Classroom Implementation Strategy
Big picture ideas to keep in mind as you develop the strategy may include:
What specific content in mathematics, science, and/or technology do I want my students to acquire?
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are vital to Michigan’s economy, for the state must
transform from a historically unskilled labor force to one comprised of skilled workers, specifically in the
areas of science and technology. I want them to see and recognize science envelops them in their every
day existence and have the technological ability to process, utilize and share their knowledge.
Will my students develop skills for investigating problems on their own or with others?
Because real world activities require individual and group activities I use both approaches in the classroom. It
has been my experience that small group work, cooperative learning promotes the development of interpersonal
skills—which are not practiced enough by students-fosters an acceptance of individual cultural and racial
differences and strengthens students’ problem solving abilities and increases empathy in our diverse world.
Group or teamwork can provide a platform for cooperating as a group to meet team goals and still divide the
task into certain responsibilities for each member. The division of duties allows student to work by themselves
and seems to strengthen their individual identities through cooperation, and exchange of opinions. Coming to a
consensus about the many aspects of a problem stresses cooperation and teamwork.
Will my students see the relationship between science and mathematics content they learn in school and
problems they will encounter in everyday life?
Yes, because a day does not go by when I do not relate content or procedure to real life situations.
How will students recognize how scientific and mathematical understanding is actually produced? My
students will be afforded the rare opportunity to see their teacher as living proof of scientific production. In my
classroom I daily attempt to foster: questioning, defining problems, using models, planning and executing
experiments, interpreting and analyzing date, using math and technology, and explaining. In the Polar Regions I
will be talking the talk and walking the walk so to speak. Students will be able to see I am using these very
same practices and skills that scientists use "on the job." Through modeling I hope to demonstrate that science
in the everyday world reinforces the importance of literacy and embeds reading, writing and other
communications skills into the investigative work on a daily basis. What students do not always realize is that
emphasis on literacy overlaps Common Core English and Language Arts Literacy that they practice every day
in class.
What science, technology, engineering, and math career opportunities exist in the Polar Regions?
USA.gov indicates “Scientists who work in the Polar Regions go into the field only after spending years
acquiring doctoral degrees in specialized fields and possibly deploying as a graduate student. But it is possible
to find work in the Arctic and Antarctic by joining the ranks of those who support the scientists.
Private contractors hire people with experience in a wide variety of trades and professions. Mechanics,
equipment operators, science and computer technicians, field camp personnel, research vessel and laboratory
staff, administrative personnel, food service and janitorial staff, and a broad array of other specialist and
generalist positions support U.S. scientists and research projects in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Specific employment information--including the physical requirements that must be met to qualify for these
jobs--can be found on the Web sites listed below.
VECO Polar Resources, of Littleton, Colo., provides support to science in Greenland and elsewhere in the
Arctic.
Raytheon Polar Services Co., of Centennial, Colo., supports the U.S. Antarctic Program.
PHI, Inc., of Lafayette, La., flies and maintains the helicopter fleet for the U.S. Antarctic Program.
Kenn Borek Air Ltd., of Canada, flies aircraft in the Arctic and Antarctic.”
How will I promote scientific literacy among all students?
A scientifically literate student is able to apply their knowledge of scientific concepts and processes to the
evaluation of issues and problems that may arise and to the decisions that they make in their daily life, about the
natural world and changes made to it through human activity. I promote scientific literacy daily through
example, modeling and a heightened verbal awareness.
Teaching/Learning Goals
What are your goals for student learning in connection to the major idea/concept featured in the classroom
implementation strategy? Link goals to national and local standards.
StatementE3.3
Plate Tectonics Theory
The Earth’s crust and upper mantle make up the lithosphere, which is broken into
large mobile pieces called tectonic plates. The plates move at velocities in units of
centimeters per year as measured using the global positioning system (GPS).
Motion histories are determined with calculations that relate rate, time, and
distance of offset geologic features. Oceanic plates are created at mid-ocean ridges
by magmatic activity and cooled until they sink back into the Earth at subduction
zones. At some localities, plates slide by each other. Mountain belts are formed
both by continental collision and as a result of subduction. The outward flow of
heat from Earth’s interior provides the driving energy for plate tectonics.
E3.3A
Explain how plate tectonics accounts for the features and processes (sea floor
spreading, mid-ocean ridges, subduction zones, earthquakes and volcanoes,
mountain ranges) that occur on or near the Earth’s surface.
E3.3B
Explain why tectonic plates move using the concept of heat flowing through
mantle convection, coupled with the cooling and sinking of aging ocean plates
that result from their increased density.
Describe the motion history of geologic features (e.g., plates, Hawaii) using
equations relating rate, time, and distance.
E3.3C
E3.2d
Explain the uncertainties associated with models of the interior of the Earth and
how these models are validated.
E3.3d
Distinguish plate boundaries by the pattern of depth and magnitude of
earthquakes.
E3.r3e
Predict the temperature distribution in the lithosphere as a function of distance
from the mid-ocean ridge and how it relates to ocean depth. (recommended)
E3.r3f
Describe how the direction and rate of movement for the North American plate
has affected the local climate over the last 600 million years. (recommended)
StatementE3.4
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Plate motions result in potentially catastrophic events (earthquakes, volcanoes,
tsunamis, mass wasting) that affect humanity. The intensity of volcanic eruptions
is controlled by the chemistry and properties of the magma. Earthquakes are the
result of abrupt movements of the Earth. They generate energy in the form of
body and surface waves.
E3.4A
Use the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes to locate and determine the
types of plate boundaries.
E3.4B
Describe how the sizes of earthquakes and volcanoes are measured or
characterized.
E3.4C
Describe the effects of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on humans.
E3.4d
Explain how the chemical composition of magmas relates to plate tectonics and
affects the geometry, structure, and explosivity of volcanoes.
