Educational Services

It’s time to invest in teachers. Research shows that it’s quality teaching practices more than anything else that leads to the greatest improvements in students’ learning. Teachers teach content area standards and critical thinking skills while also making education equitable by helping all students achieve. It’s a lot, especially for teachers whose students are also learning how to read and write. In order for teachers to be their best, they need our support.

As a reading and science specialist, I have a B.S. Ed degree in Chemistry Education, a M.S. Ed. degree in Reading and Learning Disabilities, and ten years of experience teaching in the classroom.

EVERGLADES LEARNING LAB

Pricing & Program Access

Florida NGSSS-aligned K–5 science, as it relates to the Everglades

Everglades Learning Lab (ELL) brings standards-aligned, phenomena-based science units to your classroom, anchored in real world inquiries and built on the Ambitious Science Teaching framework.

CURRICULUM ONLY CURRICULUM +
CONSULTING
Price
$6 / student / yr
or $400 / classroom
From $1,500 / school / yr
custom quoted
Curriculum & lesson
plans 		✓ ✓
Student badge
program 		✓ ✓
Live consulting /
coaching 		— ✓
Best for Schools running own PD Pilot & lead partner schools

What's Included in Every Tier

  • K–5 NGSSS-aligned units anchored in real Everglades phenomena

  • Ambitious Science Teaching (AST) framework — discourse moves, CER frames, exit slips

  • Everglades Learning Lab Student Badge Certificates & Stickers

   Interested in a pilot? Ask about our pilot partnership program for the first schools to bring ELL into the classroom.

Science & Literacy Instruction 

 

Teacher Self-Care……..………………………..pg. 2-3

 

Creating a Classroom Community……………………………………..pg. 3-5

 

Learning to Read and Write

            Emergent Literacy and K-2……………..pg. 6

            Writing K-2…………………………………pg. 7-8

Classroom Library………………………..pg. 9

Vocabulary Development………………..pg.10

Writing 3-5…………………………….…..pg. 11-13

Reading Comprehension………………..pg. 14-16

            Think-alouds……………………………...pg. 16-18

           

 

Ambitious Science Teaching………………………….pg. 19-24

            Gathering Students’ Ideas………………

Investigations/Observations

Creating Models/Explanations

Science Notebooks

            Question Board

 

Evidence of Learning…………………………………..pg. 24-28

            Formative Assessments

Teacher Self-Care

Teaching requires emotional, mental, and physical energy. Taking care of yourself helps you remain focused, patient, and present for your students. Self-care is not an extra task—it is a professional practice that supports effective teaching.

Small daily micro-habits can make a difference.

Daily Self-Care Practices

1.    Start the Day with Intention
Before the school day begins, take a few quiet minutes to prepare.

• Take three slow, deep breaths
• Set one positive intention for the day
• Focus on the most important priority

2.    Protect Your Energy During the Day
Teaching requires constant attention and interaction.

• Take short breaks when possible
            • Drink water regularly
            • Step outside or near a window for natural light
            • Pause for a moment of quiet breathing between lessons

3.    Set Healthy Professional Boundaries
Protecting your time helps prevent burnout.

• Choose a time each evening to stop checking school email
            • Prioritize essential tasks first
            • Remember that not everything must be perfect

4.    Connect with Colleagues
Professional support strengthens teachers and schools.

• Share ideas and resources
            • Celebrate small classroom successes
            • Talk through challenges with trusted colleagues
            • Ask for help when needed

5.    Reflect on Positive Moments
At the end of the day, pause to notice what went well.

• What moment made a student curious today?
            • What did a student discover or learn?
            • What am I proud of from today?

6.   Simple After-School Reset

Before leaving school or starting work at home:

1.    Write tomorrow’s top three priorities

2.    Tidy your workspace for a fresh start

3.    Take three deep breaths and release the day

Great teaching is not about perfection. It is about curiosity, patience, and care—for students and for yourself.

