Assignments – EDUC 4344 – Concurrent Junior/Intermediate Science 1) WHAT IS YOUR ACT OF GREEN? Due last day of classes – 10% of final grade Continuously we read and hear messages and warnings about Global Warming, shrinking and contaminated water sources, melting ice caps, disappearing natural resources, and other environmental issues. The Canadian One Million Acts of Green initiative (http://www.greennexxus.com/omaog/us/whatis.aspx) was inspired by CBC's George Stroumboulopoulos and encourages individuals to make a pledge that will help make a positive difference to the environment. Examples of pledges can be found at http://www.greennexxus.com/omaog/acts.aspx. Everyone can make a difference! You are encouraged to make a pledge, whether you file on‐line at the above website or not and attempt to stick to it throughout the term. You will determine your personal success at the end of the term. This pledge and your perseverance in maintaining it constitutes 10% of your final grade. This is a self‐assessment component of the course. You will assess yourself a grade from 1 to 10 marks based on your perseverance in maintaining your Act of Green. This grade will be collected at the end of the term. 2) AN EFFECTIVE TEACHING/LEARNING STRATEGY Presentations will occur throughout the term ‐ 30% of final grade
The purpose of this assignment is for you to work with a colleague to identify and develop a brief paper and presentation to describe an effective teaching/learning activity for use in science and technology education. To complete this assignment, 1) Work in pairs 2) Identify an effective teaching/learning strategy for science and/or technology that has the following characteristics:  is motivational  would take no longer than 15 minutes with a group of young learners  is teacher‐directed  could be used as a lesson starter or during a lesson as an introduction to a new idea, a discussion, activity, etc. 3) Identify and research a topic from the Primary or Junior science and technology curriculum that you could connect with the use of the strategy. 4) Create a brief (no longer than 5 minutes) presentation that you would use to present your idea to your classmates. 5) Select an appropriate date from the presentation schedule and present your idea to the class. 6) Submit a one to two page written and a one to two page electronic report on your strategy, due the day of your presentation (please email your electronic report to jeffs@nipissingu.ca). These reports will probably be identical. Your reports should include the following:  Title of strategy, grade level, strand, topic;  Expectations – applicable specific expectations;  Required materials;  A description of the procedure (point form is best);  A detailed scientific explanation of the science concept utilizing “easy to understand” language. All scientific terms and concepts should be clearly defined so your fellow colleagues can understand them;  Appropriate references;  Opportunities and other consideration followed by the names of presenters. * When completing your reports, please follow the above format. A title page is not required for either the written or electronic reports. ** Illustrations are often beneficial when describing the procedure. Feel free to hand draw your illustrations or use material obtained from other sources (Internet, scanned photos). *** Please see examples under “Teaching Learning Strategies found at http://www.nipissingu.ca/education/jeffs/EDUC4234/teachingls‐Example.html This assignment will be assessed on the following criteria: Classroom Presentation – 
Overview of activity 
Demonstration of strategy 
Clear explanation of the scientific concept 
Timing (presentation completed on time) 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 0 1 2 3 Total /12 Written component: 
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Title of strategy, grade level, strand, topic Expectations – specific expectations Required materials 0 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 
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A description of the procedure A scientific explanation of the science concept; complete, easy to understand, appropriate language, definition of necessary scientific terms (includes opportunities and other considerations Appropriate spelling, grammer, numerical terms (i.e. Metric vs. Imperial), References including both the names of both presenters 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 4 5 0 1 2 3 0 1 2 Total /18 Overall Total /30 Two (2) marks will be deducted if an electronic copy is not provided. Please follow the format listed below when submitting this assignment both in the hard‐copy and electronic versions: 1) All text should be in Times New Roman, using 12 dpi; 2) The following order should be adhered to: - Title - Grade Level: - Strand: - Topic: - Specific Expectations: - Materials Required: - Procedure: (include illustrations if possible) - Scientific Explanation: (in detail) - References: - Opportunities and other consideration and/or Glossary (if required) - Names of Presenters By following the above format it is easier for others to utilize your strategy as well as attach it to the class webpage and final