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Polar Science in the middle school science classroom?
If you check out my blog post , you'll see that I am the Project Director for a NSF-funded project called Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears. During the last year and a half, I've been focused on helping elementary teachers integrate polar science into their curriculum, but I'm curious to know what's happening in middle school classrooms as well!
So - do you teach about the polar regions in your science classes? In what context?
So - do you teach about the polar regions in your science classes? In what context?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Andrea Champagne on -
Jessica,
I don't set aside time specifically to focus on polar regions, but I throw it in whenever I can. I teach 8th grade Earth Science, so when we talk about climate change, ocean currents, geothermal energy, seasons, magnetism, etc I find ways to integrate information.
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Permalink Reply by Angela Crawford on -
Jessica,
I teach 6th grade science. We have a unit on water/weather. I am hoping to differentiate that unit this year. Maybe something about the polar regions can be included in the differentiation.
Angie
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Permalink Reply by Jessica Fries-Gaither on -
Hi Angela,
We've got some great resources that you might be able to us in our Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears project! First of all, we have three magazine issues that might be of interest: one on Weather and Climate, one on the water cycle, including the ice and snow of the polar regions, and one on icebergs and glaciers.
In terms of differentiation, we offer differentiated informational text for students in each of these issues. The text is available at three reading levels (K-1, 2-3, and 4-5) and in three formats (text only, illustrated books that you can print and give to your students, and electronic books). Many of the upper reading levels are also very appropriate for students in middle school - especially sixth grade! The multiple reading levels and formats means that you can teach the same content while differentiating with respect to students' reading levels, preferred format, etc.
You can browse all our stories on the "Stories for Students" page in the header of the magazine. For your unit, I'd recommend the following:
King of Cold - Antarctica's weather and climate
Growing Floaters and Shrinking Sinkers - why ice floats in water
You can find these texts in each issue in the "Feature Story" column. There's lots more to explore - content knowledge articles, science lessons, misconceptions and tools for formative assessment, etc. I'd be happy to talk with you more about the resources we can offer! Best of luck with your unit!
Angela Crawford said:Jessica,
I teach 6th grade science. We have a unit on water/weather. I am hoping to differentiate that unit this year. Maybe something about the polar regions can be included in the differentiation. Angie
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Permalink Reply by Debra Garcia on -
My school participates in the Global Explorers program and two years ago I took a group of 8th grade students to Churchill Canada for two weeks. It is considered an elective class and we spent the year studying Arctic culture, history, and science along with participating in student leadership and service activities. We went on the trip in June. We spent part of the trip at the Churchill Northern Studies Center where they worked with a researcher, devised and carried out their own experiment, and presented their findings to staff.
Although it may not be possible for your school to participate in GEx (we do a lot of fundraising to make it happen) it is a great program and worth checking out. Students can do individual ventures as well. And the Northern Studies Center is a great resource.
Also have you considered partnering virtually with schools up north? I am thinking it would be cool to be connected that way. A friend of mine who teaches 6th grade geography did a project with students in Malaysia. It was a great success.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0J3nNuCFxY
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Permalink Reply by Jessica Fries-Gaither on
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ePals (http://www.epals.com) might be a way to connect with students in the Arctic!
Debra Garcia said:My school participates in the Global Explorers program and two years ago I took a group of 8th grade students to Churchill Canada for two weeks. It is considered an elective class and we spent the year studying Arctic culture, history, and science along with participating in student leadership and service activities. We went on the trip in June. We spent part of the trip at the Churchill Northern Studies Center where they worked with a researcher, devised and carried out their own experiment, and presented their findings to staff.
Although it may not be possible for your school to participate in GEx (we do a lot of fundraising to make it happen) it is a great program and worth checking out. Students can do individual ventures as well. And the Northern Studies Center is a great resource.
Also have you considered partnering virtually with schools up north? I am thinking it would be cool to be connected that way. A friend of mine who teaches 6th grade geography did a project with students in Malaysia. It was a great success.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0J3nNuCFxY
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Permalink Reply by Eric Biederbeck on -
Hi Jessica,
6th graders in my school participate in a polar unit each year, focusing mostly on the world's arctic regions. Obviously being in Vermont helps us as we are able to use snow and ice from outside our windows for experiments. We have a pretty intensive unit doing everything from creating snow shelters to test insulation to creating wicking experiments with the goal of creating the "world's best long undies." I plan on checking out some of the resources you have listed below, they look great! I'm not teaching science this year but I will pass them on to my teaching partner so he can incorporate them.
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Permalink Reply by Jessica Fries-Gaither on
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Hi Eric,
Great ideas! I'm actually starting to work on the next issue of the magazine - called "Keeping Warm." Would you be interested in sharing some of these ideas in an article? What you are describing sounds perfect!!
Send me an email at fries-gaither.1@osu.edu if you are interested and we can talk about it!
Eric Biederbeck said:Hi Jessica,
6th graders in my school participate in a polar unit each year, focusing mostly on the world's arctic regions. Obviously being in Vermont helps us as we are able to use snow and ice from outside our windows for experiments. We have a pretty intensive unit doing everything from creating snow shelters to test insulation to creating wicking experiments with the goal of creating the "world's best long undies." I plan on checking out some of the resources you have listed below, they look great! I'm not teaching science this year but I will pass them on to my teaching partner so he can incorporate them.
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