1. science
2. mathematics
3. algebra

 2015 Learning Project Pathfinder ­ Grades 6­8 This 2­day learning project includes assignment instructions, links to websites and videos, required readings, and Field Trip Experiences.​
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Students must select and complete 4 out of 5 of the components on this Pathfinder. The five components that they can choose from are English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Mathematics, and Field Trip experiences. ​
All assignments are part of a thematic unit developed around ​
The ​
Age of American Invention and Innovation 1960 ­ 2015​
. A teacher will check­in on each student’s progress during the week of May 4th. At this time, teachers may provide feedback on any work in progress. Students will have project support opportunities provided by each school. The Burlington Public Library can be visited for research materials and access to digital resources via ​
the ​
Internet. The assignments are due by ​
June 1, 2015.​
Students who do not turn in the required assignments will be marked absent for both days. Grade 6 Read ​
“The Fun They Had” Click here to for a link to the story ● 5 comprehension questions 1) (a) At the beginning of “The Fun They Had,” what does Margie write in her diary, including the date? (b) Why does she choose to write this? 2) How is the book Tommy found different from the books that Margie is used to? 3) (a) What is the book about? (b) How is the school described in the book different from the kind of school Margie is used to? 4) (a) What does the county inspector do to Margie’s teacher? (b) How is her “mechanical teacher” similar to a desktop computer of today? 5) (a) What does Margie hate the most about her teacher? (b) What does Margie like about the school described in the book? ● Open Response Margie believes that students in our time must have enjoyed and had fun at school. What makes her think this way? Is she correct? Explain using evidence from the text. Grade 7 Read ​
“The Fun They Had” Click here for a link to the story ● Plot Line Use either ​
ReadWriteThink.org​
or your own sheet of paper/google doc to create a plot line for this story. Be sure to include the exposition, inciting incident, events that make up the rising action, the climax, events that make up the falling action, and resolution. ● Open Response How do you feel about a system of education where students learn only by computer? What do you think the advantages and disadvantages of such a system would be for middle school students? Be sure to include evidence from the text to support your answer. Grade 8 Read ​
“Harrison Bergeron” Click here for a link to the story ● 5 comprehension questions 1) Describe the state of the U.S. society as described in the first paragraph. How has “equality” been achieved? 2) (a) What technology does George have to wear, and what is its purpose? (b) Why does Hazel NOT have to wear any technology? 3) (a) Why was Harrison’s appearance described as “Halloween and hardware?” (b) What do his technology handicaps show about his personality, mental ability, and physical qualities? 4) What is the purpose of the dance that Harrison and the ballerina do? What is Harrison trying to show society? 5) (a) Describe George and Hazel’s reactions to Diana Moon Glampers’s ultimate action against Harrison. (b) What do these reactions tell you about the government’s influence on their thinking? ● Open Response Think about how technology has changed life in the society presented in “Harrison Bergeron.” Do these changes help society or hurt it? Explain with evidence from the text. The math portion of the learning project will consist of a written analysis of one graph. The types of graphs students may choose from will be representative of grade level Common Core Mathematics standards. The analysis of the graph will consist of two paragraphs that explain how the graph represents mathematical data relevant to the ​
Age of American Invention and Innovation 1960 ­ 2015​
. Your assignment is to include one graph representing a topic from the ​
Age of American Invention and Innovation 1960 ­ 2015 ​
