DISCOVERLIFE THROUGH SCIENCE

This unit has been designed for advanced ESOL students in high school, to add a science and math component in their program.

GENERAL GOALS

• To encourage and enhance critical thinking
• To foster analytical thinking
• To encourage the students to explore and be curious, develop investigation skills
• To broaden the students' base of general knowledge
• To encourage the students to appreciate their environment
• To encourage the students to be life-long learners
• To provide experience in how to develop, carry on, and communicate a scientific project

This unit will allow students to experience first hand a scientific project. Students will understand the process of scientific inquiry. This unit will integrate science and math; it will include data collection, and analysis of data. The use of technology is an essential component, we will be using the DISCOVERLIFE web site (discoverlife.org). This web site created by Dr. John Pickering at UGA gives students an excellent opportunity for identification and communication of findings. The information that we put in the web will be available for other students and scientists.

The length of this unit is 3 days, each day we will have a session of 3-4 hours.

Day 2

STUDENTS' OBJECTIVES/ STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO	ACTIVITIES/PROCEDURES	MATERIALS	TIME	INSTRUCTIONAL SETTING
Collect data relevant to their hypothesis	Fieldwork at the UGA Botanical Gardens. Students will collect data on handout. Some of the experiments will be preset by teacher the day before	Directions for data collection, table to write data, stop watches, rulers, collecting jars, paper and pencil	3 hours	Groups of 5 students

Day 3

STUDENTS' OBJECTIVES/ STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO	ACTIVITIES/PROCEDURES	MATERIALS	TIME	INSTRUCTIONAL SETTING
Identify the different species of bees collected and report them on the web.	Students will use the I.D. guides at discoverlife.org web site	Computers, bees collected the day before	1 1/2 hours	Groups of 2 students
Analyze data using simple statistics	Students will decide what statistical test should be used (with the help of teacher), and analyze their data, make graphs, write conclusions	Pencil, paper, calculator	1 1/2 hours	Groups of 5 students

ASSESSMENT

The assessment of this unit will be based on product and a self-evaluation done by the students using a performance checklist.

PERFORMANCE CHECK LIST

• Shows initiative and commitment to task
• Develops skills of information gathering
• Takes initiative to go beyond requirements
• Works independently
• Works well in groups
• Comes to class prepared
• Positive attitude
• Completes assignments on time and neatly
• Listens
• Follows directions

COMMENTS

DAY 2 ACTIVITY FOR SCIENCE UNIT

Bees visit flowers in order to get nectar and pollen (either or both). They take nectar to their hives where it will become honey. They use the pollen as protein to feed their larvae. The objective of this activity is to collect data that will help students answer questions such as:

1. Are species of bees specific to a particular plant?
2. How long do bees spend feeding at each flower?
3. Is there a difference in amount of nectar available with time of day?
4. Do all bees visit flowers to collect nectar?
5. What flowers (color, shape, etc.) attract more bees?

MATERIALS:

• Collecting jars
• Stopwatches
• Calculators
• Pencil
• Paper

PROCEDURE:

1. Students will be separated in 4 groups of 5 students each.
2. Each group will choose a type of flower that will be divided into covered and uncovered treatments. Covered flowers will be covered the night before with cheesecloth to prevent bees from feeding on them before the experiment. Uncovered flowers will be left alone.
3. Each group will have a data collector and 2 students will take measurements from covered and 2 from uncovered flowers.
4. Every 10 minutes, students will collect new types of bees visiting their flowers for identification purposes. Bees will be released the next day.
5. Students will enter data on tables 1 covered and 2 uncovered.
6. The data will be analyzed next day in the lab using some simple statistics. Such as: average time of 3 bees= (time1+time2+time3)/3