RachaelThreadgill

Teaching self-contained allows me to choose which subject that I would like to design a problem-based learning activity. For this assignment I am choosing science for my 7th grade students. We live in Hilton Head, South Carolina which is on the Atlantic coast. During the summer months we are overrun with tourists seeking a vacation at the beach so over the past several years the town as begun many new road projects. They have extended some roads and created others, unfornuately this is only in the town that you go through before getting on the island. Once you arrive at the bridges the traffic becomes a problem again. The town has proposed building another bridge that will connect to another part of the island to help relieve some of this traffic. Building this bridge will effect many things including are ecology. This leads me to the problem-based activity I would like to design. One of the standards of the 7th grade science is; The student will demonstrate an understanding of how organisms interact with and respond to the biotic and abiotic components of their environment. This standard has objectives that covers soil and water quality as well as populations, communities, habitats, niches, and biomes. The problem that I would like to propose to the students is: What effect will the new bridge have on our local ecology? This is relevant for my students because it not only covers one of the major standards and objectives but it will also effect their lives here in the community. The problem-based assigments will have several steps. The students will first have to complete research about our local ecology so that they understand what might be effected by the new bridge. Then the students will need to research what effect bridges being built have had on other areas. Finally the students will take the information they have and decide where this new bridge should be connected to the island and the mainland and what and how the ecology will be effective if at all. There are several different forms of technology the students will be able to use while doing answering this problem. The internet will be a great source of information that will allow the students to research effects on the ecology when roads and bridges are built. They will also be able to use blogs to work with other students in their groups as they discover new things. They will also be able to play with an online bridge simulator that will allow them to build different bridges. As a final part of the problem they will create a power point or a video that allows them to answer the question that has been proposed. In order to make sure that all students are able to complete this activity I will assign different due dates that will allow more time for those students who need it. I will also assist any student who is having any problems with their research. The students will be assessed based on their completed assignment and each part of the assignment that will be due. I will also assess the students based on how well they worked together in their groups and their participation on the activities. This type of problem will hopefully motivate the students to complete because it will having meaning and effect their lives.