S&P Modified Lab Sheets (Word documents in a ZIP file)

• S&P Jeopardy 1
• S&P Jeopardy 2

• “If Vanilla and Cinnamon Spread Quickly, UW Researchers say, so can Toxins; the Sound is Flavored by the Holidays,” Seattle PI, 12-25-2006
• “The Down Side of Clean,” Science News for Kids, April 2, 2003
• “Deluge of sewage left in storm’s wake“, Seattle PI, December 6, 2006.
• “A modern chemical is now found at the top of the food chain,” Seattle PI, October 10, 2006
• “The message in the (plastic) bottle is dire; material absorbs pollutants and becomes part of the ecosystem“, Seattle PI, 10-10-06.

From Terry Bergeson, Superintendent of Public Instruction:

Dear Friends of K-12 Mathematics Education:

As you may be aware, the Charles A. Dana Center for Mathematics and Science Education affiliated with the University of Texas at Austin has been selected to assist the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to lead the K-12 mathematics standards revision process in response to the State Board of Education’s independent review of the K-12 mathematics standards. The result will be a set of K-12 mathematics standards defined by revised Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) and accompanying Grade-Level Expectations (GLEs) that embody the mathematics required for success in the 21st-century society and economy.

In particular, the revised standards will build on the acknowledged strengths of Washington’s current EALRs and GLEs as identified in the State Board of Education’s Review and Recommendation Report while setting higher expectations for Washington students by:

• Restoring the balance of process and content at the elementary
  levels
• Fortifying mathematics content and increasing its rigor
• Identifying areas of emphasis at each grade level (for example providing more guidance about the specific performance levels of computational fluency and use of algorithms)
• Increasing the clarity and usability of the standards for both educators and the public

OSPI is required to present the revised standards to the State Legislature by January 31, 2008. Committees have been established in accordance with the project plan and timeline within the Dana Center contract. The committees will include a Project Management Team, a Standards Revision Team (SRT), an Articulation Team, and Editorial Teams. The chart below describes the role of each committee, the timeline for work, and the participants. Participation on the SRT was determined as a result of a competitive application process in late September. Applications were distributed to a variety of stakeholder groups across Washington including mathematicians, mathematics educators, teachers, curriculum experts, and business/community leaders.

Applications were reviewed and scored based on a rubric that evaluated the applicants’ relevant mathematics experience and knowledge; awards and recognition; and their response to the narrative question: “Identify how standards can improve mathematics education.” 157 applications were received to fill available positions.

The revision process will offer many opportunities for public comment.

The project web site will be created and maintained by the Dana Center; we expect this site to be available in early November as a link from the OSPI homepage. (edit: The site is available now at this address –JB). The web site will contain materials from SRT meetings, the most current version of the revised standards, and a system for providing email comment. Beginning in late November, focus groups will be held with key stakeholder groups both separately and in conjunction with existing meetings and conferences.

Please refer to the attached chart for more detail regarding the different committees that will contribute to and lead the standards revision process in the coming months. Please note that we will have additional background information on the committee members posted to the project web site in the coming weeks. Our timeline is daunting, but the tremendously talented and diverse mathematics revision team are up to the task.

The coming months are sure to bring exciting opportunities as we revise our K-12 mathematics standards. I sincerely appreciate your support and interest in this process and I look forward to keeping you updated and involved as we proceed.

Sincerely,

Terry Bergeson

You can view the draft standards here

Parts of the Microscope

What is a microscope, and what does it mean?
A microscope’s a science tool that helps you see.
Micro means small and scope means look.
Look at the picture on page 3 of our book

Our simple microscope has just nine parts.
Turning on the power switch is where it all starts.
If you want to see, you’ve got to have light.
The light source has a bulb that shines so bright.
Light by itself won’t make a little thing look large.
For that we put the objective lens in charge.

What are we looking at and where does it go?
The stage is the place for the action, you know.
Why are there stage clips on the stage you ask?
They hold down the slide, which is a piece of glass.
The diaphragm has holes to let light through.
Look through the eyepiece is what you do.

Turn the focus knobs to get a clear view.
What you see may look strange and new.
Turn the coarse focus knob if the picture’s very blurry
And you want to see your slide more clearly in a hurry.
Turn the fine focus knob to see your slide best.
Now you’re a scientist, just like the rest.

(target vocabulary: power switch, light source, objective lens, stage, stage clips, diaphragm, eyepiece, coarse focus knob, fine focus knob; slide)