Bioforge 1.1.0- Demystifying SEPs

Science is not just a list of facts students are supposed to memorize. It is a way of asking better questions, building models, testing ideas, working with evidence, and explaining how the natural world works. In this overview, we are looking at the Science and Engineering Practices, often called the SEPs. These are the thinking and doing moves students use when they engage in real science and engineering: asking questions, developing models, planning investigations, analyzing data, using math, constructing explanations, arguing from evidence, and communicating information. For 7th grade life science, the SEPs matter because they help students move beyond “knowing about” cells, ecosystems, genetics, and adaptation. They help students figure things out. That is the heart of three-dimensional science learning: students use practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts together to make sense of phenomena and solve problems. The Alaska science materials describe these practices as central to helping students investigate the natural world and solve problems, not as bonus activities added after content. So in this video, we are going to step into the workshop side of science: the tools, habits, and practices students need in order to think like scientists and engineers.