Project Abstract
In this project students had a chance to use the scientific process to choose and design their own investigation while exploring the world of microorganisms all around them . They started the scientific inquiry based on observations of a Petri dish growing microorganism containing samples from the saliva of a human and their classroom door handle. They then had to develop an inquiry question that they could carry out on campus. Following their investigation they then created a claim supported by data collected from their investigation and through research of microorganisms. Using this claim they create posters and digital messages that were informative while persuaded their peers to be mindful of the microscopic world around them. The posters were displayed around the campus and the 30-60 second digital message was displayed on the screen next to the front desk of the campus.
What did you teach and how did you teach it?
In this project we covered many academic content standards including:
Learning what microorganisms are living around us.
Learning whether all microorganisms are bad (Normal flora vs. pathogens)
Learning how pathogens can spread and what students can do to prevent disease.
Learning what makes an organism living and therefore able to grow on a Petri dish vs. non-living like a virus.
Learning the similarities and differences between single celled prokaryotes like bacteria, multi-cellular eukaryotes like fungi, and non-cellular organisms like viruses.
Learning how to conduct a controlled experiment.
Learning how all science experiments contain some element of unavoidable sources of error and how they can affect an experiment.
Learning how conducting more than one trial is necessary to insure the accuracy of their results.
Learning the steps of scientific inquiry (the scientific method).
Learning how to make a claim supported by evidence collected from their experiment and through research.
The instruction throughout this project was primarily student centered learning that was fueled by their inquisitive nature and desire to learn about what microorganisms might be living on the things they come in contact with throughout a typical school day. This included:
Collaboratively answering guiding questions to conduct their research
One-on-one conversations with me throughout the project
Peer support through peer tutors
Peer and teacher critique sessions
Refinement
In order to differentiate instruction for all students the project was designed to allow the students differentiation through choice of investigation topics while addressing skill levels for all academic levels. By allowing the groups to choose their own topics of investigation they were also able to choose the level of academic rigor that their investigation would require. They were also able to choose their mode of collecting data and researching the information they needed to create and support their claims with teacher guidance.
What concepts and skills did the students gain in this class through this project?
The students were able to take away from this project an understanding of the unseen world around them as well as how they are using the scientific method all the time in their lives. They were also able to gain an understanding of how to conduct a scientific experiment.
How is the curriculum for this project academically rich and grade-level challenging?
This project was academically rich and rigorous because it allowed for students to learn about the scientific process through their own modes of investigation and through trial and error like real science inquiry is conducted. We also covered many advanced levels of biological content throughout the project.
To what extent was there integration across disciplines in your class through this project?
In this project students were also able to use their humanities and writing skills as they had to clearly describe in writing how the evidence they collected through their investigation and research was used to support their claim that they were making regarding their findings.
Which Habits of Heart and Mind (HoHM) and Design Principles were utilized in this project?
Cooperation- Students had to work together to design and conduct an experiment.
Mindfulness- Students had to be mindful of their peers input, suggestions, and interests to create an investigation that they all were interested in learning about.
Perseverance- Students had to persevere when their experiments didn't go as they planned, when unavoidable sources of error altered their findings, and when their data was inclusive making it more challenging to make a claim supported by evidence. Through this they were able to get a taste of the challenges scientific professionals face daily.
Perspective- Students were able to see how the scientific inquiry process fits into their own live as well as gain perspective as to what the scientific community is like for professionals.
Evidence- Students learned how important it is to use as much evidence as possible to support their claims. They learned how the more evidence they have supporting their finds the more accurate it is considered to be.
Refinement- The students had many areas of refinement throughout the project including refining their investigation before they were able to get approval to start, refining their research until they had the information necessary to make a claim, refining their claim until they had all the evidence needed and explained exactly how the evidence supported their claim, and refining their poster and digital messages until they met the requirements outlined in the rubric.
How did you incorporate refinement through this project?
The students had many areas of refinement throughout the project. They first needed to refine their investigation based on peer and teacher feedback before they were able to get approval to start their investigation. They also had to refine their research until they had the information necessary to make a claim and get teacher approval. Another area of refinement was when they had to refine their claim until they had all the evidence needed to make their claim as well as having explained exactly how their evidence supported their claim. Finally, they had peer and teacher critique sessions that provided them with suggestions to refine their poster and digital messages until they met the requirements outlined in the rubric and were projects they were proud of.