Submitted by: Carol Campfield
School: Freeman High School

Summary

Students work in small groups to complete research on a genetic engineering topic of their choice.  They create a google presentation from their research to present to their class and other classes.

Submitted by: Allison Maupin
School: Varina High School

Summary

The students were given an assignment to write a bill about something they wanted changed or improved at school. The students were to write their bill just as a bill that would go to Congress would be presented. As the students finished their bills, my 3rd block became the House of Representatives, and my 7th block became the Senate. Each block was then divided into committees based on the topics of their bills (safety, school lunches, senior privileges, etc.) and the bills from 3rd went to 7th and vice versa. The students uploaded their bills into Google Docs and dragged them into the correct folder for the committees. Then, each house broke into committees and began to analyze their bills. They read the bills, commented on them, and changed them within Google Docs. Once the committees were done looking at bills, they presented to the class which bills they thought were most effective. The students then voted on bills through ActivEngage. At this point, the bills that passed with correct percentages, were sent to the other house of Congress. The next class, the same process took place except all students looked at the bills, they were debated on the floor and voted on again with ActivEngage. The bills that passed with correct percentages were sent to the instructor who played the role of president and could veto bills. The final bills that were chosen were given to the principal with hopes the changes could actually be made around the school.

Submitted by: Kathryn Brock
School: Varina High School

Summary

Students learned about how emission spectra are created (electrons absorbing energy and then releasing it as light, with frequency/wavelength of the light determined by how much energy was released) and used prior knowledge of electron configurations and their pattern on the periodic table. In this lesson, students observed complete emission spectra for most of the elements of the periodic table and formulated their own ideas about trends in emission spectra that might occur across periods and down groups on the periodic table, and correspond to electron configuration. Students proposed hypotheses to address their analysis. Then students compiled class data, incorporated it into a graphic presentation, and reviewed the trends they proposed.

Submitted by: Ashley Taylor
School: Varina High School

Summary

Students will engage in a 90 minute lesson to introduce them to the internet world of nonfiction. During this lesson, students will realize that all information on the World Wide Web is not true and will have to look at various websites and determine whether or not the information provided is fraudulent. This is important when using the internet for research projects, papers, and seeking general information.

Submitted by: Dan Daglish
School: Tuckahoe Middle School

Summary

News you need to know! Students scoured the Internet for current national and international science news. They each wrote a synopsis concerning the event they discovered. Students collaboratively revised the synopsis and created presentations to share the news with the entire class.

Submitted by: Kenneth Bouwens
School: John Rolfe Middle School

Summary

Students complete research and experimentation to determine the best way to build a water rocket using recycled materials. Each student must complete a design brief while constructing their rocket that takes them through the design process step by step. The student use various methods such as Internet research, blogging, a virtual water rocket simulator and real-world testing to determine how to create the best rocket they can. As an added challenge, each student must send an astronaut (egg) up with their rocket and are responsible for bringing the astronaut back to earth safely.

Submitted by: Christy Hudson & Nate Shotwell

School: Mills E. Godwin High School

Summary

The students will spend several days in class working in groups on this lab and will produce an extensive lab report that includes a narrative written by the students explaining what they did, a map containing the raw data they collected, and a topographic map constructed using the data the students collect. The students will also submit their own narrative analysis of the region explaining what they have learned about the relationship between the geology and topography in their region. Evaluating this activity is tricky because each group is creating a unique map. The rubric was designed with this in mind and rather than trying to fit the student projects into a “box”, the rubric attempts to allow the students to work creatively while still ensuring that each group meets certain expectations.

TIPC Ratings

This is an example of an Approaching Lesson in Research and Information Fluency.

• Students researched in collaborative groups to determine what elements were necessary for online/interactive chapters for an online textbook. These chapters not only had to cover the content, but the content also had to be presented in an interesting and interactive manner using the most appropriate digital tools, such as, videos, podcasts, games, etc.

This is an example of an Approaching lesson for Communication and Collaboration.

• Through collaborative teams students had to create a time line, determine what elements were appropriate in their product, create a layout and a final product. Smaller groups were organized from the larger group in order to make the timeline established manageable. Each group determined what digital tools were necessary to create an online/interactive original product. Each group had to evaluate their success as a team.

This is an example of an Approaching lesson for Critical Thinking and Problem Solving.

• Working as cooperative groups, students had to solve conflicts, make decisions, plan and execute the necessary elements of their product. They had to analyze resources available for their scientific validity. Once the product was created, students had to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the completed product.

This is an example of an Approaching lesson for Creativity and Innovation

•  Students were assigned the task of creating original online/interactive content that addressed the strengths of all levels of learners. This product required the students to draw on their individual strengths and talents and to share those strengths and talents with each other in the areas of research, creativity, collaboration and design.

Submitted by: Jamie Cooney
School: Glen Allen High School

Summary

In the beginning of Spanish II, students will review and synthesize knowledge acquired in Spanish I in order to create a 30-45 second audio recording, using Audacity. In this recording, each student describes his/her own personality, appearance, likes, dislikes, and hobbies/interests in Spanish. The students will not reveal their names in the recordings and will slightly distort their voices using the effects feature in Audacity, so that when the recordings are played for the class, the students will have to listen to and comprehend the Spanish in order to identify the speaker. Students will become familiar with online resources that are available to them, such as www.wordreference.com and www.tomisimo.org, during the drafting phase. Through a collaborative peer-editing process, students will develop and refine both writing and speaking skills by critiquing, reflecting and providing feedback. Finally, the students will listen to each recording and, using listening comprehension skills and knowledge of the relevant grammar and vocabulary, students will guess who the speaker is. Once the speaker is identified, he/she will stand up and introduce him/herself to the class in Spanish.

Submitted by: Sarah-Henning Snellings
School: Brookland Middle School

Summary

¡Felicidades!  You and your partner are about to take the vacation of a lifetime to a Spanish-speaking country.  Your Principal is even giving you the week off from school!  You leave tomorrow for a seven-day adventure.  All you have to do is grab your passport, plan your itinerary (the places you will go and the things you will do), get your tickets, and have a blast!

Submitted by: Debra Carter and Melissa Portella
Collaborators: Lauren Mabry, Terri Vernon
School: John Rolfe Middle School

Summary

After studying cell organelles (nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, etc.) the students used self-created analogies to deepen their understanding of the cell parts. They learned about analogies and how people use comparisons to make sense of unfamiliar concepts. They then chose something to compare the cell to like a school, factory, or sports team. They decide which feature is the equivalent to the cell part, like the school principal’s office is the nucleus, and create a product to share their analogy with their peers.