Information Collection and Analysis
Below are many examples of curriculum-based projects designed using Information Collection and Analysis activity structures.
The Web sites mentioned in Judi Harris's Virtual Architecture are marked with a book icon:
.
7. Information Exchanges
8. Database Creation
9. Electronic Publishing
10. Telefieldtrips
11. Pooled Data Analysis
Other Works Cited
Structure 7: Information Exchanges
Boil,
Boil, Toil and Trouble: The International Boiling Point Project
Page 34 of Virtual
Architecture
Grades: 3-12
Ongoing? Yes
Students around the world report the boiling point of water in their
locale. Once there's a large enough sample size, visitors will be
able to see relationships between boiling point, elevation, and a
number ofother factors. This is a solid example of
multi-disciplinary (as wellas multi-participant!) learning.
Bucket
Buddies
Grades: 1-5
Ongoing? Yes
Bucket Buddies is a collaborative environmental study that poses the
question “Are the organisms found in pond water the same all over the
world?” Students collect water from a nearby pond and identify
the macro invertebrates present. The findings from all
participants are shared in the Discussion Area of the Web site, giving
all groups of students the opportunity to compare their data with other
students’ data from around the world. Corresponding lesson plans
are provided in the Teacher Area. Important information about
joining the project and various deadlines can be found in the Project
Information section of the Web site.
"Chewing
the Fat"
Page 34 of Virtual
Architecture
Grades: 3-12
Ongoing? No
Language teachers and their students will get a kick out of this
site. Here, you will find a collecti! on of slang (all clean)
from around the world. One good one is "Wind yer neck down," which
means "wisen up" according to folks in Derry, Ireland.
Circle
of Seasons
Grades: 1-6
Ongoing? Yes
A telecollaborative project in which younger students collect and
publish primary source data on seasonal changes in Calgary, Alberta,
Canada. The students share their data with students from other
parts of the world, collecting information and pictures from other
schools and their local weather patterns. The site also includes a
habitat section showing different animal habitats during the changing
seasons. This project is perfect for teachers looking to
telecollaborate within science curricula with other schools.
City Quest
Grades: K-5
Ongoing? Yes
Available in three languages and begun by three elementary teachers
from three different countries and continents--USA, Netherlands, and
Japan--City Quest offers a tour of historical communities around the
world. Using the Internet and other forms of technology, these
three classes were able to share with each other about the historical
landmarks and buildings in their hometowns. Beginning in the
2000-2001 school year, the three participating teachers have asked
other schools around the world to submit reports about the historical
significance of their hometowns. All the reports from all
participating schools are available for your perusal. The Web
site leads you through the submission process if you and your class are
interested in having a report about your community featured on the City
Quest Web site. There are also many suggestions for incorporating
City Quest into social studies, writing, reading, and technology
curricula. Once you and your students have taken advantage of all
the information offered, use this newfound knowledge to play the online
game!
Down
the Drain
Grades: 4-8 (but can be modified for high school students)
Ongoing? Yes
Water, water, everywhere! Down the Drain asks students compare their
own water usage to that of people in other parts of the world. They
spend a week collecting information from household members and
classmates to determine the average amount of water used by one person
– after completing data collection, students predict what they will
find and then test these hypotheses by analyzing the data. Students
submit data online for analysis and can periodically download the
results as spreadsheets. Classes have the option of posting student
work online. Rich resources for teachers include lesson plans (the
charts are really handy!), links with water-related information and
online conversion calculators, and the online help page which contains
links to several “ask an expert” sites dealing with science,
environment, and water.
Explor-a-Pond
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? yes
There’s more to these ponds than tadpoles! In this project, classes
from all age groups study pond ecology and create a database of pond
descriptions. Once classes register, they submit their pond for
approval. After approval is received, they upload images of the pond’s
environment, information and images of the animals observed at the
pond, and additional data. Resources for teachers include detailed
lesson plans and activities that go along with the project, and links
to additional pond math, science and other online collaboration
activities. A special collaborative highlight of the site is the “Pond
Talk” electronic bulletin board to which students and teachers can post
questions and comments. Classes that don’t have access to a nearby pond
have the option of creating an online “virtual pond.” Math teachers: be
sure to check out the pond math activities.