Creating a Classroom Community

Purpose of a Classroom Community

A strong classroom community helps students feel safe, respected, and connected. When students feel that they belong in the classroom, they are more likely to participate, take risks in their learning, and support one another.

Research in education and neuroscience shows that emotional well-being plays a major role in academic success. When students feel secure and valued, their brains are better able to focus, think critically, and engage in learning.

Understanding Students’ Affective Needs

Educational researcher Carol Ann Tomlinson highlights the importance of students’ affective needs in Differentiation and The Brain: How Neuroscience Supports the Learner-Friendly Classroom. These ideas connect to psychologist Abraham H. Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs.

Maslow explained that people must have certain basic needs met before they can focus on higher levels of growth and achievement.

Maslow’s five levels of needs include:

1.    Physiological Needs
• Food
• Water
• Shelter
• Rest

2.    Safety Needs
• Physical safety
• Emotional security
• Predictable routines

3.    Belonging and Love
• Friendship
• Feeling accepted
• Being part of a group

4.    Esteem
• Respect from others
• Recognition of effort
• Opportunities to achieve

5.    Self-Actualization
• Reaching one’s potential
• Personal growth
• Creative thinking

In the classroom, the first three levels are especially important. When students feel safe and connected, they are more prepared to learn and grow academically.

Daily Practices That Build Community

Teachers can intentionally build a classroom community through simple daily routines that promote connection and respect.

1.    Greeting Students at the Door
• Welcome students individually as they enter the classroom.
• Allow students to choose a greeting such as a handshake, wave, high five, or hug.
• This helps students begin the day feeling seen and valued.

2.    Morning Meetings
• Gather students in a circle at the start of the day.
• Provide time for students to share ideas, experiences, or questions.
• Use a talking object to help students take turns speaking.
• Encourage active listening and respectful responses.

3.    Shared Classroom Norms
• Develop classroom expectations together with students.
• Discuss how students want to treat one another.
• Refer back to these norms when solving problems.

4.    Celebrating Effort and Growth
• Recognize students’ effort and improvement.
• Highlight positive collaboration and helpful behaviors.
• Encourage students to support one another.

5.    Opportunities for Student Voice
• Allow students to share ideas and ask questions.
• Provide opportunities for discussion and reflection.
• Encourage students to express their thoughts respectfully.

Why Community Matters for Learning

Although spending time on relationship-building may seem difficult in a busy schedule, these practices strengthen the classroom environment and support learning.

When students feel connected and respected, they are more likely to:

• Participate in discussions
• Take academic risks
• Persist through challenges
• Collaborate with classmates
• Develop confidence in their abilities

Connecting Community to Meaningful Learning

A strong classroom community also supports inquiry-based learning. When students trust one another, they are more comfortable sharing ideas, asking questions, and exploring new concepts. This type of learning environment is especially important to English Language Learners (ELL) and exceptional students.

Teachers can strengthen this connection through activities such as nature observations, science discussions, and collaborative investigations inspired by Life in the Everglades: A Young Naturalist’s Manual and Field Guide.

Creating a classroom community is not an extra activity. It is a foundation for effective teaching and learning. When students feel safe, valued, and connected, they are more prepared to grow academically, socially, and emotionally.

Learning to Read and Write

In K-2, much of students’ oral language and vocabulary development occurs through: read alouds, shared reading of fiction and nonfiction texts, shared writing, oral storytelling, direct and explicit instruction in the meanings of specific words, and lots of opportunities for rich oral language interactions. These activities continue to be important through the upper grades.

 

Moving from Emergent Literacy to Conventional Literacy K-2

Students must: identify most letters of the alphabet consistently; demonstrate interest and engagement during shared reading experiences; communicate and interact with others using words, gestures, or other forms of expression; understand that printed text carries meaning; practice phonological awareness, the sounds of letters, and sounding out CVC words; have daily Guided Reading groups ordered by reading level.

