Abstract
This chapter contains three middle-level (grades 6–7) units developed by teachers who participated for 2 years in our professional development: Project-based Instruction Spanning Astronomical and Atomic Spaces (Project SAAS). During this 2-year period, teachers participated as learners with our REAL and CREATES units and then developed their own PBI units specific for their students. The first teacher-designed unit in this chapter was developed for 6th grade students and concerns interactions within an ecosystem. The second and third units were designed for 7th graders; one unit has students exploring gravitational, electrical, and magnetic forces, while the other has students examining what happens to the food they eat. We thank the teachers for sharing their units for our book. The real names of the teacher-authors of each of the units in this chapter are included at the teachers’ request.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Interactions Within an Ecosystem: A Project-Based Approach
Adeniyi, E. O. (1985). Misconceptions of selected ecological concepts held by some Nigerian students. Journal of Biological Education, 19(4), 311–316.
British Broadcasting Corporation. BBC Earth. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/BBCEarth
Biology Corner. (2017). Retrieved July 27, 2017, from https://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/predatorsim.html
Brody, M. J., & Koch, H. (1989). An assessment of 4th, 8th, and 11th-grade students’ knowledge related to marine science and natural resource issues. The Journal of Environmental Education, 21(2), 16–26.
Bybee, R. W. (Ed.). (2002). Learning science and the science of learning: Science educators’ essay collection. NSTA Press. NSTA 1840 Wilson Blvd. Arlington VA 22201
Council for Environmental Education (Cee). (2011). Project wild K-12 curriculum and activity guide. Washington, DC: Project Wild 2011.
Crawley, F. E., & Arditzoglou, S. Y. (1988). Life and physical science misconceptions of preservice elementary teachers. Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the School Science and Mathematics Association, Austin, TX.
Drollinger, M. (2013, March 28). Abiotic and biotic factors. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1pp_7-yTN4
Espinoza, M. (2016, June 21). Field crops and bees: Research shows surprising relationship. Retrieved from https://cfaes.osu.edu/news/articles/field-crops-and-bees-research-shows-surprising-relationships-need-for-better
Glencoe-McGraw Hill. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/science/virtual_labs/CT08/CT08.html
Google. Google Cardboard. Retrieved from https://vr.google.com/cardboard/
Griffiths, A. K., & Grant, B. A. C. (1985). High school students’ understanding of food webs: Identification of learning hierarchy and related misconceptions. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 22(5), 421–436.
Mojang. (2018). Minecraft Education Edition. Retrieved from https://education.minecraft.net/
Munson, B. H. (1991). Relationships between an individual’s conceptual ecology and the individual’s conceptions of ecology (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Nebraska Alliance for Conservation and Environmental Education. (2002). Ecological Pyramids. Retrieved July 17, 2017, from http://www.warrencountyschools.org/userfiles/1533/my%20files/ecological%20pyramid%20with%20foldable.pdf?id=599512
Next Generation Science Standards for States by States. (2018). 2-LS2-2 ecosystems: Interactions, energy, and dynamics. Retrieved from https://www.nextgenscience.org/pe/2-ls2-2-ecosystems-interactions-energy-and-dynamics
NGSS Lead States. (2013, July 12). Next Generation Science Standards. Retrieved July 27, 2017, from https://www.nextgenscience.org/
Nye, B. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65pqsW2EzU0
Pixar Animation Studios (Producer), & Stanton, A. (Director). (2003). Finding Nemo [Motion Picture]. United States: Disney-Pixar.
Singer, E. (2015). Bee symbiosis reveals life’s deepest partnerships: Q&A. Retrieved July 27, 2017, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bee-symbiosis-reveals-life-s-deepest-partnerships-q-a/
Smart2IT B.V. (2018). Virtual Reality CMS platform for 360º photo’s and 360º videos. [online] Smart2VR.com. Available at: https://www.smart2vr.com/#features-vr-apps. Accessed 11 June 2018.
Strom, S. (2017, February 16). A Bee Mogul Confronts the Crisis in His Field. Retrieved July 27, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/16/business/a-bee-mogul-confronts-the-crisis-in-his-field.htmlrref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FBees&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=collection
Tulip Apps. (2017). Safari Tours Adventures VR – 4D – Apps on Google Play. Retrieved from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tulip.safari.tours.adventure.vr&hl=en_US
University of Wisconsin-Madison. (1991). Bottle biology: Hands-on biology with plastic containers. Madison, WI: Bottle Biology Program, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Utah Roots Publication – Teachers Pay Teachers (2017). Symbiosis – Reading, analysis, and color-by-number. Retrieved July 27, 2017, from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Symbiosis-Reading-Analysis-and-Color-by-Number-1761416
Exploring the Phenomena of Gravitational, Electrical, and Magnetic Forces
Barrow, L. H. (1987, July). Magnet concepts and elementary students’ misconceptions. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Seminar “Misconception and Educational Strategies in Science and Mathematics (Vol. 3, pp. 17–22).
Borges, A. T., Tecnico, C., & Gilbert, J. K. (1998). Models of magnetism. International Journal of Science Education, 20(3), 361–378.
