Twig Elementary's Professional Learning guides provide comprehensive supports to enhance the teaching and learning experience. The collection includes customization guides, safety protocols, teaching aids, explanations of science and engineering practices, support for scientific discourse, and culturally responsive teaching strategies. It also includes detailed guidance on assessment practices to ensure all students' needs are met. Together, these resources help you engaging, effective, and inclusive science education.
Below you will find a description of each guide:
- Guide to Customizing Twig Science outlines the variety of instructional pathways and instructional modifications built into Twig Science Elementary to help you tailor the teaching and learning experience to your classroom.
- Guide to Lab Safety details important safety information so you feel confident in conducting Twig Science hands-on labs. It explains where in the product to find safety information and materials for each hands-on activity.
- Guide to 3-D Assessment describes the design of the Twig Science Elementary assessment suite and provides guidance on assessment alternatives and modifications to help you meet the needs of all students.
- Guide to Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs) breaks down the different SEPs and CCCs and explains why they are important. It also shows the progression of the SEPs and CCCs through each grade band, with examples from the NGSS Framework and from the Twig Science program.
- Guide to Scientific Discourse, Language and Classroom Routines outlines features and processes in the Twig Science program for supporting equitable scientific discourse. It includes support for setting up norms and protocols, formal language routines, and scaffolds that help students feel their ideas are relevant, valued, and respected.
- Guide to Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching helps you adopt a culturally and linguistically responsive approach to science instruction. It includes in-depth background, rationale, guidance, and suggestions for activities to validate and affirm students’ cultural behaviors, and a framework for evaluating the cultural authenticity of classroom materials.
Professional Learning guides can be found in first lesson of each Driving Question.
To access the Professional Learning guides:
- Log in to Twig Science Elementary.
- Use the Lesson Explorer to navigate from a grade level to a module to a Driving Question.
- In the Full Course Lessons or Fast Track Lessons section of the Driving Question page, click on the first tile to open Lesson 1.
- The guides are at the bottom of the Overview tab. Scroll to the bottom of the tab or click Professional Learning in the left navigation sidebar.
- Click on the name of a guide to open the guide.
- You'll then have the option to download the guide and/or have it read aloud to you.