Project Director:    Loris Chen

Project Staff:          Marc De Block, Harold Olejarz, Bruce Reicher

Project Budget:     $10,000

Living in Our Ocean of Air is funded by a Toyota TAPESTRY Grant. The content of this project is the sole repsonsibility of the project team. 

PROJECT SUMMARY

“Living in Our Ocean of Air” is a year-long science literacy project based on the theme of air quality and human health with the goal of improving science inquiry and expository communications skills.   Eisenhower Middle School is located in Wyckoff, New Jersey, a northern Bergen County-New York metropolitan area suburban community.  Air quality, based on EPA data, has been rated among the worst in the United States.   Anecdotal evidence suggests a connection between poor air quality and increasing cases of asthma among suburban New Jersey middle school students. 

Through inquiry, analysis of primary and secondary source information, application of epidemiological methods, and evaluation of data, 300 students will explore the causes and effects of air pollution in their local community, state, and region.   Students will prepare and present formal reports in science classes. They will use the public access school television station, school website, and school newspaper to communicate their findings to the Wyckoff community.

Inquiry activities will include: (1) on-going air quality testing and data analysis, (2) review, analysis, and critique of Internet data and reports, (3) design, implementation and analysis of a community transportation survey, and (4) design, implementation and analysis of a school-wide respiratory health survey.  Language arts activities will include (1) written and oral reports using primary source information, (2) news broadcast scripts, (3) Power Point presentations, (4) expository and editorial newspaper articles, (5) development of graphs, charts, illustrations, and text for a grade 8 science webpage, and (6) critical review of relevant information published on the Internet.  Selection for publication or broadcast of student work will be competitive and done by peer and teacher review.

EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

Apple iBook computers

La Motte air pollution test kit and air sampling pump

Hand-held air sampling pumps

Refills for test kit

Zikua ozone badge reader

Ozone detection badges

Kestrel 3000 wind speed meter

Accessories for Kestrel 3000 wind speed meter

Digital infrared thermometer

Sony camcorder with tripod and case

AA batteries (2 pk) for Zikua badge reader

C batteries (case) for air sampling pump

Mini-DV Tapes

Students will use Apple iBook laptop computers to archive data, perform quantitative analysis of data, access data and information form the Internet, communicate findings to the community, and perform formal writing tasks.  Computers will be accessed by groups of 4 to 5 students.  Approximately 300 students will use the 6 laptops.

Students will collect air samples using both a battery operated air pump and hand-held mechanical pumps.  Students will use the La Motte air pollution test kit to measure the concentration of specific chemicals in the air.  Ozone measurements will be taken using ozone exposure badges that require a Zikua ozone badge reader.  Students will use the Kestrel 3000 wind speed meter and digital infrared thermometers to collect weather condition data and microscale weather measurements including surface heating measurements.  Approximately 300 students will use the air quality testing supplies over the course of the year to monitor outdoor and indoor air quality. 

Students will record their activity using a Sony camcorder for public access television and Internet broadcast segments.  Approximately 300 students will use the camcorder.

Disposable supplies include batteries for the air sampling pump and Zikua badge reader, and mini-dv tapes for the camera. 

EVALUATION PLAN

Student knowledge of air quality facts, understanding of the effect of air pollution on human health, and ability to apply the scientific method will be assessed with a pretest and posttest.  The test will include 10 multiple-choice questions, two short constructed response questions, and one open-ended question.  The New Jersey Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment science test scoring rubric will be used as a model to develop a scoring rubric to evaluate student responses. Scores from the NJ Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment science test will be analyzed for aggregate improvement in the areas of knowledge and applications.  It is expected that 98% of all students will pass the posttest, and 90% of all students will score 80 or higher on the posttest.

Student writing proficiency will be assessed using a writing pretest and posttest, two written reports, two oral presentations, and a final summative written report.  The New Jersey Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment holistic scoring rubric will be used to evaluate writing pieces. Representative writing tests will be selected for scoring by language arts teachers as a way of establishing a standard for comparison by science teachers who will score the pretest, posttest, and projects. Scoring rubrics used by language arts and curriculum project teachers will be applied to the evaluation of student reports and oral presentations. It is expected that all students will improve expository writing skills. 

Evaluation of the effectiveness of curriculum components will be ongoing by the project teachers.  Student feedback will be used to adjust instruction.  By staggering data collection and instructional activities, we will be able to implement lesson study development, analysis and evaluation strategies.  Adjustments and changes will permit us to compare student performance and identify more effective instructional strategies.