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Natalie Stagnitti's Portfolio Page

From KNILT

About Me

Hi everyone, I am a high school chemistry teacher in the Capital Region and I love engaging students in real-life and applicable science. I graduated from Siena College in 2023 with a BS in Chemistry and Certificate in Adolescent Education. I am currently working towards my MS in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology at UAlbany. When not teaching, I enjoy going for walks in my neighborhood and working out as well as reading fiction/fantasy books, theology, and my Bible. You can also find me and cooking and baking new recipes... and tasting them too!

My Topic and Purpose

The goal of my mini-course is to supply science teachers with the tools and resources to engage their students in collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data sets. Data is integral to any science discipline and it is important for students to have experience working with both their own laboratory data and gleaning information from other scientists' data in whatever format it is displayed. Students often have trouble summarizing data and breaking down complex tables, charts, and graphs. This course aims to provide teachers with techniques and tips for teaching students how to deal with data sets and become science data-literate.

Scope of Learning Outcomes and Content

Throughout 4 units, participants will learn tips and techniques for helping students to build skills in data literacy and analysis.

By the end of the course, participants will be equipped with the skills to:

  • Identify the importance of data literacy in science education
  • Engage students in strategies for analyzing data sets from different sources
  • Integrate data analysis and interpretation into classroom activities

Needs Assessment

Educational Opportunity: In 2013, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were published and called for a shift in nationwide science learning towards inquiry-based and phenomenological pedagogy[1]. New York State has adapted the NGSS to create the P-12 New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS) and has begun the 5-year implementation plan in 2023[2]. The standards requires that students engage with and grow competency with the Science and Engineering Principles (SEP), which include eight real-world practices that are not included in the current NYS science curriculum. One such SEP is “analyzing and interpreting data”[3]. For all students, this skill takes time, experience, and explicit guidance and practice. Students tend to shut down when they see complex data sets and are asked to interpret graphs and images that are not straightforward, yet science teachers must be equipped with the skills to help students overcome these obstacles.

Analysis of Gaps: Implementation of NGSS has required a long-term systematic effort from educators, school districts, and stakeholders nationwide.[4] As the standards require a total shift in teaching methods and call for students to engage with material in different ways, teachers must transform their mindset about teaching science and prepare to provide explicit instruction of the SEP, like analyzing and interpreting data, in much greater depth than the previous standards required. As both new and experienced teachers likely did not experience an emphasis on analyzing and interpreting data in their grade school science education, there is a need for quality resources to for successful implementation. This need is displayed as state and national teaching associations like the Science Teachers Association of New York State (STANYS) have been continuing to promote professional development for teachers to prepare for implementation of NYSSLS.[5] It is clear that with this huge shift in science teaching methods, quality materials to aid teachers in their transformation of science learning are needed.

Existing Efforts: There are currently educator-created websites like "The Wonder of Science (https://thewonderofscience.com/)" and "Sadler Science (https://sadlerscience.com/)" that have pages and resources to help educators in their quest to revamp their science courses according to NGSS and NYSSLS.[3][6] Additionally, school districts can opt to send their science teachers to professional development courses and work with state and national professionals on the new standards. Teachers who are not provided with these opportunities must use their time and resources to find and create high-quality instructions and materials related to NGSS and NYSSLS.

Intent statement: This course intends to equip science teachers and staff with the foundations and resources needed to engage P-12 science students in analyzing and interpreting data.

Analysis of the Learner and Context

Learner: This course is designed primarily for administrators and supervisors directly involved in science curriculum planning, science teachers, pre-service teachers, and teacher instructors. Participants should be familiar with analyzing and interpreting scientific data themselves yet may have varying levels of comfort with effectively teaching students this skill. Participants may also come to the course with different understandings of NYSSLS and the SEP and how to implement these in the classroom. This course will work through New York State’s expectations for students in data analysis and interpretation, as well as provide guidance and resources for teaching students this skill in P-12 settings.

Context: This course will likely take a learner anywhere from one to three weeks to complete. Learners will be encouraged to work through the course modules and linked information at a pace that allows them to absorb as much information as possible. Upon completing the course, learners should feel comfortable with the NYS grade-level expectations for analyzing and interpreting data (LINK (https://thewonderofscience.co m/sep4-analyzing-and-interpreting-data)). Additionally, learners are encouraged to try out various data analysis techniques in class as they journey through the course. Learners must have access to the internet and Google Suite in addition to bringing an open and ready to learn attitude!

Performance-Based Objectives

After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to:

  • Explain the significance of teaching P-12 students how to analyze and interpret data and how it relates to their own students and classroom.
  • Construct clear and effective guidelines for students to follow when interpreting diverse data sets.
  • Develop a lesson plan that engages students in the data analysis skills and techniques that will be used in the classroom.
  • Modify existing lesson plans and laboratory activities to include opportunity for students to practice data analysis at the appropriate level.
  • Create authentic learning experiences throughout the target course curriculum for students to practice the skills involved in analyzing and interpreting data and apply them to a variety of situations.

Task and Content Analysis

Prerequisites

Before taking this course, the learner should have basic knowledge about the following:

  1. Learners should know how to read the New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS).
  2. Learners should understand basic science principles as well as the foundations for analyzing and interpreting scientific data.

Unit 1: Unpacking and Understanding the Standard

At the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  1. Explain the importance of teaching P-12 students how to analyze and interpret data
  2. Identify the skills associated with analyzing and interpreting data that are appropriate for each grade band
  3. Describe the ways that analyzing and interpreting data can enrich science education

Unit 2: Testing Tools & Learning Strategies

At the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  1. Experiment with various teaching tools for analyzing data
  2. Identify tools and strategies for data analysis that are relevant to the learner's students
  3. Build a repertoire of techniques and strategies for helping students to analyze data

Unit 3: Developing Clear and Explicit Expectations

At the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  1. Analyze the standards for analyzing and interpreting data within the appropriate grade band
  2. Identify appropriate expectations for their students when analyzing and interpreting data
  3. Create a set of clear and explicit guidelines for analyzing and interpreting data in the science classroom

Unit 4: Transforming an Existing Lesson Plan

At the end of this unit, learners will be able to:

  1. Identify lessons that can be modified to incorporate analyzing and interpreting data
  2. Reframe the topic of a lesson into the context of analyzing and interpreting data
  3. Integrate one of the tools and strategies for analyzing and interpreting data into an existing lesson plan

Curriculum Map

References and Resources

  1. Next Generation Science Standards. (2013). Retrieved February 21, 2025, from https://www.nextgenscience.org/
  2. New York State Education Department [NYSED]. (2016, December). New York state P-12 science learning standards implementation roadmap. Retrieved February 21, 2025, from https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/standards-instruction/nysedimplementation- roadmapv13.pdf
  3. Anderson, P. (n. d.). Analyzing and interpreting data. The Wonder of Science. https://thewonderofscience.com/sep4-analyzing-and- interpreting-data
  4. National Science Teaching Association (2025). Position statement: The next generation science standards. Retrieved March 2, 2025 from https://www.nsta.org/nstas-official-positions/next-generation-science-standards
  5. O’brien, S. (2025). President’s message. STANYS Newsletter 60(3). https://stanys.org/Newsletter
  6. Sadler, E. (2024, November 11). How to teach students to analyze and interpret data. https://sadlerscience.com/analyzing-and-interpreting- dat/
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