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Introduction
Albert E. Grice Middle School is located in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. We are located several miles from Trenton, our state capital. Grice has a great diversity of students and staff. Grice has approximately 900 students who are divided into two halls, Spirit and Pride. Students are grouped into four sixth grades, two seventh grades, and two eighth grades. Seventh and eighth grade teams each consists of one language arts, mathematics, reading, science, and social studies teacher.
Description of my science class: Nine color computers with speakers and CD-ROMs, a laser disc player with computer interface, a television monitor with audio (English or Spanish), and a LaserJet printer. Each class has between 27-30 students.
Background
The seventh and eighth grade
teams have been working with Science 2000.
Science 2000 is an integrated multimedia approach to life. Students
are using
computer investigations, laser disc player, hands-on-labs, and
an assortment of other tools which place them in the role of a
scientist. Students are
actively doing science instead of passively learning about it
as they spend a
great deal of time on the computer investigating and researching
problems.
Higher level thinking skills are utilized in order to solve specific
real life
problems. The science 2000 curriculum consists of databases full
of
information, software simulations, cooperative group work, and
computer
technology, all used to prepare students for their future. All
work generated
from the class is organized in a three ring binder which forms
their
individual laboratory notebook.
Students need to be more
actively involved in their learning. Students need
to be shown or discover the purpose of the learning. Learning,
teaching, and
facilitating needs to be based on real life problems and real
data.
Assessment
Assessment will be based
on students ability to complete short narrative
answers, reapply concepts to new problems, testing transfer skills,
problem
solving, rubrics, authentic or embedded assessment, presentations,
leadership, and technology skills.
Beginning
My Seventh grade class is
working on a Lake Unit. They study and investigate
basic units of matter, periodic table, nuclear energy and
reactions, humans and the environment, plate tectonics, ground
water, chemistry of pollution, rock cycle, geologic time, earthquakes,
energy transfer, climate and weather, volcanoes, oceanography,
and sedimentary rocks. Our groups will be working on a section
which will integrate language, math, reading, science, social
studies, and perhaps art and music.
The students will be working with two of our local schools as
well as being
given a list of schools throughout the United States to contact.
Each of the
groups will be responsible for their lists and keeping contact
with the
schools who want to participate in our project. Hopefully, we
get at least
one school from each section of the United States. Students will
be given a
list of items which can be worked on and perhaps even come up
with their own? They will converse via e-mail with the other schools
and make a final
determination of how and what soil and water tests to undertake.
Students can record porosity of various soils, water holding capability,
water testing-
levels of chemicals, water budget, insects and/or plants in soil,
conservation
of water. In the end students could also make out a map with soil
and water
profiles of an area, share them with the other schools as well
as the data.
Comparison to other maps and core samples.
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Created for the NTEP II Fermilab LInC program sponsored by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Education Office and Friends of Fermilab, and funded by United States Department of Energy, Illinois State Board of Education, North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium which is operated by North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL), and the National Science Foundation.
Author(s): Rosanne Fabiny
School: Albert E Grice Middle School, Hamilton Township, New Jersey
Created: September 9, 1998 - Updated: November 10, 2001
URL: /ntep/f98/projects/pppl/backyard/proposal.html