 

To see lots of examples of classroom strategies, visit:: https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies?focus=746#classroom-strategies-block-1

 

Teaching Writing K-2

Building a Foundation for Young Writers

In kindergarten through second grade, students are learning that writing is a powerful way to share ideas, tell stories, and communicate information. At this stage, the focus should be on helping students see themselves as writers while developing foundational skills. Writing instruction should be frequent, supportive, and connected to reading, speaking, and listening experiences. When students feel safe taking risks with their writing, they are more likely to develop confidence and independence.

The Role of Shared Writing

Shared writing is an important instructional practice in early elementary classrooms. During shared writing, the teacher and students compose a text together while the teacher records the ideas. The teacher models how writers think, plan, and record their ideas on paper.

In shared writing, the teacher may ask questions such as:

• What should we write first?
• How do we start our sentence?
• What word would make sense here?
• What sound do you hear at the beginning of that word?

Students contribute ideas while the teacher demonstrates how spoken language becomes written language. This process helps students learn sentence structure, spacing between words, punctuation, and the organization of ideas. Shared writing also shows students that writing is a collaborative process where ideas can be discussed, revised, and improved.

https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies/dictation

The Dice Game: A Cooperative Story Writing Activity

Encouraging Invented Spelling

In early writing development, invented spelling is a natural and important part of learning. Invented spelling occurs when students write words using the sounds they hear, even if the spelling is not yet conventional. For example, a student might write MI DG RN for “my dog ran.”

Allowing invented spelling encourages students to focus on expressing their ideas rather than worrying about perfect spelling. It helps children apply their knowledge of phonics and phonemic awareness by listening to the sounds in words and representing those sounds with letters.

Teachers can support invented spelling by:

• Encouraging students to “stretch out” words to hear the sounds
• Praising students for using the sounds they know
• Modeling correct spelling during shared writing and reading activities
• Gradually introducing conventional spelling patterns through phonics instruction

Over time, as students read more and learn spelling patterns, their writing naturally becomes more conventional.

Creating a Supportive Writing Environment

Young writers benefit from a classroom environment where writing is a regular and meaningful activity. Teachers can support writing development by providing daily opportunities for students to write during journals, response to reading, science observations, or storytelling.

Helpful classroom practices include:

• Modeling writing during shared and interactive writing
• Encouraging students to draw pictures before writing to organize ideas
• Providing word walls or sound charts for support
• Celebrating student writing through sharing and discussion

When students are given time, encouragement, and meaningful purposes for writing, they begin to see writing as an exciting way to communicate their thoughts and experiences.

By supporting shared writing, honoring invented spelling, and providing consistent opportunities to write, teachers help young learners build the confidence and skills needed to grow into capable and enthusiastic writers.

Setting Up a Classroom Library

Purpose of a Classroom Library
A well-organized classroom library is an important part of a balanced literacy program. It gives students daily access to books and encourages independent reading, curiosity, and enjoyment of literature. When students can easily choose books that match their interests and reading abilities, they are more likely to stay engaged and develop strong reading habits.

Selecting a Variety of Books
Include a wide range of high-quality texts so students can explore many types of reading. A strong classroom library should contain both fiction and nonfiction texts, including picture books, informational texts, poetry, and early chapter books. Providing books on different topics allows students to read for both enjoyment and learning.

Organizing the Library
Arrange the classroom library so students can easily find and return books on their own. Many teachers organize books into labeled baskets or bins by topic, author, genre, or reading level. Clear labels and consistent organization help students develop independence and keep the library orderly.

Teaching Students Library Routines
Students should be explicitly taught how to use and care for the classroom library. Model how to select books, browse respectfully, and return books to the correct basket. Establish simple expectations such as handling books carefully, keeping the area neat, and sharing materials with classmates.

Connecting to the School Library
The classroom library works best when it is paired with regular access to the school library. Encourage students to check out books from the school library every day or every couple of days when possible. This routine allows students to access a larger collection of texts and supports the development of consistent reading habits.

