Month	Contact Time . The hours provided in parentheses are what is expected in this course for contact time. The total of all contact hours will sum to 45.	Readings and Assignments These are due by the end of month. All written assignments are to be word processed--not exceeding size 12 font--and submitted as email attachments to jbardwell@hsc.wvu.edu . If you have occasional technical problems, the assignments can be faxed (304 293 0574) or sent postal mail. The written assignments are numbered consecutively 1 - 10 for this course and reappear on the "Written Assignment Descriptions".
September	· Conduct HSTA Club Meetings. (6 hours) · Examine the "Red Book" and Syllabus web page for related websites on Experimental Deisgn (1 hour). . Attend the HSTA Fall Workshop and specifically the Grad course session on Friday, September 24-25 at Riverside High School (11 hours). . Bring Parts 1 and 2 of Assignment 1 and we will share ideas on Friday evening.   . Communication through various venues (i.e., e-mail, phone calls, site visits) with the WVU Faculty person teaching this course(1 hour).	Readings: Briefly look over the first 2 chapters in the "Red Book" pages 3-26. Then read in detail 3rd chapter, Generating Experimental Ideas, pages 27-37. As described to the left, read your choice of web sites on Experimental Design provided on the Syllabus web page. Assignment 1 (2 parts): Question: Given the same set of adequate moisture conditions over a 20 day period, will a plant grow taller in the presence of high intensity light or low intensity light? (10 pts) Part 1: Before investigating the not-so-obvious answer, write a couple paragraphs on what your current thinking is to answer this question, and be as scientifically specific (but not necessarily scientifically accurate) as possible, describing what happens at the cellular level for seed germination, emergence of plant above soil line, root production, and consequent flower/seed production. Part 2: Write a 1-2 page paper that provides the following: Highlights of what you learned about experimental design; questions you might have; and ideas for how to design an experiment with HSTA students and/or your classroom students to answer the question above. Make specific recommendations for how you could utilize the "4 question strategy" (pg. 28, Red Book) to introduce this question to students --to make them curious and motivated to find an answer. Assignment 2: Reflections on Fall Workshop (10 pts) Write a two page paper that provides your reflections on the HSTA Fall Workshop. Include what you liked about the workshop as well as your ideas for how to improve the workshop. Additionally, mention ideas you garnered at the Fall workshop that will help you work with your students to enhance their project development.
October	· Conduct HSTA Club Meetings. (6 hours)   · Investigate in detail the links on Inquiry, which are available on the Syllabus web page, and read Emily van Zee's article, see assignment 4. (2 hours).   . Communication through various venues (i.e., e-mail, phone calls, site visits) with the WVU Faculty person teaching this course (1 hour). . Early October - Web CT discussion board about Fall Workshop, introducing activities with your HSTA students to excite them, and how you might introduce experimental design (1hour).       . Late October - Web CT discussion board about inquiry teaching, van Zee article on Inquiry, and introducing the plant experimental design activity with HSTA students (1 1/2 hours).	Readings: Check out chapter 4 in "Red Book", pages 37-44. As described to the left, read the web pages on Inquiry and any associated material available through links. Read article by Emily van Zee: Ways of Fostering Teachers' Inquiries into Science Learning and Teaching. If you have not received a copy, please contact Jenny Bardwell. Additionally, if you have not yet read both texts, please examine them. (Request the texts from instructor if you do not possess one). Particularly read in the texts anything to do with Experimental Design and Inquiry. Assignment 3: Lesson Plan I (15 pts) Introduce the question above to your HSTA students and facilitate students designing a plant activity using Wisconsin Fast Plants, which attempts to answer the question above. Develop a 2-3 page lesson plan on the plant experimental design activity that utilizes in some way the content of the Wisconsin Fast Plants Text and material from texts/web pages on Experimental Design and Inquiry. Your lesson plan should include: Objectives (especially experimental design skills to be enriched), Materials needed, and Procedures for carrying out the activity. Make your description sufficiently complete so other teachers could "run with it." Assignment 4: Reflections on Inquiry websites and article (10 pts) Based on investigating the inquiry web pages and reading the van Zee article, write a 2 page paper that provides the following: Highlights of what you learned; ideas for what you might use (and how) with HSTA students and/or in your regular school classroom. In your paper, include your perspectives on the ideas and content. Assignment 5: Web CT discussion board. Early October date will be announced. (5 pts) Assignment 6: Web CT discussion board. Late October date will be announced. (10 pts)
November	· Conduct HSTA Club Meetings. Complete the plant experimental design activity. Conduct some statistical analysis (and make comparisons) using Excel, have students examine results, make tables/graphs, and draw conclusions (6 hours). . Facilitate the submission of HSTA students project desription (Document 1) and development. (Note: All Document 1's are due to your HSTA Field Site Coordinator, by November 15.)   . Web CT discussion board for sharing outcomes of plant experimental design activity and future ideas (1 1/2 hours)   . Communication through various venues (i.e., e-mail, phone calls, site visits) with the WVU Faculty person teaching this course (1 hour).	Readings: Check out chapters 5 and 8 in "Red Book", pages 45-60, 85-104. Read the Wisconsin Fast Plants text and Plant Science websites about how plant growth is affected by light and hormones. Assignment 7: Reflection on Plant Experimental Design activity (10 pts) Complete a 1-2 page reflection on your plant experimental design activity, providing any results, tables/graphs, and conclusions. Refer back to specific pages in the "Red Book" on experimental procedures, constructing tables/graphs, and analyzing experimental data. Also include content from the Wisconsin Fast Plants manual and web sites on plant science, strengths/limitations, and ideas for improvements.           Assignment 8: Web CT disucssions. Date to be announced. (10 pts)
December	· Conduct HSTA Club Meetings. (6 hours) . Include as part of a HSTA club meeting a brainstorming activity on plant hormones. Facilitate a student discussion on what they know, what questions they have involving plant hormones, and returning at a future date to discuss what they have learned. Again, refer to the Wisconsin Fast Plants text/materials and let students come up their own experiment using the hormones in the Fast Plants kit. This experiment should begin in January. Be sure to follow all safety precautions. In addition, include as part of one of your meetings a discussion with your students about their projects, e.g., what they hope to learn from their project, what questions they have on experimental design, how they will gather data, and how they will examine data for meaningful conclusions. . Communication through various venues (i.e., e-mail, phone calls, site visits) with the WVU Faculty person teaching this course(1 hour).	Readings: Continue examining texts, and websites on related topics of interest. Assignment 9: Lesson Plan II (instructor must receive no later than December 15) (10 pts) Develop a 2 page lesson plan that will utilize the Wisconsin Fast Plants Hormone Kit for an experimental design activity. Please be specific as to your hypothesis and how it will be answered. Your lesson plan should include: Objectives (especially experimental design skills to be enriched), Materials needed, and Procedures for carrying out the activity (including sample statistics to be calculated). Make your description sufficiently complete so another teachers could "run with it." Plan to begin the experiment after the Holidays. Assignment 10: Summary of HSTA club Meetings (10 pts) Write a one to two page summary of your HSTA club meetings for the semester. Therein, include (a) summary of activities completed during the meetings (b) reflections on the brainstorming activity with students on plant hormones; reflections on their project ideas and experimental designs; strengths and ways to improve upon any limitations you encountered.   . ALL ASSIGNMENTS must be received by the instructor no later than December 15. Anyone wishing to get an Incomplete, must get approval from the instructor by November 25.