The SEPUP Approach to Teaching and Learning
 

SEPUP (the Science Education for Public Understanding Program) is a science education project developed primarily by former and current classroom science teachers. A program of the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California at Berkeley, SEPUP develops instructional materials and approaches to support classroom science education. SEPUP’s approach to science education includes the following key features:

An instructional model that integrates scientific inquiry with a thematic approach for teaching science in the context of personal and social issues. The phases of the model are illustrated in the adjoining diagram.

In all of its curriculum materials, SEPUP incorporates:

1. Personal and societal issues to introduce science. An issue-oriented approach engages students in learning science and helps students understand the everyday relevance of scientific concepts.
    
2. The role of scientific evidence and tradeoffs in decision making. The purpose of issues in SEPUP is not limited to engaging students in science. As students evaluate issues, they consider the types of evidence required to make an informed decision. Students learn how scientific ideas and processes can provide evidence. Students are expected to apply their knowledge of scientific evidence to their decision-making.
    
3. Different approaches to hands-on inquiry. SEPUP supports student inquiry by providing numerous opportunities for hands-on investigations. SEPUP's instructional activities follow an inquiry continuum, from more guided to more open-ended. Guided inquiry introduces students to important ideas and gives students a model for scientific approaches. More open-ended-inquiry experiences encourage students to develop their ability to ask and investigate questions, to understand how to apply science to new problems, and to think critically about scientific evidence.
    
4. Age-appropriate teaching strategies. Using different strategies, such as simulations, projects, analysis of data, and physical and computer models stimulates students to improve laboratory, research, reading, and writing skills. It also provides increased learning opportunities for students with different learning styles.
    
5. Spiraling of key concepts and skills over time. SEPUP utilizes a learning-cycle approach in which concepts and skills spiral throughout the curriculum. Key concepts and vocabulary introduced in one activity are used repeatedly in later activities, enhancing student understanding and retention.
    
6. Assessments that are embedded in the curriculum. SEPUP materials provide both a well-constructed multiple choice item bank and a research-based assessment system developed in cooperation with the University of California Graduate School of Education.
    
7. SEPUP designs curriculum using the best of research and practice. The staff first identifies research-based techniques that can help students learn. These techniques are integrated into the development of the curriculum, which is then trial-tested by classroom teachers and their students. Only after addressing the input of teachers, scientists, and other experts are the materials commercially published.
    
8. Explicit connections to other disciplines, such as technology and literacy. SEPUP materials provide students with opportunities to learn science utilizing relevant history, technology, mathematics, and language.
    
9. The 4-2-1 approach to cooperative learning. SEPUP's approach to cooperative learning ensures individual learning while maximizing the benefits of group interaction. The "4-2-1" refers to how responsibilities are shared:

• 4 - A group of four students share certain lab materials, such as bottles of chemicals. This sharing facilitates interactions within the group.
• 2 - Each pair of students within a group of four performs the procedure.
• 1 - Each student is expected to have access to a copy of the student book/pages. Students keep individual records of data, observations, and written responses.

SEPUP’s Guided Inquiry

There are probably as many definitions of inquiry as there are science teachers. We prefer the definition used by the National Research Council:

Inquiry is a multifaceted activity that involves making observations; posing questions; examining books and other sources of information to see what is already known; planning investigations; reviewing what is already known in light of experimental evidence; using tools to gather, analyze and interpret data; proposing answers, explanations and predictions and communicating the results. Inquiry requires identification of assumptions, use of critical and logical thinking and consideration of alternative explanations.
(National Science Education Standards, 1996 p. 23)

 The use of inquiry-based learning strategies is central to SEPUP’s instructional design. SEPUP programs support the essential features of classroom inquiry, as set forth in Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 2000, p25).

By using SEPUP, students will:

• Engage in scientifically-oriented questions
• Give priority to evidence, which allows them to develop and evaluate explanations for their questions
• Formulate explanations from evidence to address those questions
• Evaluate their explanations in light of alternative explanations, particularly those re-enacting scientific understanding
• Communicate and justify their proposed explanations

SEPUP’s guided inquiry gives equal weight to knowledge and skills through a hands-on, activity-based focus that relies on strong academic content. The early activities in each unit offer students considerable guidance and structure through detailed procedures, premade data tables and questions that call for fairly concrete answers. These early activities also provide models of scientific investigations that students can explore and evaluate. The later activities provide increasingly less structure and ask students to assume more responsibility for collecting, recording and analyzing data. The sequencing of these experiences leads students to practice and grow confident in their abilities to:

• Explore science concepts and principles in real-world situations
• Use evidence to reason through a problem or issue
• Use scientific concepts to reach independent conclusions or decisions justified by evidence

Students experience the processes by which evidence is collected, tested, evaluated and put to use. These inquiry strategies, together with the SEPUP issue-oriented instructional design, provide powerful and motivating tools to engage your students in authentic science learning activities. They are also keys to achieving a scientifically literate society as well as the NSES goals for school science.

