Project Overview ~ Form courtesy of Buck Institute for Education (www.bie.org)                     page 1

Team members: 

Telannia Norfar, Ellen Feig, Jennifer Duann, Christine Pence, Zahra Belyea, 

Brett Arthur

Name of Project:

Numbers at the heart of the oil crisis solution 

Duration:

6 weeks or longer?

Subject/Course:

Mathematics, English 

Grade Level:

10-14

Other Subject Areas to Be Included:

Economics, Science, Engineering

Project Idea

Summary of the challenge, investigation, scenario, problem, or issue:

In the STEM fields, number mastery is key to how decisions are made at all levels from the choice of research project, to scientific solutions, to business adaptations of scientific solutions, to various considerations of the relevant and potential stakeholders involved in building solutions. The Gulf Crisis contains statistical, scientific, narrative, persuasive and scientific information. How can a person properly understand the crisis, how it is affected in their area versus another community and help to solve the problem that still plagues our environment. 

The following is a list of general list of outcomes that students will possess by the end of the project:
o   Identify a real problem
o   Identify a population affected by the problem
o   Identify demographical information about that population including the primary decision-making drivers
o   Interpret and explain numerical information
o   Identify potential solutions
o   Make a pitch to the appropriate audience
o   Build an ongoing web presence for future additions to the project such as a journalistic/information site that can be extended to future classes; consortia collaboration; service-based liaisons with other community at large partners

Driving Question

How does the oil crisis affect my community, neighboring communities, the world? What can I do about its affects? or In the age of technology, we are bombarded with information. Analyzing the information being disseminated about the oil spill (online, offline, statistic, historical, environmental, technological), how can we discern what is fact versus fiction? or  How does the spill affect ecosystems, populations, and individual organisms (including humans)? 

Content and Skills Standards to be addressed:

Mathematics (Algebra III/Statistics Course-11th&12 graders):

• Solve routine arithmetic problems that involve rates, proportions, and percents
• Model and solve problems that contain verbal and symbolic representations of money
• Do multistep computations with rational numbers
• Apply elementary number concepts, including identifying patterns pictorially and numerically (e.g., triangular numbers, arithmetic and geometric sequences), ordering numbers, and factoring

English (First and Second Year College Students):

• Ability to use online and offline sources to research question
• Ability to analyze material for credibility and timeliness
• Ability to understand and identify different sources 
• Application of research in a ethical and legal manner to final presentation
• Understanding of various written and visual medium and their implications in suburban and urban society

Literary Text

3.1.12.G.1 Apply a theory of literary criticism to a particular literary work.

3.1.12.G.2 Analyze how

3.1.12.G.8 Recognize the use or abuse of ambiguity, contradiction, paradox, irony, incongruities, overstatement and understatement in text and explain their effect on the reader.

3.1.12.G.10 Identify and understand the author’s use of idioms, analogies, metaphors, and similes, as well as metrics, rhyme scheme, rhythm, and alliteration in prose and poetry.

3.1.12.G.11 Identify the structures in drama, identifying how the elements of dramatic literature (e.g., dramatic irony, soliloquy, stage direction, and dialogue) articulate a playwright’s vision.     

3.1.12.G.16 Distinguish between essential and nonessential information.

3.1.12.G.17 Analyze the use of credible references.

3.1.12.G.21 Distinguish between a summary and a critique.

3.1.12.G.22 Summarize informational and technical texts and explain the visual components that support them.

3.1.12.G.23 Evaluate informational and technical texts for clarity, simplicity and coherence and for the appropriateness of graphic and visual appeal.

3.1.12.G.24 Identify false premises in an argument

3.1.12.G.25 Analyze foundational U.S. documents for their historical and literary significance and how they reflect a common and shared American Culture (e.g., The Declaration of Independence, The Preamble of the U.S. Constitution, Abraham Lincoln’s "Gettysburg Address," Martin Luther King’s "Letter from Birmingham Jail").

H. Inquiry and Research

3.1.12.H.1 Select appropriate electronic media for research and evaluate the quality of the information received.

3.1.12.H.2 Develop materials for a portfolio that reflect a specific career choice.

3.1.12.H.3 Develop increased ability to critically select works to support a research topic.

3.1.12.H.4 Read and critically analyze a variety of works, including books and other print materials (e.g., periodicals, journals, manuals), about one issue or topic, or books by a single author or in one genre, and produce evidence of reading.

3.1.12.H.5 Apply information gained from several sources or books on a single topic or by a single author to foster an argument, draw conclusions, or advance a position.

3.1.12.H.6 Critique the validity and logic of arguments advanced in public documents, their appeal to various audiences, and the extent to which they anticipate and address reader concerns.

