Exploring Essential Questions

ActivityDescription:
Gotothe"DISCUSSIONS"tabandwritearesponsetothepromptforEssentialQuestion#1.
Afteryouhaverespondedtotheprompt,pleaseread2classmates'responsesandrespondtowhat
theywrote.

EssentialQuestion#1:
WhydoweseedifferencesintheappearanceandmovementsoftheSunandMoonfromEarth?
Instructions:
Pleasewriteaparagraphwithaminimumof5wellwrittensentences
Youwillneedtohaveaminimumof1ConcreteDetail(CDafact,quote,orexamplethatyou
canprove).Pleaseattachorcopy/pastethewebsiteURL/linkthatyouusedforyourCDtoyour
work.Ifyouusedabook,pleaseincludetheTitleandAuthor.

**Whenyourespondtoyourclassmates,simplywriting"Iagreewithyou,"willnotreceiveany
points.Youmayagreeordisagreewithyourclassmate,butyoumuststateWHYyouagreeor
disagree.
**Responsestoclassmates'postsmustbeatleastaminimumof3wellwrittensentences.

Scoring:
Agency:5points(5pointsforturningintheassignment)
Collaboration:6points(minimumof3sentencesforresponsefortwoclassmates,3X2=6)
**Youmayearnoneextrapointpersentenceinyourresponse(i.e.ifyouwrite4sentences,
youget4pointsinsteadof3points).**
KnowledgeandThinking:5points(1paragraphwith5wellwrittensentencesthatanswerthe
question,5sentences,1pointpersentence=5points)
WrittenCommunication:5points(DidyoufollowtheJaneSchafferFormat?1pointforaTopic
Sentence,1pointforaConcreteDetail,1pointforaCommentary,1pointforaCommentary,1
pointforaConcludingSentence=5points)

EssentialQuestion#2
InwhatwaysdotheEarth,Sun,andMoonaffecteachother?
EssentialQuestion#3
Inwhatwayisasolarsystemorganized?
EssentialQuestion#4
Howistheuniverseorganized?
EssentialQuestion#5

Whyareallthepartsoftheuniverseinmotion?
EssentialQuestion#6
Howdoestheforceofgravityaffectallmatterintheuniverse?
EssentialQuestion#7
Howdostarsappeartomakepatternsinthesky?

VocabularyDays16
ActivityDescription:
Task:
Readthedirectionsandcompletethevocabularyworksheet.
TurnyourworkintotheSCIENCEBINinthebackoftheroom!!

Scoring:
Agency:5points(5pointsforturningintheassignment)
**youcanearnanextra5agencypointsforcompletingtheBONUSsection**
KnowledgeandThinking:12points(12words,1pointpervocabularyworddefinition=12
points)
WrittenCommunication:60points(12vocabularywords,writeeachword5times,12X5=60
points)
VocabularyDay7
ActivityDescription:
Task:
Readthedirectionsandcompletethevocabularyworksheet.
TurnyourworkintotheSCIENCEBINinthebackoftheroom!!

Scoring:
Agency:5points(5pointsforturningintheassignment)
**youcanearnanextra5agencypointsforcompletingtheBONUSsection**
KnowledgeandThinking:10points(10words,1pointpervocabularyworddefinition=10
points)
WrittenCommunication:50points(10vocabularywords,writeeachword5times,10X5=50
points)
VocabularyDay8
ActivityDescription:
Task:
Readthedirectionsandcompletethevocabularyworksheet.
TurnyourworkintotheSCIENCEBINinthebackoftheroom!!

Scoring:
Agency:5points(5pointsforturningintheassignment)
**youcanearnanextra5agencypointsforcompletingtheBONUSsection**
KnowledgeandThinking:7points(7words,1pointpervocabularyworddefinition=7points)
WrittenCommunication:35points(7vocabularywords,writeeachword5times,7X5=35
points)

PBLProjectChoice
ActivityDescription:
Task:
Pleaselistyourtopthreechoicesforprojects.Then,inawellwrittenparagraph,pleasetellme
WHYyouwanttodothosespecificprojects.
***Keepinmindthatyoumaynotgetyourfirstchoice,thereare33studentsinourclassand
only8projects.Ifyouarereallysetondoingaspecificproject,pleaseconveythattomeinyour
paragraph.***

Scoring:
Agency:5points(5pointsjustforturningintheassignment)
KnowledgeandThinking:5points(onewellwrittenparagraphexplainingwhyyouwantthe
projectsyouchose,5sentencesminimumrequiredforaparagraph,onepointpersentence=5
points)
WrittenCommunication:3points(3pointsforlistingyourtopthreeprojectchoices,1pointper
choice,3choicestotal=3points)

