Course: Aviation Biology

Teacher: Mr. Joseph Estes

Class Title: Basic Lab Skills using a Rotational Cooprative Learning Technique

 Time Frame: 3 class periods (usually allowing for a review before the evaluation on day three)

Objective: TLW be able to properly demonstrate with 80% accuracy, basic scientific skills after conducting the performance based laboratory practices.

Motivation/Set: Students must be able to assimilate data quickly and accurately in todays rapidly changing environment. Learning how to make scientific judgements quickly will enable the learner to correctly come to appropriate conclusions in a timely manner. Being able to make timely, efficient decisions will save the learner money and cause them fewer problems.

Procedures/Materials Required:

6 student computers, with a multimedia encyclopedia program

6 microscopes with animal cell slides

6 microscopes with plant cell slides

6 student triple-beam balances with various items to measure

Quick lab of your choice to test a hypothesis

(our students had to make a paper airplane to meet certain flying characteristics criteria)

Internet site of your choice http://www.urlsite.edu (we used an electron microscope image web site)

Instruction: Students will be fully briefed on the tasks that they are to preform at each station.

Instructional worksheets are also provided for each station.

Prior to starting the lab, arrange the classroom into 6 seperate work areas.

The computer workstations will be used as the first and sixth station.

The instructor will ask thought provoking questions about their learning experiences, and findings throughout the exercise to ensure the fullest understanding of the procedures.

• Station one / Computers: Using multimedia CD-ROM's, students will locate and record information on the lives of two (2) biologists and/or inventors.
• Station two / Balances: Using metric measurements,students will determine the weight of several items of the instructor's choice.
• Station three / Microscopes: Students will locate and draw several different animal cells.
• Station four / Microscopes: There students will view and draw several different plant cells.
• Station five / Hypothesis: Students must make a paper airplane that will carry an object (stick of gum ) across the room. They must make the appropriate adjustments to achieve their goal.
• Station six / Internet Resource: Students will visit the selected site to see how a scanning electron microscope works. While at this site, students will draw several of the images that they see.

Students will rotate through each station at regular timed intervals.

Evaluation: On day three, a unit review and performanced based evaluation will be conducted.

1. The instructor will ask questions about the student's laboratory experiences, and test their findings orally as part of the unit review.

2. Students will be required to perform one of the six procedures listed with 80% accuracy.

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Aviation Academy 2000 - Aviation/Travel Program

Wooddale High School - Memphis TN 38118