A class project is a research paper turned into a presentation.
1) Choose a topic within the classroom subject matter.
2) OK the topic with me. It should be an area of interest that also falls within your class subject area.
3) Research the topic using three to five sources (not just Wikipedia. Remember, this is something you love.)
4) Set up a slide show about the topic on google slides. The minimum is ten slides for a five minute presentation.
5) Think of something interactive you can do with the class. Past presentations have included food, dance, bringing examples to class, etc. The goal is to give your classmates something to do in addition to listening to your brilliance. The reason for the interactive portion is because most of your classmates prefer learning hands-on.
6) Be ready to present. Bring your presentation in, and we'll give you priority for teaching us all. Once you've presented twice, you've completed the assignment for the semester and can relax.
I haven't yet had a chance to meet with each of you individually to set up this semester's two projects. Many of you met with me last semester. If you didn't do the presentation last semester that we talked about, that is the first presentation you will do this semester. (Some of you needed to do a presentation last semester to pass, and some of you did them because you are passionate, excellent students.)
As you think about what to do, the simplest answer about your projects that they can be anything that you love seen from the focus of the class you are in.
Why? Because when I had you do a survey, most of you wanted a more hands-on, interactive experience with science. Many of you expressed the idea that you didn't really like science and/or it wasn't relevant to your lives. So the projects are my way of getting rid of the myth that science isn't part of your everyday lives, part of of the things you love most.
Let's look at the rules: 10 slides, five minutes long, three sources, and in-class interaction.
Ten slides: I need a minimum of ten google slides
(online tutorials on youtube or instructions here https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/9313043?hl=en)
and your presentation of your project should be five minutes long (that means the slides should be substantial, not just pictures).
You should use a minimum of three different sources to support your work.
Interaction:
So far so good. Now, I want you to think about how to engage all of us physically in your presentation! This can be teaching us an exercise or a dance move, passing around examples of the metals you would use in the making of your musical instrument, having us all create atonal harmonies and then sing in a chordal progression. The list is endless. But I want us all to be engaged so that your classmates know this isn't another TED talk they're watching in this real life version of Youtube we live in.
For those of you who don't know what you want to present on, please think about what you spend most of your time doing. Then think about how chemistry, biology, and the environment affect that thing.
These are just ideas to spark your own genius.
Chemistry:
How the chemicals of your favorite meal are affected by different temperatures and amounts. Run three different experiments using different temperatures (can you make a cookie at 100 degrees? How long does it take to gel? What if you double the amount of baking powder? Of sugar? Do different brands make better or worse results? Does the effect of the Maillard Reaction work in your kitchen oven? (Here's an article describing it and another one explaining the Maillard Reaction) Present us with your three different experimental results, explaining why you chose the experiments you did and what you learned about the chemistry.
Every day all of you bathe in chemicals. (Yes, I know, some of you think others should bathe more). What are the long term effects of the things you put on your skin, hair, underarms? Have the products you use been tested on animals? What were the results?
Every day some of you take prescriptions. How were these prescriptions made? Where were they made? How does your body break down the chemicals of the drugs you take in?
Pick your favorite form of art. What are the things you use? Paper and pencil? Clay? How are they made? Can they be made well or badly (are there "cheap" supplies that don't work as well)? How would you justify spending more money on "better" supplies? What properties make them better and how are they made better?
Biology:
As an actor, musician, dancer, or artist, you know there are certain rituals that you do (warm ups, superstitions, preparations, before show actions). Is there any biological validity to doing or not doing these things? Should you really warm up for twenty minutes, do you really need vocal exercises, what is the optimal time you need before a performance to perform at your best? Should artists stretch before painting or sculpting? What about "negative" behaviors? Can we show that coffee, insomnia, etc. negatively impact the performance of artists of any kind? Is it true that some negative behaviors help?
Do animals create art? Do animals dance? Are mating rituals dances (copied behaviors from one animal to another) or unconscious?
Can you name every plant and tree at Snow Pond? Do you know its medicinal uses or if it would kill you?
Physical Science:
In Maine, we know there are big variations in the tide. So the moon is pulling on us at very different rates. Does the moon affect the water in us?
What about the planets? Is there anything to astrology beyond fun things to read in the paper?
How much gold is in you? In your friend? Can we pan for gold here in Maine?
Environmental Science:
What's happening to the water tables here in Maine with the changes in extraction and snowfall?
Is the Kennebec river doing better or worse than a hundred years ago?
If you have a body of water near your house, has that body of water been tracked over time and what changes have occurred (talk to me about contacting the governmental agencies in charge of tracking)
Bear populations in Maine are doing so well we're concerned. Give us an overview of the bear populations in Maine over the last fifty years.
The moose population is doing less well. Go over what's been affecting the moose population.
Infectious diseases normally limited to farther south have come north. Track West Nile virus or Lyme and give us a prescription about what we can do about helping Mainers stay healthy.
Drought conditions in many parts of the world are predicted kill millions, while others experience floods. Look at changes in climate conditions and show us what to expect and how well we can trust predictions.
For your parents and those of you concerned about this seemingly new model, it's what we're being asked to do at the highest level. Your ability to memorize factoids will not help you when all facts are a click away. The skills I want you to have are integrative and critical thinking using the facts. Here's a recent book and report on this on a college level. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3846519/
1) Labs are done in class.
2) If you are present for a lab, you will have completed a lab.
3) If you are absent for a lab, you will need to complete the lab on your own and turn it in to me.
4) Since we are currently negotiating for labs, the labs will be announced as they are available.
5) I will write up each lab for anyone who misses the lab who needs to make it up.
1) Quizzes are done in class.
2) If you were present in class, you will have completed the quiz.
3) If you are absent for a quiz, you will need to complete it on your own. It will be much easier to complete a quiz in class, as you will need to schedule taking a quiz during lunchtime or make special arrangements.
4) If you would like to study for quizzes ahead of time, they are based on the MEA science tests.