National Standards and Guidelines Met through the Skin Elasticity Challenge
National Science Education Standards
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics
National Science Education Standards
Content Standards
Standard A: Students develop the abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry and understandings about scientific inquiry.
Standard B: Students develop an understanding of motion.
Standard E: Students develop abilities of technological design and understandings about science and technology.
Standard G: Students develop and understanding of science as a human endeavor and the nature of scientific knowledge.
Teaching Standards
Standard A: Teachers develop a framework of yearlong and short-term goals for students. Teachers select content and adapt and design curricula to meet the interests, knowledge, understanding, abilities, and experiences of students. Teachers select teaching and assessment strategies that support the development of student understanding and nurture a community of science learners.
Standard B: Teachers focus and support inquiry while interacting with students. Teachers orchestrate discourse among students about scientific ideas. Teachers challenge students to accept and share responsibility for their own learning. Teachers encourage and model the skills of scientific inquiry, as well as the curiosity openness to new ideas and data, and skepticism that characterize science.
Standard C: Teachers use multiple methods and systematically gather data about student understanding and ability. Teachers analyze assessment data to guide teaching and guide the students in self-assessment.
Standard D: Teachers structure the time available so that students are able to engage in extended investigations. Teachers create a setting for student work that is flexible and supportive of science inquiry. Teachers make the available science tools, materials, media, and technological resources accessible to students. Teachers identify and use resources outside the school and provide a safe working environment. Teachers engage students in designing the learning environment.
Standard E: Teachers display and demand respect for the diverse ideas, skills, and experiences of all students. Teachers enable students to have a significant voice in decisions about the content and context of their work and require students to take responsibility for the learning of all members of the community. Teachers nurture collaboration among students. Teachers model and emphasize the skills, attitude, and values of scientific inquiry.
Assessment Standards
Standard A: Assessments are deliberately designed and have explicitly stated purposes.
Standard C: Assessment tasks are authentic. Students have adequate opportunity to demonstrate their achievements.
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Project 2061
Benchmarks for Habits of Mind
Find answers to problems by substituting numerical values in simple algebraic formulas and judge whether the answer is reasonable by reviewing the process and checking against typical values. [solving Hooke’s Law]
Make up and write out simple algorithms for solving problems that take several steps. [analyzing the challenge question]
Express and compare very small and very large numbers using powers-of-ten notation. [solving Hooke’s Law problems]
Make and interpret scale drawings. [labs]
Participate in group discussions on scientific topics by restating or summarizing accurately what others have said, asking for clarification or elaboration, and expressing alternative positions. [working in groups to analyze part of the challenge question]
Use computer spreadsheet, graphing, and database programs to assist in quantitative analysis. [scientific poster on elasticity experiment]
Compare data for two groups by representing their averages and spreads graphically. [scientific poster on elasticity experiment]
Use ratios and proportions, including constant rates, in appropriate problems. [scientific poster on elasticity experiment]
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics
Number and Operations
Judge the reasonableness of numerical computations and their results [Hooke’s Law problems; skin elasticity labs]
Algebra
Write equivalent forms of equations, inequalities, and systems of equations and solve them with fluency [use algebra to solve Hooke’s law and other equations]
Use symbolic algebra to represent and explain mathematical relationships [elasticity equations]
Measurements
Make decisions about units and scales that are appropriate for problem situations involving measurement [scales for skin elasticity labs]
Analyze precision, accuracy, and approximate error in measurement situations [skin elasticity labs]
Data Analysis
For bivariate measurement data, be able to display a scatterplot, describe its shape, and determine regression coefficients, regression equations, and correlation coefficients using technological tools; [skin elasticity labs]
Problem Solving
Build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving [solving the grand challenge question leads to increased knowledge of and use of linear equations]
Solve problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts [using math to solve the skin challenge]
Connections
Recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics. [challenge]
Communication
Organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication [students must communicate the result of their experiment to their peers and their teacher through the poster]