Global Grocery List
Project
Pages 34-35 of Virtual
Architecture
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? Yes
As the title implies, this project invites youngsters from all over to
report prices on various grocery store items. Students can then
compare their data with that of people in other areas, and even in
other years. (The project is in its 16th year!) This is a
well-conceived project that helps students better see their role in the
real world.
The GLOBE Program
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? Yes
Students from over 6,500 schools in over 80 countries use the Internet
to report and publish environmental observations from their
schools. This site is full of resources, discussion boards, data,
and guides on how to plan an implement GLOBE research with
students. This project will help students to become scientists
with a worldwide audience!
Grandmother
and Me
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? Yes
KIDPROJ is a multilingual project dedicated to the appreciation of
grandmothers around the world. The heart of the site contains short
descriptions (organized by country) that students have written about
what they call their grandmothers, what they like to do with them, and
why their grandmother is special. The “Inventions and Granny’s Age”
page encourages children to use their imaginations and think about the
things we have now that weren’t around when their grandmothers were
children. Don’t miss “grandmother’s storybook” which is made up of
stories written by children and translated into multiple languages by
visitors to the site. Kid’s portraits of their grandmothers fill the
pages of the site with smiles.
Hummingbirds: Operation
Ruby Throat
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? Yes
The target audience of this site is K-12 students in North and Central
America although anyone interested in hummingbirds is invited to
participate. The site can be accessed in either English or
Spanish. Operation Ruby Throat is intended to inspire a spirit of
cooperation by sharing data and observations about the behavior and
distribution of ruby throated hummingbirds. There are four
categories of activities suggested for class use with this site.
The first category is Basic Activities and Observations; these
activities are short-term and suitable for any age. This category
also has links to puzzles, quizzes, and coloring pages focusing on
hummingbirds. The second category, Research Projects, is geared
toward high school and advanced junior high students and the projects
are long-term. The third category is Cross-Disciplinary and
provides ideas for incorporating science into the arts and
humanities. The fourth and final category is
Inter-grade/Inter-school. The site also provides links to
details on how to participate, how to submit data, informational sites
about hummingbirds, hummingbird photos, and tips for attracting
hummingbirds. The Hummingbird Hobnob is an online discussion
group that can also be accessed from the Operation Ruby Throat site
International
Home Remedies
Page 34 of Virtual
Architecture
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? Yes
This is an unusual and interesting project in which English as a Second
Language students share home remedies from their countries. This
is a unique approach to multi-cultural education, as well as good
practice in writing for a worldwide audience.
Seasonal
Changes Through Our Eyes and Yours
Grades: K-5
Ongoing? Yes
In this project students observe the changes in a specific tree,
clothing worn, temperature, and the sunrise and sunset during the fall,
winter, and spring seasons. There are specific lesson plans to
follow for each of the observations at each of the different
observation times. The students then record their observations on
the data gathering form provided at the Web site. Using the Web
site, students share their data with other participating schools.
Using the data posted, students are able to analyze, compare, and draw
conclusions about their environment in relation to environments around
the country. Extension activities and standards alignment are
provided as well.
Tooth
Tally Project
Grades: 1
Ongoing? Yes
This project has more loose teeth than a heavyweight championship! As
students in participating first grade classes lose their baby teeth,
they pin paper teeth to their class tooth tally board. At the end of
each month, the teacher sends the total to the project's Web site.
where it is posted online for comparison with other classes in their
group. Highlights include children's descriptions of the tooth fairy,
links to several classes' tooth tally websites, and suggestions
provided by teachers on ways to incorporate this project into
existing curriculum.
A World Community
of Old Trees
Page 34 of Virtual
Architecture
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? Yes
Based on the philosophy that humans are part of rather than separate
from nature, this site's founders have created a digital tree
sanctuary. Students and artists are invited to send in photos and
drawings of trees as they see them. Visitors are also encouraged
to download other's images,manipulate them, and submit them to the
site--an interesting twist in makinga truly interactive
"gallery." You will also find personal reflectionson trees (many
of them rather moving) that various artists have published.
