Becoming Scientists
Pioneer Valley Regional School District

Evidence of Effectiveness

Instructional objective: At the conclusion of this unit, students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the properties of light and sound through classroom instruction and authentic data collection activities.

Evaluation: Student learning of the Science content standards was evaluated using classroom quizzes and rubric scoring of the friendly letters for the concert and greenhouse scenarios. The technology benchmarks were evaluated by observation of student use of Palm handhelds and sensor use, the accuracy and organization of graphed information, and the use of word processing tools.

Student improvement: The integration of data collection into the study of physics brings authenticity to the learning experience. The teachers and students have expressed overwhelming enthusiasm for these learning activities. At the conclusion of both units it became clear to the teaching staff that when learning becomes authentic, deeper understanding of the content is achieved.

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