Literacy

SEPUP Core Curriculum provides frequent opportunities for students to develop their language skills. Students are expected to read informational text and procedures. The Analysis Questions, Designing Investigations activities, and science notebook entries all involve writing clearly. Students practice their oral language skills in Role-plays, Discussions, Debates, and Presentations. Teachers who are looking for ways for science classes to help students develop language literacy will find these exercises particularly helpful. The literacy strategies in SEPUP Core Curriculum provide an array of ideas about how to help students improve their abilities to read, write, talk, and think about science. Not every strategy is appropriate for every activity, nor is a strategy necessarily limited to specific activities. Teachers typically employ the strategies as written. As they move along through the activities they evaluate when students most need a literacy strategy, and which strategies are most helpful. Eventually teachers customize the selection and use of literacy strategies to guide and improve students’ learning of science.

Literacy Strategies Embedded in SEPUP Core Curriculum

Literacy Category	Literacy Strategy
Supporting reading comprehension	Anticipation Guide Directed Activities Related to Text (DART) Listen, Stop, Write Reading Scientific Procedures Three-Level Reading Guide
Enhancing student writing	Keeping a Science Notebook Writing a Formal Investigation Report Writing Frame Writing Review Research Project Assessment: COMMUNICATING SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION
Facilitating group discussion	Discussion Web Intra-act Oral Presentation Walking Debate Assessment: GROUP INTERACTION
Synthesizing concepts and vocabulary	Categorization Activity Concept Map KWL Talking Drawing Venn Diagrams

Diverse Learning Strategies

SEPUP develops curriculum with the knowledge that many teachers face the challenge of having in the same class students with a wide range of educational backgrounds, abilities, and needs. SEPUP’s field-test classrooms have demonstrated that the variety of instructional approaches used in SEPUP Core Curriculum helps all students succeed. This section describes how the program addresses the needs of diverse learners, and includes suggestions and tools for facilitating group interactions, additional support to help students acquire science skills, background on the program’s literacy strategies, and templates that you can use to prepare additional literacy support if needed.

In 1996, the National Research Council declared in the National Science Education Standards its goal for science education: that all students achieve science literacy. This goal challenges schools and teachers to make sure that science is accessible to students of different abilities, learning styles, and cultural backgrounds. To help them accomplish this, SEPUP curriculum incorporates flexible approaches to laboratories, modeling activities, simulations, role-plays, readings, and discussions. Each activity also includes features that differentiate instruction and assessment in ways that address students’ varying learning needs.

Research has shown that differentiating instruction and assessment is not only beneficial to the target student group, but for the entire class as it provides multiple ways for students to access and engage with new material. The table below summarizes the differentiated learning strategies embedded in the SEPUP curriculum.

Students with Learning Disabilities	Hands-on activities provide concrete experiences Optional student sheets provide step-by-step procedures for open inquiry labs Literacy strategies support improvement of reading comprehension and writing skills Discussion strategies facilitate communication Scoring guides state clear assessment goals
English Language Learners	Vocabulary is introduced with operational definitions that connect concepts to learning experiences 4-2-1 cooperative groupings encourage student interactions in a non-threatening environment Discussion strategies enhance speaking and listening skills Literacy strategies strengthen reading and writing skills
Academically Gifted Students	Issues stimulate evaluation of problems in real-world contexts Lab activities encourage students to design complex investigations Scoring guides challenge students to demonstrate their depth of understanding Extension activities encourage in-depth inquiry into related topics

Assessment

The SEPUP Assessment System has been developed with input from researchers, the SEPUP staff and hundreds of teachers across the country. The Berkeley Evaluation and Assessment Research (BEAR) group at the University of California at Berkeley collaborated with SEPUP to develop the Assessment System with support from the National Science Foundation. It has been cited in numerous journal articles and publications, including Knowing What Students Know (National Research Council, 2001. pp. 115-120) and Classroom Assessment and the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 2001, pp. 65-69).

The SEPUP Assessment System is integrated into the curriculum for both formative and summative evaluation. Teachers can use the SEPUP Assessment System to collect evidence on what students have learned, help students improve their learning skills and performance, to work with other teachers to develop clear and consistent expectations within a school district or a school’s science department. As with all other aspects of the program, the embedded assessments and item banks are based on research and classroom trials.

The diagram illustrates the three core components of the assessment system and three additional components that support teachers. Nine variables de ne key aspects of the program that are assessed. Student progress is measured through assessment questions or tasks, which are generally embedded as part of the students’ daily work. Each of these tasks assesses students on one or more of the variables described. Student responses are scored using scoring guides, or rubrics. Each variable has an associated rubric, which provides detailed criteria for each level (0-4) of performance.