Back to Top of
PageStructure 8: Database Creation
Multi-Cultural Calendar
Page 36 of Virtual
Architecture
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? Yes
This site contains a huge searchable database of holidays around the
world. Teachers might also enjoy tips on
integrating this site into the social studies, math, language arts, and
physical education curriculum.
Square
of Life: Studies in Local and Global Environments
Grades: K-5
Ongoing? Yes
Another excellent project from CIESE Online Classroom
Projects! Students will plot square meters on school grounds
and collect data on the living and non-living things found in each
square meter. They will then share this information through an
online database with other students around the country and the
world. Once all data has been posted, students will compare and
contrast their data with the information provided by other
students. Classroom curriculum, including lesson plans, is
provided as is the project’s alignment with national standards.
There is also an extensive list of online
reference materials for use by both teachers and students.
Structure 9: Electronic Publishing
@rt room
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? Yes
Created as a virtual classroom, “the @rt room is a place for kids to
explore their inner and outer worlds.” There are several
different types of art activities to help engage students in this
exploration. There are “Sparkers” which are short activities
intended to jump start students’ artistic minds; then there are
“Thinkers” which inspire students to think like artists. A
section titled “Artifacts” presents information about famous artists
and works of art that may not be familiar to most people. The
“Gallery” section displays students’ artwork from around the world and
gives students an opportunity to enjoy what their global peers have
created. There are two separate links which list recommended
books and recommended links respectively. The “Archives” list
links that were once featured on the site and still considered
valuables resources. Finally, there is a teacher resource
sections specifically for art educators.
Castles
Under The Rainbow
Grades: K-2
Ongoing? No
Based around the children’s book Skycastle by Sandra Henken,
this site has some excellent curriculum ideas connected to history,
art, literature, and writing. Each classroom involved in the
project focused on one particular area related to castles and then
posted their experience on the site. Particularly helpful are the
extensive notes for teachers about how to structure the project. Also,
be sure to check out the medieval
feast page…they show you how to create the menu!
Children's
Express
Grades: 2-12
Ongoing? No
Prepare to be amazed! This online news magazine will knock! your socks
off! Children's Express is produced by children aged 8-18 in several
locations in the U.K. The site includes a behind-the-scenes description
of the complicated processes behind creating a high-quality news
publication. In addition to reading the stories, other students are
invited to email the production teams about stories currently being
written, or they can volunteer to be interviewed. Past stories are
archived online, and the site includes a library with a search feature
to look up previous articles. The UK project is now known as Headliners, which focuses upon
student journalism.
Faces of the
Olympics
Grade: 4-10
Ongoing? No
Everyone has a story to tell! In the months before the Sydney Summer
Olympics, students were invited to discover an Olympic story in their
own locality and share it with the world. They were to choose someone
with an Olympic story to tell, interview her/him, and email the story
and picture to the site's creators. Story templates and suggested
interview questions helped students structure and focus their work.
Once received, the stories were indexed. Highlights at this Web site
include information on how the project addressed Australian teaching
standards, and ! a thorough list of links to Olympic-related cites.
Fairy
Tale and Folk Tale CyberDictionary
Grades: Designed for 1st, but can be adapted for slightly older groups
Ongoing? Yes
"G" is for great idea for younger students! "W" is for "way-cool"site!
Designed to be used as part of a fairy tale or folk tale unit, students
listen to a fairy tale and then retell the story in their own words,
creating an illustrated "Cyberdictionary," with one entry for each
letter of the alphabet. Entries are comprised of a picture and
accompanying sentence using the word. Teachers can request that their
class' dictionary be posted to the project's Web site. In addition to
the stories and dictionaries, the site includesonline jigsaw puzzles
for students to solve, detailed instructions for teachers, and creative
suggestions from teachers on how to integrate the project into
elementary curriculua.
