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Day
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Student Skills
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Instructional Strategies
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Probing Questions
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Assessment Process
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Student Product/Behavior
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Feedback
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1.Identify real-worldproblem associated
with standards-based concept(s)
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Teacher introduces and poses problem, referencing
prior knowledge.
What are the factors influencing obesity, and how
can obesity awareness be increased?
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What conditions in a population create an obesity
crisis?
Is it possible for a country to have policy that
encourages or discourages obesity?
What are some ways we can find out about the effects
of certain variables on obesity?
Why is obesity a public problem?
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Students answer probing questions posed by teacher
in whole-class setting
Small-group discussions to draw upon prior knowledge
and brainstorm solutions
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Based on student responses, teacher provides additional
content reading or homework questions if needed to help students develop
a fuller understanding of the real-world problem
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2.Develop
background skills and knowledge
Perform background research
Develop content understanding of key variables
Conduct investigations (labs) to increase awareness
Learn to use a modeling tool (e.g., STELLA)
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Students experience awareness activities.
Students read articles and study statistics about
obesity and disease.
Students identify variables affecting obesity.
Students learn STELLA by using tutorial to construct
personal budget model.
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What are the different factors that affect obesity?
Where are some places that we can find reliable,
numerical data about obesity?
Do all countries have problems with obesity?What
common characteristics do you think would lead to obesity?
What are the factors that influence obesity?
How do you build a model using STELLA?What
can you do with STELLA that you can’t figure out on paper?
What do the different symbols in STELLA mean?
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a. Individual reports on obesity
b. Individual identification of variables and completeness
of research
c. Completed personal budget in STELLA
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a. Written feedback on data, report, and conclusions
b. Check for accuracy and understanding
c. Oral comments on model structure and function
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3.Simplifyreal-world
problem
Determine applicable principles/laws/procedures
Explain assumptions
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Teacher illustrates limitations of modeling and
students determine assumptions of their model
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Is it possible to create a model that accurately
predicts real-world outcomes?Why
or why not?
What are the assumptions we have to make (that is,
what do we have to leave out)?
How do we determine what we leave in and what we
leave out?
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Groups produce assumptions list for use when building
model
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Guidance on making assumptions
Oral comments on parts that are solvable with STELLA
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4. Identify
variables and
interrelationships
Make a diagram or flowchart connecting ideas from
research
Conduct investigations (labs) to gather data
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Students perform activities measuring the identified
variables.
Students create simple flowchart showing effects
of each variable on obesity.
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Which variables will you use?Why
did you choose these?
How can you graphically display the relationship
between these variables and obesity?
What do your graphics mean?
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Flowchart with narrative explaining relationships
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Student response to probing teacher-posed questions
Analysis of validity of relationships in flowchart
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5. Defend
the identified relationships and assumptions
Present and defend in groups
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Students organize research information and flowcharts
into PowerPoint presentation
Teacher presents checklist of PowerPoint expectations
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Why did you make the connections in this way?
How did you derive those relationships from your
research?
What is the prognosis for your area in the long
term if nothing is done by the government to control obesity?
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Groups make PowerPoint presentation of variables
and flowchart
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Students generate rubric after the presentations
to try to capture what they saw as the major differences in quality between
the presentations – Groups self-assess based on the rubric developed by
the whole class
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Represent
relationships in terms of mathematical equations
Use diagrams and relationships
to Derive mathematical equations
Determine theoretical
numbers in absence of real figures
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Teacher uses student work to pull out the math from
student flowcharts
Teacher directs groups in writing of mathematical
equations
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What is the math that underlies your graphical representation?
How would you state these relationships in your
own language?
What mathematical operations can we substitute for
this language?
What does this math mean?What
predictions can we make based upon this math?
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Participation by working with flowcharts in groups
while teacher explains math
Handwritten or Excel equations based upon flowchart
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Comprehension check during explanation
Yes/no approval of equations based upon comparison
with flowchart
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7.Translate
variables and relationships into computational model:
Translate model into computational process
Review math equations
Run the model
Get results
Explore range of validity
Run check cases
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Students build STELLA model using researched variables
and mathematical relationships from 6
Students run model, review their mathematical relationships,
explore results, look for range of validity and run check cases
Students switch computers and critique peer models
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Which symbols in STELLA represent your mathematical
functions?
What do the results look like?Is
that what you expected?Why or why
not?
Did you construct the model to reflect your mathematical
relationships?
Is there a mistake in your model?How
can you fix it?
Does your model work for all numbers, or do some
numbers make your model behave erratically?
What happens if you make this number bigger, or
this number smaller?Did you expect
that result?Why or why not?
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Sliders and response of model in “Flight Sim” mode
Changes made to model when necessary
Peer review of model
Demonstrate viability of model by performing check
cases and evaluating output
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Formative evaluation of model (does it work? do
the results look like what was expected? what needs to be changed?)
Yes/no approval of changes made to model
Monitor participation in peer review
Check model output after test cases are performed
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8. Interpret
findings
Evaluate results
Draw conclusions
Make recommendations
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Students investigate complex BodyComp model and
compare it to theirs
Students correlate the relationships between obesity
and diseases—particularly cardiovascular diseases and diabetes
Students use model to explore solutions to the obesity
crisis and to formulate conclusions and recommendations
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Were there any surprises?
How confident do you feel about the accuracy of
your results?
Is there a better way to do the investigation?
Do we need more data?
What are the sources of error?
What do the graphs mean?
Do your results support the model specified?If
not, what would you change?
What differences do you see in the more complex
BodyComm model?Which model do you
think would be more “correct”?Why?
What recommendations would you give people trying
to solve the problem, referencing the model output?
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Students compare BodyComp model to theirs
Responses to teacher-posed questions references
to the data
Letter from group to governing body or public policy
agency recommending policy
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Informal evaluation of student responses
Check if students can properly reference data in
drawing conclusions
Read and respond to policy letter from group to
governing body body or public policy agency
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9.Communicate
findings
Presentation, letter, essay, etc.
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Students prepare letter and presentations to communicate
their recommendation for obesity management
Students publish their recommendations
Students share their recommendations with their
communities
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Why did you choose this solution to the problem?
What data do you have to support this decision?
How well do you think this could work?
What are some loopholes the obese might find in
your plan?
What are the ideal, long-term results of your policy?
Are there any countries today that use this same
policy to control obesity?How successful
are they?
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PowerPoint presentation referencing original problem,
brief research summary, model and model output, and recommendations based
upon model output
Answers to teacher and student-posed questions
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Rubric scoring of recommendations, presentation,
and responses to teacher and student-posed questions
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