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COLUMBIA, SC, Dec. 16, 2021 – Carolina Biological announced that two of its elementary school science programs are among the rigorous list of new science materials just adopted by the South Carolina State Board of Education for the state’s K-12 science curriculum. Carolina Biological’s award-winning Smithsonian Science for the Classroom™ and Building Blocks of Science ™ 3D were chosen for adoption to help teachers address new state science standards. The company was among more than 30 publishers that made the adoption list. Adopted materials are available for purchase now to public schools and districts in South Carolina. The resources can makeover science classes and benefit teachers and students in 83 school districts that serve 780,000 students statewide. Recently approved in June, the South Carolina College and Career-Ready 2021 (SCCCR) standards for K-12, are the state’s new three-dimensional performance expectations in science and engineering. New school materials were reviewed in depth and selected for adoption to engage students and help educators to teach these latest standards.
South Carolina science classes now have a nice selection of rich new resources to support their own student-driven, hands-on, and phenomena-based vision of three-dimensional learning in the classroom. Science materials from 65 publishers were reviewed for adoption by the Instructional Materials Advisory Committee, comprised of parents, teachers, district administrators and community members. The Committee reviews all instructional materials in light of the state content standards. Materials are recommended for adoption by the Committee on a rotating basis every six years. Schools may select materials from the state-adopted list of resources using state funds. Materials adopted as supplemental must be purchased with S.C. schools’ local funds, but not with state funds.
The next step in the adoption process is for the S.C. Department of Education to help districts with local science materials selection through an Instructional Materials Caravan, where school and district staff can learn about the new materials through presentations by publishers, including Carolina Biological. This will happen before April 1, when districts report their selections to the Office of Instructional Materials. In May, schools place their orders online and receive their new instructional materials for the start of the school year.
“Carolina Biological is honored that South Carolina’s Department of Education selected some of our best elementary science curricula for adoption to help its teachers transition to the state’s rigorous new three-dimensional standards,” said Jim Parrish, President and CEO at Carolina Biological Supply Company. “Students especially enjoy the high-interest wonder of real science investigations in both Smithsonian Science for the Classroom and Building Blocks of Science 3D. Designed to meet every facet of NGSS, they align well with South Carolina’s College and Career-Ready 2021 standards, which are built upon the same concepts.”
The new SCCCR standards were adopted in 2021. Schools can begin implementing the new standards during the 2021-2022 school year. Publishers provided the Instructional Materials Advisory Committee with samples of their materials and correlations to the Standards. The Committee reviewed these instructional materials and voted in September to recommend them for the state-adopted list. Recommended materials were formally approved for state adoption yesterday. Schools need to transition and implement the standards next fall, when state assessments for grade 5, grade 8 and high school will be aligned to the 2021 science standards.
Science is a way of knowing, a process of using observations and investigations to gain knowledge and understanding of the physical and natural worlds. Phenomena-rich investigations and meaningful engineering design challenges put the experience in students’ hands. Smithsonian Science for the Classroom and Building Blocks of Science 3D make science engaging as students work in groups to drive their own investigations of science phenomena and learn through hands-on physical experiments and digital simulations.
Carolina Biological updated its science programs last year to support essential remote instruction in schools with adapted @HOME lesson plans and demonstration videos, as well as a variety of live and online on-demand professional development called Get Ready! Professional Learning. Whether educators are teaching students from their classrooms or at home, they can maintain a high-quality science program, engage students online in three-dimensional learning, and continue to support English language arts and math. These @HOME resources are online for educators at: Smithsonian Science for the Classroom and BBS 3D.
Smithsonian Science for the Classroom
Setting the standard in 3D learning and 3D assessment, the Smithsonian Science for the Classroom curriculum provides cohesive storylines, superior teacher support, and research-supported instructional design that is backed by proven results with point-of-use support. Smithsonian Science for the Classroom is a high-quality core science and engineering curriculum program specifically developed to meet the NGSS. This elementary curriculum is designed to engage, inspire, and connect grades K to 5 students firsthand to the world around them. Smithsonian Science for the Classroom helps teachers to integrate science, technology, engineering, and math through engaging and hands-on lessons. The seriesincludes print and digital components, as well as hands-on materials.
The Smithsonian also demonstrated through a five-year study funded by a U.S. Department of Education Investing in Innovation grant (U396B100097), that its curriculum issuccessful in improving students’ performance in science, math, and language arts.
Building Blocks of Science 3D (K-5)
Carolina Biological’s Building Blocks of Science 3Dhands-on unit kits are for students in grades K to 5. This complete, phenomena-based program integrates engineering into every grade and includes everything teachers need for their entire class for every lesson with hands-on materials, print, and digital simulations and components. The program is a core curriculum that combines interactive investigations, literacy components, and digital resources to teach students science content and investigative skills. The program’s 99 digital simulations give a straightforward and quick way for teachers to assess student understanding. The custom-created simulations are directly tied to the phenomena in the units.
Students investigate real-world science phenomena. They need to be able to explain phenomena. They are given opportunities to understand and explain. Providing explanations shows teachers their level of understanding.
Leaders in the Field
Both the Smithsonian Science Education Center and Carolina Biological programs support teachers with everything they need to teach all students. Clear directions for each activity help teachers who are teaching new topics to quickly get started. Guiding questions are provided to help move through investigations. Tips, different ways to teach, addressing misconceptions, and differentiation strategies are also provided.
For information about Carolina Biological’s two science programs that were just adopted in South Carolina, visit Carolina Biological at www.buildingblocksofscience.com or https://www.smithsonianstc.com/smithsonian-science-for-the-classroom-172N7-41295L.html, or call (800) 334-5551, or e-mail [email protected].
Smithsonian Science Education Center
The mission of the Smithsonian Science Education Center is to transform and improve the teaching and learning of science for PreK-12 students in the United States and throughout the world. Established in 1985 as the National Science Resources Center (NSRC) under the sponsorship of two prestigious institutions – the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academy of Sciences – the Center is dedicated to the establishment of effective science programs for all students. The Smithsonian Science Education Center works to build awareness for PreK-12 science education reform among global, state, and district leaders; conducts programs that support the professional growth of PreK-12 teachers and school leaders; and engages in research and curriculum development in partnership with it is publisher, Carolina Biological Supply Company, the sole source provider of STC™, STCMS™, and Smithsonian Science for the Classroom™.
Carolina Biological Supply Company
From its beginnings in 1927, Carolina Biological ( www.carolina.com) has grown to become the leading supplier of science teaching materials in the world. Headquartered in Burlington, NC, Carolina Biological serves customers worldwide, including teachers, students, and professionals in science and health-related fields. The company is still privately owned by descendants of the founder, geology and biology professor Dr. Thomas E. Powell Jr.
*Next Generation Science Standards is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.
eSchool Media staff cover education technology in all its aspects–from legislation and litigation, to best practices, to lessons learned and new products. First published in March of 1998 as a monthly print and digital newspaper, eSchool Media provides the news and information necessary to help K-20 decision-makers successfully use technology and innovation to transform schools and colleges and achieve their educational goals.
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