Building a Culture of Reading
When classroom libraries are thoughtfully organized and used regularly, they help create a classroom culture where reading is valued. Over time, consistent access to books helps students build fluency, expand vocabulary, and develop a lifelong interest in reading.

Teaching Vocabulary

Build Vocabulary Through Rich Language Experiences
Students learn vocabulary best when they encounter words in meaningful contexts. Teachers should expose students to a wide range of language through read-alouds, shared reading, conversations, and content-area texts. Hearing sophisticated language regularly helps students develop stronger comprehension and communication skills.

Explicitly Teach Important Words
Select a small number of important words from a text or lesson and teach them directly. Focus on words that students are likely to encounter again in future reading or academic subjects. Introduce the word, explain its meaning in student-friendly language, and show how it is used in a sentence.

Connect New Words to Prior Knowledge
Help students make connections between new vocabulary and things they already know. Ask students to think about experiences, examples, or situations where the word might apply. Making these connections helps students remember and understand the meaning more deeply.

Encourage Student-Friendly Definitions
After introducing a word, ask students to restate the meaning in their own words. This helps ensure that students truly understand the vocabulary rather than simply memorizing a definition.

Use Visuals, Examples, and Non-Examples
Images, diagrams, gestures, and real-world examples can help students understand new words more clearly. Showing both examples and non-examples can help students understand how a word should and should not be used.

Revisit Vocabulary in Reading and Writing
Return to important vocabulary words throughout the week and encourage students to use them during reading discussions and writing activities. Repeated use in meaningful contexts helps students retain and apply new vocabulary.

Promote Word Awareness
Encourage curiosity about words. Teachers can point out interesting words in texts, discuss prefixes and suffixes, and invite students to notice and collect new words they encounter in reading and conversation. Developing word awareness helps students become lifelong learners of language.

Teaching Writing in Grades 3–5

Developing Independent and Thoughtful Writers

In grades two through five, students move from early writing development toward more organized and purposeful writing. At this stage, writing instruction should help students expand their ideas, organize their thinking, and communicate clearly with an audience. Teachers should provide regular opportunities for students to write across subjects, including language arts, science, and social studies. Writing becomes a tool for thinking, explaining, and demonstrating understanding.

Students benefit from explicit instruction, modeling, and guided practice. Over time, they begin to take greater ownership of their writing and develop their own voice as authors.

Using the Writing Process

Teaching students the writing process helps them understand that strong writing develops over time. Writers often move through several stages when creating a piece of writing.

The writing process typically includes:

• Planning – generating ideas through discussion, brainstorming, drawing, or graphic organizers
• Drafting – writing the first version of ideas without worrying about perfection
• Revising – improving the content by adding details, clarifying ideas, and strengthening organization
• Editing – correcting spelling, punctuation, and grammar
• Publishing or Sharing – presenting writing to classmates, teachers, or a broader audience

Teachers should model each stage so students understand how writers think and improve their work.

Modeling Through Shared and Interactive Writing

Even in upper elementary grades, shared and interactive writing remain valuable instructional tools. In shared writing, the teacher and students compose a text together while the teacher records the ideas. In interactive writing, students may come up to the board or chart paper to help write words, phrases, or sentences.

These practices allow teachers to demonstrate important writing skills such as:

• Expanding ideas with descriptive details
• Organizing paragraphs and sequencing events
• Using transition words and clear sentence structure
• Applying punctuation and grammar conventions

By observing the teacher’s thinking and participating in the writing process, students learn strategies they can apply independently.

Teaching Organization and Structure

As students progress through grades two to five, they begin writing longer and more structured pieces. Teachers should explicitly teach common writing structures such as:

• Narrative writing with a beginning, middle, and end
• Informational writing that explains a topic clearly
• Opinion writing that includes reasons and supporting details

Graphic organizers, anchor charts, and mentor texts can help students understand how effective writing is structured. Teachers can analyze strong examples of writing with students and discuss what makes them clear and engaging.

