Development and Publication

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Development and Publication
Investigating Earth Systems
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ORIGINS

• National Assessment of Educational Progress
• AGI Earth Science Content Guidelines Grades K-12
  
• Standards and Benchmarks
• National Science Foundation

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National Assessment of Educational Progress

• Regular studies by NAEP and NCES reveal.
• Low levels of achievement in math and science
• High percentage of teachers without
  specialization
• Lack of school support for teacher enhancement

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Earth Science Content Guidelines Grades K-12

• AGI 1991
• Essential Questions
• Key Ideas
• Seeking Answers
• Content Domains
• Solid Earth
• Water
• Air
• Ice
• Life
• Earth in Space

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Standards and Benchmarks

• National Research Council
• AAAS Project 2061
• Promote depth and understanding in curriculum
• Focus on the needs of all students
• View reform as systemic change
• Emphasize role of inquiry in learning
• Contain Earth and Space Science as Separate
  Content Domain

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National Science Foundation

• Provides funding for
• Standards-based curriculum
• Teacher enhancement
• Implementation centers
• Funded AGI to produce
• Investigating Earth Systems (1994)
• EarthComm (1995)

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• Overview
• Nine modules, each six weeks in length
• Seven investigations with culminating research
  project
• Goals
• Help students learn earth science content
• Help students learn how to do inquiry
• Motivate students to continue their study of
  earth science in high school

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DEVELOPMENT and TESTING

• Drafted by university faculty-teacher teams in
• Pilot tested by middle school teachers in
• Revised by in
• Field tested by middle school teachers in
  states in the school year.

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Evaluation Results

• .
• Independent Project Evaluators Report

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PUBLICATION

• Publishes only NSF-funded and field tested
  programs.
• Supports implementation with teacher workshops,
  software, and Materials kits.

• Other IAT Programs

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TEACHER ENHANCEMENT
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TEACHER ENHANCEMENT

• Additional Outcomes

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IMPLEMENTATION
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FURTHER INFORMATION

• Its About Time
• 1-888-698-TIME
• www.its-about-time.com
• American Geological Institute
• www.agiweb.org/education/