Phytoplankton Newsletters - Sampling

These images show three of the final Phytoplankton Newsletters that students created during this multi-week unit.

As previously stated, this phytoplankton unit covered all aspects of the STEAM philosophy.


Rather than writing a traditional paper, creating a newsletter using the pages application seems like a better way to describe the research while using images in a design format.

Many students also designed their Phytoplankton Newsletter using the topics within STEAM to organize all of the information that was covered. 

Color, detail, organization, summarization, vocabulary and more are covered in each page.

Student Artist Statements about their work

 These are examples of brief Art/Design Statements. These were written with the idea that each of their models would be hanging from the ceiling of the Seacoast Science Center in NH with a short abstract explaining their work on the wall nearby.  

3D - Learning on all levels

This project is a combination of many different levels of learning for all the players involved. 

Not only are the students learning a lot about marine science in a design science lab class, they are also learning: 

1.  to build their ideas from drawings
2.  to interact with a professional scientist in many different ways, 
3.  to see that skype is an effective and normal tool for learning in the classroom
4.  to see that teachers and scientists are collaborators in learning and teaching
5.  to imagine their 3D prototypes of microscopic organisms can be used to teach the public about scientific concepts. 

What hasn't been mentioned yet is that this project also connects four different types of people and/or organizations all at once. It is our hope that these projects that students create will be hanging from the ceiling of a small science center in New Hampshire.  

This collaboration provides an example in how a Scientist-Teacher-Student team can successfully interact with an Informal Science Center in hopes to educate the public and local schools about projects that middle school students can be involved in and excel at. 

This interdisciplinary demonstration is an exciting example of successful learning in STEAM education.  

STEAM = Science, Technology, Education, Art/Design and Mathematics 

DSL Phytoplankton Project Part 3

These models show levels of progress that different individuals demonstrated throughout this project. These two models are 2nd prototypes that show an open model of a coccolithophore with chloroplasts inside the organisms double layers of shells. Students learned about the fact that these organisms can be seen from space, are made of calcium carbonate and are unable to fully develop if the pH of the ocean changes to become more acidic.

This student was able to do research, ask directed and multileveled questions of Scientist Dr. Tim Moore while happily accepting feedback and adjusting his model because of it.

The model you see here to the left was made by a student that had had a hard time focusing, which is the case for many, but he completed this 3D model of cyanobacteria. This later became green, to represent the chlorophyll within the organism.  All of which was recommended through feedback from Tim during their one on one skype sessions.

This photo shows the class just beginning the process of building their models after they first made several drawings in pencil. The process of tinkering really moved them forward faster although I believe that the act of drawing first helped them think through what they wanted to build. Students have a difficult time seeing that drawing first is important. They want to just go straight to building after seeing the real picture first.

Design Science Lab Part 2

Understanding who scientists are, what they do and who they are as people is often foreign to students. I try to help connect scientists and students in the classroom as often as I can. Scientists are human. They are athletes, musicians, comedians, smart, silly, creative and real people.  This project connected the 8 students in this class with Dr. Tim Moore who works at the University of New Hampshire. Students skyped with Tim on several occasions to both learn from, ask questions and consult his opinion on their 3D phytoplankton models.

Here you see two examples of students showing their prototypes to Tim. The students presented their models to him, asked questions and Tim provided feedback and recommendations based on what they had accomplished and the science behind each organism.

Students explain Coccolithophore and Alexandirum models

Tim talks with a student about his model of a Cyanobacteria

A student explaining his model of Dynophysis

Design Science Lab - Phytoplankton Project Part 1

Design Science Lab This class is a being offered to a select number of 8th grade students who had space in their schedule after completing several courses related to literacy building. This course continues their exposure to high level words, content in a variety of fields.

Alexandrium species - (toxic) 

Class at work on making prototypes

1 prototype of Dynophysis

Coccolithophore (left) and Cyanobacteria model (right) 

One of their first major projects was to create 3D structures of marine phytoplankton. Each student researched, wrote about and began making rapid prototypes of these transparent structures using recycled lab materials from donated labs. Students learned about a variety of microscopic species that fit into such as dinoflagellates, diatoms and coccolithophores. The species you see here include cycanobacteria, dynophysis, alexandrium, and a few others.

This fall, STEAM is in full swing. The pictures that follow explain more about the projects that are underway during the 2013-2014 year

Entrance to classroom 

Middle School Science/Art Projects

Design Science Lab Phytoplankton Projects

The pictures seen here show the current status of my classroom. This Science and Art world is where lots of interdisciplinary teaching and learning happens. As you walk down the hall, students are surrounded by examples of learning that were created by students while learning about biology, art, environmental science and much more. Within every unit students are presented with options to show their understanding about science related topics in both traditional and non-traditional formats. One of these images shows a new hanging garden created by middle school students in an Environmental Art Class. The tall silver people above this unusual living wall, were created by 6th graders when they were learning about the Italian artist Alberto Giocometti. The transparent hanging structures will be explained in the next post.