public. Since
the focus of the lesson is sorting through information, they should post their
(hopefully accurate!) information on a public forum.

Management:
Students will be encouraged to work collaboratively.
Differentiation:
Adapted from the 2007 ISTE TEMPLATE I Lesson Plan.

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Online discussion board (comments on the blog section of Weebly page) will be
encouraged for all students. An in-class discussion should be included if possible.
However, students that do not feel comfortable speaking in class still have the
option of participating online.

Closure and Reflection
In the final phase of this project, students are encouraged to share their work and invite
discussion. In this way, students can maintain ongoing discussion about, and interaction
with, these science concepts.

This should be done early in the school year, before the science curriculum moves toward
topics like climate change or evolution. This will facilitate richer, more productive
discussion once these topics appear in the curriculum. Additionally, students will know how
to constructively question and evaluate information resources, as they should be
encouraged to read about science far beyond their textbooks.