COURSE TITLE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

COMPUTER TITLE SCIENC RESEA

COMPUTER CODE SCZ301

GRADE LEVEL 10-12

LENGTH OF COURSE 18-36 weeks

(May be repeated for credit.)

COURSE TITLE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TELECOMMUNICATION

COMPUTER TITLE SCI RSRCH/T

COMPUTER CODE SCZ3010T

GRADE LEVEL 10-12

LENGTH OF COURSE 18-36 weeks

(May be repeated for credit.)

Laboratory Requirement: Students who take this course spend a minimum of 30% of their time engaged in laboratory exercises.

Major Concepts/Content: Science Research is designed to teach scientific research by having students design and conduct research within or outside a laboratory setting. As part of their research, students use telecommunication to communicate with an experienced researcher and other students and adults; to access information via databases; to access software used to analyze data; and to produce a project for submission to the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Science Research is conducted using an integrated approach with science as inquiry, science & technology, science & social perspectives, and the history & nature of science.

Major Instructional Activities: Based on the philosophy that scientific knowledge is best acquired through inquiry, the course uses a variety of techniques to introduce, stimulate, explore, and reinforce major scientific concepts, theories, principles, and skills.

Instructional activities are staged in appropriate settings. They include laboratories, classrooms, forms of technology, and field studies. Using telecommunications, students conduct literary searches; practice research design, data analysis, scientific writing, writing logs, and reporting; practice using thinking skills to design and critique research; and participate in a science research brainstorming conference.

Students must be enrolled in this program during one of their scheduled instructional periods.

Major Evaluation Techniques: Evaluation is based on a thorough examination of the student's research log and electronic communication record, which includes written critiques of student and professional research, discussions of research articles, preliminary and final written research proposals, research designs, data analysis exercises, case studies, and tests. When the research is completed, students submit a scientific paper for consideration to participate in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium.

Essential Objectives: Upon completion of Science Research, students should be able to:

• Engage in full and partial scientific inquiries to design, conduct, and communicate scientific investigations to explore ideas about the natural world.
• Use scientific inquiry to design and conduct scientific investigations to meet a human need, make a decision, solve a human problem, or develop a product.
• Recognize and describe the interrelationship between science and technology.
• Apply the tools of technology (e.g., computers, telecommunications) in scientific endeavors.
• Identify qualities inherent in scientific behavior (e.g., reasoning, insight, energy, skill, and creativity).
• Discuss contributions of men and women of various social and ethnic backgrounds to science and technology.
• Examine and critique current published research.
• Write a complete proposal to conduct research.
• Formally prepare a written report of the study to include an introduction, background research, methods and procedures, results, conclusions (based on mathematics and graphic analysis), and references.

NOTES: Upon presentation of a completed scientific investigation that is judged to be acceptable, along with completed logs, assignments, and tests, the student is awarded one credit for the course.

If the student is unable to finish the research project, but has completed all other course requirements, the student is awarded one-half credit at the discretion of the teacher/mentor. The remaining one-half credit may be awarded during any subsequent high school year when an acceptable research project is completed.