Writing Across the Curriculum

Writing should not occur only during language arts instruction. When students write about science investigations, historical events, or personal observations, they deepen their understanding of the subject matter.

Examples of cross-curricular writing include:

• Science notebooks and explanations of investigations using key vocabulary terms
• Responses to informational texts
• Summaries of key ideas from lessons
• Reflections on learning experiences

Writing across subjects helps students practice organizing ideas and communicating evidence-based explanations.

Providing Feedback and Encouragement

Students improve as writers when they receive clear, supportive feedback. Teachers can guide improvement by focusing on one or two writing goals at a time, such as unpacking the evidence more, improving organization, or using stronger vocabulary.

Helpful strategies include:

• Teacher modeling and think-alouds
• Peer discussion and feedback without a grade attached
• Individual writing conferences
• Opportunities for students to revise their work

When students regularly share their writing and receive encouragement, they develop confidence and begin to see themselves as capable writers.

By providing explicit instruction, modeling effective writing strategies, and giving students frequent opportunities to write for meaningful purposes, teachers help students in grades two through five grow into thoughtful, organized, and independent writers.

Teaching Reading Comprehension

Purpose of This Guide
Reading comprehension is the ability to understand, interpret, and think about what is being read. Strong readers do more than decode words—they actively think about the text. Teachers can help students develop these skills by explicitly modeling how readers think while they read. One of the most effective ways to do this is through read-alouds and think-alouds, where teachers demonstrate comprehension strategies in real time.

Why Explicit Instruction Matters
Many students do not automatically know how to think about a text while reading. They benefit from seeing and hearing how skilled readers approach a text. During read-alouds, teachers can pause and model their thinking, showing students how to ask questions, make predictions, connect ideas, and summarize important information.

Explicit instruction helps students learn that comprehension is an active process. Readers monitor their understanding, ask questions, and use strategies to make meaning from the text.

Activating Prior Knowledge
Before reading, help students connect the new text to what they already know.

Teacher actions
• Introduce the topic and ask students what they already know about it
• Discuss key vocabulary or concepts that will appear in the text
• Encourage students to share related experiences or observations

Activating prior knowledge prepares the brain to connect new information with existing knowledge.

Making Predictions
Predictions encourage students to think about what might happen next in the text.

Teacher actions
• Look at the title, headings, or illustrations together
• Ask students what they think the text will be about
• Pause during reading and ask if predictions should be revised

Predictions help students stay engaged and monitor their understanding.

Asking Questions While Reading
Good readers constantly ask questions as they read. Teaching students how to ask questions helps them stay curious and focused on meaning.

Teacher actions
• Model questioning during read-alouds using think-alouds
• Pause and say things such as:
“I wonder why the character did that.”
“What might happen next?”
“Why is this information important?”
• Encourage students to ask their own questions during and after reading

Explicitly demonstrating this thinking process shows students that questioning helps readers make sense of complex ideas.

Visualization
Visualization helps students create mental images of what they read.

Teacher actions
• Pause and describe the picture forming in your mind
• Ask students what they imagine the scene looks like
• Encourage students to draw or describe their mental images

Visualization strengthens comprehension, especially when texts contain rich descriptions.

Summarization
Summarizing helps students identify the most important ideas in a text.

Teacher actions
• Model how to identify key information
• Ask students to explain the main idea in their own words
• Encourage short oral or written summaries after reading

Summarization reinforces understanding and helps students organize information.

Using Think-Alouds
Read-alouds provide the ideal opportunity to demonstrate comprehension strategies. When teachers think aloud while reading, they make invisible thinking visible.

During a think-aloud, the teacher pauses to explain what they are thinking, such as noticing clues, asking questions, or making predictions. Over time, students begin to use these strategies independently while reading on their own.

Conclusion
Teaching comprehension requires more than asking questions after reading. Students need clear demonstrations of how readers think before, during, and after reading. By modeling strategies such as activating prior knowledge, making predictions, asking questions, visualizing, and summarizing, teachers help students become thoughtful and independent readers.