class CD. 3) Virtual Field Trip – Where are we going today? Due: Week of October 26th ‐ 50% of course grade The purpose of this assignment is to become familiar with a specific piece of software, a self‐chosen curricula area in the science and technology document and create a Virtual Field Trip that is appropriate for the chosen grade. This assignment will utilize software taught in the Junior/Intermediate Educational Technology course. Virtual Field Trip To complete this assignment, • Work individually. • Identify and research a topic from The Junior/Intermediate Science and Technology curricula (Grades 4 ‐ 8) or The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 and 10 Science (Revised). • Identify the learning expectations from the Science and Technology curricula that will be covered in this presentation. • Using SMART Notebook create a presentation on the chosen topic. The Virtual Field Trip is an example of what a teacher would show to their students when introducing a new concept or topic, or as a review at the end of a unit. Ensure that specific science concepts are introduced, covered, and reviewed during the trip Detailed description of Virtual Field Trip assignment: As with all students it is important to organize your work effectively before beginning to input information on the computer. You should research your topic through online resources, CD‐ROMS and/or books in order to gain the necessary knowledge required for this assignment. Once you have the required information and have organized it as you want, you are ready to begin with the computer portion. Using SMART Notebook create a grade‐appropriate presentation. 1. The presentation is to have a minimum of 8 pages. The first page (Title page) will have the Title of project, Strand, intended grade level, and your name. 2. Pages are to include the researched information on your chosen topic. Include examples such as sounds, speech clips, and graphics that are relevant to your topic to add to the interest level for user. Presentation might include interactive activities such as quizzes, flash files, visual organizers (found in Lesson Activity Toolkit). Ensure that your pages are graphically organized, easy to view, and visually consistent (i.e. consistent fonts, and colours). 3. The second page must include the learning expectations as detailed in the section above. 4. The final page must list your reference materials including websites, CD‐ROMs and books you used with your project. 5. The project will be saved as a SMART Notebook file. 6. After you have completed the SMART Notebook presentation all material will be saved on the supplied USB key. This SMART Notebook presentation assignment will be assessed on the following criteria: Has a minimum of 8 pages 0 1 Title slide with required information 0 1 Presented Virtual Field Trip content is relevant and appropriate for grade level Curriculum Expectations included
0 1 2 3 4 0 1 Content ties in with stated expectations and clearly identifies stated location or technological concept Last page contains required reference information 0 1 2 3 4 Project uses a variety of features to interest user 0 1 2 3 Presentation contains interactive activities to engage students 0 1 2 Appropriate terminology utilized, illustrations align with the content 0 1 2 Presentation includes correct spelling, grammar, terminology 0 1 2 3 Appropriate visual organization 0 1 2 0 1 2 Total /25 (Mark will be multiplied by two to arrive at mark out of 50%) 4)
CATAPULT CHAOS
20% of final grade
This will be an in­class (December 3rd) integrated assignment (Math, Social Studies, and Science) where students will complete specific elements of this design and build activity/experiment. Students will work in groups of four to design, build and test their catapult. Observations will be entered on APPLEWORKS or Star Office to create a table and graph. In addition, students will analyze and write‐up several observations from their experiment. This activity will be assessed on the following criteria: PRE­CONSTRUCTION PHASE 1) Researched catapult designs online 2) Provided sketch or print out of catapult design 3) Creative Catapult name BUILDING PHASE 4) Utilized only supplied materials 5) Constructed catapult (4 marks for the building component)
TESTING PHASE 6) Test #1 –
(i.e. Number of Elastics vs. Height of Elastic)
7) Modifications, if any, were made and recorded
ANALYSIS PHASE 8) Spreadsheet Test #1 9) Graph provided for the test (include labels for titles, axis lines, legend) (2 marks for completed graph) 10) Three analysis questions addressed TEACHER ANALYSIS PHASE Specific student expectations detailed from ONE grade level: 11) Mathematics 12) Science 13) Another Curricular area(s)
14) Suggested student modifications
Total: /20 Unless stipulated, each of the above criterion will be given one mark for a total of 20 marks. Assignments that are submitted after the due dates may be subject to a late penalty. To plagiarize...is to take and pass off as one's own, the work or ideas of another. Reference ALL materials used. ALL photocopied material must be properly cited. If the intention is to use the material with a class of students, ensure this is allowed under