TEACHERS!
BRING SCIENCE ON THE FLY! TO YOUR CLASS TODAY!

Scientific inquiry begins with a true interest in how or why something works, which is often generated from the student’s own experiences. The topic should be meaningful to the student. It starts with a question, and leads to an investigation of possible answers to that question.

The design of the study develops critical thinking skills and may result in a “trial and error” approach that needs time to be tried and tested. Imagination should be encouraged to enable students to build on their background knowledge by exploring different resources and making connections to their previous understanding. The ability of the student to communicate the results of the inquiry and to construct meaning from the analysis of the data collected is just as important as the data that is collected. Presenting data in imaginative and fun ways will also develop multiple other intelligence skills.

As a teacher, you are essential to successful science inquiry in the classroom. By providing students with the ability to control their explorations, you serve as the mentor or facilitator to the active investigation. The rewards can be immeasurable – the empowerment of the students, and, in return, the true development of student scientists.

Through Science on the Fly!, your middle school students will explore the scientific process and the fascinating world of the aquatic environment using the common loon as an educational tool. Science on the Fly! meets New York State and National Science Learning Standards in many subjects, including science; mathematics; analysis, inquiry, and design; and information systems.

The Science on the Fly! curriculum consists of four separate components which can be conducted individually or integrated with one another as a full curriculum to teach students about scientific inquiry. All components, including the Science on the Fly! teacher manual, video, and website, www.ScienceontheFly.org, are available for the classroom teacher to utilize as appropriate to meet the needs of your students and the scientific objectives you would like to fulfill.

1. SCIENCE ON THE FLY! TEACHER’S MANUAL AND TRAINING WORKSHOPS:
The Science on the Fly! teacher’s manual provides teachers with an overview of the full curriculum, including information about reference materials, learning standards, and additional resources.

DOWNLOAD TEACHER’S MANUAL NOW!

In addition, the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program offers a one-day training workshop to teachers in the Adirondack Park of New York State who would like to bring Science on the Fly! to their classrooms. Please contact the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program to schedule a Science on the Fly! workshop in your area of the Adirondack Park.

2. SCIENCE ON THE FLY! VIDEO/DVD:
The Science on the Fly! video enables students to see ACLP’s scientists in action, discussing and conducting research on loon migration, as an example to teach students about the scientific process. The video can be viewed in its entirety, or stopped after a given step of the process for discussion, to conduct one of the classroom activities, or to proceed through a portion on the Science on the Fly! website, www.ScienceontheFly.org. Students learn how real scientists go through the scientific process to discover facts about the habitat requirements of loons and gain an appreciation of the importance of scientific research to the conservation of wildlife and the environment.

CONTACT THE ADIRONDACK COOPERATIVE LOON PROGRAM TO ORDER A SCIENCE ON THE FLY! VIDEO OR DVD

3. STUDENTS EXPLORE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES:  The suggested classroom activities in the Science on the Fly! teacher manual can be done to parallel and reinforce information that the students are learning in the Science on the Fly! video and website by directly involving students in each step of the scientific process.

The Science on the Fly! activities teach students about issues related to biodiversity, particularly in aquatic habitats, and encourages students to develop an interest in the protection of wildlife and their environment.

4. WEBSITE, www.ScienceontheFly.org:  The Science on the Fly! website is designed to supplement and reinforce the information presented through the Science on the Fly! video and classroom activities. The educational objective of the website is to allow students to engage in an activity that integrates the use of the scientific process while improving their awareness of wildlife natural history and environmental conservation. Teachers are able to access the website separately to review and evaluate each student’s progress through the scientific process.

DOWNLOAD THE SCIENCE ON THE FLY! BROCHURE
a brief overview of the Science on the Fly! curriculum.
 

ScienceontheFly.org!