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Introduction

Making Time for Science & Social Studies
Introduction

Scheduling for Elementary Student Learning

Introduction

The intent of these schedule approaches is to support locals in considering ways to make time for learning science and social studies. These models are a result of a call to action from the science and social studies educators and professionals. As locals increasingly choose Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum (time and opportunity to learn) in the continuous improvement process, reimagining elementary schedules is a critical activity to meet this outcome for all content areas. The models use a common start/end time and keep consistent language (see Key Terms).

Overview of Schedule Approaches Topics

Daily Schedule

This schedule approach models one way a traditional daily schedule designates specific time for science and social studies to be implemented within individual educators' classrooms.

Rotating Schedule

This schedule approach model alternates dedicated instructional time by semester. This example demonstrates one way a daily schedule can be organized designating time for social studies and science within individual classrooms throughout the school year.

Departmentalized Schedule

This schedule approach designates each teacher within a grade level team to fewer content areas allowing for focused professional learning, intentional student-centered planning, and strategic allocation of resources/materials.

Integrated Schedule

This schedule approach designates specific time for science and social studies to be implemented as a daily special. Science and social studies are daily specials, while rotating specials may be on a weekly or monthly basis. This approach results in each teacher having fewer content areas allowing for focused professional learning, intentional student-centered planning, and strategic allocation of resources/materials.

Core Specials Schedule

This schedule approach allows for centering science and social studies themed instruction through interdisciplinary integration, authentic inquiry, sensemaking, solving problems, and relevant application of knowledge and skills. The integrated approach includes mini sessions for the foundational skills in each content area. Each content area serves one another, resulting in a student learning experience that is focused on application and connectivity vs. traditional and siloed learning.

Considerations for Success

  • As part of instruction coherence...these schedules support...
  • Connections to Disciplinary Literacy? How Sci & Social Studies supports ELA and Math – maybe a Venn Diagram??
  • Staffing, and in particular, specials and intervention/enrichments are drivers of where in the day the time for each content area and prep periods land
  • There are no mandated minutes for any of the content areas
  • Utilize Social Studies and Science blocks to provide authentic context to apply skills from reading, writing, speaking, listening, and mathematics. For example, students use concepts of number lines to write about patterns of change in Social Studies and Science. In addition, a text may be substituted in the ELA block for topics supporting Social Studies and Science.
  • Tradeoffs of each schedule: PL when teaching multiple content areas, collaboration, interventionists
  • What I Need time: Intervention / Enrichment could be embedded into the time already established for each content area. Distribute this time to extend those blocks, example, science and social studies become 60 minutes to support ELA and math application. Intervention / Enrichment time could be flexed but embedded into the time already established for each content area. Intervention/Enrichment time could be embedded into the time already established for the integrated block. Distribute this time to extend those blocks. Examples may include more than one content expectation with the caveat that the implementation is very intentional and not surface-based.
  • Utilize Social Studies block to provide context for application of reading and writing in the ELA block. Utilize Science block to provide context for application of mathematics and measurement in the Math block.
  • Collaboration and Coaching Supports - See Notes on Collaboration tab for more info. 
  • Integrated Schedule – We need to unpack this schedule/approach by discussing how this schedule can be flexed to meet needs of students expand or shrink direct instruction based on learning needs.
  • Idea: talk about supporting questions and connections to driving question board. Previous supporting Q ideas: Supporting questions might include? -Where are things (plants, animals, human artifacts) at? -Are humans the only animals that change environments? What data can we gather that gives us information about things in our environment? -How can I document what I have found?
  • Further thinking and add around how integrated schedule is most aligned with world requirements and modern success. How and where do we need to talk about how schedules lift or minimize student success post-K-12?.

Key Terms to Clarify

  • Opening/closing circles - clarify that these times can be flexible but should address academic, social, and community needs
  • Define What I Need time (WIN): Intervention/Enrichment. Consider sharing students across grade levels
  • Intervention/Enrichment
  • Rotating Specials (Art, Music, PE, Library, etc.) - whole child/balance
  • Core Specials (Sci and SS)
  • Teacher Prep & Collaboration
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