Page 153 - Career Readiness Catalog
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STUDENT SENSEMAKING & CONCRETE EXPERIENCES
In the SEPUP 6-8 NGSS program, Issues and Science, sensemaking is a
dynamic process where students build or revise an explanation in order
to “figure something out”—to determine the mechanism underlying
a phenomenon in order to resolve a gap or inconsistency in their
understanding. As such, opportunities for sensemaking are consistently
present so that students may progress in their understanding of the three
dimensions and how those relate to the unit issue and phenomena.
At the beginning of each unit, embedded strategies encourage students
to make connections to their experiences and communities, as well as
share any background knowledge related to the phenomena under
investigation. These prior and alternate ideas surface during the initial
sharing and are later challenged with evidence as they revisit and revise
their understanding.
Whenever possible, students explore concepts by gathering data
through direct, first hand, experience. Rather than only reacting to a
video or following the steps of a computer simulation, SEPUP students
frequently manipulate scientific tools custom designed to investigate a
specific problem or engineer a solution. By conducting valid experiments,
challenging and assessing their own initial ideas, and applying their
understanding to real-world issues, students in the classroom become
scientists and engineers in their own right.
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