Modeling a Think-Aloud Using Life in the Everglades

 

Purpose of This Lesson
A read-aloud allows students to hear fluent reading of informational text while learning scientific vocabulary and concepts. A think-aloud helps students understand how readers construct meaning while reading. During a think-aloud, the teacher pauses to explain the thinking strategies used to understand the text. These strategies include activating prior knowledge, visualizing, making connections, asking questions, and determining importance.

Teacher says to the class:
“Today I am going to read from Life in the Everglades. While I read, I will stop and think out loud so you can hear the strategies readers use to understand nonfiction science texts.”

Reading Strategy: Activating Prior Knowledge
Teacher reads aloud p.1:
“Historically, the Greater Everglades Ecosystem was a complex network of interacting living organisms and habitats connected by the natural flow of water…”

Teacher says:
“When I read the word ecosystem, I think about what I already know from science. An ecosystem is a place where plants, animals, water, soil, and climate interact.”
“So I’m thinking the Everglades must be a place where many living things depend on each other and on water.”

Teacher asks students:
“What living things might be part of this ecosystem?”

Reading Strategy: Visualization
Teacher reads aloud pg. 2:
“The Everglades is the center of this expansive ecosystem, a vast sawgrass and water-lily marsh extending from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay.”

Teacher says:
“When I read vast sawgrass and water-lily marsh, I create a picture in my mind.”
“I imagine a huge wetland with tall grasses and shallow water stretching across the land.”
“Visualizing helps me understand what the Everglades looks like.”

Teacher asks:
“What picture do you see in your mind when you hear the phrase river of grass?”

Reading Strategy: Making Connections
Teacher reads aloud pg. 2:
“Water continuously circulates from the atmosphere to the ground and back to the atmosphere in a system known as the water cycle.”

Teacher says:
“This reminds me of something we learned before about the water cycle.”
“I’m connecting this information to evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.”
“When readers connect new information to what they already know, it helps them understand new ideas.”

Teacher asks:
“What does this sentence remind you of?”

Reading Strategy: Asking Questions
Teacher reads aloud pg. 4:
“Developers began dredging canals and draining water from the wetlands to make dry land for people to build houses and farms.”

Teacher says:
“This part makes me stop and ask questions.”
“I’m wondering how draining wetlands might affect plants and animals that depend on water.”
“Good readers ask questions when something important happens in the text.”

Teacher asks:
“What questions do you have about how people changed the Everglades?”

Reading Strategy: Determining Importance
Teacher reads aloud pg. 5:
“The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan was created to reconnect these wetlands and restore the natural flow of water south to the Everglades.”

Teacher says:
“This sentence feels very important because it explains how scientists and engineers are trying to solve problems in the Everglades.”
“When I read nonfiction, I pay attention to the sentences that explain the main ideas.”

Teacher asks:
“Why do you think restoring water flow is important for the Everglades ecosystem?”

Ambitious Science Teaching Guide

Purpose of This Guide
Ambitious Science Teaching (AST) is an instructional framework designed to help students think, talk, investigate, and reason like scientists. Instead of memorizing facts, students work together to explain real-world phenomena using evidence. Teachers guide students through a cycle of investigation, explanation, revision, and application.

The framework is organized around four core teaching practices:
• Planning for engagement with important science ideas
• Eliciting and building on students’ ideas
• Supporting ongoing changes in student thinking
• Pressing for evidence-based explanations

 

1. Plan to Start With a Phenomenon

What This Means
A phenomenon is something observable in the real world that students want to explain. The goal is for students to figure out why something happens, not just learn about a topic.

Example Everglades Phenomenon
Why do mangrove forests grow in saltwater while most plants cannot?

Teacher Actions
• Show a photo, short video, or real example.
• Ask students what they notice and wonder.
• Record student ideas publicly.
• Introduce the driving question.

