InPhysicalScience,writtenbyChristieBorgford,AndrewChampagne,MapiCuevas,Leila Dumas,WilliamG.Lamb,SallyAnnConderbrinkandpublishedbyHolt,RinehartandWinstonin 2007,wefindamiddleschoolamiddleschooltextbookthatcoversawiderangeofscientific topicsNewtonianmechanicsandkinematics,thermalprocesses,waves,electricityand magnetismareallcoveredwithinthebook.Mostsectionsofthebook,though,onlyoffera cursorylookintothesubjectthetextforstudentsblowsbywithoutalotofexplanation,focusing moreontermsthatstudentsshouldlearnratherthanwhytheyshouldlearnthem.Theframing materialforteachersintheteacherseditionprovidessomehelpfulinformation,butinlotof circumstancesitseemstobesuperfluous. NextGenerationScienceStandardsMS.PS4:WavesandtheirApplicationsinTechnologiesfor InformationTransferoutlinesfiveperformanceindicatorsforstudentstodemonstratetheir knowledgeaboutwaves: Designinganinvestigationtoproducedatathatsupportthesimplemodelforwaves, includinghowtheenergyinawavedependsontheamplitude.

ude. Developingamodeltorepresenthowwavesarereflected,absorbed,ortransmitted throughvariousmaterials. Analyzingandinterpretingstudentgenerateddatatodescribethebehaviorofmechanical wavesastheyintersect. Constructinganexplanationusingawavemodeloflightforwhymaterialsmaylook differentdependingonthecompositionofthematerialandthewavelengthandamplitude ofthelightthatshinesonthem. Usingdigitaltoolsandmathematicalconceptstocomparetwoormoredigital representationsofinformationtodeterminewhichrepresentstheoptimaltradeoff betweenperformanceandcostforagivenkindofcommunicationdeviceinarealworld context.

Theseperformanceexpectationsprovideaframetocreatelearninggoalsintheclassroom. Studentsshouldlearn: Thepropertiesofmechanicalwaves:Amplitude,FrequencyandWavelength,andhow theyconveyinformationabouttheenergyofawave. Howwavesinterferewitheachother,andundersomecircumstanceswiththemselves.

Howreflection,refractionandtransmissionoccuracrossdifferentmediafordifferent typesofwaves Theelectromagneticspectrum,anditsrelationtohumanvision thewaysinwhichelectromagneticwavesareusedinallkindsoftechnologies Studentmisconceptionswouldcomeupmostprominentlywhendiscussingtheelectromagnetic spectrumasitpertainstovisionmanystudentsmaynotknowexactlyhowitisthattheir eyesightworks. Lookingatchapters11and12ofPhysicalScience(PS),onWavesandLight&Sound, respectively,andcomparingthemtotheMS.PS4,weseethatPSdoesgothroughalotofthat informationalloftheideasinthestandardarementioned,butnothinggetsmuchmorethana mention.Averyimportantideatothechapterwillgetalengthyparagraphwithsomeanalogyto makeitprocessable,butotherideasgetbarelyasentence.Aspresentedinthebook,the learningprogressionexpectedforgrades68withrespecttowavesisthere,butitdoesn'tseem toconsidermuchofpriorstudentknowledgethematerialsexpectedofgradesK5arealso present,andevenmaterialpresentedwithinthebookitselfispresentedinsubsequentchapters asifitwerebrandnewoneparticularexamplewasthedefinitionofalongitudinalwave,defined atthebeginningofchapter11,thenagaininchapter12inthesamemanner.Lookingatthe laboratorysectionsofthebook,thescientificpracticespresentedinPSfallbehindtheexpected 68standardstheydontseemliketheywouldincitealotofscientificinquiry,andseemtobe nearertheexpectationsofgrades35. ThecrosscuttingconceptsoftheNGSSandtheintegrationofengineeringarelargelyabsent fromthebookIcouldntfindanyexamplesofeitherthatstoodout. OverallIthatthistextbookneedsalotofsupplementationtobeahelpfuleducationaltoolinlight ofthenewstandardsitsbroad,simpleandshallowtreatmentofthematerialdoesntdojustice tothematerialortothestudentsthephoneticspellingofevensimpletermsseemsmore

patronizingthanhelpful,andtherearemultiplereadingchecksthatconsistoflittlemorethan thelastsentenceoftheprecedingparagraphreformulatedintoaquestion. TheweaknessesofPSisalsoprobablyitsgreateststrengthbycoveringsuchanexpanseof materialinsuchbrieflanguage,theresultiseasytoreadanddigest,whichsomestudentsmay appreciate.Whereamoretechnicaltextbookcanbeaquagmireofequationsanddense, illexplainedideas,PSreadsrelativelyquickly. ToadaptthesematerialstobetteralignwiththeNGSS,Iwouldprobablyusethemasan introductiontothematerialatthebeginningofaunitonwavesthebroadandshallowtreatment givesstudentsanoverviewofwhattoexpectwithoutbeingoverwhelming,andshouldallowme theoptiontogointothetopicinmoredetailandwithmorecrosscuttingandengineeringthanis presentedinPS.Bydoingthis,Ithinkstudentswillhaveanopportunitytobetterexplorethe ideaspresentinthestandard,butthereislessriskthattheybecomeoverwhelmedbythe conceptofthewavemodel,sincethebookgivesitsuchasimplebreakdownthatcanbebuilt uponforgreaterunderstanding.