Generations
Can Connect
Grades: 5-12
Ongoing? Not sure
Want a unique writing project for your students? Are your
students yearning for a vivid historical experience? Or perhaps
you just want to give your students a chance to make a senior
smile? The Generations Can Connect project may be just what
you're seeking. Developed by the Government of Canada, this
project assists schools in developing a "searchable, digital record of
the memories, personal treasures and contributions of senior citizens
to the development of their communities and their country." To do
this, students interview seniors about special memories or treasured
objects. Students then follow a template to write up their
interviews and publish them on the WWW, adding to the existing list
of profiles on this website. A teacher new to Internet use
will be pleased to find an easy-to-follow step-by-step
guide that will help them through this process.
Kids' International
Peace Museum
Grades: K-3
Ongoing? Yes
Full of student-created "exhibits" on peace, this site has a lot to
teach any visitor. The solemn ambiance of the site is interspersed
withhumor, as exemplified by one student's definition of peace: "When
my brotherisn't home there is peace." Young students around the
world are welcometo contribute to this virtual museum.
Kids’ Space
Grades: K-10 (through age 16)
Ongoing? Yes
Kids' Space is an online, commercial-free publishing site for students
16 years and younger. The three sections begin with one for
creative products including art, creative writing, collaborative books,
and music. The second section focuses on global communication for
kids by providing a safe environment for keypals, a bulletin board for
posting questions, and sharing information, a “village” for kid’s
personal homepages, and a section for external links that have been
carefully screened. The third and final section focuses on
teaching kids how to use the Internet effectively and efficiently.
MidLink Magazine
Page 37 of Virtual
Architecture
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? Yes
This well-designed "Digital Magazine by Students, for Students" is full
of articles and projects that explore a range of topics. Article titles
that might pique your interest include: Native American Geometry,
IHave a Dream, Too, and the Virtual Quilt. Teachers will be pleased to
findclearly written guidelines for submissions, time lines, and tips
for participating in this project.
National Student
Research Center
Grades: 5-12
Ongoing? Yes
Since 1992, the NSRC has provided a model for students to engage in
scientific research, and a place for them to publish their
work. Each "e-journal" contains student-written articles divided
into the familiarsections: statement of purpose and hypothesis,
methodology, analysis ofdata, summary and conclusion, and
application. This would be a greatmodel for science (and language
arts) students to read before launchingon their own research.
Moreover, it could be a worthy goal for studentsto be published in this
e-journal.
Newsday Project
Page 37 of Virtual
Architecture
Grades: 2-12
Ongoing? Yes
Students produce news stories based on certain themes (e.g., "world
visions") and post them on the Newsday Web site on specified
dates. A look at some of the examples
makes it clear that these are weeks-long projects that engage a number
of academic skills.
SchoolNet
News Network
Page 37 of Virtual
Architecture
Grades: 4-12
Ongoing? Yes
This professional-looking Web site features monthly e-zines filledwith
articles written by kids for kids. Recent topics have been school
violence, summer jobs, and hockey. A special bonus: The
site is in both French and English.
TOPICS Online Magazine for
ESL Learners
Grades: 7-12
Ongoing? Yes
TOPICS is an online magazine where ESL students write about their
interests and ideas. By reading these accounts students can
explore an international landscape. The writings are organized
under topics such as current issues, food pages, meet people, and
globalization. All topics are listed on the sidebar to the
left. Pictures are included with most topics. Back issues
are also available. The site also includes a Teacher’s Corner
where ESL teachers can share ideas for class projects and instructional
strategies. Close supervision is suggested as some topics may be
inappropriate for younger readers (i.e. tattoos).
Structure 10: Telefieldtrips
Virtual Class Fieldtrips
Classrooms
and Schools Virtual Visit Project
Grades: 3-12 (and a number of adult ESOL classes)
Ongoing? Yes
Low-tech, but high-teach site! This project is a straightforward way
for students from around the world to learn more about each other.
Classes are paired with each other to share information about their
school and community. Utilizing the site’s simple Web page builder,
classes use pictures and text to create an online tour of their
schools. After looking at the other class’ tour, students spend the
next couple of months emailing each other questions about the school,
community and online tour (these exchanges are posted on the final Web
sites.) Teacher resources include step-by-step instructions for
carrying out the project (including a number of examples as models).
