Science in History
Project-based Learning Rubric
Score Levels |
Content |
Follow-Up Paper |
Organization |
Presentation |
4 |
· Is well thought out and gives a detailed description of their person · Reflects application of critical thinking · Is pulled from a variety of sources · Is accurate |
· No spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors · Clear Idea of the important historical inventions and discoveries · Shows that the student understands the material at a high level |
· Information is clearly focused in an organized and thoughtful manner · Information is constructed in a logical pattern |
· Multimedia is used to clarify and illustrate the main points · Format enhances the content · Presentation captures audience attention · Presentation is organized and well laid out |
3 |
· Is well thought out and gives description of their person · Has application of critical thinking that is apparent · Is pulled from several sources · Is accurate |
· Few (1 to 3) spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors · Has a basic understanding of historical inventions and discoveries but no higher level of thought
|
· Information is constructed in an easy to follow pattern |
· Multimedia is used to illustrate the main points · Format is appropriate for the content · Presentation captures audience attention · Presentation is well organized |
2 |
· Has basic information on the scientist and their invention · Has application of critical thinking that is apparent · Doesn’t connect all the dots with the invention and its importance · Is pulled from a limited number of sources · Has some factual errors or inconsistencies |
· Minimal (3 to 5) spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors · Doesn’t clearly understand the information · Shows signs that student didn’t pay full attention and take notes in class |
· Project has a focus but might stray from it at times · Information appears to have a pattern, but the pattern is not consistently carried out in the project
|
· Multimedia loosely illustrates the main points · Format does not suit the content · Presentation does not capture audience attention · Presentation is loosely organized |
1 |
· Provides inconsistent information for the scientist · Has no apparent application of critical thinking · Is pulled from few sources · Has significant factual errors, misconceptions, or misinterpretations |
· More than 5 spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors · The student has no understanding of the information · The student didn’t pay attention in class |
· Content is unfocused and haphazard · Information has no apparent pattern |
· Presentation appears sloppy and/or unfinished · Multimedia is overused or underused · Format does not enhance content · Presentation has no clear organization |
Unit: American Scientists in History
· Persistent Issue: What scientists influenced American history the most?
· Central Question: Students will pick a famous scientist and do a project over a specific revelation or invention. Example: How did Thomas Edison’s invention of the light bulb impact the usage of electricity in the 19th century?
Lesson 1: Grabber and Introduction
Introductory Grabber: The teacher walks into the classroom, dressed
as Thomas Edison. This catches the student’s attention, introducing them to
their next project. After giving background information on Edison and his
invention of the light bulb, students are informed of the question being asked
and are broken into groups to create presentations. On the day of
presentations, students will be prompted to dress up as their chosen scientist.
Only one student is required to dress up but extra credit will be given to all
member s who dress up.
The instructor introduces this scenario: What if the light bulb had never been invented? What would the lack of this invention mean for society today? What are some things we would not be able to do or have? Think about this and find other influential inventions that have evolved and are still being sued today.
Introduce the Central Question: Inventions like the light bulb
took the 19th century by storm. Electricity was now able to be
utilized; shops could stay open later, not all work had to be done by sun or
candle light, etc. The invention of the light bulb led to other inventions,
like movie projectors. What other famous
scientists have made such an impact on history, like Thomas Edison?
Lecture: The teacher will give a list of qualified candidates for whom students can do their project on. All names will be put in a hat and the groups will draw a piece of paper and then do the presentation over whoever they picked. For the next two weeks’ student will have class time and access to computer labs to research and prepare their presentations.
Culminating Activity
Presentation and Class Discussion
Introduction: When the students enter the classroom they will go to their seats. The instructor will give a brief talk about how everything is going to go from this point forward, and then the students will present. After all the presentations are done the class will do a discussion on the importance of these scientists. Students are allowed and encouraged to dress up as their scientist.
Lecture: The Lecture consists of the students presenting their various PowerPoints on their scientist. They will go in order of age of the scientist. For example, start with Benjamin Franklin and finish with Steve Jobs.
Activity Overview: Students will then move their
desks in a circle after all the presentations (This would probably be a
different class period). Then there will be a discussion that will go on to
answer a few major questions with all these presentations. The first question
is which invention or idea shaped American society the most? If the invention
wasn’t made how would that effect society today? How has this technology
evolved?
Preparation for Conference: On the day of presentations, the
teacher will remind students what inventors were listed and introduce each
group.
Role Play: All students in the group will be encouraged to dress as their scientist, but only one student is required and that will be decided amongst group members. Extra credit will be given to all students who dress up.
Debriefing: Students will give their presentations to the class, discuss why they think their inventor was influential, and then the class will discuss who they think was most influential overall. Each student will individually write a paper on who they believe to be most influential, giving their reasoning, and how it impacted society in that time in history and how it effects society today.