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Science TV: Making It Real
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Title:
Science TV: Making It Real
Posted by:
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
Date:
12/06/2007
Grade Level:
High School
Category:
Design for the Other 90%
Subject Area:
Language Arts
Science
Lesson Time:
Two fifty-minute class periods
Introduction:
Of the world’s total population of 6.5 billion, 5.8 billion people, or 90%, have little or no access to most of the products and services many of us take for granted; in fact, nearly half do not have regular access to food, clean water, or shelter. Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum’s exhibition Design for the Other 90% explores a growing movement among designers to design low-cost solutions for this “other 90%.” In this lesson, students will create and perform a skit for a mock science television show highlighting the design innovations featured in the Design for the Other 90% exhibition.
State Standards:
No State Standards available.
National Standards:
Science
Standard 13. Understands the scientific enterprise
Benchmark 6. Knows that creativity, imagination, and a good knowledge base are all required in the work of science and engineering
Engineering Education
Standard 14. Uses the design process to solve problems
4. Understands how societal interests, economics, ergonomics, and environmental considerations influence a solution
Language Arts
Reading
Standard 7. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts
1. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of informational texts (e.g., textbooks, biographical sketches, letters, diaries, directions, procedures, magazines, essays, primary source historical documents, editorials, news stories, periodicals, catalogs, job-related materials, schedules, speeches, memoranda, public documents, maps)
Writing
Standard 1. Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
5. Uses strategies to address writing to different audiences (e.g., includes explanations and definitions according to the audience's background, age, or knowledge of the topic, adjusts formality of style, considers interests of potential readers)
Objectives:

Students will:

• explore the ways science is presented in a children’s television show
• explore the connections between science and design
• conduct Internet research
• analyze, evaluate, and summarize varied information sources
• create a skit
• perform a skit
Resources:
Materials:
Computer with Internet access
Vocabulary:
Students in this age group should be familiar with all words used.
Procedures:
Building Background
Activity One: Problem Solving
The purpose of this activity is to provide students with an opportunity to explore interactive problem solving.
 
1. Introduce your students to the PBS television show Zoom at https://pbskids.org/zoom/index.html. Tell the class that Zoom is designed for students ages 5-11, and focuses on hands-on science experiments and activities. Ask the students if they have ever seen the show, and if so, what they thought about it. As a class, explore the Web site.

Ask for a volunteer to play the interactive game featured on the Web site entitled “Goldburger to Go” at https://pbskids.org/zoom/games/goldburgertogo/index.html

When you are finished, lead a class discussion about how this program approaches the problem-solving process. Use the following questions as guidelines:

• What did you learn from playing “Goldburger to Go”?
• How does this game encourage problem solving?
• How does this game keep a player interested?
• What kinds of support did the game give the player?
• What are some characteristics of hands-on activities?
• What are some characteristics of interactive games?
• What are some strategies you use to problem-solve?

2. Divide the class into six small groups. Tell each group that it must select an activity from the “Engineering: Design It” section of the Zoom Web site at https://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/ and demonstrate the activity for the class. After each presentation is complete, discuss the science behind the activity and the problem-solving aspect of each activity.

Steps for Learning
Activity One: Science and the Solar Kitchen
The purpose of this activity is to allow students to create a mock television show that highlights the problem-solving process.


1. Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a copy of the Science TV handout. Tell the students that they are going to write a script and perform segments of a mock television show entitled Science TV.

2. After each group has presented its skit, lead a class discussion based on the following questions:

• What did you learn from your classmates’ skits?
• What was the most compelling skit? Why?
• How were the design innovations incorporated into the skit?
• How was problem solving incorporated into the skit?
• What could be improved?
Assessment:

Create a class rubric with your students that will help them understand the effectiveness of their work. Use the following guidelines to help create the rubric.

-Rate the effectiveness of your group brainstorming.
-Rate the effectiveness of your research on problem solving and science activities.
-Rate the quality of your analysis of the components you would need to create your skit.
-Rate the overall quality of your skit.
-Rate how well you were able to convey a message about problem solving.
-Rate how well you were able to incorporate a design innovation from the “Design for the Other 90%” exhibition.
-Rate how well your group was able to collaborate.
-Rate your creativity.
Enrichment
Extension Activities:
Activity One: Problem Solving Across the Curriculum
Have your students investigate the problem-solving process in a variety of content areas. Ask them to find examples from science, math, social studies, and engineering. Have the students share what they find with the class.
Activity Two: Science Television
Have your students investigate additional educational television shows and how they address science and problem solving. Some programs they might want to use include the following:


• The Discovery Channel Mythbusters https://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/about/about.html

• The Eyes of Nye https://dsc.discovery.com/

Teacher Reflection:
N/A.
Related
Files:
Science TV handout.doc (Science TV handout)
 
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