Fifth
Grade Internet Flying Adventure
Grades:5-6
Ongoing? No
Take off for adventure with your students without ever leaving the
ground! Follow along with Mr. Beamer's fifth grade class as they
tracked his flight from Indiana to the Pacific in an ultralight
aircraft. Students helped him to build the plane and develop his daily
flight plans. They alsoread daily dispatches of his travels. Resources
include some excellent aeronauticssites, history of aviation links, and
information about all of the placeshe visited.
Mrs.
Mirissette's Class Visits the Center of Native Arts in Woolwich, Maine
Grade: 3
Ongoing? No
Visit this travelogue, complete with photos and student artwork, of a
class fieldtrip to a Native American arts center.
Museum
Connections
Grades: K-6
Ongoing? Yes
A telecollaborative project, Museum Connections takes students on a
journey to the past through museums to learn about the world and
themselves. The homepage provides a list of essentials about the
past to answer while completing the project. Your and your
students’ role in the project can be as simple or complex as you
desire. The sidebar to the left provides a list of participating
schools; to view various projects, click on the name of each
school. Each class chooses a particular period of the past to
explore. Some schools create virtual museums while others visit
actual museums. If you are interested in participating, email the
project coordinator at the address provided.
Prairie Journey 2000
Grades: 3-12
Ongoing? No
This site houses prairie-themed interactive games, exhibits, and
travelogues, which were developed by students involved in a real-life,
week long, field trip across the Canadian prairie. While students
from only two schools actually traveled, they visited numerous partner
schools! along the way, and all contributed to this meaty Web site.
Teachers may glean some good ideas for extending field trips
that their own students take, like creating a Jeopardy!-like
game, developing an electronic quilt of trip-related images and
poetry, and keeping a journal..
River
Adventure
Grades: 5-6
Ongoing? No
Here's someone who gives teaching a good name! Mr. Beamer rides again!
In his adventure beginning in September 2001, he canoed from Indiana to
Memphis. Communicating with students though a daily log via email, they
studied watersheds, calculated the budget, and maintained a public
email Web site. Highlights of the site include an "ask the experts"
section, marvelous links to river and canoeing sites, a children's
river/canoeing bibliography,and student quizzes.
Stephen
Avenue Virtual Tour
Grades: 2-4
Ongoing? No
A virtual field trip using student artwork, photos, and stories from a
class trip. Students were each assigned a building on the tour of
Stephen Avenue and then wrote stories and drew pictures of their
experiences. This site is a great example of electronic
publishing and models some excellent ideas to use with your students in
fine arts, language arts, and technology. Be sure to “drive
the bus” and see how animated students “visit” each building.
Virtual Expeditions
The Albatross ProjectGrades: 6-12
Ongoing? Yes
Here is an amazing opportunity for your students to engage in authentic scientific research! Students use this information-rich site to track albatrosses as they fly over the open ocean. They plot the positions using satellite data, email communication and the Pythagorean Theorem. They gain experience testing scientific hypotheses, and they see themselves doing work much like professional biologists. The site includes a wealth of lesson plan resources, background information and implementation tips for teachers. The site is sponsored by the NSF, so there is no cost to join.
California Missions
Interactive
Grade: 4
Ongoing? No
Two bicyclists zipped through twelve historic California missions, and
exchanged e-mail with a group of Palo Alto fourth graders as they did
so. This site contains trip reports and photos that would help students
around the world learn more about places they might not be able to
"visit" otherwise.
Colonial Williamsburg
Electronic Field Trips
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? Yes
(There is a fee required to participate in this project.)
Colonial Williamsburg Electronic Field Trips offer participating
schools interactive history lessons via the Web, teacher resources,
live television broadcasts, and real time interactions with Colonial
Williamsburg experts. The live broadcasts are featured on PBS or
via streaming video and offer compelling dramatizations of historical
events while the internet sources provide students opportunities to
learn from primary documents and web-based information. The
teacher lesson plans offer alignments with state standards, literacy
lessons, and lessons on using primary sources in research.
