Friday, December 19, 2014

8th Graders Complete Learning Module from Cornell

Hannah Naczi’s Accelerated Living Environment 8th grade class has just completed a pilot for a learning module being developed by Cornell. The University contacted her last spring, and sent the materials to be previewed. This included some introductory materials and some student handouts that were aligned with the NYS standards for teaching the concepts of Natural selection/ evolution. The pilot was approved, and the materials were sent to us. The module also included a simulation game called "Cellvival" that had protists in a pond that had different traits that favored the different environmental conditions they encountered. It helped the students visualize that certain traits would be advantageous in different environments. They also completed a pre-assessment survey and a post survey at the end of instruction. The students also had the chance to comment on the game and make suggestions, test how it ran, etc. In return, Marcellus gets to keep the game on our machines for future classes, and use the lesson materials. It was a good example of STEM in action, helpful to both Cornell and our students.


No comments:

Post a Comment