PBLProjectInstructions
ActivityDescription:
Instructions:
1.ChooseyourtopTHREEprojectsandsubmitawellwrittenparagraphaboutwhichprojects
youwouldliketoworkonanwhy.
2.Researchyourassignedproject.Readthedescriptionandlearnmoreaboutyourproject.
3.Drawadraftofwhatyourprojectwilllooklikeonpaperandlabelallpartsofyourdrawing.
Youmustsubmityourprojectplans(drawndraftofwhatyourprojectwilllooklike)BEFORE
youcanbeginbuildingyourproject.
4.Buildyourproject.
5.Decidehowyouwillpresentyourproject.Eachgroupwillchooseonegradelevel(K8)that
theywanttopresenttheirprojectto.Youmustselectagradeleveltopresentto,decidehowyou
willpresentyourprojectandinformationaboutyourproject,anddesignanassessmenttocheck
forunderstanding/comprehension(makesurethestudentsyoutaughtunderstandwhatyoutaught
them).
6.Presentyourprojectandassessmenttoyourselectedgradelevel.
7.TurninALLWORKassociatedwiththisproject(i.e.keepacopyofyourresearch,project
plans/drawndraft,builtproject,andassessmenttools).

Scoring:
Agency:5points(5pointsjustforturningtheassignmentin,5extrapointsforeachtimeyougo
"aboveandbeyond")
Collaboration:5points(thiswillbethecumulativescorethatyourteammatesawardyouthe
maximumyoucanreceiveis5points)
KnowledgeandThinking:50points(10pointseachforsteps2,3,4,5,and6)
OralCommunication:15points(5pointsforeyecontact,5pointsfornotreadingoffaslide/
knowingtheinformationyouarepresentingon,5pointsforifyouweresuccessfulinteaching
yourgradeleveli.e.theyshowamasteryofthecontentyoutaughtthem)
WrittenCommunication:40points(10pointseachforsteps2,3,6,and7)

PBLProjectReflection
ActivityDescription:
Instructions:
Intwo,wellwrittenparagraphs,pleasetellmeaboutyourexperiencewiththisPBLproject.Tell
mehowyoufeltaboutworkingwithyourgroupmembers,howmuchworkyoufeltyoudid,and
whatyouthoughtoftheoverallproduct.
Pleasescoreyourselfandyougroupmembersonascaleof15basedonhowmuchyouthink
theycontributedtotheoverallproject(thiswillaccountforyourcollaborationscore),1being
thattheydidnothingand5beingthattheydidallthework.Pleasewriteasentenceexplaining
whyyouscoredeachmemberasyoudid.Yourcollaborationscorewillbethecumulativescore
ofhowyourgroupscoredyou(similartohowyoucalculateGPA).

Scoring:
Agency:5points(5pointsjustforturningintheassignment)
KnowledgeandThinking:5points(5pointsforgivingyourselfandeachofyourteammatesa
scoreonthescalefrom15).
WrittenCommunication:10points(5pointsperparagraph,2requiredparagraphs=10points)

Astronomy Essay
ActivityDescription:
Instructions:
Selectoneofthefourprompts.Tellmewhichpromptyouwillbewritingon.Writea5
paragraph,JaneSchaffer(TS,CD,CM,CM,CS)essayaboutyourchosenprompt.Wewillbe
peereditingtheseessaysbeforeturningthemin.

Prompts:
1.Writeanessayorargument(usingevidenceandreasoning)thatevaluatestheimpactofa
majorscientificdevelopmentthatoccurredinthepast.
2.WriteaninformativeessaythatexplainstheinterrelationshipbetweentheEarth'stidesandthe
Moon.
3.Writearesearchpaperdocumentingthehistoryofascientificand/ortechnological
advancementinscience.
4.FollowingalabalignedtothegradelevelScienceStandard,makearesearchclaimandthen
findsupportingevidenceorscientificprinciplesthatsupporttheclaim.Theseadditionalsources
caneitherbeteacherprovidedorstudentresearched.

Scoring:
Agency:5points(5pointsforturningtheassignmentin)
Collaboration:10points(youneedtohave2peoplepeeredityourpaper,2peopleX5pointsper
person=10points)
KnowledgeandThinking:25points(thereare5partstoJaneSchafferTS,CD,CM,CM,CS/
1pointpersentenceusedinthecorrectformat)
WrittenCommunication:50points(5paragraphs,10pointsperparagraph,5sentenceper
paragraph,2pointspersentence)

Project Resources
http://janus.astro.umd.edu
http://www.phschool.com