E3.4e
Explain how volcanoes change the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and other Earth
systems.
E3.4f
Explain why fences are offset after an earthquake, using the elastic rebound
theory.
Why do you consider the major ideas/concept to be important and appropriate for your students to learn
about? MME Michigan Merit Exam content along with ACT approach coupled with the above listed core
curriculum content.
What challenges or misconceptions are inherent in teaching this idea/concept to students?
Some of the content or concepts can be difficult to students because of how abstract these ideas are. The
will probably never get to see or experience these concepts first hand. That is why I travel as much as I do so
these students can experience this phenomenon’s through my experiences which helps to engage the students
and bring this ideas closer to home.
How is your instruction designed to meet these challenges?
A variety of approaches to classroom instruction, each with unique emphasis and strengths, can be used to tailor
instruction to the needs and abilities of students. By adopting an eclectic approach I can establish a flexible
instructional environment that will help make science exciting and challenging for all students.
Classroom Activities
Using the 5-E model (engage, explore, explain, extend, evaluate) or other inquiry model, describe
activities students will be involved in as they engage it the concept/major idea.
Example Indirect Observation Activity
(will adapted for particle physics. Ie. neutrinos, higgs boson, LHC)
Materials:
• Pieces of cardboard (about 15 x15 cm)—one per student group • Simple wooden blocks in different shapes
• Tape
• Marbles
1. (ENGAGE) Ask students to think about the very smallest things they can see. Are there things we know
about that we cannot see? Students may mention germs or atoms. How do we know that these things exist if we
cannot see them? Introduce the idea that scientists must sometimes use indirect ways to discover things.
Procedure
2. Before students arrive, prepare a setup for each student group—all the same block shape—by taping a block
(or a combination of blocks) to cardboard pieces and flipping over the cardboard so that the block(s) are hidden
underneath. Then, prepare another setup with a different-shaped block (or a combination of blocks) for you to
use to demonstrate the activity.
3. When students arrive, show students the cardboard setups and tell them there is a wooden shape (one or more
blocks) underneath. Without looking, how might we figure out the shape hiding underneath?
4. For fifth and sixth grades, tie the setup to how scientists study matter. Introduce the marble as an “electron”
and the shapes as the “nucleus.”
5. Next, show the students the marble and demonstrate rolling the marble underneath the cardboard. When the
marble hits the shape, the marble ricochets out. Remember, no peeking! Ask, “What might this tell us about the
shape underneath?” (When the marble rolls under the cardboard and hits something it bounces back. If the
object is angled, the trajectory of the marble will be different than if the marble hits the object at a 90-degree
angle.) Show students how to record the path of the ricochet of the marble using a colored or dotted line.
6. Next, roll the marble from another side, again recording the result. Discuss how this can tell us what shape is
underneath without ever peeking. This will need to be done several times from each side to get a sense of the
shape underneath.
7. (EXPLORE) Next, have the students (in groups) conduct the same experiment with the setup you prepared in
advance (the second set of new shapes). Have students roll the marbles and record their results. After about 10
minutes, stop the marble rolling.
8. (EXPLAIN) Have each group decide what the shape is underneath. Then have one student from each group
draw and report their results on the board. Discuss any discrepancies between groups. How can the
discrepancies be resolved? Point out that scientists sometimes disagree and have to do more experiments to
resolve the issue, but sometimes the issue cannot be resolved.
9. Discuss that scientists cannot always see the thing they are studying. How is this model like what scientists
do? How is it different?
9. (ELABORATE) After students have completed this task, rearrange the shapes into more complex patterns
(perhaps two shapes together, with gaps or without). Then, students can repeat the procedure.
10. (EVALUATE) Depending on your objectives for this lesson, questions might include: What would you do if
your results were different from another group? Is it possible for a scientist to “peek”? How does it make you
feel to not actually see what the real shape is? Why do scientists use models? How is this model like a real
experiment? How is it different?
How will activities be sequenced and organized?
What type of resources/background information is needed to develop this concept? This may include content background, websites, ect.
What safety procedures need to be considered during the implementation of the activities?
Include activities developed and a timeline for implementation
Evaluation
What criteria will be used to assess student learning during and following the implementation plan? I
view testing and evaluation as enhancements to the curriculum that centers on students’ understanding and
appreciation of science. Students and I view evaluation as help, not a hindrance, to their progress.
Include examples of assessment instruments. This could include rubrics, quizzes, and test, ect. …….as
well as oral discussions using data presented on white board, discussions of comprehension questions, student
generated written paragraphs with a rubric, worksheets, etc.
The foundation for my assessment instruments will be modeling the science ACT test format which includes
reasoning and cognitive abilities. The three reasoning formats included are data representation, research
summaries and conflicting viewpoints. The cognitive levels include understanding, analysis and generalization.
Data representation and understanding: asks students are to interpret the information and draw conclusions
using grafts and charts
-what the variables are and what values of them are presented
-if it is an experiment students identify the nature of the problem and the kind of data that were taken
Research summaries: describing one of my scientific experiments and results and asking students to evaluate
the experimental method, interpret the results, and appreciate some of the implications of the findings
-were controls adequate?
-what conclusions logically flow from the data?
-what further study might be suggested ?
Conflicting viewpoints: asks a student to read a controversial scientific question from two points of view and
evaluate the arguments, identify the points of disagreement
-how well do the arguments flow from the facts presented by each scientist?
How will you know if your goals have been accomplished? What will you do if your goals are not met?
Based on oral discussions, written discussions and general assessment I will be able to judge the level of
understanding. In the event there are gaps in scientific knowledge, my standard practice is to re-present using a
scientific analogy or re-teach. Often times, to my delight I find the need to extend and enrich some topics.