Boulter, C. J., & Gilbert, J. K. (2000). Challenges and opportunities of developing models in science education. In J. K. Gilbert and C. J. Boulter (Eds.), Developing Models in Science Education (pp. 343–362). Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Clement, J. (1991). Nonformal reasoning in experts and in science students: The use of analogies, extreme cases, and physical intuition. Informal Reasoning and Education, 1, 345–362.
Constantinou, C. P., Raftopoulos, A., & Spanoudis, G. (2001). Young children’s construction of operational definitions in magnetism: The role of cognitive readiness and scaffolding the learning environment. In Proceedings of the Twenty-Third Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (p. 232). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Crash Course Kids. (2015, May 26). What’s an engineer? Crash Course Kids #12.1. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owHF9iLyxic
Disclose Education. (2014). Understanding magnetism. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifYlA3JlOeo
ExploreLearning. (2015). Explore learning gizmos: Math and science simulations that power inquiry and understanding. Retrieved from https://www.explorelearning.com/
Gilbert, J. K., & Boulter, C. J. (1995, April). Stretching models too far. In Annual conference of the American educational research association, San Francisco (pp. 18-22).
Hayes Roberts. (2008). The Weiner dog magnet. Retrieved from http://www.magickeys.com/books/wienerdog/index.html
Kahoot! (2016). Learning games: Make learning awesome! Retrieved from http://www.getkahoot.com/
National Science Foundation. (2016, February 24). What is engineering? Retrieved June 11, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAJGx3zP-Eo
Sederberg, D., & Bryan, L. (2009). Tracing a prospective learning progression for magnetism with implications at the nanoscale. In Learning Progressions in Science (LeaPS) Conference, Iowa City.
Teaching Ideas. (2015a, October 15). The Wonder Wall. Retrieved from http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/classroom-management/the-wonder-wall
Techquickie. (2016, September 23). Electromagnets – How do they work? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTFIXmubvkQ
Chemistry to Biology Bridge: What Happens to the Food We Eat?
Coleman, E. (2018) Recommended amount of calories per day for middle school. Retrieved from http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/recommended-amount-calories-per-day-middle-school-3298.html
ExploreLearning. (2016). Gizmos. Retrieved from https://www.explorelearning.com/
Flinn Scientific. (2018). Digestive enzymes at work – Student laboratory kit. Retrieved from https://www.flinnsci.com/digestive-enzymes-at-work%2D%2D-student-laboratory-kit/fb1862/
Fries-Gaither, J. (2016). Common misconceptions about biomes and ecosystems. Retrieved from http://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/issue/tundra-life-in-the-polar-extremes/common-misconceptions-about-biomes-and-ecosystems
Gregorio, F. (2014). Introduction to Biochemistry HD. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/8300559
Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2008). Understandings of consequence project teacher overview. Retrieved from https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/smg/Website/UCP/pdfs/EcosystemsOverview.pdf
Young, J. (2002). Science interactive notebooks in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.nsta.org/publications/news/story.aspx?id=47679
Medindia. (2015) Minamata disease. Retrieved from https://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/minamata-disease.htm
Mosa Mack Science. (2016). Your NGSS Solution. Retrieved from http://www.mosamack.com/
Muizainal. (2009). Mercury poisoning – The Minamata Story. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihFkyPv1jtU&t=2s
Nye, B. (2009, April 09). Bill Nye the science guy on plants (full clip). Retrieved June 04, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVD6n5mOw2E
Readworks. (2015). Why humans can’t live off sunlight? Readworks.org. Retrieved from https://www.spps.org/cms/lib/MN01910242/Centricity/Domain/8193/Why%20Humans%20Cant%20Live%20Off%20Sunlight%20Passage%20Questions.pdf.
Rhscience7minivids. (2013, January 13). Food to feces. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K1Ph2aUG20
Science and Plants for Schools. (2018). SAPS Photosynthesis Survival Guide PowerPoint 1. Retrieved from http://www.saps.org.uk/secondary/teaching-resources/134-photosynthesis-a-survival-guide-teaching-resources
Science Take-Out. (2012). Mercury poisoning. Retrieved from http://www.sciencetakeout.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/STUDENT-Mercury-9-12-12.pdf
Standard Deviants Accelerate. (2014). Standard deviants teaching systems nutrition module 01 cells and macronutrients. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9jkFonajM0
Teach Engineering. (2018) Energy through ecosystems worksheet. Retrieved December, 2018 from https://www.teachengineering.org/content/van_/lessons/van_biomimicry_less2/energy_through_an_ecosystem_worksheet.pdf
Teaching Ideas. (2015b, October 15). The Wonder Wall. Retrieved from http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/classroom-management/the-wonder-wall
Veritasium. (2012, March 12). Where do trees get their mass from? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KZb2_vcNTg
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wilhelm, J., Wilhelm, R., Cole, M. (2019). Teacher-Designed Project-Based Units at the Middle Level. In: Creating Project-Based STEM Environments. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04952-2_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04952-2_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-04951-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-04952-2
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)