The Wonderwise Experience
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Imagine that your students could learn science from what scientists actually
do. That's what Wonderwise is all about. This series of educational kits
for 4th to 6th graders features women scientists actively engaged in their
work. The kits combine personal insights from scientists with hands-on
activities for students. The idea is for students to do science the way
scientists do. This makes the learning experience effective and fun.
Wonderwise kits use multiple technologies to teach science. The kits
include a video profile and a written biography of the scientist, classroom
activities, a CD-ROM resource, and special supplies necessary to complete
the Wonderwise activities.
What's Special About Wonderwise? The Wonderwise Scientists
Click here to see video clip from African Plant Explorer
Wonderwise kits teach through role models-real scientists making real
science investigations. They give students a true view of scientists-people
who are curious about the wonders of the world . . . just like kids.
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from Sea Otter Biologist
For example, biological anthropologist Fatimah Jackson takes students
on a journey from her lab to Central Africa to investigate how the root
crop, cassava, is used as food and medicine; wildlife biologist Brenda
Ballachey ventures to Alaska to study the survival of sea otters following
the catastrophic Exxon Valdez oil spill; and parasitologist Judy Sakanari
examines how the life cycle of parasites is linked to our food supply.
Click here to see video clip from Parasite Sleuth
Wonderwise also provides different ethnic perspectives. It brings the
scientists' personal stories and traditions to the story of science itself.
Wonderwise is Teacher Friendly
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You won't need a broad science background to use Wonderwise successfully.
The kits are clear, concise, and comprehensive. Sue Kirby, an experienced
elementary teacher, found that teachers with a very rudimentary biology
background had a high degree of success. "My student teacher used the
kits this year and did an extremely nice job with them," she said.
Each kit has five activities designed for five classroom periods of 50-minutes
each. All the activities are self-contained, so they don't have to be
done on consecutive days, and they don't have to be done in any particular
order.
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Preparation time is minimal. Each kit contains everything teachers will
need in order to understand and use the material. "I can take out a lab
sheet or an investigation sheet, and it's ready to go," says Sue Kirby.
"I never spent more than an hour to get ready for four activities. That's
an extremely short amount of time."
Wonderwise is also kid friendly, giving students an opportunity to try
new things in a very organized way. All the instructions are designed
so that students can read them and take charge of their own activities.
List of Materials for Activites
Each Wonderwise kit has a list of materials You can order Hard-to-find
items from GPN.
The kits also make use of common materials like paper, magazine pictures,
cardboard, rulers, art materials, tools used in math, and cleanup materials.
The Wonderwise Method
Wonderwise supports inquiry-based learning. Rather than having teachers
give answers, students are stretched to think and explore. Elementary
teacher Sara Toren describes how Wonderwise takes students through the
whole scientific process in each activity. "We excavate something, we
separate it out, we count, we gather data, and then we transfer the data.
So it allows us in one activity to run the whole gamut, to do the field
work, to do the lab work and then to do the interpretation. And it's all
in the classroom."
Wonderwise also supports cooperative learning. Students work together
to solve problems. Through their interactions, they construct meaning
out of the science content and create connections to other subjects. Essentially,
they learn through their own investigations.
Wonderwise and Your Curriculum
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Teachers are using Wonderwise in life sciences, physical science, and
earth science, as well as in math, social studies, art, and reading classes.
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Wonderwise is designed to be flexible enough so that you can incorporate
activities into your district's mandated curriculum.
Wonderwise and National Science Standards
Wonderwise helps teachers meet important educational standards. Wonderwise
learning outcomes are based on national science education standards identified
by McRel (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning), and the
Nebraska Educational Standards and the National Science Education Standards
developed under the direction of the National Research Council.
Click
here to interact with McRel and national standards that apply to
Wonderwise
CD-ROM Resources
Wonderwise doesn't have to be a group experience. CD-ROM resources allow
teachers to give students individualized leaning experiences. They are
designed to be used as additional resources for the kit activities, and
as additional learning experiences either for advanced students who may
complete activities quickly or for students whose learning style benefits
from an individualized learning program.
The CD-ROMs are bilingual. They can be used in English or Spanish. Both
versions provide additional video resources and clickable word definitions.
Wonderwise Web Site
Wonderwise is integrated into the World Wide Web. The Wonderwise Web
site allows you to view samples of Wonderwise components and download
free activities. Look for Wonderwise at wonderwise.unl.edu.
To Order a Wonderwise Kit
To order a Wonderwise kit, call GPN
toll-free at 1-800-228-4630.
Funding for this Web site was provided by the Howard Hughes Medical
Institute.
