Thirty-seven science educators from across the state of Arizona – including six from Marana Unified School District – participated in an intense professional learning opportunity that allowed teachers time to collaborate and master the skills needed to design, implement and evaluate cohesive science units aligned with Arizona Science Standards adopted in 2018. The professional development was provided through a partnership with Arizona Science Teachers Association (ASTA) and the Arizona Department of Education (ADE).
MUSD Participants included:
- Martha Bishop – Twin Peaks K-8 Kindergarten team (Earth Science)
- Shaelyn Lander – Coyote Trail Elementary Kindergarten team (Earth Science)
- Krisha Leyva – MUSD, Coach
- Megan Scott – Rattlesnake Ridge Elementary 1st grade (Life Science)
- Nikki Tapia – Coyote Trail Elementary 1st grade (Life Science)
- Jessica White – Twin Peaks K-8 Kindergarten team (Earth Science)
During the planning, multiple instructional sequences forming several cohesive science units were created, addressing Kindergarten through 5th grade science standards. The standards will be shared for free for teachers to use in their own classrooms.
ASTA is a Tucson-based non-profit organization focused on inspiring, engaging and supporting science educators (Pre-K through Post-Secondary) across the state. Located on the University of Arizona campus, ASTA develops and implements workshops, webinars, and resources to support and train science educators implementing Arizona’s 3-dimensional science standards, incorporating core science ideas, practices and crosscutting concepts.