Educator Resources
The resources here are provided by the Idaho Department of Education to help educators of Idaho students with science education ideas, examples and materials. For the latest grant, professional development, and scholarship opportunities follow our Idaho Science Coach Page on Facebook.
Note:
Materials used for teacher professional development have been vetted and are designed to provide insights consistent with the National Resource Council's Report, "A Framework for K-12 Science Education."
The purpose of this supporting material is to add to your knowledge base, aligned to the three-dimensional Idaho Science Content Standards.
These supported resources are fully aligned to two of the three dimensions: Science and Engineering Practices and the Cross-Cutting Concepts.
Teachers will need to cross-reference the Idaho Science Content Standards to ensure their teaching materials align to Idaho expectations and Idaho standards.
HIGHLIGHTS
Web Page
Proficiency Scales Project
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In 2018, West Ada started the process of creating proficiency scales for science based on the newly adopted Idaho Science Standards. Teachers in the district used the scales in their classroom and then in the Fall of 2022 West Ada and the Idaho Department of Education partnered together to review and revise the proficiency scales based on teacher feedback and the revised science standards.
These are being shared so that districts can use them as presented or as a jumping off point to create your own proficiency scales. West Ada has chosen to bundle some standards together for some of the proficiency scales. If you would like more information about the scales, or would like support in creating your own, please reach out to the Idaho Department of Education science coordinator or your regional science coach.
Science Phenomena
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- K-PS-1.2. Sled Dogs
- K-PS-2.1. Shoshone Ice Caves or Thaw Circles
- K-ESS-1.1. Snow Rollers or Weather Inversions
- K-ESS-2.2. & K-ESS-2.2. Fire Tornado
- 1-PS-1.2. & 1-LS-1.3. Rose Gall
- 1-LS-1.3. Salmon Spawning or Steam Rising from Field
- 1-LS-1.3. Smoke and Sunsets or There’s No Such Thing as a Blue Bird or Light Pillars
- 1-ESS-1.1. & 1-ESS-1.2. Total Solar Eclipse
- 2-ESS-1.1. City of Rocks or Craters of the Moon or Gemstones or Star Garnet or Snake River Canyon or St. Anthony Sand Dunes
- 2-ESS-2.1. Needle Ice
- 2-ESS-2.2. Bruneau Sand Dunes or Chimney Rock or Soda Springs Geyser or St. Anthony Sand Dunes
- 2-ESS-2.3. Ice Circles on the Salmon River or Ice Shove or Shoshone Ice Caves
- 3-PS-1.1. Sled Dogs
- 3-LS-2.2. Salmon Spawning
- 3-ESS-1.1. Snow Rollers or Weather Inversions
- 3-ESS-2.1. Fire Tornado or Ice Shove
- 4-PS-2.2. Smoke and Sunsets or There’s No Such Thing as a Blue Bird or Light Pillars
- 4-LS-2.1. Steam Rising from Field
- 4-ESS-1.1. City of Rocks or Craters of the Moon or Gemstones or Shark Whorl or Star Garnet or Snake River Canyon
- 4-ESS-2.1. Needle Ice
- 4-ESS-2.2. Bruneau Sand Dunes or Chimney Rock or Shoshone Ice Caves or Soda Springs Geyser or St. Anthony Sand Dunes
- 4-ESS-3.2. Soda Springs Geyser
- 5-PS-3.1. Steam Rising from Field
- 5-LS-2.1. Shark Whorl
- 5-LS-2.2. Rose Gall
- 5-LS-2.3. Thaw Circles
- 5-LS-2.4. Checkerboard in Idaho or Salmon Spawning
- 5-ESS-1.2. Total Solar Eclipse
- 5-ESS-2.1.Ice Circles on the Salmon River or Ice Shove or Salmon Spawning or Soda Springs Geyser
- 5-ESS-2.2. St. Anthony Sand Dunes
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- MS-PS-1.1. Star Garnet
- MS-PS-2.2. Sled Dogs
- K-ESS-1.1. Shoshone Ice Caves
- MS-PS-3.5. Thaw Circles
- MS-PS-4.2.Smoke and Sunsets or There's No Such Thing as a Bluebird or Light Pillars
- MS-LS-1.6. Steam Rising from Field
- MS-LS-2.1. Salmon Spawning
- MS-LS-2.2. Rose Gall
- MS-LS-2.5. Thaw Circles
- MS-LS-2.6. Checkerboard in Idaho
- MS-LS-4.1. Shark Whorl
- MS-ESS-1.1. Total Solar Eclipse
- MS-ESS-2.1. Star Garnet
- MS-ESS-2.2. Bruneau Sand Dunes or Chimney Rock or City of Rocks or Craters of the Moon or Needle Ice or Shoshone Ice Caves or Snake River Canyon
- MS-ESS-2.3. Gemstones
- MS-ESS-2.4. Ice Circles on the Salmon River
- MS-ESS-2.5. Fire Tornado or Ice Shove or Snow Rollers or Weather Inversions
- MS-ESS-2.6. Ice Shove
- MS-ESS-3.1. Soda Springs Geyser
- MS-ESS-3.2. Fire Tornado
- MS-ESS-3.3. Checkerboard in Idaho or Salmon Spawning
- MS-ESS-3.5. St. Anthony Sand Dunes
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- HS-PSC-1.1. Star Garnet
- HS-PSP-2.2. Thaw Circles
- HS-PSP-2.4. Shoshone Ice Caves
- HS-PSP-3.1.Smoke and Sunsets or There's No Such Thing as a Bluebird or Light Pillars
- HS-LS-2.2. Salmon Spawning
- HS-LS-2.3. & HS-LS-2.4. Steam Rising from Field
- HS-LS-2.6. Thaw Circles
- HS-LS-2.7. Checkerboard in Idaho
- HS-LS-2.8. Rose Gall
- HS-LS-4.1. Shark Whorl
- HS-ESS-1.4. Total Solar Eclipse