and write a two paragraph analysis of the graph. You may choose the type of graph based on the options for your grade level. Follow the guidelines below. Grade 6 Graph ● Include one of the three options below: ○ Circle graph ○ Bar graph ○ Line graph ● Find the graph using the Internet, newspapers, or magazines. ● The graph should represent a topic from the “Age of American Invention and Innovation 1960 ­ 2015.” Sample ideas include, but are not limited to, the following: ○ Stock prices of a company or industry ○ Sales of a company, product, or industry ○ Pay for jobs ○ Sports ○ Technology ○ Inventions ○ Preferences of students ○ Social media ○ Environmental changes ○ Climate change ○ Weather events and predictions Paragraph #1 ● What type of graph is this? ● Explain the type of the graph. ● Why did you select this graph? Paragraph #2 ● What topic does this graph represent from the ​
Age of American Invention and Innovation 1960 ­ 2015​
? ● How does the graph represent mathematical data from the topic? ● Circle graph: ○ What are the parts represented by the circle graph? ○ What is the total represented by the circle graph? ○ Write fractions and percentages to represent the parts of the circle graph. ● Bar graph: ○ What is being compared in the bar graph? ○ What does the height or length of a bar represent? ○ What is represented by the biggest bar? ○ What is represented by the smallest bar? ● Line graph: ○ What is being compared in the line graph? ○ Is the line increasing? How do you know? What does this tell you about the data in the graph? ○ Is the line decreasing? How do you know? What does this tell you about the data in the graph? ○ Based on the line graph, what would you predict to happen in the next year? Examples of graphs Example Link: ​
Circle graph of “Factors of Consuming Nike Shoes” Example Link: ​
Bar graph of number of kids playing sports by age Example Link: ​
Line graph of iPhone sales Grade 7 Graph ● Include one of the following: ○ Graph representing a proportional relationship ○ Graph representing the probability of an event ● Find the graph using the Internet, newspapers, or magazines. ● The graph should represent a topic from the “Age of American Invention and Innovation 1960 ­ 2015.” Sample ideas include, but are not limited to, the following: ○ Stock prices of a company or industry ○ Sales of a company, product, or industry ○ Pay for jobs ○ Sports ○ Technology ○ Inventions ○ Preferences of students ○
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Social media Environmental changes Climate change Weather events and predictions Paragraph #1 ● What type of graph is this? ● Explain the type of the graph. ● Why did you select this graph? Paragraph #2 ● What topic does this graph represent from the “Age of American Invention and Innovation 1960 ­ 2015?” ● How does the graph represent mathematical data from the topic? ● Proportional relationship: ○ What are the variables in this graph? ○ What is the proportional relationship represented by this graph? ○ Is this a direct proportion or an inverse proportion? ● Probability of an event: ○ What is the event (or events) represented by this graph? ○ What is the likelihood of the event (or events) happening? ○ How does the graph represent the likelihood of an event? Examples of graphs Example Link: ​
Pay per hour for four different jobs Example Link: ​
Climate change Grade 8 Graph ● Include one of the following: ○ Linear graph representing an increasing trend ○ Linear graph representing a decreasing trend ● Find the graph using the Internet, newspapers, or magazines. ● The graph should represent a topic from the “Age of American Invention and Innovation 1960 ­ 2015.” Sample ideas include, but are not limited to the following: ○ Stock prices of a company or industry ○ Sales of a company, product, or industry ○ Pay for jobs ○ Sports ○ Technology ○ Inventions ○ Preferences of students ○
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Social media Environmental changes Climate change Weather events and predictions Paragraph #1 ● What type of graph is this? ● Explain the type of the graph. ● Explain independent and dependent variables. ● Explain the types of correlation. Paragraph #2 ● What topic does this graph represent from the “Age of American Invention and Innovation 1960 ­ 2015?” ● How does the graph represent mathematical data from the topic? ● What is the independent variable in this graph? ● What is the dependent variable in this graph? ● Is this a positive or negative correlation? ● What is the approximate slope of the line? ● How does the line represent the mathematical data from the theme? ● Based on the line, what would you predict to happen in the next year? ● If this is not a completely straight line, what do the changes in the line represent? Examples of graphs Example Link: ​
Facebook growth Example Link: ​
Increasing CO2 emissions Example Link: ​
