Family & Community Alternative Learning
Charter Schools Best Practices

Atlantis Charter School

Whale of a Mystery Science Curriculum

Topics:	Instructional Practices Developing, refining, and documenting curricula School-wide or individual professional development programs Community involvement
Mission:	The mission of the Atlantis Charter School is to provide an education second to none yielding academic excellence and life-long learning skills.
Goals:	1. Adapt a new curriculum (Whale of a Mystery) into a middle school life science program for use in Atlantics Charter School and other schools 2. Establish an Atlantis Charter School lending lab program to support hands-on programs for students within their classrooms
Summary:	Whale of a Mystery. Atlantis Charter School developed a hands-on middle school forensic science curriculum with English language arts integrations. The curriculum is called “Whale of a Mystery.” The Whale of a Mystery module introduces students to protocols and equipment used in real biotech research laboratories, including the use of micropipettes, microscopes, spectrophotometers, water baths, microcentrifuges, and vertical gel boxes. Students learn basic concepts about scientific measurement, DNA, protein synthesis, cell biology, histology, physiology, and endangered species. Taking full advantage of the marine mammal “hook,” the curriculum is interdisciplinary, aligned with the state’s middle school science and English language arts standards, and includes a significant language arts component. Teams of students engage in research about local whale species and populations. They write and create visual presentations based on their lab work and research, and must defend their results orally when called upon as expert witnesses in mock hearings. The Whale of a Mystery curriculum module dissemination project represents a partnership among Atlantis Charter School, Fairhaven Public Schools, Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District, Brockton Public Schools, St. Margaret School, and Bridgewater State College. A federally funded dissemination project, the project brought together teachers, school principals and instructional leaders from partnering districts. The team met monthly to share and discuss the curriculum and experiences while implementing it. Participants learned that inquiry-based science instruction is a time-consuming and ambitious undertaking in an era of curricular frameworks and high stakes testing, but that student attitudes toward science generally improved. These conclusions were based on a survey of participants in the dissemination project as well as of teachers that participated in workshops held at conferences where the project was presented, in addition to student achievement data. The results were also reported to the school’s Board of Trustees, the dissemination project partners, and the National Institutes of Health.
Partner(s):	Fairhaven Public Schools Bridgewater State College Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District Brockton Public Schools St. Margaret School (Brockton)
Dates:	01/01/2005 01/01/2006 01/01/2007 01/01/2008
Contact:	Cheryl Engle Belknap, Curriculum Director, Atlantis Charter School (cbel@atlantiscs.org/508.646.6410).
Resources:	1. Whale of a Mystery is offered free of charge either as a hard-copy or downloadable document. Please contact the school to access the curriculum. 2. Professional development sessions and workshops for teachers at participating school districts 3. Presentations at educational/teacher conferences (2007 BIO International Convention and 2008 National Science Teachers Convention)
Federal Charter Schools Program Funds?	No

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