SGU/TRESTE REPORT ACADEMIC YEAR

Fall Prairie Ecology  Prairie ecology centered around prairie dog issue  Student debate initially from personal experience and emotion

SD Prairie Dogs  AP News story  Word file  Prairie dog lesson plan  Word file  Soil ecology lab  Word file  Soil moisture lab  Word file

PROCESS  Students brainstormed what information they would need to know to make an informed decision on the prairie dog problem.  Concept map created matched to instructor identified essential content

Incorporation of Material from 2006 TRESTE Workshop  Climate observations power point  Paleoclimate data  Climate trends  Month precipitation totals for SD  Soil temperature lab  Measurement of surface temperatures with infrared “gun”

RELATED STUDENT PROJECTS  Medicinal plants survey  Microclimate in prairie dog towns  Water flow in Little White River  Water quality  Chemical  Aqautic life  Soil chemicals current and abandoned prairie dog towns

MARS ROVERS--SPRING 2007 Wanted: Mechanic familiar with electric cars to service and winterize The Rover Spirit and the Rover Opportunity currently located on the planet Mars. Prefer a team of individuals who will train in the South Dakota Badlands for this mission. Will need a team member capable of flying the spacecraft. Please apply at JPL in Pasadena, California.

STUDENT IDENTIFIED CONTENT  Mars geology and topography  Electricity  Alternative energy sources  Robotics  Solar system bodies  Survival in space  Flight and rockets

TEACHER-IDENTIFIED CONTENT  Kinematics  Dynamics  Weather principles  Heat energy  Basic optics  Principles of flight  Satellite imagery  Surface features

CONCEPTS TAUGHT  Mars place in space  Solar system relatives  Physics of orbits  Satellite imagery Mars surface features  Topography  Geology  Problem: evidence of water on Mars  Problem: landing site on Mars

CONCEPTS TAUGHT(Cont.)  Force and motion  Collisions  Impact craters  Problem: landing safely on Mars (egg drop)  Energy  P.E. and K.E.  Energy transformation  Alternative energy sources  Solar  Wind

CONCEPTS TAUGHT (Cont.)  Heat energy  Basic elements of weather  Robotics  Simple machines  Problem: a model rover made with K’Nex  Flight  Newton’s Laws of Motion  Kites  Rockets

Student projects  Rover looking for magnetic materials

MISSION REPORT  In lieu of final exam, students prepared a mission report summarizing what was accomplished and what ;further things need to be investigated.

What Students Like  Some choice in how the curriculum is chosen  Projects to demonstrate learning instead of exams over lecture and textbook material  Opportunity to solve authentic problems  Collaborative work

Curricular issues  Designing a problem that will incorporate essential concepts  Designing valid authentic assessments  Group members who are absent--how to help them learn the content

FINAL COMMENT  It’s more work to plan and set up  Love the high level of student engagement  Ability to apply science concepts in real-life situations