Elementary Science Vocational Training Team District 7930  District 3770 March 21 – April 9, 2013

D7930 Team Chris Doktor, Team Leader Rotarian, D7930 EarlyAct Chair Architect, Olson Lewis + Architects Sally Crissman Senior Science Educator, TERC Science Educator & Professional Development Provider, 40+ years Mary Dominguez Elementary Science Specialist, Belmont Public Schools Science Educator & Professional Development Provider, 40+ years Andy Maddox Rotarian, D7930 Interact Chair Technologist, Bass Rocks Technology

*District 7930 is made up of 47 Rotary Clubs *District Governor Terri Kidder, District 7930

Workshop Goals  Describe what’s happening in science education in the United States and the implications for teaching and learning.  Experience science investigations firsthand to highlight best teaching practices.  Introduce teaching strategies and resources to support inquiry-based science lessons.

Workshops

Conversations

Learning by Doing!

Childhood Experiences Ask: What kinds of childhood experiences influence our attitudes toward science?  Form groups of 6-8 people  Talk to each other about your own (personal) science experience when you were young:  What were the best, most positive science experiences  What were the worst, most negative ones?  Make a chart  Post your chart  Look at other charts

Investigating Height Ask: What is the typical height of a workshop teacher? Explore/collect data:  Collect height data  Display group data (make a human graph along the wall) Make meaning: What can we claim about the typical height of a workshop teacher? What new questions does this raise?

Mystery Beads Ask: What causes the beads to change color?  Explore the beads (4 minutes) What do you observe? What do you think is going on?  What’s a question about these beads that you can investigate in the next 20 minutes? You’ll need to collect some data.

Ask: What did the owl eat? Collect observational data:  Place your pellet on a sheet of newspaper.  Pull apart the pellet with a toothpicks or your hands.  Separate the bones from fur and feathers.  Sort the bones (skulls, jaws, ribs, arms and legs).  Decide how to display them. Two possibilities…  Assemble the bones from a single animal, recreating the original skeleton.  Make a display of all of the bones you found, organizing them in an interesting way.  Mount your bones on heavy paper with glue. Owl Pellets

Ask: How can you change the motion of a helicopter?  Make a helicopter using the pattern.  Explore the motion of the helicopter as it drops from a height:  How does it rotate?  Can you modify your design to change the rotation? to go faster or slower? Paper Helicopters

Ask: What makes the diver sink and float?  Fill a 1 or 2 liter soda bottle with water.  Using a cup of water, fill the dropper with enough water so that the dropper barely floats upright in the glass.  Place the dropper in the bottle and screw the cap on tightly.  Explore: Find out how to make the dropper sink, float, or hover in the water. What’s going on?  Try a ketchup packet instead of a dropper  Try other materials -marshmallow, foam peanuts, paper clips, etc. Cartesian Divers

500 Teachers

Observations

Salamat Po! Thank you!