Estimated Time: 5 hours.
Overview: Participants use Science for All Americans,
Benchmarks for Science Literacy, and a specially developed
analysis procedure to evaluate how well River Cutters, a 6-9 grade
curriculum module, addresses science literacy goals specified in Benchmarks
for Science Literacy. The module’s activities engage students in making
models to simulate the effect of rivers in shaping the earth’s surface.
Using river cutter models, students discover features of younger and older
rivers and investigate the effects of slope on river formation. Finally,
they are given two engineering challenges: they must construct a dam and
determine the best location for a toxic waste dump. River Cutters
is part of the series Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) developed
by the Lawrence Hall of Science. In addition to the presentation materials,
background readings for the workshop leader are provided.