Earth to Class

Unit Name: You, the Scientist

Unit Time Frame: Development of project—one marking period; class presentation—3 – 5 days

Content Standards (Performance Indicators)

Will relate to a variety of topics included within the course syllabus. Examples include:

Weather and hazardous conditions—2.1h. Atmospheric moisture, temperature, and pressure distributions; jet steams, wind; air masses and frontal boundaries; and the movement of cyclonic systems and associated tornadoes, thunderstorms, and hurricanes occur in observable patterns. Loss of property, personal injury, and loss of life can be reduced by effective emergency prepararedness.

Performance Standards (Process Skills)

Std. 1: Students will use analysis, inquiry, and design, as appropriate to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.

Std. 2: Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information, using appropriate technologies.

Std. 6: Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect math, science, and technology, and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.

Std. 7: Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of math, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.

Enactment Standards (necessary setting and materials)

Student will work in cooperative groups of 3 – 5 to create projects dealing with scientific investigations presented through Earth2Class Workshops at the LDEO. They will take on the role of scientists in the investigation. They will create visual and oral presentations to explain the logistics of the investigation, type of data collected, important results discovered, and practical applications of the investigation. They should integrate interdisciplinary skills and knowledge.

Specific examples will be provided, although students may propose suitable alternatives. Examples include:

Tree ring studies and paleoclimatology in Mongolia (or Alaska) http://www.earth2class.org/k12/w5_s2005/index.php
Mid-Ocean Ridge Earthquakes (at the East Pacific Rise) http://www.earth2class.org/k12/w7_s2005/index.php
Remote Sensing at Lake Vostok http://www.earth2class.org/k12/w8_s2005/index.php
Marsh Investigations along the Hudson River http://www.earth2class.org/k12/w6_s2004/index.htm
Ocean Drilling at the Juan de Fuca Ridge http://www.earth2class.org/k12/w1_f2004/index.php

For each presentation, students should include answers to questions such as:

What is the purpose of the investigation?
Where did the expedition occur? How did you get there? Where did you sleep? What did you eat? What important equipment did you use?
What was your role in the investigation? How were you an integral part of the investigation?
What kind of data did you collect? How was it related to the total group data? What maps, charts, diagrams, and other ways can you use the data to explain what you found?
Why is your research important? What are the major implications or applications of what you have discovered?

Enactment Activities and Dialogue:
Consideration should be given to topics that would be included in the state assessments.

Students will provide progress reports on a bi-weekly basis.

Students will take on different roles in the investigation. One student will serve as the project leader/manager and provide coordination of the various parts.

Students with special needs will participate using appropriate strategies (e.g., working with resource teachers, emphasizing visual, auditory, or other strengths and skills.)

Rubric for scoring:

Criteria for assessment will be developed using RubiStar (http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php).
An example of the rubric is:


Oral Presentation Rubric : You, the Scientist


Teacher Name:

Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Comprehension	Shows a full understanding of the expedition research. Student's role as a scientist in the project is clearly explained	Shows a good understanding of the expedition research. Student's role as a scientist for the research is explained.	Shows understanding of parts of the research. Student's role in the expedition is somewhat unclear.	Does not seem to understand the research very well.
Preparedness	Student is completely prepared and has obviously rehearsed.	Student seems pretty prepared but might have needed a couple more rehearsals.	The student is somewhat prepared, but it is clear that rehearsal was lacking.	Student does not seem at all prepared to present.
Enthusiasm	Facial expressions and body language generate a strong interest and enthusiasm about the topic in others.	Facial expressions and body language sometimes generate a strong interest and enthusiasm about the topic in others.	Facial expressions and body language are used to try to generate enthusiasm, but seem somewhat faked.	Very little use of facial expressions or body language. Did not generate much interest in topic being presented.
Questions	Student is able to accurately answer almost all questions posed by classmates about the topic.	Student is able to accurately answer most questions posed by classmates about the topic.	Student is able to accurately answer a few questions posed by classmates about the topic.	Student is unable to accurately answer questions posed by classmates about the topic.
Content	Group clearly explained with great detail the purpose of the expedition, how the expedition was executed, and why the research is so relevant today.	Group explained the purpose of the expedition, how it was executed and why it was important.	Group explained the expedition's purpose and execution, although details were missing.	Group did not make it completely clear why the investigation took place and was missing details about how it was carried out.
Display	Each element in the display had a function and clearly served to illustrate some aspect of the project. All items, photos, graphs etc. were neatly and correctly labeled.	Each element had a function and clearly served to illustrate some aspect of the project. Most items, photos, graphs etc. were neatly and correctly labeled.	Most of the elements in the display served to illustrate some aspect of the project. Most items, photos, graphs etc. were correctly labeled.	The display seemed incomplete or chaotic with no clear plan. Many labels were missing or incorrect.
Collaboration	Presentation was cohesive - group members made it easy for the leader to do an excellent job tying all the different components together.	Group leader and members did a good job making the presentation cohesive.	Presentation was somewhat confusing, but some attempt to tie it all together made by group leader and members.	Group leader struggled to tie all the aspects of the project together. Group members not all working together well.

Date Created: Apr 30, 2005 01:40 pm (CDT)

Originally suggested by Dora Kravitz in partial fulfillment of the requirements for MSTC 4866. Participants in 30 April E2C Professional Development Workshop:

Dora Kravitz, Don Goldstein, Rose Sanders, Kathy Prichinello, Virginia Seberg, Clare Kennedy, Carol Zepatos, Jim Signorelli, Dionisia Viloria, Cathy Trotter, Remo Velardo, Kathleen Harris, Jannine Galgano

Revised May 7, 2005 by Dora Kravitz.