|
GK-12 at Vicksburg Community Schools
What's New!
Vicksburg High School has just started a new semester. This semester will be a busy one. We hope to work on the Agricultural Land Lab and attempt to restore an old field into native prarie.
Sunset Lakes' first graders are currently learning about the water cycle and properties of matter. We have done some exciting projects, including learning how to distill water, marker chromotography and writing a letter to scientists in the antarctic (polar mail mail-dec24). This month we will be learning about properties of things that float and applying our new knowledge to building boats. Later in the spring we will hold our 2nd Annual Science Discovery Day!
|
Project Overview
The gk-12 project at Vicksburg has active members in the High School and at
Sunset Lake Elementary School. We have been hard at work this year,
steadily working towards the goals outlined in our district plan. This summer Marci and Katie spent two days working with other k-5 science teachers to design new curriculum for Vicksburgs' Outdoor Education Center that fit with the new K-7 state objectives. Throughout the year we will be piloting the new lessons and making adjustments. Marci and Katie have also been working with their students on exciting projects with the help of some of Mr. Madden's environmental science students. The first graders have really enjoyed working with the older students and we hope to continue this through the spring. We are also planning for our 2nd Annual Science Discovery Day. Mr. Madden has been working with his students to learn about invasive species and to utilize the agricultural land lab. Mr. Madden and some of his students worked this fall to clear trails and hopefully this spring we will start in on a prairie restoration project.
Visit Vicksburg Community School's website
Read Vicksburg's GK-12 plan for the 2006-2007 school year
Read Vicksburg's GK-12 plan for the 2007-2008 school year
Partner Teachers
| |
Dave Nette, Tina Porter, Marci Bailey, Scott Madden, Liz Ratashak, and Katie Button at the 2006 KBS K-12 Summer Institute. |
| |
Sunset Lake Elementary |
| |
|
Marci Bailey (Mentor) - tslm0b001@vicksburg.k12.mi.us |
|
| |
|
| |
Vicksburg High School |
| |
|
Scott Madden (Mentor) - thss0m001@vicksburg.k12.mi.us |
|
| |
|
Dave Nette - thsd0n001@vicksburg.k12.mi.us |
|
| |
|
Tina Porter - portersci@aol.com |
|
| |
|
Liz Ratashak - thsc0r001@vicksburg.k12.mi.us |
|
| |
|
|
|
Sample Lesson Plans
Looking for birds: Does it matter how you do it? (3rd - 6th grades)
Abstract: In this lesson, students will explore data collection and why the methods used are important. They will use the Christmas Bird Count, Backyard Bird Count, Breeding Bird Survey and Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas. Students can compare data (in the form of range maps) from different seasons for common bird species. From the different map comparisons, they will learn about migration and basic habitat preferences. They will also learn about the limitations of some of these data sets.
Files: Lesson Plan, Handout
Cooperation – Why do we bother to work together? (6th - 10th grades)
Abstract: Is it better to cooperate with our peers or to behave selfishly? Behavioral ecology is littered with examples of how cooperation has become part of social groups. This activity has students play games to see how scientists study the benefits of cooperation and selfishness.
Files: Cooperation Lesson Plan , Cooperation Powerpoint, Cooperation Data
Reviewing state changes with chocolate (1st - 3rd grades)
Abstract: Students will learn about solids, liquids, and gases by making chocolate candy. This is an excellent Valentine’s Day Activity.
Files: Lesson Plan
Saving Lady Liberty (8th - 9th grades)
Abstract: This activity applies chemical processes to real life by looking at the role chemical reactions played in the degradation of the statue of liberty between 1886 and 1986. Students will perform experiments to learn about two the chemical processes affecting the statue of liberty, corrosion and oxidation. The students will then define the problems the statue of liberty faced and design a restoration plan. They will test an aspect of their plan by designing an experiment and evaluate their plan based on the results of that test. They will then create a poster to present their plan and their experiment to the class. This activity will culminate in a poster walk and discussion of the merits of the different plans.
Files: Lesson Plan
Global Climate Change: Using data to draw conclusions (8th - 12th grades)
Abstract: With this combination of lessons students will learn about global climate change in data driven manor. Students start out by graphing global and great lakes average temperature anomalies, practicing graphing, interpreting graphs and learning about the amount of data needed to learn about climate change. Next students will learn about extremely long data sets that can shed light on whether the change in climate they discovered is anthropogenic through a presentation on paleoclimatology. Students will practice their graph interpreting skills again looking at extremely long-term data sets. Next students will learn about the climate change debate by watching An Inconvient Truth and some of the things that they can do to lesson their carbon footprint. Next students will learn about nutrient cycling and carbon sources and sinks. Then students will examine data on how deforestation affects a major carbon sink, soil organic matter.
Files: Lesson Plan
|
