ImagineIT - Phase 2
My school is located in Chicago’s Northwest side and consists of two buildings that house preK-8th education. I teach 7th and 8th grade science, each grade consists of three classrooms each. My school population is mainly bilingual with Polish and Spanish as the main languages spoken. 72.9% of Bridge is classified as low income and 12.4 % Is classified as Diverse Learners. For my Imagine IT project I will focus on my three 7th grade classes, around 110 students. I see these students for one hour every day for science instruction.
My big idea, “empowering students with STEM; connections matter”, focuses on connecting the various branches of science together so students can make informed choices that affect their lives. I define informed choices as students having the science and technological knowledge to locate, understand, and analyze science text and data to make a personal choice. My goal is to have students become aware and understand that the choices made today by not only affect them, but can have consequences for others as well as their environment in the future. Students learn about the environment but fail to see what their role is or how their actions influence environmental changes. Students learn about genetics but fail to see how environmental changes can drive genetic changes. I want students to understand that they have the power to improve their environment and community by small purposeful changes. The curriculum I use currently is called SEPUP and more information can be found at, http://www.sepuplhs.org/middle.html. I plan on focusing on Ecology, Genetic, Human Body, and Evolution units and find ways to connect them together make informed choices on issues affecting Chicago today. An example of this might be pollution, How does the air pollution in Chicago affect the community and what everyday choices can be made to lessen its impact? To answer this question students need to posses knowledge of human biology, ecology, evolution, and genetics to understand present and future effects. I believe that empowering students with the ability to make connections within various science content will enable them to make more socially conscious decisions.
To reach my goal for this big idea I feel that students will need to offer informed solutions to current issues or problems found within the City of Chicago. These issues could be something as big as pollution of the Chicago River or as small as finding out about the air quality in their local park. To implement this performance understanding I plan on implement a problem based learning environment where student groups will be challenged to research about an issue in their community or city, discover the causes of the issue, and how a 7th grader can improve said issue with their everyday choices. Technology is integrated within the SEPUP curriculum using data collection tools. Students present information using google apps like google docs and sheets. They will present their ideas in some type of technological format like movie maker or google slides. These presentations will be made public on a classroom website. Students use technology to research and record their findings, they will use their content knowledge to collaborate and make informed decisions on a real life issue.
I feel this big idea will empower my students to think differently about how they interact in this world they life. Students will view the world they live in with a scientific lens that will illuminate how much their choice effect this fantastic, fragile world where we live.
My big idea, “empowering students with STEM; connections matter”, focuses on connecting the various branches of science together so students can make informed choices that affect their lives. I define informed choices as students having the science and technological knowledge to locate, understand, and analyze science text and data to make a personal choice. My goal is to have students become aware and understand that the choices made today by not only affect them, but can have consequences for others as well as their environment in the future. Students learn about the environment but fail to see what their role is or how their actions influence environmental changes. Students learn about genetics but fail to see how environmental changes can drive genetic changes. I want students to understand that they have the power to improve their environment and community by small purposeful changes. The curriculum I use currently is called SEPUP and more information can be found at, http://www.sepuplhs.org/middle.html. I plan on focusing on Ecology, Genetic, Human Body, and Evolution units and find ways to connect them together make informed choices on issues affecting Chicago today. An example of this might be pollution, How does the air pollution in Chicago affect the community and what everyday choices can be made to lessen its impact? To answer this question students need to posses knowledge of human biology, ecology, evolution, and genetics to understand present and future effects. I believe that empowering students with the ability to make connections within various science content will enable them to make more socially conscious decisions.
To reach my goal for this big idea I feel that students will need to offer informed solutions to current issues or problems found within the City of Chicago. These issues could be something as big as pollution of the Chicago River or as small as finding out about the air quality in their local park. To implement this performance understanding I plan on implement a problem based learning environment where student groups will be challenged to research about an issue in their community or city, discover the causes of the issue, and how a 7th grader can improve said issue with their everyday choices. Technology is integrated within the SEPUP curriculum using data collection tools. Students present information using google apps like google docs and sheets. They will present their ideas in some type of technological format like movie maker or google slides. These presentations will be made public on a classroom website. Students use technology to research and record their findings, they will use their content knowledge to collaborate and make informed decisions on a real life issue.
I feel this big idea will empower my students to think differently about how they interact in this world they life. Students will view the world they live in with a scientific lens that will illuminate how much their choice effect this fantastic, fragile world where we live.