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Workshop Detail: Monday, July 20, 2009
(3-8): Science Court
presented by
Anissa Lewis, UTMDACC, Denise Woltje, Fort Bend ISD
Curriculum Developed by Tom Snyder Productions
Science Court – Grades 4-6
Mr. I.M. Richman slips and falls at the subway station. He blames leaky water pipes made by Pip Peterson. Meteorologist Maria Hernandez takes the stand as an expert witness in the case. Are the pipes really leaking? Or are they victims of the water cycle?
· Use scientific processes and hands-on experimentation to break down students' persistent misconceptions in science
· Learn and apply core concepts in science, gather evidence, and make observations
· Use science to explain natural and physical phenomena
· Improve their ability to recall content and respond to open-ended questions
Science Court offers a research-based way to introduce core science topics and model scientific processes in the classroom. Through humorous animated trials, Science Court directly challenges common misconceptions in earth, life, and physical science topics. Students critically examine the facts, articulate their understanding in multiple ways, and perform hands-on experiments to predict the trial decisions and final verdict. This engaging, research-proven approach will help your students build lasting understanding in science while fully engaging them with the humor of Science Court. Science Court challenges students on misconceptions about fundamental science concepts to build deep understanding while engaging them with 25 minutes of humorous animation, which includes 3 hands-on activities with materials list, step-by-step instructions, and a sheet for recording and analyzing hands-on results. Worksheets and structured group discussion require verbal and written responses to short-answer questions. There is a built-in Word Wall that supports explicit vocabulary instruction in context with assessment materials with quizzes and answer keys. The curriculum also includes built-in "random student picker" makes calling on students fun! The program also includes text captioning for all animations makes program accessible to hearing-impaired and ESL students and one-click printing directly from the program. The program is specifically tailored for whole-class instruction.
Anissa Lewis, Program Coordinator for Education at the Center for Research on Minority Health at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center coordinates the overall environmental education outreach program for the SCIENCE Project. Ms. Lewis, prior to joining the Center for Research on Minority Health (CRMH), was a secondary science teacher in the Houston ISD and Fort Bend ISD and a faculty advisor for Teach for America. She is familiar with curriculum design and instructional techniques, as well as the skills needed to integrate new science teaching strategies into the classroom. In addition, Ms. Lewis is bilingual.
Denise Woltje, Kindergarten teacher in Fort Bend ISD at Burton Elementary. Ms. Woltje has been a kindergarten teacher for 28 years and attended the Summer Institute in 2005. She has a unique way of centering all subjects in her classroom on science and science education. Ms. Woltje has spearheaded the SCIENCE Project at Burton Elementary, transformed her classroom into a SCIENCE Center, and assisted in the recruitment of teachers to the Summer Institute. She has designed kindergarten science curriculum for Fort Bend ISD available to all kindergarten teachers. Ms. Woltje has worked with the Center for Research on Minority Health for the past two summers developing inquiry based, cross curricular, centers oriented curriculum appropriate for the early elementary classrooms, specifically K-2.
Summer Institute, a component of the MIDAS Project, is supported by a