3.1 12.H.7 Produce written and oral work that demonstrates synthesis of multiple informational and technical sources.

3.1.12.H.8 Produce written and oral work that demonstrates drawing conclusions based on evidence from informational and technical text.

3.1.12.H.9 Read and compare at least two works, including books, related to the same genre, topic, or subject and produce evidence of reading (e.g., compare central ideas, characters, themes, plots, settings) to determine how authors reach similar or different conlusions  

Read, comprehend, and be able to follow information gained from technical and instructional manuals (e.g., how-to books, computer manuals, instructional manuals).

Differentiate between fact and opinion by using complete and accurate information 

Informational Text

Identify, describe, evaluate, and synthesize the central ideas in informational texts.

Analyze how an author's use of words creates tone and mood, and how choice of words advances the theme or purpose of the work.

).

Analyze how works of a given period reflect historical and social events and conditions.

Compare and evaluate the relationship between past literary traditions and contemporary writing.

our literary heritage is marked by distinct literary movements and is part of a global literary tradition.

English (Grades 9-12):

Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework June 2001

Learning Strands

General Stand: Analysis of Media

26.4 Analyze the effect on the reader’s or viewer’s emotions of text and image in print journalism, and images, sound, and text in electronic journalism, distinguishing techniques used in each to achieve these effects.

For example, students compare how newspapers, radio, television, and Internet news outlets cover the same story, such as the Boston Marathon or a day in a political campaign, analyzing how words, sounds, and still or moving images are used in each medium. For their final project they write about how the medium of communication affects the story conveyed.

26.5 Analyze visual or aural techniques used in a media message for a particular audience and evaluate their effectiveness.

26.6 Identify the aesthetic effects of a media presentation and identify and evaluate the techniques used to create them.

For example, on computers students go to web sites such as the National Park Service that are visual and nonlinear in nature. They evaluate the effectiveness of the visual design and the accuracy and organization of the text and visual information

General Strand: Media Production

27.6 Create media presentations that effectively use graphics, images, and/or sound to present a distinctive point of view on a topic. For example, in preparation for a local election, students in a television production class prepare for a debate among the candidates. They write an introductory script and questions for the candidates, then plan how they will use three cameras: a wide-angle view of all candidates on stage; a close-up view of each candidate for answers and reaction shots; and reaction shots of the audience.

27.7 Develop and apply criteria for assessing the effectiveness of the presentation, style, and content of films and other forms of electronic communication.

27.8 Create coherent media productions that synthesize information from several sources. For example, students create web pages that demonstrate understanding

General Strand: Writing

For imaginative/literary writing:*

19.24 Write well-organized stories or scripts with an explicit or implicit theme and details that contribute to a definite mood or tone.

19.25 Write poems using a range of poetic techniques, forms (sonnet, ballad), and figurative language.

For informational/expository writing:

19.26 Write well-organized essays (persuasive, literary, personal) that have a clear focus, logical development, effective use of detail, and variety in sentence structure.

19.27 Write well-organized research papers that prove a thesis statement using logical organization, effective supporting evidence, and variety in sentence structure.

For imaginative/literary writing:*

19.28 Write well-organized stories or scripts with an explicit or implicit theme, using a variety of literary techniques.

19.29 Write poems using a range of forms and techniques.

For informational/expository writing:

19.30 Write coherent compositions with a clear focus, objective presentation of alternate views, rich detail, well-developed paragraphs, and logical argumentation.

For example, students compose an essay for their English and American history classes on de Toqueville’s observations of American life in the 1830s, examining whether his characterization of American society is still applicable today.

*Imaginative/literary writing to be assessed at the local level.

California Standards Grades 7-12 Career Technical Education

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/sf/documents/ctestandards.pdf

http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/englangdevstnd.pdf

http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/mathstandard.pdf 

http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/sciencestnd.pdf

Science : Investigation and Experimentation

1. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other four strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:

a. Select and use appropriate tools and technology (such as computer-linked probes, spreadsheets, and graphing calculators) to perform tests, collect data, analyze relationships, and display data.

b. Identify and communicate sources of unavoidable experimental error.

c. Identify possible reasons for inconsistent results, such as sources of error or uncontrolled conditions.

d. Formulate explanations by using logic and evidence.

e. Solve scientific problems by using quadratic equations and simple trigonometric, exponential, and logarithmic functions.

f. Distinguish between hypothesis and theory as scientific terms.

g. Recognize the usefulness and limitations of models and theories as scientific representations of reality.

h. Read and interpret topographic and geologic maps.

