K-5 Prime Reviewer Guide
K-5 PRIME
Reviewer’s Guide
Jen Gutierrez
Educational Liaison at Activate
I spent 18 years teaching K-4 students in all subjects, but of course my favorite was science! I love the support Activate Learning provides to assist teachers with quality science teaching and learning. K-5 PRIME is a three-dimensional program that engages all students in “doing science”. I’ve created this guide to take you through our program the first time and point out some things you won’t want to miss. I take an active part in working alongside teachers during implementations and look forward to meeting you!
Introduction To PRIME
PRIME engages children in learning science by doing science, with a focus on developing discourse and critical thinking skills alongside disciplinary content knowledge and science and engineering practices to help students make sense of engaging hands-on explorations. PRIME was developed to address known challenges to teaching science in elementary classrooms, including: 1) limited science background and content knowledge of many teachers, 2) minimal time for and focus on science in elementary schools, and 3) usability challenges inherent in a hands-on science environment.
2021 Updates
New User Interface
In 2021 we’re launching our brand new user interface for our Activate Learning Digital Platform to give PRIME teachers an even better teaching experience with our program. PRIME is easier to use than ever with teachers utilizing our new workflow of:
- Plan
- Teach
- Assign
- Assess
PRIME Video
By the summer of 2021, PRIME will feature activity videos for every materials based lab investigation in the program.
Slides
By the summer of 2021, PRIME will feature slides for easy delivery of every lesson, saving teachers time on lesson planning.
Remote Learning Lesson Plans (RLPs)
The Remote Learning Lesson Plans (RLLPs) are adapted from the Teacher Editions to support continuous learning everywhere. The RLLPs condense what is taught in each activity with specific teaching recommendations, and the plans identify the digital resources, print resources, and materials needed to teach and learn outside of the classroom.
Can I See PRIME On The Activate Learning Digital Platform?
How to navigate Activate Learning PRIME:
How we integrate with Google and Canvas:
What Makes The Digital Platform Unique?
Students Can:
- Record responses, draw models, write explanations
- Receive feedback from teachers
- Record questions and make thinking visible
- Read and listen to informational text and annotate and highlight
- Hear read-aloud audio of all lessons and readers.
Teachers Can:
- Create and deliver on-line assessments
- Score and comment on student work
- Display multiple student models for whole-class sharing
- Watch lab set-up videos
- Upload scores to LMS
Layout
PRIME Topics – are listed by grade level. Each grade covers 3-5 topics per grade, varying in length.
Clusters – within each topic, clusters are groups of 2-6 lessons that focus on the same one or two big ideas that students build towards.
Big Ideas – aligned to the NGSS DCI’s and help helps teachers and students focus on understanding the most important concepts, rather than on memorizing smaller bits of information. Helping make easy connections to the bigger picture.
Teaching A Lesson
Start With Quick Look Section
“A Quick Look” pages to make planning simple and easy. PRIME isn’t checklist science, it allows learners’ understanding to build over time. The quick look contains:
- Overview — Brief description of what the children do
- Big Idea — The primary science concept of the lesson
- Key Notes — Tips for scheduling and preparation
- Lesson Goals — What children will know and be able to do as a result of the lesson
- Assessment — Assessment suggestions and techniques
3 Parts Of A Lesson
Engage
Students participate in a common experience/phenomena that is designed to instill wonder in them and cause them to ask questions.