Several groups of fifth-graders share their thinking about a 1000-year-old artifact depicting the night sky, and which constellations may be represented. The teacher intentionally invites groups with divergent perspectives to share.
Elevating divergent perspectives helps to communicate that science involves more than “right” answers – it can include multiple ways of seeing and making sense of the world. Notice how the teacher encourages multiple ideas and presses students to share “how they know.”
For more on structuring share-outs, the 5 practices framework can support teachers in selecting and sequencing student work: Cartier, J., Smith, M. S. S., Stein, M. K., & Ross, D. (2013). 5 practices for orchestrating task-based discussions in science. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Tips for co-creating “gotta have” checklists with students
Several examples of sixth-grade students interacting with each other’s reasoning as they work to make sense of how sound travels.
Listen to Debbie Diaz describe her journey toward science, from being a student shut out from science, to a teacher who believed in her students, and now to becoming a science curriculum specialist for Seattle Public Schools.
This site is primarily funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Award #1907471 and #1315995