Essential Question: What project could help me integrate my content with making?
I struggle the most with my earth science class. Partly because it is not my area of expertise or interest, and also because the students in this class become a mix of new 9th grades and "forever" 9th graders (students who refuse to participate or do work). It is a challenge to get new 9th graders to realize they are not in middle school anymore. For "forever" 9th graders it is hard to get them motivated. They are in the fixed mindset, thinking that they will never make it, so why try? The project I am envisioning would start out with a guided module to explain content. Then I think I would take it one step further and have students create something to explain to their community why it is important to preserve fresh water and what are some steps people in the community could take to preserve fresh water for the future. I want to add the project component because "the best way to construct knowledge or understanding is through the construction of something shareable, outside of a student’s head" (Martinez & Stager, 2013).
Project "The High-Adventure Science Water module has five activities. In this module you will consider the question: will there be enough fresh water? In this guided activity, you will explore the distribution and uses of fresh water on Earth. Explore models of porosity and permeability, run experiments with computational models, and hear from a hydrologist working on the same question. You will not be able to answer the module's framing question at the end of the module, but you will be able to explain how humans can preserve supplies of fresh water for the future."
How will this project encourage making? There are 8 qualities of a good project listed by Martinez & Stager (2013)
First off, "making is any activity where people create something, often with their hands" (Vanderwerff, 2014). Students would create something to share with their community. This would be the making. According to Vanderwerrf (2014) making is important because "we all construct our own meaning of the world around us; Making just gives us a context to construct our understanding in." This allows students to apply their understanding in more than one context. Another way of putting this is that hopefully students will be able to apply their learning to many situations rather than just the classroom. How can I implement more than 1 unit/project? After reading Designing Multidisciplinary Integrated Curriculum Units (2010) I realize I have a lot to do if I want to implement this as a whole classroom philosophy and not just one unit. I have always know this but this guide really gave me a how to and I am excited to try this with my earth science class, to start with. If all goes well I would like to implement this in all classes. Th checklist below will be a major part of my planning process. A lot of planning will have to be done on my end to figure out what topics I am required to teach by the district and then aligning it with the standards. Then I will be able to see where and what type of project I might be able to incorporate.
Sources
Designing Multidisciplinary Integrated Curriculum Units. (2010, February). Retrieved June 9, 2016, from http://www.connectedcalifornia.org/downloads/LL_Designing_Curriculum_Units_2010_v5_web.pdf High School Earth and Space Sciences. (2013, June). Retrieved June 9, 2016, from http://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/HS ESS DCI combined 6.13.13.pdf Martinez, S. L., & Stager, G. (2013). Invent to learn: Making, tinkering, and engineering in the classroom [Kindle]. Vanderwerff, A. (2014, May 14). Makers in the Classroom: A How To Guide (EdSurge News). Retrieved June 09, 2016, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2014-05-14-makers-in-the-classroom-a-how-to-guide Will there be enough fresh water? (2015, August 18). Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://authoring.concord.org/sequences/98?show_index=true
2 Comments
Catherine
6/10/2016 05:48:46 pm
Sara it is obvious you have put a great deal of thought and work into your unit plan. You being excited about it will surely rub off on your students. Excitement is contagious. It sounds like, unless I missed something, that you are letting your students use their creativity to plan and produce their final piece. Do you have ideas in your head of possibilities your students might choose?
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Sara Lucas
6/11/2016 10:31:40 am
Yes I do plan to give some ideas. Sometimes students get stuck figuring out what to do. I would give ideas such as a presention which could include a poster, PowerPoint, or any other means to present, they could make a video, a brochure, design a device to preserve water, or anything else they come up with.
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