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ERIC Number: EJ880495
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 5
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1933-8341
EISSN: N/A
Data Day: Highlighting the Geographic Skills in a Schoolwide Event
Lewis, Lydia
Geography Teacher, v7 n1 p4-8 2010
Data Day, an event that is the culmination of a multiple-week unit, is the perfect opportunity to work across disciplines and, in particular, aligns beautifully with skills and objectives geography teachers work on with their students. Bruce Jones at The Blake School in Hopkins, Minnesota, was the originator of Data Day. Jones described the project as a three-week unit on the scientific method in which Data Day is the focal point. On this day, students invite others in the school community to be the subjects of their experiments. This takes place in a carnival-like atmosphere as students ask other students, parents, and teachers to participate in taste tests, basketball shoots, memory games, video games, visual puzzles, song recognition activities, and other data-gathering experiments. Students are immersed in the scientific methods of planning and carrying out experiments, and gathering quantities of data, which are then analyzed, graphed, and presented orally and in published form. Bridget Williams, the dynamic fourth- and fifth-grade science teacher at National Cathedral School, established the annual Data Day at her school several years ago. Jones was her mentor, and Williams adapted his ideas to fit the schedule and needs of fifth-grade students. Before engaging in applying the scientific method for the Data Day project, Williams teaches students the scientific method and why each step is critical to the success of the experiment. The scientific method is: (1) observation; (2) statement of the problem/ask a question; (3) research; (4) hypothesis; (5) experiment; (6) record the data; (7) organize and analyze the data; (8) reach conclusion; and (9) share results. This Data Day model is a strong one for helping students see the interconnectedness of the different disciplines and for each discipline to achieve its desired objectives. (Contains 1 figure.)
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 4; Grade 5
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A