"It will take some time to make the materials your own... and to work with your students to develop a class where sensemaking is the norm."
As a companion to the MBER-Biology Curriculum Map and Year-at-a-Glance webpage, we provide here a couple of pacing guides (attached PDFs). More detailed information on the timing of each learning segment (lesson) within a model triangle (a unit) can be found on the Learning Segment Table for each model triangle. Please refer to the MBER-Bio Year at a Glance page to access each of the model triangles.
A starting point...
The attached tables are summary resources. They provide estimates for the number of 55-minute instructional days needed to complete each unit in the MBER-Bio curriculum. We've provided this pacing guide for two possible sequences employed by MBER teachers--the traditional sequence or "Red Loop First" and an alternate sequence called "Blue Loop First".
You can read more about coherence and the year-long sequence for MBER Biology here.
By their nature, these kinds of pacing guide is optimistic. We understand that teachers need time for warm-ups, transitions, interruptions to instructional time (announcements, drills, assemblies, etc.), and perhaps most importantly summative assessments such as unit, mid-term and final examinations. None of these "extra" minutes are included in the calculations. Instead, we have intentionally left two weeks of administrative buffer on the front end of the schedule and the balance of the year--nearly 5 weeks of class time--to account for all of these additional commitments, requirements, and interruptions. That said, we have noticed that most teachers still struggle to make it through the entire sequence in their first year of implementation. In particular, the final units-- Population Variation, Speciation, and the return to Unity and Diversity-- are often truncated or dropped all-together. These issues may be further compounded in schools that don't follow a traditional bell schedule (i.e. schools following a block, modified block, 4 x 4 schedule, etc.). We recommend teachers try to coherently wrap-up the year in some manner for students, with one possible solution involving truncation of earlier units (such as Growth & Development or portions of the Red Loop models such as Chemical Reactions where there are many optional materials that could be passed-over in the first implementation) so that some of the final activities can still be enacted.
Take the time you need, and then move on.
The most important idea to hold firmly as a new teacher is that no one can follow the pace of something handed to them. It will take time to make the materials your own (which is why we provide all of them in editable format) and to work with your students in developing a class where sensemaking is the norm. This kind of investment in shifting classroom culture takes time and practice. It is why here we insist that you schedule three weeks for "Setting the Stage" at the front of the year and why we hope you will take the time needed to encourage your students to engage with science in a new way, rather than focus your concern on exploring all of the content/units in their entirety. First-time MBER teachers who have rushed through content at the expense of reinforcing sensemaking norms with their students have consistently reported regret in having made such a choice. That said, there will be times when the class is ready to move on, despite what might be outlined as the next conversation or activity in the curricular resources. We hope you will learn to trust yourself in knowing when your students are ready to push forward.
Teachers face unique pressure in teaching students with varied needs while conforming to the requirements of administration and standardized tests. You all sit at the interface of so many interests (parents, admin, school boards, and even colleagues and students). We understand this, and hope to connect you to a broader community of support. We encourage you to foster teaching partnerships with colleagues as you engage in shifting your classroom practice and finding your own stride!