Example Student Questions
• Why don’t mangrove trees die in salt water?
• How do their roots survive underwater?
• Do they filter salt?

Classroom Strategy
Create a Driving Question Board.

Sections may include
• What we observe
• What we think is happening
• Questions we want to investigate
• Evidence we collect

 

2. Elicit Student Thinking

What This Means
Students already have ideas about how the world works. These ideas help guide investigations. Teachers make student thinking visible.

Strategies

Turn and Talk
Students share ideas with a partner before class discussion.

Initial Models
Students draw how they think the phenomenon works.

Example Prompt
Draw a model showing how mangrove trees survive in salty water.

Science Notebook Entry
Students write:
• My idea
• My evidence
• What I am unsure about

Teacher Role
Avoid correcting students immediately. Instead ask:
• What makes you think that?
• What evidence supports your idea?
• Does anyone have a different explanation?

 

 

 

3. Investigate the Phenomenon

What This Means
Students collect data and observations that help explain the phenomenon.

Investigations May Include
• Classroom experiments
• Schoolyard observations
• Data analysis
• Reading scientific texts like Life in the Everglades

Example Investigation
Saltwater vs Freshwater Plant Experiment

Research Question
How does saltwater affect plant growth?

Materials
• Two cups
• Water
• Saltwater
• Seeds or small plants

Procedure

1.    Plant identical seeds in two containers.

2.    Water one with freshwater and one with saltwater.

3.    Observe growth over several days.

4.    Record plant height and leaf condition.

Student Data
Students collect:
• Measurements
• Observations
• Drawings
• Patterns they notice

Teacher Moves
Encourage students to:
• Compare data across groups
• Identify patterns
• Discuss unexpected results

4. Support Scientific Discussion

What This Means
Students learn science by talking through ideas and evidence. Teachers guide students to build explanations together.

Discussion Norms
Students practice:
• Listening carefully
• Asking questions
• Agreeing or disagreeing respectfully
• Using evidence

Sentence Starters
• I think _____ because _____.
• Our evidence shows _____.
• I agree with _____ because _____.
• I disagree because _____.

Teacher Questions
• What evidence supports that idea?
• How does that explain the phenomenon?
• What pattern do we see in the data?

5. Develop Evidence-Based Explanations

What This Means
Students combine observations, experiments, and scientific ideas to explain the phenomenon.

Explanation Structure
Students write explanations using Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning.

Claim
Mangrove trees survive in saltwater because they can remove salt.

Evidence
Our experiment showed that most plants did not grow well in saltwater.

Reasoning
Mangroves have special root structures that filter salt, allowing them to survive.

6. Revise and Improve Thinking

What This Means
Students change their ideas as they gather new evidence. Teachers revisit the initial models.

Students Answer
• What did we learn?
• What changed about our thinking?

Model Revision
Students update drawings and explanations using:
• Arrows
• Labels
• New evidence

 

7. Apply Understanding to New Situations

What This Means
Students apply their understanding to related phenomena.

Example Questions
• Why do mangroves protect coastlines from storms?
• Why are mangroves important for fish nurseries?
• What happens if mangroves are removed?

Extension Activities
• Schoolyard plant comparison
• Habitat design challenge
• Conservation discussion

Classroom Tools for Ambitious Science Teaching

Science Notebook
Students record:
• Questions
• Data
• Models
• Explanations

Driving Question Board
Tracks class investigations.

Public Data Charts
Allows students to compare results.

Consensus Models
The class develops shared scientific explanations. 

Evidence of Learning and Formative Assessment

What Is Evidence of Learning?

Evidence of learning is the visible and observable information students produce that shows what they understand, how their thinking is developing, and how they use evidence to explain their ideas. Evidence can come from what students say, draw, write, build, model, demonstrate, or do.

The goal is not simply to determine whether students know the correct answer. Rather, teachers use evidence of learning to understand students' current thinking and make decisions about what to teach next.

A strong evidence-of-learning routine asks:

●     What are students thinking?