Students also have the opportunity to send an email and receive a reply
from an historical figure. The site offers a chat room and
discussion board for interaction among students at all participating
schools.
Connecting From
the Ice
Grades: 6-8
Ongoing? No
Youthful awe and science ooze from this site. Here you'll find dozens
of e-mail exchanges between a group of Maryland middle schoolers and
apair of friendly s! cientists in Antarctica.
Global Online Adventure Learning
Site
Grades: 3-8
Ongoing? Yes
This is a rich site filled with stories and images of global adventure
travelers. Their expeditions range from rowing across the Pacific to
crossing the Antarctic. In addition to descriptions of their travel
plans, routes, and equipment, many send journal entries as they travel
which are posted to the Web site--a few of the families traveling
include kids' journal entries. The "Classroom" link
includes lesson plans (primarily topics for further study or
discussion). Be sure to check out the "Classroom Expedition"
link with its ecological "footprint" and "world pen pal" sections.
Imagine
the Challenge
Grades: 3-12
Ongoing? No
Go on an awe-inspiring adventure across the Outback (and then some)!
The Imagine the Challenge project followed the trans-Australian "Steps
2 Peace" run of Canadian David Adie. The purpose of the run was to
inspire children to overcome challenges in their lives while raising
funds for Children's hospitals. Students and teachers at a school in
Calgary were in email contact with him – if a person had a question for
David, he would email the students who might choose to include that
question in the day’s communication. Questions and responses were
linked to a map of the journey. Students were encouraged to create
their own projects and challenges related to Australia and David’s run
– examples of these are included. The site also served as part of an
e-pal project matching both individual students and entire classes. Be
sure to look at the annotated links to sites about running and
Australia.
JASON Project
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? Yes
This comprehensive project utilizes lives satellites and
Internetbroadcasts to bring real expeditions to students around the
world. Memberswill have full access to lesson plans, professional
development opportunities,and of course, the telefieldtrips.
Online From Jupiter
Page 39 of Virtual
Architecture
Grades: 3-12
Ongoing? No
Through photos, actual field notes, scientist biographies, and on-line
activities, students can explore (and vicariously experience) NASA's
1995 Galileo spacecraft mission to Jupiter.
Reach the World
Grades: 3-12
Ongoing? Yes
Reach the World links partner schools to the real-world global
circumnavigation of the Makulu II, a 43-foot sailboat manned by a team
of teachers and explorers who report back to students via email and
satellite. This interactive relationship allows partner classes to
design projects to be carried about by the crew. In addition to a
wealth of pictures, route maps, and well-written weekly and monthly
travel logs, the site includes a teacher
center with lesson plans developed and implemented by partner
teachers. Makulu II sails each fall.
Shadow A Swan Project
Grades: 4-6 or 10-12, depending upon the learning activity
Ongoing? Yes
This site is no ugly duckling! Registered classes (registration is
free!) follow the flight of an individual swan on her migration from
Alaska to California. Students use satellite data from radio
transmitters and maps to track the collared birds and predict their
next locations, and a bu! lletin board to collaborate with peers and
experts as they track the birds' movements. Resources for teachers
include detailed lesson plans for either grades 4-6 or 10-12. The site
is information-rich and has many links for additional informationor to
similar projects.
Shuttle-MIR
Online Research Experience
Page 39 of Virtual
Architecture
Grades: K-12
Ongoing? No
Scientists' biographies and field journals reveal the research
conducted in space aboard the Mir station.
Sites Alive! Expeditions
Grades: 3-12
Ongoing? Yes
Sites Alive! connects students to academically credited field school
expeditions. While students involved in Sites Alive! don't
actually travel to the places they explore, they get as close as they
can via the Internet--thanks to a comprehensive interactive, multimedia
curriculum package. (Note: Schools must pay a fee to become
part of this project.)
