Resources

Making Sense of SCIENCE (MSS) helps teachers gain a solid grasp of challenging science concepts, analyze effective teaching practices, and explore how literacy supports impact learning.

The activities and approach in this second edition of the Making Sense of SCIENCE: Matter bundle supports existing standards-based curricula, are based on a decade of research, and have been nationally field-tested with teachers and vetted by scientists.

The course materials are designed to:

• Engage teachers in collaborative, adult-level science learning that models the multidimensional, discourse-rich practices found in productive science classrooms
• Equip teachers with the deep content knowledge and strong pedagogical skills needed to foster inspirational and impactful student-driven learning
• Empower teachers to reflect on and improve their practice with tools that scaffold respectful and collaborative professional learning communities

In this second edition, the authors further emphasize engaging students in discourse-rich practices, systems thinking, the development of scientific explanations, and phenomena-based learning.

The authors have also updated the content and streamlined the learning to make the course even more efficient, allowing for added time to reflect on teaching and to explore the everyday applications of this fascinating science.

 The Facilitator Guide Bundle includes:

• The Matter Facilitator Guide, which contains extensive background information and detailed procedures for teacher educators
• The Matter Teacher Book, which contains teaching cases of actual classroom practice, science background information, and guided investigations that explore matter in conjunction with related literacy supports and teaching practices
• Making Sense of Student Work: A Protocol for Teacher Collaboration, designed to support teachers in collaboratively examining and learning from their students’ work
• Downloadable digital resources that contain all course materials — including the eBook edition of Making Sense of Student Work: A Protocol for Teacher Collaboration — and the Matter Formative Assessment Task Bank

Also Available Separately

• Teacher Book Bundle: Contains the Teacher Book, Making Sense of Student Work: A Protocol for Teacher Collaboration, and a digital download that includes all course handouts, additional classroom resources, the eBook edition of Making Sense of Student Work: A Protocol for Teacher Collaboration, and the Matter Formative Assessment Task Bank
• Charts: Single-use 24″ x 32″ wall charts for facilitators to anchor discussions and provide a visual archive of teachers’ thinking in the Teacher Course
• Formative Assessment Task Bank: Twenty formative assessment tasks for grades 5–12 students

Visit Making Sense of SCIENCE for more information about professional development services and resources.