●     What evidence shows their understanding?

●     How has their thinking changed?

●     What should I do next as the teacher?

Evidence of Learning in K–2

Young learners often demonstrate understanding through talk, drawings, models, gestures, demonstrations, and emerging writing. Teachers should provide multiple ways for students to communicate their thinking.

Look For

Students can:

●     Make observations and describe what they notice.

●     Ask questions and share what they wonder.

●     Draw or build a model to show their thinking.

●     Explain an idea using their own words.

●     Identify evidence from an observation, investigation, picture, or demonstration.

●     Compare what they thought at first with what they think now.

●     Use simple evidence to support an explanation.

Useful Evidence

Teachers might collect:

●     Science notebook drawings and labels

●     Student explanations during partner or whole-class discussions

●     Initial and revised models

●     “I notice/I wonder” responses

●     Photographs of student models or investigations

●     Student sorting, classifying, or sequencing activities

●     Oral explanations recorded by the teacher

●     Simple evidence statements such as “I think ___ because I saw ___.”

Teacher Moves

Ask questions that make student thinking visible:

●     “What do you notice?”

●     “What makes you think that?”

●     “What did you observe?”

●     “Can you show me with a drawing?”

●     “What happened when we tried it?”

●     “Did your thinking change? Why?”

For K–2 students, drawing and talking are legitimate forms of scientific communication. Writing should support learning rather than become a barrier to demonstrating understanding.

Evidence of Learning in Grades 3–5

As students develop greater independence, evidence of learning should increasingly show their ability to use data, observations, models, and scientific ideas to construct explanations and support claims.

Look For

Students can:

●     Ask questions that can be investigated.

●     Make and record careful observations.

●     Collect, organize, and interpret data.

●     Identify patterns in data.

●     Develop and revise models.

●     Make a claim based on evidence.

●     Select specific evidence that supports their claim.

●     Explain how the evidence supports their thinking.

●     Compare explanations and evaluate evidence.

●     Revise their ideas when new evidence challenges their initial thinking.

Useful Evidence

Teachers might collect:

●     Science notebook entries

●     Data tables and graphs

●     Annotated diagrams and models

●     Investigation records

●     Written or oral explanations

●     CER responses

●     Exit tickets

●     Student-to-student discussions

●     Model revisions

●     Reflections such as “I used to think… Now I think… because…”

Teacher Moves

Press students beyond simply stating an answer:

●     “What is your claim?”

●     “What evidence supports your claim?”

●     “Where do you see that in the data?”

●     “Why does that evidence support your explanation?”

●     “What evidence might challenge your idea?”

●     “How has your model changed?”

●     “What do you understand now that you did not understand before?”

Students in grades 3–5 should increasingly be expected to connect evidence to reasoning, rather than simply identify or repeat evidence.

A Developmental Progression

Evidence of learning should become more sophisticated as students move from K–2 into grades 3–5.

K–2

I notice…

I wonder…

I think…

I saw…

My drawing shows…

I think ___ because I saw ___

Now I think…

Grades 3–5

I observed…

My question is…

My claim is…

My evidence shows…

My model explains…

I claim ___ because the data show ___

I revised my explanation because…

The progression is not about replacing drawing and talking with writing. Instead, students gradually expand their ability to represent, communicate, justify, and revise scientific thinking.

Evidence of Learning as Formative Assessment

Evidence of learning is most powerful when teachers use it, not simply collect it.

After examining student work or listening to student explanations, ask:

What does this evidence tell me about student thinking?         

What are students ready to understand next?

Which ideas need to be revisited or challenged?

Which students need another way to demonstrate their thinking?

The purpose of collecting evidence is to inform the next instructional move. Student thinking should influence where the lesson goes next.

Teacher Reflection

Evidence of learning is not the final step of instruction. It is the information that helps us decide what comes next.

When teachers consistently elicit, examine, and respond to evidence of student thinking, assessment becomes part of learning rather than something that happens only after learning.