Track
Wild Wolves
Grades: 2-12
Ongoing? Yes
Here is an exciting activity combining geography and biology while
helping students gain an understanding of the scientific research
process. This wolf tracking project, sponsored by the Biological
Resources Division of the US Geological Survey, allows students to
follow the locations of wolves via computer. It works like this: wolves
are fitted with GPS radio collars which send the wolf’s position data
to a satellite. The satellite information is downloaded to the Internet
where classes use a map to follow the movements of the animal over
time. Students look for patterns of movement to outline the pack’s
territory – the web site gives them information to compare this to the
movement of other packs. Links include background information on wolves
and wolf conservation as well as the International Wolf Center in the
heart of the Superior National Forest in Ely, Minnesota.
WhaleNet
Satellite Tagging Program
Grades:9-12
Ongoing? Yes
Like the animal for which it is named, the WhaleNet site is
trulyimpressive in size and in mission. The main activity for students
hereis the STOP program, in which classes use the WhaleNet server to
track taggedmarine mammals by satellite. Using the latest technology,
students collaborate with researchers to collect, compile and share
information about a variety of whale species and other marine life.
Other programs allow students to collaborate with peers or scientists
online, participate in research voyages, attend classes, or access a
wealth of information about marine mammals. This is a "do not miss"
site for science teachers, but has exciting activities for math classes
as well. Be sure to check out the teachers' resource section!
Structure 11: Pooled Data Analysis
Angle
of the Sun
Grades: 3-12
Ongoing? Yes
This project focuses on measuring, communicating, collaborating,
analyzing data, and making inferences. The main activity is to
determine how high the sun actually is above the horizon where an
individual lives. The more measurements the better, so the site
encourages collaboration with the community to get the most
possible. Angle of the Sun includes a calculator on the site for
converting measurements with the meter stick to the sun’s angle (the
equation is included if you would prefer your students to do the math
themselves). Students are then asked to analyze the pooled data
from all other submissions to look for patterns. The site walks
students through the process, provides a specific format for submitting
data, an idea for a research project, and a set of questions to
consider.
Froot
Loops to the Max
Grades: K-8
Ongoing? No
This project is a pooled data analysis that presents a hypothesis of
which color will appear most frequently in one box of Froot
Loops. Students are asked to weigh their box of cereal and
compare the actual weight with the one stated on the box. Then,
students are to divide the Froot Loops into categories by color;
guidelines are given for broken pieces, pieces that appear to be more
than one color, and pieces that are stuck together. Once the
cereal is sorted, students count how many Froot Loops are in each color
category and post their data on the Web site. Each school’s data
will be presented with a graph. Once all data from participating
schools has been received the truth of the hypothesis will be
evaluated. The site contains several pages that are helpful to
teachers: one where teachers can discuss the project with each
other; one providing all the worksheets and lesson plans for related
activities; a Froot Loop Jeopardy! link; and a page with many links to
Froot Loop-related sites.
Getting
the Media Message
Grades: 6-8
Ongoing? Yes
Getting the Media Message is a research project designed by professors
at Ohio State University to study what effects the media exposure of
middle school students has on the development of gender and racial
diversity in the field of Information Technology (IT). The study
developed from observations that there are very few women and
minorities choosing IT as a career field. The research team is
gathering data to ascertain whether the media environment experienced
by students during their formative middle school years has any bearing
on their career choices later in life, specifically with regard to
IT. Students in grades 6-8 are asked to help gather and analyze
data for the one of the two tracks of research. The study
developers have created an imbedded, interdisciplinary curriculum that
promotes problem solving skills through the consideration of real-world
issues.
The
Global Water Sampling Project
Grades: 9-12
Ongoing? Yes
In these days of abounding pollution, water quality has become a
serious concern. The Global Water Sampling Project, created by
the Center for
Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE), gives high
school students the opportunity to sample water in their area, analyze
its quality based on physical characteristics and chemical substances,
and then share and compare this data with other students’ data from
around the world. It is also gives them an opportunity to
hypothesize about any trends in water quality. The project runs
every fall and spring with specific guidelines available on the Web
site. Additional classroom activities are available as is a list
of national science standards met by the project. There is also
an Online
Experts section that allows students to gain further knowledge
through contact with an expert in the field.
Back to
Telecollaboration Index