Targeted Investigations in Environmental Science for Grades 9 -12

Ramapo College Of New Jersey, Mahwah NJ

Investigators

Abstract

9911772 CRISTINI This project will produce a professional development package based on an interdisciplinary investigation of the use and disposal of chemical pollutants. This theme allows integration of the content into biology and chemistry courses as well as courses in mathematics, social studies, civics, health and others. The approach is to field test and refine the package, ultimately producing a combination of web-based instructional materials and CD-ROM's for high school teachers. This will be accomplished through a series of On-line and On-site Institutes. Teachers will be given guidance on how to train students to collect their own data, how to access other data sets on-line, and how to do real-life problem solving using GIS. Among the goals are to provide cross-disciplinary content, provide a model for formulating pivotal questions, provide technical tools appropriate to facilitate cross-disciplinary linkages, provide inquiry-based activities, provide assessment strategies, and make TIES accessible to educators regardless of location. Because of the cross-disciplinary nature of the professional development package, teachers will be able to utilize their skills to enhance teaching in a variety of subjects (chemistry, biology and environmental science), and can be incorporated into the classroom no matter which set of student instructional materials are used. Teachers from urban, suburban and rural communities in Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania will field-test the materials at Summer Institutes and during the academic year.