i. Analyze the locations, sequences, or time intervals that are characteristic of

natural phenomena (e.g., relative ages of rocks, locations of planets over time, and succession of species in an ecosystem).

j. Recognize the issues of statistical variability and the need for controlled tests.      

k. Recognize the cumulative nature of scientific evidence.

l. Analyze situations and solve problems that require combining and applying concepts from more than one area of science.

m. Investigate a science-based societal issue by researching the literature, analyzing data, and communicating the findings. Examples of issues include irradiation of food, cloning of animals by somatic cell nuclear transfer, choice of energy sources, and land and water use decisions in California.

n. Know that when an observation does not agree with an accepted scientific theory, the observation is sometimes mistaken or fraudulent (e.g., the Piltdown Man fossil or unidentified flying objects) and that the theory is sometimes wrong (e.g., the Ptolemaic model of the movement of the Sun, Moon, and planets). 

Technology: 4.0 Technology

Students know how to use contemporary and emerging technological resources in diverse and changing personal, community, and workplace environments:

4.1 Understand past, present, and future technological advances as they relate to a chosen pathway.

4.2 Understand the use of technological resources to gain access to, manipulate, and produce information, products, and services.

4.3 Understand the influence of current and emerging technology on selected segments of the economy.

4.4 Understand the impact of enhanced technology, bioethics, epidemiology, and socioeconomics on the health care delivery system.

4.5 Know how to interpret technical materials and medical instrumentation used for health care practices and policies.

Engineering : 10.0 Technical Knowledge and Skills

Students understand the essential knowledge and skills common to all pathways in the Engineering and Design sector:

10.1 Use and maintain industrial and technological products and systems.

10.2 Understand the importance of technical and computer-aided technologies essential to the language of the engineering and design industry.

10.3 Understand how to use, adjust, maintain, and troubleshoot the equipment and tools of the engineering and design industry in a safe, effective, and efficient manner.

10.4 Acquire, store, allocate, and use materials and space efficiently.

10.5 Understand the role of the engineering and design industry in the California economy.

10.6 Understand and apply the appropriate use of quality control systems and procedures.

10.7 Understand the need and process to obtain and maintain industry-standard, technical certifications and affiliations with professional organizations, including the American Society for Engineering Education, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

10.8 Understand the need to obtain and maintain industry-standard, technical certifications significant to a particular industry.

Ohio Academic Content Standards (Grades 9-10)

Earth and Space Sciences

D. Describe the finite nature of Earth's resources and those human activities that can conserve or deplete Earth's resources.

Life Sciences

G. Describe how human activities can impact the status of natural systems.

Physical Sciences

F. Explain how energy may change form or be redistributed but the total quantity of energy is conserved.

Science and Technology

A. Explain the ways in which the processes of technological design respond to the needs of society.

Scientific Ways of Knowing

D. Recognize that scientific literacy is part of being a knowledgeable citizen.

T+A

E

T+A

E

21st Century Skills explicitly taught and assessed (T+A) or encouraged (E) by project work, but not taught or assessed:

Collaboration

 x

X

Other:

Presentation

X

Critical Thinking:

X

Culminating Products & Performances

Group:

Bound written project

Online Wiki 

Team Journal/Reflection

Team Presentation

 Presentation Audience

  Presentation Audience:

      Class

   School

 x

Class

 x

School 

grade level

 x

Community

Science fair at local CC

Individual:

Individual Journal/Learning Log

 x

Experts

Businesses

Chamber of Commerce

Kiwanis/Rotary

 x

Web

Other:

Region

Project Overview ~ Form courtesy of Buck Institute for Education (www.bie.org)                   page 2

Entry Event to

launch inquiry

and engage students:

Assessments

Formative Assessments

(During Project)

Quizzes/Tests

 x

Practice Presentations

 x

Journal/Learning Log

 x

Notes

 x

Preliminary Plans/Outlines/Prototypes

 x

Checklists

 x

Rough Drafts

 x

Concept Maps

 x

Online Tests/Exams

Other:

Summative Assessments

(End of Project)

Written Product(s), with rubric:

Bound written project

 x

Other Product(s) or Performance(s), with

rubric:

Online Wiki

 x

Oral Presentation, with rubric

 x

Peer Evaluation

 x

Multiple Choice/Short Answer Test

Self-Evaluation

 x

Essay Test

Other:

Resources Needed

On-site people, facilities:

Equipment:

Materials:

Community resources:

Reflection Methods

(check all that will be used)

Individual Journal/Learning Log

 x

Focus Group

 x

Whole-Class Discussion

 x

Fishbowl Discussion

 x

Survey

 x

Other: Team Journal/Reflection

 x