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The Center for Science and Health Education (CSHE) in the Division of Developmental Pediatrics and Learning at Penn State University's College of Medicine will implement a four-year project to develop a grade 6 through 8 middle school science curriculum that is a direct extension of its successful LabLion elementary school science program. Funded by HHMI since 1994, the LabLion program currently reaches well over 25,000 students across Pennsylvania, is growing annually, and has been adopted by schools so that external support of it is no longer necessary. The proposed Middle School LabLion (MsL2) program will directly build on LabLion to provide a seamless transition into middle school science and meet National and Pennsylvania State Science Standards. It is anticipated that widespread dissemination of the MsL2 program will result from this four-year, HHMI grant application.
In close collaboration with school administrators, curriculum developers and practicing teachers, the MsL2 program will be developed and tested in 5 middle schools in Pennsylvania that have a combined total of over 2,000 students. Each of these five middle schools are in districts where all of their elementary schools use LabLion as their science program. Based on research and consultations with numerous certified teachers and scientists, we have decided to design the MsL2 program for grades 6 through 8. Each class period will be 50 minutes in length and meet five days per week. Provisions will be made, near the end of the grant period, to modify the basic program to work in districts that practice block scheduling.
We will take a thematic, cross-scientific disciplinary approach to the MsL2 curriculum that is rich in hands-on learning experiences. Each school year will contain four Middle School Science Activity Modules (MsSAMs), one per nine-week marking period. Each MsSAM will be built around a core consisting of four components: 1) reference to previously developed LabLion and MsL2 scientific concepts; 2) scientifically-based 'real life' scenarios that extend across the entire nine-week MsSAM; 3) an ongoing classroom lab experiment that conceptually parallels the scenario and also extends across the nine-week unit; and 4) an individual at-home experiment that conceptually follows the rest of the MsSAM activities and represents an ongoing homework component of the program. Each of the five participating middle schools will receive the laboratory materials required to perform their MsSAMs in combination with equipment and materials they all ready own. As was done in the LabLion program, there will be an emphasis placed on MsSAM design such that costs of maintaining the materials used in the MsSAMs will be low.
In addition to designing the MsSAM curriculum, the MsL2 program will have a strong teacher professional development and community outreach component. Teacher inservice will be conducted on-site at participating middle schools by CSHE scientific and education staff in collaboration with consulting teachers in the school districts and experts from Pennsylvania Intermediate Units. Community outreach efforts will mirror those that have proven successful in the LabLion program - a MsL2 Advisory Team at each middle school will coordinate local scientific and technical experts in a curriculum-integrated series of laboratory visits and activities.
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