ANNUAL MEETING FOR GK-12 PROJECT TEAMS, MARCH 4-6 2005

The USF STARS Summer Science Camp is an annual event that exposes elementary school (specifically 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade) students to advanced science concepts. This year, the camp focus will be on the science of the FCAT. Prepared modules will be used as the backbone for the Sunshine State Standards (SSS) “booster” program. All SSS science concepts will be taught through the use of technology, lecture, hands-on activities, and practical, fun science experiments. The camp will be a six week adventure for those participating students, split into week-long benchmark lessons. The themes covered will be Earth & Space, Force & Motion, Nature of Matter, Energy, Process of Life, and Processes that Shape the Earth. The campers will be provided with a Camp Booklet that contains background information as well as activity and experiment worksheets for all of the lessons taught during the camp.

Engineering, Math, Sciences, and Technology Behind Science Facts

Mentor Teacher Workshops

Classroom Validation Process

Mentoring Other Teachers

Broad Dissemination

Elementary School

STARS Fellows develop lesson modules that provide underlying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) concepts In support of science facts already taught in Elementary Schools. Modules are prepared in order to reinforce the STEM concepts behind the guidelines set forth by the Sunshine State Standards in an effort to reinforce FCAT principles and boost student performance.

Mentor teachers are chosen from the 11 participating elementary schools and are invited to USF in order to provide practical advice in the shaping of the lesson modules and associated hands-on experiments.

Fellows spend 10 hours per week in mentor teacher’s classes where they assist mentor teachers in the implementation the of the modules. Any practical hands-on experience is then used to fine tune the modules, resulting in a final module prepared for dissemination. During this process at least 20 students per classroom are exposed to the enhanced supplementary material.

The mentor teachers then assist in the dissemination by becoming liaisons through which the other 3rd – 5th grade science teachers at their school are exposed to the STARS material. They assist the teachers in executing the material and experiments. Through this process, an entire elementary school’s 3rd – 5th grade classes will be better prepared for FCAT testing.

Teachers at STARS schools will then help mentor teachers from other Hillsborough County elementary schools in the implementation of the STARS modules. Those new mentor teachers will then spread the information to the other science teachers at their respective schools. Eventually, this process will be implemented in other surrounding counties in an effort to boost the State-wide performance in STEM FCAT principles.

Stage One

Stage Two

Stage Three

Stage Four

Stage Five

FUTU

RE

INTIT

IATED

IMIP

LEM

EN

TED

Participating Schools

STARS FCAT Summer Camp

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Berkeley Preparatory Maniscalco Elem.Clark Elem. & Magnet Robles ElementaryEdison Elementary Shaw ElementaryLawton Chiles Elem. Tampa Palms Elem.Lockhart Elementary West Tampa Elem.Lomax Elementary

STATISTICS

Approximately 80 Science Teachers

Over 2,000 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Students

Caetino “Tino”Cash

AdrianDefante

WandalizTorres-Garcia

JorgeLallave

AlfredOgden

TiffaneyMathis

ZoeSeda

SouheilZekri

Ophir “GG”Ortiz

KevinYoung

PI: O. Geoffrey Okogbaa, Ph.D.

Fellow: Joniqua Howard

Prog. Mgr: Vishnuteja Nanduri

Wilkistar Otieno

Prog. Coord: Patty DeMoulin

Not PicturedCo PI’s: Tapas K. Das, Ph.D.

Brenda Townsend, Ph.D.Louis Martin-Vega, Ph.D.Grisselle Centeno, Ph.D.Ashok Kumar, Ph.D.Michael W. Churton, Ed.D.Elizabeth Hunnicut

Module Examples

CONTRIBUTORSMathis, T., Chemistry, Young, K., Chemical Engineering, Cash, O., Computer Science, Defante, A., Chemical Engineering, Howard, J., Environmental Engineering, Lallave, J., Mechanical Engineering, Ogden, A., Mechanical Engineering, Ortiz, O.,Electrical Engineering, Seda, Z., Industrial Engineering, Torres-Garcia, W., Industrial Engineering, Zekri, S., Mechanical Engineering, Otieno, W., Industrial Engineering, Nanduri, V., Industrial Engineering, Okogbaa, G., Director of Institute of Black Life, Das, T., Industrial Engineering, Centeno, G., Industrial Engineering, Kumar, A., Mechanical Engineering.

Institute on Black Life, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.

Building Partnerships to Enhance Education: Spotlight on Florida’s NSF GK-12 Programs

March 11, 2006, Melbourne, Fl