Grade Level: 7th and 8th



Grade Level: 6th, 7th, 8th



Where this lesson can be applied:

This lesson would be appropriate for use during a unit on scientific processes such as the Scientific Method, Scientific Inquiry, and the Nature of Science. Scientific literacy is an important 21st century skill. Using science, not doing science, is the core of scientific literacy. Using original research articles enables teachers to evaluate student success at application and synthesis of ideas while providing students with real world examples of scientific study. Using a peer-reviewed journal article that has been transformed for age level, students will analyze a peer-reviewed report of a scientific study.

Lesson Objectives:

Five activities are available, and they are grouped into three categories: knowledge and understanding of the adapted research report (Activities 1-3), comparison of the adapted report with a news media report of that same research (Activity 4), and a team-learning thinking exercise involving simulated peer review of the research report (Activity 5).

State and National Objectives:

|6th Grade Science TEKS New for 2010: |7th Grade Science TEKS New for 2010: |8th Grade Science TEKS New for 2010: |National Science |

| | |**TAKS Tested Year** |Standard: |

|6.2 C Collect and record data using the |7.2 C Collect and record data using the |8.2 C Collect and record data using the|A-Scientific Inquiry |

|International System of Units (SI) and |International System of Units (SI) and |International System of Units (SI) and | |

|qualitative means such as labeled drawings, |qualitative means such as labeled |qualitative means such as labeled |F- Personal and |

|writing, and graphic organizers. |drawings, writing, and graphic |drawings, writing, and graphic |Social Perspectives |

| |organizers. |organizers. | |

|6.2 D Construct tables and graphs, using | | |G- History and Nature|

|repeated trials and means, to organize data |7.2 D Construct tables and graphs, using |8.2 D Construct tables and graphs, |of Science |

|and identify patterns. |repeated trials and means, to organize |using repeated trials and means, to | |

| |data and identify patterns. |organize data and identify patterns. | |

|6.2 E Analyze data to formulate reasonable | | | |

|explanations, communicate valid conclusions |7.2 E Analyze data to formulate |8.2 E Analyze data to formulate | |

|supported by the data, and predict trends. |reasonable explanations, communicate |reasonable explanations, communicate | |

| |valid conclusions supported by the data, |valid conclusions supported by the | |

|6.3 A In all fields of science, analyze, |and predict trends. |data, and predict trends. | |

|evaluate, and critique scientific explanations| | | |

|by using empirical evidence, logical |7.3 A In all fields of science, analyze, |8.3 A In all fields of science, | |

|reasoning, and experimental and observational |evaluate, and critique scientific |analyze, evaluate, and critique | |

|testing, including examining all sides of |explanations by using empirical evidence,|scientific explanations by using | |

|scientific evidence of those scientific |logical reasoning, and experimental and |empirical evidence, logical reasoning, | |

|explanations, so as to encourage critical |observational testing, including |and experimental and observational | |

|thinking by the student. |examining all sides of scientific |testing, including examining all sides | |

| |evidence of those scientific |of scientific evidence of those | |

| |explanations, so as to encourage critical|scientific explanations, so as to | |

| |thinking by the student. |encourage critical thinking by the | |

| | |student. | |

Background Information for Teacher:

Scientific literacy is an important 21st century skill. Using science, not doing science, is the core of scientific literacy. Using original research enables teachers to evaluate student success at application and synthesis of ideas while providing students with real world examples of scientific study. Students must develop scientific “habits of mind” to achieve scientific literacy, they must learn to think like a scientist. The scientific method is often taught as steps to be memorized. Using scientific journal articles to teach scientific inquiry and reasoning skills allows students to strengthen their critical appraisal skills while obtaining a deeper understanding of the scientific method and processes.

Scientists use scientific journal publications to communicate their research and findings to the scientific community. The publication of the article is a vital part of the scientific method because it is how a scientist reports their results. Other scientists can then review the findings and validate conclusions that are drawn. While articles vary in format, they have the same basic components. Journal articles contain the following sections:

➢ Abstract: summarizes the article and describes why the author decided to do the experiments they are presenting

➢ Materials and methods: provides the details of the experiment, study design

➢ Results: presents the findings and data,

➢ Discussion: discusses the findings, poses questions for further research

➢ Acknowledgements: identifies contributing researchers and funders of the study

Journal articles are written with highly-technical language that is not appropriate for classroom use. While articles are a perfect platform for learning and practicing scientific thought they must be transformed from their original version into age-appropriate material. There are several sources for articles that have been transformed for classroom use (see teacher resources section). The findings published in scientific journals are reported to the public by main stream media. These media reports provide an opportunity to analyze the interpretation of scientific information to the general public.

The activities are intended to be used with any adapted journal article. They are designed to be adapted to individual classroom needs. They can be used in isolation or as an entire unit. You may want to break up the analysis of a single article over an entire grading period or you might devote several class periods to the activities. It is recommended that students perform the analysis in collaborative groups.

Materials needed:

✓ Video presentation

✓ Transformed peer-reviewed research journal article

✓ Copy of chosen activity sheet (activities 1-5) for each student

✓ News article discussing the research journal article

✓ Rubric for Scaffolding Questions

✓ Rubric for Collaborative Analysis

Pre-requisite to Lesson:

Video Presentation[1]and Background Information.

Note: The video presentation is divided into 2 parts. There is a template for a foldable included in this module to assist students with taking notes on the video presentation.

Part 1: What Scientists Are Like: Common Misperceptions - This video presents one scientist's impression of what the scientists are like that he has known over the last 50 years.

Part 2: Inquiry Learning: How Scientists Think - This video summarizes the scientific method in terms of how scientists generate, approach, and study problems. Other features include discussion of three common interpretation errors and the role of theories in science.