- HS-ESS-2.1. Bruneau Sand Dunes or Chimney Rock or City of Rocks or Craters of the Moon or Gemstones or Snake River Canyon
- HS-ESS-2.2. Ice Shove or Needle Ice or Shoshone Ice Caves
- HS-ESS-2.3. Star Garnet
- HS-ESS-2.5. Ice Circles on the Salmon River or Needle Ice or St. Anthony Sand Dunes
- HS-ESS-3.1. Fire Tornado or St. Anthony Sand Dunes
- HS-ESS-3.2. Soda Springs Geyser
- HS-ESS-3.3. Checkerboard in Idaho
- HS-ESS-3.4. Salmon Spawning
Science Assessment
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Creating Your Own 3D Science Assessment
- Instructions for Creating 3D Assessments
- Open Education Resource for Creating 3D Science Assessments
- Options for Assessing with the SEP
- Prompts for Assessing Using the CCC
Science ISAT Resources
Pre-made 3D Science Assessments
Science Lesson Planning
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- California Academy of Sciences
- Going 3D with Gather, Reasoning, Communicate Framework
- Great River Rapport - Education
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Education
- Model Based Inquiry
- National Geographic Education Library
- The National Science Digital Library
- NASA for Teachers
- OpenSciEd
- PBS Learning Media
- Science Friday Lesson Plans
- Smithsonian Free Digital Resources
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HS-ESS-2.3. Develop a model based on evidence of Earth’s interior to describe the cycling of matter by thermal convection.
HS-ESS-2.1. Develop a model to illustrate how Earth’s internal and surface processes operate at different spatial and temporal scales to form continental and ocean-floor features.
HS-PSC-1.1. Students who demonstrate understanding can: Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures. (not fully addressed in this unit).
HS-ESS-3.1. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
HS-ESS-3.2. Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.
HS-LS-2.5. Evaluate the claims, evidence and reasoning that changing the conditions of a static ecosystem may result in a new ecosystem.
HS-ESS-2.5. Plan and conduct an investigation of how the chemical and physical properties of water contribute to the mechanical and chemical mechanisms that affect Earth materials and surface processes.
HS-LS-2.6. Design, evaluate, and/or refine practices used to manage a natural resource based on direct and indirect influences of human activities on biodiversity and ecosystem health.
HS-LS-3.3. Apply concepts of probability and statistical analysis to explain the variation and distribution of expressed traits in a population.
HS-PSC-1.1. Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
HS-PSC-3.2. Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.
HS-PSC-3.3. Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as a combination of energy associated with the motions of particles (objects) and energy associated with the relative positions of particles (objects).
HS-PSC-3.4. Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.
HS-PSC-3.5. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that the transfer of thermal energy when two components of different temperature are combined within a closed system results in a more uniform energy distribution among the components in the system (second law of thermodynamics).
HS-PSC-1.3. Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence to compare the structure of substances at the bulk scale to infer the strength of electrostatic forces between particles.
HS-PSC-1.5. Communicate scientific and technical information about why the molecular-level structure is important in the functioning of designed materials.
HS-PSP-1.1. Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.
HS-PSP-1.3. Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during collision.
HS-PSC-1.1. Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.
HS-ESS-1.5. Evaluate evidence of the past and current movements of continental and oceanic crust and the theory of plate tectonics to explain the ages of crustal rocks.
HS-ESS-1.6. Apply scientific reasoning and evidence from ancient Earth materials, meteorites, and other planetary surfaces to construct an account of Earth’s formation and early history.
HS-ESS-2.1. Develop a model to illustrate how Earth’s internal and surface processes operate at different spatial and temporal scales to form continental and ocean-floor features.
HS-ESS-2.7. Construct an argument based on evidence about the simultaneous coevolution of Earth’s systems and life on Earth.
MS-ESS-2.4 Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.
MS-ESS-3.3. Apply scientific practices to design a method for monitoring human activity and increasing beneficial human influences on the environment.
MS-ESS-3.4. Construct an argument based on evidence for how changes in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources positively and negatively affect Earth’s systems.