COURSE DETAILS:
Instructor: Mr. Christian R. Mills, B.S. Weber State University, Mathematics & Physics Education
Office: Room 504, Cody Middle School, 2901 Cougar Ave., Cody Wyoming 82414
Phone: (307)587-4273 ext 5323 - FAX (307)587-3547
Email: cmills@park6.k12.wy.us
Office Hours: M-F 7:15-8:10, 3:12-4:30
Website: http://www.teachanddiscover.net/education/schools/mini.html
Main Site: http://www.teachanddiscover.net/
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OFFICIAL COURSE DESCRIPTION:
8B Mini Science/Math - This is a rigorous course covering topics in science and their relationships to mathematics. The course is project based and requires the student to perform in multiple hands-on lab activities. The activities include stargazing, lunar mapping & lunar rover design and testing, web design, bridge building, bottle rocketry, airplane building, trebuchet/catapult design and building, orienteering, etc. The students will be required to compile the quarter's experiences and present it in web page format to be posted on the internet for their final. Assignments will be completed during the course of each project to demonstrate understanding.
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MORE ABOUT THIS COURSE:
This course is designed to give students an opportuity to apply concepts learned in their 8th grade math and science classes to hands-on activities and real-world applications.
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PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES:
Students will complete projects for Mr. Mills and for Mr. Idema. These projects include stargazing, lunar mapping & lunar rover design and testing, web design, bridge building, bottle rocketry, airplane building, trebuchet/catapult design and building, orienteering, etc. Each project and lab activity is to be completed in a timely manner, with your results presented to the class.
FINAL PRESENTATION:
The students will be required to present a webpage with a journal of their activities and their lab presentations at the end of the class. Each webpage will follow a specific design but students will be allowed to personalize their pages to fit their personalities.
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GRADING:
Grading will be done in the following manner:
- Lab Activities: 100 pts.
- Assignments: 20 pts.
- Final Presentation: 100 pts.
The students will be given a percentage gradebased on points earned divided by points total, and the students will also receive a performance and proficiency grade on assignments wich meet Wyoming State Science/Math Standards.
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PLAGIARISM:
Plagiarism is defined as "presenting as one's own work the work of another person -- words, ideas, data, evidence, thoughts, information, organizing principles, or style of presentation -- without proper attribution." While we will talk about the dangers of plagiarism in class, it is your responsibility to be aware of what is and what is not plagiarism, whether intentional or not. Your instructor has a variety of tools at his disposal for testing written work for plagiarism, ample experience at detecting it, and a low tolerance for it. If you have questions about whether you are adequately citing or attributing work, please ask your mentor or instructor.
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Classroom Projects:
2008 Spring Semester Mini Math & Science:
- Lunar Rover - In this project, students are required to build a vehicle that can run on it's own power (constructed from supplies brought from home). The vehicle will be graded on how far it travels. Vehicles will be placed, one at a time, on a tape starting line and be released. The distance will be measured from the center of the tape to the nose of the vehicle (not counting any appendages). The entire vehicle must be able to fit inside a 1m x 1m x 1m box, and may not contain any electronic engine parts. The grades will be deterined by a ratio of (your distance) ÷ (best distance). For example, if the top vehicle travels 4 meters, and your vehicle travels 3 meters, then your grade will be 3 ÷ 4 = 0.75, and therefore 75%. Keep in mind that larger vehicles do not necesarily travel farther. The weight of the vehicle, simplicity of the design, type of wheels, and many other factors may contribute to a successful project. Past successful projects have included items such as fishing poles, mouse/rat traps, and elastic chords. Have fun with this project, and may the best one win!
- Bridge Builder - In this project, students are required to build a bridge that will span a distance of 30 cm, be between 4 and 6 cm tall, be wide enough to allow two Matchbox™ cars to fit side by side (roughly 7 cm total), and be able of supporting weight (no flat, uncreative bridges will be allowed). They must also be able to support the testing apparatus. The bridges will be built by a team of two students given one strip of balsa wood (measuring 4" x 32" x 1/16") and white or wood glue with which to construct their bridge. No other glues or materials may be used in the construction. Bridges will be graded on how much weight they hold, with a maximum of 20 lbs, using the formula (weight held) ÷ (20 lbs). For instance, if your team's bridge holds 16 lbs, then the grade for the bridge would be 16 ÷ 20 = 0.80 and therefore 80%. Consideration will be given in cases where participation is not considered fair and equal.
- Lego™ Digital Designer - In this short computer-based project, the students will be required to design objects of their own creation using the Lego™ Digital Designer software program. Such objects they will be asked to design may include an aircraft, a vehicle, a spacecraft, a robot, etc... Students will be graded on their creativity and the number of Lego™ pieces used in each design.
- Storm The Castle! - In this project, students will work in pairs to build a trebuchet that will launch different objects at different distances. Students will be asked to test their trebuchet with different arm lenghts, sling lengths, and weights in order to achieve maximum potential. Students will be graded similarly to the first two projects, with their distances being compared to the best distance. Consideration will be given for teams whose partners lack cooperation or participation. The teams of students will be given a kit with which to build their trebuchets.
- Wright Stuff - Find out how it must have felt to be the Wright Brothers! In this project, students will be required to take an airplane kit and build an airplane that stays in the air for the longest time. The kits that the students will be supplied with have (in the past) flown for more than two or three minutes! Special care and attention should be given to this project due to the delicate nature of the materials. Students will be graded on the best time, similar to the method of grading done in the other projects above.
- Bottle Rockets - To the moon and back! When the weather decides to cooperate with us, the students will be required to build a rocket out of a plastic soda/water bottle that will be launched from a water-and-air pressure launcher. The bottles may be 20 oz. or 2 liter bottles (one size will be determined at the beginning of the project). The rockets must be constructed around the bottle (which will act as the main pressure vessel) and can be built using any materials brought from home. The rockets may also incorporate the use of a parachute if the students so desires. The rockets will be graded by how long each one stays in flight, from launching to landing, with the student's flight time ÷ the best time.
- Solar System Model - The students will participate as a class in this project. Each student will be asigned a celestial body residing in our solar system to model (using approved supplies from home) and the class will then construct a scale solar system that will be displayed in the 8th grade hallway at CMS. Students will be graded on the accuracy of their particular model, the scales with which they worked with, and their participation in the classroom activity.
- Web Design - The students will be required to design two webpages, one using Apple™ Computer's iWeb software and one using the scripting languages that will be taught in class by the instructor. The students will then be required to compile photographs and documentation on each of the projects completed over the course of the semester in Mini Math & Science and present it in the form of a web page. This web page will then be uploaded to the internet, viewable from the instructor's district webpage all over the world. The students will receive a grae for their web design as well as a grade as their final project. The student's webpage grade will be determined by its creativity, organization, and overall appearance.
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