Lesson Procedures:

For collaborative learning to be effective, we recommend:

1. Groups must be small (4-6) and heterogeneous. Balance the groups by gender, academic mastery and thinking ability. Do not allow self-selection. If the assignment is conducted in a blended mode of classroom plus on-line, allow each group time for an “ice breaker” exercise in which they learn about various Web 2.0 options and pick one to work in. They should give the teacher access to this workspace so that how they operate as a group can be monitored. Shared-document environments that could be considered are blogs ( or ), , Google docs, and wikis (as in “Wikipedia”; Google Site, Wikispaces, and others).

2. Each student group must produce a tangible “deliverable” (essay, poster, PowerPoint, formal debate, etc.).

3. Each member of a group has a clearly defined role in the learning activity. Shuffle the assigned student roles for each article that is analyzed.

4. Every member of the group must have a vested interest, which is most readily produced by giving all members of the group the same grade. Team effort is essential. Competition among teams and appropriate recognition or prize will optimize student performance.

Suggested Roles for Collaborative Groups

• Librarian(s) — look up information to help the group understand the paper. This person is responsible for making sure that the group's work area is left the way it was found and acts as a timekeeper for timed activities.

• Editor — ensures that all elements of the activity/assignment are addressed. This person checks for accuracy and clarity during discussions and checks produced work for errors.

• Publisher — uses the materials provided by the Editor to package the group project, which the teacher may identify as an essay, a PowerPoint, a Poster, a formal debate. Picks up, distributes collets, turns in, or puts away materials.

• Leader — organizes the work time and schedule of the group, leads group discussions, coordinates everyone’s efforts and ensures that each member of the group makes a fair-share contribution. The leader is responsible for asking the teacher questions for the group. The leader will also be responsible for answering questions directed to the group.

Instructions to the Groups

Provide each student group with the following instruction:

1. Explain that although each student has a designated role, each student is expected to promote a constructive, positive-attitude environment in which the focus is on the learning activity and not on individual personalities.

2. Students may have had bad experiences with group work in the past (such as non-contributing group members). Explain how your approach is likely to make this a more enjoyable group activity.

3. Explain how this group-work approach will help students, both in terms of academic ability but also in terms of social attitudes and skills. Tell students that they will benefit from this exercise because it:

• Encourages them to think for themselves, yet in the context of a team effort.

• Expects them to contribute to all the relevant issues in a paper, not just an assigned few.

• Rewards them for thinking “outside the box” and generating good ideas.

• Requires them to assert their ideas and thinking, but at the same time be prepared to defend them with peers.

• Teaches them to disagree without being disagreeable.

• Teaches them to accept and benefit from legitimate criticism of peers.

• Requires them to contribute to the welfare of the group, rather than to be selfish

• Authentically reflects how science is usually done these days — by a team of researchers who bring different knowledge and skills to the problem. The old days of a lone scientist locked up in an “Ivory Tower” are mostly gone. Science is now so advanced that no one scientist knows enough or is smart enough to do it all alone. Scientists must learn how to work in teams, often with people who were former strangers, often located in another city or even another country.

• Allows them the experience of being on a winning team, one that has learned how to work together, sharing the joy of accomplishing something none of them could have done alone. They can be proud to have been an important part of the group.

• Encourage students to have the courage and self-confidence to be an innovator. Dare to be different! Failure will occur — but we learn from our mistakes!

4. The groups will read the article and construct responses to the activities

Core Activities:

Activity 1- Thinking about the Study

• Find sources of potential bias in the study and describe how they might affect the results

• Identify the type of study design

• Identify independent, dependent, and controlled variables in the study

Activity 2- The Results

• Identify summative data in the study

• Summarize data from graphical sources

Activity 3- Analyzing the Results

• Analyze the observed results in the study to determine the meaning of the data

Activity 4- Comparing and Contrasting News Coverage[2] and Actual Research Report

• Compare and contrast the journal and media reports to determine accuracy of the media report. If a media report is not presented with the journal article students can find a media report online that is appropriate.

• Complete a Venn Diagram that compares the journal and media reports

Activity 5- Simulated Peer Review Scaffolding Questions Activity

• Work in cooperative groups to answer questions designed to require students to analyze the parts of a scientific paper using critical and creative thinking skills

Lesson Elaboration/Differentiation of Activity 5-Simulated Peer Review:

• Groups will create an essay, PowerPoint, poster, or formal debate to present their critique of the article. Students will use the scaffolding questions as a guide as to what to write/produce. Groups will present their projects to the class. The use of Web 2.0 tools is strongly recommended (see resources section below).

• Lead the class in a discussion, taking one section of the paper at a time, and go over all group responses. Remember, the purpose of this experience is to help students learn how to think like scientists, that is, critically and creatively. Guide them to the answers rather than just telling them the answers. Have the class discuss any new perspectives they have gained about how scientists think and go about their work. Clarify any misunderstandings or omissions.

Resources for Teacher:

• Several transformed journal articles are available at the PEER Website:

o

• Another source for transformed articles (see “Research Lessons” at the bottom of the webpage):

o

• Websites for technology integration:

o Blogger: Create your free Blog

o Edublogs - education blogs for teachers, students and institutions

o — Get a Free Blog Here

o Using PBworks in Individual Classrooms

o Glogster – Poster Yourself | Text, Images, Music and Video

o Prezi - The Zooming Presentation Editor

• Related PEER Curriculum:

o Scientific Method PowerPoint

• Websites for reference:

o Cooperative Grouping | Researched-Based Strategies | Focus on Effectiveness

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[1] Video presentation is highly recommended but not mandatory to use this lesson

[2] News media reports are not automatically provided for every journal article. However, an associated exercise might include having students “Google” to find a news report on the journal article.

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