I like the focus on “energy stories” and multiple entry ways of learning about energy. It would be interesting to hear more about how the different activities were developed.

It’s exciting to see young students grappling with difficult energy concepts. The activities in the video really help make the abstract concrete.

Energy is such an important concept, and one that cuts across so many different domains! It’s exciting to see this work being done in the elementary grades and with elementary teachers!

“Resources and support for teaching and learning.” Kudos for combining both to ensure greater success and effectiveness. Like Jennifer above, I’m interested in the activities and how they were selected. What research was drawn upon to inform both the PD and curriculum? How long is typically given to energy’s study with teachers/students you are working with? I’m familiar with Annenberg lessons/videos on energy as well as the NEED project. Were these programs informative to your design at all? Also, energy is so central to our lives. Is there any component that developmentally appropriately brings energy in society into the curriculum?

How great to hear about a project that is shedding light on this fundamental abstraction in our lives! It is very exciting to think about all the connections between physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and social sciences that all are centered on energy. I would be interested in hearing more about how students and teachers talk about these connections, specifically with regard to the series of examples of energy at the beginning of the video.

My “inner cinematographer” was very impressed with the aesthetics of your video.

While the concept of energy might initially seem straightforward one quickly realizes how difficult it is, especially energy transformations. Heck, there’s a reason why we didn’t develop a good understanding of energy until fairly recently in the history of science. Could you talk more about your energy tracking lens framework and how it helps student learning?

Credit for the aesthetics goes to our talented videographer, Jim Galdos.

Looking through the Energy Tracking Lens involves asking the same sequence of questions about virtually any phenomenon— from a bouncing ball to global warming:
1. What’s happening? Describe what you observe.
2. What’s the energy story: Where does the energy come from and where does the energy go? What are the components of the system? Where in the system are energy changes occurring? (Where are there Energy transformations? Where are there energy increases and decreases?) What is the evidence?
The Energy Tracking Lens provides a framework and language that allows students to learn an interdependent network of ideas about energy at the same time that they learn to take a scientific stance about phenomena involving energy.

That’s Interesting Sara. It’s hard to measure, but I could see your project helping the students develop a more sophisticated understanding of the nature of science (NOS). It would also allow people to identify the “gaps” where students have difficulty, pointing towards future educational research projects.