Declining sales in music industry The last half century has seen tremendous innovations and inventions that have greatly altered our lives. Many of the things in your everyday life came into existence during your lifetime and/or your parents’ lifetimes. We often take these innovations for granted. Yet, all of these were revolutionary in scope. Below is only an abbreviated list of these inventions! There are many more! Your “ MSMS Blizzard Bag” assignment will be to investigate and learn about some of these inventions that even a few years before their appearance would have been considered science fiction. Good luck and have fun on this independent learning adventure. Maybe someday in the future a middle school student will be doing a similar assignment and learn about YOUR invention!! Technological Inventions and Innovations (1960­2015) 1960 ­ 1969
1990 ­ 1999 Apollo space system
Weather satellites
Industrial robots
Simple Video games
Taser
Halogen lamp
Home solar panels
Audio cassette
Video disk
Compact disk
Kevlar
Hand held calculator
RAM
Artificial heart ATM Domestic microwave oven Texting Internet ­ World Wide Web Digital answering machine Pentium processor DVD Blackberry Bluetooth Sony PlayStation MP3 Drones PhotoShop 1970 ­ 1979
2000 ­ 2009 Mobile phone
Digital camera
Remote control robots
Floppy disk
Dot­matrix printer
Food processor
LCD
VCR – video cassette
Laser printer
Ink jet printer MRI iPod YouTube
Segway
Camera phone iTunes Wii
iPhone Kindle iPad Cell phone
Walkman
Automobile airbags 1980 – 1989
2010 ­ 2015
IBM­PC
CD­ROM
Apple MacIntosh
Windows
Superconductor
Disposable camera
3D video games
Digital cell phones
Doppler radar HDTV Camcorder Household bread machine MakerBot Stark hand Hoverboard 3D Texture cam UNI tablet Retinal Prosthesis system Atlas Humanoid robot Gravity light Choose one of the inventions or innovations from each decade. Research it thoroughly and then answer these questions. 1. Who was the inventor? 2. Where was it invented? 3. How was it invented? How long did it take? How much did it cost? 4. What motivated the inventor to create it? 5. Has this invention undergone changes as the years went by? What are those changes? 6. What other new things were spin­offs from the original invention? For the Social Studies component of your assignment you will write an Open Response. Follow the regular guideline for Open Response answers. Ask your Language Arts teacher if you have any questions on the Open Response format. Open Response Choose one of the inventions or innovations from the list found in the Science Component section that has personally impacted your life or that of your family. Include within your response information about the invention or innovation. Students might choose to take a field­trip experience as one of their optional choices. Please use the reflection template​
as a guide to your real­life experience. The information on the template can be presented in many different ways: through video or iMovie, picture journal, poster, Google Doc or Google Slides, on paper, etc. just be sure to include all parts of the template. You must also provide journalistic evidence that you attended the field trip location. Pictures at the location with you participating will help provide part of the reflective evidence about what you experienced on your field trip. Here are some examples of places you might visit in and around the Boston area (you are welcome to use field trip experiences outside Massachusetts as well, if you are traveling during April vacation): Discovery Museum ­ Acton Children’s Museum ­ Boston Museum of Science ­ Cambridge New England Aquarium ­ Boston Water Works Museum ­ Chestnut Hill Reservoir Einstein’s Workshop ­ Burlington Franklin Park Zoo ­ Boston Stone Zoo ­ Stoneham Roger Williams Zoo ­ Providence, RI Drumlin Farm Audubon Sanctuary ­ Lincoln Ecotarium ­ Worcester Boston Tea Party Museum ­ Boston Museum of Fine Arts ­ Boston Lexington and Concord Patriot’s Day celebrations and reenactments The Royall House and Slave Quarters ­ Medford Walk the Freedom Trail ­ Boston American Textile Museum ­ Lowell Lowell National Historical Park ­ Lowell Naval and Maritime Museum ­ Battleship Cove ­ Fall River Exploring Massachusetts ­ Family Fun to Navigate and Discover​
(features fun and educational locations to visit in our area) Take a nature walk or hike through a natural location (Conservation area, state park, etc.). Along the way, record evidence of local plant and animal life including: specific species, tracks, shelters, holes, calls, smells, or other evidence. Please note the location, time, weather and description of the habitat you visited.