The Science I Know

“Dr. Suzanna Roman-Oliver has nailed it with this book. Not only is she able to provide invaluable insights with her experiences as a K-12 teacher and a clinical assistant professor, but she does what many educators have struggled to do. Dr. Roman-Oliver aligned all of the resources in her book to NGSS standards. Educators will have access to high-quality 3D lessons that will prove to be highly engaging and interactive to each learner. If we expect our educators to teach science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas with fidelity, provide them with an opportunity to explore this great resource.”

Latasha Lampkin, Doctoral Candidate, Georgia State University

“Dr. Roman-Oliver's timely book applies new ideas regarding student engagement and inclusivity within existing dialogues of education and critical consciousness. Along with her collaborators, she offers several practical suggestions for utilizing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in science classrooms and demonstrates the adaptability of these lesson plans to make them relevant for your own students.”

Stephanie Opperman, Associate Professor of History, Georgia College and State University

“Dr. Roman-Oliver masterfully tackles an important, yet underemphasized facet of Culturally Relevant Science Education. As educators, we are all familiar with the terminology. But how can we effectively implement this pedagogical model in an ever-changing classroom filled with diverse personalities and needs? The Science I Know: Culturally Relevant Science Lessons from the Secondary Classrooms explores the importance of cultural relevancy and how to implement this teaching and learning framework. With standards-based lessons that can be adapted to fit the diverse needs of any secondary science classroom, this book is a must read for all science teachers and teacher educators!”

Dionne Lazenby, PhD

“After 25 years of preparing middle and high school teachers, I have learned that they are far more likely to implement new concepts when they are able to see high quality, practical examples from similar classrooms. It is for this reason that I believe The Science I Know: Culturally Relevant Science Lessons from Secondary Classrooms can have a substantial impact on the quantity and quality of culturally relevant teaching in our nation's science classrooms. I highly recommend this inspiring book to both teacher educators preparing novice science teachers and to veteran teachers who are striving to meet the needs of ALL their students.”

Cynthia Alby, PhD, co-author of "Learning That Matters: A Field Guide to Course Design for Transformative Education"

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I Setting the Stage

Chapter 1. The Shifting Role of Science Education

Chapter 2. The 5E Instructional Model and the Next Generation Science Standards

Chapter 3. Why Culturally Relevant Pedagogy?

Chapter 4. How to Use this Book

Part II Culturally Relevant Lessons

Chapter 5. Lessons from the Classroom

Lesson Plan 5.1
Human Activities and Biodiversity
Tara Conner

Lesson Plan 5.2
Cultural Influences on Diet
Barbara J. Parks

Lesson Plan 5.3
Exploring Mendelian Inheritance Patterns
Anne Norviel

Lesson Plan 5.4
Diversity Benefits Us All
Melissa Volante

Lesson Plan 5.5
Rhymes and Rhythms of the Body
Ansley Talafous

Lesson Plan 5.6
How Do Fireworks Work?
Larry Layfield

Lesson Plan 5.7
Energy Transformations
Sarah Brown

Lesson Plan 5.8
Heat Transfer in the Kitchen
and
Lesson Plan 5.9
Little Star
Perri Lennon

Chapter 6. Lessons by the Author

Lesson Plan 6.1
Renewable Sources of Energy Around the World

Lesson Plan 6.2
Sport Injuries

Lesson Plan 6.3
Exploring Friction

Lesson Plan 6.4
Genetically Modified Foods

Part III Next Steps—Becoming a Culturally Relevant Science Teacher

Chapter 7. Ten Best Practices for Incorporating Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in the Science Classroom

Chapter 8. Designing Culturally Relevant Science Lessons

Appendix A-Lesson Resources

About the Authors

Index

Suzanna Roman-Oliver

Suzanna Roman-Oliver has been an educator for almost 20 years. She was a high school science teacher for English Language Learners for 12 years. After that, she worked as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University. Her dissertation research, the inspiration for this book, focused on pre-service teachers understanding and implementation of culturally relevant pedagogy during their student-teaching experience. Dr. Roman-Oliver continues to do research to explore the influence of culture in the teaching and learning of science. She lives in Rome, Georgia, with her husband, son, and puppy. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Georgia College and State University.