To assist teachers, three additional components of the system provide support for identifying and scoring student assessments. The student tasks are displayed on a blueprint, or overview, which displays the flow of assessment opportunities over time through a module or course.

To assist in scoring the tasks, exemplars of sample student answers from field test schools are provided to allow teachers to see typical student work. Finally, a process of assessment moderation provides an opportunity for teachers to collaborate in scoring and reaching consensus on the quality of student work. In addition to the six components of the assessment system, a test item bank provides a resource for tests and quizzes.

Student Book

The Student Book guides investigations and provides related readings. The Student Book uses a variety of approaches to make science accessible for all students. SEPUP’s integrated literacy strategies help students process new science content, develop their analytical skills, make connections between related concepts, and express their knowledge orally and in writing. The built-in assessment system helps teachers identify students’ strengths and weaknesses from the beginning of the course. This allows them to adjust activities when needed so that all students get the best chance to build their knowledge and appreciation of science.

• It features ten different activity types, designed to focus on concept and skill development. They include: Labs, Investigations, Modeling, Readings, Talking It Over, Role Plays, View and Reflect, Projects, Field Studies, and Problem Solving.
   
• Students master definitions through their observation and discussion of phenomena. SEPUP Core Curriculum introduces new words operationally. Students learn about a word in the context it is used and on an as-needed basis.
   
• The Analysis Questions at the end of an activity ask students to apply or evaluate their knowledge. These types of higher level thinking questions prepare students for state and national assessment tests.
   
• The use of a science journal is emphasized for recording data, observations, notes, vocabulary, and answering Analysis Questions. It becomes an extension of the Student Book building on content which is also developed through teacher facilitation and asking open-ended questions.
   
• One of SEPUP’s goals is to introduce middle school students to a variety of careers in science, technology, and engineering. The career references are not isolated in boxes of text, but are described in a variety of places, including in the introduction to an activity, captions to photos, the readings, and questions. In some cases, students assume the roles of individuals in different specialties.

Teacher's Guide

The SEPUP Core Curriculum Teacher’s Guides takes you through each activity in the Student Book and helps you see the development of concepts within the big picture of the units and the course you are teaching. It helps you set up the equipment from the kit, organize the classroom, conduct activities, and manage practical details, all of which enhance students’ learning environment. The Teacher’s Guide is packaged as a series of loose-leaf binders that you can personalize with annotations, rearrangements, and insertions. The Teachers Guide provides full support for teaching the program, included in each lesson:

• Activity Overview
• Goals of what students do and are expected to learn
• Teaching summary outlines day-by-day teaching and learning interactions
• Key Concepts and Process Skills/Vocabulary
• SEPUP Approach to vocabulary development
• Cooperative learning strategies
• Equipment and materials management/ advance preparation
• Resources section lists video and print resources, websites
• Background information
• Teaching Procedure
• Benchmarked answers to student analysis questions
• Student exemplars that address the assessment scoring guides
• Comprehensive support for differentiated instruction
• Extensions/ Use of electronic technology

Additional support resources found in the teachers guide include:

• Unit Overviews include Activity Descriptions, Key Concepts and Processes, Advance Preparation, Assessment, and Teaching Periods
• Classroom Strategies and Guidance Setting up a SEPUP Classroom
• Guidelines for Organizing and Introducing Student Notebooks
• Student Sheets /Black line Masters
• Student Data Collection Transparencies/ Black line Masters
• Additional Content Support Transparencies/ Black line Masters
• Diverse Learners Resource Section
• Scoring Guide Rubrics
• Scoring Guide Transparencies/ Black line Masters
• Assessment Blueprints
• Test Item Banks/Answer Keys
• Key Skills Matrix by Activity
• Preparation of Solutions
• Glossary
• Complete Teacher’s Guide CD

Books On-Line Individual, classroom or district licenses can be purchased for access to our student books on-line. The on-line version is an exact duplicate of the hardbound book. It features editable Word® documents for each set of Activity Assessment Questions which allows students to e-mail their finished work back to the teacher. Microsoft Word® Tools provide strong support for Diverse Learners. The Spelling and Grammar Checker uses red and green underline squiggles representing spelling (red) and grammar (green) errors alerting students to potential errors The thesaurus helps to refine writing as well as expose students to new vocabulary words. Students with poor spelling skills often have difficulty using a dictionary. This feature provides an instant definition for a highlighted word, eliminating the task of dictionary lookup. Students can also use the Thesaurus to find the synonyms of words. All pages were created using Adobe Acrobat Reader®. A great feature of the Adobe program is “The Read Aloud Function”. The program audibly reads the text, allowing the student to follow the reading on the page. You can speed up or slow down the program based on the student’s ability. This helps all students increase their vocabulary. Take the Books Online tour and sample some of the activities.