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Evaluation Rubrics
Twig Science scores highly on NGSS-based rubrics such as NextGen TIME Paper screen evaluation. See below for materials that show exactly how we meet these criteria:
Student Work Analyze Evidence
Twig Science has been designed to drive student learning by progressively building students’ skills and knowledge through a series of investigations to make sense of engaging phenomena and solve real-world problems. Every module embeds tools to help elicit students’ prior knowledge to further their thinking and offers strategies to develop their metacognitive abilities. The rubric here explains where you can find evidence of how we engage students and motivate their learning across all modules. The short video provides a visual tour. Module-specific rubrics are below.
Print and digital copies of the module leveled readers are provided (and are available in four levels, plus Spanish).
Chapter 1 reinforces and extends student learning of the Module Phenomena.
Chapter 2 connects the phenomena to STEM careers, and details a hands-on micro-lab.
Chapter 3 focuses on applying the ideas and phenomena explored to the students’ lives.
Every module integrates at least one Trade Book. Trade Books are referenced in the lesson’s Resources list.
Digital
Shake, Rattle, and Roll (Grade 4 Module 4 Leveled Reader)
Evidence
Look for the overarching Module Phenomenon and storyline in the Grade Scope and Sequence in the TE front cover. The Twig Book inside cover identifies the Module Phenomenon for students, while the Trailer videos explain the storyline. Reduxes of the Trailer videos are in the TE, while the videos themselves are found online with the module-level assets.
The Family Outreach Letters are referenced in the TE—there’s always one in the first lesson of each module, while others are provided as needed throughout the module. They are accessed online in the Digital Resources.
The Module Contents page in each TE (pp. i–ii) will help you identify the key phenomena/problem addressed in each DQ. A more granular view can be found in each Driving Question Overview, which provides a short summary of each lesson.
Digital
Grade 3 Module 1 Module Phenomenon
Earthquake Engineering Trailer video
All the standards addressed in each lesson are clearly identified (Grade 4 Module 4 DQ4 Lesson Overview TE p. 128). In the Twig Book, connections to the SEPs are highlighted in blue text before the student question/prompt.
Grade 4 Module 4 DQ4 Lesson Overview TE p. 128
Evidence
Evidence of the student learning journey through each module can be found in the Module Contents of the TE, which details the DQs. These follow a conceptual flow whereby students make sense of a subset of smaller phenomena/problems, and then use their growing knowledge and skills to connect back to the more complex Module Phenomenon/ Investigative Problem.
Sense-making happens in the lessons through a rich variety of learning experiences, which you can find details of in the Driving Question Overview. More detail is provided on the Lesson Overview and, of course, in the lesson itself and in the Twig Book.
You will find that students are frequently supported to deepen their understanding and use of the three dimensions, activate prior knowledge, and share their ideas with peers. Class discussions, highlighted in blue in the TE (Grade 4 Module 4 DQ2L3 Discussion Questions TE p. 69), provide suggested prompt questions to help students connect their learning over time.
Grade 4 Module 4 DQ2L3 Discussion Questions TE p. 69
SW1. Phenomena/Problems
SW2. Three-Dimensional Conceptual Framework
Prior-Knowledge Read-Alouds support activation of existing knowledge for students of all reading abilities. The Prior-Knowledge Read-Aloud can be found in the material lists in the both the Driving Question Overview (Grade 4 Module 4 DQ3 Overview TE pp. 94–95) and Lesson Overview (Grade 4 Module 4 DQ 4 Lesson 1 Overview TE p. 128).
Throughout each module students are consistently supported to revisit their early ideas, revise their claims, and relate their new understandings to answering the DQs and solving the Module Investigative Problem.
Grade 4 Module 4 DQ3 Overview TE pp. 94–95
Grade 4 Module 4 DQ 4 Lesson 1 Overview TE p. 128
Connections to prior knowledge are frequently found in the Connect section of the lesson (Grade 4 Module 4 DQ1L1 Connect TE p. 10).
Grade 4 Module 4 DQ1L1 Connect TE p. 10
The Science Tools Poster explicitly details students’ growing use of the SEPs across the grade, and motivates them by helping them visualize their progression. Use of the Science Tools Poster is clearly identified in the TE (Grade 4 Module 4 DQ2L2 Science Tools Poster TE p. 62).
Students add “Analyze data” to their Science Tools Poster.
Grade 4 Module 4 DQ2L2 Science Tools Poster TE p. 62
Evidence
Across the Program
Look for the Performance Expectation Progressions table in the back cover of every TE, which highlights previous student experience relating to the phenomena and relevant dimensions.
For example:
Grade 1 Module 1 Performance Expectation Progressions table (TE Back Cover)
Grade 4 Module 4 Performance Expectation Progressions table (TE Back Cover)
Within a Module
Pre-Explorations are diagnostic pre-assessments that help teachers and students identify students’ prior knowledge, as well as any misconceptions that will need to be addressed. Additional Pre-Explorations are included at strategic points in later DQs, so prior knowledge can be activated when most useful. Pre-Explorations are highlighted in the Driving Question Overviews.
Grade 1 Module 1 Performance Expectation Progressions table (TE Back Cover)
Grade 4 Module 4 Performance Expectation Progressions table (TE Back Cover)
SW3. Prior Knowledge
Evidence
Look for the Pre-Explorations near the start of every module, and at strategic points thereafter, which support students to think about the three dimensions they are already familiar with and those they are not. The module Assessment Overview will identify the location of Pre-Explorations, and they’re also highlighted in the Driving Question Overviews.
Progress Trackers that help monitor progression of student are found in the Digital Resources. How and where to use the trackers is clearly signposted in the TE (Grade 4 Module 4 DQ1L5 Progress Tracker TE p. 41).
“I can” statements appear in the Twig Book at the start of each DQ, and the five-part Twig Science lesson structure is clearly shown in the TE.
In the Report, students articulate what they’ve learned today, citing evidence and their use of the three dimensions. In the Connect section, they make further connections to the three dimensions the DQs and module phenomena, while in the Reflect, students use different means to think about what they have learned so far and how they can use their new understanding to better figure out phenomena/problems.
Grade 4 Module 4 DQ1L5 Progress Tracker TE p. 41
SW4. Metacognitive Abilities
Evidence
Multimodal and Multisensory Learning Activities
In each module, there is a range of learning experiences across the lessons. The icons in the Module Content in the TE will help you identify the different types investigations, while the lesson summaries in the Driving Questions Overview will add more context and list the resources provided for each lesson (e.g. Read-Alouds, Trade Books, kit items, interactives and videos).
Differentiated Instruction
Look for EL support, Special Needs support, Cultural Connections, and higher-order DOK Challenge activities in the sidebars of every lesson in the TE. A highlight of the differentiated instruction for each DQ is provided in the TE (Grade 4 Module 4 DQ1L3 English Learners TE p. 25).
Leveled Readers
Every module has complementary Leveled Readers in four levels (Below, On, Above, EL), plus Spanish, with lessons to build language acquisition and develop informational text reading skills. On Level lessons are in the back of the TE, other levels are available digitally. The digital version of the Twig Books and Leveled Readers includes a text-to-speech function.
Videos
Videos are integrated frequently throughout each module—just look for the reduxes in the TE. Videos are found online in the Digital Resources section of each lesson. Closed captions are provided for each video in English and Spanish.
Grade 4 Module 4 DQ1L3 English Learners TE p. 25
SW5. Equitable Learning Opportunities
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