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An actually interdisciplinary project from the real world.

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Bill Henske and Allison Hoffman, Maplewood, MO March 2019

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In this discussion, we will share:

  • Our educational process
  • Instructional sequence
  • Student work
  • Lessons learned

Purpose

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  • Whole team
  • Interdisciplinary
  • 6 weeks
  • Differentiated instruction

Polar Ice as an Interdisciplinary Unit in Middle School

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In the 2017-18 school year, we participated in the Polar Sci-ICE project

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Planning curriculum: Understanding by Design steps

  1. Identify the desired outcome roadmap the steps using backwards design model.

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Enduring understandings

New discoveries lie in piles of data.

Collaboration is necessary in order to be an effective learner and citizen

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Essential question

How can data analysis help us understand our changing world?

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Planning curriculum: Understanding by Design steps

2. Work as an interdisciplinary teaching team to align to identified course standards and determine evidence of learning

3. Planning the learning experience.

Engage

Equip

Explore

Evaluate

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Building interest and creating a learning community

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Share process/goal, create a calendar, set benchmarks

Kickoff video (Beyond the Ice)

Ice skating (it was slushy)

Introductory lessons aligned to content standards

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Forming research teams

  1. All student write a testable questions.
  2. Science committee sorts for quality and scored proposals.
  3. Top 35 projects were sorted by field of research (ecology, zoology, fisheries, meteroology, etc.)
  4. Students whose questions ranking highest were the Principal investigators
  5. Students applied to work on the selected projects in a blind application - hired by the the PIs in a blind process

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Instructional Strategies

Presentation practice and revision

Blocking time for collaboration

Bringing in experts - Tech staff, ELArts teachers, Art/design teachers

Peer editors, older students, and practice audiences

Workday 1, Work day 2, Half day

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Presentation days

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Lessons Learned

  • Authenticity lead to high levels of investigation and discourse
  • Real world audience increased anxiety and ownership
  • Many genuine challenges drove new learning
  • Created a high level of academic satisfaction