Student Presentations

Jonathan Peter

New Explorations into Science Technology + Math (NEST+m)

Summer Research Program for Science Teachers

August 2007

This lesson plan focuses on student independence, and does so by requiring students to do their own background research, meet with me, discuss amongst themselves and then present their findings.

This process mimics the way real science is done and forces more independent behavior on the part of the student.

I have included two smaller tools to achieve this goal. The first one is called “The Big Idea.”(PDF file)  This is a weekly research paper that will be presented once per marking period. The second is called the “Student Demonstration.”(PDF file) This assignment features the student at the front of the room for 5 minutes conducting an interesting and fun demonstration.

Content Standard A:  As a result of activities, all students should develop A) Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry B) Understandings about scientific inquiry.

Content Standard E: As a result of activities, all students should develop A) Abilities of technological design B) Understandings about science and technology.

Content Standard G: As a result of activities, all students should develop understanding of:

A) Science as a human endeavor 

B) Nature of science

C) History of science

1. 1. The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of natural phenomena in a continuing, creative process.

2. 1. Information technology is used to retrieve, process, and communicate information and as a tool to enhance learning.

7. 2. Solving interdisciplinary problems involves a variety of skills and strategies, including effective work habits; gathering and processing information; generating and analyzing ideas; realizing ideas; making connections among the common themes of mathematics, science, and technology; and presenting results.