Sixth-Grade Curriculum

The sixth grade case-based curriculum offers an in-depth look at the scientific inquiry method. Each case in the curriculum is devoted to one or two aspects of the scientific method. Cases are open-ended and based on questioning urban legends. Students are provided an opportunity to experience the scientific method first-hand through inquiry exercises, data collection and analysis, and experimental design. The curriculum challenges students to question, hypothesize, and explore the process of arriving at possible conclusions. Students will become proficient in the various steps of the scientific method and hence, become confident in implementing them in new situations.

Seventh/Eighth-Grade Curriculum

We have created 16 online science units that supplement, supplant, or enrich existing grade-level science curricula. Cases have been aligned to the state standards for participating states. Teachers can use the curricula online or face to face with the entire class, small groups, or individually with students. Curricular material include expert video, hands-on science experiments, take-home science experiments, animated science demonstrations and experiments, and more. These materials may not be shared with the control group of teachers until summer 2004.

Advanced Environmental Science

The advanced studies in environmental science course focuses on a rigorous, case-based curricula. The real-life cases presented in this course contain complex, sophisticated, and inter-disciplinary approaches to understanding the nature of environmental science.

Students work through 17 units of study or cases online for one academic school year. Students work at their own pace, level, and schedule on a weekly basis. Learning will occur completely online with the guidance and support of an expert teacher/mentor, hired, trained, and paid for by the grant. Students will tackle above grade-level readings, learn first-hand from experts through streamed media, and use hands-on learning to develop field-based inquiry skills.

The online curriculum includes:

(1) challenging multi-media cases;

(2) an interactive web-text;

(3) multiple online assignments; and

(4) an electronic discussion board used to enhance scientific discourse with a community of peers.

This course can be taken for high school credit in place of or in addition to face-to-face science courses. Content is tiered with the use of two different text books, one at the high school level which is more general, and one at the college level that is more specific and detail oriented.

Advanced Physics

Due out September 2006.