Each quarter of Stream Team ends with a final project that started with an idea from the Environmental Middle School JGEMS in Salem, who does a project like this over the span of an entire school year, and was modified and condensed into a project that can be done by 6th grade students in less that ten 30-minute class periods, with the majority of the work taking place during a day-long field trip.
6th grade Stream Team students are grouped based on their interests, and are paired with experts, based on their expertise. For instance, in the past we have done: Water Quality, Aquatic Insects, Forests, Birds, Mammals, Shoreline. There are many places on the Oregon Coast that offer all of those things within a stones-throw, we usually use Siltcoos Outlet. In class before the field trip they will complete a pre-planning sheet, where they will identify a quantifiable, ethical, and feasible question that they will be able to collect data on, and answer during our day in the field. On their pre-planning sheet they will also identify how they will use their data to answer their question, what they will need help with in the field, as well as additional materials they will need to bring along. I provide the experts the question and specific information about their group just a few days before the trip. On the day of the field trip experts meet us at the Field Location at 9:00, bringing any additional materials they think will be helpful with data collection or species identification. Students have their pre-planning/post trip review worksheets, as well as paper and any resources they choose to bring along, and their lunches and water. The group includes the expert, a parent volunteer, and 5-6 students, and they spend the day together going wherever their inquiry and data collection takes them. Toward the end of the day they begin working with together to interpret the data they collected (whether it be observational data, hard numbers, or something different). They also have a post-trip review worksheet with them, where they start creating a rough draft with information they have collected. This gets them thinking about their poster that they will present, and the information they will put on it. This can be worked on as the day progresses. We wrap up and head back to school around 1:45. On the days following the field trip, they will continue to work with their groups to create a poster that looks like the rough draft on the post-trip review. They will be presenting this poster to their peers in a gallery walk format, and each person will be responsible for presenting the entire poster at different times. These posters will also be displayed in May at the middle school STEAM fair. Students are graded on the content, presentation, effort, and are graded by their peers based on their contribution to the groups success. I do this project each quarter, so please let me know if you’re interested in being involved or learning more!
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Welcome to Stream Team!
Stream Team is an advisory elective that each student will take for one quarter during the school year. The Siuslaw School District is thrilled to be able to continue to provide this experience to its students. The Stream Team program has existed since 1995, and continues to thrive today through district and grant funded support. Even through times when money was short, this program has been able to get students outside the classroom and involved in the community through field experiences and an education that is so relevant where we live. In 6th grade students will focus on the water: The watershed, streams, rivers, estuary and ocean, and of course the plants and animals that live within. In 7th grade students will shift their focus to ecology and land use, seeing all of the relationships that are so important to the health of our local ecosystem. Both these classes are offered on a quarterly basis, are graded A-F with focus being on the quizzes and tests, interactive notebook, final project, and all students have the opportunity to participate, so participation is graded as well. This year we will be able to go on 3 field trips per quarter, depending on the size of the trips, weather, and of course the students and parent volunteers. There are a few factors that determine how successful our field experiences are:
I am looking forward to working with you this quarter, and I know we’re going to have a fantastic time both inside the classroom and out and about! I will have field trip dates solidified soon and will let you know of those dates and locations as soon as possible. Parents, feel free to email me now to secure a spot to volunteer on one trip or all of them! Best Regards, McKenzie Perry (Siuslaw Stream Team, Class of 2002) When: Students have an upcoming test or project
Materials: Before, During and After Worksheets, Study guide/ Task Cards on test content and Resources (INB, Book, Notes) Pre CSG: Teach and model questioning strategies. Students should understand that students will be asking questions to guide classmates with a point of confusion toward answers. No answers are to be given, only questions to guide them toward the answer. This is a collaborative process where students are accountable for their own and their peers learning. Gather resources (INB, Book, Notes) CSG: In groups of 4-6 ask students to read aloud a study guide question or task card. All students in the group should show their understanding of the question with thumbs up (I know it, I can prove it with my resources) or thumbs down (I don’t know it, I don’t know where to find the answer) Someone in the group that considers this a point of confusion (thumbs down) now becomes the person trying to solve the question/problem. Group members (whether they know the correct answer or not) will ask questions to guide the student toward the correct answer. The group has completed the task when each person in the group knows the answer to the question/problem and can prove it by demonstrating or showing where they found the answer in their notes. Begin again with a new study guide question or task card and continue until all are complete or you are out of time. Post CSG: Ask students to reflect on what they learned, and if test retakes are needed or you are doing this process post-test, use missed questions as the student's point of confusion. Interactive Notebooks (INBs) help students learn to be organized, makes focused note taking an easy task, cuts down on grading duties of the teacher, and provides a self-made textbook of content. Setup: INBs can be set up in many different ways depending on the level they are being used with. I make mine from card stock covers and regular lined paper stapled together with a heavy-duty stapler with about 20 pages of notebook paper inside. Students start a new INB quarterly which gives them a fresh start, and they don’t get too beat up that way. At the beginning of the year I teach about INBs by using the following anchor charts: Table of Contents (page 1-2) is updated daily and posted on an anchor chart in the classroom
Headings are written at the top of each page and are written in the table of contents. Page numbers are followed strictly and every student does things on the exact same page. If a student runs out of room on a page but still should be working there I give them a large post-it to stick over top. Use: Students use their INB every day, even if it is just for a bell ringer. They leave their INB in the classroom unless they need to take it home to catch up or study. On the left-hand side of their open notebook, they put things like bell ringers and assignments. On the right-hand side (forward facing pages) they complete Cornell notes, vocabulary, and other foldables. Grading: Graded quarterly using this rubric and progress is checked every 2 weeks using this INB Pop Quiz Questions: [email protected] or view pictures of completed INB pages on my 6th grade science page. |
Author6th grade science and Stream Team teacher, getting kids engaged in their world outside the classroom whenever possible. ArchivesCategories |